mother daughter drama date

sunday afternoon tashi and i went to see a production of the winter's tale at our local community college. it was well acted, the set was minimal & classy, and the play, the play itself was magnificent! it was powerful, funny, gripping, romantic, and very well balanced. a fine way to spend an afternoon with my budding theater student.

(the above is a clever podium i saw in the hallway during intermission)

i wasn't sure i would make it through three hours of shakespeare with my aching back, but frankly, it was the shortest three hours i've had in a while. and it sure was nice to be out and doing something special with my girl. there needs to be a little more of that! she is so very patient as her little brother demands center stage at home, but our theater would collapse without her!

You gods, look down

And from your sacred vials pour your graces

Upon my daughter's head!

~ Hermione, The Winter's Tale

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.

exercise inspiration

We are creatures of the earth. We grow shaggy, mounted, ruffled, and hollowed. We contain rivulets bordered by matter. We grow. 

This one life cycle is our only chance. While there are countless microclimates ­- and the length of our seasons vary - we are but spring, summer, autumn, and winter. 

One might promise to do better in the next life, but there are no promises the next life will be better. We have only this chance to influence that.

Humans are vehicles of change. We transform and are transformed. Our every step sends a drum beat through strata. All things that live stretch the fibers. Each current is part of the weave.

The more agile one is, the more fleet. How to protect the bend? How to bear the winds? How to maintain the swift?

Our hips roll us through our every day. Our torso connects us to life, as did the umbilicus.  

  

Dancing, hooping, swaying, birthing, building stretching. Hips in relationship. Moving with. Moved by. Centrifugal force. Centripetal. Swing of the arms, sway of the torso, bend of the back. Carrying and catching. Reinforcing the seams of our satchel. Meeting the path with fortitude and ease.

  

May there be a carefully tended fire at the center.

 May the joints be well anointed. 

 

  
Life might not get lighter, but the core houses one's power to lift the years.

(Some visual inspiration to keep up with core strengthening exercise, 

Tashi made this drawing five years ago! She called it Hip Mermade)

feast & fire

imbolc, the balance between winter solstice and spring equinox, occurred early sunday. 

we greeted it with feast & fire. 

i made bread from scratch and it actually turned out. my bread making is often an epic fail (unless using the bread machine), so this was gratifying. it is a recipe from the book circle round for a braided imbolc bread. it has tomato, herbs, and garlic in it, and is warm & delightful.

the ewes are said to begin lactating on imbolc so we celebrate all things milky to mark the occasion. 

i made a cheddar broccoli soup. the recipe is based on a soup that panera serves and is super tasty. 

and of course, one must have their mug of ale. i enjoyed a thick 

coffeehouse stout by williamsburg aleworks.

what is imbolc without a bonfire? we burned yard debris and our yule tree. 

it was a fine conflagration.

one of our traditions, also from circle round, is flaming bananas, or bananas a la brigid. 

saute sliced bananas in brown sugar and butter, pour on a little brandy, carefully light & enjoy! 

we like ours with ben & jerry's vanilla bean ice cream.

the spring is approaching. it is time to plan on the seeds you will plant ~

the seeds of life, the seeds of dreams. you can make it real with careful attention and nurturing. 

what good do you wish to grow? 

focus your intention as the flame flares up; burn away the unnecessary that bogs you down.

no two flurries alike

snow. my childhood winters were steeped in snow.



i can't say i long for those long, dark, frigid winters where scraping ice from windshields was a morning ritual. but i do love a rare central virginia snowfall now and again. the transformation of all the world's clutter to mounds of white sparkle is truly a gift. there is a fragile grace even to cars slowly making their way along an unplowed road. a bird lands on a snowy branch. a cat carefully paws through the heavy.



i was called to a birth in the early morning hours of our most recent snow. the fifteen mile drive into town was slick and sketchy in places, but very manageable. luckily i was able to pull around a pick up truck that was spinning out on a rise in the road.



i feel so fortunate to have witnessed the purest snow hours of the early morning, and to have that magical scene tied to an equally magical birth. what a way to begin a day! i returned home to a roaring fire in the woodstove, popovers that tristan and tashi had baked, and an afternoon of napping and play. school was canceled and tashi was in her wintry element. even though she was born in california, she has a fair bit of a northern snow maiden in her blood.



and to bring a close to the day, dan and i saw yo la tengo play in charlottesville's jefferson theater. the bitter subteens night was nothing but hot in the theater. they performed a perfect blend of music that mesmerizes and melts. i was blissed out, even in the most discordant moments. it was a rare and beautiful thursday.



the following pictures are from yesterday afternoon, two days after the snow, mostly melted but for a few patches that allowed for a tiny snow baboushka and sneaky snowball fight.

what will this week bring? forecasts call for freezing rain tomorrow, temperatures in the high 60's the following day, a possibility of severe thunderstorms wednesday, and by friday, more snow. is it spring? or is it a new season altogether, one yet unnamed? what ever it may be, enjoy each day, each a reminder of mother nature's power over us all!

cold day doldrums

the camera, the blog, both have been a bit idle lately. the winter chill has set in.

tristan demanded yogurt with bananas and honey for breakfast. three bowls of it. and then he complained of being cold.

i enjoyed baked eggs with goat cheese and herbs. i didn't have heavy cream or fresh basil on hand, but milk worked well, and dry basil was also just fine. this dish is delicious and easy! and warm!

i made tristan some playdough later in the day. he had a giant melt down when he learned i'd made orange playdough. i thought he'd enjoy the sunny color on a dark day, especially since he loves tangerines, mango, carrots, and orange cheese. but as a wise friend pointed out, maybe orange is meant only for food. not a prize winning parenting moment for me. i thought he'd be overjoyed by the surprise, but his glee crumpled into a full on tantrum when i offered him the warm ball of fresh orange dough. my adult indignation rose to the surface and i hurled it into the trash. this did not help, not at all. dan offered some perspective, "don't be mad at him. his hair is heavy."

he came around later, and so did i, after lots of hugs and new library books. and i made a second batch of green playdough. but it was a rough patch there for a while. (recipe for playdough, below)

and tashi, she recently finished up a stunning collage project for art class. she printed out a photo of tristan in his halloween jester hat and duplicated it with hundreds of tiny magazine pieces. this is the work in progress:

i assumed she had used the hole puncher to make those tiny circles in the hat, but she said she cut them all out herself. well, there is a creative fire to bask in the warmth of!

homemade playdough (half this recipe makes plenty)

1 cup flour

1 tbs oil

1 cup water

1/2 cup salt

2 tsp cream of tartar

food coloring (14+ drops)

put dry ingredients in a pan and shake a little to mix. add wet ingredients and stir. 

heat, stirring constantly until a ball forms. cool. knead.