A glass of fresh milk

glass of milk (own photo)

Hmmm, a fresh glass of milk... what a cool treat for a milk lover!

It is said that "a glass of milk a day could benefit your brain", so, a delicious glass of fresh milk in the morning may be the best way to give you the drive for the day and keep yourself healthy!

I think that, for the majority of us, a glass with cold or warm milk, our best friend, and moreover, a tasty one since first hour in the morning till late in the night!

Drinking milk
... Can you imagine that milk, this white and silky drink is our best silent companion? And it knows all our inner thoughts or loud words shared with our family since our childhood!?

And if served plain, fresh milk becomes the perfect non-alcoholic beverage; while if you like to enhance its taste you can serve it in cocktails, coffee or tea! Moreover, turns every food into a delicious meal - either as part from a main dish or part from a large variety of deserts and sweets (for example, the delicious pumpkin rice milk pie).

 
Milk is the perfect beverage from all dairy products - a refreshing and delicious natural drink that is offering us a boost for starting a new day and makes it easy to communicate and socialize, and also is a friendly reward for our moments of solitude...

So, let's enjoy some cool recipes with milk and also drink a delicious glass of fresh milk!

"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap." - Barbara Jordan

Milk the perfect drink for everyone in any moment of the day.

Easy to make, nutritious and sooo tasty!
These fluffy pancakes are just right for a sweet moment :)
Topped with chocolate, fruits and/ or whipped cream, they are a big temptation!

Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many diseases in the baby. 

Milk derived from cattle species is an important food. It has many nutrients. The precise nutrient composition of raw milk vary by species and by a number of other factors, but it contains significant amounts of saturated fat, protein and calcium as well as vitamin C. Cow's milk has a pH ranging from 6.4 to 6.8, making it slightly acidic.

"I asked the waiter, 'Is this milk fresh?' He said, 'Lady, three hours ago it was grass." - Phyllis Diller

There are 2 distinct types of milk consumption: a natural source of nutrition for all infant mammals and a food product for humans of all ages that is derived from other animals.

- nutrition (drink, food, cooking);
- pharmaceutical products and cosmetics;
- cleaning substances.

A glass of fresh milk (own photo)

The benefits of milk consumption:
1. Take frozen fish and leave in a dish of milk to thaw. This improves the flavor and texture so that it tastes just as good as fresh caught fish.

2. A quarter cup of powdered milk added to the water when boiling corn on the cob makes it taste sweeter and gives a sifter texture.

3. Dip half a lemon in a little milk and use to cleanse stained fingers. The lemon lifts the stain and the milk soothes the skin.

4. Use milk to shave with if you have nothing else to use as a barrier.

5. Make your own silver polish with sour milk. 

You can add a drop of lemon juice, or vinegar to the milk if it isn't already sour and it will immediately curdle. Soak the silverware in the milk for around thirty minutes, then wash in mild soap and rinse well. Your silver will sparkle.

6. Dab milk onto mild sunburn and it will cool the skin and prevent any further damage.

7. Mix a little powdered milk into a paste with water and a small pinch of salt. Use this paste to relief insect bites. The enzymes in the milk neutralize the irritants in the bites.

8. Dry skin can be repaired by rubbing with a little cold milk. Allow the skin to absorb what it needs and wash the rest away. Do this two or three times a day until the problem is solved.

9. Use a thick paste of powdered milk and water to remove make-up. Remember to rinse well after removing the paste.

10. Milk is an excellent facial cleanser - make a very thick, smooth paste of dried milk powder and use as a face mask. Spread the cream on the face and relax for half an hour before washing it off. Your skin will be soft, clean and glowing.

11. Make yourself a Cleopatra foamy bath by adding a cup of powdered milk as the bath is filling. Your skin will feel wonderful. This method of softening and beautifying the body was used by the ancient Greeks and Roman and is used today in Japan.

12. Japanese Milk Bath - A paste of fine oatmeal and milk will remove stains and dirt from hands. This is an excellent way to pamper hands after working in the garden.

13. Liquid milk cleans patent leather shoes to a gleaming shine. Simple rub them with a little milk on a soft cloth. Leave to dry and then buff them up.

14. Ink stains on clothing can be removed by soaking the area in milk. This can take anything from half an hour to overnight to remove the stain completely. It depends very much on the type of ink.

