City walking, to and from work.

Planting more herbs, even though recently the cat accidentally knocked my lovely basil off the sill and killed it dead. She was pretty interested in these guys as well, but I will not be deterred. There's something really wonderful about having growing things in the house, especially such visually appealing and aromatic ones as these herbs.

Weekend Pairing - Mother's Day

Different vessels for catching light.

This band suits the mood perfectly.

"Weeds" outside my apartment.
The bell-flowers and creeping vine (morning glory?) looked straight out of an Art Nouveau illustration--very inviting.
All I could think about while walking past the thistle patch that is literally as tall as I am was how unbelievably scary it would be to trip and fall into it.

On my desk lately.
What's on yours?

Having some quiet time to read in the afternoon (with my favorite afternoon light) feels so luxurious. I just finished White Fang and now I'm on to Call of the Wild, with the short story To Build A Fire right behind that. I don't know why I never read Jack London's books in grade school--animal "adventure stories" that aren't sappy and sentimental, what kid wouldn't love that?

Weekend Pairings - Changing Pace

-Usually when I have a weekend that looks to be free of plans, I go so crazy cramming in all the errands/chores/projects that I haven't been able to work on during the week that my weekend ends up just feeling like more work.
-That didn't happen this weekend.
-We lazed on the sofa, reading and napping.
-We went to the movies.
-We saw friends.
-We didn't do anything in a hurry.

-It was great.

-I feel like May is going to be a good month, and this is my intention for it: to remember this change of pace, this slowing down.

Shop Update

There is a new print in the shop today: a delicate Spring Sprig drawn by me for you.

On a walk by the water after dinner with two of my favorite people.

Drinking tea (black currant, stolen from the boy) and working on this and that. There will be a new print in the shop in a few days, as soon as I get a chance to photograph it: a stippled Spring sprig for the month of May.

P.S. I added two new-to-me blogs to my blog list: Hearblack and That's Just It Photo. Both are absolutely lovely. If you haven't checked them out, go ahead--I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

This

Some things I am enjoying on this last Wednesday of April:
-This photographer
-This lookbook
-This card
-This album
-This bookmark set (I love the Spring one I bought)
-This movie (not seen it yet, but look at those stills!)

On Flowers and Time

Every Sunday, I buy a bouquet of flowers for the kitchen table. Now that more and more flowers are blooming, spending my $5 worth of flower money each week at the farmers market is a colorful treat. I know some people think that cut flowers are silly, even pointless. "Why buy cut flowers when you know that, in just a short while, they will die?" I've heard people say.
To me, buying flowers for my home is a kind of affirmation of a lot of things I am trying to remember these days. Yes, my flowers will indeed inevitably die. But isn't that kind of the point? They are a small, lovely, temporary offering each week. The fact that they do not last forever and that I continue to buy them almost religiously each week is one of the most tangible reminders I can think of to stay in the moment. The flowers are here, they are glorious, and then they are gone. As William Blake says (and my mother likes to remind me), we must "kiss the joy as it flies."