John & kids met a bunch of new folks at Friend D’s birthday party this afternoon. When John was introduced to them he learned that said folks had already been to our house…at a party when we were out of town and our Friends were cat-sitting for us!
Me, I’m glad to know that our Friends took me seriously when I said mi casa et su casa. And I’m just hoping that I remembered to clean the bathroom well before we left town!
:)
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
May your day and dinner be filled with good food and much joy!
I’ve been chopping squash to make this delicious-sounding recipe from “Food on the Food.”
Momentarily I’ll begin cooking my lumpy-bumpy Halloween pumpkin (the one I bought from my alma mater at the Farmer’s Market) for pumpkin pie! It’s been awhile since I’ve done pie and I’m looking forward to it. Yum!!
PS: Is there anyone else out there who likes to eat pie for breakfast on the day after? IMO, that’s truly the best part of Thanksgiving weekend!
:)
A few days ago, a bright red envelope arrived in the mail from Sara (lucky me!). Inside was her contribution to my emergency tea stash (oh my, and delicious French tea, too–the very best kind!).
So I couldn’t snap a photo of her gift until this morning because I haven’t had good light this weekend. I prepped the ‘shoot’ by setting the tea on a saucer along with my favorite teacup. But after just a few seconds, this happened along:
And then just a few seconds after EllyCat hopped down off the shelf, look who had to investigate:
So I guess what I’m saying is, that between me, Elly and Toby, I doubt Sara’s tea will last long around here!
:)
This entry originally appeared on 9/25/06:
Last night I lost a friend to complications from breast cancer. She was a loyal friend, a Mormon historian, and an avid gardener. She and I met in an LDS writer’s group a few years ago. We shared a lot, including some deep thoughts about living with a disability and cancer. She wrote me about two weeks ago to tell me that she was ready to die now, a big change from her feelings when she was first diagnosed with terminal cancer.
I won’t get to attend her funeral. I know none of her family members. These roses are for her.
-Pause-
A neighbor just rang the bell. When I answered it I saw a huge bundle of rosemary in his arms. He explained that he he had more clippings than he could use, and thought I would enjoy some.
Rosemary, the herb of love and remembrance, is steeped in thousands of years of myth and tradition, known to have been used for magic, healing, and seasoning since the beginnings of recorded history.
The herb was originally carried to funerals simply as a protector against infection. It soon became customary, however, for mourners to drop sprigs of it onto the coffin as a promise that they would not forget the deceased.
Because I use google reader, I rarely visit anyone’s blogsite anymore. The upside of this is that I can read your updated blogs much more efficiently than before. The downside is that I miss all of your sidebar content and design changes. I also recently realized just how outdated my own sidebar was.
So this morning I’ve taken some time to update my links. I’ve added a bunch more of you to my “Friends” list and I’ve added a blogroll of “Daily Reads” so you can all see some of the blogs that I enjoy.
However, because I am fairly sloppy and unscientific about creating my blogroll, I have undoubtedly missed a few of you in the process. So if you don’t see your site in my links, please don’t be hurt. It means that either I just inadvertently missed it or I thought you might not want to be blogrolled (esp some of you who post a lot about your kids, I wasn’t sure if you wanted your site advertised on my sidebar). Just drop me a line if you’d like to be added to my blogroll (phddillyATyahooDAWTcom)…
Ok, so please forgive any oversights on my part, and enjoy the linkity-links! :)
I’ll be spending some time in San Diego this weekend. If any of you would like to join me for something yummy at Clair de Lune on Sunday afternoon, drop me a line and we’ll work out the details (phddillyATyahooDAWTcom). :)
Or if you know of another super-cozy teahouse or coffeeshop in SD that’s worth a visit, do tell!
Several of my sisters from the Exponent II Blog.
From L-R: me, Caroline, Deborah, Dora. Brooke is in front.
Photo by Brooke
Me here, dipping my toes into the warm-ish waters of Walden Pond (photo courtesy of John). There were numerous bathers who leaped in the pond oblivious of the chilly wind. We also got a nice view of one young gent in his tight-whities (that provoked some great giggles all around).
Walden Pond was all I expected and more. Thoreau continues to grow in stature in my mind. His wee cabin was the perfect size. I was ready to move in!
Today John & I met with ECS (part of the MOF and pilgrimgirl community) and her newborn son. We also took in a few more sights on the Freedom Trail, got great camera shots at the Granary Burying Ground, and enjoyed same world-famous Regina pizza and Mike’s Pastries (yes, and I had the cannoli of course!). The afternoon was spent with my F/friend of many years, David, and his wife and newborn son. What a fabulous family! There is something so incredibly satisfying in seeing how the folks you knew as a young person–how they grow up to be even more amazing than you imagined ‘way back when.’ :)
John and I then wandered around the Cambridge area–finding that we blended in much better there than in the North End or in Beacon Hill. We are just university people. We shared an awesome plate of mediterranean food at a groovy restaurant that reminded me in so many ways of the Gypsy Den in SoCal (one of our regular hangouts). We also found some great bookshops and also a tea shoppe with organic vanilla tea. I was particularly stunned by the latter, given that I have looked far and wide for such and had resigned myself to never finding it. I’ll post the name of the company soon, so you can all benefit from my newfound wisdom (I’ll also taste it to make sure that it’s up to par!).
