406: elements: metal: day five

we have a metal bed, which i think is cool. t designed and built it himself, using plumber pipe, which is even cooler.

new participants:

amisha
mijk
emily


thank you all so much for playing along. it's been a fun week!


before i go, i just had to share this poem that has been on my mind lately. these words, these 24 lines have me reading aloud to myself, reading aloud to t, and to maggie and rilke, too. ;) i find myself wanting to carry this little book to the silliest of places. just last night i wanted to snuggle it in my bag and take it with me to the local pizza joint. i resisted but came home and immediately went into the study to read it again. quietly. i almost have it memorized.

Vespers
by Louise Gluck

End of August. Heat
like a tent over
John's garden. And some things
have the nerve to be getting started,
clusters of tomatoes, stands
of late lilies--optimism
of the great stalks--imperial
gold and silver: but why
start anything
so close to the end?
Tomatoes that will never ripen, lilies
winter will kill, that won't
come back in spring. Or
are you thinking
I spend too much time
looking ahead, like
an old woman wearing
sweaters in summer;
are you saying I can
flourish, having
no hope
of enduring? Blaze of red cheek, glory
of the open throat, white,
spotted with crimson.

the cover of the book features a photograph by anna atkins. her work is so inspiring.


have a great long weekend friends! i'll pop back in monday to host the documentary project.

405: elements: fire: day four

i had grand plans for fire, but i ran out of time. anyway, i'm quite happy to feature my new candle given to me by my good friend lisa. :) isn't it lovely?

today: fire. friday: metal.

new participants:

joan
A Sandollar
i can't wait for the long weekend so i can finally visit all of your blogs and see all of the elemet photos. thank you again for joining in!

see you tomorrow,
shari

404: elements: air: day three

sitting in front of our box fan.

today: air. thursday: fire.

as always, i will post new participants on this page. if you are looking for a complete list of participants, please scroll down to monday's post. if you'd like, you can leave a link to your air photo in the comments.

new participants:
mamamamandy

hope you all have a wonderful day!

xo
s

403: elements: earth: day two

today: earth. tomorrow: air.

digging potatoes in our backyard. this is an older photo but it would have to be my favorite for earth.

thank you everyone for your enthusiasm about this project. a special thanks to jen lemen for featuring this project on blogher!

if you'd like to share your links for individual elements, please do so in the comments. i will include a list of new participants each day (it is never too late to join), but i will keep a running list of participants here. thank you so so much for such an amazing response!


new participants:

wendy
raine
laurie
pixie dust
elizabeth ann
shelley
julie g
liz
elianne
mandi


hope you all have a super tuesday! looking forward to seeing all of those earth photos.

shari

402: elements: water: day one

today: water. tuesday: earth.


also participating in elements week:

laura
sofia
julie
j
meg
paula
hannah
mary
carri
sarbear
eunice
marsha
renee/montmarte
love squalor
val
andrea/hula seventy
sandy
di
melanie
erin
anne
dominique
kelly
misty
camilla
annie
mrs. g
andrea/scout
sosser
dandelion
wendy
raine
laurie
pixie dust
elizabeth ann
shelley
julie g
liz
elianne
mandi
mamamamandy
joan
A Sandollar
amisha
mijk
emily






if i accidentally missed you, please let me know (don't be shy)! i'm thrilled that you all are joining me. such beauty! thank you.

please remember you can join in at any time. also, be sure to leave a comment/email with a link to your blog/flickr as soon as you've posted your image so i can add you to the links today. thanks for playing along.

find the documentary project here...later today.

have a great start to the week friends!
xo
s

401: a taste of the upcoming zine

hi friends!

i know you've been waiting a long time to see a sneak peek. we've all been busy in different ways but we've finally pulled together little tidbits to show you. please keep in mind the following:

**this is not the final format. it's just a taste.
**my scanner is not great.
**paper zines are lo-fi.



a few of t's haiku (in his own handwriting) will pop up here and there.




i will share a bit of writing as well as family recipes.




photos and lists, too!



what else i have planned:
writings about kitchen gardens
a musical playlist of food themed songs
more photography, maps, lists


take a look at gracia's contribution here and louise's here.

don't forget: elements week starts monday! looking forward to seeing all of your water photos. feel free to join in at anytime.

also, lisa and i kick off the return of the documentary project on monday on her blog. so please stop by.

finally, the cd swap is closed. thank you for your interest!

enjoy your weekend.

