peaceful like a monet sunset

the house is quiet.
the cat curled up at my feet.
outside, the world is covered again in snow.
ideas are bubbling in my brain and sleep seems distant.

sabin went with her after school club to do her christmas shopping today.
they took the train.
and probably a bit too much money.
she felt so proud.
and impossibly big.
and was bouncing with excitement about what she bought.
she's so looking forward to christmas.

and she only bought a couple of items for herself.
she is her mother's daughter, after all.

these days i'm finding so much peace.
and energy (which sounds at odds, but really it's not).
and so many ideas.
and wishing i'd known much sooner that i'd feel this way.
as peaceful as a monet sunset.

* * *

this post is written in homage to the fabulous tara, whose posts always remind me to live in the moment. and i wanted to see my post form on the page like hers. only hers are always more full of peace than mine could ever be. go and read them, drink them in, you won't be sorry.

what i learned: monday edition

things i learned today:

: : the porcini (karl johan) mushroom is a wily foe. it ducks when you pass by and is very, very silent.

: : you should not spoil your view of a book by seeking out videos of the author talking about it.

: : late this afternoon, as a treat for my being a good girl, diligently getting all sorts of work done all day, i gave myself time to try to catch up on some blog reading. i chose one of my favorite, but woefully neglected blogs, just a moment of miscellany, and i read all 23 entries that were in my reader. and according to bill, who awoke to what he thought was a spam attack, i commented on 19 of them. i can see why this seemed like spam. but, in fact, it was a really interesting experience, to read nearly a month's worth of posts on one blog in one go. normally, we read blogs post by post, as they are written, leaving each one behind as the next day's post replaces it. but reading a lot of posts at once gives you a different, holistic, more coherent view of a blog. and i have to say that i highly recommend it. and i also recommend you start with bill's blog, as i did. you won't be sorry and you just might learn something.

: : sunlight, falling through a single spot in a dark part of a pine forest can look like artificial light. i assure you, no flash was used in the taking of this picture. because we know how much i hate flash.

: : the child will soon need a new bike. tho' she may want a horse first.

: : if one mushroom has a bitterness that spoils your creamy pasta sauce, you can actually mostly fix it with a little red currant jelly.

i'm sure i learned other things, but these are the ones that come to mind. more tomorrow...

the textures of life

we live in a world where impulses come at us all day long. many more than we can ever hope to take in. we grab onto some of them, but we undoubtedly let most of them pass us by. and we don't give any thought at all to what we're missing, i guess because blissfuly, we don't really know. at bee's recommendation, i recently read amanda craig's hearts and minds. (amanda blogs, by the way.) her book perfectly captures the sense of the world today and those missed connections. but this isn't really about missed connections. it's about found ones.

like these:

: : finding out about couchsurfing through tevolving, an adventurer in montenegro (at the moment). our first couchsurfer is showing up tomorrow night (husband will receive him). i wish i was going to be home.

: : the ever-fabulous discounderworld. stacey has some really exciting things in the works, so run along and order your gold edition today. you will not be sorry.

: : lovely lynne, who thought of me when an interesting opportunity recently came up. my fingers are still crossed.

: : kristina, who i met because i was once inspired by sandra juto and with whom i now share a fantastic photography project of which we are very proud. we've got a giveaway running thru the weekend, so do stop by and leave a comment, telling us your favorite diptych.

: : marinik, whose courage, strength and honesty have been making me cry lately.

i could go on and on, perhaps by mentioning how much i'm inspired by the photos here and here and here and here, but instead, i think i'll just say that i'm very grateful for connections and the textures they add to life.

note: this beautiful thai tapestry was on the wall at bee's house, but i was trying to avoid going on and on about blog camp in this post.