solstice :: december 22, 2011
Yesterday I took Daisy and Henry to the beach because the weather was beyond sweet.
It was warm. It was sunny. I wanted to stuff it into a mason jar and keep it on the kitchen shelf to dip into all winter long. Did I mention sweet? It was sweet.
This morning I took the dogs up to the border of New Hampshire where Dave met me and carried them off for five days of play at Soliden. I am now sinking into my dream of a holiday with long, long uninterrupted hours to spend on those personal projects that always seem to be put up on that shelf marked “some other day.”
Last night my friend Elizabeth (no website but some of you met her at September squam) came over and we ate cauliflower soup that I made (easy!*), drank gingerberry kombuchu (so healthy yet festive!) and then we wrote out all we wanted to leave behind in 2011 onto paper plates and little strips of paper– wrapped the strips in black tissue tied with bits of twine– and loaded all of it (paper plates and bundles) into our makeshift cauldron (okay, so it wasn’t a cauldron, but I like that word) made from a white tin pot and a wrought iron rack (I should’ve taken a picture, but hey)– carried it out onto my front porch and baby, we burned!
She rushed off to be with her new boyfriend (she’s known him since she was 15, but they only just fell in love a few weeks ago– isn’t life awesome that way?!) and I began sorting and clearing my space which is pretty much a prerequisite for clearing my mind.
Tonight, I feel ready for everything. Ready for quiet, restful, restorative days. Ready to sink into deep creative work. Ready to re-energize. Ready to socialize. Ready to kiss this year good-bye with blessings and thanks.
Ready to open the door to 2012 and make her most welcome.
Ready to live the next chapter.
Bisous, e
P.S. *cauliflower soup :: you can make this a million ways, how I did it yesterday: I chopped up a head of cauliflower put it in a bowl with some sliced onion, tossed it all with olive oil, salt, pepper. Spread it out onto a cookie sheet– roasted them. Dropped it all into a big pot. Added 2 cups milk, 2 cups water. 2 tbsp butter. Cooked it. Let it cool. Blend it with a stick blender right in the pot. Add finely chopped celery, carrot, red pepper, and roughly chopped fresh spinach. I also added some hot pepper for punch (cauliflower is a bit bland). Heat til it’s all lovely. I served it with sunflower kernels sprinkled over top. Easy, filling and yum.
Yay for releasing and clearing and making way for all kinds of goodness. 2012 is going to be a good year indeed! Miss you…xo
Hear hear, it's time for a New Year!
so much love to you elizabeth ~ the squam site looks amazing, the line up and all the different ones are amazing ~ you and the lovelies are amazing! really looking forward to seeing you in 2012 and for all the amazing adventures that come our way! xxxx
You have taken cauliflower soup to the next level. Who would have thought to roast it before you put it in the soup. I'll be trying this version this weekend. oh, and happy new year, a little late.