signs of spring

is raking considered good prenatal exercise? i'm hoping so.

yesterday before dan and i took our walk i noticed crocuses and snowdrops blossoming at the edges of the yard, popping through a blanket of dead of leaves. since then i've been consumed by the urgent need to rake.



we moved here when autumn was well on its way, and since setting up our indoor world was a priority, the outdoor world was somewhat neglected. it's a big yard, and the leaf accumulation is rather overwhelming. some raking happened here and there, but much of the leaves got pushed to the edge of the yard, where the forest begins, where so many bulbs are now popping up. thus my urgency to clear the way for what's to come.



i was told that the original owner of this house was a master gardener. i think her landscaping has been neglected for years, but bulbs will always return. i am so excited to see the world spring into a feast of colors.











and the flowers are just a fragment of it. there are ornamental trees and shrubs all around us. it will surely be season of surprises.



i would like to have an herb/vegetable garden too. i'm not so sure i'll manage to get that started this year, with the baby coming. being our first year at this residence, i'd like to observe what grows on its own, before i start adding to it.

while i wouldn't complain if there was just one more great snowfall, the signs of spring are filling me with wonder and anticipation. miracles will continue to appear all around us.

list of the week

Dan asked me when I was going to make a new blog entry. He said, "The world is waiting!" I guess the inspiration for words and images has been a bit low. I am trying to think up some sort of game I can play with myself so I will post (and create) regularly. For now, here is a list of ten things about my week.

1. This morning I made banana, cranberry, walnut bread but I didn't have cranberries or walnuts so I added tart cherries and orange peel instead. Accompanied by steaming Chai and fresh grapefruit, it was delicious.

2. Tashi had mid-winter break this week but it was all pretty low key.

3. I've been staying up too late, what with not having to spring out of bed and get Tashi ready for school.

4. Tashi and I saw Coraline. It was fun. I think it's the first 3-D movie I've ever been too. I thought the 3-D aspect was entertaining, without being overdone. Should we read the book?

5. This week I successfully combated pregnancy induced edema and acid reflux.

6. Prenatal yoga is a good thing. Even when every bone in your body is too tired to be lifted, you will feel so much better after a yoga session if you just make yourself do it.

7. On President's Day Suzanne, Kevin, Julian and Jakob visited us. We ate cheese and bread and hummus and strawberries, went for walks and chatted. Julian loved up the cats. We fed our horse neighbor carrots.

8. We picked up our digital converter box this week. I'm thinking this all a wild scam and really don't care that my tv picture is brighter and crisper. Real life is full of light glare, shadow and dust motes. I'm glad that our government coupon arrived and we only had to pay $10 for the silly box. It's weird that now when the reception is bad there is no static on the screen, the image just freezes or turns into a work of cubism.

9. Tashi's aunt Sue gave her an I-pod. Now we're really gittin' modern around here.

10. Last night Dan and I played Bananagrams and limited our words to those that were food related. We were a little bit loose about some things. It was quite a challenge, but I managed to end up with just one useless letter tile in the end. Pretty good!

fishing for connectivity

our dsl at home is out once again.

you can pretty much guarantee when there is a picture of part of my face in a blog entry, it's because i'm at a cafe and using photo booth to provide the visual image. i can't seem to make an entry any more without at least one photo.

dan and tashi are at a play that one of tashi's classmates is in. as much as i would have enjoyed it, i didn't feel up to sitting in crowded bleachers for two hours with my swollen ankles and sore back. i was hoping to avoid edema this pregnancy, but woke up on friday with sudden gigantic ankle onset syndrome. i have increased my liquid intake, taken a few epsom salt baths, elevated my legs, engaged in a good yoga session, took a great three mile walk yesterday, and have been drinking nettle infusion. the swelling has definitely decreased, but it's something i'll need to be pro-active about throughout the remainder of this pregnancy i think.

the necklace i am wearing is from my brother-in-law. it is a tibetan dorje/phurba combo, and has some beads of stone, silver and bone. he is always a great one to be matched up with in the haig christmas present exchange, as he often chooses awesome hand crafted jewelery from a neighborhood gallery, art and soul. along with the necklace, he gifted me with charming silver earrings of a cat playing with a ball of wool, topped with stone of citrine. thanks dan!

aha, they have returned, so i will sign off!

on and off

we've been having trouble with our internets here in earlysville. apparently a "line card" needs to be replaced at the local switch, but it's taken the phone company a few visits to establish this. in the mean time we keep losing DSL and they keep rebooting it temporarily. * sigh *

yesterday i made dan and tashi these huggable hearts for valentine's day. i couldn't access the directions, due to lack of a net connection, but i pulled it off. the arms are a little long with the thumbs pointing in such a way that they are not exactly reaching out to hug, but my loves were amused with them never-the-less.



