lunch

homemade whole wheat bread.
local raw honey.
asian pear from a farmer.

good afternoon autumn walk

photos from the fall walk yesterday...
remember?
it was cloudy and cold?
today is cool, not a cloud in the sky.
but i'll take plain cool anyday.

so there's a little spot down by the river
where i'm pretty sure an Ent lives.
yes, a living tree.

i wanted to check it out for myself
getting as close as possible...

sure enough, it's very alive.
i thought someone was sneaking around,
but it was the branches, the leaves, and the wood.

a favorite poem came to mind
it starts and ends:
when i am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust...
and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.

thank you, trees, for everything.

good morning tea

why is it that this morning my body did not cooperate?
woke up 4:30am.
did some writing.
then time for yoga...
but all of a sudden my bed and sleep were irresistible.

so i'm mixing up my routine to fight off
the urge to curl back up in bed.

tea & blogging before yoga practice.
maybe that will help clear my head,
and keep me warm enough to want to change out of
comfy pj's and into cold, unwarmed yoga clothes.

mmmm.
let's hear it for the warmth of tea,
tea with peppermint, rosehip, spearmint,
osmanthus petals, rose petals, rooibos, apple, and ginger
all mixed together and beautifully called
"on the waterfront."

all photos by me. september 2009.

i was taken to heaven on a breeze of golden leaves and a sky of cloudy rain...

this morning began with clouds.
and they stuck around.
which made me giddy for wellies and sweaters.

so i went out for a stroll
with polaroid and nikon.
we had the perfect fall morning together.

more images in the next day or so from our outing...

photos by me. september 2009.

sebastopol celtic music festival...where i decided i wanted to play every instrument on the planet

the drive to sebastopol is just what you'd hope for
on a saturday morning after a long week.
you pass garden after garden,
antique store after antique store.
i could tell it would be a brilliant day.

so many fiddles, bodhrans, and accordians.
heaven.

moira smiley.
you've got to hear her live.
especially her bosnian folk songs.
you'll think you've entered another sphere.
{plus, check out those amazing tights!}

i'm pretty sure that if i did my wedding over,
i'd have a celtic band play for us
{the bagpipe would be a must}

this was an amazing session...
four beautiful, talented, kind women all singing together.
it was every girl's dream:
singing, harmonizing, and dancing.
my brothers would NOT have been invited.
the teasing would have been unbearable!

there was no end to the dancing.
at one moment i was frustrated with the dancers who stood right in front of cj and i, blocking our view of the stage. but then i realized they were not the rude ones...we were the rude ones for actually staying in our seats. so, i let it go, and was happy to watch the dancers.

i took a picture of these little irish dancers.
my niece takes irish dance lessons, and they remind me of her.
i think i'm going to find some adult dance classes.
what do you think?

can't wait for next year.

photos by ceej and me. sebastopol 2009.

in autumn...

in autumn:

i want to walk down streets guarded by oaks
that are nearing 100-years-old.
i want to walk inside a home that is
at least 100-years-old.
i want leaves to pile up faster than
they can be gathered.

i want a scarf to wrap my neck
and a coat to button up.
i want grotesque sqaush to greet
me at front doors and back doors.
only boots for my toes on feet.

i want spice:
ginger, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and fennel.
i want pies of apple and pumpkin.
i want poe, grimm, shelley.
i want wind that strips and whispers.

i want fall, fall, fall.

photo by me. salt lake city. anyone recognize this house?

i know you like to vote...

now, i know i've been asking a lot of you lately.

but i have one more thing to ask of all of you.

i've been nominated for an award!

{pretty. darn. excited.}

DivineCaroline has nominated me for a

"Love! This Site" award.

Please take a couple minutes to register on their site so that you can vote for me. If you go here to vote for me, it will guide you through a quick registration form to fill out.

it takes about 2 minutes or less,

depending on how fast your fingers can dance.

thank you, DivineCaroline.

flattered.

but even more flattered that friends, family, and generous strangers stop by here daily.

i hope it's always worth it for you.

the final submission...

this is the photo you voted as your favorite from this post.

i sent my entry in today...just two days before the deadline. early. not late. phew!

after you all so generously gave your opinion, ceej and i took the negative to a photo lab to have them scan the image (the images you saw earlier were our home-made scans: negatives placed on the laptop screen, took a photo of them, inverted them in photoshop...so we could show you...scans are expensive! $30 per negative!).

anyway, what do you think? hopefully, i at least get some kind of mention...we shall see how my photo skills play out. will keep you updated.

photo by me. september 13, 2009.

manifesto monday: sans TV

for our wedding (almost 6 years ago!) we received many generous gifts: kitchen appliances and accessories, soft towels, camping gear, 5 crock-pots, lots of miscellaneous crystal candy dishes, and a TV. We've used all of our wedding gifts, and still have most of them. We no longer have the TV.

from day one, we decided we would not pay for cable or the small fee just for local channels...was TV really that important to us? nope. so for 6 years, almost, we have been TV-free. congratulations to us! here's what a marriage sans TV has done for us:

01. we actually talk to each other after work, during dinner, and after dinner. we have some really intellectual, silly, and emotional conversations. i'm glad i get to talk to cj rather than stare at a screen while sitting next to him. we've needed that talking time. marriage takes work, which really means, marriage takes talking. lots of talking.