400

my week was made brighter by a little card society love. the design above is one of my favorites!

did you see? it's my 400th post today. amazing. i had to peek at august 24, 2006 to see what i was up to a year ago. if you've been blogging for a year at least, check your archives and tell me one thing you were up to last year on this day. i'd love to know.

so, i have decided to go ahead with the little cd swap. i will gladly send out 7 southern charm cds in exchange for a cd mix from your part of the world. right now, i have kellen, holly, meg, jo, amy and meabh on the list (please let me know if you are still interested in participating), which leaves 1 more spot. cds should be mailed by the 15th of september. please include mostly local/regional music. i will be including favorite bands from nc, sc, ga, and va.

tomorrow: gasp! a saturday post? gracia, lj and i will all post a little taste of our upcoming (soon, we promise!) cooking/kitchen/food zine.

oh! and a little music for today. i'm loving nina nastasia. take a listen to "why don't you stay".

enjoy your friday.

399: the elements

hi there.

i'm sitting in my study with maggie on my lap, listening to "anchorage" by michelle shocked and eating leftovers from last night. t and i have been rockin' the new recipes lately. this week we've tried a new recipe for black bean tostadas with corn, avocado, and lime salsa and also marinated tofu salad with green onion pancakes. both easy, fast and delicious.

i woke up to rain, lightning and thunder in the early hours of the morning. t was already up preparing for his csa delivery route and packing snacks for the drive. i could hear his cereal spoon scraping the sides of the bowl. the rain made it fairly steamy outside but it is slightly cooler (87).

a few links:

did you know the super cool andrea is hosting a fall swap? go! sign up.

misty paints beauty.

hannah + film = loveliness.

lisa + letterpress = so, so good!

keri's non-planner datebook = brilliant. off to order one now.

*****************************************

i am going to have a natural elements photo week on the blog starting monday. would you like to play along?

monday-water
tuesday-earth
wednesday-air
thursday-fire
friday-metal

let me know in the comments or via email if you plan on joining in. i'll post a list of links on my blog on monday along with my water photo. i could also set up a flickr group.

best go. f. pea and m are coming over this evening and i want to bake cookies (whole wheat poppyseed maybe?) and spruce up the house.

xo
s

398: bark, inspiration

when we took t's brother to the eno, i found myself photographing tree bark again. the bark is so varied just like landscapes. i am thinking of creating a project based on the idea of tree bark as a landscape. not sure what direction i want to go in though.

yesterday, while at work, i happened across a photography book on champion trees and then discovered the beautiful photographs of barbara bosworth. see more here.


somehow, i found myself over at blindspot. so much inspiration there. you could spend an entire afternoon on this website.



encouraged by martha, i have also been painting shadows. so fun.

just time for a quick post today. more tomorrow.
xo
s

397: impressions

i took these 2 photos when t and his brother were skipping stones. i love how the ripples in the water look like white paint. these seem very impressionistic to me.

some of my favorite photos are of water.

there are so many things i want to write about. little snippets from books i'm reading, my beautiful new otchi-potchi apron dress, the care package my mom sent my way (which i LOVE. thanks mom!), my trip to maine in september. all of these things are swirling around in my head, on the tip of my tongue yet i can't seem to concentrate this morning. today is my busiest day of the week. i guess i keep coming back to that.

so i will sign off for now. more very soon.

oh and a very happy birthday to m!

396: slowly

hello!

our pace slowed drastically this weekend. we hosted t's brother and spent the weekend walking to restaurants, brewing beer (an ipa), cooking breakfast and lunches, and hiking by the eno. i can't remember a weekend that felt so leisurely, so free from the restraints of time. we were all just enjoying life in the moment. it feels strange to finally arrive at monday. i'm just not ready for the pace to pick up again.

inspiring me:

paula's black and white photo series.

molly's beautiful honeymoon photos.

martha's new collection. i must have this columnar tunic! :)

okkervil river.

please stop by the one in ten auction and take a look at the beautiful items available. the proceeds from the auction will help cover the cost of eireann's mom's medical bills. read more about the auction here.

happy monday!

395: the blur of the week past

hi there.

i've been thinking a good deal about this quote from ansel adams:

"A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety."



today i'm posting my favorite images from the past week. they just so happen to be blurry, abstract, out of focus, grainy. and while i realize that these photographs may only be meaningful, interesting, or beautiful to me, i wanted to share them because in these photographs, i see the essence of life. beautiful imperfection, passing time, the soul of the moment, the blur of the week past.



hope you have a great weekend. if you feel so inclined, join me over at ship for the last post on the year of magical thinking. we begin a new book soon.

cheers!
shari

394: dogwood leaves, t hanging laundry, and the most perfect book

our dogwood tree has had enough of the 100 degree temperatures and drought; it has started dropping leaves. and, i just heard on the radio that many folks will lose the old trees in their yards this summer if they don't water them. it looks like we won't have a colorful fall this year either. so sad.



