Quotables

The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes

– Marcel Proust

I like this because it is very Chestertonian.  Plus, it is much cheaper than a six week vacation in Bali.  (Not that I wouldn't mind visiting Bali….)

Garden Soup

I made soup yesterday and these ingredients went into the pot from our garden:

tomatoes
carrots
beans
garlic
oregano
thyme

It was a good feeling to make that dinner.

Yes, They Do Get That Big

The grocery-store chives that we replanted seem undaunted by their unorthodox beginnings.*  They are plenty robust and reaching for the sky.

* They were regular grocery store chives placed in water until their roots re-grew and then planted.

Unexpected Compost Pile Adornment

Oddly enough, I saw the branch fall.

The windows are all open right now since it is finally cool enough, and as I was making lunch I heard what sounded like fireworks in the backyard.  That seemed like an odd occurrence, especially since it has been raining all day, and as I looked out at the backyard I saw the branch slowly bend, break, and fall on the compost pile.

Happily, the compost pile is sturdily built.

I'm also glad that the branch didn't crush the nearby tomato plant.

Still, it was rather surreal.

Pottery + Photo booth

Here are my first two pieces of pottery... and my first attempt using Photo Booth on my Mac:

I am wearing the shirt I always wear to pottery class, just to give you the true sense of how messy I am.....

My Barrel Runneth Over

Look, Ma, the overflow spout on the rain barrel really works!

It’s been raining a lot here lately.  This photo is from last week, but if anyone is curious as to how much water can come rushing off of a roof, this gives you some idea.

Inspiration from Threads Magazine

"Art and Inspiration" declares the label on a file folder full of photos.

Here are a couple from the May 2014 edition of Threads magazine.

The colors on the first one are HIDEOUS, but the design looks much easier than making sleeves.

 Making the pattern for this would be oh-so-hard, but the boldness inspires me...

Best Dressed Vegetables ~ Lancaster County Fair

Country Fair: Saris and Chairs

The county fair finished up yesterday.  We went on Saturday, which was, well, not crowded.   There wasn't much left.

But we did chat with some nice ladies from an Indian cultural group who showed me how to wear a sari.  A sari is basically 5+ yards of silk and is put on without any buttons, zippers, clips, etc.

Here I'm wearing the sari like a veil, which shows I'm married.

Also, we found a chair that wasn't my size at all.  I just kind of like this shot.  It's how I feel about furniture in general: it never fits.

Turn in tomorrow for:

Best Dressed Vegetables. 

Sunday Thoughts: Quotables

… I got to thinking about how much time I spend in my life crashing around like a great gasping fish, either squirming away from some uncomfortable distress or flopping hungrily toward ever more pleasure.  And I wondered whether it might serve me (and those are burdened with the task of loving me) if I could learn to stay still and endure a bit more that always getting dragged along on the potholed road of circumstance.

-- Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love, page 173

I gotta say, this passage in the book hit me right between the eyes, especially the first sentence.  Yes, that's me, I say with a cringe. 

But at least it's not ALL I am.  That unearned beautiful gift faith saves the believer from being merely that fish, from ONLY seeking pleasure and avoiding pain.

I will add that Eat, Pray, Love is not a particularly Christian book.  In fact, it's strives to be inclusive and ends up being probably more Buddhist than anything else.  But I found it thought-provoking and it did not at all tempt to wander from Christianity.  It's a snapshot of a lot of modern culture. 

Weekly Round-Up

Since my last Round-Up.....

... I went with Arwen to get her ears pierced.  She was totally calm the whole time.

But still glad when it was over, I think.

... I volunteered at the Thrift Store with the merry madcap Stacy R.

... had more fun helping my sister Rachel get her bridesmaid's dress shorten then anyone else has on such an errand.  I know people.  My friend Carla of St. Ann's Sewing Studio, to be exact.  So we went over to her house to play.

... Taught Alex and Rachel to play Forbidden Desert, which we won.  It's a cooperative board game, a good choice for mixed ages.

Hope you have a great week!

Tiles Update

I still need to get the felt feet on them.  I'm eager to get them to the shop owner who ordered them but I've been so sick.....