I love how Paper Pony decorates…just love.

I can’t wait. Years ago, when I read Persepolis, I hoped for a film. My soul rejoices, and makes up for not seeing the His Dark Materials. I don’t usually read reviews, but when they are of movies made from books I love, I have to–the memory of the story is in peril. I took a risk with Eragon earlier this year, mainly because I didn’t have much invested in the book. Eragon is a glom of the Belgariad, Dragonriders of Pern and Tolkein, all in one, but I longed for all those books to be decently-made movies (1 out of 3)–Eragon could have made much of those influences in movie-form, but was horribly disappointing. I read that His Dark Materials is suffering from a hyperactive line of movie-rendering. I can’t bear it.But, Persopolis…it bodes well!

Jennifer, thank you so much! You made the bag I haven’t had time for, and then some. It is wonderful-I love the fabric on the pocket and the rick-rack, and the contrasting lining, and, and,

I’ve been thinking of opening an Etsy shop (finally have some things mastered that were quite embarrassing 5 years ago).  Jennifer, you definitely would make a great Etsy shop!

Scarf pieced from a Cricket Lane vest and a pair of Mark Shale pants, both made from wool/cashmere blends. It has been ages since I’ve sewn anything, and can I just say, Seam Ripper Dartboard. Also, the next time I do this, No Patterns–that’s hard to do when the fabric is a bit older and somewhat stretched out. I tried washing and blocking the fabric, but it was still a bit distorted and was difficult to match up end to end.

Doris Lessing’s acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize:

I am standing in a doorway looking through clouds of blowing dust to where I am told there is still uncut forest. Yesterday I drove through miles of stumps, and charred remains of fires where, in 1956, there was the most wonderful forest I have ever seen, all now destroyed. People have to eat. They have to get fuel for fires.

This is north-west Zimbabwe early in the 80s, and I am visiting a friend who was a teacher in a school in London. He is here “to help Africa”, as we put it. He is a gently idealistic soul and what he found in this school shocked him into a depression, from which it was hard to recover. This school is like every other built after Independence. It consists of four large brick rooms side by side, put straight into the dust, one two three four, with a half room at one end, which is the library. In these classrooms are blackboards, but my friend keeps the

read the rest here.

© The Nobel Foundation 2007

The best when you’re pressed for time and are having a non-cookie sort of holiday.

Roll Cookies (adapted from the Joy of Cooking)
About Forty 2-Inch Cookies

1 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind (yes, yum)

Roll Cookies Method
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in 1 egg, vanilla, and bourbon. Combine flour, salt, and nutmeg, then sift. Add sifted flour a little at a time to creamed butter mixture until all is formed into a dough. After dough is well blended, form into a ball. Roll the dough into a 2-inch thick roll between a piece of plastic. This is the shape of your cookies. Wrap dough well in additional plastic wrap, and then in aluminum foil. Put in refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice rounds about 1/8-inch thick and place on a well-greased sheet pan a few inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly colored.

You can frost these, if you’d like, but we munch on them as-is. I love the hint of lemon! Being lemon-fiends, we use a tablespoon of lemon rind. Something handy to do: when you juice lemons for recipes, save the rinds in your freezer.

There’s a lot of ice ’round here…

Have a wonderful weekend!

I have NOT been in a cookie-making mood this weekend. It just doesn’t feel like a cookie kind of time. Cookie-making en masse takes time, patience and attention to detail. Christmas cookie-making is like a high-maintenance friend: you have to decide with a GREAT DEAL OF THOUGHT if it is worth it. This year, not so much. Not worth it. That is how I’m expressing the Sacredness of this Sunday.

However, this weekend, the basic bread calls. The flexibility, the generosity of an ever-expansive spirit fueled by a well-nurtured yeast versus a detailed cooking event full of drama with the constant possibility of criticism via cracked edges and an uneven oven temperature (and yes, I have quarry tiles galore in the oven–the oven, it is tiny, SOS). When making bread, there is always a moment where you want the dough to relax. I’ll take that, thank you very much.

As an homage to Adam’s Finnish ancestry, I made us a lovely loaf of Pulla. Pulla is a sweetish, cardomom-scented yeasted bread typically served with coffee. You can make a basic pulla, which is just lovely with tea, or you can augment its delicate flavor with crushed almonds and sugar. Guild this proverbial lily by treating like an unglazed cinnamon bun–roll it up with a paste made of spice and butter. This recipe is for the basic dough, but I encourage you to experiment. Pulling some pulla continued »

A few months ago, I found this website called Imagining Ourselves. They are wrapping things up, but sent out one last call for submissions (from Renee Gasch, Editorial Assistant):

“…we are encouraging everyone to participate one last time. We’re asking people from around the world to send in photos of themselves holding their answers to the exhibition’s main question: What Defines Your Generation of Women? See our Answers Gallery for more information.”

I am having a hard time finding a definition. I think I often feel I don’t really know many women from my own generation. And then I remember the blogging world, and I realize how much more community there is now compared to this same generation of women, 10 years ago. I also realize how many women I know in general–at all ages–are rediscovering themselves and giving themselves permission to be what they truly want to be. To allow themselves to even entertain the idea that they have multiple options.

And what generation do I belong to, really?  Just pondering.  If you have a chance, check it out–what do you think?

Received in an email from a Heifer friend:

 

Twelve Environmental Victories in 2007 from the Environmental Defense Fund 12/4/07

While we continue to make progress on our number one priority - capping America’s global warming pollution - we hope this list inspires you and brings you cheer this holiday season. With your help, we’re making a difference and winning real victories for the environment. Environmental good news continued »