Parsley, Sage, Rose Marie and Thyme...

November inspires me to reflect...I don't quite know why...perhaps because it is the month that we really start hunkering down, or is that October? Either way, today is a Pacific Northwest gem of a blue sky day and it makes me grateful. And, just in time for Thanksgiving.

Today, after I shopped at the local farmers' market I stopped back at the ranch to check out Mom's garden. I was able to harvest some parsley, sage and thyme. I returned home, washed the herbs and set them out to dry. I chuckled...as would every folk singer, when I looked at my herbs and realized I had no rosemary. I thought, "I need rosemary so I can have my herbal foursome, "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme"", just like the traditional Child ballad that was collected more than 200 years ago, that Simon and Garfunkel made famous.

Well, I thought about going out and harvesting the rosemary we have growing in front of the apartment. After a minute or so I thought better of it. Who knows how those herbs are tended? I do know, however, how my Mother tends to her garden, with love, respect and time. Just like she tends to her children and grandchildren. So, I smile as I sit in my kitchen and think, I am part of Mom's garden, too...parsley, sage, Rose Marie and thyme.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Strawberries Forever

There is beauty in simplicity. To celebrate summer I had a strawberry, champagne and poetry garden party. I got the idea from a long distant memory of visiting my friend Nina in Finland twenty years ago. We spent an afternoon with her friends, sitting around a garden table eating strawberries and drinking champagne. I wanted to share that idea with my friends and family and create a unique memory.

I have long believed that our modern world of over connection, but not true connection can be tedious and that the beauty of simplicity has somehow been lost by the wayside. I wanted my guests to experience simple pleasures on a beautiful summer afternoon….the delight of the luscious strawberry, the color, the taste and the  idea that this early summer fruit is fleeting and should be enjoyed while its short season lasts. My little niece Gracie, age 4, got the idea brilliantly and ate a large bowlful! Exactly what I wanted! I also served a simple and inexpensive sparkling wine for the grownups and strawberry lemonade for the children….The ruby red color of the strawberries popped on the table and the champagne glasses sparkled. I adorned the table with ferns from Mom and Dad’s garden, and created bouquets of fresh herbs.

All of us brought poems to share. There were many beautiful moments, especially, my father being moved to tears whilst reading a poem from his childhood, “Excelsior” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I’m sure the meaning of the poem took on a different and more profound meaning for him reading it all these years later, the idea of the fragility of life… And, from the old to the young, my six year old nephew Liam, sharing a poem, “Spring” that he chose from a book that my parents gave us kids for Christmas in 1976.

 Sharing words can move us and take us to a place of deep emotion. Poetry is a neglected art, I think, because it requires effort to commune with words. It takes time. Sometimes poems can be elusive in their meaning and it feels like a code needs to be cracked. And, sometimes there can be a forthrightness in the author’s directness of an idea that grabs hold of us. Such is the poem that my sister Nora, a gifted poet, wrote and shared with us that afternoon:

Stardust

As parents
We see our children as miracles
It matters not
if you believe in God
You must simply

Believe in love

And if you are lucky
and see this miracle

a collection of stardust
and water
of cosmos
and the sea

of coursing blood
and dirt underfoot

and giggles
and cries
of heartbreak
and pride

joy,
perfection,
mistakes

And realize that it's not
just your child

but you too
are made from stars
and the sea

and the blood coursing
and songs singing
inside
and outside
of you

You too are the love

You too

are the miracle

We all had a wonderful time. We all created a unique memory, that won't soon be forgotten. Here's to you and the simple but memorable pleasures you partake in. Happy Summer!

Nifty and Thrifty...

A good friend, Yuka told me years ago, the Japanese equivalent of the western, "a penny saved is a penny earned" is, "you laugh over pennies and you cry over pennies..." Isn't it the truth? Ever since reading the book, "Your Money or Your Life" by Vicki Robin, I have been trying to reshape my relationship with money. I've always been a saver but at the same time, it seems I have always paid full price for everything, mostly due to laziness. Now, I've learned to have fun finding the deal and it has become a new hobby.

I made the decision recently, that I wanted to present myself in a more sophisticated way. I am in the decade of the FABULOUS FORTIES, afterall. Gone is the folkie girl of yore, thus, I have been upgrading my wardrobe. I have found fabulous deals at many a consignment shop in Seattle, lovely garments with tags still on, Banana Republic, Talbots, you name it. Another shop which I love is the Discovery Shop, which benefits the American Cancer Society, Franko Sarto shoes, never been worn, $16 bucks, the same brand 2 weeks ago $5 bucks. While I have never been much of a consumer I find I can feel good about these purchases because it is basically clothing recycling. And, further, when I am done with these items, I can put them back in the system and someone else can enjoy them!

