Recent reads

Recent reads I have enjoyed. Clearly slanted to the Japanese cozy fiction sub-genre:

Feb 2025 – The Restaurant of Lost Recipes, by Hisashi Kashiwai - so fun and makes you want to go ask them to cook for you. They are food detectives who help you get lost experiences back in the most delicious ways.

Dec 2024 – Before Your Memory Fades, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - part of the series.

Oct 2024 - I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy - not as harsh as the title might suggest. A very honest account of a child actress and how she was "mothered."

Oct 2024 – Inside Out, by Demi Moore - there's more to her than what we all know. Intense, difficult childhood. 

Oct 2024 - Convenience Store Woman, by Sayaka Murata - she's an outlier who finds peace in her work.

Oct 2024 - Strange Weather in Tokyo, by Hiromi Kawakami - a sweet love story.

Sept 2024 - What You Are Looking For is in the Library, by Michiko Aoyama - more magic; the main character, Sayuri, is a large, calm, and perceptive woman who creates felted trinkets.

July 2024 - A Quitter's Paradise: A Novel, by Elysha Chang - a professional woman who didn't want what everyone expected her to want.

Nov 2024 - Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner - I hung on every word. So good, and you can almost smell the bubbling soups she describes.

Nov 2024 – Kitchen, by Banana Yoshimoto - more delicious food descriptions, and a great story.

Nov 2023 – Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - magical, about time travel. It's part of the series. I read them all.

Wisteria

 

A reliable source of beauty in our neighborhood, this lovely hedge never disappoints. This one bloom caught me by surprise on a walk. 

May the world find its way back to peace.

Build in buffers

Last week, I went to lunch at a favorite spot, got a veggie sandwich on olive oil bread and sat in my car parked in the shade in front of a large green plot of grass. Trees swaying, cool breeze and the dulcet tones of one of my fave podcasts: The Slow Home Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-slow-home-podcast-with-brooke-mcalary/id985005895
It's run by a couple who shares interesting updates and advice on living slower in a fast paced world; they also host guests. I loved a concept they shared about building buffers into your days. Little breaks from the busy life agenda - always a good thing.
In other news, we recently saw Downton Abbey and Ad Astra. Both great.
Better still, I'm enrolled in Courney Carver's Soulful Simplicity course based on her book https://bemorewithless.com/soulful-simplicity/ and it's very helpful. If you have any desire to simplify your life, check her out.

On Being podcast, Japanese cherry blossoms, talking to loved ones

Listening to the On Being podcast - the episode called "Becoming Wise" with Tools for the Art of Living. Guests include Desmond Tutu, astronomer Natalie Batalha, and spiritual teacher Eckart Tolle.

It's a peaceful caturday here. James is showing a property and I just made a simple breakfast. Drinking a cup of decaf with a dog and a cat sleeping nearby. Feeling thankful today. Had a chat with my mom, across the ether, letting her know I miss her and love her. I hope she heard me.

Last weekend's cherry blossom festival was a zoo. Better to go enjoy those blossoms after the actual event and avoid the annoying crowds. Adding to the mania, there was a super loud music show going on at the international houses. So as we tried to commune with nature, we were serenaded by the boom of bad music.  

Got these fun pictures as the bonus.

Sewing Summit

Remember that rainy Sunday a couple weeks ago, San Diego peeps? I spent it sewing with a friend. Music playing, tea poured, the rain outside, and the stitch-stitch-stitch of two sewing machines.

I made a pillow with fabric I bought at an antique store in 2008. Megan made covers for a couple of ottomans with some really cool linen and green fabric.

I sewed up this vintage Lizzie doll that I had been holding onto for who knows how long. She looks a little wiggly here. I have since straightened out the stuffing! She sits on the hearth by the fireplace now, to stay warm.


And then I got crazy, and made a little tote; an exercise in gingham, ticking, and plaid: three faves.

Who Says Cats and Dolphins Can't Be Friends?

 

This just makes me smile. Reminds me of Kate...she'd do something this sweet.

It's the Little Things

It's easy to feel frustrated sometimes with certain things that might bug you about your mate. Of course, who among us is perfect enough to sit in total judgment? Really, no one. Found this today, and just loved it.

