Happy Holidays!

We are on the cusp of "Christmas break," and even though I only get a few days off I am thrilled. 

SB and I have both been feeling something resembling the onset of flu for about a week -- never becoming full-on sick, but consistently having a little bit of everything: throat scratchiness and congestion, soreness, hot/cold, and general fatigue. A restful break will be good respite! 

In other news, this happened a few weeks ago:

Truman 2 (The original Truman met his end quickly and mysteriously)

And this has been happening every day since:

Cricket could watch the fish all day long... and does.

And this also happened - an easy little craft project that made our apartment door look a bit more festive. Got to keep up with those Jones'.

Speaking of being festive, I did not listen to any Christmas music until a few days ago and, to my surprise, listening to it completely lit up my day. I feel like such a nerd, but I can't deny the joy it brings me! These are my favorites:

• Christmas Time is Here, Vince Guaraldi 
• Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), Darlene Love
• Merry Christmas, Baby, Otis Redding
• Happy Xmas (War is Over), John and Yoko
• The Christmas Song, Mel Torme
• Christmas Island, Bob Dylan

The Joys of Winter Part I

Winter is back in full force. The temperature right now is 2 degrees (and "feels like" -11!). I could complain (and do), but winter does have perks, too. For example:

While I have to be persuaded to take winter walks,

their unique beauty is always a pleasant surprise.

It is peak season for my favorite styles of beer.

I love to cook year-round, but in winter our little apartment is made so rich 

and cozy by the heat and aroma of dinner cooking in the oven or on the stovetop. 

(Pictured is a recent miso soup with mushrooms, cabbage and udon noodles.)

A few other notes...

Thanksgiving is still hands-down my favorite meal of the year. This year featured: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, creamed onions, scalloped corn, wild rice hot dish, mixed greens, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin and apple pies. How can one not feel grateful whilst sitting in front of such a spread? My brother and his family were out of town which was a major bummer, but SB and I and both sets of parents got together for an evening of eating, getting sleepy, telling stories, and laughing.


Also - I recommend that you see this movie if you're interested in a wonderfully unique movie-going experience:

GREAT poem

A friend of mine happened to be printing the first stanza of this poem off the other day (for her Thanksgiving "prayer"), and so I had the good fortune of reading it and fall in love with it. I've included the whole poem here, but it was that first stanza that really hooked me. What a lovely treasure to find on this Thanksgiving Eve.

i thank you god for most this amazing

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any–lifted from the no
of all nothing–human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

--e.e. cummings

What to Say?

I've been feeling like a bad blogger lately. There have been times when I've been in a good groove and writing regularly, but this year has been a bit of a bust compared to past years. I think this is in part due to my new and very busy job. I think it also has something to do with my growing dislike of Facebook culture -- the tone of so much on the internet is "look at me!" and doesn't feel very real or useful.

I've always felt that tension with this blog. I've wanted to achieve good quality and quantity, writing regularly on interesting and useful topics, and not just ramblings about my day-to-day existence. At the same time day-to-day existence is real and relatable and I enjoy reading that type of blog. But lately when I've been sitting down to blog I've thought, "what do I even have to say?" It's a funny matter of perspective - life is really never uninteresting, but sometimes it feels that way.

I think the key is staying curious in life and taking time to reflect. Sounds simple, but I have to admit that it is amazing how rarely I stop and reflect in life. I'm usually planning for the future. But I guess that's why I love having a blog. Because it feels good to stop and take a minute to think about your life and write some thoughts down. It's an exercise in being more present.

So this is another rambling post, but at least it was real because it tells where I'm at today. :)

Now for something "useful" - we watched Fading Gigolo last night, with John Turutro and Woody Allen. It had a great cast of characters and was fairly funny. And I really enjoyed seeing John Turturo, who usually places weird characters, playing a "sexy" character - because he never gets that kind of role and dare I say pulled it off. The movie didn't get great reviews, but I loved it. If you like Woody Allen you'll probably enjoy it. Trailer below.

Winter is Brewing

We've been fortunate to have unseasonably warm weather this Fall, but the forecast suggests that it is coming to an end next week, with highs in the 30s and rain/snow mixtures. I thought I'd post a few last hurrah photos for Autumn.

The side of our building - gorgeous vines this October!

Veggie hash with egg - the perfect Autumn brunch

FRIDAY

Happy Friday!

What a joy to know that the next few days will be filled with a sushi night with friends, a housewarming party, and time to read and write and watch movies at home with SB. I LOVE the weekends.

