delicious enough to eat

how yummy do these dried autumn smokebush leaves look? crispy and paper thin like potato chips. assorted colors of wine reds from a dark rose, to beaujolais, merlot, and cabernet. oh goodness, i think i just invented a new food–wine flavored potato chips, perfect for your next holiday party. cheers!

dried autumn smokebush leaves

no snow yet

we are sneaking up on the end the november, and we have no snow yet. they are predicting a mild winter were in the north because of el niño. for us, mild can be a mixed blessing. because if the temps are warmer than average, then their is more moisture in the air, which usually means more snow than average. so, it is either very cold with not so much snow, or mild with a lot of snow. some would call that being between a rock and a hard place. either one is fine with me. i mostly hibernate in winter, regardless. i use it as a time to rest, recharge, read, and catch up on unfinished projects. i enjoy the natural rhythm of the seasons, and am grateful that i have enough flexibility with my responsibilities that i can indulge each season as it comes. and now is the season for rest.

a late post-holiday post

flying in here late on friday, the day after a busy thanksgiving thursday. because at some point early in this crazy project called STILL, i decided i would never break the chain.

keeping it simple during a busy few days

happy thanksgiving all my fellow american friends. if you are hosting today, i am especially smitten you are here for your few minutes of calm before the storm. perhaps your turkey is already in the oven, and your have a few minutes of downtime before the guests start arriving. i am not hosting, my 87 year old mother is hosting today. yup, you read that right, my mom is hosting thanksgiving. my mom’s favorite thing in the world is to have her whole family around her, serving them food, and listening to the conversations get more and more animated as the night goes on. my mom is an excellent host. what makes her an excellent host is nothing more than the fact that she loves it. every bit of it. the planning, the prep, the party, and even the clean up. she’s a natural. but even a consummate host cannot easily pull off thanksgiving for 20 at age 87. the 20 pound turkey alone, is impossible for her to handle. so, my brother and his family volunteered to make most of the meal for her (in her kitchen). my role was to buy the liquor, and the groceries, which we did yesterday. i was supposed to be on pie duty too (my usual role), but my newly married niece volunteered this year. so, my duties, other than guest, are already done. i will even have time to make a STILL photo before i head over to my mom’s at 2 pm. even though i am not hosting, it has been a busy few days. so this simple mountain ash leaf still holding onto its delicious color is all i could muster. happy thanksgiving all!

mountain ash leaf in late november

holiday week

if we were in southern france, our holiday plans would most definitely include fresh oysters from the etang de thau. but since we are instead land-locked here in north america, we will have to settle for a celebratory lunch at our favorite french bistro in the twin cities. i don’t recall where these oysters came from, but i have never seen shells like these with the pastel coloration. quite pleasing i think. and delicious.

oyster shells