Knit, Pearl! or, How to Knit in the Dark

We were out of electricity for three days. It ran out somewhere, I guess. Trickled off into a gutter somewhere, maybe.

The first day I trekked to the Bank. Closed. Ace Hardware for electric lanterns. Safeway for fresh produce, which is what we lived on, together with bread and butter, bread and peanut butter, and so forth. I made a big salad and rigged up lanterns with batteries, and was reading after dark when my daughter proposed I learn to knit.

I had thrown in the towel on knitting when I went to a not-very-fun class and learned I was doing it backwards, but I had new yarn and needles ready. Pearl learned to knit from her aunt and had just learned to purl for her new project, a scarf for her boyfriend. Whenever she lost track she was counting stitches: knit, purl, knit, purl . . .

So we rigged up a lantern between us and she showed me how to cast on and make my first stitches. She's a good teacher. I started with 20 stitches and by the end of the evening it had accidentally expanded to over 40 stitches, with lots of holes. In the morning I took it out and started over.

The trees are lying in shards in front and behind my house. When I returned from my errands, a great portion of the birch tree was lying where my car would have been, if I had left it there. Seemed like some kind of sign, to me.

By the third day I was sick of salad, sick of sitting in what must have been a 40 degree house, spending time under the covers until it was necessary to quickly leap out of bed, don 2 layers of clothing, eat something, change and go to work. It was a thrill to come home from work in the evening to find the lights on.

I'm using up the popsickles.

Spinach Tamales or Queso-less Dillas

I've been inspired by the use of spinach in Indian cuisine, and noticed what a creamy taste and texture it can have when cooked. When one chooses to leave cheese out of the menu, it's challenging to find an adequate replacement, although I've noticed that a lot of Vegan recipes cheerfully throw in a little nutritional yeast as if it were a viable substitute. In any case, my culinary thoughts have been drifting spinach-ward, with some satisfying results. I made tamales with a spinach filling, which I enjoyed a lot. Having some filling left over, I also made corn tortillas with the spinach mixture inside, and found it surprisingly creamy and delicious. Take that, cows! By the way, I learned recently that a single tamale is actually a "tamal."

Spinach Tamales With Tomatillo Sauce

First, soak several corn husks* separated in hot water for 30 minutes. Later you will [should you choose to accept this assignment] tear some 3/8 inch strips for tying around the tamales to hold them together. I usually need to tie two strips together to make an adequate length.

Dough
2 cups water, 3 cups masa harina, 1 teaspoon salt [optional], 1/2 cup olive oil [also optional.]
Combine all in bowl, mixing with hands.

Sauce
3 tomatillos with husks removed, diced; 1 nectarine, diced; 1 tomato, diced; 1/2 raw jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced; 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped; 1/2 onion, diced; about 1/2 cup sliced black olives; 1 teaspoon each of salt, agave nectar or honey, and cumin.
Combine all in 1 cup water and simmer 10 to 20 minutes.

Filling [Note: this also makes a fantastic dip or filling for queso-less dillas.]
Place all the following into the bowl of a food processor:
1 package baby spinach, briefly dipped into boiling water and retrieved when wilted. [You can then use this same water for the Sauce, above.]
1/2 cup cooked brown rice; 1/2 cup raw cashews; 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, sliced; 1 raw serrano pepper, seeded and diced; 1/2 cup black beans + 1/2 cup no-fat refried beans or any combo to equal 1 cup; 1 ripe avocado deprived of its peel and pit; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg [that complements the spinach.]

Blend until mixed and creamy.

To Put Together Tamales:
Assemble dough, husks, filling and sauce in a convenient arrangement on a work surface.
Place husk on work surface with smooth side up and point toward you. Place a little less than 1/2 cup of dough into center of husk and spread out with hands to a thickness about 1/8 inch. In center of dough place 1 tablespoon of filling and about a teaspoon of sauce. Fold right and left sides together, fold point up, and enclose all with the string, which you tie. Place each tamal into a pressure cooker [or other steamer] upright. When all tamales are made, steam in pressure cooker on high for 30 minutes. [In other type of steamer, count on about 2 hours.]

* Corn husks and masa harina flour can be found in Mexican area of grocery store. Usually.

Building a Stronger Team

Following some tests at work, with changes in the management and some rearrangements of leadership roles, I was asked to write down some of my concerns for the Unit Manager. This being my day off, I was inspired to use this as an opportunity to air my personal philosophy about leadership in the workplace, which I wrote up as a one-page sort of essay:

Building a Stronger Team

When we consider what makes effective leadership in the path of service, i.e. in the workplace, it is helpful to remember that we are all spiritual beings, and a nicely diverse company. As workers we are human and fallible. So to me it is helpful to keep certain concepts in mind:

* We are all deserving of respect.
* We are each doing our best at any particular time.
* We all want and choose to be here.
* Everyone had meaningful information to share.

Quality communication is service-oriented, respectful, clear and kind. How we communicate makes a difference in the quality of work produced, the continuity of care, and the efficiency of tasks.

* If we communicate in a negative way, such as fault-finding, criticizing, or using a harsh tone of voice, people can withdraw and develop an "exterior locus of control." They become the person unhappily slogging through, not using their creative capabilities for fear of being criticized or attacked.
* If we communicate in a positive way, with clear limit-setting but focusing on the strengths and positive qualities of each person, people can develop an "interior locus of control." They take charge of their duties. They employ independent problem-solving. They feel free to exercise their creative capabilities, knowing their contribution will be valued.
* We can learn to communicate positively by applying this technique: if a person has nine qualities you dislike, and only one quality you are attracted to, focus your attention on the one positive quality. You may find your attitude improves towards that person.
* Anyone in the workplace may have a useful piece of information or a different outlook to share. The most effective communication runs in all directions, not just from the top down.
* The language of leadership is most effective when it is service-oriented, rather than power-oriented.
* Flexibility is often more effective than rigidity.
* In the health-care field, common sense is a valuable commodity.
* Communication is best when it is direct. The measure of a workplace which is psychologically safe is that workers give feedback directly to each other, instead of complaining and gossiping behind someone's back.

On a separate page I also typed up a Baha'i quotation:

If ye be aware of a certain truth, if ye possess a jewel, of which others are deprived, share it with them in a language of utmost kindliness and goodwill. If it be accepted, if it fulfill its purpose, your object is attained. If any one should refuse it, leave him unto himself, and beseech God to guide him. Beware lest ye deal unkindly with him. A kindly tongue is the lodestone of the hearts of men. It is the bread of the spirit, it clotheth the words with meaning, it is the fountain of the light of wisdom and understanding . . .

Why Can't You Just Conform?

Having spent yesterday at work sneezing and coughing and blowing my nose and various snorting, I called in sick at work today but snuck out to the library to pick up items on hold, and to avoid cabin fever. Checked out my books and caught a glimpse of my friend Loyd in the parking lot, standing by two cars with their hoods up. Turns out he had tried to jump start a car for a Korean gentleman but something was wrong besides just the battery, as the jump didn't work. Loyd had to go home, but I told him, "I'm in sh** at work again. There's a new sheriff in town, and too many chiefs and not enough Indians. They're all so aggressive, they're all just, 'rrraaahhrrr' at your throat."

Loyd always understands when I talk about work. It doesn't take a lot of song and dance for him to get the picture. He told me a lovely story, standing the rain with his shirt getting soaked and the drops of rain rolling down his face, about a bank teller in the 1950's looking at Loyd's signature on a check, and at his name. Loyd wrote his signature again so the teller could see it. Finally the teller said, "why don't you change it?" Then, "why can't you just conform? I did."