i was led to the pattern by the excellent crafty crow, the go to website for holiday and kid crafts. through the same resource tashi and i came across this recipe for melt in your mouth peppermint hearts. we made a couple of large batches of them for her classmates. man, did we go through a lot of powdered sugar! but they are so yummy, "like fast melting altoids," dan said, though far tastier, really.



this morning we had a happy valentine breakfast with banana chocolate chip muffins, strawberries and cream. mmmm.



did you notice the table cloth? i have been on the hunt for reasonably priced vintage tablecloths, with no luck. but on thursday i found this lovely for only $1! it's in great condition too.





while i'm on this random ramble, i'll mention the excellent patti smith documentary we watched last night, dream of life. it is a beautiful montage of images, clips, songs, poetry and vignettes from patti smith's past and present. intimate, artful, haunting, inspiring and highly recommended for those that love this legend of a lady.

into the light

we had a remarkable weekend of sunshine and mid 60's temperatures. it was a welcome hint of spring, though i wouldn't object to another snowfall or two. some of the weekend was simply spent gazing at sun pouring through windows, or lounging in it.




photo by tashi

despite my cough and congestion and general lack of energy, i had to get out into the lovely weather. so we paid a visit to some of our favorite farm animals.


photo by dan

the one eyed horse and her companions.


photo by dan

and the furry fjord.

we wandered down to the creek where tashi and her friends had built a fort of sorts.



they had found a deer skull, or at least that is what we think it is, and placed it on a stick as a sort of flag. it was amazing to study its seams and layers.







it was a weekend full of small beautiful moments,



inspiring awe.


photo by tashi

in the dark

tashi's class performed the song simple gifts at the waldorf winterfest on friday night. the lights suddenly went out but the kids continued playing, which impressed us all.


Winterfest Waldorf 5th Grade Simple Gifts from Zoe Krylova on Vimeo.

today's tour

i've been fighting a cold all week and woke up at 4am this morning with a flaming sore throat. so it looks like today will be a day of naps, slippery elm tea, cough drops and reading. there is an all school musical performance tonight, so i have to in the least get myself into a state where i can comfortably attend.

in the mean time, how about a little show and tell.



some fellow-parents from the waldorf school have passed on this hand made cherry wood cradle for us to borrow. we are co-sleepers, but it may be a lovely napping spot for the wee one. carved underneath are the names of about a half dozen babies that have used it prior to ours. it is really lovely, and the cats think so too. they fight over it.



this morning, loki wins.

below are a batch of steve keene paintings i carted home for our family over the holidays. once a charlottesville resident, he had an exhibit at the second street gallery. you can read a bit about his process here and here. he basically makes boatloads of paintings, many with random text included, and sells them for affordable prices. the paintings at the second street gallery were $10 or $15 each.

this one was for me, a nod to sonic youth.



and for dan, this neil young tribute.



mischievous fairies for tashi.



a piece for our house.



and another.



here is a pleasing music video of steve keene painting a pretty girl.



i really do love the idea of affordable art!

in defense of mommies

my land posted this and i had to join in and spread the word. click on the image for a bigger, more readable version.

superbowl party for three

i'm not much of a football person. i find it a brutal and somewhat boring sport, what with all those starts and stops and big men piling on top of each other over and over again. the sonic quality of a room when there is a football game on tv usually makes me retreat. but reconnecting with old high school friends on facebook reminds me of when the steelers were the bomb. and so i found myself in the spirit yesterday. maybe it's the little boy testosterone in my body!



so dan, tashi and i had a little superbowl party of our own. i made a tasty vat of chili, served topped with yogurt and cheese. we had fresh baked bread. guacamole. salsa. chips.




and cupcakes for dessert.

any excuse for a celebration!

and it was fun, watching the game. and exciting. but i still don't really get it.

dal not dull

i love my ayurvedic cookbook and would recommend the healing cuisine to anyone who wants to learn how to cook indian food.

one of the recipes i use time and again is the recipe for lentil zucchini dal. i've repeatedly made huge vats of this for parties and potlucks and it usually disappears quickly. yesterday i made it for lunch and it was the perfect thing on a saturday afternoon. it was accompanied by naan, yogurt and a cilantro chutney.

here is the recipe:

Red Lentil Soup with Zucchini

2 cups water
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
1 cup peeled and split red lentils, washed, soaked, and drained
2 small zucchini, cubed
Tarka:
1 tblsp ghee
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/8 tsp black cumin seeds
1 small dried red chili pepper, crushed
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder

In heavy pan, bring the water, turmeric, and coriander to a boil. Stir in the lentils, zucchini, and salt. cover and cook over medium heat for 1 hour, or until soft.

