Kate
Poole, founding member. Photograph submitted by Kathleen Poole.
By Kate
Poole
You can’t have a Mystic
Nice Girls without someone like Lisa. Lisa is friends with everyone, and
genuinely interested in everybody. She’s the gatherer of our group. She bumps
into people while walking her dog, sitting in a SBA business class, at jury duty,
at the grocery store. She strikes up a conversation and, if you pass her ‘nice’
test (which isn’t hard to do), the next thing you know you’re one of our posse,
Although Lisa started this group, and continues to gather new ‘nice girls’, she isn’t in charge. No one is in charge. I love this aspect of it, too. It’s a social group that runs on its own. It’s not that we don’t have leaders - people who get activities going, host potlucks, get the website up and running or help with the email list. Tasks like that don’t happen without effort, but these aren’t designated positions. If you can organize potlucks or take care of social media, you do that until you can’t, and then someone else magically falls into your place.
Although Lisa started this group, and continues to gather new ‘nice girls’, she isn’t in charge. No one is in charge. I love this aspect of it, too. It’s a social group that runs on its own. It’s not that we don’t have leaders - people who get activities going, host potlucks, get the website up and running or help with the email list. Tasks like that don’t happen without effort, but these aren’t designated positions. If you can organize potlucks or take care of social media, you do that until you can’t, and then someone else magically falls into your place.
And don’t let the
name Nice Girls fool you. This is a group of dynamic,
supportive women who enjoy each other’s company. We are a wide range of
professions, stages of life, age, social economic status and political bent. We
are artists, scientists, authors, homemakers, musicians, sea divers. Single and
married, with numerous children or none, introverts and extroverts. All in all,
our Mystic Nice Girls group is a a rather incredible mix of women. We love our
men, too, and they often join our gatherings.
I am grateful to have met
Lisa early on, and to have been part of our early growth. It’s been a wonderful
experience seeing us evolve into the group we are today.
Thank you, Nice Girls! I
love you all. You are my Nice Girls!
Original Recipe:
A Cure For Cold Weather
A 2 inch chunk of ginger,
chopped or sliced
Dates or raisins (or
both!), halved or chopped
Several sticks of
cinnamon
A few slices of licorice
if available (optional)
Lemon and honey to
taste
Place the cinnamon,
ginger, dates, raisins, and licorice (optional) in a pot and add a quart or so
of water, bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 20 minutes. Strain the
tea and add honey and lemon to taste.
This tasty winter tea is
an adaptation of the Classical Chinese Medicine formula, Gui Zhi Tang or Cinnamon
Twig Tea. It is made with ingredients you probably already have in your
kitchen. This hot tea is delicious and will chase away chills and muscle aches
that come with being out in the elements. It’s perfect after shoveling the walk
in wet snow or walking the dog in raw weather. I never go camping without my
packet of Gui Zhi Tang.
These “food herbs” are
culinary as well as medicinal. You don’t have to be cold, wet and achy to enjoy
this tea.
ABOUT KATE POOLE
When she’s not hanging
out with the Nice Girls, Kate enjoys sailing, travel, and playing old time
music. She is a member of Cabin Fever, a local bluegrass band. Kate (aka
Kathleen Poole) is a Licensed Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbalist with a clinic
in Groton, CT. She has three children who live in Brooklyn & Los Angeles.
Kate lives in Mystic, CT.
No comments:
Post a Comment