Sunset, moonlight, prism. My gratitude is definitely wonky-- it's been a stressful month-- but one thing about stressful times is they also bring out reasons to be grateful, and there are always reasons! I'm thankful for good books, library apps, art supplies, and internet to get me through the colder months and dreary days. G words: gypsy, golden, and grace.
Gratitude in times of stress can so often seem counter-intuitive, but I agree with you. I’m glad your gratitudes are plenty. I hope things are easing or settling and that the month ahead brings some calm.
The moonlight hits the lighthouse creating great, giant glimmers. I breathe deeply, and give thanks to the Universe for placing me in this moment to enjoy it.
Currently in a takeout/delivery era. :) Rotating through a delivery app to get pad Thai, cheese-less pizza, banh mi/pho, Indian food, tacos/burritos, veggie Ramen, pasta, repeat!
The recipe sounds great - I don’t eat dairy these days so I’ll have to see if I can find (or make) a feta substitute that tastes good. I heard it’s sometimes made from tofu + vinegar. What type of pasta did you use? These days I like the texture/shape of cavatappi.
Hmmm... some food
-related G-words from this past week ...
- Ground (decaf coffee)
- Grapes
- Grab-bag of snacks/chips for swim sessions and ice skating practice
Thank you, Rachel. I like the sound of your current era! Lol. I might even be jealous of that current era. Lol. That’s interesting about a tofu alternative. I think the ease of it is what makes it such a hit. I used penne. It just happened to be what I had. I had to look up cavatappi, but they look a bit like cellentani, which I love. Excellent approach to the G words. Have a good week.
The sunsets here have been beautiful, but impossible to photograph through the shapes of modernization, gentrification. I love the way the moonlight shines through the trees, leaving shadows in my backyard.
I hope there were rainbows - sounds like moonbeams at least! I will never pretend not to be grateful to be able to see both directions — but I try to remember not to take it for granted. The pasta is definitely worth a try! Such G words…. Oh my. Lol.
I am glad you were here to read, Adah, and thank you for commenting. I hope there were things today to find the good in. I hope things are okay. Thank you for sharing the G words!
Thanks for your kind thoughts! I got my Covid vaccine today and now sitting on my couch with a fire in the wood-burning stove. Sending you hopes for good days as well. I so enjoy reading your words 🌟
I’m grateful for my daughter. I can bounce ideas off her and she’ll help me walk through my anxious thoughts and come up with a plan I’m happy with. She’ll tell me the truth--even if it’s blunt criticism, I know she loves me and it’s stuff that no one else will correct me on! I’m trying to get table decorations pulled together this week for my school’s fundraising dinner and I need the feedback on my ideas. So grateful she went with me this afternoon.
I will definitely have to try the baked feta recipe. Sounds really good! And I love seeing your previous gratitude projects. I love how your daily drawings combined on one large page come together into one beautiful piece of art. Genuine. Generous. Gee wiz.
Thank you, Erin. I appreciate the comment and the mention of the gratitude projects I showed from year’s past. I really do. Definitely give the pasta a try!
I am grateful for the connection of drawing. I’ve been inspired by you and in turn others started drawing because I was (our mutual friend and now my niece).
Lighthouse and I saw the sunrise from Cork train station on the way to Dublin for the day.
Thank you, Catherine. I always value your words and perspective. I am happy your niece is drawing (she is welcome to join us, you know). Those drawing connections and chains of encouraging others to draw and find something satisfying and mindful in the process….are wonderful. I can imagine the sunrise on the train was beautiful! I’m so glad you had that moment…. Lighthouse, indeed. (I had to look up gimcrack!)
Oh...!!! I was so caught up in my paying work (:tiny eyeroll:) this past week that I ended up backlogged with everything else, including many of my favorite reads. I'm sorry it took me this long to get to this one, and to see that you shared your own food tradition alongside one of mine. Speaking of gratitude! Thank you for linking to the "pudding post," Amy. An unexpected delight (and why does Substack not notify us of these??).
I loved hearing your voice for the first time ever in the audio option. So smooth and confident, and I wonder what soft- or hardware you use.
Let's see, what else stood out here:
💚 That recipe is going to come in handy this winter, when I've slipped from my moral high ground about eating locally and seasonally--which I always do at some point.
💚 Your gratitude project drawings are truly outstanding, inspiring, and worthy of wide distribution, imo.
