pictures in April...

Things...

Marble magnets. Done to death, but still awfully satisfying.






Further evidence proves that I buy things simply because of their packaging.

Inspiration...

Discovered the work of Swedish glass artist Bertil Vallien courtesy of this site. I don't care for most of his work, lots of glass portraits, but these are brilliant!

Sunday...

Not quite Spring...

Bonne Annee!

January, day two.
Taking the better part of December and requiring every bit of determination I had, the throw was finally completed two, or was it three?, days before Christmas. Knit three, slip three, ad nauseum. What unrelenting tedium, and it will be a long time before I try something like that again. I still have two sweater projects that need to be finished, (I have developed this counterproductive tendency toward not finishing things), but frankly, I would be perfectly happy to knit nothing at all for quite a while. Then, this morning, I thought, "I should knit myself a hat".




My inherited orchid began blooming on Christmas Eve. It's an Oncidium, Sharry Baby, and it is perfuming the living room with a delicious vanilla fragrance. My other orchids, purchased inexpensively as a result of some volunteering at a college plant sale, are still green, and in some cases, actively growing, but no promise of flowers yet.





Alternatively, the cats are well and supremely happy and acting like kittens again, thanks to the success of their new diet, lavish amounts of playtime, and lots of love.

Here's to 2009. May we all find what we are looking for this year.

harvest...

I am not a locavore, but I find great delight and comfort in knowing where my food has come from. This week, I found Rainbow carrots, kale, garlic,and Delicata squash at the farmer's market. Honestly, I bought the carrots only because I thought they were beautiful. I have a bushel of carrots at home, but these were so extraordinary looking that I couldn't pass them up. Now, with Thanksgiving looming, I wish I had bought more. They are not sweet, in fact, they have an earthy, almost bitter quality. However, the kale, frost-kissed, is remarkably sweet and tender.



Finally, it's Mutsu season, so a trip to Cold Spring Orchard was in order. Cold Spring is a research facility of UMass Amherst and it is located in what is certainly one of the most beautiful sites in the Valley. They grow over one hundred varieties of apple including Goldrush, an apple I've never tried, but which is said to keep exceptionally well, retaining its crisp texture and developing its flavor over time. The Mutsu, developed in the Mutsu province of Japan, is a cross between the Golden Delicious and the Japanese Indo apples and it's one of my favorites. It's incredibly crisp, with a sweet-tart flavor. I've no pie-baking scheduled, but I think I could be persuaded to make the irresistibly toothsome Nigella Lawson Ginger-Jam Bread and Butter Pudding I made a few years ago.

is it love, or is it Fancy Feast?

Someone is not going to be happy. An increasing dependence on that carb-laden Fancy Feast has turned la belle Foof into a frantic, snack-addicted tubster. My well researched plan for rehabilitating the dear one required a longish investigative visit to Dave's, a local pet food shop. I left with one can of Wellness Beef & Chicken, one can of Wellness Core Something or Other with Peas and Flaxseed, one can of Nearly Raw, But Still Edible Chicken and Other Things, and one can of plain quail for Bob, who has been doing a bit of podging out as well. If success is dependent on determination, then these cats will like their new dietary regime. Day One dosing instructions; a soupcon of new glop mixed in with a modest amount of old glop. Result? She ate it! The whole thing! A modest victory, but a victory nonetheless. Tomorrow is another day.