302

i'm looking outside right now and the sky is the most amazing shade of blue. there is not even one cloud in the sky. our yard has an abundance of pink and white blooms, and we have radishes and lettuce already sprouting in our garden. spring in the south...oh how lovely you are!

i can hear birds chirping. their calls grow louder and then quiet back down. rilke sits beside me on the sofa, hoping to get in a little early morning birdwatching. i'm thinking about last night's dinner.

yesterday, we had our friend matt over for dinner. we made tofu marinated with a yogurt, cilantro, ginger, lime sauce, orange juice carrots, and molly's plain jane with chickpeas. every bite was delicious. matt surprised us by bringing over a box of treats from amelia's cafe. we had a butterfly cookie dipped in chocolate, chocolate banana cake, double chocolate mousse, and a dulce de leche eclair and then of course debated which was dessert was the best. :)

today, i'm going here to see the birdhouse holga photos. do you remember when i linked to them awhile back? the exhibit ends today so i have to make time to see them.

but now, while it is still nice and quiet, i'm going to join rilke in some birdwatching and then maybe read a haiku or two.

hope you have a lovely weekend!
shari
ps: ash posts on ship today. we have a really lovely discussion going on over there so if you've read on beauty, we'd love to have you join in.

301: my favorite tree

last year it was the japanese maple. this year it is the mockernut, aka the hickory tree. i photograph it almost daily.

300: bits

t's latest haiku. gosh, you gotta love a man who pens a haiku. pens it and nonchalantly hangs it on the fridge without saying a word. love, i say!

from t to jack k and a page from his book of haikus.

yes, we're still on a haiku kick at our house. sorry.



molly, i included this page just for you. :)


a handful of golden charms scooped up today to be tucked into a package that will be heading to australia soon.



lots of fresh chard from the farm. do you have any good, simple recipes for this vegetable? i thought it might be nice to print a few to take along to the co-op to hand out to shoppers who might not know an easy way to prepare it.




a little vignette from a walk yesterday.

links for today:

five and a half's new spring journals. my favorite is red brick home.

hannah's beautiful spring photo. i can't get this image out of my mind.

and

julie's lovely prints.


i've made it to 300 posts! thanks so much for reading and visiting. it means so much.
cheers all!
shari

299: golden

yep, i love taking these golden photos. several of you asked how i get this effect, and it's so so simple. i shoot through an amber colored beer bottle. try it. it's quite addictive and so satisfying. hmm. i also tried taking photos through a green bottle but it doesn't give you that cool weathered/antiqued look.

the street project is off to a running start. we have photos from toronto, albuquerque, portland, johnson city, tuscson, and richland, washington. we'd love to have YOU join us, too.

so glad you all enjoyed yesterday's interview. eireann is such an inspiration!

best go. i have a list a mile long and i need to start checking things off.

xo
shari

298: interview with eireann

Hi friends,

I am thrilled to bring you an interview today with poet Eireann Lorsung. Eireann's first book of poetry, Music for Landing Planes By, was just published by Milkweed Editions. Several months ago, Eireann wrote a lovely series of posts about poetry on her blog. These posts were a great inspiration to me, and I soon found myself reading poetry daily. In addition to writing poetry, Eireann also creates many delightful handmade items. Read more about Eireann and her creations here.




How do you define poetry?

Obviously this is a subjective question, but for me poetry is language with inordinate attention to tensions between form, meaning, and beauty.


When did you find poetry?

I think actually it was found for me! It was among the other things I read as a very little girl, and I remember being able to earn quarters for memorizing poems. The first poem I memorized (probably in third or fourth grade) was "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll, and the second was "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" by W.B. Yeats. In high school I fell in love with (and memorized) "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" (T.S. Eliot), which is still a very important poem to me. As far as writing, I think it must have been about third grade when I tried making a poem for the first time. My dad hung it up by his workbench.


Who are some of the first poets you read that really filled you with inspiration?

Well, I really loved Edna St. Vincent Millay, and I still love many of her sonnets. I have her whole collected works and I probably read it front to back five times, which may make some readers groan! I think she was the perfect thing for me as a high school and college girl: she is romantic, surely, but she also has this great command of form. I loved Eliot, too. I learned a lot from both of those writers, as different as they are.


