Category Archives: things I like

cemetery


marble cemetery, NYC, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

John knows that I find cemeteries fascinating, and along with the requisite train ride, I think a cemetery visit is a must when I/we travel. This one was rather forlorn and I couldn’t get any close-ups because the gates were locked (as was the case with all the NYC cemeteries that we happened upon). It had the most vigorous squirrel population I’ve ever seen–the ground was crawling with them.

there is no blue…


Jana Composition., originally uploaded by mind on fire.

“There is no blue without yellow and without orange.”
~Vincent Van Gogh

My craving for sky blue (as if I don’t get enough of it outside every day) inspired me to paint the wall behind our bed this lovely color (and it helped that I scored the paint on Freecycle, too).

It’s really amazing how much peace the blue has brought to our bedroom space.

However despite my fondness for blue, I’ve also been craving orange–I love how warm and alive it feels. Each morning I burn a small orange candle for my morning meditation and I love wearing orange, too.

Alicante

Une orange sur la table
Ta robe sur le tapis
Et toi dans mon lit
Doux présent de la présent
Fraîcheur de la nuit
Chaleur de ma vie
~Jacques Prevert

For the love of you…

Cross-posted on The Exponent.
mon cheri

I really needed this poem today. So for the love of you, I share it here, along with a few recent garden pictures. 🙂

For the love of a tree, she went out on a limb.
For the love of the sea, she rocked the boat
For the love of the earth, she dug deeper.
For the love of community, she mended fences.
For the love of the stars, she let her light shine.
For the love of spirit, she nurtured her soul.
For the love of a good time, she sowed seeds of happiness.
For the love of the Goddess, she drew down the moon.
For the love of a good meal, she gave thanks.
For the love of family, she reconciled differences.
For the love of creativity, she entertained new possibilities.
For the love of her enemies, she suspended judgment.
For the love of herself, she acknowledged her worth.
And the world was richer for her…..

~ Charlotte Tall Mountain

butterfly on <br />heliotrope” /></a></p> <p><span style=Photos: Top photo is a close-up pic of a deep pink and red rose. Bottom pic is a closeup of an orange and black butterfly with wings spread, sitting on a helitrope bush with bright green leaves and purple flowers.

another kind of desk job


another archive photo, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

See me, sitting in the back in black? This is what I do. Sitting in an archive, searching through a scrapbook of newspaper articles about the Santa Monica Veterans’ Home.

The time passes so quickly when I’m in the archive, lunchtime slipped by and before I knew it, it was time to head home.

My archival ‘partner in crime,’ K, snapped this little pic–knowing how much fun it is to show others what we do in the ‘inner-sanctums’ of the research facilities. Today, for example, before entering this facility I had to go through a search that’s every bit as thorough as if I were boarding a jetliner.
🙂

blendin’

I have a new best friend, it is my Kitchenaid Immersion Blender.
While I’m rarely one to encourage my readers to buy more stuff, I just have to share that this gizmo rocks. It can make shakes in a snap. Yesterday it whipped the batter for my Dutch Baby Pancakes so fast and so smooth! The day before that it pureed the veggies in our soup quite handily. And it’s WAY easier to clean than a traditional blender. And that is a huge plus at our house.

I bought mine at Target for under $50. The link above to amazon.com is a bit spendier. But if you’re wondering what to get for that person who likes to cook, this might just be a winner! 🙂

FYI, for those of you who’ve never tried the wonders of a Dutch Baby pancake:

Dutch Baby Pancake

(Makes 4 to 6 servings)

6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg (or both!)
5 tablespoons butter
**Freshly squeezed lemon juice
**Powdered or confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place oven rack on the middle rack of your oven. Put a large, heavy ovenproof frying pan or a cast-iron skillet in the oven to preheat it, too.

In a large bowl, beat (with your immersion blender if you have one) the eggs until light and frothy; add milk, flour, vanilla extract, and cinnamon; beat for 5 minutes more.

Add the butter to skillet; tilting the pan to melt the butter and coat the bottom. Pour the prepared batter into the hot skillet, and immediately return the skillet to the oven.

Cook for approximately 25 minutes, or until the pancake is all puffed up and brown on the top.
Note: do not take out of the oven until you have the camera handy, because if you do this, then your husband will laugh at you as you race to get said camera as the pastry is slowly deflating…
**Cut into wedge-shaped pieces and serve the traditional way with lemon juice and powedered sugar. Or serve with fresh maple syrup (Yum!) or the way we ate them yesterday which was with chunky spiced applesauce on top. To die for!