💚 I guess I'm in prism mode. The rainbows shoot out at different times, but only when the sun manages to catch them at the right angle.
G-words: Greens! I just blanched a big, mixed bunch that included daikon radish tops from a farmers market purchase, Swiss chard given by a friend, and sweet potato leaves saved from the ones I planted in pots this summer.
Grace. I need to give it more often, I think. We all do.
Government. I'll just let that one stand without more explanation.
Thank you for a thoughtful and thought-provoking post.
Thank you, Elizabeth. I am grateful for your comment and that we have connected here with our substacks. The pudding post that I linked, of course, I love! It provided much entertainment a week or so ago as I shared it when visiting someone. Thank you for the kind words about the audio and the past-year gratitude projects. I’ve had a podcast for many years, a tiny one. It felt really odd though doing a voiceover for the substack. I’m still waffling with how I feel about it. I hear you about the real work. Trust me. Thank you for your G words…. a diverse set, for sure. About that prism…. That’s exactly why I love them. Beautifully put. I hope you catch some light…and rainbows.
I just do things in the margins of my regular day :( --- Nothing super special in terms of equipment. But a microphone, yes. I think pretty much every voiceover I’ve listened to has sounded good -- including YOURS!
G words: grunt, groan and give. I give in to your magical writing. As always, there’s so much to encompass that I can’t absorb it all. How do you find time to write AND draw?
This week, I took a lot of photos. I do it all from the power chair with the smartphone. I used to have a Nikon setup. I’m grateful for the camera on the phone.
Thank you, Fran. I do take your words to heart! Our phones today really do take wonderful photos. I look forward to seeing photos that will appear in your posts. You have a wonderful eye for pattern and line.
Sunset, moonlight, prism. My gratitude is definitely wonky-- it's been a stressful month-- but one thing about stressful times is they also bring out reasons to be grateful, and there are always reasons! I'm thankful for good books, library apps, art supplies, and internet to get me through the colder months and dreary days. G words: gypsy, golden, and grace.
Gratitude in times of stress can so often seem counter-intuitive, but I agree with you. I’m glad your gratitudes are plenty. I hope things are easing or settling and that the month ahead brings some calm.
The moonlight hits the lighthouse creating great, giant glimmers. I breathe deeply, and give thanks to the Universe for placing me in this moment to enjoy it.
Seeing this made my heart happy. Thank you. And I am glad you have this peaceful perspective within you.
Nice illustrations and writing.
Currently in a takeout/delivery era. :) Rotating through a delivery app to get pad Thai, cheese-less pizza, banh mi/pho, Indian food, tacos/burritos, veggie Ramen, pasta, repeat!
The recipe sounds great - I don’t eat dairy these days so I’ll have to see if I can find (or make) a feta substitute that tastes good. I heard it’s sometimes made from tofu + vinegar. What type of pasta did you use? These days I like the texture/shape of cavatappi.
Hmmm... some food
-related G-words from this past week ...
- Ground (decaf coffee)
- Grapes
- Grab-bag of snacks/chips for swim sessions and ice skating practice
Thank you, Rachel. I like the sound of your current era! Lol. I might even be jealous of that current era. Lol. That’s interesting about a tofu alternative. I think the ease of it is what makes it such a hit. I used penne. It just happened to be what I had. I had to look up cavatappi, but they look a bit like cellentani, which I love. Excellent approach to the G words. Have a good week.
Sunrise spears the blinds.
I need my prism to turn
this day to rainbows.
The sunsets here have been beautiful, but impossible to photograph through the shapes of modernization, gentrification. I love the way the moonlight shines through the trees, leaving shadows in my backyard.
Garrote, gangplank, gargoyle
I’m definitely trying this pasta.
I hope there were rainbows - sounds like moonbeams at least! I will never pretend not to be grateful to be able to see both directions — but I try to remember not to take it for granted. The pasta is definitely worth a try! Such G words…. Oh my. Lol.
Prism
Gyre
Glyph
Ghostly
I am glad you were here to read, Adah, and thank you for commenting. I hope there were things today to find the good in. I hope things are okay. Thank you for sharing the G words!
Thanks for your kind thoughts! I got my Covid vaccine today and now sitting on my couch with a fire in the wood-burning stove. Sending you hopes for good days as well. I so enjoy reading your words 🌟
I hope you had no side effects and are feeling good. Wood burning stove sounds cozy!