What is your ideal setup for writing? Do you write daily?

On a bus or train, I always get good ideas--or even walking. I used to walk home from classes at the university and write in my head. I like to write when I'm around people--in a coffeeshop or library. I can really write anywhere, although I find I'm more and more dependent on my computer; I like to have the page look a certain way. My friend, Shana Youngdahl (who is a really terrific writer, I think) and I exchange poems almost every day, so yes, now I do write daily. But I didn't used to. It's a kind of discipline that didn't come naturally at all to me, so I have to work at it.

Tell us about the poems in your new book, Music for Landing Planes By. When were they written and what central themes did you find emerging?

I wrote these poems over the three years I spent in the MFA (Master's of Fine Arts) program in writing at the University of Minnesota, so between October of 2003 and March or April of 2006. I think there are probably three or four poems that are from the first year; most of them were written between December of 2004 and January of 2006. It was hard for me (and this is true in general for me) to see a larger picture; to find themes and to classify structures in my writing as a whole. I was really lucky to have the classmates and professors I had, because they *were* able to see those things. Motifs that recur in my writing are hands, birds, air, water, movement/travel/transit. Themes that are predominant include faith, love, transience, change, sisterhood.


Where can your book be purchased?

You can find it at your local bookseller or library (and if you can't, just ask!), or you can buy it online from magersandquinn.com or Amazon. You can also buy it direct from Milkweed Editions (the publisher), here.


Eireann currently resides in Dole, France.


Who are some of your favorite contemporary poets?

I love Susan Stewart and Anne Carson and Julia Kasdorf. I like Larry Levis more and more these days. I read a really beautiful book by Juliet Patterson, The Truant Lover, this summer.

What was the last amazing poem you read?

"Skunk Hour" by Robert Lowell ties with "Lucky Life" by Gerald Stern. The former is a recent conversion; I kind of pigheadedly refused to like Lowell for a long time, but my dear friend sent me a recording of him reading this poem and now I have to admit defeat (gladly!); the latter is a longtime favorite that I never tire of reading.

What books would you suggest for people who are really interested in poetry but feel a bit intimidated by it?

Let's see. I think American Primitive by Mary Oliver, or Eve's Striptease by Julia Kasdorf, or Rose by Li-Young Lee would all make beautiful introductions to poetry.


Has being a professor of poetry influenced or changed your own writing? If so, how?

Technicality dictates that I state that I was only a graduate instructor! But absolutely. I love teaching. I love the structure it provides, the people it exposes me to, the new ways of thinking that come out of it, the exhilaration of talking about writing to people who are interested in it! My students' enthusiasm for learning inspires me, and their flexibility and willingness to grow and stretch is something I admire. Knowing my students has made me want to say yes to more. It's made me more optimistic, happier, more hopeful, and all of those changes have affected the way I write.


What is inspiring you right now?

I just returned from three weeks in England, so I'm thinking about that. I saw a lot of fruit there and I want to write about that; I also had a conversation with a girl whose cousin was born blind. Her aunt thinks it was because of the cloud from Chernobyl. That's been on my mind. And I'm perpetually fascinated by things I can touch: fabric, water, stone, plants.


Are you an early bird or a night owl? Describe your perfect morning or evening.

The best would be a day I could wake up happily at about 7 a.m. really ready to work--I'd spend the morning tidying and cleaning and making food. Then in the middle of the day I could go out and walk around, work, run errands. That would give me things to write about in the afternoon, so I could spend the evening and late into the night with friends, talking and laughing and thinking. This doesn't really answer the question you asked, but it's indicative of my propensity for choosing 'both A and B,' even when that's not really an option.



Thanks so much Eireann!

We will be reading Eireann's book of poetry next over at Ship of Fools. Hope you will join us.