Today in Snail News...Snodgrass Gets a Pool

Okay, it's clear that business isn't what it was last year, as evidenced by my fixation with the goin's on inside the terrarium. So, talking to my mother-in-law a few days ago ABOUT THE TERRARIUM, she says, "Does he have any water?" Yikes, does he? I thought the general musky, moistness of his naturally-induced ecosystem was enough. So, today, I re-found this tiny ceramic cup that I dug up in the yard one day on Union Street (J.'s grand dad's house that we lived in for a few years before moving here). Apparently, the tiny cup was Mary's when she was a little girl, and I found it while gardening. So, in goes the cup, and someone with a shell on his back seems to like it as he is all slithery curiousness with antennae up!

Saylor Won the Giveaway!

Fun news! Saylor is very excited to report that she won the giveaway from the ever-creative Stephanie over at Crafty Lolly! We are awaiting the bandanna, made to fit our girl's 21" neck!!! If you haven't been to see Stephanie's blog lately, go check out her new angel! It's very cool - it's the fifth picture in this post.

A Little Green World

I was at Hey Lucy the other day, and got so inspired by her terrarium post that I decided to make one myself. I got an apothecary jar at TJMaxx, then went to the nursery close by and looked for a small amount of baby tears and moss. I didn't want an entire flat of the stuff, but that was all I could find. Standing by the flats of baby tears, I looked under the shelf they were on, and well, can you say carpet of baby tears and moss? It was growing wild all over the ground under all the shelves. I decided to be bold and ask the guy if I could have a little chunk. He obliged, and even got me a box to put it in. We did buy a $40 fig tree that day, though come to think of it, he didn't know that at the time. Maybe it was his Saturday random act of kindness, to go with my random act of begging. So, home I went with the perfect little patch o' green, and here are the results! A home fit for a tiny leprechan, gnome, or fairy. It's really neat the way the condensation forms on the inside of the glass - it's all self contained, needs no water. And it's gotten so incredibly perky in there. It was not this perky to begin with.






















Perhaps Miss Fairy here will stop by sometime? I love this artist.

Clean Old & New Fabric = Love

So, the results of several estate sales and a purchase from Anna Maria Horner produced a big bunch o' fabric that needed washing. Since I haven't bought new fabric in ages, I was a little unsure how it would wash up or if it would bleed. Well it behaved, and I even threw in the vintage and new together. I use Mrs. Meyer's Lavender laundry detergent. Oh, it smells so good! So, here's my heap, fresh from the dryer, followed by everything folded up.

This is the Anna Maria Horner fabric:









And this is my stack o' vintage finds. I love the green and black plaid (hard to see the green in my dark photo!). I think it is going to have to turn itself into a skirt somehow.

This post makes me think of something my mother-in-law says about a certain sort of richness. She says: Don't you feel rich when you have a big stack of [insert your favorite textile]? When she told me this we were talking about a stash of embroidery floss I'd just found at a sale. Well, I'm definitely feeling it with my hoard of fabric... And I won't even go into what's lurking in the garage!

And now, hubs and I are going to watch part two of David Copperfield on Masterpiece Theatre. Can there be any better end to a relaxing Sunday? Night everyone...sweet dreams.

Bees & Bumps in Beds

So...on Valentine's Day, on the way to lunch, this darling bee decided to land on the windshield. It looks like he's just in the air, but no. We were at a light and I started kvetching that once we started going he might be hurt. We weighed the alternatives, as I snapped pictures of his little gold and black striped self. Since we were headed to the 163, he might get blown off into traffic. Not good. Or should we turn on the wipers to get him off in the neighborhood area? I didn't like that one either, at all. Then, as if he had heard us, *poof* he was gone! Yay! Bee crisis averted. I really have to work at not getting all nutty over the tiniest thing being hurt. It taxes one's energy. And it's totally out of my control, ya know? I don't speak Bee, and as a friend of mine's Dad says, "you can't suckle the whole world." Ah, but I think I try sometimes, at least through the investment of mental anguish.

Next, you will see a bed bump - an almost daily occurrence here at the homestead. It's Katie under the covers. Such a sweet little lumpling. She crawls up from the side, under both the sheet and comforter cover. I think she gets under for the warmth, but also the dark. The shades in the bedroom don't really keep light out, so it's bright enough to send your circadian rhythms diving under the nearest blankie.

The Cure for Cold Writer's Hands

Don't I look cozy? All bundled in my mittens? I clearly have a sweater theme going - see my last post. My friend, Miss S., over at yonder Foziewisp blog, knitted me these darling mittens for Christmas! And of course, she also knitted a mug cozy to go along. Now, Mr. Mug and I are warm and toasty as we weather the cold in ye olde office. Why is this room so darn cold? I realize it gets no sun; all the sun is in the dining room!