To prepare the tarka, heat the ghee in a ladle or small frying pan. Add the garlic and tarka spices and saute until garlic and cumin seeds are well-toasted and fragrant. Add the sizzling tarka to the dal and cover immediately with tight fitting lid. Allow to stand for a few minutes, while the flavors blend.

Serve with rice, Indian bread, plain yogurt and a chutney or Indian pickle.

(some of my changes:

if i don't think ahead to soak the lentils it's no big deal. red lentils cook quickly regardless. sometimes i have to use a cup or so of additional water if they haven't been soaked. and i bring them to a boil along with the water.

in the tarka, i usually use a teaspoon or more of regular cumin seeds. black cumin is difficult to find, and i like the added flavor burst of using an extra amount of seeds. also, i often just use red chili flakes as opposed to crushing a dried pepper.)

i hope you enjoy this simple, flavorful delight!

inventory

today i took a look around me and saw a handful of great things that had come our way over the holidays. swell gifts, scattered about our home. i realized i hadn't really indulged in a show & tell. feeling in the mood to photograph objects, what with all the great light pouring in, i thought i'd share a few items in my immediate vicinity.

all this started whilst i was enjoying one of these mint malted milk balls from my mother-in-law. she had given some to tashi at halloween, and i clearly fell in love with them. so she gifted me with a bag full at christmas. i have been savoring them. but today i had at least four!!!



another great gift from nanna, this one for tashi, though we all get the benefit of enjoying it, a birdhouse in which she woodburned her own design. isn't it precious? we are waiting for drier days before we put it outside.



bananagrams is a game i have mentioned once or twice, another present for tashi from her aunt laurie. dan and i are addicted to it and seem to play a few rounds of it every night. it is like scrabble, but without the confines.



my mom gave me this nice book by annie liebovits in which she reflects on her career as a photographer. there are some great shots in it, including some classic rock star photos.



like this of one of my favorite rock divas, patti smith.



so much thoughtfulness from our families. and that is just a tiny taste of their generosities. thank you.

killing time with tea

two posts in one day might indicate that i'm killing time. tashi has an unexpected sleep over (after hanging out with her friend for the day), which means dan and i get to have an unexpected date. since i'm downtown already, it's hard to resist the option of seeing a film in an actual cinema, something i haven't done in ages. it looks like slumdog millionaire wins.

but dan is presently at a lecture, so i'm killing time drinking "femme tea" at twisted branch, before possibly indulging in some sort of dinner. i thought i would take this opportunity with photo booth to show you the lovely necklace my friend laura made for me. unfortunately photo booth doesn't do it justice.

it is the necklace with four little green leaves and a funky little centerpiece, in copper browns and lime greens. i am wearing a second necklace, just a strand of beads that are an uncanny match in color. thank you laura, for the handmade love.

and so i will sign off now, and take in the twisted branch atmosphere, a softly lit lair of leafy teas, fruity hookahs and vegetarian delights.

pop music

i feel particularly cumbersome in my pregnancy today. i'm sort of amazed that i have three months ahead of me. sometimes, i really feel as if i'm going to pop! i was telling dan about this sensation, and then got this song stuck in my head. now it's your turn.

morning peace

tashi and i are having an excessively lazy day, still in our pj's as noon approaches, enjoying the sun pouring through the windows. we started off our day with oven pancakes and smoothies and have a few ideas for the afternoon: a walk along the creek, a craft project and perhaps some entertainment that just arrived from netflix.



tashi has been writing a book about the weirdimals, a variety of animals that mostly her dad has made up (billy the buffalo, the little red elephant, eric the bear, and many others), though i have added in one isabella dolphin. in the above photo she is obsessively writing on top of her breakfast dish.



she also gave me an early valentine!



above is my sweet childhood bear, wrapped in the new blanket i made for tashi. she has asked me repeatedly what i named the bear, but i can't for the life of me remember. really, i don't think it ever had a name. i didn't make a point of naming all my stuffed animals like she does, and really only remember one name, felos -- which means friend in greek -- the frog. i used to take him to swim meets and he eventually disintegrated from all the chlorine.

not only has she has given my childhood bear a new life, she has named him bruno.

peacenik blankie

what started out as a two hour delay has now turned into another snow day. there is no school tomorrow and friday due to parent-teacher conferences. so tashi is having a surprise one day school week. nutty.

she will have to come to work with me today though.

in the mean time, i took advantage of the supposed delay this morning and finished her blanket. perhaps i will do another one and make it two or three times bigger. in the mean time, this is her doll blanket or shawl or -- if she chooses -- she can wrap her baby brother in it, a little girlie though it is.