getting out

Now that  the weather is lovely we have been spending a lot of time outdoors. Lots of hiking and nature walks. And afterwards always a peaceful sit down.

Yesterday we stopped on a bridge to enjoy the view. Swans, turtles, fish and herons entertained us. I happened to be carrying treats and tea which made our rest even nicer.

She always has her art supplies with her. She drew while our little tag-along guinea pig got cozy under the shade of her book.

This one doesn't tire easily. While we enjoyed our repose she ran back and forth at top speed. Everyone at her own pace, that's the way we "school" and the way we live. 

My Polish Easter

I enjoy keeping food traditions for holidays. My heritage is a mix of Polish, Hungarian and Puerto Rican. Easter always means Polish for me. Having lived with my Polish grandma for a good part of my life I can't imagine the Easter meal any other way. There is something about the experience of food that brings back memories very deeply. I love thinking that the traditions I create now will live through my children and their future children. 

My New Years Eve meal is always Latino. It can't get more festive for ringing in the new year than that! I make some of my own concoctions as well as my husband's favorites that he grew up with. He is 100% NY Puerto Rican, his family is steeped in food tradition. His mom has taught me how to make the family favorites. Our Thanksgiving is all American, we like to eat what we suspect the Pilgrims might have. For Christmas it's Victorian England for us, we have no familial ties there. Both my husband and I are literature fiends, we wish to experience a Dicken's fantasy Christmas. Let's get back to Easter!...

I used buttery babka dough this year to make buns for Good Friday.

Of course, the lamb cake made its appearance. You can see one of my "dressed" lambs here.

Days before Easter my daughter was busy planning out her egg dying designs as I was busy planning my meal. I will probably save this paper forever.

Talk of Spring

I really want to talk to you of Springtime, birds and bright colors popping up out of the ground. But I can't because here in NY, right now...it is snowing! Not just a few flurries, it's coming down fast in big clumps. 

Instead, to satisfy my need for the cute and colorful I will show you this gift that I crocheted for a little friend. I also made a cotton lunch sack to store it in when not being played with using one of my favorite japanese fabrics. 
It evokes a day that I am eagerly awaiting. A day of blue sky, warm sun and pretty picnic. 

Spring is coming!!

Last week we went down by the Hudson River to take a walk. The water was frozen and was sticking up in sharp slabs almost onto the land. It was amazing. You could actually walk on the river, a river of large green pointed vertical slabs of ice. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me. I have been thinking about how amazing it was and waiting for a day when I could return to take pictures. Today was that day. We were free, the sun was shining, so we went back down to the river with a winter picnic. 

But, when we got to the river's edge the ice was gone. What ice that was left was swiftly floating downstream. Instead of feeling disappointed that I wouldn't see that ice again until next year I was excited because Spring is coming!

 "The world is a beautiful book, but of little use to him who cannot read it." 

- Carlo Goldini, 1757

Easter

Through all the fogs through

all earth's wintry skies

I scent the spring, I feel

the eternal air

Warm soft & dewy, filled with

flowery eyes

And gentle murmuring motions

everywhere

Of life in bird & tree & brook

and moss-

Thy breath wakes beauty, faith &

bliss & prayer

And strength to hang with nails

upon Thy Cross.

-Lilias Trotter (from A Passion for the Impossible)

*the photo: We were at The NY Botanical Garden. My daughter inched closer and closer to a little brown rabbit who just stood there for the longest time nibbling on a plant. He seemed oblivious to us. He was straight out of a Beatrix Potter story, all that was missing was his little blue jacket.

tree hugging & new things

My husband wanted to go looking for drift wood to decorate the bathroom with. I took my new things along. My newest book has arrived (Herbal Antibiotics) and I couldn't wait to dive right into it. I brought the new project I am currently knitting. I carried these things over large rocks, over thousands of oyster shells, and under low tree branches and I didn't even use them. Instead I collected lots of pretty shells and stared at The Hudson River, which was extra sparkly. 

At least I did use my new Libre tea glass. I picked up this nifty gadget a couple of weeks ago at the NYC Tea and Coffee Festival. It's a pretty nice thing to have if you are particular about your tea. I like to keep my tea tasting like tea, just tea. I can always taste the plastic or metal that containers are made of.  The Libre has a glass interior which doesn't taint the tea. It has a tea infuser top for loose tea, you flip the bottle upside down to brew. The only drawback is that the tea doesn't stay hot for long. 

My child found yet another stick/tree branch that needed to come home with us. 

My husband found one too, a gorgeous red branch.