297

these are some of the photos i took over the weekend. i've been feeling very playful with a camera in my hand. that's a good thing.

we made it to both the play and the concert as planned. dean and britta were fabulous last night, and i loved their keyboardist, laura. she was awesome. galaxie 500 and luna tunes were included in the set!

thanks so much for the kind words about street. marsha and i really appreciate it! i've received some questions about how to participate. everyone is welcome. just snap a photo of wilson street and email it to seestreet@gmail.com. marsha will upload it to the blog. easy as pie. please pop over from time to time to see wilson streets around the world.

lastly, tomorrow i will be posting an interview with the amazing eireann lorsung. so excited about this!

have a great day friends.
shari

296: polaroids

this last photo is a polaroid of my brand new ring made by abigail! i adore it. it is a gray pearl on an oxidized silver band. so perfect! photo courtesy of t. :)

do you have a wilson street in your city? if so, take a photo and submit it to street. we'd love to have as many participants as possible. every two weeks, there will be a new street announced. take this opportunity to get to know your city better. :)

happy saturday!
shari

295: street

hi again.

i wanted to quickly post to tell you about a fun new photography project called street. marsha and i thought it would be fun to introduce a simple, collaborative project that all could participate in as interested/able. click here to learn more and please join us!

and with that, i bid you happy weekend!

shari

294: friday

the dogwood trees are just beginning to blossom. i took this photo at dusk with just a hint of pink in the sky. do you see it? i adore these flowers. there is so much of my past in these beautiful blooms. i remember climbing dogwood trees as a small girl. they remind me of the south, my family, spring, a carefree feeling.

which flower holds the most memories for you?

i'll be posting at ship of fools later today if i can ever gather my thoughts into some coherent sentences.
;)

as for the weekend... well i'm hoping to:
see a play
see a concert
enjoy a mexican dinner with friends
do some spring cleaning
go on several walks

how about you?

hope you enjoy your time!
shari
ps: thanks for stopping by this week and saying hi. i appreciate your comments so much!

293: ups and downs

today had its ups and downs. here i am posting in the evening which i hardly ever do.

a wonderful morning/afternoon at the co-op followed by painful feet and what i think is an ingrown toenail. ouch.

don't worry though because marsha is back in town and we went out to a great little bakery/cafe for vanilla chai which made everything better.



while there we each picked up a loaf of pumpkin seed cheddar bread. excuse the weird light and focus on these words: pumpkin seed and cheddar. hello, yumminess! seriously, this stuff is good. we were informed that they only bake this bread on thursdays and usually they are sold out in the late afternoons. in other words we lucked out today.

then we browsed next door at the bead shop and ventured over to the local greenhouse to smell the lemon balm and the pineapple mint. m picked up some lovelies for her window boxes which i'm sure she'll show you.



and now this is the scene in my kitchen. t is bottling his newest brew, a bitters with american hops. he's silly and calls it the bitter american. :) i love looking at the bottles when they are all lined up. he saves old bottles and reuses them (go t!) and i think all of the colors are so pretty. the only downside is the bleachy smell that takes over our kitchen on nights like these.

ok friends. enjoy your evenings. see you tomorrow if i can get it together.
xo
s

292: a wednesday list

it's the first day of spring and time to see where i am at the beginning of this new season. any excuse for a list, right?

i am:

eating ginger granola with vanilla rice milk--my new favorite way to start the day

reading essays, preferably landscape writing

loving handmade clothes

writing songs and playing the guitar daily

experimenting with my camera

planning menus for the week

eating breakfast for dinner and today for lunch :)

planting seeds in our garden: peppers, peas, carrots, radishes, lettuce, spinach

wearing my footless raspberry tights

delighting in the warmer weather

rereading old zines

spending time each day sitting in the sun and thinking

baking biscuits

going to yoga on wednesdays

playing badminton with t after work

eating frozen chocolate chips

listening to the agsfb on {pink} vinyl

wearing my polka dotted pjs each night, the epitome of comfort.

beginning to wear flip flops again

looking forward to this book and this movie

happy wednesday and happy spring!
shari

291: consulting the almanac

hi friends.

i am anxiously awaiting spring wildflowers here. t and i went for a little hike by the eno this weekend and while the trees were budding, the only wildflowers to be found were trout lilies and a few bluets. do you have any favorite wildflowers that you are looking forward to greeting as they begin to pop up here and there?

this week, i eagerly pulled out my piedmont almanac. it is quite the handy reference guide and as such, is beginning to show signs of wear. the book is separated into months and then into weeks, introducing the sights and sounds of each season. here is the list of what is happening during this third full week of march:

yellow cress is blooming.

there are new leaves on the box elders.

