Life is Beauttiful

Strawberry Wine

I went to the farmer's market today and it was gorgeous. Bright colors, delicious flavors, but the weather was wilting and hot.

Still I bought some strawberries, raspberries, a mini watermelon and some almonds. Yummy!

Add a little bit of a vinaigrette and you have a nice dessert!

~*~
Vinaigrette

1 part orange juice
1 part wine (I used white)
1 part champagne
1 part wine (Peach wine)
4 parts olive oil.

Combine! It's better to use two kinds of wine, especially fruit if you don't have that many fruits in your fruit salad to start off with. Smooth and cheery for a summer's day!

Sepia Tones

I bought a box the other day. Not just any box, but a faded cardboard box covered in modge-podge and lace, a modge-podge covered box filled with photographs, photographs faded and done-up in old black-and-white, contrasting shades mellowed out by sepia tones.

I don't quite remember why I bought it, or who I bought it for. I do remember looking through it, pausing at this bundle of glossy paper. There was one that just made me stop and stare. It was a woman, dressed up, standing in front of a microphone. Thin hands for a figure that fills the picture are loosely wrapped around the stand. Her lips are dark black in the color, parted as if she's just finished a line in a song, and her eyes are drawn upward and off, towards a person who isn't in the photograph. She's wearing sensible heels, sturdy soles and thick clasps.

Somehow, I feel a strong connection to this woman who I don't even know. I want to know her story, want to know where she was, why the back of the photo says "Ruth. December", who she's thinking of and why she's in ten other photographs, looking sadder and sadder as I flip through. Who was this dark-haired woman, what is this proof that one Christmas season so many years ago, she sang a song for a man who wasn't even there?

The last picture makes my heart clench and my eyes tear a little. She's in the background, watching a couple dancing. The couple is both strikingly beautiful, the type of All-American look that comes from being born with it. The man's wearing a hat, suspenders and long black-blue-maybe-charcoal pants. His shoes are far too clean, scuff marks all dressed up and only the gleam of the camera's flash let's you know that he was wearing shoes. The woman's eyes are staring at his and she's laughing, her skirt flying back, kicked up as he seems to pull her up out of a dip. Her hair's longer, pulled up in a ponytail, with a scarf hanging off the end.

And suddenly, I understand. Ruth's the one on the outside, wanting in. She fell in love with this man: James, Eric, Andrew, whoever. But he fell in love with this girl: Susie, Elle, Kathy. Her name's far too bright, new, fast-paced and her character's even shinier than Ruth can keep up with. Ruth's tradition, formal dresses, glasses of wine and perfect etiquette. This other girl, she's fast cars, cigarettes, the new glamour of Hollywood and neon lights.

Image courtesy of Liverpool Museum

Mirepoix: Waltzes in Three

Mirepoix is a strange word, a French word. It's the stuff of soups, made of celery, carrots and onions.

Celery is for lightness. If you could capture a laugh, a warm summer day, a morning mist, that's the taste you will find.
Carrots are for sweetness. The hint of an intangible joy is in your spoon. It could make you think of a sprinkling of sugar, a hint of honey, subtle and not-overpowering.

Onions, well, everyone knows they're for the tears. Tears don't always have to be sad: they can be happy, come from frustration, or the world relief. Usually, they're for the bitter moment that comes after the sweet.

The thing is, every thing needs a balance, a rhythmic companion. And somehow, the number 3 appears in my mind. It's a logical progression: just as the soup needs a light flavor, that's sweet and salty, everything else needs support. The strongest shape is a triangle, three sides that support perfectly. A braid is a twisting of three strands (divided, they fall and break; together, they conquer). Friendship bracelets come in three words: Best Friends Forever.

A perfect waltz is just like the perfect mirepoix: one, the beginning step, the rush of exhilaration, celery; two, the middle, strong and delightful, carrots; three, the end note, a noticeable pause, onions.

Perhaps, the solution isn't to give everything of yourself to someone, but to make sure that there is always enough for the next person in your life. Give someone your laugh, the next person your heart, the one after that a tear. Give the boy after him a child, the girl after her a kiss, the friend after this a promise.

A perfect waltz comes in threes: one, da da, two la la, three ta ta. Life has its moments of stop, start, go; beginning, middle, end; slow, medium, fast. And on we go.

"The Waltz" by Auguste Renoir

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mirepoix

• 1 part celery
• 1 part carrot
• 2 parts onion

This recipe is by weight. It can be added to stocks (canned or fresh), or can be sautéd as a basic flavor enhancer. Enjoy!

Dream a little dream...

"The Dreaming" is a story, an Aboriginal term to describe a time when there existed nothing, when the world was blank and infinite space, emptiness... alone. It's a personal story that starts from the beginning, gives new meaning to words like "love," "laughter," "trust." The creatures that live in "The Dreaming" are different for everyone: tigers, wolves, dragons, faeries, butterflies.

This year, my dreaming has been filled with too many things, too many emotions, and too much planning.

But my life won't be like this forever. Someday, I'll look back and laugh at myself for being a silly college student who thought her worth was in grades and books.

Ohayo, Bonjour, 你好, Hola

This blog is my new joy. It will be my springboard for pictures, philosophy, quotes, jokes, recipes, clothes, anything that I find interesting and want to share with the world.