Well, I hope I might inspire some of you to thrift. I learned from the master, my sister, Nora. The thrift is nift!

Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot?

Robert Burns, the 18th century Scottish poet asked the question, "should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind....?" The translation being, "should we forget about old friends?" The answer is a hearty, NO. Old friends, in my book, can be compared to that of an old sweater, they are comfortable. They fit. They make us feel secure. After all, they know us best because they knew us as children. We all still have that little person in us, even if we are all grown up.

A dear friend that my sister and I grew up with died recently. We went as far back as 1st and 2nd grade. Lori was always there through the years, weaving in and out of mine and my sister's lives, a tapestry of memories. This past year I feel very lucky that I was able to spend good quality time with her as we would walk every Tuesday together and then have dinner afterwards. The last time I saw Lori we talked about how we both looked forward to Tuesday evenings. We talked about how precious we felt our lifelong friendship truly was. On one of our many walks, I would talk about the different poems or songs I was learning and I was able to share this one with her by William Butler Yeats, a poem about the special and unique bond of old friends.....

Though you're in your shining days
Voices from the crowd and new friends busy with your praise
Be not unkind or proud, but think of old friends the most.
Time's bitter flood will rise
Your beauty perish and be lost
For all eyes but these eyes.

July 1, 1967 ~ June 16, 2012

To my friend, in heaven, I would say....I miss you, dear friend. Thank you for your loyal and enduring friendship over the course of mine and my sister Michelle's lives. You left us far too soon.......but your laughter and your memory will live on in our hearts and minds, forever.

Rest in peace, Lori.

Simple livin'?

I am a minimalist, I think.  I feel a sense of pride in not being possessed by things and keeping up with the Jones'.  I don't like to shop just for sport; I make chicken stock out of my once a week free range bird from Met Market, after it is picked clean; I bring reusable totes to the co-op....and I don't usually like two of anything if I an get by with one. But, can I really know what true minimalism is whilst residing in the most consumer-oriented culture in the Western world?  Doubt it. Do I really live a materially minimalist lifestyle like someone in a nomadic culture would? No way. Do I know what living without means when one has no choice in the matter, i.e. living in deep poverty. I think not.

After re-reading the book, Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin, I'm realizing that I can do better; there is value in being conscious of that which we take from the earth. How am I paying nature back? Nothing is free, after all. We all need to be more conscientious of our consumption habits, especially here in America. It would serve us all if we consumed less. Everything, without question, comes from the earth. We need to be frugal in all that we take from her and she will repay us for this respect in her glorious bounty.

A Good Hair Day....

Armand Pacheco

I had a GREAT hair day today.  I got a cut and color from my favorite hair stylist, Armand Pacheco, owner of Salon Armand. I have been going to Armand for my quarterly coiffe for over a year now and continue to be highly impressed with how this gent runs his business. He and I usually seem to chat about the state of our world and our place in it and today I learned about his commitment to green and sustainable business practices.  After reading his mission statement I felt the need to share it with the blogosphere:

Salon Armand

Supports a Green World  

Maintains the highest level of efficacy

Provides superior services using sustainable practices

Promotes high-performance natural and organic products

Creates an idyllic and regenerative salon experience

Nurtures our Guests, Ourselves and our Environment

It is a dream of Armand's to have a completely sustainable salon with solar panels for energy and even a gray water processing system on site that would recycle water from shampooing / rinsing, etc. I don't know how many salons make sustainability a priority, but it made me realize that every decision we make, including the hair salons we choose for our coiffe's can make a difference in the state of our planet.

Moi - and new do!

Thank you, Armand, for my awesome do! And for all that you do to make the world a better place, one cut and color at a time!

A Walk at the Beach in Early November...

Before I lay me down to sleep,
Beneath the too few stars that grace my urban sky,
I walk, walk, walk.

The waves are sharing their peaceful and enduring song
With those that care to listen to its
Lap, lap, lapping.

The endless chatter in my head quietens
And I forget the worries of the day.
I am not the problem, nor the problem solver
And I have forgotten the score.
I simply AM.
That is enough.

Suddenly, it seems, the November chill startles me awake
To the endless possibilities of my life,
Like a child greeting a new day.
I feel grateful.
I am inspired.

And, I walk, walk, walk
Back to my car
And head home.