Caroline Gerardo's Blog, page 2

Do More Of What Makes You Happy

 

Nine hundred Days Left On Earth

 

If I only have 900 days left on this ground 

Every evening to say I made a better web, 

shared love, 

 and create new. 

I let go a those people I used to be when Elle died. 

It's easier to say no with a plan. So here is my plan ~

Yes please to:Share my skills before we die.Plants seeds in other gardens.Propagate specimen cuttings.Build a house with my hands.Teach how to read a painting.Complete the children's book.Exercise my strong body daily.Open soul into nature' timing.Tell moon, season, sky stories.See fun animals in the clouds.Stop fear of the night talons.Welcome a hero into my life.Be silly, express wonder, sing.Cook always delicious meals.Farmers market, know names.Recite the rosary and meditate Join community as need arises.Show up on time,  tools ready.Do jobs for free and well done.Call friends to remain listening.Be forgiving extra zillion times.Shut my desire to blurt answersDon't bit advice to the broken.Hug more than speak my mind.Express open sex a one trusted.Risk what they say ignore critics.Paint from memory or plein air.Give away treasures not touched.Trust the worthy to see my heart.Keep promises forever, deliver it.








 
  

Eulogy For Elle

Celebration of My Sister Elle Gerardo Borlin Smith
9/29/2023 At sunset Elle's ashes swim with the dolphins.

Bring peace to her struggle and let us sleep.
Fall's a favorite, forever monarch butterflies
return to spin a chrysalis to become again. 
Will pieces of Elle sink into the sea deep?


Summer fades into the earth, brown spiders
weave to survive, and milkweed goes furry.
Planted garlic in your garden, season to 
harvest the scapes and roast the crowns,
keep away squirrels who steal in a hurry.


I'm blessed to have loved you sister.
Left with the golden glow to share.
Love you created, your smile of joy,
be brave, strong enough to compare. 

9/23/2023

Challah Recipe

Catholic girl goes to Rabbi G's house to make challah 

Since my sister passed I'm on a mission.

I started with exercise and hiking but that

lead me to making changes in myself.

I've cared for someone dying for more than a year but

the climb to heaven has taught me so much about love.

Glioblastoma is a nasty diagnosis, I am creating new

what I learned a gift to you all.

Here's the recipe and videos about the evening shared with 

thirty orthodox and reformed Jewish women. I hope you

practice making this rather easy bread as a gift to those

you love. Once you get the texture down, it's simple.

·     1½ packages active dry yeast (about 3½teaspoons)

·     1 tablespoon plus ½ cup sugar

·     ½cup vegetable oil, more for greasing bowl

·     5 large eggs

·     1 tablespoon salt

·     8 to 8½cups all-purpose flour

·     Sesame seeds forsprinkling

·     Parchment paper

·     Cooking spray

·     Your largest bowl

·     Clean hands no gloves

 

 

Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in1¾ cups lukewarm water in the big bowl

 

Whisk oil into yeast, slowly beat in 4eggs, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour by then handful. Useboth hands gently.  When dough holdstogether, it is ready for kneading.

 

Turn dough onto a floured surface andknead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease with spray, then return dough tobowl.  The amount of flour may vary withthe relative humidity in your kitchen. Getting the feel right is practice.

 

Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise ina warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size.

 

Punch down dough, cover and let riseagain in a warm place for another half-hour.

 

 

Divide dough in half and then take a handful ball from eachhalf. You will have about 38% in each large ball and 7% in the two smallerbaseballs.

 

See video how to punch down one large ball into a discshape and then cut the sides like a flower into 18 sections – watch her count.Then fold in every third to the center and repeat. The baseball goes in thecenter. The bread will be in the shape of the Star of David but when it bakesit will become round like a crown. Some cultures hide an egg under the ball,add hidden currents or surprises.

 

Remaining egg wash brushes over and sprinkle with sesameseeds

 

375 preheated oven

Bake on cookie tray forabout 30- 42 minutes until golden brown

 

If you want all the loafto be even brown color at 25 minutes you may add a little egg wash into the valleysand sprinkle more seeds but do it fast and on the rack in the oven (wear mitts)

 

Your kitchen will fillwith warm bread perfume.

Poem For Elle

To Elle My Sister
A star guides the tree to grow.The conifer protects the birds.Flycatcher on iridescent wings catches mosquitos and spiders.Then the nest where she sleepsfills downy fuzz with love.Our sister surrounded bythe songs of the starthe wind going freethe bird in the heavensas Elle taught usaboutloveWe are the protectorsof the nest foreverinfinite.

 

Hafiz

And still, after all this time

the sun never says

to the earth, "You owe Me."

Look what happens with 

a love like that.

It lights the whole sky.

Hafez/ Hafiz of Shiraz

Bird house

 

  Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.Friedrich Nietzsche 

Be tough

 

Perfer et obdura, dolor hic tibi proderit olim. (Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you.)” ― Ovid.

Death

Death, the final river we will cross,A mystery that none can truly fathom.With every breath we take, it draws near,
A constant shadow looming over our path.Leaves naught but memories in its aftermath.For in its embrace, we all will lie.That shines on those who love and try.
And face death's call with courage and grace.But how we lived that sets our souls ablaze.Echo through streets and homes, far and near.
Innocent lives they take, without a care,Leaving behind loved ones in deep despair.But in the hands of tyrants, they arise.With each shot fired, another soul departs,As broken families grieve with broken hearts.
But now we're trapped in a cycle, resentful.Let us strive for peace and disarmament,So our children live, safe and contented.

It strips away wealth and fame and pride,No being can escape its icy grip,But in death's darkness, there is a light,
So let us live each day as if it's last,For in the end, it's not the length of life,Guns, the instruments of death and fear,Their cold and ruthless power, we despise,Guns, we wish they'd never been invented.

Cherry blossom trees at UCSC this week