A Good Yarn

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.


If this isn't a good story, I don't know what is. And French-speaking children just make me smile! :)

The Lactard.

Alas! Creemees were a staple of my Vermont childhood.
(source)

They say that, after the age of breastfeeding, humans are no longer supposed to produce the enzyme that allows us to digest milk. In fact, it's a weird mutation that anyone continues to produce lactase into adulthood. Regardless, I watched as my sisters fell to the cruel axe of lactose-intolerance, one by one, and I smiled patiently as I tried my afflicted friend's dairy-free baked goods. For a long time, I told myself that any chance of happiness I had in life would end the day that butter was no longer an option. And cream cheese...the cream cheese!. Bagels would never be the same.

You can probably tell where this is going. It recently became very clear that dairy products will not play a large role in my future, and I'm surprisingly not sobbing in the bathtub hugging my dog right now. As it happens, when your guts have an issue, they are really very grateful when the issue is resolved. They sent me a well-penned thank-you note and everything. And I sent a you're-welcome card back. We're all good, now.

In any case, this doesn't change who I am, that being the toddler who would swipe butter when mum wasn't looking. And honestly...I still need a regular fix of something-or-other that has a healthy amount of fat and junk in it. And, as it turns out, it's really not that hard. There are plenty of yummies in the backs of Vegan cook books (even vegans like cookies!). Soymilk tastes great on cereal, soy cream in my coffee. I put avocados on just about everything, because it has the creamy texture I miss about cheese. Although goat cheese is usually safe for the lactards, as my brother affectionately calls us.

Finally, when the ice cream sirens began to call, I found a solution there too. I'm not usually a fan of soy- or rice-milk ice cream. They just don't taste the same to me. I've heard the Turtle Mountain products are really good, but after trying some coconut milk ice cream at a neat punk place in Seattle, I tried to make my own (for much cheaper, obvi). Feel free to steal my recipes after the jump. :)

Cheers!
Daisy

Linking Beauty

Sometimes you need a reminder of how beautiful everything can be. Going through the movements of a busy life can be hellishly dull. When I need a refresher, I immerse myself in light and color. When I can't do that (ahem. January and February, I'm looking at YOU.) I go elsewhere. Here are my most recent favorite links to soak up something beautiful, and feel ready to brave the gray winter.

thebloggess.com : both hilarious and insightful

The Bloggess - specifically her discussion of the Traveling Red Dress. It's utterly impractical, but that's what makes it wonderful. You can't feel bad about yourself in a ballgown, people. 

The Beauty Department - I am totally not this type. I think I've worn lipstick in public twice in my life (still working up the courage). And if I blow-dry my hair, it's a big day out. But I like the ideas, the colors, the patterns, and the tips on healthy hair and skin, and the beautiful braids. My hair happens to be the longest its ever been in my whole darn life, so it's been fun to experiment with all the braiding recipes that the internet has to offer.

A Cup of Jo - Joanna Goddard is a real-live writer, as well as a blogger. She writes about all different kinds of happies, including vintage photographs, interior design and fashion, and living in Manhattan (sigh). And while the content is good, I really love her aesthetic - too many designers have descended into white-walled blandness. It looks clean, but is hardly realistic and certainly not lively. Besides, if I tried for a minimalist white schema, it would be a coffee-splattered schema within a day or two. Her photos and writing are just full of energy.

Roost - A former Seattleite moved home to Alabama, she cooks to suit her husband's very restrictive diet, and makes it seem more lavish than anything I could concoct with full access to all grocery aisles. I am charmed by the rustic, earthy vibe combined with eloquent quotes or bits of poems. And while many food bloggers get away with posting mediocre recipes with fancy photos, I can attest to the magnificence of her honey carrot cake with coconut cream frosting. Karma can too. *ahem* 

Miss Moss - A vast gallery of collected things which are artsy, unusual, quirky, funky, colorful, weird, and wonderful. This is an uber-dose of beautiful.

Tattly - "Designy Temporary Tattoos." For someone who will probably never get a real tattoo, these are totally fun to play with. No regrets needed.