the air is filled with the song of the phoebe

the pleiades are on the rise.

i love knowing these details and to be honest all of these things would have gone unnoticed in my world if it were not for this book. i wonder if my grandfather could have identified the four items on the list above. how would my generation fare in comparison to his? are we becoming less in tune with the world around us? are we leaving the details of the natural world to the scientists?

i find myself quite inspired by the world around me and have a desire to know more details. so this week, my quest is to learn a bit more about cress, to listen carefully to the bird song outside of my window {in hopes of hearing a phoebe} and to find a box elder tree. maybe this weekend i will finally take a trip to the morehead observatory too. i have never been, and i do think it's about time i befriended a telescope.

do you have a regional nature almanac? i'd love to hear what is happening in your part of the world. hope you are enjoying the changes in scenery too.

good day!
shari

290: setting the scene

scene one:
friday. the sky is the most alarming shade of mauve. weather is colder than it has been all week. residents of a certain brick house are hungry. we settle on italian and a place that i've had my eye on for awhile. we take our seats in a burgundy booth, propping our elbows up on the red and white checked tablecloth. plates heaped high with pasta italiano and little pillows of cheese ravioli yet all eyes are on the sky outside.

scene two:
one day girl photographs her hair. continues to experiment. likes experiments.

scene three:
two images so different fit together like puzzle pieces in the girl's mind.

inspiring me today:

this article on andy goldsworthy's latest exhibit

paula's charming creations. so lovely, each one.

molly's way with words

walks by the eno

as for that walk...yesterday, we hiked along a portion of the eno we had not seen before. there was this amazing, long skinny island in the middle of the river called coon's foot island. i loved it. we felt a bit like lewis and clark, walking and not knowing what we would see next. sometimes we forget that we are explorers. there is a need to see new lands. anticipation and eagerness seem to open our eyes wider. is it amazement? my heart pumped blood a little faster yesterday even when we slowed down to sit on a fallen tree and snack on kiwi fruit and cashews. the blood in its pulsing hurried me along, a little rhythm that continued to grab me by the sleeve and say "over here, look!"

i've decided to postpone the week of questions until next week. i'm still researching ideas so do stay tuned. oh and the documentary project is taking a week off. we'll be back next monday over at lisa's.

also on the agenda this week...making homemade graham crackers. have any of you done this before? i'm thinking i'll use this recipe.

one more quick thing: happy birthday to my sister melissa!!


wishing you a happy day!
s

289: five senses friday

i'm loving red and blue together, in our furniture and in my outfits.

see:
wreck this journal
the cutest floral print fifties blouse at frecklewonder
farmlet
10 things
shadows by wendy

hear:
archived episodes of studio 360
U2 unforgettable fire ep on vinyl-my soundtrack this week
tea kettle whistle
t whistling in the morning--takes him about 5 minutes to begin :)
lots of flubbed transitions {d to a minor} as i work on a new song


still having picnics


taste:
cherry ginger ale
spoonfuls of banana gelato dipped into coffee
basmati rice, black beans, sharp cheddar, tomatoes, cilantro, and avocado
ninth street bakery cinnamon raisin bread
frozen bittersweet chocolate chips


warm temperatures and gusty winds

feel:
sticky marshmallow residue on all ten fingers
soft camelia petals
gritty dirt coating freshly harvested potatoes
a clunky softball mitt familiar but never quite comfortable
t's newly shaven head


weeds too cute to pull

smell:
bleach as t sanitized the beer bottles
early blooming honeysuckle
classic diner smell (grease)
cut wood
campfire

today we begin discussions on our new book over at ship of fools. hope you'll join us!

have a great weekend friends!
shari

288: bits

these are my days.

inspiring me:

erica tanov spring collection. such lovely photographs.

jen corace's c'mon tomorrow day book

haiku tag

isn't eddie rabbit the cutest?

abigail's gorgeous paint-ups. this is my fave.

rinne allen's dreamy photos.


i want to have a whole week of questions. questions posed, thoughts typed in this space, and comments encouraged. the questions will be based on things i'm reading or questions that artists/authors have posed. next week perhaps?

is it thursday already? have a great one!