Husband and daughter contemplated how they could fit it into the car.
I looks like we'll be going back...with a saw.
I hope wherever you are that you can find the beauty that was put there just for you.

Spring, Knitting and Frogs

My daughter has been knitting for around six years, the exact amount of time I have been knitting. She wanted to learn, so I learned so I could teach her. It all started with this book. Although she knits and crochets quite a bit, she never used patterns...until this hood.

 She usually gets an idea of what she wants and just goes to it.  She wanted a fox, so she made this. She doesn't plan it out. She just starts crocheting and as she says, "feels" what to do.

 I can do that with food and fabric, but not with yarn. 

Over the years I have suggested that she learn to read and follow a pattern. She never wanted to.  No need, no interest, why do it? Until the book Woodland Knits arrived. She flipped through it and saw this hood.

 "I'm going to make this hood in green.", she said. 

She ordered the yarn, bought double pointed needles and the circular set that it needed and knocked it out in a couple of days. First time on DPNs and circular. She also altered it, "I didn't want it so long, so I shortened it and added a tassel." Oh, first time for a tassel too. 

When the interest is there, learning is comes naturally and is self motivated.

Today we caught our first frog (and a few crayfish as well).

So for me, it's officially Spring!

Listen to the frog. Yep- he says, "It's definitely spring. Now put me down."

Is it spring yet?

Finally something is poking up through the frozen ground. It's skunk cabbage. For me skunk cabbage does not evoke spring tea parties and bunnies. But, that's all we have here...so far. 

My daughters think it's spring though. When the temperature reached a sunny 56 degrees they shed their coats and had a jolly time.

I walked around collecting acorn caps clutching a delicious (very dark) hot chocolate in my gloved hand. Spring? No, I don't think so.

The Garden Game

I found this game "The Garden Game" at a thrift store, brand new and factory sealed. I grabbed it because the artwork is very nice. I had no idea how many hours we would spend playing it. You have to take care of your garden despite many obstacles. You must feed your soil, plant seeds, nurture plants, and deal with natural disasters. You get to reap rewards for your choices too, like harvesting and sharing with your community, even having harvest festivals if all goes well.

Over the winter we cozied up at the table with pots of tea and played hours of The Garden Game while dreaming of spring and getting ideas for our real life garden game.

If you play the game well you will reap a harvest. Every spring we each plant something that we like to eat and we are each responsible for taking care of it. My 9YO is pretty good about tending her little space, she was happy to dig  up and eat these sweet mini carrots. 

My 13YO doesn't enjoy gardening or gardens for that matter. She prefers foraging, climbing, catching animals, bird watching, identifying rocks, but not gardening. When we were picking out seeds last spring I urged her to at least pick out one things to grow. She likes salad so she picked mutli colored salad greens. She also read that they would be ready to harvest fairly soon. She planted them and that was pretty much the extent of her "gardening".

I wanted to just let them be, they were her responsibility. 

But every time they were dried out and mostly dead I caved in and watered them. I shaded them. I couldn't help it! I can't just leave things to die needlessly. This is what lettuces look like if you ignore them. Cute little flowers on top and seeds, which I collected. I will plant them this year. My salad loving girl will enjoy eating them and it's fine by me that she dislikes gardening. Everyone has their own thing to do.

Now for this year's cast of characters...so far. Yesterday I planted two of my all time favorite things- nasturtiums and beets (you know I love my beets!). I think they are both beautiful and tasty so every year they are top priority to plant. This time the beets are 'candy striped'. I can't wait to see them!

After the Rain

It has been raining here a lot. A whole lot. Like every day. I found myself slipping into “snowed in” mode. For me that means not leaving the house, reading, sewing and baking. That’s alright when it really is snowing. But it’s Spring. I should be out there planting, wandering, foraging, smelling Spring, being dazzled by the colors. Finally there was a break. We were sitting at the table reading. I was thinking about what to bake and out it came. The sun! I said to the girls “We need to get out, now! This might not last long.” We ran off immediately for a woodsy walk. 

I am so glad we did. It seems we were not the only ones rejoicing in the sudden break in the rain, all kind of critters were scampering around us. The birds were shaking the water off their feathers and singing. So many mushrooms had popped up everywhere. Even a snake seemed to be enjoying the sun, stretched out relaxing so close to us I could touch him.

My advice is to get out there and grab the blessings while you can. When it rains again you will wish that you had. 

(The photo is of my little one playing with some interesting clumps of mushrooms. She was making believe that she was the "Mushroom Lady",  that her umbrella was a giant mushroom and that she was causing the mushrooms to grow. )