gratitude Saturday: a practice in spring

Will be spending the week practicing sewing--napkins, hopefully, for Jesse's stint in Houston with the USBCBC--and then reminding myself about the possibilities and beauty of screen printing and printing. This tutorial from Poppytalk is wonderful for home printing, but I really want to go back and look at all the Lotta Jansdotter books I have that I haven't had time to really read.

The weekend was eventful! My folks came up, my sister and Jason came up (minus Willow sadly), and Jesse and I got a chance to eat good food, drink good drinks, and relax with our lovely family. I'm extremely grateful for that time and how it enabled me to see the Finger Lakes more fully, feel more optimistic, and think about my own goals and desires in this difficult flux and economy right now.

Actually, Jason and Tara reminded me--a few times--that I've done a lot and this sense of "not doing enough" is temporary, is probably not true, and will yield something good in the long run.

Gratitude Roll:

1. chickens and eggs

We forgot to hardboil eggs for Easter, but we did search around for plastic eggs filled with candies. Either way, I love eggs and how much their yolks change depending on season and chicken type. These little guys were at the market looking extremely proud of themselves.

2. water and waterfronts

The market is right on the waterfront and you can watch the rowers, gather around the docks with warm tea and sandwiches, and enjoy a Saturday morning properly. Ithaca is a small city, which is new to me, and it's been nice to get to know the farmers at the market and to know that you'll run into the whole community right there, all in one place. Small town politics are something I'm just starting to understand, but everyone hears everything you say and everyone has an opinion--it's like a family. At first, I was a little startled by how much people were into people's business, but it's nurturing and it reminds you that things have consequences, that things matter.

3. photographs of strangers--specifically photographs of older men with amazing socks or shoes

It's popular in taverns here to have pictures of regal looking older men--love it! Look at these saddle shoes. For people who know me, I'm amazed at feet and how they are culturally and spiritually symbolic, something we care for enough to make looming metaphors about. This is slowly becoming a shoe fascination...a dangerous one for a penny bank account like my own.

I can't think of a better thing to feel grateful for than time with family, but the chocolate for the holiday helped make it even better. 

Scenes from a thankful weekend:

Architectural drawing to swoon over.

decorated window

Jesse walks past brick buildings