A friend gave me this magical cone, from a Cedar of Lebanon, of all things. It was tightly closed when she gave it to me. But it began to open, slowly and gracefully, over a period of a few days. Incredible, how powerful the life force is! The other day it popped. Every one of those things on the right side of the pic are Cedar of Lebanon seeds. What should I do with them?
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No one who knows anything about me would consider me a woman of few words. Really, no one. Usually I'm like the mighty Mississippi River of words, pontificating and explaining all the Very Fascinating Things I've been thinking about. It's the one thing about me that seems more extraverted than introverted, the way I come into understanding about things through writing and speaking.
Believe it or not, before I write or speak, I spend a lot of time thinking, pondering, wondering, following the meandering paths of imagination, hopping various trains of thought. As a very slow processor of - well - everything, it takes awhile before what's going on becomes word ripe.
One of my friends who, by the way is not yet sixty, called this significant birthday an "inward journey." Perfect words. I'm grateful I didn't have to come up with that language since the word processing center in my brain seems to be on hold at the moment. The meandering path that leads to age sixty is challenging. It feels a little bit like a trek around Annapurna, in my mind/heart at least. There is a swirling in my mind/heart, but the shapes are vague and the colors ever changing. This birthday is potent!
Some friends have expressed concern that the river of words here has inexplicably slowed. All is well. I'm no longer on the verge of buying a ticket to Paris and the idea of getting a dog has been filed in the "Not Right Now" section of my priorities. I wouldn't say I'm exactly balanced again, but I'm getting there, surfing these last few weeks of the year of the Black Water Dragon as best I can.
What I'm doing lately, instead of radiating words, is a lot of cooking. I bought Deb Perelman's excellent Smitten Kitchen cookbook. She's a blogger. The book is written and presented like a blog; of course I love it. She is an excellent photographer as well as cook and writer. The pictures are exquisite. Here's her blog.
Everything I've made from her book so far has been wonderful. Last night I made a gallette of carmalized sweet onions and butternut squash. Absolutely yum. What should I make tonight?
Cooking is the perfect metaphor for my state of mind/heart these days. I'm cooking up a storm. As within, so without.
Shalom.
10 comments:
smitten kitchen has a really good rice pudding recipe, if you like that sort of creamy comfort food.
I do!
Cooking is where it's at!
You might like to take a look at Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries, and The Kitchen Diaries II. Contemplation on the year among other things, with recipes and photos. I love his writing.
Beth, I will! Thank you.
Spent ages at that cooking site - great recipes!
I am trying to "unpotent" my 60th.
Not doing too badly.
Food for the soul......
food is a metaphor for so much
and offers so much
you go, girl!
ox
Cooking is certainly a very literal form of nourishment, but it nourishes on a spiritual level as well. If you feel the need to cook, you're feeding something! Don't you think?
Wow. Yeah. Yes, Steve. And I'm feeding it well. And yes Elizabeth yes yes.
De-potent? The idea is so foreign to me, Pam. But if it's working for you, that's great. For me, when something is potent, if I try to tamp it down, things just get worse. The best I can do is give it a lot of room to move around. I wonder if that makes any sense?
I love The Smitten Kitchen. She is such an unassuming wonderful photographer and writer. I paged through her book last month and thought it looked great & I'm so glad it's been selling well too.
Love the Smitten Kitchen blog. Surely you have to make the Tarte Tatin. French, and the best desert ever!
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