Your Local Love

Thank You Notes #55

“You can spend your whole life traveling around the world searching for the Garden of Eden, or you can create it in your backyard.” ― Khang Kijarro Nguyen

This past weekend, we enjoyed many local places near us. I not only love to create in my kitchen, but I also love to taste the flavors of our neighborhood.

We were on our way to pick up some produce when my husband turned the car around. What a surprise! He remembered we wanted to visit a little fruit cart lovingly decorated with a rainbow umbrella.

It was as if we were in Mexico.

The lady running the cart had brightly colored melons, pineapples, mangos, jicamas, and cucumbers peeled and lined up in neat rows inside a glass case. These jewels of the tropics turned into a delicious fruit plate topped with fresh lemon juice, chamoy (a plum sauce), and chili-lime powder.

It brought back memories of these carts lining the streets of Leon, Guanajuato, where I lived as an exchange student. The flavors wake up your tastebuds and bring appreciation to your heart.

Next, we headed to our local produce store. They always have the latest kinds of apples and local treats. That day they had huge stalks of lovely asparagus.

I also decided to purchase some hanging flower baskets, veggie starts, a berry bush, and some pots from our local employee-owned store. They are a pacific northwest chain and always have a great variety of wonderful plants. Their people are always friendly and love to share stories.

Lastly, I decided to play around with a recipe and create something delicious in our kitchen. I am happy to say this experiment was a success! A kitchen is a magical place where I can turn my pondering thoughts into something we can taste. It doesn’t get more local than your own kitchen.

Sometimes it feels as if a recipe book whispers to me through its recipes, calling me to cook or bake something leading to my destiny.

I have a well-loved afternoon tea cookbook. Its photos and offerings always point to something tasty.

These welsh cakes are light and fluffy yet moist and decadent. I decided to make coconut lime ones and an apple cinnamon variety. The frozen apple slices from last year’s harvest called to me.

My wish for you today is to discover something new in your neighborhood. Gain a new appreciation for everything that surrounds you, even a recipe book full of ideas you have not tried yet.

This week’s theme is:

Your Local Love

Share a story about a local place you love. It may be a shop, restaurant, food cart, park, or other places you love to frequent. Tell us why you love it there. We are excited to read your poems, stories, or articles about local places near you. Share the love!

This week we will announce the winner of our April Challenge! Stay tuned for another great challenge coming your way!

Thank you to my lovely fellow editors here at Thank You Notes, Lorena of Sharing Randomly, and Ellie Jacobson. Thank you ladies for your amazing work here every week!

A Loving Note From Trista Signe Ainsworth

Dear Lovely Readers and Writers,

I write to you all today with an open and full heart. Every day you amaze me with your stories and poems. During the week, I read on Medium while I enjoy my breakfast at 4:30 am.

Lately, I have had spring fever, spending lots of my free time outside planting, weeding, and dreaming. Spring is a time of nature’s renewal, and so it is with our relationships in life.

It brings me joy to say that my heart has opened wider than I thought possible, and a new appreciation for loved ones is here. Never doubt you are capable of a greater love than you ever knew.

When you can remain unconditional in the deepest part of your soul, miracles will begin to appear like when the sun shines after a storm.

Stay open to life, hold your arms out wide to catch the vast beauty all around you. It will change your perspective on everything. Life can be challenging at times, but if you hold on, it is always here for you.

Today I wish you, love,

Trista

Thank you to all of our writers for their incredible work this week:

Niru Thank you for sharing these lovely memories of enjoying Mumbai street food with friends and family, Niru! It made me want to travel right now to discover these delicious dishes!

Sade Tolani Thank you, Sade, for continuing to delight us with your beautiful words of wisdom! These letters touch my heart!

Ipshita Guha Thank you, Ipshita, for this wonderful memory of your family cooking together and how it made you feel. I felt like I was there in the kitchen with you!

Bingz Huang Thank you, Bingz, for these precious memories of your family during the lockdown. How wonderful you can look upon those days fondly now.

Susan Poole Thank you, Susan, for sharing your story of becoming empty-nesters and the silver lining in it all. It is inspiring to hear as it will happen to many of us in a few short years.

Tonya S. Ware Thank you, Tonya, for sharing this beautiful piece. It touched my heart how much words can mean to someone. Thank you for sharing this!

Annelise Lords Thank you, Annelise, for your amazing story of a kind person reaching out to someone in need. We all need a helping hand in life.

Thank you to all of our writers for their wonderful work and support!

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