merry and bright

As the holidays fade into ordinary time, these are a few of the moments I’m savoring:

• watching people’s personalities being imprinted onto gingerbread men
• private moments of affection in the midst of a crowd
• the way a simple piece of clothing can carry the weight of family connection
• music making whether solo or tandem
• the various qualities of light this time of year–multicolored smudges on the wall from Christmas tree lights, candlelit staining the floor, weak winter sun fading across muted brown tree trunks
• the omnipresent tree as backdrop for all family activities
• that one last game before bed
• tossing coins into the train bed for good luck
• Baby-tidian’s comfortableness in the many willing baby-holding arms

Shavasana

Why are cats and babies such natural yogis?

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything.

A time for persevering

and a time for idleness.

A time for cool baths

and  a time for warm towels.

A time for naps

and a time for… er… more naps.

A time for sun

and a time for shade.

There is a time for fire

and a time for ice.

A season  for every purpose under heaven.

Even if that season is endless summer.

A Knuckle Sandwich

I want to eat his baby knuckles that dimple in rather than sticking out.

Crispy Coconut Oil Crust

Pie crust has always been a big deal to me.  My dear sweet Grandma Rolf was a pie making goddess from crust to crumbs. A visit to her house was never complete without some sort of pie, though most commonly it was a sweet spicy-scented apple pie that came out of her oven. As a child I didn’t realize what a perfect slice of Americana I was as I sat at the table digging into my warm apple pie and melty vanilla ice cream. I only knew it was good.

She set the bar high. When my friends would scrape out the filling and leave the crust behind, I was confused. The crust was my favorite part! It wasn’t until I tasted a commercially prepared crust that I understood and empathized with their behavior. When I became my own cook there was never even the option of a store bought crust. To do such a thing felt on the order of building a cold, tough, mealy sidewalk over her grave.

While I hear tell that my grandma used lard and butter for most of her pie baking days, near the end she had switched to an oil based crust because it was “healthier.” While this is probably the crust I grew up on so I can attest to its goodness, ironically I’m too uncomfortable with the unhealthy aspects of low quality vegetable oil to make it. So I had to start from scratch finding my own recipe. Continue Reading…