15. Ice cold non fat milk will sooth the discomfort caused by poison ivy.

16. Clean the leaves on plants such as rubber plants and yucca, with skimmed milk and a soft absorbent cloth. Make sue that you wipe away the residue.

17. Make mock cream. Mix together one cup of dried milk powder and one cup of iced water. Whisk until it thickens.

18. If you like to add essential oils to your bath water, mix them with a little milk before adding to the water. The milk helps to disperse the oil and stops the tub getting slippery.

19. Milk is also good to use as carrier oil for essential oils during massage.

20. Fine cracks in china plates and cups can sometimes be repaired by boiling them in milk. The milk reacts with the kaolin the china and closes the crack.

It is said that milk is the single product of animal origin that does not create acidosis - does not make one become old or sick.

It is known that vegetable products (vegetables, cereals, fruits) are alkaline, and animal products (meat, eggs, fish) creates an acid medium, while milk is the exception - its presence in our organism is neutral.

- Animals - cow, goat and sheep;
- Plants - soya and coconut.

Now, can't wait for a glass of fresh milk! :)

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Best chickpeas crepe recipe

Best chickpeas crepe recipe

Hey food lovers, let's give a try today with a very delicious and easy to make crepe recipe with garbanzo beans or chickpeas, perfect for a veggie breakfast!

I have this recipe from my grandfather, who was passionate to pick up recipes from all over the world, taste them on the board of vessel with his team, then anxious to share further his new culinary experience with family and friends, at his return back home, after along long voyage... 

And he was a wonderful chef, a real Maestro, for the entire family, those rare cooks that really love to make food and share it and its secrets with dear ones!

If you like crepes for a meal or snack, and not only served as dessert or sweets, then this chickpeas crepe stuffed with spinach and fresh garlic and green onions, should be the best breakfast or appetizer for everybody and for any occasion (St. Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day, Christmas, family or friends gatherings or just a regular day when you feel to eat something special, out of your gourmet" routine).

Most of us are use to eat hummus, that yummy dip made out of chickpeas, specific especially to Middle Eastern cuisine, but today we'll taste a simple, delicious and flavored crepe recipe.

And if you like veggie food, this vegetarian breakfast recipe with chickpeas, fresh spinach, green onions and garlic, will make your day!

Enjoy cooked chickpeas in a different way!

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food." - George Bernard Shaw

And, best of all, we shall keep in mind that chickpeas are a good source of protein, fiber and potassium, which makes them a healthy food! :)

"I don't like gourmet cooking or "this" cooking or "that" cooking. I like good cooking." - James Beard

chick-peas

Easy to make chickpeas crepe recipe with spinach that goes perfectly if served along with yogurt or feta cheese.

Chickpeas benefits:
- Chickpeas are rich in fiber and recent studies stated that are beneficial in blood fat regulation, including lower levels of LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides.

- Chick-peas helps to control blood sugar and insulin secretion and their content of fiber helps to lower the risk of colon problems, including the risk of colon cancer.

Learn more about chickpeas, a popular ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking, including recipes that contain chickpeas.
- all about chickpeas
- roasted chickpeas
- chickpea

"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside". - Mark Twain

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Fish egg salad

fish egg salad (own photo)

If you're waiting for some special guests and would like to treat them with something very tasty but different, chose egg fish as appetizer! Homemade fish egg salad would be a great choice for a "fishy appetizer" that will spread a "marine spirit" that, definitely, will make your guests feel very special!

I'll be glad to share with you the "fish-egg salad Romanian fisherman's recipe" - most probably the best egg fish salad recipe ever - got from my grandfather, an amateur fisherman passionate about cooking and inventing new incredible but absolutely mouth-watering recipes occasionally from scratch : )

Egg fish salad (salata de icre) is the perfect starter (hors d'oeuvre or antipasto) - at special celebrations and occasions, as well at regular family and friends gathering and parties.

Fish egg salad is healthy (if not eaten in big amounts), nutricious, rich in vitamin A, C, and D, Omega 3 and many other needed and beneficial to our system.

Let's have fun going fishing with friends then prepare the egg-fish freshly taken from our fishes or simply buy some form the market, follow the unbelievable easy steps to make fish egg salad Romanian recipe.

