Funerals.  Nobody wants to talk about them, but they're something that anyone who knows and loves another human being and lives long enough, will experience.  You're living a, hopefully, long and productive life, gathering information and unique experiences, loving and learning all along, and then...you stop.  The wisdom and what mysteries you may have unraveled had you lived longer, all gone.  It's the kink in the universe and what's very wrong with the world.  But, you leave behind beautiful memories, lessons, and your love. 

One of the most interesting things I've ever done was to visit a funeral home and have myself "prearranged".  That's when you make all you arrangements for your funeral and outline everything you want.  And DON'T want!  It's a very good thing to do for two reasons: If you want ANY say/control in what happens to you after you've left the building, here's your chance.  Not only does it make everything clear/easy for your family, but, Reason #2, it's all paid for, so they don't have to think about that, either.  What a wonderful gift of love.

Over the years, I've received several calls from people planning their own funerals.  And they wanted to specify in their prearrangements that they want to release doves at their funeral.  I've had some lovely conversations with these people...very interesting.  They ask such good questions about the doves and I tell them that I love going to weddings and grand openings, but I think the doves serve their most beneficial purpose at funerals and celebrations of life.  It's true.  It's that tangible letting go and a thing of great beauty at a difficult time. 

Here's a list of funeral homes in the Sacramento area that participate in "pre-need" programs.  "Pre-need" means before you need it, of course.  "At need"...you don't get to play...it becomes your family's responsibility.

Morgan Jones Funeral Home, (916) 452-4444, www.morganjonesfuneralhome.com

W. F. Gormley & Sons, (916) 443-6513, www.gormleyandsons.com

Thompson Funeral Home, (916) 455-3038, www.thompsonfuneralhomeinc.com

Sunset Lawn Chapel of the Chimes, (916) 922-5833, www.lifemarkgroup.com

Sacramento Memorial Lawn, (916) 421-1171, www.smlfh.com

Nicoletti, Culjis & Herberger, (916) 451-7284, www.nicoletticuljisherbergerfunerals.com

Lombard & Company Funeral Directors, (916) 483-3297, www.lombardcofuneraldirectors.com

East Lawn Andrews & Greilich, (916) 732-2026, www.eastlawn.com

East Lawn Sierra Hills Memorial Park, (916) 732-2020, www.eastlawn.com

East Lawn Elk Grove Memorial Park and Mortuary, (916) 732-2031

East Lawn Memorial Park, 43rd and Folsom Blvd., 732-2000, www.eastlawn.com

Harry A. Nauman & Son, (916) 452-6157, www.harryanauman.com

Chapel of Flowers, George L. Klumpp,  (916) 443-7917, www.klumppsfuneralhome.com

Sacramento Funeral Chapel, (916) 391-8069, www.sfchapel.com

Nightingale-Gilmore Funeral Chapel, 925-3549

Russ Monroe's Funeral Chapel, (916) 961-1265, www.russmonroes.com

Sierra View Funeral Chapel, (916) 481-1515, www.sierraviewfuneralchapel.com

River Cities Funeral Chapel, 371-4535, www.rivercitiesfuneralchapel.com

North Sacramento Funeral Home, 922-9668, www.northsacfuneralhome.com

Herberger's Elk Grove Funeral Chapel, (916) 686-1888, www.elkgrovechapel.com

Lambert Funeral Home, 783-0474 

Price Funeral Chapel, 725-2109, www.pricefuneralchapel.com

Lind Brothers Mortuary, 482-8080, www.lindbrotherssacramento.com

Mount Vernon Memorial Park, 969-1251

Miller Funeral Home, 985-2295, www.millerfuneralhomefolsom.net  

Wiscombe's Davis Funeral Home, (530) 758-5500, www.wiscombefuneral.com

McNary's Chapel, (530) 662-5411, Woodland

Reichert's Funeral & Cremation Services, 729-2229, www.reichertsfuneral.com 

Rocklin Whitney Funeral Chapel, (916) 630-1010, www.brwfc.com

Heritage Oaks Memorial Chapel, (916) 791-2273, www.heritageoaksmc.com

Green Valley Mortuary, (530) 677-7171, www.greenvalleymortuary.com

The Dove Lady wants you to know there's also a place for your furry and/or feathered or other non-human members of your family.  Sierra Hills Pet Cemetery is a beautiful final resting place for your critters.  We lost our two kitties, Chloe and Lulu, each at age 18, a year apart, five and six years ago.  We still feel the loss.  The folks at Sierra Hills were caring and compassionate.  We had them cremated and I felt they were treated with no less dignity than they would my human family.  Tell 'em The Dove Lady sent you.

