Delicate

Image by Me

Give me a camera and a bouquet of flowers and a sunny afternoon and I am a happy camper. I never tire of looking at the light, the way it caresses the petals and exposes the fine lines of the tender white flowers. My father studied art and color theory at Harvard (before heading off to Columbia for a business degree) and I remember, when I was really young, his telling me that "white" subjects, walls, fabric, flowers, etc, were incredibly hard to paint. As a child I thought that was ridiculous, but then again at that point White was one crayon in a box. Now I see so many hues and tones which are not really white at all. Life is like that. Things are not Black OR White, but subtle shades of light refracted - feelings, thoughts, beliefs, all delicate rays, difficult to portray or explain. They just *are*.

Last night was a lovely Valentines dinner at home with my daughters and my oldest daughter's boyfriend. I made a roast beef, roasted herbed potatoes and leeks with cream. Our house now sports three bouquets of carnations, one pink, one red, one white, which the boyfriend brought for all of us. I put mine in an old china teapot on my kitchen table, already festooned with a red and white plaid tablecloth. I had a spiffy phone call with my mother in Pittsburgh (*waves at Mom*) who confirmed that, yes, indeed, the tickets for ANTHONY BOURDAIN's lecture in March have been purchased!!! I am flying over for a visit at the end of the month. Major ***SQUEE!!!!*** Fraptious Joy! Callou! Callay! I must practice stretching my jaw so that when I spend the entire evening slack-jawed and drooling, I won't suffer spasms.

Hey, and guess what? I have already begun designing March's masthead, and let me tell you this...it is a doozie!!!

Speaking of doozies, here is some Cool Stuff to gander.

Your Daily Dose of Cool Things:

World's Largest Drum for Peace

I love drums and drumming. I own 6 drums, 2 djembes, 1 ashiko, 1 tubano, 1 frame drum, and a cajon, which is a completely wooden conga. When I saw this huge drum for peace, I smiled, lots.

Steampunk, revisited

I am not sure what the allure is for me with Steampunk. I am not a huge fan of Science Fiction as a genre, though I do enjoy the socio-science fiction, which proposes interesting cultures and sciences, over the war clashing spaceship kind. but, there is something that brings me to the Quasi-Victorian Steam Powered Fiction, and when I saw this engine I was all a-squiggle. Plus, as a visual junkie, the lines of this design are so *totally* yummy.

Your Daily Dose of Wonderful Design:

Nifty Design Blog

It is probably no surprise to some that, for me, typography is exciting. I love this font. Really. Love. This. Font. I also love this blog, and find myself returning often for information and direction. The visual display of information is fascinating to me, and the use of creative, clean and bright typeface and fonts is alluring and stimulating for me. I think some of my discretionary income next month will go to some Font Purchases, always good money spent.

Your Daily Dose of Inspiring Words:

Image by KAINOPHOBIA

"We find ourselves through an effort of discovery. That we are all born into this life, with years of uncovering to follow, is simple, and fact. The events in which we play part or which come upon us are the mirror, and our senses and our eyes, through the effort of discovery, open to all that is being reflected. Until we find the strength to open and see the good and the bad, until we look and see our failures and our graces, the glass is blank; the name is unwritten; and the night star, your night star, is for you invisible." - Mark T. Schultz of A Well-lit Path


Your Daily Dose of Wicked-Good Food:

Leeks baked in Cream

(Serves four)

2 large leeks
1 pint light cream
salt
pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
olive oil


Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Okay, now, about leeks...the best way to clean leeks, which save lovely bits of mud in their leaves, is to chop the leeks off just before the green on the stalk. Take the green frond to the sink and pull the individual leaves off (sorta like an artichoke) and soak them in a sink full of cold water. You may need to rub a little if the mud is, well, tenacious.

Chop the other half into 1/2 rounds on the bias. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and add the leek rounds. Take the greens and chop them into 1/2 inch segments and add them to the skillet, add salt and pepper and stir until the leeks become slightly wilted. Place the leeks in a baking dish and bake at 375 for about 15 minutes. Next, pour the cream over the leeks sprinkle with the nutmeg and return to the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes until the whole thing is bubbly and the cream has thickened a bit. Allow to cool slightly before serving if you value your tongue.