A few highlights of this week - feeling like I've finally returned to running (it feels SO good), and revisiting Bird by Bird (by Anne Lamott) - a fantastic book.

In honor of Friday, here is a photo from a recent walk, and a song that has been capturing my mood lately.

Time

It really does fly by. November is right around the corner.

I have been feeling busy lately - like I'm trying to cram long "to do" lists into each day and just never quite feeling satisfied. I think it is related to the approaching winter - feeling like I want to get a lot done (projects in our home, just being outdoors, connecting with folks socially) before hunkering down when the cold and snow hit.

A few highlights from the past two weeks include: deep cleaning our apartment, two dinner parties, and a visit from good friends. It has been helpful to have so much going on outside of the office because work has been dreary for the past month. At this point I am discouraged enough that I began updating my resume. Ug.

On a lighter note, I just re-joined the YMCA. This is the second year that I've bitten the expense bullet in hopes of staying (or should I say *getting*) fit this winter. My frugality makes me extra motivated to work out at least 3 times per week, because that way I get a discount on my monthly membership fee.

Anyway, that is all the news to report at the moment. I've got a crazy busy month of work ahead, and another visit from a close friend next week - so there is much more to come! The important thing that I try to remind myself through all of the busy times is this:

Saturday Night's Alright

Feeling particularly joyous on this Saturday for the following reasons:

- I went to the library today, which is always fun to browse. I recently decided that I love memoirs and am going to dig into that genre more moving forward.

- It is sunny sweatshirt weather and I just got back from a walk to the spice shop.

- On my walk I bought vanilla and rosemary at no cost to me, because I was fortunate to have received not one but TWO gift cards to Penzey's for my bday this year. Talk about a gift that keeps on giving. I love walking in and smelling all of the aromas in the air.

- I'm now sitting with a pickle-filled bloody mary in hand. One of my favorite weekend treats.

- A stew is making itself for dinner in my crock pot, which means I can kick my feet up on the couch with a book and/or an episode of Dr. Who or Call the Midwife for the next few hours.

- Tonight we have a work party with SB's colleagues. Having grown up in a family of teachers, I love being around teachers. There is a group of his coworkers that are our age and super fun, and I hope to build some long-term friendships with them.

- I love this new album that is currently streaming for free on NPR. Frazey Ford - Indian Ocean. It combines two of my favorite things - airy lady vocalists and soulful, funky, southern bands.

- Tomorrow is yet another day off of work!

Autumn Hike

We hiked around a state park this weekend and it. was. breathtaking. Here are a few photos and a poem to commemorate the lovely afternoon spent!

Aunt Leaf

Needing one, I invented her – - -
the great-great-aunt dark as hickory
called Shining-Leaf, or Drifting-Cloud
or The-Beauty-of-the-Night.

Dear aunt, I’d call into the leaves,
and she’d rise up, like an old log in a pool,
and whisper in a language only the two of us knew
the word that meant follow,

and we’d travel
cheerful as birds
out of the dusty town and into the trees
where she would change us both into something quicker – - -
two foxes with black feet,
two snakes green as ribbons,
two shimmering fish – - – and all day we’d travel.

At day’s end she’d leave me back at my own door
with the rest of my family,
who were kind, but solid as wood
and rarely wandered. While she,
old twist of feathers and birch bark,
would walk in circles wide as rain and then
float back

scattering the rags of twilight
on fluttering moth wings;

or she’d slouch from the barn like a gray opossum;

or she’d hang in the milky moonlight
burning like a medallion,

this bone dream, this friend I had to have,
this old woman made out of leaves.

-Mary Oliver

Gratitude Challenge Day #3

Today I am feeling grateful for...

- the changing seasons. This 50 degree weather is absolutely wonderful for sleeping, and I love sliding on slippers when I get out of bed every morning. :)

- the opportunity a few weekends ago to see my favorite band, from the first row, at a sunny outdoor music festival. We have four of their albums and honestly can't get enough of them! I highly recommend Hurray for the Riff Raff.

- the green/orange/yellow/red tapestry that is present everywhere as the leaves turn. Whether I'm just walking down a city street or driving across the river and seeing a vast spread - it is so beautifying.

- having turned 30 quietly and without much fuss. I have a hard time with some occasions because of what I think are others' expectations for how to feel and what to do. Turning 30 felt pretty natural for me, so I just spent my bday hanging out with family and with SB.