"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." - Bernard Meltzer

Easy to make delicious egg fish salad Romanian fisherman's recipe (reteta salata de icre) for your entire family and friends, a special weekend, a fancy party or else. Fish-eggs salad is quite a common starter in Mediterranean cuisine, as you may have heard about or even taste the Greek taramosalata (or Greek taramas), similar to Romanian recipe but different (a yummy starter that has more bread or, potato, vinegar and tomatoes instead).

Fish eggs - can be found roe or caviar.

Roe - are fertilized eggs used mostly for preparing sushi.
Caviar - are unfertilized eggs served as food (salads, aperitifs).

"I only eat fish - no chicken, no turkey, just fish. I get all my protein from fish and egg whites." - Jack LaLanne

fish egg salad (own photo)

Fish eggs salad will be the perfect course for:

- birthdays, weddings, Christmas,
- even St. Patrick Day (decorated with 2 more leaves of parsley, eventually with green olives and a funny toy on top),
- Halloween egg fish (drawing a spider, owl or witch broomstick from black olives),or any other occasion when you feel like for a "fishy themed" aperitif. :)

In Romania, you can find the best fish eggs salad in Danube Delta fishing villages, where old fishermen bring to you fresh fishes prepared every each way following their traditional family recipes kept secret by years.

Worth to experience the amazing beauty of Danube Delta and local Romanian fisherman gastronomy!

- Always, but always use fresh ingredients
- Do not use olive oil - if it's not a good brand may turn the salad taste bitter
- Do not overdue it adding oil - put only as much as needed and tastes great
- Do not eat big amount at once
- Store it into the refrigerator covered (to don't take or spread a funny smell around).

It is said that 1 tbs. of fish eggs contains between 20 to 50 calories.

They are a perfect source for: protein, fat, carbohydrates, Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins (A, C, D), minerals (iron, sodium), and mercury(pregnant women should be cautious about eating them).

"When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain." - Mark Twain

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Lemon the wonder fruit

lemon the wonder fruit

Lemon (citrus), all in all - considering also lemon leaves and flowers - is the most wonderful fruit in the world and extremely beneficial into our lives and should be one favorite thing to eat.

Lemon is so beautiful in many ways - as delicious juicy fruit, blossomed flower, and tree with perfectly shaped leaves, as well.

Lemon the sour citrus fruit has a joyful yellow color, perfect texture, delicate flowers, surrounds us with a vivid flavored scent, gives us energy and is a steady and reliable support for our daily health (low calories, nutritious and main source for vitamin C) - a wonder of nature and a gift to us, so beneficial for all of us at any age.

Lemon is the sour citrus fruit with the most uses
- is a treasure as flower, tree or fruit, and is the perfect ingredient for food, drink, medicine, cosmetics, decorations, and even a sort of inspiring "muse" for artists of any kind.

Before reading further this lens, lets fix a lemonade from few colorful, juicy and flavored
fresh lemon fruits to enjoy lemon the wonder fruit in and out! :)

"When fate hands you a lemon, make lemonade." - Dale Carnegie

Did you know about lemon?
- The lemon fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world - primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind (zest) are also used, mainly in cooking and baking.
- Lemon juice is about 5% to 6% (approximately 0.3 M) citric acid, which gives lemons a sour taste, and a pH of 2-3.
- Many lemon flavored drinks and foods are available, including lemonade and sherbet lemons.
- The distinctive sour taste of lemon juice makes it a key ingredient in many dishes across the world.
- The average lemon contains approximately 3 tablespoons (50 ml) of juice.
- Allowing lemons to come to room temperature before squeezing (or heating briefly in a microwave) makes the juice easier to extract.
- Lemons left unrefrigerated for long periods of time are susceptible to mold.

 

lemon fruit juice (diyhealth.com)

Lemon juice, rind, and zest are used in a wide variety of culinary applications:

- Lemon juice is used to make lemonade, in soft drinks, and as a marinade for both fish, where its acid neutralizes amines in fish by converting them into nonvolatile ammonium salts, and meat, where the acid partially hydrolyzes tough collagen fibers tenderizing the meat.

- Lemon juice is also used as a short-term preservative on certain foods that tend to oxidize and turn brown after being sliced, such as apples, bananas and avocados, where its acid denatures the enzymes which cause browning and degradation.

