dining out...walking...home again

It's been a nice first week of January, no complaints. We have managed to make it this far into the depths of winter without any snow to speak of, which I like, and even better, temperatures have been mild in comparison to other years. 
I've been sticking pretty close to home these past two weeks so it was quite exciting when our daughter, Alex, called to invite us to lunch at Long Grain, a favorite local restaurant. Six for lunch and everything was superb, only wish that I had remembered to get a picture of my ramen bowl before it disappeared! Such a nice afternoon it was!

This time of year always finds me making to-do lists and visiting the library more than usual for inspiring reading material. I've been getting some new ideas about how to make exercising a bit more fun and varied in this book and like one of the suggestions for winter walking. The idea involves an occasional visit to the local shopping mall for indoor walking on the coldest of days. The only problem, in my case, is that the closest mall is over an hour and a half away, ah well.

I bundled up this afternoon and headed out to our neighborhood for a walk. Instead of mall shoppers I ran into quite a different sort of throng, you can begin to see them on the crest of the hill in the above picture.

Wild Turkeys!

 I don't think that they were as happy to see me as I was to see them!

In moments they had all disappeared into the woods and I was left alone in a silent field.

I love these little adventures but it's always good to return home afterwards.

Home again!

making ready

Last night I was up late baking cookies and adding just a few more finishing touches to the tree. Things have been so busy around here in recent days, Christmas is almost here and I've yet to feel the quiet beauty of the season.

Before bed I began a walk around the house to turn down the lights but found myself just wandering from room to room, enjoying the sights of Christmas and taking in the peaceful quiet.

Many of the things we've gathered throughout the years are gifts from dear friends or handmade projects made when our children were younger.

So many happy memories and many more to come.

...and then...

...we woke this morning to find that snow had fallen during the night, big, fluffy snowflakes, the kind that stick to everything and make the world all white.

... so quiet and peaceful...

Best wishes to all, may winter work its mysterious, calming magic and may you all be snug and warm tonight!

Lettuce and Roses

I know I'm a bit of a dork when it comes to certain things, well, probably most things, but it seems that I'm in a state of constant amazement when it comes to the beauty I see outdoors in the garden. Today it's the beauty of a simple head of lettuce and a perfect rose, can you see what I mean?

summer

When I decided to start this blog I made a vow to try to update often, but life has been pretty busy around here lately, hope you'll forgive my scattered posting this month. 
This week I'm working under a deadline, sewing cosplay costumes for my daughter and her friend, not to mention work in the garden with my husband, a  Father's Day celebration, a family visit and transporting youngest daughter back and forth to her new job in town. It's only the general mayhem that usually goes on during early summer.
Please check back again for costume updates, but for now, some pictures I took around the house and garden this week.

 

Today...organizing

To be honest, organizing the stuff and nonsense of my life has never been my first priority. Oh, I can totally appreciate a beautiful and well managed home, the kind of household where you can drop in at any time, unannounced mind you, and find the dishes washed, the floors swept, not a dusty, cluttered surface in sight and homemade cookies in the jar.  I'm not saying that this never happens at my house, though it is unlikely that it will happen all at the same time.
 Maybe I shouldn't admit my tendency to be a somewhat relaxed homemaker publicly, but it is the truth. I hope that I make up for it by keeping a large garden, cooking from scratch, trying to do a drawing a day, and always being up for an interesting distraction.


The 30 Day Vegan workshop that I was lucky enough to be a part of this month just ended yesterday.  It was a fantastic month filled with great vegan recipes, suggestions for healthier living and the importance of taking the time to rest and restore when you need it. I didn't know if living without dairy, eggs and meat/fish would be something I'd feel comfortable with for long, but the 30 days have come and gone and I'm still wanting more. I haven't had a single craving for anything but the fresh and life giving foods that I've been enjoying during this past month.

Tomatoes, dilly beans and sweet pickles I canned last summer. I still have to fill up those large jars with my newly purchased whole grains. Let's pretend that you didn't see that large jar of white sugar, ok?

Oddly enough, (or not) one of the side effects of my experiment with veganism has been the desire to organize my home. I'm suddenly looking at the clutter in my life in a new way, a way that spells trouble for any clutter I happen to see...  So far I've cleaned and reorganized the refrigerator, the bathroom, the pantry, and made several trips to Good Will to drop things off. It's a happy side-effect methinks!

 

Thanks for visiting!

 

                                                                                                                                                         

Today...1st Post

Welcome...to any who happen to come by and read this, my first post!  Today I'm feeling like I have experienced a rite of passage, from non-blogger to blogger, it feels good.

What is this blog to be about?  Only what I know, or wish to learn more about.

Nature, art, family, gardening ...food. I'm hoping that this blog will be a way to keep track of those things that I find interesting, a place to post weekly drawings , a challenge to look around at my surroundings more closely, a way to see the beauty in small things.  That's about where I am these days.

Today...spring is on the way