287: examining process

doesn't maggie look cute? she completely took over my workspace yesterday afternoon. in this photo you can see my guitar (well, ok. it's really t's), my ring (i can't play with any rings on my fingers), the new york times book review, a pencil, and my music notebook.


earlier, this was the scene as i tried to complete a song i was working on. here i am mid-process. i've been really interested in examining process in my life, looking closely at the way i choose to do things.

as for songwriting, i usually strum around, trying different chord combinations (i only know five) and strum patterns. next comes the humming. humming seems to help me work out lyrics as i hear which syllables will fit with the tune. usually, i stop and write down a few notes. maybe i write down the chord progression or maybe i write some lyrics. sometimes i make strange symbols that only have significance to me. then, it's back to experimenting. when i have a feel for the song, i try to make a simple recording on my computer. this is very helpful in remembering the tune or the strum pattern when the song is so new.

in talking with t, i realized that he approaches songwriting from a different angle. for him, it's a phrase that he can't get out of his head that inspires him to pick up his guitar and find the chords that seem to fit. whereas i am quick with songwriting and like to finish a song in one sitting, t is slow and works on the song for days and maybe even months.

i have been thinking of experimenting with process in my life, shaking things up a bit. i find it fascinating that we can choose so many paths and still arrive at the same destination. this is where my mind is today, wading in the tidepools, pant legs rolled up.


and in celebration of yesterday's spring manifesto, we ate dinner outdoors. picnic table, real dishes and silverware, candles in bottles flanking either end. for dessert, roasted marshmallows under a star filled sky. for a moment, it even felt like summer.

xo
shari

286: it's about time for a spring manifesto

this spring i will wake myself slowly with generous doses of pomegranate kefir and juicy kiwi fruit.

i will take more walks, befriending the sun as it rises and also as it sets.

this will be the spring of happy pop songs and old favorites on vinyl.

it will be the spring of camping trips, the spring of traipsing through the woods, and the spring of buttery shortbread and sweet linzer cookies.

it will be the spring of poetry picnics, lawn game parties, and supper clubs.

this spring i will listen to the radio in the evenings and hang my clothes outside on the line to dry.

this will be the spring that i perfect a recipe for gazpacho. it will be the spring of all springs, a spring of fresh starts.

i will make time for the stars. i will make time for the quiet.

this is my spring manifesto.

eight: delicate

lisa chose our eighth word, delicate.

here is LISA'S response:



I found the above delicacies at a tag sale not too long ago. They were so so pretty and to me embody the physical idea of delicateness. I have a feeling I’ll do something with them [I have another 3 of them], but I’m not sure what yet.

I feel as though I must start with the dictionary for this word. Mine says....

Delicate :: dainty, frail, exquisitely wrought, nicely adjusted, highly sensitive or perceptive.

For some reason this word just hits home right now. Even though it can mean dainty and frail I somehow also see delicate as embodying some kind of core strength. In the best moments I hope my art is delicate. Delicate in touch, delicate in the way it deals with subject. I strive for many of my pieces to have an exquisitely wrought feel [is that not a lovely phrase?]. It’s that play – the idea of beauty and tension... The tenuous place where things shift in meaning [yes – this is starting to become a ‘thing’ with me isn’t it?].

I was thinking of all the things to me that seem to be delicate. And how the word really reads as feminine [or an insult to the masculine. Do you think a body builder wants to be delicate?]. Here’s a partial list :: feathers, gloves [the white kind that no one wears anymore], a gentle breeze, a piece of lace, a strand of hair, a spider web [delicate but incredibly strong]... And then of course there are things that are delicacies – immediately I think of food [the special treats we don’t afford ourselves too often] :: lobster, sushi, the perfect piece of imported chocolate, pana cotta, pomegranates, figs with honey and cheese, the perfect mixed drink....

I think part of me wishes that we treated one another a bit more delicately. Not with kid gloves – or with the idea of being delicately polite – as I believe wholeheartedly in the need for and the power of honesty... But in the sense of being sensitive and perceptive.

I think I am on a quest for delicate balance.