- the evolution of my job. While my job doesn't always give me opportunities to be challenged in new ways, the training program that I coordinate has grown and soon I will be supporting a network of nearly 100 trauma and resilience trainers statewide. I've never done that before and am excited for the challenge of supporting and connecting them so that this work stays at its best and doesn't lose steam.

- the exciting break from work that I will get today when I pick my parents up from the airport. I have been inspired by their travel to South America and am eager to hear about their trip. In light of the fact that they just crossed Machu Picchu off of their bucket list, and because I'm a list-maker by nature, I have now started making my own bucket list.

- the sense of opportunity that I feel most days. Despite the fact that I am very privileged and have an incredibly fortunate life, I have had my fair share of "the blues" - due to my personality and/or genetics. That being said, I have noticed lately that my hope for all that life can be is present with me almost all the time. I feel that anything is possible, and that I have grown more assertive as I've gotten older in making fun possibilities realities.

Gratitude Challenge Day 2

1) It is Friday!

2) My neck and shoulder are 80% better!

3) Today is the beginning of my "birthday week," which for me means spending tonight eating chinese food and watching a Wes Anderson movie with SB. I will be 30(!) on Monday.

4) A homebuying community education class I took this week to begin wrapping my mind around what the process entails and might possibly look like for us (probably in two years or so). $35 class for hours of information that was completely new to me and great food for thought. LOVE community ed.

5) My mindfulness professional development class is drawing to a close, and yesterday was my last small-group session. In those sessions over the past 6 months three other women and I shared with each other the most profoundly human experiences - the challenges and successes that touched feelings at the core of who we want to be in the world. So grateful to have the experience of learning from and with those women.

6) My local farmer's market. Can't wait to go again tomorrow and see the lines of overflowing baskets of colorful produce. And the flowers! And the direct connection to the families that grow the food. It is my favorite place to be.

7) Emails from my parents who are currently in Peru and soon on their way to the Galapagos Islands. They just sent the most breathtaking and adorable photo of themselves in sun hats at Machu Picchu.

7) This song by JD McPherson:

Ouch

I've always been a fairly tense person - a nail-biter, a nighttime teeth grinder, a bad sleeper, and a long-time worrier. As a result, I have come to learn to function with muscle tension and headaches as part of my routine. At least by massaging the knots, stretching, drinking lots of water, taking anti-inflammatories, etc. I can feel confident that it will pass.

Last week I felt tension mounting in my right shoulder and neck. It wasn't unusual until I was so stiff that I couldn't turn my head. The pain started keeping me up at night. I couldn't get comfortable. Ever. I decided that I needed real help, so I got a massage for the first time in my life. While the 60 minutes were absolutely wonderful, I still felt stiff afterwards. In bed that night I stretched my arms above my head and instantly felt my neck spasm. HOLY SMOKES. I have been in extreme pain ever since. Last night I woke up at 4am with shooting pains and simultaneous tingling/numbness from the base of my skull down to my elbow that no amount of pills or ice packs could extinguish. It was insane. It truly took my breath away. I have never broken a bone or given birth to a baby, but on my continuum of pain it was a 9 out of 10.

I counted down the minutes until I could call for a doctor's appointment this morning and was grateful for a 9am appointment. I was a bit worried that I might have a pinched nerve, but fortunately my nerves were all fully functional. As I had predicted, there was little that the doctor could do for me besides give me a muscle relaxant and a slightly stronger anti-inflammatory than the over-the-counter that I was taking (acknowledging that neither would fix the problem but may give me minor relief), along with some neck exercises. The doctor also said that it could take weeks to fully heal the tiny tears in my muscles, the nerve irritation, and the extreme tightness. All I can say (besides "OW") is WOW. I had no idea. Once I'm past this I think I'll have to take up yoga to prevent this from happening again!

In Memoriam

Yesterday was my Grandpa's birthday and next week will be the anniversary of his death. He was one of my favorite people in the whole world and I always really admired his incredible talent as a watercolor artist. He was first major loss that I experienced in my life. I miss him greatly and think of him often in Autumn in particular. His life was filled with loving and long-lasting companionship in family and friends; bountiful wit and good humor; pastimes including world travel, painting and other creative pursuits, golf, sailing, and teaching his grandchildren to fish; and public service as a veteran, an optometrist, and a leader in general in the small-town community that he called home. He cared about others and it really showed. He used to call me "punkin"(like pumpkin) or "punkin' head" - which I loved. :)

