Wednesday, February 15, 2012

February 15th

A day late, I give you Stuff I Love...since Valentine's Day was this week and everything.

Full Moons. This one was the Wolf Moon, last week. I can't help but grin when I look up, or out the car window, and see that silvery orb...for me, it's a reminder of how small I am, how infinite this universe we live in truly is. [The sometimes unfortunate side effect of a full moon is that people are a bit, well, crazy each month. I've seen it; the weirdos are out in full force when the night sky is bright as day, wreaking havoc.]
My napkins. I'd like to say that I love these because they're eco-conscious, but that's just a happy side benefit. I love them because they're beautiful, and because using cloth napkins makes everyday meals feel like Events. I used to skip a lot of lunches at work, and strangely enough the one thing that helped in terms of slowing my days down for just a brief time was bringing a real napkin and utensils. Does that seem odd? Maybe it is. But it works, and I don't skip lunch anymore. Plus...some were made especially for me, and I love them best of all.
Baking bread. There is so much to love about this...it's a different experience each week, and I look forward to it for so many reasons. How will the yeast behave today? Will the rise take forever, like it did this past Sunday? I am eager to get my hands into the mixture of flours and yeast and water, to bring the shaggy bits into a smooth, cohesive, beautiful ball of potential. Often, I find that I have to restrain myself where the kneading is concerned- I can get carried away with the soothing repetitive motions and overaerate the dough before I know it. And the smell......let's just all stay home and bake today, okay?
My weekly whiteboard. I bought this right after the new year, because I felt like our weekday life was disorganized and spinning out of control. New year, new organization. Right? Well...yes. My house is still a mess. You'll still find piles of books, magazines and drawings all over the coffee table. The kitchen table despite my best efforts is still a catch-all for god only knows what that needs to be cleared every time anyone other than the three of us has dinner here. Charlotte still hangs on to every shred of paper that comes home from school with a tenacity that can only be inherited (thanks, Dad!). But! We know who is going where, and when...when Kaity will be here with Charlotte after school...what's coming the next weekend...I still feel like the Monday through Friday moves too fast, but at least I know which direction the Tilt-a-Whirl is headed.

More tomorrow, hopefully....I've had this post, and a few others, puttering around in my head for a while.