I have this funny thing about cooling autumn days as the palette wanes to a soft gold and winters pearl ~ I look at them as an invitation to stay at home, light a warm fire, walk my dog along the sea…curl up with a good book.

This morning I think I shall make a pot of very spicy vegetarian chili with a platter of cornbread to go along with it. My soul is bright and I am wearing a very crazy mix of clothes today to match ~ a multithreaded skirt from Nepal, fuschia stockings, cranberry t~shirt and a nutmeg cropped sweater over it with a persian blue scarf and I feel completely delighted with myself ( even if perhaps I look just a tad outrageous.)

It has been a really beautiful few weeks with some seriously operatic highlights such as

~ taking a gorgeous, wandering Autumn walk in the Pennsylvania landscape ‘neath a kaleidascope of treesway reaching every upwards (and making the little film you see above which was completely sillyfun)

~ discovering Bob Dylan tickets!!! hiding in the vintage green 45 record box that was gifted to me as an early birthday present ~ the concert just clearly put me in a trance as I fell into step with Dylan’s Vaudevillian performance (and became spellbound by the shining soul connection betwixt man and guitar compliments of the alluring Charlie Sexton)

~ leaned into the uplifting, generous, and everwarm company of friends new and old as we gathered for Halloween parties and quiet evening dinners with Indian takeout

~ fell in a love with a stray cat which I promptly named ‘Midnight’ and fed daily portions of organic cream and sardines even as he snuck around the fishpond trying to scoop those out for ‘desert’

~ spent such an blissful morning at Attic records and bought my very first 45 (to go into above mentioned vintage green record box) ~ a mint condition copy of ‘when did you leave heaven’ on the original label and feeling like I was the luckiest girl in the world

~ enjoyed his enthusiastic, mirthful laugh (because it really is that magical)

~ coming home to boxes of surprising and unexpected gifts from artists I taught at the ‘be present, be here’ retreat and feeling so honored and touched and loved

~ receiving the most lovely emails from the completely effervescent Sarah Rayner, the author of “One Moment, One Morning’ and feeling so honored and humbled that she loved my teacups image for the cover of her bestselling novel and thinking I really should head right on over to England just to meet her, she really is that warm and astonishing. Right? Of course right!

Oh! and I almost forgot ! ‘Words to shoot by’ has the most delicious offering of polaroids for your sincere viewing sensation this week ~ go see!

Wishing you a morning walk ‘neath a cathedral of falling verbena leaves and a bowl of chili and cornbread ‘just because’ and a morning with dylan all to yourself:)

xoxo

Maddie

vintage tins on my kitchen counter ~ filled with sugar and flour, oats and coffee..and that sweet little dog I bought at a thrift shop for a dollar

I am so so so happy to be guest curating over at Crescendoh today ~ go see!

Sunday just how I like it ~ quiet, slow and warm curled up with dog, mokka and a bowl of raspberry~ apple crumble (and a dollup of frozen vanilla yogurt for delicious measure) listening to the Beatles. I was up with the birds today filled with a lovely energy and the house smells so earthy as I am roasting root vegetables in the oven for supper which I will mix with some brown rice and goddess dressing in a nori wrap. (beets, carrots, yams, parsnips and garlic) After my various travelings this summer is feels so very good to nest in my seaside home and somehow I have always felt Sunday’s were most suited to homespun activities and quietudes.

I officially have been gifted my very first 45 record ~ a beautiful press of ‘my sweet Lord’ ~ sung my favorite Beatle ~ George Harrison ~

This weekend was just that kind of perfect and included some lovely moments…

~ dinner at my favorite restaurant with a group of yoga friends ~ afterwords, we walked eleven blocks (singing with a generous ignition of red wine) to a birthday party that went all through the night prompting a run to Tim Horton’s for donuts and coffee at 5 in the morning (followed by my grand idea to make casado’s (rice, beans, eggs with sliced banana’s since there were no plantains) for everyone)

~ adding an extra class to my ‘Art of Living Cheerfully’ online course and counting the day’s to Lizzies retreat (she has the BEST goody bags and I am hoping teachers get one too ~ hint!)

~ enjoying an exhilerating yoga class (leaning in so deeply to each pose, pushing myself beyond comfort levels and then rewarding myself by falling asleep in savasana ~ शवासन:)

~ baking a raspberry~apple crumble which somehow heralds the arrival of Fall for me (my favorite time of the year)

~choosing a happy little can of green paint to paint my bicycle with as a Fall project ~ inspired by the colors in this cheery video

~ managing somehow to practice, practice, practice and perfect rather wonderfully the paradiddle on the drums (feeling pretty awesome about that one)

Well, beautiful friends I am off to make another mokka pot of coffee ~ leaving you with some lovely coffee images for your Sunday morning cuppa’ aaaaaaaand…I LOVE this tattoo!

aaaaaaand…I am guest curating over at Crescendoh today ~ go see!

listening to 45′s on the porch chosen most perfectly by an enthusiastic dj ~ which is beyond magical and I am on a quest to buy some 45′s of my own now ~ and perhaps a sweet little box with a nifty handle to carry them ~ don’t you just love that adorable vintage toy record player?

Well I am humming along summer’s way this week exploring the billowing corners of my heart, lime snowcones and drive in movie theaters (with 98 cent onion rings no less!!!) Not to mention splashing in pools of sunlight while flirting with lots of girl and boyness.

I feel like such a quivering vessel as inspiration runs rampant in my mind and am over the moon counting the days to teaching at Liz’s retreat (which is almost full, YAY!!!) ~ as well, my first run of  the ‘art of living cheerfully’ course was a brilliant success, and I am presently wading through a waiting list and preparing to add a second class in September to be the most accommodating I can be. I feel positively grateful for all your enthusiasms, support and wonderfully kind emails so thank you so much for being such sparkling gems in my life.

Here is a fabulous dose of heavenly heaven for your listening pleasure ~ Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio show ~ download them all ~ they are beyond wonderful although I particularly cherish ‘love’ and ‘laughter’ and ‘dance’ of course. Who doesn’t love dancing after all?

Wishing you pinpricks of magical summer days, skipping stones and spinning freshly cast dreams with some renovating gusto:)

I have a little porch off of my studio upstairs that is really beautiful
if only because it is built right into the branches of an apple tree.

Until this afternoon I did not have anything on this porch with the
exception of an old indian rug, and since the porch is partially
covered with this beamed roof I love to sit outside in the morning
for quiet meditations/morning coffee/bird symphonies.

This afternoon however I got it into my head to pot some purple basil
in these clay pots I found abandoned on a walk down Sunshine alley
leading (as all alley’s eventually do in crescent beach) to the beach.

Whilst I was potting I brought my portable record player up to the porch
and played Duke Ellington’s jazz party which I cannot say enough about, it
really is that fabulous.

Of course I had to snap a polaroid and was so happy with the apple green
leave’s reflection on the record as it spun around and around and around.

Such a happy afternoon. Music. I love it so ~ what music are you listening to?

*****I took two of these d’appled jazzy polaroids ~ slightly different but beautifully similar. Simply by leaving a comment I wil enter you in a draw on Sunday and the winner shall receive one of the original polaroids as a little gift. Just because I’m in that kind of mood today:)