my current favorite photo of t. hanging sheets on the line in preparation for his youngest brother's upcoming visit.

marsha went to portland a few weeks ago and i asked her to bring me back the day to day life of albert hastings if she saw it in powell's. and guess what? she handed it to me yesterday morning...which in turn, forced me to post today. i could not love this book more, and i had to share it.







truly, the cover, the color, the handwriting...all amazing. not to mention that it is the perfect size and it feels good in your hands. the photos are so lovely and heartwarming. it is truly a beautiful, beautiful book. i highly recommend that you pick up a copy if you are at all interested in photography and the art of everyday living.



and finally, me before heading to work this morning, in the mirror that constantly needs cleaning (i know, i know). this is the uniform studio simple dress paired with my favorite summer sweater.

today's simple pleasures:
dark chocolate with cranberries and almonds
cold coffee
stephanie says by the velvet underground, which i'm using to help me learn the f chord.

okay. back to my to do list. see ya tomorrow.
xo

393

just wanted to say a quick hi and share another favorite photo from the botanic gardens.

i need to catch up on so many different things, so i think i'll take a few days off. see you friday here and on ship.

thanks for reading.

392

thank you for all of your kind words about the farm photos. a very special thank you to maditi for featuring some of the photos on her visual blog, maditi likes. such an honor!

we finally got a small break from the overwhelming heat. on saturday afternoon, we went to the nc botanic gardens and of course, i took tons of photos. i really like the one above. do you see the slight ripples in the bottom left and top right corners?

then, cool breezes on sunday morning inspired us to go for a bike ride. don't get me wrong; it's still hot. it's just good summer hot vs. miserable, suffocating hot.

some things i've been enjoying this weekend:

homemade pesto orzo with chopped tomatoes.

reading the new alice waters biography. it's quite good. inspiring even. i love that she used to be a montessori teacher (so did i). ;)

working on 2 new songs that i wrote and hoping to record them soon.

white tshirts and army green bermuda shorts.

more brideshead episodes.

receiving a phonecall from a good friend who is arriving for a quick visit today. yay!

bicycle shadows.

enjoying my new five pebble bag from paula and my naturals postcard set from jen.

thinking about how drinking a tall glass of cool water is like a meditation.

planning our upcoming road trip to maine.

cooking nigel's roasted tomato soup (so easy!) and having it chilled with thick slices of cantaloupe on the side.

visiting a co-op in a neighboring city and bringing home a new granola mix (maple syrup, sunflower seeds, and whole hazelnuts), singing dog vanilla, a few pluots, and some garlic.

driving to greensboro yesterday afternoon to go to the weatherspoon museum.

lying down in a dark gallery surrounded by speakers and the sounds of owls, frogs, crickets, etc. have a listen to night chatter by stephen vitiello.

later lying down in our backyard, listening once again to the night chatter and desperately straining our eyes to see one of the perseid meteors. t saw one. i did not even though we left our backyard post and walked up and down the street.

feeling a bit better too. thank you for the well wishes.
xo
s

391: the farm (day four)

the last of the farm photos. i like this bunch.

looking forward to tomorrow as friday is already off to a rough start. t called me at 5:45 am to say that the csa van was out of gas. my car's check engine light is on again (i just had it repaired and serviced two weeks ago) and i'm getting sick.

driving back from picking up t and going to the gas station, i realized how irritated i was. then i thought, find something positive. i looked up and saw a small group of blackbirds flying above. they looked so carefree and playful. i'm hoping to bring this attitude to the rest of the day despite the challenges i'm dealing with.

hope you have a good weekend.
xo
shari
ps: lisa is up at ship.

390: the farm (day three)

we've been eating locally as much as possible lately. one favorite meal was scrambled eggs with parmesan cheese and cracked pepper, cantaloupe (from this farm) and fried green tomatoes. very delicious.

i just noticed this morning that the birds have stopped singing. i wish i could pinpoint the exact day they stopped but i can't. however, i completely understand why. it was 104 degrees F here yesterday with more of the same today. gosh, i'm grateful for air conditioning.

hope you have a nice day!
s

389: the farm (day two)

hi friends.

today, i'm using flickr to host my photos and i've noticed that because of the larger images, blogger often crops them just a bit. this never seemed to happen before but it happened with my eno photos so there you go. i also like these photos larger. click on the photo or visit flickr to see them larger.

it is interesting to me too that i prefer these images in clusters. i am reading a great book called maps of the imagination: the writer as cartographer (more on the book later) that makes me think that these images work together to create a map of the farm. if you look at one image alone, you are missing part of the story.

more farm photos tomorrow but i'd like to leave you with a few farm links.

maverick farms--this farm in north carolina was recently featured in gourmet magazine. T and i are going to see if they still have space for us at their indian dinner this weekend.

apifera farm

pocket farm

we will be planting our fall garden this morning. radishes, carrots, lettuce, spinach. i hope to go to the garden center and buy a few marigolds too. love those colors! in other news, this is the 6th straight day of unbelievably hot temperatures. i hope it rains soon.

xo
s

388: the farm (day one)

it was a hazy, scorching day. i literally sprinted out to the fields to take photos as if there were flames nipping at my exposed heels. so much to see though. twisting vines, purple flowers, colorful farm equipment, peppers bleached white by a powerful sun.

more tomorrow and throughout the week. i think i'll save my favorites for friday.

it's national farmer's market week. support your local farms!!