Gratitude Challenge #1

I've been reading a  lot of "gratitude challenge" postings on Facebook lately - for three days at a time, a few friends of mine have been posting small lists of things for which they feel grateful. Some choices are obvious - family and friends, etc., but I was most surprised and delighted to hear the simplest pleasures that my friends treasure. I thought it was time to share a few of the things that I am most grateful for, and I wanted to do it on this blog as an ongoing series of posts. Like others I have to start with the most "cliche" selections, but will mix it up a bit more next time. ;)

Gratitude Challenge - Day 1

• SB - the person who knows me better than I know myself, who makes me laugh and who processes the tough stuff with me ever so patiently, whose knowledge is ridiculously extensive and blows me away, who loves British TV and speaks French with a terrible accent in the most endearing way possible, and who I can't wait to see every.single.day. when I leave work.
• My family - the people who made me who I am today, who loved me at my worst as much as at my best, who listen to me talk and talk and talk, and the reason I will never move out of this state because they will always be home to me. Not to mention that the new additions to the family have been the cutest and most fun yet!
• My two best friends, who have been my two best friends for nearly 20 years, who threw me the most thoughtful and memorable bachelorette party ever, who I am honored to call friends because they are such incredibly awesome human beings, who live far away but are always kindred no matter how long it has been since our last phone call or email exchange.
• My mentors - I've been incredibly fortunate to have so many mentors, from middle school teachers to college professors to bosses that became friends to formal mentors to kindred spirits that I've found in unexpected places. These people showed me kindness out of the goodness of their own hearts, out of their hope for the future, with no expectation of something in return.
• My senses - while I'm no super-taster and have "selective hearing" as my family likes to call it, I am so incredibly grateful to be able to see, hear, smell, taste, touch. I get so much pleasure from sensory experiences and associate so many memories with those experiences. I work in a building where several staff members are deaf and one is blind, and it prevents me from taking for granted how all of these senses are incredible connections to the world and to other people.
• Cricket - I have to admit that I'm not quite the animal lover that many are, but I so appreciate having a pet because it literally gives you another set of eyes from which to view the world. I love to watch Cricket experience her environment - what catches her eye, how she responds to different smells, where she likes to sit when she's hot or cold, what sounds from the alley send her running into the closet out of fear. Fascinating and so lovable.

A Word to the Wise

As it turns out, sometimes DIY projects fall short of fun. Like when I made spaghetti sauce from scratch on Monday night - which entailed peeling and coring a dozen tomatoes, chopping most of a bulb of garlic, roasting two peppers, and then putting it all together and letting it cook down. Let's just say it took HOURS, and in a tiny hot kitchen to boot.

By the time we finally ate (at nearly 8pm), my enthusiasm for the whole thing had reduced much like the ingredients of the meal - from bright and plentiful to a nondescript puddle. I was so ready to sit down and eat that I didn't even take a picture of my end result. In short, while it was pretty delicious, you won't find me doing that again anytime soon. Especially on a weeknight.

It's a luxury to cook from scratch and to can for pleasure - both are more time-consuming and frequently less cost-effective (considering that we don't have a garden and are buying all of our ingredients). It is a lot of fun and rewarding, but you certainly have to pick your DIY battles. Sometimes it can feel pretty absurd - like when we worked all day to process pounds and pounds of tomatoes last year... and we ended up with 5 pints of crushed tomatoes. Now when I look at the cans of crushed tomatoes at Cub Foods for less than a dollar apiece I just have to laugh!

Happy Labor Day!

We spent most of our labor day weekend canning. It took most of Sunday to make a tomato and apple chutney, but it was SO worthwhile. One of our jars didn't seal, so we already snuck a first taste of it with a rutabaga curry leftover from the fridge - yum. After a handful of unsuccessful canning efforts over the past few years, it feels like we are finally in a good groove. We also made a few quarts of dill pickles, along with a spicy quart for good measure. I'm not sure what is next on our canning agenda, but I'm looking forward to a few more experiments this year.

New Cookbook!

When we got back from our trip, I realized that months of planning had now come to an end. So I found myself asking the familiar question, "now what?" Because I can't really stand to leave that question without an answer, I responded with - "...learn to be a better cook!"

I started to love cooking as soon as I had my own kitchen - the year I moved out of college dorms and into a shared apartment. (Hard to believe that was ten years ago!) The last five years I've done the most branching out in terms of trying new types of foods and recipes - from breadmaking to canning to vegan everything.

