may the tide
that is entering even now
the lip of our understanding
carry you out
beyond the face of fear
may you kiss
the wind then turn from it
certain that it will
love your back may you
open your eyes to water
water waving forever
and may you in your innocence
sail through this to that
~Lucille Clifton
This morning the house is quiet. Finn is in Oregon at school, and Kenny is in the ICU in Denver. There is no wind this morning, shaking the trees, moving the leaves on the ground. Instead, it is pure silence. Bormio is quiet in the mornings these days, seems to know that things have changed. That its just me and him now, in our house in the woods. A couple of mornings ago two huge moose came by for a visit. Majestic and mighty. I love the sight of them. I love their visits in our yard. Over the years, so many moose have come by. The tarn is close and the mountains on the other side. They have to cross the highway to get safely up to the mountains though. It scares me every time. I am protective of them, hoping for their safe journey. This morning they were big guys, each with their own unique rack. I read that different racks signify age. I am learning a lot right now.
Forgiveness
May the tide
never tire of tits tender toil
how over and over
it forgives the Moon
the daily exile
and returns to turn
mountains into sand
as if to say
you too can have
this homecoming
you too possess
this elemental power
of turning
the stone in the heart
into gold dust
~ Maria Popova
Peaches
Elaine suggested we start a book club. But, I'd done that before, and was interested in doing something different. "How about a cooking club?"
Elaine was the host for the first session....and she chose peaches as the theme.
Kim made an arugula salads with burrata, sliced peaches and a frolic of pistachios. The tasty vinaigrette was green from fresh basil. Elaine grilled marinated peach chicken & peaches cut in half out side in the rain on her deck. I brought a bowl full of chopped peaches coated in sugar & a bit of flour with freshly grated nutmeg...allowing the juices make a yummy sauce...baked it for 30minutes...then topped with an oatmeal/ brown sugar streusel and baked for another 15 minutes. The delicious peach crisp served with vanilla bean ice cream.
I brought a Languedoc Viognier ...with hints of tiny peaches. :)
Blueberry Buckel
Buckwheat Pancakes
Cinnamon Twists
Gingerbread House
Spanish Rice
Lemon Chicken
Pesto & Spaghetti with shrimp
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Fig & Oatmeal Bars
Apricot Bars
Molasses Cookies
Butter Cake
Devil's Food Cake
Blueberry Pie
Strawberry Pie
Lamb Curry
Buckeye Balls
Linzer Torte
I pull the shades to the morning sky. The sun has not yet
peaked from behind the Alps. Mountains like a fortress encasing this little
French ski town. I brush my teeth, wash my face. My clothes laid out the night before. Ski
socks, long-underwear, turtleneck, ski pants and jacket all decided. I grab my
boots, skis and poles and head to the elevator, down to the main floor. A man brings out fresh rolls, croissants,
fruit and arranges them on the counter in breakfast room. The coffee is strong,
bitter, delicious, awakening me, warming me. I sit at a table by the window
overlooking the Arve river below. The aquamarine waters from the glacial
torrent rush by. Glaciers melting above town have supplied this river and its
beautiful hue. I am so happy to be back here, ready to ski the Vallee Blanche.
I eat my toast with jam and sliced bananas…comforting fuel for a rigorous day
with my guide. Soon I’ll be wearing a harness and crampons to hike with my
equipment down the face of the mountain covered in loose snow, exposed…and then
ski untracked powder for miles. I have come here to test myself, to leave all
my worries behind, for a day. Just to be
me, on a mountain with no other cares. Maybe I’ll ride through town after on
the horse drawn sleigh driven by the old man with his furry horse at full
gallop singing Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves.
Nothing Gold Can Stay
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
~Robert Frost
Don't still under the apple tree with anyone else but me...
Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and being alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You have to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes too near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself that you tasted as many as you could. ~ Louise Erdrich
