fireside

*

Sitting by the fireside, tonight was the first time in a long time (it seems...) that I haven't had somewhere to go, something to fix, someone to watch, someone to teach, something to cook... you know the drill. "Its always something", right? And even as I hear myself saying those words to people in my life dealing with challenges, struggles, failures, or even the price of success, the acute nature of personal experience leads us to the  somewhat unstoppable feeling that... "I am the only one that feels this way. There is nobody out there like me.**

So... sitting by the fireside, I have every ball of yarn ever purchased surrounding me, a chubby old cat curled around my legs, and several patterns printed out to occupy my evening! Bliss! Joy! Extreme satisfaction. Nancy Ricci's  Getting Purly With It website is the primary provider of entertainment tonight. 

This week in yoga class I spoke about Santosha, or the yogic concept of contentment. I feel that as a byproduct of gratitude, contentment is an effortless state of being. Gratitude inherently requires a bit of effort, we are asked to "Cultivate gratitude", or "Bow the head and find a sense of gratitude." Contentment is just IS. And isn't that all we really want? Just to BE?

*knitwear by Yokoo

**quote by Paul Grilley,  exposer of individuality

migration

Jam packed * fun fizzled * mossy meadows * weekend warriors * good times with my best bud T *

I bought many vegetables but had trouble finding time or energy to cook them. Travis made use of the spring onions for a killer grilled cheese. Finally Sunday night I buckled down and stir fried some baby bok choy, carrots, radishes, red cabbage, brussel sprouts, and onions. I had so much cooking inspiration this week, but its spilling over into next week! Perhaps some baking tonight of the strawberry rhubarb kind...

The camera tried to join my on our hiking adventure to Punchbowl falls, but alas, decided to rest in the car and take a weekend off. We all need a break sometimes, so I let time and photographic evidence fall by the wayside as I wandered through the forest. Wildflowers and titillated hummingbirds greeted us as the path wove its way along the ravine, bordered on all sides by mountain peaks.

After the hike, T and his cohort found a disc golf course to try out, while my lady companion and I rested in the sun, sprawling near the creek. I intended to crochet, however the yogas took over my limbs, and headstands comprised most of my creekside time.

We then ventured to a new brewery near home, Migration Brewing Co. Such a cute new hangout! Lovely use of garage style door making a wide open dining area. It was a bit windy so we skipped the parking lot patio and took over the sofa area. Portland seems to lack in patio seating, due mostly to the weather. Fortunately Glisan is a relatively low traffic street, which makes for a nice atmosphere. I'll be back to take some pics and sip on their home-made microbrews.


Images: {frolic} - liikennevalo - weheartit - me

explosions of color

Tomorrow morning I depart for Dallas to hug my momma, then road trip down to Austin with my Dad for a darling wedding with all my besties. A whirlwind weekend of too much fun to be sure.

I leave Portland when the city is exploding with color! As I rode downtown (for the final day of jury duty... whew!) birds were giddy with excitement, almost drunk with spring. Flitting in and out of trees, they would bounce on a wire for a split second before zooming off after some cute chickadee. I can't wait to see what else is in bloom when I get back!

Have a fantastic weekend!