I so don't want to work today. I want to pile onto the couch with tea and a blanket and watch Pt. 2 of Masterpiece Theatre's Wuthering Heights! But instead I am revising a document that has been edited by a lawyer! Blerg.

Daily Kindness

I made a little pact with myself that every day until Christmas, I would try to do something good for some person or some animal. Today I donated to a woman who runs Apifera Farm and is adopting a senior goat named Guinness (pronounced Guinn-ius, like Phinneus). Of course, it wasn't totally selfless, as she promises to send a bunch of lavender from her farm to anyone who donates over a certain amount. She is also getting ready to adopt a senior dog and sells artwork that supports senior dogs in shelters. She sounds like a really special person and I feel good just being a part of this wonderful goat story. And, thank you to Guinness, also, for making my heart feel so full. What a darling goat!

Happiness Times Two

These two videos are really inspiring. I couldn't decide which I liked more, so I put them both here! The first one is about a new movie coming out called The Shift. This is the trailer. It's a bit foreboding in the first 30 seconds, but then it's very hopeful and inspiring. And, I feel that it rings very true. We can do these things. I liked the part that says leadership does not require you to be an elected official. Service can be done by anyone. You. Me. Everyone!
The second video is so great. I watch it every few days - ha! The song is called Praan and it is by Gary Shyman (I bought the song from iTunes). Gary's myspace page is here and he has a play list that lets you hear the whole song fo' free. The video is called Happy People Dancing on Planet Earth. It's just beautiful. Enjoy! The words to the song are beautiful too - here they are - but in the song the words are sung in Hindi or some other language:

The same stream of life
that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world
and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life
that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth
in numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life
that is rocked in the ocean-cradle
of birth and of death,
in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious
by the touch of this world of life.
And my pride is from the life-throb of ages
dancing in my blood this moment.

Kitchen Poetry -- #5

Kitchen poetry, Katie style. There was a nice breeze coming in the window this morning and the girlie was sniffing all that was in the air. It's starting to get cooler, off and on. Yay! We tend to be somewhat season-less here in Cali, so it's nice to feel some sort of weather change from the sunny and 76. I know many folks will tell me to nip it. But I would honestly love to have more of a fall. OK, maybe I have to draw the line at the white stuff. While it is pretty, I am so not good at walking on it!

Kitchen Poetry -- #4

The morning coffee and bread ritual. A life without bread is a life not worth living. There are so many diets that tell you to nix the bread. These are not my diets! OK, so certain sizes of jeans of days past are in the very back of that drawer, and may never come out, but I happily munch my sourdough toast in the morning and I'm not looking back! Bread does the heart good. Actually, whole wheat IS good for you. I usually have whole wheat, but that loaf of sourdough caught my eye yesterday, and I enjoy its chewy goodness.

Happiness Abounds

There are some great posts out in blogland about the election. Love this one that I saw today at simplesong.

Kitchen Poetry -- #3

Ahh, the kitchen poetry continues. Some of my favorites are here and here! The second one is in Italian!

Mr. Owly here was picked up at an estate sale. At first, he held dish towels, but now he's the keeper of paper napkins. I wonder what his original purpose was? Hmmm?

Yet another little corner. The big red pepper mill and my favorite instant coffee. Kosher salt is kept in the Italian Food Seasoning jar. And above it all, a pic of sweet Saylor when she was but a wee pup.















Deliciously-scented Mrs. Meyers kitchen products. The dish soap and hand soap are so fragrant. She also makes a great all-purpose cleaner that is so nice for floors; makes the whole house smell great. Yummy scents. The lavender dryer sheets are also wonderful.

Kitchen Poetry -- Part 2

At the end of the night, before we hit the hay, the last thing on the day's agenda is Katie's evening eye drops. She gets desmopressin drops for her (rare) diabetes insipidus condition. Twice a day. It's not true diabetes, just a mimicking of symptoms. Poor girlie, but she is so very good taking them and they work great to alleviate her issues. She just lays in James' arms, and we hear not a single mew. Of course, it is immediately followed by treats! The kitchen is usually cleaned up by this time and just the under counter lights are on. The low lighting called out for a couple more kitchen pictures for the Simple Sparrow blog challenge!