Getting my groove back

So far, I've managed a yoga practice every morning this week. It feels good, physically. I can tell I've been away from the mat, my deltoids and pecs ache a bit, my hamstrings are a little sore first thing. But, already I see improvement.

Now, I really need to finish painting the room I practice in. I started in December, but got called away on a family emergency. I haven't made it back. Mostly, I wish I had curtains. I feel like those out for an early morning stroll get a bit too much of a show!

Still a struggle

Overslept again. Clearly I have other issues to address. Still made myself do Surya Namaskara A. It only takes 5 minutes, gives me a nice overall stretch, and gets the blood flowing. And at least I can honestly say I got on the mat today.

Self Portrait Challenge - Nude (1)

Of course I would resume blogging in the month of nude...

Shaky start

Yesterday, I overslept a bit. Got up at 5:15. Practiced Surya Namaskara A, Padangusthasana, Padahastasana, Utthita Trikonasana, Utthita Parsvakonasana, and Virabhadrasana. Ten minute meditation, than Samasthitih.

This morning was not good. Too much stress, not enough sleep. I chose to stay in bed until 5:45. Must get back on track tomorrow! Unfortunately, I'm out of town this weekend. I never seem to be able to practice away from home.

The real reason I started this blog...

was to get my yoga practice back on track. I wanted a forum to explore my habits and reinforce the ones that mattered most to me. The intent was to start with easy habits, and work up to analyzing my yoga practice. Wading in has clearly not worked as planned. So, I might as well just jump in the deep end.

I have had a yoga practice for years. For the last two years I have practiced ashtanga exclusively. I prefer the set sequence and the focus on breath with movement. Sometimes I practice daily; sometimes just a few times a week; sometimes not at all. I would like to have a consistent, daily practice. My body feels good and my mind is more at ease with a daily practice.

So, today, I hauled my butt out of bed at 5:00 and did a shortened standing sequence: Surya Namaskara A, Padangusthasana, Padahastasana, Utthita Trikonasana, Utthita Parsvakonasana, Prasarita Padottanasana A, Parsvottanasana, Virabhadrasana, and Samasthitih. Only took about 15 minutes. Not bad.

Full primary takes about 90 minutes, which I don't have on a daily basis. The plan is to practice 30 minutes per day five days a week and the full 90 minutes on Sunday. For the 30 minute practices, I'll alternate between the standing sequence and seated sequence. I know this is not the recommended practice, but it's what I have time for.

AT Cure - Week 4

Eeek! Did week 4 really take 3 weeks!


Alas, it did. The focus is the living room. A room in my home that never seems "right" to me. It's too dark with a hulking fireplace and wood paneling. I would like to paint the wood white, but the hubs won't hear of it. Sigh.


So, the tasks:


1. Clean up living room and related closets. Done. Surprisingly, there was very little clutter in this room. It always seems cluttered to me because there is too much pattern for my taste. The chairs have a patterened tapestry-like fabric, the rug is very busy, there's the brick fireplace surround, and the aforementioned wood paneling. I am thinking of taking up the rug and just having the light beige carpet for a while, just to see if it helps.


2. Repairs are being taken care of this week. Not really, no.


3. Declutter all books and media. I did manage to reduce my book collection by about 25 percent, as recommended. But I kept a shelf of books that my mom gave me that I haven't read yet. If I don't read them in a year, I'll get rid of them. We don't have too many DVD's, so I kept them all. The CD's were a surprise. I have been using iTunes since 2004, and I really thought I had the majority of my CD's ripped. Not so. Try half of them. So, I ripped the rest and moved them all to the basement for storage. I don't really want to get rid of the "hard copies" and I have room to keep them in an out-of-the-way place. I am thinking of getting an external drive to back up my music and photos.


4. Cancel 75 percent of the catalogs you receive. I did this about two years ago, with great success. I get very few catalogs these days, and only the ones I actually order from.


5. Empty Outbox. Every week I drop off a box at Goodwill after grocery shopping. I'm pretty current.


6. Confirm what you need to increase or decrease color in each room. The color agony continues, but with progress to report. See below.


7. Identify what you need to increase of decrease softness in each room. Most of my rooms seem pretty balanced. The foyer and kitchen are the only ones that are a bit "hard". The kitchen is going to stay as-is. The foyer probably will too, since there is little else I could practically do.


