simple pleasures

I came across an article from Cup of Jo on simple pleasures. It was a fun article to read, including the comment section where readers chimed in. 

Here are some of mine, off the top of my head:

Seeing blooms on my house plants.

Good chocolate ~ bean to bar, made in-house. 

The reassuring weight of Clementine curled up next to me at night as I'm sleeping.

Seeing the first pops of daffodils in the time between winter and spring. (It is way too early here to be seeing these, but we're having an unusual warm spell.)

Bouquets of Trader Joe's flowers around my house in the winter.

Little comforting book piles.

Some more simple pleasures, no photos:

That first cup of coffee in the morning.
Texts and phone calls from our son Tim, who lives 2000 miles away.
Snuggling with Brian on the couch while watching TV.
Clean sheets.
Playing Wordle every morning.
Lying in savasana after yoga practice.
Browsing in the library.
Getting a magazine in the mail. 

* * * * * * * * *

I could keep going on and on! How about you, what are some of your simple pleasures in life? Please share.
💓

it's about time

Where to start when it's been seven weeks since I last posted? It's been a combination of things. Not in a blogging mood, having a busy (a "good" busy) fall, and feeling like I have nothing to say while at the same time, having too much to say. 

{my darling Clementine is still doing well!}

I at least wanted to say hello and check in with you all and see how you're doing. I know the world can be very heavy on our hearts at times. Personally, it's been a good fall for me except for September 25th, a day I always dread. That's the date of my oldest son, Philip's passing. It's been 14 years, which seems like forever ago. It's still a very difficult day for me and Brian and I know it will be until we take our last breath. It doesn't matter how many years have passed. When you lose a child, the jagged wound in your heart is irreparable. 

Otherwise, this fall has been full of farms and petting goats and walking along the beach (Lake Michigan); reconecting with my yoga and Reiki communities; trying new-to-me art mediums (watercolor); and lots of one-on-one time with my friends.

{rocks and beach glass found along the lake shore}

The absolute best thing this fall was Tim coming home for a visit! It had been a year since we'd seen our boy. His time was limited while he was home as he was standing up in a wedding, but we enjoyed a day in downtown Chicago; hanging out for a bit at a couple of his friend's houses (with one friend and his wife and kids, I'm like their bonus mom and grandma ~ and with Tim's other friends, I've known them since they were in their late teens); a visit with extended family; just hanging out together watching a couple of movies; and an evening where Tim made us carnitas for dinner. 

I haven't been reading as much as I'd like lately. (Goal: less time spent on social media!) How about you?

A trip to the library and the threat of cold weather moving in next week spurred me on. I'm nearing the end of Absolution by Alice McDermott. I have mixed feelings on this novel. McDermott is a wonderful storyteller and there's some compelling parts in this book, but it's also a bit dry. I'll take a break from fiction and dive into a non-fiction book next. 

Hard to believe Thanksgiving is only a week away. To my American friends, I hope your day is full of gratitude and love.

💓

read, watch, listen, cook

What I'm reading ~ Daring Greatly by Brene Brown & You Could Make This Place Beautiful. Both fantastic. Just finished reading Sensitive: The Hidden Power of the Highly Sensitive Person in a Loud, Fast, Too-Much World - which I highly recommend if you're a HSP.

What I'm watching ~ Season 5 of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (the acting! the costumes! the drama!) & Season 2 of Somebody Somewhere (Bridget Everett is brilliant and hilarious; the show hits you in all the feels.)

What I'm listening to ~ Love You Madly - Cake ...... Mazzy Star - Halah ...... Je te laisserai des mots - Patrick Watson

What I'm cooking ~ Half Baked Harvest Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs with Garlic Butter. I'm a big fan of Half Baked Harvest's recipes and this one was no exception. I don't care for ground chicken, so I used a mixture of ground turkey and ground pork. I also didn't use the chili flakes called for in this recipe, as I'm sensitive to hot spices. 

What have you been reading, watching, listening to, and cooking that you would recommend? Please share!

💙

hearts and love

I know I'm late in posting this for Valentine's Day because it's now evening, but I suppose it's never too late to send a little love to my blogging friends. 💓

I've always liked this holiday because it's non-commital. Brian and I exchange cards, but that's it. We don't buy each other gifts for Valentine's Day or go out to eat. Fill my car up with gas when it needs it? Make my tea in the morning? Now that's love. Though we do all have our own love language and maybe one of mine is gifts of service. (It's been so long since I've taken that test, that I can't remember.) I do like presents and going out to eat, but not on "Hallmark" holidays.