Oh, dear.  My lack of attention to "Notes..." has been dragged out into the light of day by the really nice "Partner Profile" published by Real Weddings Magazine.  All I can do is 'fess up.   I'm always thinking of useful things to share, but my note-taking and mental-retaining skills are usually occupied elsewhere, and by the time I get to the 'puter, all I can think of to do is check my email and hit the sofa to decompress.  Then I think to myself, if other people can blog about what they had for dinner, their current health status, and how many minutes 'til they get off work, I can write about the removable, double stick adhesive (Tombo, The Craft Collection, refillable, and 40% off with your Beverly's coupon...a VERY exciting find if you use a lot of double-stick scotch tape), and about the movie, "Sharkwater" (available in Blu-ray).  "Sharkwater" is about the malicious killing of sharks whose fins are cut off then often thrown back into the water and drown, because they can't swim (sharks need to keep moving in order to breathe).  It's a very sad situation, but then I was horrified to learn that it's happening in the Galapagos.  I thought the Galapagos had a big, fat fairy ring around it protecting it from such desecration.  Alas, $$$ speaks louder and we have to start educating the youngsters in cultures that think eating shark fins gives them superpowers.  The California Legislature is working on legislation to outlaw possessing, buying, selling shark fins withIN the state, but imported fins are still fair game.  We have to do better.

The Dove Lady and her husband, who is WAY more civilized than she'll ever be, were discussing the plight of the sharks since they've been in the news a lot lately.  She feels sorry for the sharks, because there is no signage they can understand that lets them know what parts of the ocean are off limits to them and, hey, it's THEIR ocean!  Her husband agrees.  He says, "Yeah, it's not like they're coming into the bars!"

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That's the handiwork of Jensen Films. Lemme know what you think. I will keep this at the top of all my other entries, so...scroll down...don't miss my newest postings!

As the days grow shorter at the rate of up to about 15 minutes a week, activity slows at the loft in late fall.  While Whitebird Ceremonial Dove Releases still does weddings in the winter, there is a huge drop off from our sometimes 12-hour work days of summer, mainly because evening events are no longer an option and outdoor ceremonies are rare.  We're all on our perches (mine's the sofa!) by sunset.

For the couple weeks before and after the Winter Solstice, it was always a scramble to get out to the loft after work before I left my day job, and the birds had been known to dine by flashlight on occasion.  This time of year, dinnertime is between 3:30-4:00 which gives them plenty of time to dine and take care of bedtime routines before sunset.  They maintain their 108 body temperature even if/when the thermometer dips to freezing with the help of little down jackets and bigger helpings at mealtimes.  The arrival and passing of the shortest day of the year is always cause for celebration, as the days start to grow longer again. 

The old married couples and a few newly-wed pairs had their check ups in early November and went into the breeding loft around Thanksgiving.  They are enjoying a high protein diet of peas, corn, wheat, rice, barley, milo, and safflower which helps prepare them to lay fertile eggs and feed healthy babies in the spring.  After the, um, er, courtship period, they build their nests of pine needles on a base of cedar shavings in Belgian nest bowls.  He selects a pine needle, then presents it to the hen who takes it from him and arranges it in the nest.  Some are so expertly woven that it can be picked up in one piece.  One hen likes to lay her pine needles side by side.   Go figure. 

The over-achievers are already on eggs.  Each pair lays two.  The parents stand over the first egg until the second egg is laid on the third day, then both parents take turns sitting, or "setting".  This ensures that the eggs hatch on the same day.  If they started incubating the first egg as soon as it was laid, it would hatch two days earlier.  Since the babies grow so fast, the second baby could not compete with its older, much larger sibling, for food.  So!  Mrs. sits in the late afternoon through the night and Mister takes over in the late morning.  It's a little lopsided, but at least me makes the effort.  I mark the calendar and wait with great anticipation!