8. Cook three meals at home this week. Done and done.


9. Send out your invitations. Yeah, right.


More on the topic of color. I spent a great deal of time looking through magazines and catalogs to identify the color schemes that I'm drawn to. Time well spent, as it happens. I always thought I was drawn to disparate colors that have nothing to do with each other, but, on further analysis, I'm drawn to the same two color schemes over and over again. One is cool, the other is warm. Now I realize that my whole house doesn't have to be one or the other; that some rooms are better cool and some better warm. This is an enormous relief!


So, what are the two color schemes?


Cool: soft blue, white, seafoam green, with green plants and natural wood tones
Warm: yellow or gold with orange and red accents, black, sage green, dark wood


Applying these to my home, I came up with this:


Kitchen (warm): limestone counter, terra cotta floor, honey toned cabinets, pale yellow walls, green plants


Foyer (warm): pale yellow walls, white trim, dark wood furniture, dark red accents, houseplants


Living (warm): pale yellow walls, dark wood furniture, sage upholstery, red and orange accents


Office (cool): pale blue walls, white trim, dark wood furniture, bright yellow accent


Bedroom (cool): soft blue walls, white trim, white linens, chocolate brown furniture, seafoam green accent, lemon yellow accent


Bathroom (cool): seafoam walls, white trim, limestone, nautical blue accent


Fortunatly, I'm already pretty close to these color schemes, in most cases.


On to week 5...

Raw Transition Time

Around this time of year, I transition to a high raw diet. I eat at least 50% raw year-round, but I really start to crave more in the spring. As an added benefit, I tend to drop some weight when I up the raw content of my diet. I think that's because I don't eat starchy food when I'm eating 80% raw. I hate to admit it, but the bread I love to bake may not be the best thing for me or my waistline.

It has taken me a while to figure out what a raw food day looks like. Looking through raw "cook" books is very misleading. A lot of the dishes are high in fat, with heavy use of nuts and avocados and coconuts. Those dishes are OK once a day or as a small treat, but eating like that all day would not be a healthy choice.


Typical meal plan:

*Green Lemonade (4 kale, 4 celery, 1 lemon, 1 fuji apple, run through the juicer = 12 oz)

*Whole fruit as desired

*salad (spinach, red pepper, zucchini, carrot with sun-dried tomato vinaigrette is the current fave)

*2 raw cookies (homemade in my new-to-me dehydrator from Goodwill)

*bottled green juice as a mid-afternoon snack (I work full-time, so fresh juice is not an easy option)

*dinners are mostly raw, with a few cooked meals for comfort

In the past, I haven't done a lot of raw dinners; the husband was not really on board with it. He has always been willing to try new foods, but has been understandably leery of raw dinners. But, he has really changed his eating habits in the last 6 months. He has a huge salad every day for lunch, and has lost about 20 pounds as a result. So, this is an experiment, for both of us. It's like learning to cook all over again; discovering what we like to eat, what is easy to prepare, what is worth the extra effort. It's fun!

AT Cure - Week 3

Unintended blogging vacation due to beautiful spring weather, gardening, and bike riding.

I have been working on week 3 of the Cure this past week. In some aspects, this was a bit more challenging.

The tasks:

1. Vacuum, dust, and mop throughout your home. Check.

2. Clean your entrance and any related closets. Check.

3. Arrange to have all repairs taken care of. Check.

4. Declutter your entrance. Check. The outbox was very liberating for getting rid of my "extra" handbags. I think now I can finally give them away.

5. Move all old mail, catalogs, and magazines to the Outbox. Surprisingly, these items do not accumulate in my entryway. They are all in a basket in the living room. So, I'll get to them this week (Week 4).

6. Look into what you would need to create a Landing Strip. I already had a pretty good one in place. We come in through the kitchen. Just inside the door to the dining room, I have a chest. I keep my shoes in the bottom two drawers, my keys and phone in a pretty wooden bowl on the top, my purse on the floor to the left, items to go out (library books, etc.) in the second drawer, and items that come in (bills, letters) in the top drawer. I check the out drawer on Monday, when I do errands. I check the in drawer on Friday, when I pay bills. The only thing missing, is a place to hang our coats. We have to walk them through the dining room to the foyer coat closet. Often they wind up on the backs of the dining room chairs. But, I am reluctant to put a coat hook in the dining room!