Throughout the process of eating and cooking I've collected a stack of cookbooks. There are a few that I go back to regularly, but some of them are collecting dust. As I return to a focus on improving as a cook, I want to learn to cook from a pro and I want to learn the most basic techniques. I don't need more recipes. I want to learn to cook more intuitively and how to make anything taste better by cooking it in a way that makes it shine. I am certainly a foodie in that I LOVE simple foods and flavors. I'm not so into fancy food and recipes with long lists of ingredients.

SO... I got this cookbook, recommended by Michael Pollen as the best book to cook your way through as a beginning cook. It is all about basic techniques, and there are a few recipes per technique. It is written by the pros as an offshoot of a Slow Food conference and includes several of my favorite chefs from Saturday morning public TV cooking shows. :)

Earlier this week I used the roasting vegetables and boiling pasta techniques to make an improvised spaghetti. Salt, pepper, garlic, cherry tomatoes, spaghetti noodles, olive oil, and fresh italian parsley - that was it. And it was delicious. I'd never roasted a cherry tomato before in my life. Amazing. Highly recommended. 

Looking forward to learning and sharing more!

Throw Back Thursday

I have been a fan of Laura Marling for several years now, and last year was fortunate to win tickets to see her at an intimate studio performance through my local radio station. I only have a few of her albums but always find myself coming back to them. Her voice is rich and haunting and her songwriting raw and beautiful. Here is a clip from her 2012 Tiny Desk concert via NPR. The second song she performs is one of my favs.

Happy almost-Friday!

Photo Highlights

We're back! What a whirlwind. Amazing doesn't begin to describe it. I'm so overstimulated and exhausted that it is a challenge to try to process too much at this point. (We also traveled for about 24 hours straight yesterday.) Below are a few photo highlights. More to come soon...

Notre Dame, Paris

View of Sacre Coeur from Musee d'Orsay, Paris

Jambon baguette and the view from our first hotel, Paris

Carpet of Flowers in Grand Place, Brussels

View of flowers from Hotel de Ville (City Hall)

Chouffe - new fav Belgian beer

Bad photo, but cool klezmer band we stumbled upon at a bar in Brussels

The view from Duck & Waffle, our gourmet meal of the trip, London

St. Paul's after a night at the Globe Theater, London

Sainte-Chapelle, Paris

View from hotel on our last night in Europe

Sante!

Days Away

Here we are, in AUGUST. Unbelievable how quickly this summer has sped by. When we get back from our trip SB will be diving straight into the new school year, and our summer routine will be flipped on its head. Until then... we've got two weeks of vacation merriment right around the corner!

The past few weeks of work have been crazy at work - I continue to pick up a lot more slack than is part of my job description. I'm sure that my coworkers will get along fine without me for two weeks, but I am feeling pretty essential to the flow of work right now. A good feeling, but it can be stressful. Yesterday I stayed two extra hours to help someone meet a deadline. (It helps when you've got a big vacation around the corner!)

Highlights of what I've been looking forward to most on our trip (in no particular order):

• An English beer in an English pub
• Our night bike tour in Paris
• Watching SB remember his old haunts as we walk around Belgium
• Endless streets of cool architecture
• Great art at Louvre, Orsay, and Orangerie museums
• Market picnics in giant parks
• King Lear at the Globe

On a completely different note - if you have instant Netflix and like cooking shows, I encourage you to check out Inside The Mind of a Chef. I binged on the first season a while ago, featuring Chef David Chang, and now the second season has been released. The first half follows Southern Chef Sean Brock, and the second half features English (now New York) Chef April Bloomfield. I love April.

Poems for Babies

Despite all the darkness that surrounds her life and death, my favorite two poems written for/about babies (for her daughter, Frieda, to be specific) are by Sylvia Plath. The descriptors are quite delightful - may they make your "hump day" a little bit brighter.

You’re
Sylvia Plath

Clownlike, happiest on your hands,
Feet to the stars, and moon-skulled,
Gilled like a fish. A common-sense
Thumbs-down on the dodo’s mode.
Wrapped up in yourself like a spool,
Trawling your dark as owls do.
Mute as a turnip from the Fourth
Of July to All Fools’ Day,
O high-riser, my little loaf.

Vague as fog and looked for like mail.
Farther off than Australia.
Bent-backed Atlas, our traveled prawn.
Snug as a bud and at home
Like a sprat in a pickle jug.
A creel of eels, all ripples.
Jumpy as a Mexican bean.
Right, like a well-done sum.
A clean slate, with your own face on.


