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By Lindsey, January 20, 2012

Some scenes from our house on this bright, sunny, kinda warm, and very windy Friday:

Cranberry-Pumpkin Muffins

Sagebrush on the bedroom wall

Hanging dragonflies

The Ficus

Homemade basket

The hoosier

Heat register

Crown of Thorns - Euphorbia milii

Taken in Sydney

Peruvian Rug

Typical

In the living room

Bits o' nature

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By Lindsey, January 6, 2012

Yesterday when I went to the alley to spread out some too-fibrous-to-eat winter squash seeds for the squirrels, I spotted this little prize waiting for me next to the dumpster! It seemed to say “I thought you’d never come!” so I scooped it up and back into the house we went. I surprised F with it when he got home from work — he loved it! If you get really close it has a heavenly smell, just like a grown-up evergreen. F wants to re-pot it into something larger and nicer.

I sometimes have a hard time identifying evergreens, so I pulled out my Grandma Helen’s book, Hardy Evergreens, from 1934. Helen was my dad’s mom, and sadly I never got to meet her; from what everyone says about her, though, we would have been two nature-loving peas in a pod. Anyway, it’s pretty hard to tell, but our tree might be some kind of fir (from the flattened needle shape, needle growth habit, and bud shape). At first I was thinking spruce, but the needle cross section shape suggests more of a fir. Ah well, it doesn’t really matter.

I’m not sure if it likes to be inside in the warmth… I’m thinking outside against the south wall would suit it better; does anyone have experience with these?

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By Lindsey, January 5, 2012

It was a beautiful day today! 60°+ temperatures and sunny. So spring-like, and it made me feel like doing some spring freshening of the house. Consequently, there was lots of laundry-doing, floor-sweeping, vacuuming, and airing out of rugs and bedding. The windows were open, and I burned a stick of my favorite piñon pine incense that I bought in Santa Fe. I carried it around to all the rooms, and into the corners and crevices of each room, clearing any stagnant energy that might be lurking. In addition to making the house smell wonderful, the incense smoke is thought to be good for cleansing the energy of your home. Many cultures the world over use it for this purpose. I find it interesting when divergent cultures all happen to share a common ritual, because then I think ‘hmm, there might really be something to that.’

I took a break to sit in the sun, and was reading random pages in the book 168 Feng Shui Ways to Declutter Your Home, and came across a section that talked about the energetics of living near a hospital (and how to remedy that energy), and another section talking about living near a cemetery. I realized while reading this that my whole entire life has been lived — in one place or another — within a few blocks of two or three hospitals. And the apartment we currently live in is actually sandwiched — within just a couple blocks — between a cemetery and two hospitals! And not only that, but the very house we live in was used during WWII as a makeshift hospital. (And I hardly dare go this far, but I’ve always said “this house is cursed!” much to my hubby’s chagrin…because many of the plants I bring here have quickly died for no apparent reason.)

The hospital section says:

“If you live near a hospital, you are in close proximity to yin spirits. This is because hospitals are where the yin chi of sick (and dying) people accumulates, and this is not healthy for yang living abodes. It saps the vitality of your home. Even apartment houses and mansions on land where a hospital used to be are said to be afflicted with left-over energy. This energy can be so yin as to cause residents illness and problems. … Fire energy, in the form of incense smoke, absorbs yin chi and dissipates it, and so is an effective way to balance the yin emanating from hospitals or hospital land, and also police stations, abattoirs, and other places where there is death, sickness, and dying energy present. Many Chinese, who observe space-cleansing rituals purify their homes with incense smoke each Friday evening just after sunset. …”

The cemetery section says:

“If your home or apartment house is located near a burial ground, it is a good idea to cleanse your home regularly with incense. … Homes located near cemeteries are vulnerable to what is known as yin spirit formation, an affliction that often brings illness to children or those whose astrological timing is low and weak. The Chinese are especially sensitive to this kind of affliction and often combat it with fire-energy cleansing, which makes use of incense and smoke. It is believed that smoke from holy fragrant incense that is placed on a burning coal keeps yin spirits away from your home.

I was reassured, however, by reading this particular paragraph regarding negative energies in your home:

When negative chi has seeped into the spirit of a home in this manner, it must be released. Releasing it is not difficult. It is not hard to cleanse spaces of their left-over energy, regardless of how strong the negative energy is.

Thank goodness for that! And you can bet I’ll be carrying out incense space-clearings on a more regular basis! I also like using the Australian Bush Flower Essence Space Clearing Spray and will most certainly be making up a fresh batch of that spray for much more regular household use!

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What do you do to clear the energies in your home?

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When the weather gets warm, the rugs get put out on the roof!

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By Lindsey, December 17, 2011

We’ve got the lovliest little Christmas tree in our apartment!

F. and I decorated it together Thursday night. My favorite trees are the sparse and spindly Charlie Brown type, and I think this one is just perfect. I love it!

Last year I made ornaments out of sea shells from my stash. I’m really glad I did that, because we don’t have enough windowsill space to display them. So instead of them sitting in a box in the closet, they get to be beautifully displayed on the tree each Christmas. And that way they become even more special because I don’t see them every day, so they aren’t just becoming part of the scenery.