7. Cancel any unused subscriptions. I still need to do this. I have a real weakness for magazines and try to limit myself already. I currently subscribe to Real Simple, Lucky, Money, Health, and Organic Gardening. I need to cancel Lucky (who am I kidding, I'm not buying any new clothes!). The others stay, but are on probation for actual usefulness.

8. Identify cool and warm rooms. Cool: bedroom, bathroom, office. Warm: foyer, kitchen, living room. I disagreed with the book suggestion that the foyer is cool. For us, it is a guest entrance not a family entrance. So, I want it to be warm and inviting.

9. Apply the 80/20 color rule. Color. Not my best subject. I have spent all week agonizing about color. The way color is approached in this book is not clear to me. So, I spent a lot of time studying color in other books and magazines. I think I have an emerging idea of how I want to use color in my home, but I'm still working out the details. Expect another post on this subject.

10. Cook two meals at home this week. Again, no problem.

11. Design an invitation for your housewarming. Not interested.

I hope to start on Week 4 today and work on it throughout the week. So far, I am really enjoying the process and have been able to maintain the results. My kitchen table is still clear!

Self Portrait Challenge - Political (3)

This is my manifesto. I try to make choices that reflect my principles.



This month's theme has been difficult. It's a balance between saying enough and not saying too much. I had a different, possibly more controversial, idea for this week, but I can't seem to figure out the self-timer on my camera! So, I guess I have next week covered, assuming I can find the manual, and the courage...

AT Cure - Week 2

I was really looking forward to week 2, because my kitchen is a source of distress and frustration for me. It is not a whole lot better, because decluttering can only do so much.

I use my kitchen a lot: I cook at home almost every night, I bake on the weekends, we eat most of our meals in the kitchen. It is a big room but the layout of the space limits the work zone to one tiny corner. And storage is a joke. The whole thing is slated for remodeling in about two years.

Before AT:





After AT: Yes there is still clutter on the table and in the bin on the wall. It belongs to my husband. I will try to get him to tidy it up today. Wish me luck! I wonder if I could find another home for the vacuum...

There's still more stuff on the counters than I'd like, but I lack enough accessible storage to put it all away. I'm short and my cabinets are tall!


So, this week's tasks:

1. Fix one thing yourself. I will oil the kitchen cabinet hinges.

2. Clean your kitchen from top to bottom and throw away old food. Check.

3. Buy a water filter and use it. I've been using a Brita pitcher for time immemorial.

4. Run your hands over every wall. That's a lot of walls! I'll try to get to this today.

5. Clear space for an outbox. I am using a corner of the basement.

6. Clear one surface and use the outbox. I've used the outbox for the laundry room (last week) and the kitchen (yesterday), so I think I've met this requirement.

7. Buy fresh flowers. Yeah, right.

8. Determine your style. From the list in the book, I'd have to pick Organic Modern. I have found the book Yes No Design by Diane Love to be very helpful with this in the past.

9. Find a new recipe and cook one meal at home. I cook a lot already. No problem.

10. Choose the date for your housewarming. I'm not really sure I want to do this...

Self Portrait Challenge - Political (2)

I choose organic gardening and native plants and fresh produce. I choose a garden that is alive with birds and bees and butterflies and all manner of interesting insects. I choose health and exercise and fresh ripe tomatoes.

Apartment Therapy

So, this week I found Apartment Therapy. Yes, I live under a rock. Although I live in a house, not an apartment, there is much to love. I also learned about their book: the eight-step home cure. I bought it instantly.

My home does not reflect my style. My mother said it best (as only mothers can), “I thought you preferred clean lined, minimalist homes? You certainly don’t have one.” Ouch. Guilty on all counts.

Almost all my furniture is “inherited” from my mother-in-law. She is very generous and I am very cheap, so I have learned to live with her style. But I am bothered by it on a subconscious level. I try to combat the uneasiness with a never-ending series of de-clutterings and trips to Goodwill. I know I won’t really feel comfortable until I buy some furniture of my own choosing and get rid of what doesn’t work.

I think I need to start with the eight-week deep treatment cure. At least it will encourage me to clear out once-and-for-all. And maybe I’ll even get rid of some furniture?

The eight-week program covers the rooms/spaces in a typical one-bedroom apartment: kitchen, front hall, living room, office, bathroom, and bedroom. Living in a house, I have more rooms than that. But, those are the rooms I use most, so I will focus on them first.

I took my before pictures yesterday morning after I finished my weekly cleaning, but without the benefit of any additional tidying. I only uploaded one shot of each room to this post, but there are more. I'll show them when I get to that room in the program.

