Ten Good Things

1. I restarted the Couch to 5k program. I am starting to recall what endorphins feel like. I tricked myself into running today: I was feeling grumpy and tired and committed to only a five minute walk, which turned into a run. It was barefoot at the beach--my best running method.

2. I am going to participate in a month-long writing project in July....it looks to be a rewarding experience. I have to start writing every day in preparation for the course. I am excited to write again and become a better teacher of writers in the process. You may be hearing from me more often--I assume blogging counts?

3. EIGHT more days in the classroom.  I  love my students and tell them so, it is a joy to watch them grow so dramatically: I now have a room full of readers and writers.  But I am feeling like a mother bird,  ready to push them out of the nest and on to 1st grade. I thrive when I am busy but I am in desperate need of some downtime. If I haven't called you please don't take it personally.

4. Andrew is becoming an accomplished artist. He brings me home beautiful things from the pottery studio most days. I support this despite his clay caked clothes.  I love his style!

5. My aunt and uncle are selling their house in MD and moving to Hawaii, my homeland. It's a tad bittersweet as love their mainland place, such a comfortable rambling home....please someone buy it--it's full of wonderful memories and good vibes.  I am really looking forward visiting their new home on the Big Island..before long I'll be hanging out on their big porch and eat papayas from their yard. Ahh Hawaii.

6. My grandpa turned 89 yesterday. My grandparents also celebrate their wedding anniversary! 

7. I will likely see them in June. I adore these people.

8.  I have a new Beta fish (a blue one). He fits in well. Beta Boy is the rejected pet of our dear friends...he was eating their other fish.

9. These same friends are having a baby. And a girl at that!  Super stoked for you Courtney & Stephen.

10.  A co-worker who is a former yoga friend told me this morning she will kick my butt if I don't come back to yoga soon. She is so fit and happy and happening...mid 50ies and amazing.  I am grateful for the good role models in my life. I plan to rededicate myself to the practice pronto.

Mugs We Didn't Make

Andrew has been ceramicing/potterizing/whipping-up-a-frenzy-of-clay. I love it. Most of the kitchenware I use is beautifully handmade. He is so talented and I am so proud. His skill is growing. I've been telling him that though he'll be the Doctor Of he might just have to be my Trophy Husband Potter Man when I am a rich teacher. ;-) It is making me miss dabbling in cool clay. But with a Monday through Friday job, a dedicated yoga practice, and a healthy social life my hobbies haven't gotten the attention they used to. Oh yeah, and I'm supposed to be planning a wedding.

School's out in 10 days. Life will be different with part-time summer take-it-or-leave it work.

But this post is supposed to be about the two mugs featured at the top. Just because I have a handmade collection: I am a non-discriminate mug lover. We found the blue-and-white handpainted one at the Swap Shop, our free-community thrift store. And I bought the light green one from the sale table at Starbucks. Pretty things cheer my heart. And I realize this love of comfy cups likely stems from a hardcore tea habit.

Clayfulness

I love this picture hanging in the pottery studio. The preschooler who made it really captured someone at the wheel. Check out Andrew getting down and dirty in a comparable image:

There are masterful artists who work and fire in the studio. Watching them unload the kiln is an enthralling art show. Most potters are generous with their knowledge. I am trying different decorative techniques out. Below is a bowl designed with pencil when leather hard, dipped in colored slip, coated with wax resist, then recarved and filled in with iron oxide. Next step: salt kiln. I'll post an "after" if it makes it. Here are two bowls I made after glazing:Same bowls after:I read an NPR article on the phasing out of the boombox, A Eulogy for The Boombox, the same day I noticed these folks still partying like it's 1988.

Open Your Eyes

I love living by the ocean.

I'm a dabbler. This is why teaching elementary school appealed to me far more than being a single-subject teacher. I have many interests and go through obsessive hobby phases like tennis, jewelry-making, or long-board skateboarding. Most recently I'm consumed by digital photography, making bread from wild yeast, ceramics, and learning about plants. Though I never "go pro" or really even excel, I feel like these experiences help me grow a new understanding of how things work. They all become a part of me. Not surprisingly, choosing a major in undergrad was really difficult for me. I settled on English literature, feeling like it was most inclusive and complemented my interests in both history and art. Plus, reading and writing are other favs!

My hobbies these days help me to remember to live in the moment and give me a sense of purpose.

They danced by the light of the moon...

While I've always loved picture taking, I'm getting into night photography for the first time. The clear desert skies combined with lack of city lights make for great star-gazing weather. I love the challenge and magic of a low-light-setting. The moon was almost full.

Pottery requires intense concentration and a relaxed sort-of mind/body coordination. I have to smudge my name on the bat because I completely forget what I make between sessions. These bowls still need to be trimmed on the bottom but I whipped them out so quickly I was shocked. Last semester I'd spend hours just trying to center one blob of clay. Documenting growth is rewarding!

Yes, I am!

Fruit, Photos, Clay & Dirt

Recently, whenever a recipe turns out really well I consider it as a possible blog post. So, I snap a quick photo and later when it is time to add a pic, I am horrified with the results. Images of awful slop (and that's putting it nicely) almost negate the positive memory of a meal. So, as my passion for photography and good food develop, I've decided I want to combine hobbies and get better at food photography.

The blood orange featured above was almost gobbled up by my bf before I could capture nature's candy in all its glory. I've been delighting in citrus this winter--it is the best snack--neatly wrapped, gives you pep, and it's good for you. While regrowing my love for blood oranges (which I became terribly sick of while living in Italy--it was the ONLY fruit I ever got) I came across an article on NPR about their merits. This last batch we got is so red that it's purple, which according to the article is due to the same chemical that makes blueberries blue.

We've also started up ceramics again--this time in a new place with new materials. Now we're getting our artistic groove on in an old pottery shack that's even closer to home. It is indoor/outdoor, VERY funky, near the ocean, and has 3 different kiln options (rakku, salt, and regular). Plus, I have been experimenting with new materials. I was getting almost decent with stoneware, so A talked me into experimenting with b-mix (stronger but I don't like it--too sticky feeling!) and porcelain. I have fallen for porcelain: it is so soft and light and easy to center and shape (but alas, also to ruin). I appreciate that I can work and still enjoying the sunshine and fresh air from the day:

The garden is growing wonderfully. Our brief spell of rain really brightened things up. I just planted some more strawberry and asparagus root systems, and got some summer bulbs to plant between the rose bushes. Gladiolus' galore:

The veggies are also prolific and I am looking forward to the harvest. I have Fava beans, celery, and a ton of leeks in the plot on the left and on the right are the peas, artichokes, Swiss chard, and a patch of cruciferous veggies (mainly broccoli and Brussel sprouts).