Residents of the flying (working) loft are enjoying a bit of respite, as well.  In our early days, weddings and special events pretty much came to a screeching halt in winter, and since the word had not yet spread as to the healing powers of releasing doves at funerals, the birds lounged from November through March.  But, business grew steadily, not only because a dove release is an amazing thing to behold, but now more and more people are learning the doves fly home safely and are not harmed in any way.  With a small team of handlers, Whitebird Ceremonial Dove Releases is capable of performing several releases a day.

I'm often asked if caring for the birds is hard work.  Well, my critters like to eat twice a day whether they're working or not, and the tidying never ends.  But, when I work long hours for them, they reward me with their good health which is reflected in their beauty, pure whiteness ( a dirty bird is a sick bird) and memorable performances.  What they contribute to any occasion is very special, so caring for them is an absolute privilege.  It will be 20 years next year since I got my first birds and christened Whitebird.  I would sit in the loft for hours just watching the birds and dreaming of the possibilities.  Sometimes I even fell asleep out there.  I often wonder (and shudder to think) where I would be if I hadn't witnessed the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympics where they released 1500 white homing pigeons!  It redecorated my life in the most amazing way!

The Dove Lady is most grateful for the special opportunities the doves have presented her.  She most likely would never come to know the amazingly talented, gifted business owners who are her comrades-in-arms, and a constant source of joy, friendship,  support, information, and inspiration! 

Oh, yeah!  Not to mention the part about finding the man of her dreams, her best friend, her life's companion, the father of her children, her wisest counsel.  He  saved her life. 

Mistletoe and smooching descends from the customs of several different cultures. A Greek tradition was that if a couple in love exchanged a kiss under the mistletoe, it is a promise to marry (uh, oh), as well as ensuring happiness and long life. In France, it was reserved for New Year's Day: "Au gui l'an neuf"--Mistletoe for the New Year. In Scandinavia, mistletoe was considered a plant of peace, under which enemies could declare a truce or warring spouses could kiss and make up. Whenever enemies met under the mistletoe in the forest, they had to lay down their weapons and observe a truce until the next day.

Today's custom of using mistletoe to decorate houses for the holidays is a survival of European traditions and the belief it would ward off evil spirits and prevent the entrance of witches. The common name for the plant is derived from the belief that mistletoe grew from bird droppings. Oh, dear. They figured since birds pooped in the trees and mistletoe grew there, it must be the bird poop. Once again, poor little feathered friends take the rap. "Mistel" is the Anglo-Saxon word for "dung", and "tan" is the word for "twig". So mistletoe actually means "dung on a twig". Whatever.

Mistletoe is actually a horrible parasite that left unchecked will eat your tree.  At the first sign of it, you should remove it!  It grows roots into your tree, too, so after you cut it off, wrap that part of the branch with black plastic to smother the root so it won't grow back.  I grew up in a neighborhood full of Modesto Ash trees, and my mom's is the only one left now.

Careful with the little white berries that come with the mistletoe.  It's poison!  Watch your feathered and furry housemates and human babies, too.  To be extra safe, I'm sure you can find faux mistletoe at the craft stores during the holidays.  Get a bunch of it and a styrofoam sphere and make a "kissing ball".  Pull the sprigs apart and poke them into the styrofoam.  Make it really dense so no styro is showing.  Add a pretty ribbon and hang it in a doorway.  If you're using the fake stuff, hang it high enough so you can't tell it's fake.  Be forewarned: witches scoff at faux mistletoe.  If you use real mistletoe, go back and read the part about it being poison.  And if you remove all the white, poison berries, you can instead embellish it with white hypericum berries or faux white berries from the craft store. 

I have a giant mercury glass ornament that I bring out some years and attach small bits of mistletoe.  Much easier, takes less time, I still get the mistletoe magic (and protection), and the mercury glass is SO festive.

So, let's deck them halls with boughs of mistletoe and let the smooching begin!

SMOOCH!

I don't care if Target, Rite Aid, and Wal-mart have had the red and green wrapped candy out since the end of September.  It's NOT officially the holidays until Starbuck's brings out the holiday cups!

