lines and patterns

as i write this post (on monday), it's early evening but the sky is black as night. my body wants to align with the change in light by going to bed earlier, but my mind is resistant. i have so much to do. so much to do at work. so much to do at home. i didn't realize i was going on vacation next week - i thought i had that whole next week to get things done.

however .. i made a list of things that need doing this morning and am making good progress (what is it about a list that inspires progress), my house is generally clean and the dishes are done (it does need a good vacuum but the longer i wait, the more dirt i will pick up), my dear little pup is home and napping on the bed (he spent the weekend at the doggy ranch while i took a quantum-touch class), and i am eating a slice of freshly baked plum clafouti (good and easy to make, but i think i prefer my plums in a crumble) while going through my photos from friday.

the darker time of year is very good for projects. i have some in mind. i want to:

• learn to make nisu (a finnish sweetbread)
• cook - i love fall and winter cooking (soup! a new recipe for moroccan chicken! casseroles!)
• possibly organize my very unorganized stack of recipes so that i can actually find the one i'm looking for (this is not currently the case)
• incorporate some of the ideas from bri. maya tiwari's book on ayurvedic healing into my life (especially the idea of grinding your own spices)
• beautify my spare/art room (it needs a coat of paint for sure)
• figure out my downstairs lighting situation (there is no overhead lighting near the dining room table so i either need lots of candles or some form of lighting - i am considering small white lights around the ceiling)
• try the no-shampoo hair thing (i've been intrigued by this idea for a while now .. should be interesting)

do you have any fall/winter projects planned? i'd love to hear them!

oh .. the photos and words really have nothing to do with each other. the first photo just makes me smile. the second photo is of a fallen log; when i saw it, i thought that it looked like a piece of modern art you'd see hanging in a gallery. the third photo is of a pattern in the sand; when i saw it, i knew it was an angel (and had to try to keep the pup from running on it while i took the photo - he didn't realize that angels are not to be stepped on). now that i look at it again, i see that it could also be a mermaid.

Comments

[Becca]

fun post....no-shampoo hair thing....I am intrigued.

[Meredith]

Actually, I'm not sure the photos don't have something to do with the post -- something about the underlying organization of things that is revealed when you're looking for it. The seasons do invite us to have different priorities, and winter is that quiet time when we can adjust our direction, learn new things, cook comfort food, slow down and take a good look around, and remake our nests.

There is certainly a pattern there :)

(By the way, I, too, look forward to cooking the winter things: stew and creamy soups, borsht and roasts bubbling away in their juices, hot baps or cornbread. Stuff we would have felt sick eating in the heat of just a couple of weeks ago...)

[Meredith]

p.s. I vote mermaid!

[margie]

i love fall cooking as well. crock pots. baked beans. roast chicken. i could never do the no shampoo thing. i would have a nervous breakdown. lol.

[Candace]

Great,interesting photos. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'll visit yours again :)

[elk]

you sound happy and content...once the list was made..your images merge with your thoughts more than you think.
me? birds in and out of nests...in my art & a senior in high school!

[Gayle]

I see the angel! Oh, your mention of Moroccan chicken reminded me of a recipe I have for it that I haven't made in a while. It is one of our favorites!

[elizabeth @ retinal perspectives]

@meredith/elk: you know, you're absolutely right. i did talk about the pattern of the seasons, so they fit more than i realized.

[christina]

i love, love this post. i am a huge fan or list. and the darker days, help me get the projects moving along.
xo

[sue]

Nisu is actually very easy to make...when you get a chance email me and I'll send you the "how-to's".

[Relyn]

I love reading your list and getting a peak into your life.