This week’s challenge: Favorite Place
In my opinion, my entry is a bit generic, but still true. My favorite place is . . . outside. As long as there is fresh air and a modicum on nature, I’m pretty happy.
Seattle on a Sunny Day
Much to report on my 365 Somethings Project this week! It was a very good week for discovering small ways to be creative in an otherwise crazily hectic week.
First, Mom’s scarf is coming along nicely. I think I have enough yarn to finish the color pattern and repeat it one more time.
Mom’s Scarf 3
Second, I am a huge fan of Taproot magazine. This weekend I decided to make a couple of dishes out of the Hearth issue. All I can say is that I hardly had time to get photographs before both dishes were gone.
Taproot’s Mushroom Stroganoff
Taproot’s Raspberry Clafoutis
Yesterday, we had a lovely, sunny day here in Seattle, so we took the boys for a two-and-a-half hour walk in the Lake Washington area, which gave me a great opportunity for some lovely spring photographs.
Cherry Tree with Pond
Branch of Cherry Blossoms
Cherry Blossoms
Seattle on a Sunny Day
Finally, I have been establishing a simple routine at night where I write from a prompt in the revised Writer’s Book of Days and draw from a prompt in The Creative License for just five minutes each. It seems to be working well for me, and I think it’s something I can stick with on even crazy, exhausting days.
So, I’m calling this a good week in terms of creativity!
In Daily Writing Resilience, Bryan Robinson provides a reading for each day of the year designed to improve a writer’s resiliency. He breaks each reading into three parts: a quotation, advice, and short takeaway. Readings cover topics such as exercise, meditation, breath techniques, stress management, decluttering, and mindful eating. While this book contains sound advice that will improve the well-being of the writer and help him or her to continue in the face of rejection, self doubt, etc., Robinson does not provide specific advice directed to writing itself. In that sense, this book may be of some interest to anyone pursuing a creative endeavor, but if the reader is looking for writing exercises or prompts to get over that latest bout of writer’s block, this may not be the best choice.
(Originally reviewed in exchange for a free book through Netgalley.)
This week’s challenge is: “I’d rather be. . .”
Now that spring has finally arrived, I’d rather . . . hiking!
I’d rather be hiking!
This week brought a realization that the times they are a-changin. (Sincerest apologies to Bob Dylan.) A month or so ago, my middle son, the naturalist, was accepted into the Beach Watcher Program. Because said son is too young to drive and I’m passingly fond of him, I applied and was accepted along with him. Our 10-weeks training consisting of “80 hours of university-caliber training involving field trips and lectures from over 35 local experts on topics like salmon, water quality, ocean acidification, intertidal life history, coastal processes, native plants, youth education techniques, and so much more” begins this week. The course comes complete with heavy reading assignments, group projects, and tests. After we complete our training in May, however, we will volunteer 80 hours over the next two years on various citizen science projects in our area.
Of course, all of this occurs in the midst of an otherwise full life of homeschooling and hobby farming. Spring has sprung here in the Pacific Northwet, and with it comes an onslaught of necessary house and property projects, which blossom as fast at the ever-encroaching blackberry canes in spring light. Furthermore, fate has deigned to flood all three boys with wonderful opportunities of late, all of which seem to involve applications, deadlines, and interviews over and above their normally, mildly chaotic schedules. At the same time, my spouse has been busy planning several family vacations this summer (thanks in part to expiring frequent flier miles and companion fares), both in and out of the country. His itineraries have given rise to a need (read: mild panic) to get in shape so I can keep up with him and the boys this summer. Last of all, before all of this came to its full, glorious fruition, I registered to take a poetry class from the wonderful instructor and poet, Kevin J. Craft, which starts in two weeks and runs through mid-June.
Suffice it to say, quiet hours hibernating in my office out of the cold, wet winter are long gone. And yet, I want to keep going with my 365 Something Project, in some form. Clearly, writing new poems will be creative, but I’m never willing to post those here. Also, I want to continue working through the stash of projects in my office. Now, however, they are going to have to be portable and easily accomplished. So, I think I will focus for the next couple of months on smaller knitting projects, A Writer’s Book of Days journal writing prompts, and Danny Gregory’s The Creative License art prompts, all of which can be easily stuffed in a bag and taken with me to use in those brief moments of opportunity.
Planning completed, I turn to this weeks’ progress. Between the dawning realization about the coming weeks (which resulted in a flood of book review posts to clear my shelves) and another son’s bout of pneumonia, all I wanted to do was curl up and knit. So, I did exactly that. Mom’s scarf is turning out nicely. I think I’ll repeat the pattern at least once more and possibly twice.
Mom’s scarf, part 2
Until next week!
