little friends.

open window and a little suitcase full of dear friendly scarves. 

[for, truth be told, be a scarf not friendly, out it goes into the wild world.]

snowshoes to the right, hitherto unused.

"toast and bacon and marmalade every breakfast"

[emily of new moon by lm montgomery]

my other current reading obsession.

how did herr bach know precisely how to express my thoughts?

first bells.

[lily-of-the-valley]

i've recently inherited my grandmother's wee espresso cup. it's a dear, isn't it?

..it comes welcomed into glad company.

i've always had a penchant for small things.

like a troupe of wee bears.

naughty, but tasty too, and all the way from germany.

xx

les lilas.

the very first

time my heart

was awakened to

the glories of

spring and sun

was when my

eyes first beheld

the wondrous beauty

of the enormous

heaven's-glory-bedecked

lilac laden bush

behind my house.

ends and beginnings.

this weekend we celebrated the life of one grandma, and buried her under a grand old tree,
in a beautiful cemetery on a fittingly rainy day.

 the next day we visited the graveside of our other grandma, who went to heaven less than a year ago.

and yet all of us were together, both last year and this, and in these sad times we've grown in appreciation for one another.

life goes on, death is part of it, and family is so valuable.

spring carries on, tulips finish their glory, yet the Savior is risen, and lilies of the valley and lilacs prepare to rejoice.
blessed resurrection.

mood music. [or, at risk of sounding like a music nerd]

thanks to mpr and performance today, the drive home from work had a perfect soundtrack on this wet and chilly day.
marcel tyberg symphony no 2 in f minor, of course! so good.

i like to combine words.

therefore, this is a baiku. can you guess which two words we're combining?

i had a bike race today

he took a shortcut through the forest

small and orange and fleet of wing

and any guesses on whom i raced? xx

three two three four [five].

night off? baking spree? ok, sure.

electric griddle on the fritz? lefse grill to the rescue!

brand new recipe- could it be naan bread, perhaps?

no, no. they are africa-shaped tortillas, of course!

in the cool of the day.

first cherry blossom.

showy ladies.

good cheer.

two two three four.

monday fun day equals 'let's make some more bread' day!

having previously attempted english muffins, with unsatisfactory results, i've been eager to try again.

i came across a recipe for english muffin bread, with simple ingredients and procedure.

you know how untoasted english muffin bread damages your trust in it forevermore?

this is moist and buttery and doesn't need anything to make it delicious. it tastes like sourdough, only less sour.

and it's so easy.

you know how english muffins really aren't worth eating unless they're toasted and slathered in butter, then honey, then peanut butter?

[at that point, they are definitely worth eating, let me tell you!]

well, instead of a mere toaster job, these came with the recommendation to grill them in a skillet with butter.. as if the bread itself isn't gorgeous enough.

perfect with or without butter. i'm off to toast a plateful for dinner. xo.

sunshine and valleys.

peas.

green is springing in the valley.

the friends. 

still waters. 

triumphant.

fiery.

this is called glory. 

twinkling thistles.

twirly-whirlies.

washed out.

rainbow forest. 

looked a lot safer from the other side.

clear and still and full of wonder.

 la lune.