The Dove Lady thinks Easter candy rules, but still, she lovingly caresses the pages of the Williams-Sonoma Holiday 2010 Catalogue while longing for their Peppermint Bark, Snaps, and Cremes.  She says thank you kindly, but you can keep the sugar plums.

You didn't ask me what's one of the coolest, most fun things to do at your reception, but if you had I would have answered immediately, "PHOTO BOOTHS!"  I've been to lots of soirees, experienced several photo booths and have seen for myself how much fun folks have.

What I learned recently is something that you wouldn't know unless you're a PP and care about details.  NOT ALL PHOTO BOOTHS ARE CREATED EQUAL.  I realized that the last time I played in a photo booth and saw the resulting photos.  (What's the digital symbol for "thumbs down"?)

The photos were just plain ol' crappy.  And I wouldn't have known that if I didn't have something to compare it to. (please pardon the preposition at the end...I don't have time to rework it...you get the idea)  Since I recently learned that Jensen Films was offering photo booths in addition to their award winning wedding videography, I KNEW Mike (owner of Jensen Films and all around cool guy, talented, and a wholesome family man) was the one to ask.  I know his work well and since day one--he did my original video (VHS!) in 1995--all his work has been first class.  Anyway, dined with Mike a couple weeks ago and had the opportunity to ask him about the differences I had observed in the photos coming out of photo booths.  He answered my question, but I don't remember exactly what he said...something about just using better equipment (see his description on the website).  Mike and I are from the same school: Good Enough Isn't Good Enough.

Trust me when I say there IS a difference.  Now that you know that, have a lookie at www.jensenphotobooth.com.  Read, see, and decide fer yer own self.

If you end up with a crappy photo booth, don't tell The Dove Lady about it.  She warned you.  And if you invite her to your party and have hired a photo booth, she will sit for photos with ANYone, but do not expect her to put on a silly a** get-up. (tsk)  

Read this, find a rebuttal, read that, and then make your own decision:

http://motherjones.com/politics/2009/09/fiji-spin-bottle

Politics aside, The Dove Lady avoids bottled water at all costs for several reasons* and buys it ONLY in the most extreme emergencies, and avoids such emergencies by preplanning on really hot days.  She LOVES her Tupperware tumblers!!--packs one full of ice, fills in the spaces between cubes with water, and by the time she's finished with her last gig of the day, there might not be any ice, but there is coolish water, right there in her cup holder. 

* Reasons not to buy bottled water:

1. IT COSTS WAY MORE MONEY THAN FREE!

2. It's possible there are poisons that leach out of the plastic into the water, especially when stored improperly (who knows how long it sat last July in that hot warehouse?).

3. Likely, it took a lot of petroleum to ship your bottled water to you (read this article to see how far your preferred bottle traveled).

4. Not everybody is disciplined enough to recycle.

5. If you don't buy disposable plastic containers, you won't have to worry about getting them into a recycling bin or contributing to the land fill or seeing them blowing about the roadways.

6. It takes aLOT of energy to recycle plastic!!

7. If you reuse your disposable water bottle, people who test these things say "stuff" starts growing in them. Reusable Tupperware tumblers go in the dishwasher!

Oh, no.  You got The Dove Lady started.

8. Recyclers justify recycling plastic to make bazillions of flimsy plastic grocery bags that end up EVERY(bleeping!)WHERE!  You HAVE to read this article from the S.F. Chronicle regarding The Garbage Patch--a floating mass of plastic in the Pacific twice the size of Texas and growing!!

9. We MUST boycott those flimsy plastic grocery bags!!  Wal-Mart has the right idea (even though there are reasons why we should avoid those megastores--we should NOT encourage China!!) with experimenting with discontinuing the use of those vile little bags.  Yes, it's hard to train yourself to employ reusable bags, but it's easy once you make a habit of it.  And it's important.

The Dove Lady has to go lay down now.  She's oysgeshpilt.  And no, she doesn't sell Tupperware.

This is really fun.  Exercise your creativity.  No real pumpkins are harmed.  No mess.  No pathetic jack-o-lantern carcasses abandoned in the street leaf piles:

Carve Yer Own Pumpkin

And make sure you know who's ringing your doorbell tonight! 