(Hearts made by various friends; photo by my friend, Hilary Packard.)

Brian doesn't get home from work until later this evening anyway, and he will be exhausted from his 12-hour shift. We'll have a little quiet time together before he crashes. 

A couple of other tidbits:

I treated myself to a lovely package of ephemera from Creative Yellow Pen. (You have to love yourself, too...and if one of those ways is buying yourself a present, then go for it.)

What a great haul! If you're at all into art or junk journaling, I highly recommend this etsy seller. She has sales, so watch for them.

To go along with the heart and love theme, this book. I'm an avid reader and admittedly, a picky one when it comes to fiction. Once in awhile I read a book that leaves me saying at the end, "Now THAT was good writing." This was one of those books. Beautiful prose, not a word wasted, intriguing plot, every character well developed. I never thought I'd like a dystopian novel, but this was so close to reality, it was frightening.

I'll leave you with this poem, from an account on Instagram.

a fun post...a bookish alphabet

My friend, Kari who blogs at A Grace Full Life recently wrote a fun post about reading habits and book fondness. It's an enjoyable post to do yourself if you're a blogger, or to write in a journal.

Author You’ve Read the Most Books From: Toss-up between Pat Conroy, Elizabeth Berg, Anne Lamott, and Barbara Kingsolver.

Best Sequel: The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy (Rachel Joyce)...the sequel to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. 

Currently Reading: The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya and The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. Both get a big thumbs up.

Drink Choice While Reading: Depends on the time of day and where I'm at. Could be coffee, tea, water, or wine.

E-reader or physical book: Always, always a physical book. I have no desire for an e-reader.

Fictional character you probably would have dated in high school: David Axelrod in Endless Love by Scott Spencer. I read this book when I was 18 or 19 and was obsessed with the couple in this book. At the time, I was dating a guy on and off and then he went out-of-state to attend college. I was missing him and this book pushed me over that daydreamy-young love-fantasy-edge. I still remember the closing line in this book: "I don't mind, or even ask if it's madness: I see your face, I see you, you; I see you in every seat."

Glad You Gave this Book a Chance: Bewilderment by Richard Powers.

Hidden Gem: Three Floors Up - Eshkol Nevo.

Important Moment in Your Reading Life: I grew up reading and obviously loved books, but it wasn't until I was a pre-teen and realized I could actually relate to the characters in a book and that I could be transformed by something I read.

 

Just Finished: Eat Right for Your Inflammation Type by Maggie Berghoff.

Kind of Books I Won’t Read: Horror, romance, science fiction.

Longest Book You’ve Read: Off the top of my head, I think it was The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - 864 pages.

Major Book Hangover Because Of: She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb or anything by Pat Conroy.

Number of Bookcases You Own: Three floor-to-ceiling and four medium- sized ones. That doesn't include books stacked on nightstands and tables, and tucked into cabinets. 

One Book You’ve Read Multiple Times: I rarely read a novel twice, but I did read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn as a child and then as an adult. I've also read The Snow Child twice. I've referred back to certain non-fiction books multiple times.

Preferred Place to Read: lying in the twin bed in the spare bedroom.

Quote That Inspires You, or Gives You All the Feels, From a Book You’ve Read: "You will express yourself in your house, whether you want to or not. (Elsie de Wolfe, The House in Good Taste.)

Regret: Not purposely taking enough time to read...stupidly going on my phone in free moments instead of picking up a book.

Series You Started and Need to Finish: None that I can think of.

Three of Your All Time Favorite Books: Just three? *groan* Times two plus two, right?

1. Beach Music - Pat Conroy

2. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
3. A Parchment of Leaves - Silas House

4. The Beekeeper of Aleppo - Christy Lefteri

5. Transcendent Kingdom - Yaa Gyasi

6. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuong

7. When the Heart Waits - Sue Monk Kidd

8. The Kitchen Congregation: A Daughter's Story of Wives & Women Friends - Nora Seton

Unapologetic Fanperson For: Library book sales

Very Excited For This Release (More than all the others): Just came out last week: The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture by Gabor Mate.

Worst Bookish Habit: Getting more books from the library or buying more when I already have hundreds of books at home I haven't read!

X Marks the Spot—start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book: Which shelf?! OK, closest one to me would be the one in the spare room: A Course in Miracles Made Easy by Alan Cohen.

Your Latest Book Purchase: Two from a local independent bookstore: Windy City Blues by Renee Rosen, and The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore.

