Saturday, July 01, 2006

On Today

Today I saw a single huge orange blossom in a pumpkin patch. Today I knit. Today I steeped coffee beans in cream for a custard.

Today I have taken joy in unexpected lonely orange. Today I have had joy in sitting by the pool watching my daughter swim. Today I have taken joy in creation.

Today I have loved, and lived well, and played, and been loved.

Today is a good day.

Creation

Out of nothing - something.

Out of chaos - order.

Out of tangles - skeins.

Out of fevered dreams - tales.

Out of heat and raw things - food.

Out of meditation - serenity.

Out of observation - wisdom.

Out of writing - peace.

On Yesterday

Yesterday was a good day.

Friday, June 30, 2006

The Search for Delicious

Delicious is

grape leaf rice

homemade lemonade

hot sweet tea

perfectly cooked beans

cranberry pudding

thai iced coffee

Jane Austen's sense of humor

Chopin's music

chilled white wine on the fourth of July

and of course

a cold glass of water when you're very very thirsty.

Pu Erh

Pu Erh tea is unique. Like lapsang souchong, it's a tea you either love or hate.

There is no middle ground with a tea that smells like manure.

It's flavor is very rich and earthy - some people call it winy, but those people are also usually paying through the nose to buy pu-erh's that are years upon years old. While dark in color and usually sold with black teas, it is not techinally a black tea, having it's own unique processing.

Pu Erh tea is considered medicinal in Chinese medicine, and there is some scientific evidence supporting this - particularly suggesting that pu erh consumption can help reduce cholesterol levels. Anecdotally, I can offer my personal experience and opinion that a strong cup of pu erh tea is excellent for alleviating the digestive difficulties experienced after gall bladder surgery.

I brew pu erh tea very simply - 212 F water, five minutes.

Drinking pu erh tea makes me happy -- there is a peaceful pleasure in the careful brewing, in the scent of animal, in the spreading comfort in the belly. It is an experience of deliciousness and nurturing.

On Yesterday.

Yesterday I read to my daughter, read to myself, and knitted. Yesterday I found joy in creation and in unexpected success.

Yesterday was a good day.

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Vital Signs

tea

solitude

sleep

writing

sunshine

reading

Without these things I wither. With them I bloom.

What are your vital things?