The Dove Lady loves to carve a real pumpkin when she has enough time to think about buying one before October 31, not to mention, being able to find a perfect specimen.  She likes to roast and eat the pumpkin seeds, too.  But, mostly, it's all too much work/mess/brain room.  So, now she carves online and buys raw, shelled pumpkin seeds at the Co-op.  And she cannot be trusted with Halloween candy, especially MMs and Milky Ways.  And Butterfingers.  Oooh, KitKat.  And Twix!!  And she thinks DumDums and those nasty little pastel sugar pills are wrong.  Just wrong.  In so many ways.

Okay.  Want to shock the (stuffin's) out of your sweet patootie?  Try this:

Scene-- Person A is watching TV on a Sunday afternoon.  Person 1 is either also watching, TRYING to appear interested, attempting to read over the shouting, or is occupied elsewhere in the house, most likely doing something s/he'd rather not, probably having to do with plumbing. Or laundry.

Person A:  You know what?  I can record this game and we can go do something.  It's a GORgeous day!

Person 1: (gets up off the floor)  What?  Are you talking to me?  Really?  Okay, where do you want to go?

Person A:  Let's do something different.  Let's hike over to that little tea house on K, order a pot, and just gaze into each other's eyes.

Person 1:  WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY (insert appropriate relationshipiastical term)??!!

Person A:  You're funny!  Let's go!

Where?  Try Hina's Tea, middle of the 2300 block of K Street downtown.  Your eyes will fly open at her selection of teas and she has samples you can sniff before you order.  I sniffed a few, but was immediately sold on White Divine Temple.  It's white tea (higher in antioxidants than green tea) and a melange of fruit.  Don't be dissuaded by the thought of fruit in your tea.  I like fruit.  And I like tea.  But, not necessarily together.  "Eeewww", I thought.  But I LOVE White Divine Temple!  It smells like Girl.  Flowery.  Like a white divine temple.  What you'd serve at a proper tea party.  Makes me want to go put on a hat. 

Hina's decor is a little stark and contemporary for my vintage, eclectic sensibilities, but I learned a long time ago that not everyone is like me.  Instead of sugar bowls on the tables, Hina has made simple syrup out of raw sugar.  It's brown and beautiful and mixes instantly into your brewed tea.  Even if you, too, have kicked the sugar-in-yer-tea habit, the gesture is to be appreciated. 

Make sure you have time to sit.  My grrlfriend and I made the mistake of having a 6:00 curtain to mind and we walked into Hina's at 5:00...took us 20 minutes to browse/choose tea!  Mistake: gulping hot tea.

S/he won't buy the idea of a tea party on a Sunday afternoon?  This is another extremely cool, different outing to make.  Several of you have commented on my March entry regarding our trip to see the wind mills in Rio Vista.  Okay, get this--I recently learned that those turbines are sitting on land that is owned by a childhood schoolmate, Rick Russell, and his sister.  I had the good fortune to reconnect with Ricky just prior to our elementary school's big anniversary party recently and enjoyed his and Donna's company at the dinner. 

There's something very special about people who knew you when you were a baby.  Who imagined we'd ever be this age?!  It was fun digging up old school memories, as well as talking about new, exciting, grown up stuff we've got going on now.  And Ricky will be a first time father soon!!

Anyway, go share a pot as you plan YOUR excellent adventure.  And promise to look up some old schoolmates.  Start with kindergarten.

The Dove Lady wonders what ever happened to Allisonne Louie, the smartest girl in  first? second? grade who beat her in a spelling bee.  D-I-F-F-E-R-E-N-T.  She never forgot that, either. 

We're FInally making that overdue trip to Half Moon Bay--our home away.  Unfortunately, it's not because we have the time or brain room to arrange such a getaway.  No, it's because the Saeco certified repair center is in Burlingame, and there's no time to deal with the post office shipping it there and back.  THIS IS AN EMERGENCY! 

If you've been paying attention, we're on our second espresso machine.  Our two-year old Aroma's power switch fritzed recently.  On a Sunday morning!  I'm sure it's just a quick fix, but there are no certified Saeco repair shops locally.  So yeah, we really need a vacation, but it wouldn't be happening if a beloved member-of-the-family didn't need a doctor.

