"Break the
monotony.
Do Something
Strange and
Extravagant."
you will
learn
how to give and receive love
like an open window
and it will feel like summer
every day."
In the 1950's my grandma had a standing appointment at the hair salon every Saturday. Hair salons were often referred to as "The Beauty Shop". (June's Beauty Shop was where my grandma went.) That term is so cute and when you think about it , very hopeful. Whenever I have a an appointment at the "Beauty shop" I hope I can get me some beautiful while I'm there!
who could be the
moon for you. Just
as strong; just as
steady.
illuminating
changes and seas
and blooming
flowers and summer
nights. They'd wait
for you in the
dark. They'd dance
around the sun.
They'd receive
your primal howls,
your secrets, your
dreams, and
shifting tides.
Wait for the moon.
Wait for nothing
less than what
steals your breadth."
"That best portion of a good man's life;
His little, nameless, unremembered
acts of kindness and of love." – William Wordsworth.
"and perhaps
what made her beautiful
was not her appearance
or what she achieved,
but in her love
and in her courage,
and in her audacity
to believe:
no matter the darkness
around her,
Light ran wild
within her,
and that was the way
she came alive,
and it showed up
in everything." -Morgan Harper Nicols
"May your heart be light
and happy, may your smile
be big and wide, and may
your pockets always have
a coin or two inside! - Irish Proverb
During the early part of March before leaving for Australia it was very rainy. We focused on comfort meals and made a lot of soups. I made french onion soup, a thai vegetable curry, a potato corn chowder and a variation of a clam chowder. All were great.
A nice gin and tonic for happy hour accompaniment.
The thai curry calls for a curry paste ingredient.
Try this one:
The other day I had a nice rainy day meet up with my friend Sherri. We watched a movie starring Emma Thompson and we had wonderful sandwiches. Fun Times.
Sofia cracks me up. As you may know she always wants to "play school" when we face time. We are both co-teachers and she has all her stuffed animals paired up and at the ready for any class assignment. I know what her teacher must sound like because Sofia echoes what her teacher says when we are together. On career day in her Kindergarten class she dressed up as a teacher. Yesterday when her family when to a historical farm and they had an old school room she sat her little brother in his seat and she sat at the teacher's desk with bell in hand. The other day she brought home her school year book with photos of the staff and grade level student photos. She then play acted in front of our students and said would you all like to see pictures of Ms. Barbara and myself? She then proceeded to point out various staff and say "This is me when I had blonde hair?" Or this is "Ms. Barbara when she was younger!" This girl! She really makes me laugh. (ooops gotta go she just called to play school!)
It was another rainy morning this past Saturday in Southern California. My cousin Nancy sent me this old picture of Mike sitting with our daughter Aria and her cousin Mariko. That took me on a long dive through some old family photos of the girls growing up. We spent those years doing all kinds of fun adventures which seemed so ordinary way back then. Summers at the bay where Mike and I now take frequent walks together. Tent camping which makes me laugh because I can’t imagine me doing that now. Sports of every kind that Mike often coached and Girl Scouts which I co-led. And all the trips we took with the kids on airplanes from the time they were babies. It’s no wonder they both grew up to be better, more savvy travelers than their parents! And all the ordinary daily simple things seem to be what I treasure most. Silly things like playing with scarves, going trick or treating in costumes I made the girls or simply laying on a blanket in the backyard looking up at the clouds. Being with family is the greatest gift. A reminder to cherish each moment and to young moms who feel tired and busy know that those times will pass and someday if you’re lucky you will say those were some of my best years. Remember even at those tired times to stop and take in the blessings of even those days.I attach some pictures I looked at this morning.