This morning we opened our Collected Poems of W.S. Merwin to the poet counting blessings and expressing gratitude. Which we find ourselves doing as we read it.
Read MoreBeth Moon’s Photographs of Ancient Trees Under Night Skies are Magic
Inspired by studies that view trees as receivers of stellar energies, photographer Beth Moon traveled to the world’s “last dark places” to photograph ancient trees at night, in color.
Read MoreListening to the Spirit of the Tools We Use (Tim McCreight)
In Tim McCreight’s The Complete Metalsmith, I was surprised to find poetic wisdom in his section about hand tools that apply to many kinds of tools we use in creative endeavors, sometimes even smart phones.
Read MoreAlice B. Toklas’ Asparagus in Salt & Pepper Whipped Cream “A Thing of Beauty”
In her famous cookbook, Alice B.Toklas called Madame Loubet’s Asparagus Tips “a gastronomic feast. And a thing of beauty.” They are. Here’s how to make them.
Read MoreOpened at Random: The Book of Joy “Setting an Intention for the Day”
Today we opened at random the Book of Joy, Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. We found this…
Read More‘When Everything in the World Has Been Lost But Soon We Will Find It Again’ (W.S. Merwin)
In his poetry, W.S. Merwin expressed what lies largely beyond our conscious mind, yet there, waiting to be recognized like this about the inbetween time before spring is fully apparent,
Read MoreOpened at Random: A Field Guide to Getting Lost (How to Be Rich in Loss)
The other day, Lisa Morphew opened A Field Guide to Getting Lost to this (and then she sent it our way):
Read MoreOpened at Random: All the Light We Cannot See (How Light Comes From Darkness)
This morning we opened at random All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr to this:
Read MoreOpened at Random: Why We Sleep, Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
This morning we opened Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams at random and found this…
Read MoreOpened at Random: A Guide to the I Ching “The Zig Zag Path of the Creative”
This morning we opened A Guide to the I Ching by Carole Anthony at random and found this…
Read MoreFavorite Gifts I Love To Give
Late with my holiday preparations, I’m just wrapping my head around making food gifts as well as the few gifts I buy. Here’s are favorites that you still have time to order.
Read MoreTopography of Tears: Like Aerial Views of Emotional Terrain
Looking at tears through a microscope, artist Rose-Lynn Fisher found no two alike, evidence of our inner life overflowing its boundaries, spilling over into consciousness.
Read MoreOpened at Random: Flights (Olga Tokarczuk) “…the engine that drives changes”
This morning we opend Flights at random and found this…
Read MoreCourage in a Bottle and Elsewhere…
Furnace Creek Farms clever elixer seems a fine way to get a dose of courage, which we need daily these days. If you can drink it, there are other ways to be reminded of the strength within.
Read MoreScraps, Wilt & Leaves: Sublime Trash Cooking with a Michelin Chef
I am inspired and smitten with Scraps, Wilt & Weeds: Turning Wasted Food into Plenty. Michelin star chef Mads Refslund weaves a powerful philosophy of ecology into his cooking that has led him to create gorgeous, do-able dishes out of the foods we routinely throw in the trash.
Read MoreHoney from a Weed: Simple Rice or Risotto with Dandelion (or other Greens)
It is weed season. Dandelions make me hunger for a simple dish I first read in Honey From a Weed, a cookbook I’ve continued to enjoy for over thirty years. The elemental Macedonian dish morphs into a splendid risotto.
Read MoreImprovised Life’s Thoughtful Un-Gift Guide
Here’s our list of things we think are worth giving for the way they expand minds/hearts/creativity, or are just downright useful…
Read MoreDollar Bills and Other Found Bookmarks
Our friend Jody Lotito Levine pulled out a book she was reading. In it was a bookmark made from a dollar bill. It is one of the better bookmarks we’ve seen, as good as slices of ribbon or a delicate length of toilet paper (below), each having their own unique effect. Using a dollar as a…
Read MoreTo Manage Projects (or Your Life) Do a Quarterly Review
My wife and I had been interested in small, micro-sized startup ideas for over 16 years, at one point pursuing six projects at once. As you can imagine, we were spread so thin, none of the ideas took off. So we began looking for a simple way to manage the chaos of startup ideas and…
Read MoreShiny Mud Dumplings, Pies + Other Favorite Spring Recipes
(Video link here.) Friday is the day we usually publish a recipe, hoping that it will prove a delicious weekend activity for our readers. While we recommend your checking out the menu and recipe links for the birthday dinner we’ll be cooking for a friend (at bottom), we can think of no better Spring activity than making…
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