02. we read together. right now we're reading roald dahl's "the BFG" (don't tell my siblings about this one...they might tease me about it! this is our little secret!). i like hearing cj let loose and get into the characters...it helps us to not take ourselves so seriously

03. we learn a lot about each other and our selves. right now i'm learning that i am an impatient, critical monster and cj is a guileless, patient saint. that's usually how it goes around here. bless his heart for not walking out the door.

04. we get to watch a movie on the weekend thanks to our little laptop. that's a big treat for us, to just cuddle up and watch a classic, a comedy, or a documentary.

marriage sans TV has been fantastic. this i believe.

photo of us reading...well, really cj is reading his book, and i am sitting next to him to take a photo that would relate to this post. but we really do read together often.

wish you were here...

some more photos of our day at the beach last saturday.
wishing we lived a little closer...
like on-the-beach-closer

suggestion:
always bring a picnic when you go to the beach.
nothing better than that.

we fell in love watching all the birds, big ones and little ones.
loved the big ones nose-diving full-speed into the water to catch a fish,
and loved watching the little ones peck up their food on the sandy beach.

water.
it symbolizes so much.

this grass looks beautiful,
but watch out! it's sharp!
it stabbed me a few times.

ceej and i chose a place far away from crowds...
but soon the crowds decided to go for a stroll,
and they came our way.
lots of lovely couples...everyone seemed to be very happy indeed.
the beach is some seriously good medicine.

water, picnics, blankets, cameras, lovers.
what more could you want?

here's our attempt at a timed-portrait.
we'll get better. i hope.

wish you were here to hang out!

have a great weekend.
we're spending ours at the Celtic Festival!

photos by ceej and me. coast. september 2009.

my dream come true!

oh, heart! heart! heart!

please go here {a beautiful blog by a beautiful woman} to read about something oh so beautiful...

now, how do i join and move in?

{sorry, i rarely post something like this...but i couldn't resist!}

we've stopped at this restaurant every time we drive through point reyes station...we just can't help it

this little restaurant is absolutely one of my favorites.
everything we've ever ordered is absolutely delicious and full of local flavor.
sitting on the patio in the garden is dreamy.

eating with the cool fall air, changing leaves, and setting sun
was good for the heart.

yes, we try hard not to completely stuff ourselves here.
it's hard to do,
but i think we did quite well this time...

we even saved room for dessert: milk shakes.
ice cream is always a good idea for dessert...
if you're already full, ice cream finds a way to settle in those tiny un-full places.
there really is always room for ice cream
{especially when it's from local happy cows}

have you caught on yet that we l-o-v-e food?
and good food too.
you'll never hear us wishing for those sysco chains.
nope.
not here.
good food is worth the price, don't you think?

photos by ceej and me. september 2009. point reyes station.

sundays are quite sweet around here...

lately i've been making desserts that are oh so rich and oh so sweet.
usually, you can only handle a few bites,
but they are simply lovely bites.

ceej caught a little of the action of brewing up such a sweet treat.

chocolate and toffee...you can't go wrong.

mix it all up with some seriously real and local whipped cream,
and you're in heaven.

wonder what we'll make this sunday.

photos by ceej and me. september 2009. in our "retro" apartment.

the best tea house is in san anselmo

ceej and i left early saturday morning...
good thing we didn't head out for san anselmo any earlier
because we would have been too early to try this lovely
car garage-turned hip organic tea bar.

i was pulled in by those warm sofas, pretty pictures, and wood chairs.
mmmm.
not only was the decor cozy,
but so was the tea...just what i needed to send me straight into fall.

it is certain that when you come to visit us we will make our way through the charming little town of san anselmo, and we'll stop by to get some organic tea...any kind you want.

you can take home your own mix: bag or tin.
after finishing my cup of tea (with whole milk goodness)
i purchased my own tin.

won't you be happy to join me?

photos by ceej and me. september 2009. san anselmo, ca.

welcome dear autumn...

my favorite day of the year has finally arrived.
yes, i prefer it over halloween, thanksgiving, and christmas.
today means that harvest has finally come,
and the earth is settling in for rest.
the trees give up their clothing...becoming naked and vulnerable.
the wind becomes a constant guest.
the moon and stars spend more time with us.
oh, blessed day indeed!

this most recent weekend, ceej and i set out to hopefully find
leaves aflame, and falling to the ground...
we saw just a handful, enough to make my heart swell.
i was happy to find the coast engulfed in a gray and misty fog...
i'll take that kind of fall weather anyday.

this morning began with a deliberate and yin yoga practice,
gratitude and heart-openers always followed with
bows to the earth.
as my feet were pressed firmly on the earth,
my hands raised to the skies...
i became a sort of "axis mundi": a universal pillar, connecting heaven and earth.

for the rest of the day, and for the rest of the season,
i intend to surround myself with whitman, dickinson, alcott, emerson, and thoreau...
and, of course, dahl.

something i have come to truly love and contemplate is the law of the harvest:
you reap what you sow.
now is the time of harvest...what did you sow?
what are the fruits of your labor?
i think of frost's poem "after apple-picking"

my long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree
toward heaven still,
and there's a barrel that i didn't fill
Beside it, and there may be two or three
apples i didn't pick upon some bough.
but i am done with apple-picking now...

and i could not let the day go by without mentioning that a birthday celebration is in order today: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILBO & FRODO!
long live the shire!

happy autumn equinox everyone.
enjoy your harvest.

{thank you all for your help with choosing a photo for me yesterday! i truly appreciate all the feedback. you are too kind! it looks like photo #2 is our winner. i'll be sending it in tonight...we'll see how i do!}