tis the season to be grateful

welcome to my home

we have been lucky renters, dan and i. we have shared quite a few lovely homes to date. 

we started living together in a spacious edwardian studio on haight street in san francisco. lofty ceilings, latticed windows looking over the city to the east bay, a huge walk in closet, glass china cabinets, and an enchanted garden in the back, were a few of the stellar features. 

while our house in north oakland didn't really look like a house, it was a charmed flat above three garages. it had a large kitchen with art deco features and an antique stove, beautiful hardwood floors, big windows full of lacy light, and a healthy meyer lemon tree in the yard. 

our apartment in dharamsala was palatial by some indian standards; i was pretty pleased that my kitchen had a refrigerator. in ann arbor our home had a big stone fireplace, two acres of lush land with a natural pond, woods all around us, and a trail down to the huron river outside our front door. all of this within walking distance of ann arbor's downtown, the university of michigan, and my workplace at the food coop.

yes, i am grateful for this home, and all of my homes. 

and for yule trees. they are most certainly a reminder of the majesty of the green world, and when decorated, are light vectors. everything looks better when there is a yule tree in the room!

i have been a long time away from the blog. it always ends up a large time commitment, uploading all the photos, formatting, and finding just the right words. that time has lately been spent sewing market wares, running around a whole bunch, working, and being a mom. those things. 

i look forward to a renewed commitment to blogging, and writing in general, in the new year. and while i love selling things that i make at the holiday market, i will be happy to have some down time with my family once it concludes.

we march toward the solstice at an awesome clip. the world is so troubled and so stunning. i am grateful for this place. so many amazing people. my life. as the season of stress and consumerism steps up, i'd like to issue a grateful challenge. i will try my best to make a post a day featuring gratitude. and a good picture to go with it! does anyone want to join me?

happy, happy december!

sore saturday

i've been dealing with spinal malfunction for a few days. the morning after renewing my commitment to core strengthening exercise, i found myself struck with the most intense lower back pain i've ever experienced. so bad that bending and sitting and standing are all excruciating. i can't seem to stand up straight, the upper and lower parts of my body are drifting in two different directions. a family practitioner took one look at my lower back and told me to see a chiropractor. i have an appointment set for monday and am hoping after some adjustments and stretching, this too shall pass.

i have to wonder what the lesson in all this is, especially after my last blog entry when i was meditating on the importance of being a well oiled machine. 

suffice it to say, i am feeling pretty crummy. it's difficult to do much of anything at a time when i would like to be doing a whole lot of something. it was difficult even to find inspiration in the corners of my home today, but i did try.