A Year of Pleasures . . . Come and Gone

Let me start by saying that yes, 2010 was definitely a "year of pleasures." I started this blog because I was inspired by Elizabeth Bergto pay attention to those little pleasures in life that we sometimes rush by and don't savor as much as we can. For me, those little pleasures are what carry me through less savory days.

Of course, the paradox is that the more time you spend savoring the little pleasures of life, the less time you have to formally catalog them and share them with others. Hence, while the goal of learning to appreciate my pleasures was wildly successful, this blog was not. So I'll leave it where it lies, and think of it fondly as a good seed that never blossomed, and turn my attention to my "regular" blog, Textile Traveler.

But the practice of noting and savoring the little pleasures in life lives on, and isn't that really the point?

And what did you find pleasurable today?

Converted . . .

From a former vegetable hater to someone who takes great pleasure in cooking and eating vegetables. Do you think growing up with canned green beans and spinach made a difference?
From our trip to the Farmer’s Market this weekend:










And what did you find pleasurable today?

Getting Away

Two weeks ago I was hard-pressed to find many pleasures in daily life. I was stressed, hurried, not sleeping well, and generally cranky.
Then I went on vacation.
Not only did I go on vacation, but I went somewhere peaceful with a goal of spending part of my time doing fun things, and part of my time relaxing. I didn’t have internet access for most of the trip, and that turned out to be a blessing.
It’s so much easier to find pleasure in the smallest details when life is whittled down to the bare vacation essentials: a little shopping, some sightseeing, lots of naps and early morning sunrises, walks, time with my sweetie and our pup, and good food.

I wasn’t the only one, apparently, who found our cabin in the Ozarks relaxing. This little guy stretched out for a full 20-minute power nap in the middle of the afternoon:

Is it possible to overrate the benefits of a vacation? What a luxury to be able to slow down and notice the pleasures that are all around us.

And what did you find pleasurable today?

PS: See additional vacation photos on my other blog, Textile Traveler.

Story People

I just love Brian Andreas. He is an artist and storyteller who creates a line of work called “story people.” His work is charming, whimsical, child-like, and often profound. He combines words and drawings, and I just love them. One of my favorite Andreas writings is this:

I read once that the ancient Egyptians had fifty words for sand & the Eskimos had a hundred words for snow. I wish I had a thousand words for love, but all that comes to mind is the way you move against me while you sleep & there are no words for that.

We love that story so much that we bought an Andreas story people print of it:

The story still haunted me until I created a frame for the love-o’-my-life with that “story” inscribed on it and her picture in the center, because it says more about how I feel about her than my own words could.

Andreas has a created a lovely website that shows off his Story People art and products available for sale, but you can also send e-cards from the site, engage in discussions through a forum, and sign up for daily stories.

If you need a little whimsical profundity (Andreas proves that this is not an oxymoron), a small life lesson, or an artistic motivator, stop by and visit Brian Andreas at Story People.

And what did you find pleasurable today?

Strawberry Fields

We did manage to make it to Sweet Berry Farm this weekend, and we picked pounds and pounds of luscious strawberries!

The kids had fun picking strawberries; Izabel went for quantity over quality:

But Brandon ate more than ended up in his basket (once he was convinced that a little dirt never hurt anyone):

My son J.B. spent a lot of time finding only the most quality berries:

Everyone petted the horses and donkeys:

And oohed and aahed over the baby:

Mama Donkey fell in love with my lovely partner, especially after she fed her grass and strawberries:

After we got home, we used the last few ounces of our energy to make some strawberry preserves:

English muffins and strawberry preserves for dinner, then strawberry shortcake for dessert. Does it get any better than this?

And what did you find pleasurable today?

The Beauty of Food

I’ve been neglecting my blogs lately.

First there was the surgery, then the recovery (still ongoing, but going nicely, thank you), then general crankiness from quitting smoking (hurray for me, yes, but geez, how much fun can life be with no vices?). So maybe I’m not neglecting this one as much as having a hard time finding anything pleasurable in life right now.
But . . . I did run across this blog, and the photos are so beautiful they make even me—a confirmed vegetable hater—yearn for this lovely food: http://thaicookingwithjam.blogspot.com/

If the weather is nice, we’re going strawberry-picking tomorrow at Straw Berry Farm in Marble Falls. If we do, I think I’ll try the recipe for Strawberry Tapioca Pudding from the blog. Yummy!

Cool and Cozy Cotton

One of the problems with resolving to notice and enjoy more of life’s small pleasures is that it leaves less time for things like blogging.

I’ve been crocheting for almost 30 years, since I was pregnant with my daughter (wow, she’s almost 30!). I’ve only recently discovered, however, that I love cotton yarn. I made this discovery by accident; while shopping one day a few weeks before Christmas, I noticed some huge skeins of cotton yarn on sale for what seemed like a very reasonable price. I picked up a few of them, and crocheted this granny-square afghan for Christmas:

Not only was the cotton a dream to crochet with, I love the feel of the finished afghan.

So, I’ve developed a small obsession with cotton yarn. I’m not sure why I don’t buy enough to just make more cotton afghans. Instead, I buy little bits at a time, patiently explaining to myself that I don’t need more afghans, cotton or otherwise. Then I crochet small items that are even less practical and useful than afghans, such as

crocheted cotton cloths:

and flowers:

I tend to crochet more in the winter, so I’m hoping that over the next month or so my fascination with cotton yarn will wane, and that I’ll even have forgotten about by next winter. If not, I’ll be soliciting ideas from my virtual, online friends for ways to use cotton yarn.

In the meantime, I get a lot of pleasure out of the feel of this cool, cozy cotton.

And what did you find pleasurable today?