Kitchen

Foyer

Living Room

Office

Bathroom Bedroom

I also tackled the laundry room yesterday. It has been a disaster lately.

Now it is restored to its proper order. Let’s see if I can keep it that way.

Week one tasks:

(1) Make a complete list of repairs and solutions.

* Kitchen: squeaky cabinet hinges, an easy fix

* Kitchen: broken windowpane, can fix it myself
* Kitchen: bad area of subfloor at the back door, this will wait until we remodel the kitchen (next year, I hope) as it involves tearing up the tile floor

* Bathroom: the “three year” floor. We had an emergency rip up of part of the bathroom floor a few years ago. I could not find new tile that was the same size as the existing (hexagonal) tile, so we pieced the broken tiles together and put them back on the floor, intending to replace the whole thing in three years. It’s really ugly, but I have it mostly covered with a rug. This will have to wait until I have the funds to redo the entire floor.

* Bedroom: another broken windowpane, can fix it myself

I know I will find more repairs as I go along. I am complacent about many things that are “wrong” with the house.

(2) Vacuum and mop the floors. Check.

(3) Remove one item from your home. That will be the bag of clothes for Goodwill that has been sitting in the hall for three months.

(4) Buy fresh flowers. Hmmm. Not really a flower person. And I have “bad” cats. Maybe I’ll get a nice silk orchid arrangement.

(5) Sit for ten minutes in a part of your home you never sit in. I sat in the armchair in my office. Although I spend a lot of time here, I’m usually at my desk. This room continues to elude me; I have tried several times to decorate it. The room is too big to be an office, so I try to make it do too many things at once: office, library, art gallery. It has zero flow. And the chairs don’t work. And the bookshelves are cluttered. And, it’s one of the first rooms you see as you walk in the house, so no pressure, really!

(6) Look into earth friendly cleaning products. Already use Seventh Generation, Bon Ami and Method (almost) exclusively.

I plan to post photos as I go along to remind me of my progress.

Spring Fever

Last weekend, the weather was perfect: highs in the upper 60's, blue skies, gentle breeze. It promised spring. Gleefully, I headed outside to work in the wildflower garden, tidying up dead leaves and trimming spent seedheads. Under their snug bed of mulch, the plants have started putting out new growth. I lounged on the deck, making a list of the garden projects I want to accomplish this year. We have a mostly shady half-acre lot in suburbia, which is honestly overwhelming at times. This year I vow to be focused.

(1) Grow strawberries on the deck. (I already ordered the plants!)
(2) Add to the native wildflower garden. (I already ordered these plants, too.)
(3) Grow herbs on the deck: oregano, sage, rosemary, basil, cilantro, parsley.
(4) Grow veggies on the deck: peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach.
(5) Grow watermelons in the front yard!

Necessary garden-related chores this month:

(1) Check on seed starting medium and potting soil. Buy more if needed.
(2) Sterilize flats and pots.
(3) Start seeds!
(4) Prune, tie-up, and topdress blackberries.
(5) Plant strawberries (Whenever they get here. Are they here yet?)
(6) Divide daylilies.
(7) Topdress perennials, shrubs, new trees.
(8) Trim mulhy grass.
(9) Clear out bed at mailbox for April planting.
(10) Prune shrubs.
(11) Sew a gardening apron.
(12) Sew a clothspin bag. (OK, not really garden related.)

Of course, today it is cold with a wintry mix. At least I can sterilize the flats and start my seeds…

Self Portrait Challenge - Political (1)

Equality.

I work in a man's world. Every day I prove myself worthy of equal treatment. That is my choice.

A little happiness

Yesterday, I went to Ikea: a new rug for the foyer, a glass jar for my yeast. Mundane, necessary items. Then I saw these; I had to have them. I'm not one for impulse buying, but the lamps in our family room were hideous (apologies to my mother-in-law), and I have been on the lookout for replacements. These are beutiful. I love how the light glows through the woven shade. The hubs: "How can new lamps make a room look THIS much better?" It is transformed. And I am happy.

Self Portrait Challenge - Blue (4)

When hobbies collide...

I have been practicing yoga, on and off, for many years. I have been in an off cycle for about three months. But I feel the need to start again.

Crazy Busy

That's what I tell people who ask how I am. It’s always the truth.

But today I’m tired and achy. My throat hurts. My fever made sleeping a funhouse of wakefulness and dreaming. I think it’s the flu.