- Lemon juice and rind are used to make lemon marmelade and lemon liqueur.
- Lemon slices and lemon rind are used as garnish for both food and drinks.
- Lemon zest, the grated rind of the fruit, is used to add flavor to baked goods, puddings, cakes, rice and other dishes, lemon desserts or lemon food.
- Pickled lemons are a Moroccan delicacy, flavored and tasty.

"Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good."

Fresh lemon fruits, at various shapes and colors, with lemon green leaves are a wonderful decoration for your kitchen table or set in any other corner of the room.

They spread around a delicate fresh scent, bring a colorful spot and make you smile and feel full of energy simply looking at them.

Citric acid
- Lemons were the primary commercial source of this substance prior to the development of fermentation-based processes.

Lemon battery
- A popular science experiment in schools involves attaching electrodes to a lemon and using it as a battery to produce electricity. Although very low power, several lemons used in this way can power a small digital watch. These experiments also work with other fruits and vegetables.

Sanitary kitchen deodorizer
- deodorize, remove grease, bleach stains, and disinfect; when mixed with baking soda, lemon juice can remove stains from plastic food storage containers.

Insecticide
- The d-limonene in lemon oil is used as a non-toxic insecticide treatment. See orange oil.

Antibacterial uses because it has a low pH.

Wood treatment
- lemon oil is used in both wood cleaner and polish, where the solvent property of d-limonene is employed to dissolve old wax, fingerprints, and grime.

A halved lemon is used as a finger moistener for those counting large amounts of bills such as tellers and cashiers.

Aromatherapy
- In one of the most comprehensive scientific investigations done yet, researchers at The Ohio State University reveal that lemon oil aroma does not influence the human immune system but may enhance mood.

A halved lemon dipped in salt or baking powder can be used to brighten copper cookware. The acid cuts through the tarnish and the abrasives assist the cleaning.

Lemon juice may also be used to lighten hair color, skin and teeth.

"As you go about your daily life, you will encounter many lemons. Sour expressions, sour attitudes, sour auras! The good thing is that if you don't want to be a lemon, you don't have to be! Just don't let those lemons rub themselves all over you! And you don't even have to save them! Let lemons be lemons! One of the most important things that I have ever learned, is that I don't have to save people."

Arab traders brought the lemons to the Middle East and Africa sometime after 100 C.E.

It is believed to have been introduced into southern Italy around 200 C.E.; and was being cultivated in Egypt and in Summer, the southern portion of Mesopotamia a few centuries later. Health Benefits of Lemon Health benefits of lemon include treatment of throat infections, indigestion, constipation, dental problems, fever, hair care, skin care, internal bleeding, rheumatism, burns, overweight, respiratory disorders, cholera and high blood pressure. Known for its therapeutic property since generations - 

http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-lemon.html A very sharp, acidic citrus fruit with a shiny yellow skin and bitter but zingy flavour. Lemons are rich in vitamin C but have a low sugar content.

Various types of lemon trees: Bush lemon tree - This naturalized lemon grows wild in subtropical Australia. They are very hardy, and have a thick skin with a true lemon flavor; the zest is good for cooking. It grows to about 4m in a sunny position.
Eureka - Because it grows year-round and abundantly, this is the common supermarket lemon.

Femminello St. Teresa or Sorrento - Native to Italy, this fruit's zest is high in lemon oils. It is the variety traditionally used in the making of limoncello.

Jhambiri C. - jhambiri (Tan) The Rough lemon has a lemon yellow exterior and a very sour pulp. It is widely used as a rootstock in S. Asia

Lisbon - A good quality bitter lemon with high juice and acid levels, the fruits of Lisbon are very similar to Eureka. The vigorous and productive trees are very thorny, particularly when young.

Meyer - This is a cross between a lemon and possibly an orange or a mandarin, and was named for Frank N. Meyer, who first discovered it in 1908. Thin-skinned and slightly less acidic than the Lisbon and Eureka lemons, Meyer lemons require more care when shipping and are not widely grown on a commercial basis. Meyer lemons have a much thinner rind, and often mature to a yellow-orange color. Meyer lemons are slightly more frost-tolerant than other lemons.

Ponderosa - The tree is very hardy and can handle frosts; the fruit are thick-skinned and very large. Likely a citron-lemon hybrid.