Zzz-Snatcher Book (the last book that kept you up late): When We Fell Apart - Soon Wiley.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on reading and books!

slow spring, books, and framed art

Spring is behind here in Illinois. Most of the month of April was unusually cold and rainy. It felt like an extended March. No drinking our tea on the porch in the mornings, no yard clean up yet, nothing planted except some pansies. This was my view across the street yesterday. Overcast (as usual) and the maple tree just starting to bud. Today is cold with wind-driven rain. One of those days where you just want to stay in bed and read or watch movies all day. I've actually never done that unless I was sick or recovering from surgery.

 Have you?

Taking a walk around my yard yesterday, I did find some beautiful things to photograph. Isn't this blooming leaf exquisite? This is my next door neighbor's maple tree, which borders our property. The leaves are a dark red, almost maroon when they're in full bloom. 

My peony bush coming to life.

Bleeding Heart finally in bloom.

Hostas growing more by the day.

Cheerful daffodils in my butterfly garden. They're late bloomers as they don't get much sun.

Does anyone know what these flowers are ~ are they a variety of tulips? I saw them by a library a couple of weeks ago and was smitten.

Libraries and books

We don't need anymore books, but there are a couple of Chicago suburb libraries that have fantastic sales and sometimes we can't resist. This was the stack I came home with a couple of weekends ago. I recently finished Anne Tyler's, "French Braid" and was disappointed. I'm hoping "Redhead by the Side of the Road" will be better.

Brian's picks.

Framed art

Our hallway bathroom is small and the main wall by the sink holds the towel bar. Otherwise, this wall is blank and boring. I'd been thinking about getting some kind of art work for this area for a long time, but never came across anything that I felt was just right. I bought this double matted frame at Michaels, hung it up and liked it. Funny thing is, the prints in the frame are the ones that came with the frame. I went through my stash of paper art I keep for art journaling plus some photos and nothing worked. So the store prints are staying for now.

I've had these white framed mats for six years. They used to hold Tim's college graduation photos. He's been replaced by cats. 😉

Zippo (who passed away in Nov 2018) and Monkey (who passed almost three months ago) now have a place of honor on the wall of my office/guest room. Photos taken by Tim.

Here's to warmer weather, morning porch sitting, and working in the yard. Have a beautiful week!

"The world's favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May."
~ Edwin Way Teale

snowy new year's day, reading pile, and a couple of recipes to keep you warm

I mentioned in my last post that we were wanted to get in our traditional New Year's Day hike in the State Park before the snow hit. We did it! It was only in the 20's, but we bundled up and went about two miles. It was actually invigorating. The snow started right as we were leaving, so perfect timing.

The great thing about walking in the State Park on New Year's day is that we have the whole park to ourselves ~ except for the animals, of course. No humans in sight the entire time as the park is closed on New Year's day. The main gates to drive into the park are closed, but you're allowed to walk in through the side walk-in only entrances. 

I don't always love where I live, but when I walk in the State Park, I feel very grateful to live here.

"I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees." (Henry David Thoreau)

So now that it's officially January and we're experiencing true winter weather; i.e., cold, and the omicron variant has a lot of people sick with Covid, I'm doing more staying indoors. I did go to the library today (only three other people in there besides the few employees) to return some books and pick up a few others. This is my January reading pile. I've been reading Simple Abundance every year for many years. January is my favorite month of her writings. I've always been curious about A Course in Miracles but it's quite lengthy and involved, so I thought I'd try what I call the Cliff Notes version ("Made Easy").

No Time to Spare by Ursula K. LeGuin is a collection of her blog posts which she began writing in her 80's. (She passed away in 2018.) From what I've read, she's a wonderful writer and this book is a gem of her deepest thoughts.

 

This past weekend, I made a couple of dishes that were yummy, healthy, warming, and easy to make, so I thought I'd share them with you. The first is from Half Baked Harvest ~ my newest favorite for dinner ideas and recipes. Every recipe I've tried has turned out wonderful. If you like Indian food with a little heat, you have to try this Crockpot Butter Chicken. I didn't have any red curry paste on-hand and this dish still turned out great. Serve over brown rice with garlic naan bread and a side of steamed broccoli. Although, in my post-menopausal foggy brained state (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it), I forgot to make the broccoli. 🙄

I apologize for this non-appealing photo (bad lighting, steam coming from the bowl, melting cheese swirling throughout), but believe me, this One Pot Red Lentil Chili was delicious. I used a poblano chili instead of a jalapeno and I only used one can of beans (black) instead of two, as I don't digest beans too well. I had leftovers for lunch today and it was even better after sitting in the refrigerator overnight.

Have a good week ~ stay warm and healthy!