Enforced inactivity is good for me. Except when I’m crazy busy.

I have to go into the office today; just for a few hours. Something smells in the fridge. The kitchen counter is covered with dirty dishes and a week’s worth of mail. The cat puked in the dining room. I need to buy a birthday gift. The laundry is piled high on the bedroom floor.

But all I want to do is rest: sleep, catch up on my reading, watch some movies. And try not to feel guilty about taking care of me.

It’s the balance that eludes me.

Day 3: Eat Sitting Down

Yesterday's theme was ironic. I'm posting a day late because last night I was at a work-related stand-up reception. So, not off on the best foot already!

Truthfully, this is an easy habit for me. I generally sit down to eat. It's the paying attention while eating that's the problem...

Self Portrait Challenge - Blue (3)

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something..

I used to paint my toes cobalt blue. Every week. For years. Even for my wedding. Well, it is my favorite color...

Day 2: Pick Two Reasonable Diets

No brainer. Eat to Live. Backup not required.

Need to re-read it over the next two weeks...

Day 1: Record the Advantages of Losing Weight

1. I’ll look better, at least to myself.
2. I’ll feel more confident.

In order to lose weight, I will have to adopt other habits that have their own advantages, beyond just losing weight. To succeed in maintaining these habits, I need to recognize their unique advantages as well.

Eating Healthy Food:

1. Maintain good overall health.
2. Be in control of my food choices.
3. Lose the junk food, lose the guilt.

Exercising:

1. Be physically fit.
2. Be strong.
3. Have more energy.

Although no weigh-in is required at the start of the program, my waist measured 665 mm this morning. (Using metric takes the emotional power away from the number.) I will continue to track my waist measurement rather than my weight. Currently, I am working through a fairly intensive strength-training program and will probably (hopefully) be gaining muscle mass as I lose fat.

To market, to market

I have strong opinions about food and food-related issues. But, sometimes I have to question myself. Some decisions are not as clear-cut as I would want them to be.

Where and how I buy my food is a topic I struggle with regularly.

Local versus organic

I have been buying organic for several years. I believe in organic farming. I believe it is better for the soil, for the insects and other wildlife, and for the humans. But I have come to suspect it is not better for the environment as a whole once you factor in transporting organic lettuce from California to Georgia.

In an ideal world, I would grow my own vegetables and herbs. In the real world, my backyard is too shady to grow anything but hostas.

In an ideal world, I would join a local, preferably organic, CSA. In the real world, I am hesitant to make the commitment. My work schedule can be hectic, my husband can be a picky eater, the pickup/delivery times and locations don’t work for me. Excuses, excuses, I know.

In an ideal world, I would at least go to my local farmer’s market (May through September). Every year I say I will, and I never do. I want to think that this year will be different. By going, maybe I will feel more confident joining a CSA by meeting and getting to know the people involved.

The organic reality

So, what’s the current reality of my grocery experience? Whole Foods. It’s convenient. They have what I want. That’s what it comes down to at the end of the day. Yes, it’s expensive. Years ago I decided to allow groceries to be my only budgetary splurge. I enjoy good food, and I rationalize the expense by not eating out much. But, the relatively small amount of locally grown produce bothers me. I feel guilty about my spinach from California, my onions from Peru, my imported Italian olive oil. No matter if I join a CSA or buy at the farmer’s market, I know I will still come here for grains and beans and, yes, Italian olive oil. I am open to other options; I just don’t know what they are yet.

Conclusion

I will make a commitment to shop at the farmer’s market this year. I will read Plenty and hopefully be inspired. I will re-visit this topic later in the year to report on my progress.

The inevitable weight loss post

Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. I read that sentence on one of my favorite blogs this week, and it has been resonating with me since. I know I have seen/read/heard those words before, but they took on real meaning for me in this particular context: taking care of ourselves.

I definitely fall in the petite range, my BMI is healthy, but I’m currently about 10 pounds heavier than I would wish to be. Most people looking at me would not say I was heavy, but looking good in clothes is not the same as looking good naked. Ten pounds may not sound like much. But it represents almost ten percent of my current weight.

I have been trying to lose these pounds for what feels like a lifetime. I eat healthy food; I exercise somewhat regularly. Still, I no longer remember what my “goal weight” looks or feels like. The fact that I cannot lose this weight points out that, although I think I eat right and exercise, I am clearly sabotaging myself somewhere along the way. Not taking the best care of myself.