🥰
Sunrise Sunset Prism
Gargantuan
Graph
Gully
I’m grateful for my daughter. I can bounce ideas off her and she’ll help me walk through my anxious thoughts and come up with a plan I’m happy with. She’ll tell me the truth--even if it’s blunt criticism, I know she loves me and it’s stuff that no one else will correct me on! I’m trying to get table decorations pulled together this week for my school’s fundraising dinner and I need the feedback on my ideas. So grateful she went with me this afternoon.
This is a beautiful moment of awareness and gratitude for your daughter. I hope the table decorations worked out and the dinner went well.
I will definitely have to try the baked feta recipe. Sounds really good! And I love seeing your previous gratitude projects. I love how your daily drawings combined on one large page come together into one beautiful piece of art. Genuine. Generous. Gee wiz.
Thank you, Erin. I appreciate the comment and the mention of the gratitude projects I showed from year’s past. I really do. Definitely give the pasta a try!
I am grateful for the connection of drawing. I’ve been inspired by you and in turn others started drawing because I was (our mutual friend and now my niece).
Lighthouse and I saw the sunrise from Cork train station on the way to Dublin for the day.
Gently
Gifts
Gimcrack
That recipe sounds tempting - will give it a try.
Thank you, Catherine. I always value your words and perspective. I am happy your niece is drawing (she is welcome to join us, you know). Those drawing connections and chains of encouraging others to draw and find something satisfying and mindful in the process….are wonderful. I can imagine the sunrise on the train was beautiful! I’m so glad you had that moment…. Lighthouse, indeed. (I had to look up gimcrack!)
Oh...!!! I was so caught up in my paying work (:tiny eyeroll:) this past week that I ended up backlogged with everything else, including many of my favorite reads. I'm sorry it took me this long to get to this one, and to see that you shared your own food tradition alongside one of mine. Speaking of gratitude! Thank you for linking to the "pudding post," Amy. An unexpected delight (and why does Substack not notify us of these??).
I loved hearing your voice for the first time ever in the audio option. So smooth and confident, and I wonder what soft- or hardware you use.
Let's see, what else stood out here:
💚 That recipe is going to come in handy this winter, when I've slipped from my moral high ground about eating locally and seasonally--which I always do at some point.
💚 Your gratitude project drawings are truly outstanding, inspiring, and worthy of wide distribution, imo.
💚 I guess I'm in prism mode. The rainbows shoot out at different times, but only when the sun manages to catch them at the right angle.
G-words: Greens! I just blanched a big, mixed bunch that included daikon radish tops from a farmers market purchase, Swiss chard given by a friend, and sweet potato leaves saved from the ones I planted in pots this summer.
Grace. I need to give it more often, I think. We all do.
Government. I'll just let that one stand without more explanation.
Thank you for a thoughtful and thought-provoking post.
Thank you, Elizabeth. I am grateful for your comment and that we have connected here with our substacks. The pudding post that I linked, of course, I love! It provided much entertainment a week or so ago as I shared it when visiting someone. Thank you for the kind words about the audio and the past-year gratitude projects. I’ve had a podcast for many years, a tiny one. It felt really odd though doing a voiceover for the substack. I’m still waffling with how I feel about it. I hear you about the real work. Trust me. Thank you for your G words…. a diverse set, for sure. About that prism…. That’s exactly why I love them. Beautifully put. I hope you catch some light…and rainbows.
Podcast! I don't know how you do it all! So, I presume you have specialized equipment for that, which is why your audio quality is so good. Nice.
I just do things in the margins of my regular day :( --- Nothing super special in terms of equipment. But a microphone, yes. I think pretty much every voiceover I’ve listened to has sounded good -- including YOURS!
G words: grunt, groan and give. I give in to your magical writing. As always, there’s so much to encompass that I can’t absorb it all. How do you find time to write AND draw?
This week, I took a lot of photos. I do it all from the power chair with the smartphone. I used to have a Nikon setup. I’m grateful for the camera on the phone.
I’m grateful for Illustrated Life.
Thank you, Fran. I do take your words to heart! Our phones today really do take wonderful photos. I look forward to seeing photos that will appear in your posts. You have a wonderful eye for pattern and line.
Loved this voice over. Just beautiful.
Oh! Thank you so much! I appreciate knowing you listened to that intro!