Variegated Pink - A varietal of the eureka or lisbon cultivars with variegated patterns in the foliage and the rinds of immature green fruit. Upon maturing to yellow, the variegated pattern recedes in the fruit rind. The flesh and juice are pink or pinkish-orange instead of yellow.

Verna - A Spanish variety of unknown origin
Villafranca
Yen Ben - An Australasian cultivar
Yuzu - Cultivated in Japan and Korea for centuries, yuzu have a flavor akin to a mixture of meyer lemon and white grapefruit. Yuzu is likely a wild hybrid between an ichang papeda and a sour mandarin, and is a close relative of sudachi and kaffir limes. Yuzu rival citranges and kumquats as the most cold-tolerant citrus.

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Searching for Lydia - B.H. Arias - book review

Searching for Lydia - B.H. Arias

I just finished to read Searching for Lydia (Life love deployments and ghosts) - B.H. Arias first ebook, published in 2012 - a wonderful contemporary book for adults with an absolutely amazing story about searching for own sweet tempting addictive madness, a "particular brand of romantic insanity" - ghosts, life, love, war deployments and romance.

I was really impressed with such a wonderful and complex epic covering paramount topics in a perfect style.

I loved the entire story and all those random thoughts developed during several deployments of an American civilian to Iraq and Afghanistan, the mental journey thru different era, places, civilizations; the human personalities knowledge and understanding; family intense love and turmoil; the other journey within the self (in and out) while triggering all human senses.

The more or less conscious desire that exists in any individual to be the other sex; the constant wanders about the self; sort of daring edges to insanity and challenging things in a sort of masochist way (mental and friendly - simply searching for truth!!!) eventually to verify own limits, endurance and how much one can take in a lifetime.

The ups and downs, the dreams and illusions (be them openly expressed or hidden - both so valuable, especially under certain conditions); and loved the escapes in and out own self; in and out one's regular environment.

And utmost I appreciated the fact that this ghost-war-life-love-romance short novel story - either as part of fiction or as part of nowadays strange reality - shown certain pieces of truth with no hypocrisy (at least this is what I understood from it at bottom line).

In a world full of miserable and hypocrite rules, weird attitudes and rotten characters, B.H. Arias' story was so simple but terribly vivid and intense, including even touching poems of leisure moments, addressed to average persons (even if they were made amazing references and walk the reader thru history, arts, politics, etc in such a friendly way), "talking blunt" about mundane and real things (family, work, budgeting, etc, etc), straightforward and open minded... yet in a romantic way!

So, dear reader, make a special treat to yourself - no matter if Valentine's Day, Halloween or Army Memorial Day, and read this fascinating and totally captivating book!

You'll feel ghosts around, love and passion, genuine human feelings and much more!

At the end of the story you'll find yourself with a large smile, eventually dreaming to your own friendly ghost, but completely refreshed and in such a great mood - a different person simply awaken to life aware of own reality, able to take advantage on it, and be happy! : )

Enjoy reading Searching for Lydia! : )

It's a free ebook! : )

"'Searching for Lydia" book is available on Apple iBooks, Diesel ebooks, Sony ebooks, and Barnes and Nobles.

"Lydia" is the name given by the author for his apparent Post Traumatic Stress Disorder/ PTSD that may have been occurred after too many years of deployments in war zones around the world.

"The word 'romance,' according to the dictionary, means excitement, adventure, and something extremely real. Romance should last a lifetime."

"I am a northeastern US transplant to the south, from NJ to Ga. I am an aspiring writer, former Marine, a refrigeration mechanic, an environmentalist, I have worked all kinds of odd jobs to make ends meet, pot washer, oil rig, commercial airport fuel, sold cars (hated it), waiter in a mom and pop Chinese restaurant (loved it).

I am a man who has traveled the world while working as a contractor in some of the worst places in the world, from Haiti, to Iraq and Afghanistan (so nice, I did Afghanistan twice). I have been on holiday to some of the most beautiful places and every place I write about I have seen first hand. Norway, Sweden, Monaco, Italy, Canada, Croatia, Japan, Thailand, Uzbekistan; all over the lower 48 states, Mexico and South America.