Losing this weight requires that I adopt, maintain, and reinforce a host of healthy habits. Some I have, some I don’t, and some come and go in my life. Since the stated purpose of this blog is to examine my habits, this seems like a great place to begin my journey.

I’ll be following the Beck Diet Solution with this blog as my journal. I have tried Beck before and only made it through the first week and a half. I am afraid of trying again and failing. Publicly. But I hope that the public aspect of a blog will keep me more accountable than private journaling.

Official start date: Sunday, February 17, 2008

Self Portrait Challenge - Blue

While I am new to blog writing, I am not new to blog reading. Every week, I look forward to the SPC entries of other bloggers. Having recently discovered my own joy in photography, I hope this will be a way to encourage my creativity. I give you…

…something I see in the visor mirror on my drive home.

Bread, the reviews

It was delicious. I made a similar loaf a few weeks ago with a commercially yeasted starter. This wild yeast loaf had more flavor; a hint of sour lent depth the the taste. A win, and an encouragement to maintain the mother starter.

My daily bread

OK, then. Setting up the blog took far less time and talent than I imagined. Guess it pays to be a late adopter!

Since it’s already a few days into February, I’ll tackle what I think will be an easy topic this month: baking my own bread.

Why? My history of bread:

I started baking my own bread, every week, about 18 months ago. No ordinary white sandwich bread for this gal. Oh, no. 100% Whole Wheat. Organic. Hearth Bread. Occasionally I’ll make bagels, or, for the holidays, pannettone. I like to mix it up a bit and try new things.

Good bread is hard to find. Simple, tasty, whole grain, vegan bread, with ingredients I recognize is in short supply, even at the health food stores. And if I do find it, it’s pricey.

My bread has improved greatly with time. The first attempts were leaden and best forgotten. Now my loaves are crusty, chewy, and well risen. I am currently using a delayed fermentation technique from Peter Reinhart’s latest book. Fabulous. It’s by far the best tasting and easiest-to-make whole wheat bread I’ve encountered.

This week’s experience:

Saturday afternoon

I decide on a whole wheat and kamut batard. I need to start the pre-ferments on Saturday so I can bake the bread on Sunday. Making the soaker is easy. Making the starter is a bit less familiar this week, as it is only my second loaf using a mother starter. (I created the mother starter for a loaf of volkenbrot that my husband requested last week. It was a disaster in so many ways.) I have been struggling to understand how to maintain the starter in perpetuity with the least amount of waste. The process is not clearly explained anywhere in this book, or so I thought. Today, I happen to glance at one of the sidebar commentaries, and there it is, on page 80, in small print, on the left hand side: the mother starter epiphany. This small discovery makes the afternoon’s effort completely worthwhile.

Sunday morning

I take the starter out of the fridge; it has to warm up a bit before I can make the final dough. After the gooey, gluey mess that was last week’s bread, I thoroughly enjoy making a predominantly wheat dough. It is a comfortable rhythm of scaling, mixing, kneading. I proof the dough on the warm side of the kitchen table, near the window. It rises beautifully. I shape it and let it rise again. Into the oven it goes along with water for the steam pan. It springs into a beautiful loaf. The steam burns my face when I open the door later to retrieve the pan. I forgive; for it is this steam that makes the crust just the way I like it. In forty minutes the bread is done. I realize, as I set it out to cool, that I forgot to slash the loaf before baking. Ah well, I can still enjoy the nutty aroma as it cools atop the washing machine, knowing that it will be delicious.

Conclusion

I am a total bread geek and can go on at great length about it. It interests me intellectually as I seek to understand the why and how of making good bread. It gives me sensory pleasure to knead the dough in my hands, inhaling the yeasty aroma, to see the handsome rustic loaf come out of the oven, to taste the bread, its flavor unadorned. It gives me confidence, knowing that this is something I can do well. And, I get to eat good bread!

A grand ambition

I am not a writer.

I am many things; I aspire to be more.

I hope to chronicle my journey, and along the way discover which of my accomplishments and aspirations are truly authentic to myself.

The plan, for now, is to focus on one aspect of my life per month. Whether it be evaluating an entrenched habit or trying out a new one. I need a venue to be honest with myself, to be accountable, to capture my feelings regularly. I am excited to embark on this adventure into my own mind, and I wonder where it will take me.

My goal for this month is simply to get a blog up and running…