Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

Gosh, I've been so busy. I had to get a new washer-dryer. The old one came with the place when I moved here, and it was rusting lately. I mean, bits of rust were flaking off into the laundry. I've got the new one running now, and I hope that it will be satisfactory.
Today I'm going to treat everyone to a hot bowl of soup. After the soup is made, it can chill out in the fridge, and you can just warm up bowls of it in the microwave. If reheating it on top of the stove, watch closely, pea soup can burn. This soup is low sodium and low fat.

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
1 cup dried split peas
1/3 cup barley (optional)
2 carrots
1 parsnip
1 stalk celery
1/2 onion
1 potato
2 quarts water
1/2 teaspoon thyme
pinch of marjoram
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
dash pepper
2 teaspoons soup powder or bouillon cube
Wash peas and barley and place in a large pot. Peel and slice or chop vegetables. Add all ingredients. Heat to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer one hour, stirring occasionally.