The Fleur de Sel Murders opens with Commissaire George Dupin driving outside of his jurisdiction to the White Land of Brittany where salt is traditionally farmed to investigate a cryptic tip given by a journalist friend. Before he can investigate, however, Dupin is ambushed and injured by gunfire. Shortly thereafter, his journalist friend goes missing. To add complexity, Dupin must share jurisdiction with the local authority, including the Commissaire Sylvaine Rose, as they investigate who shot at Dupin, what happened to the journalist, and what is occurring in the unique environment of the salt marshes between the independent farmers, the co-operative, and big business.
What makes Fleur de Sel stand out beyond its beautiful descriptions of Brittany and the peak into the world of salt farming, is the characters. Dupin is almost quirky in the way he repeatedly responds to evidence in a subconscious way, writing vague notes in his notebook. Pairing him with the ultra-efficient, ambitious, and bluntly commanding Rose creates an interesting tension that holds the reader’s attention. Overall, Fleur proves an entertaining read.
(Reviewed in exchange for a free copy of book through Netgalley.)
Joyce Rupp, a member of the Servite (Servants of Mary) community, has spent a lifetime providing spiritual guidance as a retreat director, conference speaker, and prolific author of over a dozen books which have sold more than a million copies. Nevertheless, Boundless Compassion seems to stand out as the pinnacle of her work, perhaps because, as she notes, the call to compassion has been with her since her early days as a young member of her community. Here, Rupp begins with basic instruction in compassion which she focuses first on the self. Working in increasingly larger circles over several weeks, Rupp extends compassion until it includes to every living thing. She concludes the six-week process with advice on sustaining compassion over the long term in the face of suffering. While Rupp roots Boundless Compassion in the Christian tradition, Rupp cites scientific, medical, theological, spiritual, sociological, and psychological sources to explain and support her direction. For use by either the individual or the group, Rupp’s Boundless Compassion provides the keys to a transformation that, if followed with sincere dedication, has the potential to change the world.
Prayers of Boundless Compassion is a companion volume to Rupp’s Boundless Compassion. Here she offers forty original prayers, blessing, and meditations. Rupp designed these prayers to correlate with each of the themes in her six-week course. However, this pocket-sized book can also stand alone and provide abundant material for spiritual contemplation and action. In either case, this small book cannot but help to solidly ground the reader seeking to live a compassionate life.
(I reviewed these book at the request of the publisher, who provided free review copies.)
In the town of Flaxborough, one of its prominent citizens is found electrocuted in his house slippers on the crossbars of an electricity pylon. This rather bizarre death follows the altogether unremarkable death of his neighbor and fellow prominent citizen just a mere six months earlier. Was the electrocution a murder? Are the two deaths connected? And what seedy business could be occurring in this otherwise pleasant town? Originally published in 1958 as the first in the Flaxborough series, Colin Watson wrote a delightful mystery that did not require gruesome crimes and heart-pounding action to hold the reader’s attention. Instead, Watson relied on a solid mystery with a well-plotted ending and deliciously witty insights into small town life and personalities. Now that the Flaxborough series is in the process of being reprinted, a new generation of readers can enjoy a sense of nostalgia while puzzling over a mystery that withstood the test of time.
(Reviewed in exchange for a free copy of book from the publisher via Netgalley.)
America’s Test Kitchen has created the definitive guide to Mediterranean cooking. Although brimming with amazing recipes, this cookbook has so much more. This book opens with a concise overview of the Mediterranean diet and meal planning. The authors proceed to five-hundred mouth-watering recipes that require mostly easily obtained ingredients and cover every aspect of the meal: small plates, soups, salads, rices and grains, pasta and couscous, beans, vegetables, seafood, poultry and meat, eggs, breads, and fruits and sweets. Many of the recipes are vegetarian and are clearly marked as such, as are quickly prepared recipes. Almost more significantly, the text is simply packed with additional information. The notes dispersed through the book contain valuable information for those wishing to ensure a good outcome and learn more about the intricacies of choosing ingredients and cooking techniques. The large, glossy pictures of the finished product typically found in cookbooks are traded for smaller pictures of the end product and important preparation details. Furthermore, nutritional information for all recipes is contained in an easily read chart at the end of the book. For those looking for the one book they need to master Mediterranean cooking, this is it.
(Originally reviewed in exchange for a free copy of book for Seattle Book Review.)
Tonight, I’m getting down to brass tacks fast as I’m tired. The good news, however, is everyone is well, and I made pretty good progress on my 365 Somethings Project this week.
1. Rachel Reinert’s Color Workshop: This week’s project involves adding water droplets and background and requires eleven steps. I got about half of them. I’m pleased with it so far, but it will look radically different next week.
Color Workshop’s Water Droplets Project, part 1
2. Knitting: I decided to shelve the Onami Cowl briefly and make a scarf for my mom instead. I’m using leftover yarn from a afghan I made for her in her favorite colors and making up the pattern as I go. This should be really fast, and I like it so far.
Mom’s Scarf, part 1
3. Beading Kit: I finished my last beading kit!
Vintage Garden Bracelet
4. WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: This week the challenge topic was “story.” I’m pretty pleased with my entry.
That’s all folks. See you next week!
Happy creating!