Here’s a doodle inspired by the word:





MY response:

delicate. i often notice myself paying attention to the delicate bits of nature, those bits that are almost too small for my powershot to focus in on. a wispy web sparkling in the sunlight, the tiniest of buds, the delicate light that is too perfect to be ignored, the tiny thin strands of moss growing quietly underfoot. it is these delicate treasures that excite me and call me in for a closer look.







while i was in charleston, i became fascinated with taking photographs of my hair. once again, i think it was the delicate nature of these strands, how fine they are and how they capture light. weeks later, i find that i'm more and more interested in exploring this subject matter in detail.



the word delicate also reminds me of the state of our earth. it is a delicate place that requires us to be considerate and to act with care and resourcefulness if we want to preserve it for future generations. this leads me to the new project i've been hinting about!

today, i am excited to announce the launch of the sew green blog, a collaborative project featuring many voices from around the usa, canada, and australia. the mastermind behind this project was shash who proposed an idea for a green blog a few months ago. i am thrilled to be a contributor and look forward to sharing with you the small steps that i am taking to live a greener life. click here to learn more and to meet the contributors.

enjoy your monday.
shari

284: raven rock

we got a late start when we left for raven rock. it is not a quick trip and by the time we hit sanford, nc i was starving. we decided to stop at el rancho caribbean restaurant for a lunch of green pigeon peas and rice, cheese pastelitos, avocado salad and stewed eggplant. i love it when we stumble upon a little gem of a restaurant like this.


then of course, i got sidetracked looking at the boxcars and had to take photographs.


the weather was wonderful for the two and a half mile hike. raven rock is so named because ravens used to roost on the tall cliff overlooking the cape fear river. yes, the very same cape fear river of movie fame.















i love the colors in this group of photographs. even t and i blend in rather nicely. :)

more photographs from the hike will pop up here tomorrow for the documentary project, but i won't reveal the word yet. also, there will be a link to the new collaborative project. i'm very excited for monday to roll on in. as for the rest of the week, i have many thoughts that i am trying to tie together on place and space. it has been one of those weekends where everything i read is connected and i love it.

have a great sunday! we are going to scramble some eggs and walk to the bookstore for a ny times!
xo
shari
ps: thank you for all of your kind words about my spring polaroids! much appreciated.

springish

we broke out the hula hoops today in celebration of the nice weather and have spent most of the day outdoors. i loved photographing all of the changes in our backyard, stopping every so often to just sit and soak up the sun. tom brewed beer, a new pale ale, and planted garlic and onions. do you see our little focaccia picnic? i baked us a nice loaf of garlic and rosemary focaccia this afternoon. the little ceramics cups are handmade by me and are filled to the brim with olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. doesn't everything taste better when eaten outside?

yours in spring fever,
shari

282: i'm wide awake

good morning.

i guess you can tell what i've been listening to on vinyl these days.:)

a tiny inspiration list for you:

christina's beautiful writing

this poem by allison titus

this photographer found via kat heyes

this collage by gracia


this weekend promises a trip to raven rock for hiking and photography, a home cooked dinner of potato dumplings made by our friend matt, a walk over to a nearby cafe to hear a friend play saxophone in a jazz quartet, and some morning yoga at my favorite studio. hope you have a good one planned too.

see you on monday for the launch of a new collaborative project.

281: baking pita bread

hi there.

windy, cold days are the best days for chet baker and dark chocolate, in case you are looking for a spring fever remedy...

as i mentioned in yesterday's post, i decided to bake yesterday. i wanted to try something new, something with only a handful of ingredients, and something not too time consuming. one of my favorite baking books is a children's book called knead it, punch it, bake it by judith and evan jones. i highly recommend this book to parents or novice bakers, for that matter. i've tried many of the recipes and they are all wonderful. {this book also has my favorite pear bread recipe.}

my choice for yesterday was pita bread, which i had never attempted before. to be honest, i was quite worried that i was not up to the challenge of pocket bread. how wrong i was! this recipe is quite simple and a good one for children as there is plenty of kneading and rolling. the best part, however, is watching the bread puff up in the oven. while the preparation involves some time, once in the oven, the bread only takes 3 minutes to cook.




i stuffed my pita pockets with apricot jam and butter as soon as they came out of the oven. it was the perfect little afternoon treat with tea. later, we had pita with green olive hummus as an appetizer before dinner.

you can make these at home too. here is the pita bread recipe from knead it, punch it, bake it.

ingredients:

