Winter Green

It's a long way to planting season on this side of the winter solstice, but there are a few things that keep the green alive during the long cold season. I found this great evergreen swag at Mother Earth Gardens in Minneapolis to use as a holiday door decoration. It's locally made and fully compostable, so it will have continued life in my garden next year.

Indoor bulb forcing is another one of my winter favorites. The amaryllis (center) is such a decadent rich red flower that reminds me of crimson lips on a starlet or valentine hearts. I also love the strong fragrance of paperwhite narcissus (left & right) that makes the house smell great while they are blooming. Add to that, cool glass containers and earthy stones or sand used for planting, and you add a great tranquil design element to your house. That little bit of peace is added motivation to keep the dining room table clear of all our family junk.

Burger Meister

The Menu...

The Waiter...

The Chef...

Josh and Ellis concocted the idea of turning our house into the finest burger restaurant in St. Paul. If you come to Burger Meister, best to order the "Create Your Own Burger" - a steal at only 50 cents. It'll save you money when you pay for your $17 drink. The service is excellent and the chef is charmingly surly.

Reasons

It was uneventful and ordinary and I am so grateful for these three (and for the Papa of the house in the background on his way out of the kitchen).

Gratitude (late autumn)

The mornings have frost now making leaves look like sugarplums in the thin late autumn sunlight. I walk out my front door to see this with my babbling toddler or effusive grade schooler. Whether waiting for the school bus or driving to work, I feel grateful at the start of each day that I get to live with these people in this place. I have moved on from my original crankiness about the waning light and the death of the garden. Taking these quiet moments, I am able to anticipate the coming winter wondering what it will be like this year, as winters are different like snowflakes. Right now, I hold late autumn and its unique beauty in my hand and know that satisfaction with what you have is a transferable skill in any season.

Theology with a Six-year-old

Despite the fact that I have a graduate degree in the subject, we don't talk about religion much with the kids or try to structure their beliefs in any formal way. For this reason I'm always curious about what they think about the subject when it comes up. This week, I had a great car conversation with Ellis that started out about allergies and ended up as a theological inquiry:

Ellis: "If you didn't have an immune system, you wouldn't have allergies."
Me: "Yes, but if you didn't have an immune system..."
Ellis: "You would die. And when you are dead you don't have an immune system."
Me: "That's true. When you die eventually you don't have anything left."
Ellis: "Yeah, the only thing left when you die is your spirit."
Me: "What happens to your spirit?"
Ellis: "It walks around. Like ghosts."
Me: "Do spirits walk around on earth or do they go someplace else?"
Ellis: "On earth."
Me: "Wow, how does everyone fit?"
Ellis: "Ghosts don't take up as much space. They can go through each other."
Me: "Do you think that ghosts are with God?"
Ellis: "Yeah, because all ghosts can see other things that are like ghosts."
Me: "Oh, so God is a ghost? Do you believe in God?"
Ellis: "Yeah, God controls the weather. He makes sure it changes all the time so that we don't get bored with the weather always being the same."

A Great Big Frolic!

Favorite Fall Clothes

This is otherwise known as the post that alienates my friend Adam because it has more feminine energy than he can handle right now. C'est moi! I have some stuff in my wardrobe that I'm really loving right now and wanted to share...

Pointy toe flats with stripey socks. I had a pair just like the blue ones when I was in seventh grade so when I saw these at Target I couldn't help myself. You don't have to ask why I bought the pink flowery ones, too. Even an elderly woman at the polls when I went to vote on Tuesday said, "I love your shoes!" The two pairs cost me $40 together. The stripey socks were half off at J. Crew. They have the best knee socks in the world. I wear them with skinny leg jeans - a look I feel ambiguous about. I vacillate between feeling hip and feeling that I look like my mom circa 1987. I also wear them to work with wide-leg trousers.

Three quarter bell sleeved jackets. I found the yellow Laura Ashley plush one at Goodwill for $8. The tweed is a J. Crew that I got at a consignment shop for $34. The original prices was $168. I know this because it still had the tags on. Fun jackets over thin cotton/silk t-shirt sweaters from the Gap and a pair of trousers is my current work uniform.

Hunter Wellies. I've had these wellies forever and mostly worn them during trips to Alaska. They are getting a lot more play this fall, especially out in the yard or walking by the river. They actually make fleece liners for Hunter wellies now, so with a pair of those, I can wear these in snow season, too.

Weekend Uniform. The red vest by Lands End is the most-worn item of the cold season. It's perfect outside on a not-so-cold day, and worn inside it keeps the heating bills lower. I call the grey sweater my "depressive sweater." All it needs is a Kleenex tucked in the sleeve. I perk it up with a jaunty scarf on those days when I've mustered enough energy to leave the house (ha ha).