Once in a place called Howz-e-Madad I met a very small Afghan Lieutenant Colonel who used to be Mujahedeen and fighting the Russians. I needed some information from his command about the environmental situation at the base. He commanded so much respect from everyone. He invited me to lunch and a meal was cooked on the spot for us, as if from nowhere by some lower grade soldiers. Rice with mutton and the incredible round Afghan Bread called Naan. I also met an equally incredible Afghan-American woman interpreter who went out on missions all the time. She is a tiny lady, barely five feet tall, yet, I think the men were afraid of her!

The book is loosely based on a true story, a trip through one man's descent into insanity as he attempts to come to grips with the gorgeous ghost who has invaded his mind and will not let him go. A tale told in a loosely connected poetic, and romantic style during several deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan in diary-like vignettes as the author struggles to define this Love, wrapped within the folds of a paranormal romance."

Thank you, Brian, my special friend!

I am a passionate reader - love fiction literature, classical books - covering wide range of topics, and see how the author managed to express words that come out in such an amazing combination, and raise a plethora of thoughts, wonders and feelings, while taking the chance to travel to another dimension of human mind, and eventually get a bit more inner enlightenment!

I always enjoy the reading at my own peace and discover things as they'll get revealed.

And if I really fall with a book, complex, informative, thoughtfully written, and feel comfortable, I can easily become addicted to it or author's style, then I start looking for all issues from same author, becoming "thirsty" for next one... this happened to me with "Searching for Lydia" - fall in love from the first page!

So, if you'll like B.H. Arias first ebook released --- crazy-realistic-war-love-ghosts story (the ghosts from within and the other ones, partly imaginary ones - it whole depends by perceptions-knowledge-perspectives) --- be happy, he has a second and a third book due out this year! : )

Ok, now go fix a big cup of coffee and start an awesome epic journey with "Searching for Lydia"! :))

Lydia will take good care of you! She is already there!: ))
"Romance like a ghost escapes touching; it is always where you are not, not where you are.

The interview or conversation was prose at the time, but it is poetry in the memory."

This is a book written about soldiers, a tribute to military men and women in US service in combat areas, army soldiers, US troops, soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, American contractors in Afghanistan or other war zones, American civilians in Afghanistan war, and veterans, their constant risk exposure, daily efforts to survive, dreams and odd way (sometimes) to build a sort of parallel life simply to survive and still be sane.

To me, "Searching for Lydia", is partly a paranormal romance book - a ghost story, partly a soldiers story able to lift up any person's mood but especially American soldiers mental stage while in a war area, to support troops' moral, as well as their families stamina to resist while their husbands or wives, brothers or sisters, mothers or fathers are deployed in a combat area at thousand miles away, knowing nothing (in real time) about them, haunted by worries and desperation, finding themselves to the edge of loosing trust and confidence, taking wrong decisions, even if a long lasting couple connected by special boundaries throughout the years...

This is an amazing short contemporary romance novel, including poetry and philosophy, but with a dynamic narration, touching various topics of interest, a perfect read for an open minded individual, high intellectual as well as for an average person.

Searching for Lydia is a sensitive fiction war romance book for adults, partly a war love story or war romance book, partly a ghost romance novel, perfectly suitable for action movies scenario as well as for "Harlequin romance" collection.

Searching for Lydia - B.H. Arias book review Quotes from the book:

"The thing about a spirit is that they cannot come into your consciousness unless you invite it."

"We can see and hear each other and interact with each other, we can even touch each other, but the one difference is the way that weather reaches her."

"So is this a ghost story? No, this is a love story which just happens to involve a ghost. So who is Lydia? She is the one I have been searching for, for so long. That elusive condition of a relationship that evades me at every step I take. Yet she is the muse that I have been searching for all these years."

"I think this is simply people wanting to sell books, because let's face it, sex sells well, and the only other thing that sells as good as sex is evil possession, spirits and ghosts."

"I have been researching Lydia's origins, from Scandinavia to Minnesota. She was born in or around 1900 and died sometime past 2000."

"I have been in this alternate world for as long as I can remember, walking outside the place that is called normal."

"Apparently, I need a presence, a ghost in my MIND."

"I have been getting angrier and angrier, and there doesn't seem to be a place in sight to put this anger, and so I put it in this writing. (I bet some people here wish they had a Lydia.) I am putting it down on paper and just to get it out seems to be therapeutic and yet there is an underlying craziness brewing just under the surface."

