Sunflower in Yuba City, CA

Hello to you on this cool and breeze morning in Cal.  We have enjoyed 70's (low 70's) but it seems every few days our weather turns cool.  Now for tomorrow we have rain in the forecast.  What!  We do not need more rain or should I say I do not want any more rain.  Well, nothing I can do about the weather but it seems some people are doing things with our weather and your weather.  Interesting, uh.

       I am very much in the mood to do some cooking and baking.  I really love to work in the kitchen, especially using my KitchenAid Mixer It's funny when I was first married I wanted nothing to do with it.  Mostly I wanted to go out to eat.  Restaurant, Fast Food it didn't matter, I just did not want to cook.  Once the children came along of course I was cooking.  I cooked just like my Mom cooked, fried everything, lots of potatoes and corn and green beans.  We didn't have a lot of salad not that I didn't like it, it was just not thought of.  I remember hating the clean up.  Especially the gravy pan.  Oh, it was awful and no dishwasher.  Of course it wouldn't have helped the gravy pan as it was a cast iron skillet and never, never put that in a dish washer.  I didn't really start to enjoy being in the kitchen, let alone cooking, until I became aware of nutrition and healthy eating.  How did that happen, you ask?  My husband and I had a business in a nearby town.  It just wasn't convenient to come home for lunch.  For awhile I brought our lunch, then we ate fast food, pizza, cafe's, restaurant take out.  Well, you get the picture, it became a nightmare just thinking about lunch.  Our waist lines were expanding and we were not enjoying the food so I remembered a health food store that had been in our area forever.  Decided to check it out.  I figured I had nothing to lose (except weight) and everything to gain (except weight).
      Anyway the first step into this store, and it was heaven.  I swear I was back a hundred years.  Why, you ask?  THE Smell.  It was wonderful.  So many herbs, oils, homemade bread, a lovely wafe of yummy smells was coming from the back right.  I swear it was like walking into your Mom's kitchen your hungry as a bear and dinner is on the table.  On top of that as I took a step, under my feet was a hardwood floor.  Beautiful, old and very well taken care of.  I follow the yummy smell and here is a Deli, on my right there is a long slab of wood, 2' wide and I would say 12' long fastened to the wall and floor with bar stools all around.  Between that and the counter you order from there are numerous tables and chairs.  Behind the long slab on the wall is a mural of plants in a green house, beautiful.  I feel like I'm home.  Corney I know but that is just how I felt.  It was home and I knew the food here was nutritious as well as being very delicious.  As I am standing there one of the clerks walks up to me and say, " Is this your first time here."  I say," Yes."  She goes into an office of some sort and comes out with a plastic bag of samples, hands it to me and says, "Hi, my name is Jesse and Welcome to Sunflower Natural Foods."  And as they say the rest is history.  That was back in 1991 or 92 and I have been going back there ever since.  It's like a small general store with fresh produce (mostly local), herbs of every kind in jars, vitamins and natural medicines, everything you would find in a grocery store but this one has the real product and it's not loaded with additives.  I love this place and feel so grateful we have it in our area.  It's located in Yuba City, CA on Market Street.  If you are ever in the area, stop and browse and try the Deli you will not be disappointed.  There really is a heaven on earth and I found it.
     My husband and I were there yesterday and as we were ordering our lunch they told us our Daughter and Granddaughter had been there the day before.  Not surprising as my whole family loves it.  So come and join is when you can and order a cup of herbal tea, you'll go back in time.  Tootles