"Every ending is a new beginning."
-Marianne Williamson
Dearest Friends,
It has been an honor and a privilege to have served as President of the Friends of Robinson Gardens for the past two years. Your support and friendship have been special gifts to me that were generously given and deeply appreciated. As I reach the end of my term of office, I embrace the idea that each ending provides an opportunity to begin anew. In spite of this unprecedented time of the coronavirus, we have worked diligently to accept our challenges and move forward. For all of us, today is a new day to spread our wings and learn new things, think new thoughts, dream new dreams. We each have another chance to come alive and find beauty in ordinary things and find the extraordinary within ourselves. We can step into the garden of our lives and feel the sunshine as a reminder of what is still good.
At Robinson Gardens, the sun continues to shine, flowers still bloom, and we move forward with a new beginning. Our new Board of Directors will be seated on July 1
st with Betty Rodriguez Goldstein at the helm as your new President. Betty is a lovely and bright light who will bring fresh ideas and vision to the Friends. Betty has been a longtime Society member, Fellow, Executive Committee Vice-President, volunteer, and docent who is also a Master Gardener. She is full of positive energy and has surrounded herself with a Board with a garden of experiences.
This is a fresh new start!
I want to express my thanks to ALL of you who have touched my life. I am humbled by your dedication, support, purpose, and guidance. I look forward to working with you again when the Gardens are reopened. In the words of Helen Keller, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."
With love, gratitude, and hope,
Patti
Today we are serving up a refreshing and delicious Yogurt and Cucumber Dip from Shiva Moshtael.
Yogurt & Cucumber Dip
Makes 4 servings. Preparation time: 15 minutes plus 1 hours' refrigeration.
Ingredient list:
- 1 long, seedless cucumber - peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup raisins, washed and drained
- 3 cups whole-milk yogurt
- 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 3 tablespoons chopped shelled walnuts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or dried
- 1 fried rosebud and 2 tablespoons petals
Instructions:
- In a serving bowl, combine cucumber raisins, yogurt, sour cream (if desired), scallions, mint, dill, garlic, and chopped walnuts. Mix thoroughly and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Garnish with 1/2 teaspoon mint, rosebud, and petals. Serve with bread as an appetizer. Nush-e Jan!
Note: For fewer calories and less fat, you may use low-fat yogurt in place of whole-milk yogurt and eliminate the sour cream.
Variation: This may be transformed into a refreshing cold soup by adding 1 cup of cold water (or more to taste) and 2 or 3 ice cubes to the mixture.
Today's photos come from member Kathy Choi's gorgeous and inviting gardens. What a treat!
