Our friend Lori Bigley texted me not too long ago. “David Bigley has something he wants to bring over, if you aren’t too busy.”
Of course they brought along Lincoln Riley Bigley, their black pointer/Labrador, to play with his girl, Lasyrenn, our blonde Aussie. While the men worked on a home project, Lori and I enjoyed a good visit.
Before the three Bigleys departed that evening they presented us with a most unusually vacuum-packed and shrink-wrapped gift. (Among friends and family, David B is famous for his creative wrapping services—known to make use of drywall screws for attaching bows and a fiberglass/resin coating that required a saw to open.)
Ouuuu-la-la! What a treasure we discovered inside their upcycled tortilla chip bag!!!! Peeling away David B’s carefully crafted presentation we found a work-of-art hardback book, “The Korean Vegan Cookbook”, filled with a wealth of stunning photos, fascinating backstories and plant-based recipes by Joanne Lee Molinaro, a former corporate lawyer turned social media culinary phenom. David B explained he had seen her in an interview and immediately ordered her book as our Christmas present which he simply could not wait until Christmas to wrap and deliver.
David’s artful gift could not have been more timely. Ever since we opened Joanne’s book cover our life has been on a stepped up trajectory of change focused on plant-based, whole foods eating.
When I checked out Joanne’s appearance on Rich Roll’s Podcast on YouTube, I was impressed with Joanne’s creativity and with Rich’s commitment to promoting healthy living. His podcasts are proving to be a terrific resource for information to keep us inspired. After watching Rich’s conversation with another of his guests, Rip Esselstyn, a former Austin, Texas, firefighter, I eagerly ordered Rip’s “Engine 2 Cookbook” for a Christmas present for David. Just like David B, I was so excited when Engine 2 arrived, I could not wait and immediately gifted this treasure to my husband. To begin cooking and eating our way through Engine 2, we have already poured over all the colorful photographs and recipes and picked out some favorites—Sedona Sweet Potato Waffles, Two-Handed Sloppy Joes and House Arrest Creamy Chocolate Pudding.
We want to eat healthy and add lots more years to enjoy loving each other and our family and friends, making our home and our art, and caring for the strong bodies with which we have both been blessed. While we empty our cabinets, fridge and freezer of those items that do not support our healthy eating, we are also clearing out our closets and drawers plus the garage and tool shed. In the spirit of reducing our possessions to essentials, we are giving away accoutrements that require time and attention we want to channel in the service of living creatively and healthy.
Of course for us and our home and our spiritual well-being, art is the top of our list of essentials. We continue to shop local and build our collection of artCentral artist-made art that nurtures and sustains our spirits.
You can too! Shop local! Through December 4, visit Hyde House at 1110 East Thirteenth in Carthage. See and purchase pocket-friendly art for yourself and those on your shopping list. Bid on and buy your favorite SMALL WORKS|GREAT WONDERS 5×7 canvases. Select a treasure from “p-i-e-c-e-d TOGETHER”—the extraordinary mixed media exhibition by Lori Marble and Jo Mueller. Weekend Gallery Hours, with CDC protocols practiced, are Fridays and Saturdays from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. with the gracious support of Sharon and Lance Beshore and Old Missouri Bank. For more information call (417) 358-4404 and visit www.artcentralcarthage.org.
