THE SPRUCE TREE JOURNAL

A place of refuge, a time of peace, a message of hope.

July 2026

Happy July! -- the month of cookouts, swimming, summer heat, and tall, cold drinks on the deck. While you’re out and about (if you live near me as most of you do), check out Worcester’s Out-to-Lunch and Farmers’ Market on the common just behind city hall. Held every Wednesday from 11 am to 3 pm, the time is full of music, food, and a whole lot more. One of my favorite lunch specials is from Mami’s Kitchen. Below is a profile of Ana and Sal, owners of Mami’s, and of their super great pupusas. There’s my recipe of Stuffed Avacado’s, something I could eat every day given the chance. And check out Ornela’s awesome photos of microorganisms, taken through a specialized microscope, of things so tiny that most people have never seen or are even aware of.


Still in one peace.


Tim

Blog

Mami's Kitchen

La cocina de la Señora Ana Garcia, Mami's Kitchen, is full of the same fragrances and flavors she remembers as a child in her grandmother' kitchen back in El Salvador: the melted cheese scent of fried pupusas; the tangy smell of cortido, a pickled mixture of shredded cabbage and carrots with sliced jalapeños; and the spicy taste of salsa roja - both toppings for traditional pupusas.

Pupusas, the national dish of El Salvador, are a type of flatbread made with masa, a cornmeal dough, and stuffed with refried beans, pulled port and cheese, loroco - the edible flower buds from a vine native to El Salvador, or other traditional mixtures of meats, cheese, and vegetables.

Monthly Mantra


In order to love who you are, you cannot hate the experiences that shaped you.

Andréa Dykstra

Word Search


Be aware of this month's word manifestation during your travels over the next few weeks.

Librocubicularist - [ly-bro-cue-BICK-yuh-lər-ist] noun. A librocubicularist is a person who reads books in bed.


"Here's something I didn't know about my wife, Julie, before I married her, she's a librocubicularist. There is no know cure, but that's OK because a librocubicularist is someone who reads in bed." (Arvid Huisman, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register, July 25, 2018)


Photo credit: Pexels free photo website.



This Month's Photo

Just Because...

A photo from my files.

Praying Mantises hatching from an egg case.

Second Helping

Stuffed Avocados

Stuffed avocados taste great on a hot summer afternoon - especially when shared with friends as we chat from the comfort of my deck. Add some music and a few cold drinks, and we are in heaven.

While I give the basic recipe below, the world is the limit for variations. Add in cilantro. Use hot salsa instead. Use black beans instead of roasted corn. Add a dash of dressing…



Click the link below for full recipe.

Interviews and Inspirations


Ornela Piluri: Showing the Hidden Beauty of the Micro World


Ornela Piluri is the chief microbiologist at Upper Blackstone Clean Water, the wastewater treatment facility serving Worcester, Massachusetts and the surrounding communities. It is there where she monitors the health of the microorganism population that treats thirty-million gallons of domestic and industrial wastewater each day.


Click the link below for the full story.

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More information, including the past Blogs, Second Helping recipes, and my publication history, is found at www.thespurcetreejournal.com.

© by Timothy Loftus

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