So, this morning, I thought I'd check out the up-to-the-minute progress of the Bay Bridge re-re?-repair so we won't get stuck in Bay Area traffic enroute.  And I stumbled across this video explaining the seismic safety innovations.  It's pretty cool.  That's all.  I just wanted to share.

While The Dove Lady enjoys an occasional latte, her latest hot morning beverage is White Divine Temple tea.  She tries to save the double lattes w/Torani Orgeat for when she really needs the inspiration (cleaning closets, doing laundry...).

I have lots of pigeon stories.  One of my favorites was from several years ago when I was training a flock of babies.  They're very smart, VERY fast learners, but occasionally one will take a little longer to get with the program.

Stuart was missing after a longer training toss.  I train when the weather is comfortable, but he was gone for a week and the temperatures climbed.  And on the seventh day, I got a phone call.  "I found your bird."  Yay.  We talked about how they caught him (easily) , his condition (not great) and then I asked where I could pick him up.  "UCD."  As in the Davis campus?  "No, the emergency room at UCD Medical Center."  Stuart knew he was in trouble and where do you go in a medical emergency?  That's right.  The emergency room. 

Stuart rode home in the truck that day, little smarty, and he got extra special care and extra helpings over the next few week and plumped back up quickly.  He is still a productive part of Whitebird's flying team. 

I've wanted to share that story for the longest time, but my inspiration to finally do so came while watching CNN this morning.  Click here for the short story.  I can't tell it any better.  If you've ever watched pigeons fly, you know they fly in formation.  The video shows exACTly how they do it as that little bird took off with his "team mates". 

The Dove Lady would be delighted to share more "Dove Tales" from her almost 20 year life with her birds.  You need only find her at a quiet moment and buy her a pitcher of...er, a pot of White Divine Temple.

I've already told almost everybody who will sit still for a moment about my new cordless phone.  The short version is: buy Panasonic.  My first cordless phone was Panasonic--I think I just got lucky.  It gave me YEARS of good service.  I had to buy a new battery after I wore out the first one, but then finally, it had served its purpose and went to the recycler.  I held out for years just using my ancient black rotary desk phone on a 50 ft. cord (not long enough) and cell phone.  I even rescued my husband's AT&T cordless phone, but quickly realized he had dumped the PoC  for a reason.

My New Panasonic Cordless Phone is a wonder!!  I knew I wanted a lit key pad.  But!! It allows me to program it to not ring at night, it has the little "locater" button on the base that helps me find it under sofa cushions or in a pile of laundry, as well as the standard phonebook and clock and hands free speaker and a million other things that I don't know (yet) I have a use for.  Model numbers are obsolete as soon as you're handed the receipt, but anyway, my cordless phone is Model #KX-TGA641.  And it's really pretty, too.  Black and silver (what is up with those orange and green phones?!).  We bonded this summer on the back porch over lattes and lengthy calls to friends.

As cool as cordless phones were at one time, they, too, will be rendered obsolete soon, I'm sure.  I consider myself fairly low tech, having resisted iPhones and BlackBerries, and wouldnotbecaughtdeadwithaBluetoothhangingoffmyhead.  But, I do have an LG touchscreen.  And I text on a limited basis.  My husband says I've joined "the other side".  No, no, no.  I still have one foot firmly planted on THIS!

The Dove Lady wishes Alexander Graham Bell (and his colleagues) could see us now!  And neither will you find her MySpacing, Facebooking, Twittering, or participating in ANY online "social networking" scams that collect personal information.  The paparazzi* find her easily enough.

*after "Paparazzo", a character in the Fellini film, "La Dolce Vita".

I got my first whiff of fall this past Saturday.  Lucky brides got a perfectly lovely helping of mild temps and soft breezes.  Autumn is just around the corner.

So, since I was in a fall-ish mood and it was cool enough to cook, I made a pot of lentils and rice.  Lentils are one of the "super foods" and if you don't believe me, I know you'll believe Dr. Perricone (yes, Oprah's Dr. Perricone) who lists beans and lentils as number four on his list.  Low calories, high fiber, and darn yummy, too.