My two favorites are the miniature abalone (‘paua’) shell, and the giant scallop shell. Both I found in New Zealand; they hold special memories!~

And this year we have a beautiful pink flamingo at the top of our tree. Hubby put it there and I love it! I also decorated my little Norfolk Island pine, and you can see it has its own little flamingo too.

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Comments (3)

By Lindsey, December 13, 2011

So how do you transport — on a bike — an 18-inch loaf of fragile and delicious 6-braid challah bread? Funny you should ask, since I just did that last week…

You take the bottom of the box that your new canning jars came in. You fold it in thirds and tape one end shut. You wrap your challah like a mummy, lay it in its box, and keep everything together with a couple rubber bands.

Stick it in your backpack, taking care to tie your zippers together with a couple of twisties twisted together to make an extra-long twistie…lest the zippers unzip and the challah fall out.

And voila! It will arrive perfectly intact after its ride across town:

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And join me a little later this week when we’ll bake challah together and I’ll show you (in a video) how to do a 6-braid loaf.

Update: click here for challah recipe & instructions.

♥

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Comments (7)

By Lindsey, December 8, 2011

A couple weekends ago, my mom and I were admiring some beautiful wreaths and swags at the local garden center; they smelled so good, and were so Christmasy! There really is nothing like the real thing when it comes to greenery at Christmas… and really, there’s nothing like the real thing with just about anything in life, I’ve decided.

But instead of buying them, we wanted to make our own — and so yesterday we did. Across the street and through the snow we went, clippers and bags in hand, to the park across the way. We gave some of the trees a ‘light pruning’ while filling bags with fragrant boughs, then cleared off their dining room table, turned on some Christmas music, brewed tea, and got to work.

We learned quickly that gloves are a must for a project like this!

Our creations began to take shape, and we admired each other’s work, exclaiming how that wreath and those swags were even better than the ones we could’ve bought. And how they were totally local, totally fresh, and totally free. What satisfaction to make something so beautiful! They smell incredible, too — something I didn’t really expect from city pine trees. Like a mix of fresh Christmas trees and wood smoke.

Here’s the wreath my mom made for the front of their house. Isn’t it beautiful!! I love how she added pine cones and some bare lilac branches.

Here’s the swag I made for inside our apartment:

A miniature one for the bathroom:

And a table centerpiece:

I love fresh winter greenery in the house!

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By Lindsey, December 6, 2011

Except in storybooks, you don’t really hear about nightcaps much, do you? But if you’re a cold sleeper like I am, they’re so helpful! I began wearing one to bed during the winter a couple years ago, and couldn’t believe the difference it made! So I wear one each night and stay a lot warmer now.

Do you ever wear a nightcap to bed on cold winter nights?

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Comments (3)

By Lindsey, December 3, 2011

What a nice day we had today; it snowed through the night and this morning we awoke to an enchanting winter wonderland!

It was cold and humid and still lightly snowing when F and I walked to the local health food store at midday, and now, tonight, it’s 12° outside and we’re tucked into our warm apartment, smelling pork roast and vegetables baking in the oven.

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This is heaven!

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Here are some pictures from our walk:

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Comments (5)

By Lindsey, November 10, 2011

When Trish over at Soul Soup Sister wrote about her parents’ house and how peaceful it is and how it has an abundance of good energy and is a good place to just sit quietly, I could totally relate! I love my parents’ house for all the same reasons. When I ride my bike across a main thoroughfare into their neighborhood, I notice that I breathe out a big sigh. It’s a quieter, safer, and much less congested neighborhood. A much calmer atmosphere. We have a lovely little apartment of course — it’s a space of love and laughter, it has good energy, and it has lots of character and beautiful stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings. However the neighborhood is congested and noisy, we have people living below us, I feel disconnected from nature and the earth, and even if I did have my own yard, I wouldn’t feel totally safe and at ease sitting in it (the neighborhood being what it is). And when I don’t leave this place for days at a time — held prisoner by this illness — our sweet apartment begins to feel like my cell.

So it feels really good to go to their house…where my cat lives…where my gardens are….where the piano is…a house which is sometimes so quiet that my ears ring…which has a safe & private yard…and just be in peace. I feel extremely lucky to have their house as another option for days when I need to get outta here, or be outside, but don’t feel well enough to be out and about in the world. It feels like a healing respite. There’s lots of quietude and good energy.

I went over there Tuesday — my cat was the only one home. She took a nap in the sunshine on the warm straw in the garden while I puttered around and collected the last of the parsley, calendula, and queen anne’s lace seeds, and then had some tea. Later we took a nap, cuddled up together under a blanket on the couch. My cat is so great. We are so in tune with each other. She’s so good at quietly supporting… just being there. I was taking a nap, and every once in a while I’d open my eyes to see if she was sleeping too, but no… each time I’d open my eyes she’d be staring at me! Eventually, though, she did close her eyes and sleep too.

Here are some pictures from around my parents’ house:

Can you see the kitty rushing by?

I adore this painting my dad did for me, of an Australian Aboriginal man. My dad is amazing. I wish I had his talent~

My cat Liz, resting on the straw in my garden.

The front porch

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