"No it's not so bad with her here. Perhaps this is precisely what this world is sorely lacking. Perhaps this cutesy, wholesome, wonderful, fairy tale reality is exactly what this world needs."

Many women may think that Romance is dead, but I strongly believe that Romance is alive and flourishing, like spring flowers.

Also, I consider that most women (no matter the age, profession, social status, religion, likes and dislikes) wish to have some romance in their life, and perhaps what they do not know is that it has its path and season to blossom, so, they do not have to get disappointed and think it's dead, but believe in it and enjoying when time comes.

And after reading "Searching for Lydia", in spite of the story with lots of turmoils, my belief in Romance got reborn!: )

"This thought makes me miss a bowl I had when I was doing some time on a Romanian Army base here, very few Americans, and so we had to eat in the Romanian kitchen.

Okay, kitchens here in a war zone are, shall we say, not up to too many standards that are expected in the 'civilized world'." - B.H. Arias quote from Searching for Lydia ebook.

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The absence of color

The absence of color (Photo source: Colors physiology)

The absence of colors makes me think about colors and their fascinating world, about the impact of colors in our life and the amazing power of colors.

 I'm wondering if the absence of color is a color or non color!? And how do we perceive color, in general? Red, yellow, 

orange, green, blue, purple... black, white...

What means "color" to you? Rainbow colors or autumn leaves colors? What means black and white to you? And what about greys and shades or sepia (found mostly in photography)?

The beauty of color does it bring any impact or emotion to you?

How would be our life in a world of colors and how would it be in a non-colored world?

Is the absence of color actually a color? Or is the absence of color not a color at all?

I think these issues can go both ways and are somehow related together.

"Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions." - Pablo Picasso

Chromatic says that black and white are non colors. Lately were considered non colors also any pale color between plus shades of brown, any faded sienna or terra etc

But better abstain myself from developing any (unauthorized) thesis concerning chromatic, complementary colors, warm/cold, light/dark, rainbow colors contrast between proportions, quantities or values, etc so, here are my opinions in regard to your questions.

Considering that for any regular individual, with not paranormal senses, besides air everything else that he's able to see has a color, yes, the absence of color it is always a color.

Then, if we take in consideration the variety of human characters, personalities, senzorial capabilities and their taste for art or simply for color.

One may like bold (colorful) things around and when sees a pale shadow to say about it that has no color at all, and another one to like neutral colors, notice them as pleasant ones while the other ones disturbing (as consequence, considering them non existing).

Also, for architects, designers, painters and few other individuals with taste for color schemes and friendly result, always they associate a neutral color with whatever should be emphasized, the main one glows put under spot, while the other one passes unnoticed, but is there.

As paradox, in the absence of color we're unable to notice the color!

"The life of man in every part has need of harmony and rhythm." Importance of Colors in our Life! Can Colours Affect You? This hub discusses colors and their importance in our lives. Psychologically speaking, colors affect us in many ways and can interprets our inner souls. So, it's important to know your color.

"The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts." - Marcus Aurelius

Yes, when we start painting, for example, no matter who's the artist (excluding Picasso or Dali!), the canvas has to be in a neutral basis the connoisseurs saying "non-color"/ colorless, as none so said true/ vivid color or unwished shade on it to don't interfere with artist' coming opera/ creation.

Then, if we modify a bit the angle of perception toward another level (surprise!), we may notice that any form of energy, subsequent changes (metamorphosis in any possible way), action or non-action, wind/ sneeze/ breath (smokers excluded!), our power of mind, senses-feelings, thoughts, dreams (don't think at illusory pink ones! excluded as well), sounds, flavors (no relating them with fruits, breeze, etc!), our instincts, capabilities (speaking, talking, learning) - have no color.

Would one enjoy the life in black and white? Or gray?

Would be the same without rainbow's colors?

How would be our life without air, scents, knowledge (reading, writing, learning, science...) and music - as non colors - or without breathtaking landscapes worldwide, wonderful architectural sites, paintings, sculptures, designs and photography (whatever arts may include) and love - as colors?

I presume all colors and non colors are necessary and important into our lives to bring serenity or boost our energy, make us dream or work, see the blue sky, a joyful spring (river), a delicious gourmet food, enjoy music throughout the color of its sounds, and get a smile on our faces...

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