February's Letter
A ticket office, breakfast, and winter flowering bulbs
The paperwhites in the giant footed bowl are going wild, scenting the house with their spicy, floral notes. The amaryllis is ever so slowly, every so surely sprouting its leaves higher and higher, it’s bud still tucked quietly inside. Just now, I brought in six clay pots, planted with narcissus in December and kept in the cool, dark larder ever since, for their turn in the sunny window in the house, for an intentional succession of blooms to fill the winter days. A few weeks from now, I’ll set more bulbs in a gravel-filled tray on the dining table so there’ll be a purple froth of hyacinth when the cold wind blows in March. Blooms in winter, delighting each day, carrying me along til spring.
It’s good to be back here, loves, scattering words across the page once again. January was a good month, a gift, tucked into the solitude of midwinter. A deep inhale; a long exhale. Rejuvenation to start off the year. That’s what I had in mind, when I planned my January, anyway. Curiously, life stepped in and rearranged things. Turns out, it didn’t offer me long stretches of unbound time, or days on end of relaxation. But when I looked, it did give pockets of rest. I allowed myself unstructured mornings, lots of open evenings, and more soaking baths than I’ve taken in a long time. Sometimes, even the smallest ease feels deeply restorative.
And now here’s February. Let’s see what this month holds.
Moments Lately
Reading Lately
A Fever In the Heartland by Timothy Egan - This one rendered me speechless. As I read, I kept reminding myself, this is true, this really happened. And, according to my husband, I kept shaking my head in disbelief. It’s an account of the rise of the KKK in the 1920’s in America, but it’s also so much more. A critical and timely reminder of how important it is to know history so that we choose better. Everyone should read this book.
Eating Lately
Let’s talk breakfast. I like my weekday breakfasts to be simple and quick, and I don’t mind eating my favorite things multiple mornings in a row. Two favorites are:
Yogurt bowl. In a small bowl, I put about 1/2 cup plain raw milk yogurt that I buy from a local dairy (I love that I can return the containers), drizzled with about 1 teaspoon maple syrup, about 1/3 cup frozen berries* and top it with a good sprinkle of chopped walnuts. I usually let it sit for ten minutes or so, so the berries soften before I dig in. I don’t measure any of this! I just add amounts that seem right.
Deviled eggs. I like to make a big batch of deviled eggs (about 10) early in the week and keep them in a covered container in the fridge to eat for breakfast in the coming days. They’re so good and so easy to pop into my mouth as I head out the door for my morning run. I cook my eggs in a steamer insert in my large saucepan for 12 minutes, counting from the time the water starts boiling. Then I plunge them into cold water, peel them, slice them open, and turn the egg yolks into a small mixing bowl, breaking them up with a fork until they resemble fine crumbs. Then I add a generous amount of homemade mayonnaise** and stir well. My favorite mix-ins are finely chopped red onion, fresh chives, capers, dill weed, or finely chopped bacon.
*I buy frozen blueberries and raspberries, and chopped walnuts in bulk from Azure Standard. Here’s a referral code if you’d like to shop Azure, too.
**Here’s the video from December’s Gather where I show how to make homemade mayo.
Favorites Lately
She’s one of my favorite caption writers and life livers on Instagram, and now she’s writing over here!
This pitcher (just what I was looking for).
This hair fork (it holds my hair so well).
These socks (I found a black pair in my Christmas stocking, then I went back for camel and creme).
I’m totally smitten with this ticket office (an idea that will one day be in a house I design).
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