This really has felt like a jumble of a week – full of contrasts; a fair amount of hard but a whole lot of wonderful as well. There were two more occasions to shovel snow and yet the sun has been shining also, and as we inch towards the equinox I’m really beginning to notice the change in the light. Hooray! For most of us stateside (AZ you are a mystery to me in more ways than one!) this weekend is the turning of the clocks, so that’s another shift.
Since it’s Friday, I’m ready to play in The Scattered Life Collective sum-it-up invitational.
current time: 3:45 p.m.
on the menu: My CSA box this week included a cauliflower bigger than my head. I’ve been admiring it for days, but tonight it’ll become part of this soup and potato pancake recipe. Someone told me today that Girl Scout cookies were on the horizon. I wish they hadn’t mentioned it. Although I haven’t had any for years, now that the desire has been activated, I only wish they were on the menu tonight.
out the window: We’re above freezing for the first time in two weeks. Just barely, but still there is the delightful sound of icicles dripping as they melt and little puddles appearing as a few millimeters of the still mountainous piles of snow melt.
reading: I began a curious book this week – S by J. J. Abrams and Doug Dorst. It’ll likely take me while to get through it, but it’s exactly the kind of off-beat format I love. Without revealing a whole lot of the plot, the premise is a grad student has been doing research on a book with mysterious origins. He makes notes of his observations in the margins of the book, and then another student, finding the book, makes comments about his observations. And so the story becomes not only the story they’re trying to figure out, but conversations they’re having while they doing it – all scribbled in the margins. Plus the book has letters tucked into it, postcards, copies of research. How fun is that?
This week I also finished And the Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman. A quick read in that it’s basically a picture book of her illustrations. But it’s her observation, her connections, her delightful quirkiness that fills my heart with such joy. You know the question – imagine you can invite anyone you want to your dinner party; who would be your guests? Maira Kalman would certainly be on list.
watching:
- Somewhere Between, a documentary that followed a group of teenage girls who had been adopted as babies from China and brought to the United States. Left me with lots to think about.
- I don’t really believe in the concept of “guilty pleasures” – I think we should love what we love unabashedly. But I have to say my fondness for this series surprises me – it’s violent and I have to close my eyes and ears a lot while watching it, but I still come back for the next episode. This week we finished season 3 of Game of Thrones.
good things:
- My husband slipped out very early on Fat Tuesday and brought home raspberry Berliners for breakfast. Yum!
- The practice of hand-to-heart while taking 5 slow deep breaths. I can’t begin to tell you how helpful this is. The length of five breaths is enough to really shift things and yet, not so long as to be prohibitive from engaging in it whenever you feel like it. And I felt like it a lot this week.
- Not sure what rabbit hole I was exploring when I stumbled upon interactive foot reflexology chart, but it’s definitely bookmarked now.
- As long as there is a post office service I’ll be sending snail mail. For the next few weeks I’m playing in Love Notes. This week our “assignment” was to send a postcard with a bit about home to our mailing partner. I found this vintage 1920’s postcard showing Chicago’s lakefront which I sent off.
- Do you keep a wish list? I saw these kitchen towels by artist Lisa Rupp and added them to my list, not only wishing for them, but the kitchen to go with them that would showcase them.
Around and About:
- Housing issues are something I care about deeply, and I was touched by this story of a daughter’s vision to raise awareness and raise a house for her mother.
- The full moon on the16th is called Raven Moon – so of course it’s one of my favorites. Pam Bustin blogs a bit about what’s ushered in for her on the new moon of this cycle.
- Seeing this gathering of dolphins fills my heart.
- Ashley Percival’s illustrations make my heart happy
- Paper swoon of the week: artist Chistine Kim.
Tag, you’re it. What’s been happening in your world this week? Have something fun to share? Need us to send a dose of love to some tender spot? Honoring Venus on her day with a bit of beauty? Do tell – you know I love to hear.
I will gladly send you these two boxes of Girl Scout Cookies I’ve got here. We both are watching what we eat now and they will remain unopened. 🙂
That hand-to-heart technique really does help! I’m adopting it for sure.
Thanks for a lovely post!
LOL – thanks for the cookie offer Naomi. I’m hoping keeping my hand to my heart will keep it out of the cookie jar.
I was so excited when I saw that your post was Scattered Life Collective. My browser tabs are now full of good stuff to explore (as usual when I stop by here – please don’t stop..)
So much to comment to. First, I am studying reflexology so a big yes for that interactive reflexology chart.
JJ Abrams – I believe that he was one of the creators behind LOST. Whenever I see his name behind a TV show, I know that we are in for a treat. That book sounds enticing!
I will definitely be checking out the Love Notes idea. I have this postcard of Minnesota that I have been wanting to send someone for ages. It’s cute, but somewhat irrelevant and since I have a huge stack of gorgeous cards that Naomi Wittlin created, I would rather send those most times. I love postcards. They are like Pre-Twitter.
I wish you lived close by. I would invite you to tea.
Oh I love the concept of postcards being pre-Twitter – that’s delightful! And I would love having you nearby – what fun that would be.
Once again, so much good stuff here Deborah. Thank you for all of the lovely links – from dolphins to kitchen towels, you’ve got everything covered. (Those towels are so pretty I think I would frame them.) I too have surprised myself with how much I adore Game of Thrones. I get lost in every episode. Wasn’t the Red Wedding just heart-wrenching? LOVE Arya.
Those towels would be wonderful framed. And Arya is amazing, I love her too.
Deborah, what a lovely way to spend your week. I love that the days are longer and the light is returning… it’s been missed here in the UK with the grey, overcast winter skies now rapidly disappearing.
Interactive reflexology chart… what a gem! Thanks for sharing it!
Girl Scout cookies… no, thank you. They are just too addictive.
I’ve been so busy creating small, little lovely things and altering one website and creating another that I haven’t really had time for reading or for watching to much television. There is so much more to come and so much more to do and I am loving every minute of it!!!
Thanks for sharing your week with me!!! Much love, blessings and peace to you! ♥
It’s wonderful to be caught up in projects that delight! And yay for the returning light and lengthening days – it’s really doing wonders for my mood.
Maira Kalman! Yet one more thing we have in common. I adore her, but haven’t read this one. Definitely on my list. Glad to hear it’s warming, and dolphins at play somehow go with that, I think. Dana Point is just south of here. I saw some dolphins this last Sunday, a bit further north. But I’ll watch dolphins wherever they are. Thanks again for a great post, even though my to-do, to-read and to-visit list is growing by leaps and bounds thanks to your Scattered Life Collective posts. 🙂
I only discovered Maira Kalman this year – and I was immediately smitten. How wonderful you get to see dolphins where you’re at. That totally makes my heart happy.
This week: Reducing my book collection by many hundreds of books. Holy cow. It’s been exhausting and liberating. Speaking of books, S sounds awesome. Its premise reminds me of Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore. Have you read it? It is wonderful.
Oh yay you Harmony – a big clean out like that is indeed liberating! I haven’t read Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore, but it’s on my list. I’ll have to bump it up on your recommendation.
I love that you said you don’t know what rabbit trail you were following …
happens to me all the time.
as always, I love what you share … and now I want roasted cauliflower for dinner tomorrow.
Much love!
Gotta love those rabbit holes – so much magic and strangeness and wonder down them!