Morning Song
Sylvia Plath

Love set you going like a fat gold watch.
The midwife slapped your footsoles, and your bald cry
Took its place among the elements.

Our voices echo, magnifying your arrival. New statue. 

In a drafty museum, your nakedness 

Shadows our safety. We stand round blankly as walls. 

I’m no more your mother 

Than the cloud that distills a mirror to reflect its own slow 

Effacement at the wind’s hand. 

All night your moth-breath 

Flickers among the flat pink roses. I wake to listen: 

A far sea moves in my ear. 

One cry, and I stumble from bed, cow-heavy and floral 

In my Victorian nightgown. 

Your mouth opens clean as a cat’s. The window square 

Whitens and swallows its dull stars. And now you try 

Your handful of notes; 

The clear vowels rise like balloons.

 

Feels like...102

It is finally truly hot outside. We have hardly seen 90's yet this summer, but this week is a combination of high temps and unusually high humidity. So we bit the bullet and put in our A/C window unit in our bedroom. Cricket is a fan.

I am back to putting in long hours at work and bringing work home. But fortunately it is largely work that I enjoy. It is a blessing and a curse to keep having more and more responsibilities added to my plate. Being busy is a challenge that fuels me, I love to learn new things, and being given increasing amounts of responsibilities means that my boss trusts and values me. The amount of work that I have, however, is starting to overflow to the point that it may take me a week or more to get back to someone (which is more than people tend to plan for in awaiting a project, I've found).

It is hard for me to have to give up saying "yes" to everything because it feels good to help others - I'm a people-pleaser by nature. I'm going to have to work on setting boundaries and saying, "I'm sorry but I just can't help you with that right now," which is surprisingly hard for me.

Anyway, I'm happy to put my energy into the long hours right now because next Friday begins our long-weekend vacation with family. Yay for beers and board games and the lake. And one week later we'll be in Europe.

Santé!

Bastille Day! And we are 25 days away from Paris.

raspberry, caramel and pistachio macaroons

Other than watching the Tour de France and the World Cup, here are a few things I've been up to lately...

AM runs with a new training app - 10k here I come!

Hopefully making this dress successfully thanks to a friend!

Sleeping in on non-work and non-farmers market days - c'est magnifique

The farmers market is finally in full swing and we'll be canning spicy dilly beans this weekend! Last year we only made 5 pints and they were delicious - so this year we'll be at least doubling our efforts. We also made 16 half-pints of strawberry-rhubarb jam a few weeks ago. Nothing like having sweet and spicy flavors stored for year-round enjoyment.

Flying By

Today is the first day of July -- can you believe it?? We had activities every weekend in June, so the month seemed to come and go in an instant. Fortunately our July is less booked, so we can get our bearings and soak up summer a bit more this month. Then, as I like to say, our month of fun begins....

• The last weekend in July is our 1-year wedding anniversary, which warrants a nice dinner out anyway - and I'm pretty sure the bakery that made our wedding cake gives a free mini cake in honor of a one-year anniversary. Woohoo!

• The first weekend in August we are going to Door County, WI for our annual family reunion. It has become a highlight of the year for us - sunrises and sunsets on the lake, drinking beer and playing board games, big breakfasts, and a cool old bookstore is at the heart of town.

• The next weekend we'll be off to Paris. And the weekend after that we'll be in Brussels. And the weekend after that we'll be settling back in at home and reminiscing with photographs.

In the meantime, I'm trying to get into the habit of running, which I'm finding difficult with SB on summer vacation and always home. It is hard to motivate myself at 6am when I could just stay in bed with him. Fortunately or unfortunately, I signed up for a 6-mile run, the most ambitious run I've registered for to date, in late September. I still have time to get in shape for it... but cannot delay any longer! Wish me luck.

PS. Recipes to come soon. This weekend I made walnut bread that was quite gorgeous, if I do say so myself, and a savory pasta with shiitakes and swiss chard. And this weekend we are picking strawberries and making our second annual strawberry-rhubarb jam. Love this jam, and so excited to make it again this year. 

Dazzling Gradually

Tell all the truth but tell it slant

By Emily Dickinson

Tell all the truth but tell it slant —

Success in Circuit lies

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth's superb surprise

As Lightning to the Children eased

With explanation kind

The Truth must dazzle gradually

Or every man be blind —

A powerhouse of sweetness and connectivity, a nearly-retired colleague of mine recited this from memory in a meeting last week, and it has been sticking with me ever since. She thought of it in light of the fact that our work is always emerging - that there is no eternal right way to do our work. Love it.