Never cooked lentils?  It's TRES easy.  There are several kinds of lentils...I keep two kinds in the freezer at all times: green and brown.  The green ones hold their shape when cooked properly and are best for lentil salads.  The brown ones get smooshier when cooked and they're the ones I use most since their prep is SO much easier.  Here's a quick, easy, healthy meal.

Lentils & Rice

1 cup brown lentils (#5011 in the bulk bins at the Co-op, green lentils are #5039, today I used 1/2 cup each)

1 cup rice (#5294 is SO pretty!! a mix of brown, wild, Wehani, and other varieties of rice...PLEASE promise you'll never buy white rice again)

1 or two Rapunzel Vegan Veg Bouillon Cubes with Sea Salt & Herbs (one might be plenty for you, so start with one, add the other in bits to taste if necessary)

Wash the rice and lentils and put in a pot.  Cover with water by about two inches.  Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to a verrrry slow simmer.  Cover and set your timer for one hour.

DING!!  Stir up the lentils and rice and taste.   Here's where you make your seasoning adjustments.  Is everything cooked enough?  If not, add more water just to the top of the L&R and reset your timer for about 30 more minutes.  Make a mental note of how long it took for your lentils to cook on your stove with your equipment for next time.

From The Other Super Foods Department-- Yogurt.  I'm not going to go on and on about super foods, but I've meant to tell you about Greek Gods Honey Yogurt for a long time.  If you like yogurt, you will build an altar to Greek Gods Honey Yogurt.  If you don't like yogurt, try Greek Gods.  My husband calls it ice cream.  Yes, it's loaded, even at 6 oz. per container, so it's not the kind I can polish off in one sitting.  I have a spoonful once or twice a day.  It also comes in 24 oz. containers.  Yogurt was always a staple at my  house...I even made my own back in the day.  But, when Lucerne tweaked their non-fat strawberry recipe, I couldn't find another yogurt I liked.  They were all too sweet, or the flavors tasted fake...Greek Gods was The Universe's answer to my prayers.  Find it at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op on Alhambra at S Street...I hear Raley's, BelAir, and Nugget carry it, too. 

Just So Ya Know--if you're a label reader and a low-cal fan, AVOID ASPARTAME AT ALL COSTS.  It's a sugar substitute, and not a very good one, if ya ask me.  But, frankly, it's poison.  I've meant to tell you about that, too, and the low-cal yogurt talk made me think if it.  They'll sneak aspartame into supposedly healthy foods, so watch the yogurt labels.  And if you're a big diet soda fan, you really need to read about it.  Did you know that one of the side effects of aspartame ingestion is death?!   "Aspartame is the methyl ester of the dipeptide of two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid."  Wha?  Read pros/cons of aspartame on the 'net and make your own decision. 

The Dove Lady doesn't need no stinkin' smoked ham hocks or bacon in her lentils.  And she loves sugar...just plain, ol' real unadulterated sugar, like organic-raw-dried-granulated sugar cane juice.  She thinks it's prettier than white sugar, too.

Remember when we talked about personalizing your wedding and making it your own?  A Cookie Cutter Wedding wasn't good enough for this couple who took it a million steps further. 

This made me cry it was just so dang cute, clever, and fun.  We wedding vendors LIVE for these bones brides throw us now and then.  Made my day.  No, year.  No, the last 20!  Keep this handy when you need a shot of joy--JK Wedding Entrance!

Of course, this takes a bit of planning, but if you've surrounded yourselves with joyful friends, even semi-talented, who love you, it could be the greatest wedding gift! 

And wouldn't it be fun to pull this out at the reception?  With apologies to the late, GREAT, Michael Jackson, who LOVED and appreciated immitation (no one came close) as the sincerest form of flattery--Wedding Thriller

Aaaaaand, remember when we talked about hiring a PROFESSIONAL videographer?  It's too bad "JK" didn't have one, though as I said in this "Notes..." entry, even bad video is good.  Good/great/professional video is priceless.  Every moment of your wedding day is once-in-a-lifetime.  Don't let them get away.

The Dove Lady would like to encourage the gods to bestow "JK" a lifetime of continued love and silliness, partly because having fun is big part of a healthy marriage, but mostly because their wedding entrance gave her the greatest kind of joy (the kind that causes her to emote), and makes her stand in awe of the creative genius of mortals.  Good journey, "JK"!