all heart

so i thought i would try these heart shaped thin mints as a valentine treat. wow, are they rich! strangely enough, dan came home with a box of thin mints he picked up from a friend. 

so we are knee deep in thin mints around here.

tristan used this simple toilet paper roll method to make some heart stamp valentine cards. 

i joined in the fun as well. 

earlier i presented tashi, tristan, and dan with "i'm stuck on you" valentine prize ribbons. 

here are dan and tristan modeling theirs. 

hoping that you are feeling the love, whether it be self love, romantic love, 

family love, or universal love. may it be with you each and every day.

spring in our step

weather forecasts keep teasing us with a chance of more snow, but all signs seem to point to spring.

tristan and i played red light green light while riding our bikes on the driveway 

and then took a walk to visit our neighborhood cows.

we had a nice outing and headed back home as dusk was upon us.

my back is feeling considerably better and it was a relief to be truly present for the little one. 

i saw a chiropractor on monday and will see her again tomorrow. while the cause of my recent back outage hasn't been fully identified, it seems she will help me to resolve some long term back issues i've had for nearly two decades. i definitely walked out of her office feeling more well adjusted! 

onward!

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.