The upshot of my day (and of the week thus far): Bostonians are just the kindest people ever! An example: we were waiting outside of Regina’s (in the table line which is never a short one!) and the guy who was seating tables saw my cane (I use a cane when I’m traveling and footing it 5+ miles/day) and he brought me a folding chair to sit on after I asked if there was somewhere to sit as I waited. Everyone else in line was so jealous! Another man in line realized that we’d all have a long wait and passed a container of the freshest calamari I’ve ever tasted (from the Fish Market around the corner, he said) to John and I and encouraged us to try some. It was absolutely delicious! Another experience: the tourguide at the Emerson manse who, when he realized we were running too late to attend both his tour and get to the last tour at the Alcott place, encouraged us to go to Alcott’s first and held the tour at the Emerson manse until we rushed over. There are numerous other examples: the kind denizens of the SeedPod Coop who fed us on Tuesday, the great folks who live at the Friends’ House where we are sleeping who stay up until after midnight chatting over a glass of milk (and a handful of ibuprofen for my weary body), the folks who, when the see my cane, generously offer their seats on the “T”, the many waiters/waitresses who’ve recommended such tasty food to us as we’ve dined in unfamiliar eateries, and the “T” workers who’ve been so helpful with my been-though-the-washing-machine defective weekly tube pass. That’s not even to mention those of you of our readers who’ve been so generous with your time and your homes!!
So people of Boston: you are awesome. Really. You’ve made this trip just magical for us!
And tomorrow: I leave for the Exponent II retreat. New Hampshire here I come!!
PS: I will so miss the blaring sound of the ‘T’ conductors announcing that the next stop is “Paaaahnk Streeeet.” :)
Next week I’ll be vacationing in Boston (woohoo!).
Please send tips for must-see places, great cafes, and your favorite bookshops. Drop me a line if you’re in the Boston area and would like to arrange a meet-up, ok?
Also, any advice on using public transportation? And how safe is public transport and/or walking around the city (esp the Beacon Hill/Boston Commons area) after dark?
A quotation shared by Maddie:
“We have bigger houses but smaller families,
more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees, but less sense
more knowledge, but less judgment
more experts, but more problems
more medicines, but less healthiness.
We’ve been all the way to the moon and back
but have trouble crossing the street to meet the neighbor.
We built more computers to hold more information
to produce more copies than ever…
but have less communication.
We have become long on quantity but short on quality.
These are fast times of fast foods but slow digestion.
Tall man but short character.
Steep profits but shallow relationships.
It is a time where there is much in the window
but nothing in the room.”
~the Dalai Lama
Our family is thoroughly enjoying our new neighborhood with friendly new neighbors who are totally willing to ‘cross the street’ (or rather cross the grassy path) to meet us and share their homemade goodies. Lucky us and such a refreshing change from our former neighborhood! In addition, I recently made friends with a woman who opened her gorgeous beachhouse to me twice this week for time to rejuvenate, receive a massage, and enjoy crafting scrumptious dark chocolate (if you stop by I will share one of my rich truffle creations with you!). Then tonite, we made some new friends and reconnected with some old ones.
All joy. I am feeling so very blessed.
Eating well, living slow, receiving abundance. :)
A fellow blogger, Jonathan, photoshopped one of my flower pics and sent it over so I could see what a bit of digital massage could do to brighten up my pics.
I love what he did with this picture (compare it to the original).
For me right now, however, I’m eschewing photoshop for my daily flowers. Why? Among the reasons: I don’t have a lot of time for ‘photoshopping’, I like the challenge of taking pics ‘just as they are’ (I don’t even crop them), and I’m sharing with you just what I saw (although I will admit that the colors are a bit less vibrant then they are in ‘real life.’)
When I was in SLC I met many people who enjoy my photos. Several asked me about my camera, lenses, etc. When I pulled out my teeny little Canon, more than one laughed a bit. Because it’s “not a real camera.” I even borrowed a ‘real camera’ from a friend for a few minutes to try my hand at some ‘real photography’ (thinking that someone beautiful would result). And it was so hard to use–too many bells and whistles and just too heavy to do what I do with mine.
I guess I’m trying to justify the fact that I am lowtech and lowbrow when it comes to photography. Or maybe I just like the instant gratification that comes from using a simple tool (my Canon) in my own simple way. I will probably never be a pro photographer. And I have little aspiration to become such. Because as soon as I become too preoccupied with my ‘technique,’ I lose the intimacy of my garden experience.
So for now it’s just me and my little Canon. Doing what we enjoy most as we spend time in our garden. :)
Hey, but ya’ll are always welcome to improve upon my humble efforts!
So John’s been doing this FaceBook thing so I decided to join up and do a bit of ‘social networking’ myself. Interesting stuff. It seems a bit more like LiveJournal than blogging–lots of party pics and random brief comments. Not very substantive unless you take the time to add a bunch of bells&whistles to your profile page. I’m not sure how much it’s good for other than just a means for seeing how many friends one has who are themselves FaceBooked. Am I missing something here?
Anyways, so if you use FaceBook, let’s be friends. :)