1 scant tablespoon active dry yeast
11/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
31/2 cups white flour (i bet you could use wheat too)

add yeast to a large bowl. pour 1/2 cup warm water on top of the yeast and stir with your finger until dissolved. add the rest of the warm water, olive oil and salt. mix well. add most of the flour. the dough should be stiff and hard to stir. turn the dough out onto a floured surface. knead for 10 minutes, adding flour when dough begins to stick.

clean bowl and coat with olive oil. return dough to bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 11/2 hours in a warm place.

turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll into a long snake with your hands. cut the snake into 12 equal sections. roll these sections into balls and cover with a towel, allowing the dough to rest for 5 minutes.

then, using a rolling pin, roll out the balls to flat circles about 6 inches in diameter. cover the circles with a towel and let rest for 15 minutes.

preheat your oven to 500 degrees F. and put 2 baking sheets in the oven to heat up.

when the dough is ready and the oven is hot, carefully transfer pita circles to the baking sheets and quickly close the oven door. in about one minute, you will see the pitas puffing up. let them cook for about 3 minutes and then remove them from the oven. continue in this manner until all circles are cooked.

most will deflate when they cool though a few might remain puffy. stack pitas and put them in a plastic bag, squeezing out the air and sealing tightly. store in the refrigerator/freezer.


you didn't think i could post about the kitchen without posting a dishwashing portrait did you? :)

today is my day to work at the co-op. best get a move on.

for those who are reading along with ship of fools, i've posted several links to interviews and other tidbits as an intro to zadie smith. we begin her book On Beauty on march 16th.

coming soon: the debut of the measles and a very special interview with an amazing poet.

have a nice one friends!

280

i couldn't resist posting this photo of rilke. i love it when he joins me at the table. for those who have asked me, he is doing pretty well and seems stable. thanks for your concern.

are you enjoying march? it has been pretty windy here. i'm having a hard time grasping that we are already in the third month of the year. wow.

as the seasons change, i often find it hard to write here. i lose my voice for a few days. i sit down at the computer and stare at the screen. i type furiously and then erase every single character. so today, i'm just going to turn off the computer and focus on doing things with my hands...baking bread (which i haven't done in some time), knitting, and practicing the new chords that t wrote in my music notebook. oh and more mandarin green tea, i think.

see you tomorrow.
s

279: in which italian cooking and spring flowers make life worth living

bring on the purple i say! we have bunches of these delightful little blooms in our backyard. i am as eager as they are for spring even though mother nature decided we needed another blast of winter and doled out freezing temps last night.

despite our weekend challenges of ticks (we found another on the floor yesterday) and broken toilets (all fixed now. t is a rock star), something wonderful did happen this weekend. i went to a cooking class! one of my christmas presents from t was a cooking class with siglinda scarpa. you may have seen her in the august issue of gourmet magazine. here are the photo spreads from that article.





i visited her goathouse gallery last september and fell in love with her pitchers and teapots. i think she is most charming, and i love to hear her talk. the class was attended by 50 lucky souls and was demonstration only, which meant lots of watching and lots of tasting!

the menu was as follows:

*flan with a besciamella sauce and seasonal vegetables (she used shallots, carrots, mushrooms and fennel)
*ravioli with a filling of ricotta, spinach, prosciutto, eggs, and parmigiano cheese in walnut sauce
*trout baked in the style of the nera river region (baked in one of her gorgeous handmade italian clay pots)
*gelato with a marsala custard flavored with hazelnut

everything was so delicious. i really enjoyed myself. in september, she will be hosting a tea party at her home to benefit an animal charity. she will be making all sorts of italian pastries, and each person who attends will take home a handmade ceramic tea cup made by siglinda herself. doesn't it sound like an amazing event?

loving:

weeHouse and modern cabana (my faves of the tiny house companies)

spring tunics. isn't julie's lovely? :) check out that selvedge. cute!


happy monday! hope it is full of joy.
xox shari
ps: the documentary project is over at lisa's today.

278: visuals from friday's walk

on friday, we ventured over to the eno river for a walk. heavy rains from the night before had caused the eno to jump its banks; the trails along the river were completely flooded. we had to make our own way through the woods, stooping under the hanging vines, stepping over fallen trees and untangling ourselves from the numerous thorn bushes.