387

hi there.

we took t's sister to our favorite spot in durham this weekend: the eno river. it was a hazy, sticky day but still the beauty was overwhelming. sitting on a rock in the river, i was reminded of a poem by billy collins.

First must have come listening
to the wind or regarding
the movements of animals,
then monitoring the stars

and sometime after that
scrutinizing fire;
but somewhere in there belongs
watching the progress of a river

from an elevated bank,
studying the pooling near the edges,
the way the smooth or rippled
current divulges the secret

contours of the unseen bottom,
and the effects of sky-light
on the surface,
all the elongated colors of the flow.

excerpted from the poem "the list of ancient pastimes" from the book picnic, lightning.







we also went to the farm and i brought my new camera! i'll probably share photos from the farm for the rest of the week.

happy monday!
xo
shari

386

our first homegrown tomato cradled gently in grateful hands.

t and i are like giddy new parents. ;) it's not completely ripe as you can see but we were afraid a bird would want a snack so we greedily picked it before its prime.

confession: my new camera has not left the premises. i'm scared that i'm going to drop it! must get used to carrying heavier camera!! i'm hoping to take it to t's farm this weekend to photograph the cascading tomato vines, the fields of queen anne's lace, the bee boxes, the wide open sky. i have so much to learn, and there is so much beauty on the farm. seems like the natural choice.

t's sister is arriving today for a weekend visit. i hope we will stop by artspace to see this installation. i really love ann marie kennedy's work.




cheers! and happy weekend.
shari
ps: be sure to pop over to ship and join in the conversation.

385: yesterday

i woke up yesterday feeling moody and irritable. and yet, the day totally redeemed itself. all in all, yesterday was wonderful. here's why:

--i finished the sea, the sea yesterday on the porch. the book ends in august which i thought was perfectly fitting. there is a postcript that continues through october but that final passage in august with the billions of stars and the seals...well, it just made my day. if you are thinking of reading this novel, please know that it is a commitment. you have to be determined to make it past the first 150 pages. it will be worth it. trust me.

--we went to bahn's for the vegetarian special (fried tofu with black bean sauce, broccoli, and sticky rice with peanuts) and met up with our friends a & r. we had a lovely little lunch. gosh, i didn't realize how much i missed the vegetarian special. it's only available on wed. and sat and for some reason we hadn't gone in a long while.

--i volunteered at the special collections library, which i have been doing for a few months and was told that i will now get paid for my work!

--t and i sat on the porch late in the afternoon talking about our garden. lazing about on a hot summer day with the one you love does wonders for your soul.

--we had a great meal with cherries (!) and ended the evening with chocolate chip cookie dough floats. they were super sweet and foamy and delicious.



and then this morning, i treated myself to a creamy, foamy latte and THE best currant scone from weaver street.

i've been working on a southern charm cd mix for a good friend and was wondering if others would be interested. in exchange for my mix, you would send me the equivalent from your part of the world. not quite sure if i'll do this but let me know if you are, in fact, interested and perhaps i'll give it a go.

finally, these two posts keep surfacing in my mind. they are both so lovely.

have a great day!
s.

ps: hi tiziana! thank you for reading. ;)

384

another little kitchen scene. on the windowsill is a tomato cutting in a jam jar, my favorite tiny red buddha, a jen causey postcard, and our overflowing spice racks, which t built himself. the photo is a bit overexposed but i love how bright the kitchen looks. our house is always so dark...tough for taking photos.




i've been thinking of making an ice cream float all week. this one is cookies and cream ice cream with cream soda. summery and fun. perhaps tonight is the night.

last night i was washing dishes. i should never do it when i'm tired and hungry because i stop paying attention. anyway, my fingers slipped and i cut myself on a large knife. my middle finger of my dominant hand was cut which makes typing and writing difficult. i don't like the sight of blood especially when it is coming from my own body but i have to admit that the color just fascinated me. to think that this deep, intense red is flowing through our bodies, hidden away inside. hmm.

anyway, my finger hurts. best wrap this up.

xo
s