Personalized Happy Birthday Wishes
Yes, I am addicted to “playing” with images, whether there are my own photos, or images in the public domain. This is especially true when I can personalize a card to mark an event like a birthday. It’s fun and rewarding. And, what’s more, with every creation, I learn new skills.
In the Red!
Chez moi, at Audities’ House of Cards, when I’m not taking photos, or designing greeting cards, I tend to dabble in experiments with fermented foods.
To date, I’ve mastered kombucha quite well, and drink it regularly. I’ve also successfully fermented beets, made beet kvass, and most recently, produced some delicious white cabbage sauerkraut. So now, I am on to a new venture: red cabbage sauerkraut.
For your enjoyment, I’ve documented the process from two days ago.
I added about four healthy teaspoons of coarse gray sea salt to about two and a half pounds of coarsely shredded red cabbage, and blended it together with my hands. The salt made the cabbage glisten with moisture almost immediately.
One Laundry-Day in the Hood
I hang laundry while standing on the bench so I can reach the line. I feel a bit rebellious since someone once told me I should be careful.
I admit that I do have a preference for using the same colour pegs for each item — I even back-track and change the pegged colour if I’ve messed up. I also choose the peg colours to suit the colour of the item I’m hanging. Where does that come from? And why?
It’s very comforting to hang according to some order/some personal rules, whatever they may be.
I choose to put the heavier items first because they take longer to dry. I hang pants from the cuff, not from the waist which is often too thick for the pegs. I like to hang shirts and t-shirts across the middle of the torso so they leave less evidence of being captured by the pegs. I like to avoid ironing.
Marie Antoinette’s Painter — Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun
Although I am not a painter, I feel inspired by the life of this woman.
Born in 1755, I would guess this prolific artist must have been quite happy and fulfilled — she painted 660 portraits and 200 landscapes in her lifetime, and died just before her 87th birthday. Perhaps it was the exposure to intrigue and nobility. Alas, I don’t have much of that in my life.
Alas, too, I missed seeing this exhibit in New York last year. I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed it.
When the Going Gets Tough . . .
. . . the tough get tougher and . . . sometimes have to pick up a paddle. AND, women stand taller!
And, of course, we try to dress appropriately for the occasion.
I’m Thinking of You – As I Make Changes
Do You Believe in Magic?
I’m sure most of us did at one point in our lives. And yes, many of us still do – if only in our dreams.
However, if we truly observe where we find joy, we can see that indeed, there is magic all around us: in the love that flows between a mother and her new-born; in the discovery of tiny flowers that have bloomed overnight – in the darkness of the forest; in the millions of stars in a midnight-blue sky; and in surprisingly glorious sunrises and sunsets.
Whatever your definition allows on this fabulously cold spring day, may it truly enthral you and enchant you to bits!
And may it add a touch of magic to your wide-awake dreams.
Tripping
More specifically, I mean Travis Christofferson’s Tripping over the Truth: my most recent love.
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Such a Wonderful Discovery for International Women’s Week
Just this morning I was introduced to Maya Angelou’s recitation of her poem, Phenomenal Woman, and cannot believe I haven’t heard this gem before! Thank you for sharing, Jackie.
Original Versions of Ourselves
On International Women’s Day, I treated myself to a TEDx Talks YouTube video, where I was mesmerized by the magnetism of Caroline McHugh. Wow!
Thank you, Robert Frost
The woods are lovely, [white and bright,]
But I have [Wordpress posts to write,
And work to do before tonight,
And work to do before tonight.]
It’s rare that I enter these woods without the words of Robert Frost’s famous poem dancing through my mind. But since I was there on a sunny afternoon, his words didn’t quite ring true. So, I had to modify them. And yes, now they respect the moment. 🙂
Perhaps you’d like to listen to Robert Frost reading his original creation, Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.
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