Happy Valentine’s!
Baking Muffins in Broad Daylight
What a shocking idea. Now this may not be so for some of you reading this, but baking for myself has been a rarely-indulged-in luxury for quite some time. And on the occasions when I do bake, it’s usually to bring to someone else’s house for a gathering. Well, not today. I felt like baking muffins, and bake I did. I went through my recipe stash with something apple in mind, and found it … Apple Buttermilk Muffins.
In broad daylight … the audacity. An accusing voice from somewhere within nagged me to get going on my taxes, complete another drawing, go food shopping, and please! Clean!
I’ve really got to get a better grip on that no-fun, party-pooper. And baking just for me was a step in the right direction. Perhaps I gave in a wee bit when I cleaned the whole top and hood of the stove, but really, we have to start out in a clean spot, right?
I popped in the Breaking Dawn CD – such a great album – gathered ingredients, and happily chopped, measured and whisked. Although many muffin recipes have you making 12 muffins, I always make 6 bigger ones. They came out gorgeous, and then I had the audacity to have more fun – yup, in broad daylight – photographing them. And then eating one. (OK, actually not in that order.) Mmmmm, mmmm, mmmm.
You can make these truly chock-full-of-apple Apple Buttermilk Muffins, too. They’re from the Mr. Breakfast web site which has way more than muffins; it’s got everything you could ever think of in the way of breakfast, which is my favorite meal of the day. Enjoy!
Light Snow at Dusk
Let me say, as I post this, that I am well aware that this is not a brilliant photograph. Why I wandered outside to take a few shots was because of the magical, blue-cast light. We haven’t had much snow lately, and they’d predicted a dusting to an inch. But it was more than just these light, airy snowflakes at dusk that drew me outside; they were illuminated by a rising full moon. What part did my flash going off have to do with it? Something, no doubt, and that is most evident on the white porch elements at left, but the rest is what it looked like … a theme in blue, lightly speckled with snow.
I was awakened this morning about 4 by that beautiful full-moonlight streaming in my window. A part of me wanted to throw on my robe, climb out the window, and range the back porch roof for fabulous shots. Now that would have been foolish for oh-so-many reasons. So I bathed in her light for awhile and went back to bed, happy that I had taken a few photos of the moon dreaming herself skyward hours earlier, if only indirectly.
Calendars As Rotating Art
To look in my home, especially my office, you might think I had a touch of what the white rabbit had in Alice, except I don’t have a watch; I have calendars. In my office there are four, in the kitchen, one, in my drawing room, one, and in the back/TV room, one.
Where do they come from? Two are calendars for which I’ve done the graphic design, another is a gift from a friend, another an annual gift from a sibling, another a gift from a supplier, and the others came to me as fundraising appeals, some because I donate to them, others hoping I will be inspired to do so.
Why do I have so many up? Because I love great photography and inspiring art. In fact, I have even more that don’t have their own regular space, but must rotate and share with another one. But what is so wonderful is that the art changes every month. So I have gorgeous horses, wildlife, nature photography, ocean photography, American Indian art, wolves, and more. It’s a constant procession of images I love looking at. It just makes me happy. As each month comes to an end, I get excited about the surprise to come when all the calendar art throughout my home changes.
The only calendar that I seriously look at for the days of the month is whatever I have hanging in the kitchen in any given year because that’s where I write everything. (Yeah, still kind of analog in that regard, but I do have a few things in my Entourage calendar.) The rest just please and inspire me all year long. It’s a good thing.
Following the Links – Finding Gotye
I am frequently amazed at how many talented writers, artists, photographers, etc. are out there blogging, and am equally amazed at how by following a link or two, we find wonderful and unexpected gems.
I was looking at a Fresh Pressed site, photographs taken by Loren Cooper during a blanketing of snow in London and was drawn to one commenter. I visited Inidna’s blog where she had posted videos and information about an Australian musician, Gotye. I’ve never heard of him, but am easily getting lost in his music, and am already considering buying his album. What drew me in immediately is this deeply touching animated video wed to one of Gotye’s songs, Bronte, from his album Making Mirrors. What a brilliant combination of music and story.
Still A Dreamer 