Anthropologie - This is where I go when I've got the "mean reds." Preferably, the brick-and-mortar store, where the prices are much less apparent. I don't really like the company or the people there, but as long as I'm left alone to browse and wonder, the aesthetic just makes my heart sing. 

Happy winter! How are you getting by with these gray days?

Daisy

Communication

I know it's been a while, but I can't apologize for my extended absence. Just as a conversation with friends is a blessing, sometimes so is silence. The time and space to think is ridiculously valuable these days, when I can't seem to escape technological stimuli. And my job this year, with some really wonderful troubled children, has left me with much to process, and little to share.

Still, I am more than ever aware of the need to put thoughts into words, even in small chunks, and even privately. I don't know if this is something that every human is compelled to do, but it feels right, so that makes it a fact in my book. (My book would be the opposite of science, though.) My observation has been that writing has the potential to heal the past and put the future into perspective. One of my old professors called it "telling your life as if it were a story." What words would you use to narrate your life?

Source.

One of my teenage students in this residential program was missing his mom terribly, so he bought a lovely leather-bound notebook and began to write his favorite poems in it. He gave it to his mom the next time he saw her, and she returned it with a poem or two of her own. They have continued to exchange this book for over a year now, taking turns writing thoughtful and uplifting quotes, poems (sometimes original) and observations in very neat lettering for each other to read and be comforted.

Antique calligraphy. Source

I thought it was such a beautiful idea: a collection of comforts. Communicating via poetry. Modern-day handwritten letters, preserved. And a testimony to the difficulty of his past year in our program. I can't believe my student allowed me to read something so personal.

I had a professor once who was intrigued by the things that people communicate via postcards. Sure, many of them say "wish you were here" and variations of that, but how does one condense an experience into a couple of sentences and a photo? They are their own poetry, in a way.

What to write..... (source)

Exhibit A of the postcard phenomenon: PostSecret.

The combination of art and poetry, along with unabashed intimacy, is purely stunning. And knowing some secrets of others offers reassurance in humanity, in the potential of people as a community.

How do you communicate best?

This. Is. Phenomenal.

From my favorite new shop on Etsy. ani & Rose.

Good lord, somebody please buy this. This must be worn in public somewhere. 

Boston

I am sitting at Logan Airport in Boston right now, sadly without the SK - he'll be occupied for the next week with various terrifying interviews for end-of-grad-school opportunities, and I have to get back to my students and my Good Karma. But naturally, what better time to blog than sitting in an airport, thinking about patronizing the nearest pub?

I find myself continually enchanted by Boston. I don't know if all those bricks emit some kind of intoxicating fumes, but I can walk through the city for hours, trying to recollect pieces of different stories, real and imagined, that took place among those bricks. The Age Of Innocence (by Edith Wharton) has a lovely few scenes in Boston on the common. 

Now, of course, there are other stories being told in Boston. There's a beautiful memorial to the victims of 9/11, the tail of which is shown below.

I am very curious to see what stories unfold in the coming year. 

Cheers - and happy New Year, my lovelies!

Daisy

Traveling Shawl Over

There are many possible strategies for travel knitting. There are mindless pieces for nervous travelers and more intricate work for people who are easily bored - although elbow and stash room must be taken into account. One would hardly make a tolerable airplane seat mate with elbows flapping through a difficult chunk of knitting. 

I tend to prefer lace and socks when I visit the old homestead. Both use very little yarn and can vary between engaging and mindless knitting. Besides, they produce something both lovely and cozy. Regardez:

I suspect that my little sister could wear socks on her ears and still look chic. She had her 20th birthday a few days ago, which is the official age of adulthood in Switzerland, and a grand occasion. I completed my Eiina shawl to give to her - unfortunately, it was in a paper bag with needles still attached. After she opened it, I took it back and promptly completed the last row and the tedious crocheted bind off. 

Do you hear that, Gweese? I CROCHETED FOR YOU. Now that's love.

More holiday knits to come. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with food that evokes savory memories, something that sparkles in the cold, and someone who warms your heart.