Green

This time of year, I love driving around anywhere I can be surrounded by trees.

I'm lucky, because it's not too hard to find a tree-lined lane where I live.

At one point, I had a 30-minute commute during which I mainly managed to stay on windy lanes where the trees connected across the street, forming canopies overhead.

There's something about those streets that feels safe and enveloping. Almost room-like. The color adds to it, for sure.

This time of year, everything is in shades of ultra-bright green and unfurling with hope, before the July sun has sapped its strength.

Everyone who knows me well thinks I love the month of May simply because my birthday is during this month, but it's more than that.

The greenness of it, the newness, makes celebrating the passing of another year all the more meaningful.

Grace, Issue 47

1. Three days off, one day on, one day off, two days on, two days off.
2. Reconnecting with a former colleague who I'd always enjoyed working with.
3. Seeing the little smiley-faced box in which my Mom stashed one of my birthday gifts--and realizing that I crack up each time I look at it.
4. Enjoying the glide of a new pen over the pages of a Moleskine, cracked open for just this occasion.
5. Eating a pack of M&Ms and not feeling the least bit guilty about it (yet).

Brand New Bag

Even as a toddler, I was obsessed with purses. Whenever my mom got rid of an old pocketbook and let me play with it, I was in heaven. The best ones had multiple pockets and zippers and tiny hideaway compartments.

There's probably some tie-in with obsessing over the trappings of grownup-hood - after all, at three, I came downstairs one morning and announced I was ready for school, clad in footie pajamas and sporting a briefcase. (Thankfully, my fashion choices have evolved a little, since then.)

But procuring a new handbag just as summer starts? Divine.

Over the weekend, I found one in a kickin' color, a roomy style with cute details. Like little perforations reminiscent of spectator pumps. And a zany, flowered lining that reminds me of my maternal grandmother for some reason.

Best of all, it was on deep-deep sale.

Grace: Issue 46, Good Day, Sunshine

It's amazing what can happen when you just put it out there, into the world, that you need a reset. Because today, the stars aligned and everything sorted itself out.

1. A weekly deadline was met with little drama and smiles all around.
2. Coworkers and I hit a favorite lunch spot for laughs and a break.
3. Actually got to leave work at the pre-holiday early-dismissal time, rather than being stuck tying up loose ends.
4. Got in and out of the grocery store in record time.
5. Came home to find one of my favorite magazines waiting for me in the mail.

Lull!

As rambunctious teenagers, my friends and I would while away hours just talking about nothing.

So Jerry Seinfeld's show didn't seem that far a stretch, in a way a funnier, more urbane version of what we did on a daily basis. That, and they were generally harsher and snarkier than we were.

(My friends have more heart than Jerry, Kramer, George and Elaine combined.)

Even during the longest of bull sessions, once in a while the conversation would spiral to a halt.

Until someone would cry out: "Lull!"

It broke whatever tension or lack of inspiration there was, made us laugh, and triggered some other topic, just by virtue of pointing out we'd run out of things to discuss.

It was a Reset button for the conversation.

That's sort of how I've been feeling lately: halted, uninspired, and in need of a reset.

So this long holiday weekend is arriving just in time. Meeting a girlfriend in the city for some catch-up chat, having family over for a barbeque.

Far from a Lull, it should be just the reset I need.

Grace, Issue 45 - The Mom Chronicles

1. They soothe our ruffled feathers.
2. Lend an ear when we're wronged or worried.
3. Show us what's what.
4. Encourage us to be fearless by providing support for even the riskiest endeavors.
5. And love us all the more at the end of the day.

Fabulous Friday

What does it say that I wake up on Mondays, slog through my morning routine, jump back into the rat race, and then suddenly I look up and, it's Friday?

I guess it means my work is engaging enough that time goes by quickly...

Or, that I'm not paying enough attention to the things that really enrich my life.

The rain that drenched us all week seems to have moved on, and now it's sunny and crisp this morning, just like spring ought to be.

Flowers are looking good and there are still blossoms on all the trees, from the weeping willows, to cherry trees to magnolias.

Amidst the stresses of the day, the work crises and the family obligations, I need to remind myself to to stop and pay attention to the beauty that's all around.

Grace Issue 44

1. Too many interesting things to read at once.
2. Mint Milanos after doing without for way too long.
3. Meeting of the minds with people at work.
4. Lightening the load for a coworker.
5. Looking forward to a tea party with "the girls" on Saturday.

Delayed Gratification

As bulbs burst forth each spring, it's one of the most heartening things you can catch sight of, bleary from a winter of icy-cold temps and gray skies.

Each spring, my heart lifts as the green shoots peek out from under the mulch. And when the flowers appear? Smiles every day.

Having planted tulips and hyacinths (and weren't there a few daffodils?) probably more than 10 years ago, they're getting a little more peaked each year.

So I"m putting in my calendar for October to gather more bulbs, stock up on knee pads, break out the flannel shirt and get cracking.

The hard work you put into it is definitely worth the reward.

Grace in Small Things: Issue 43

1. A city park dotted with people catching some rays, a bride and groom getting photographed, football-tossing dudes and many, many dogs.
2. Those little pink petals that swirl around off the trees, dotting the sidewalk, letting you know it's spring.
3. Good natter with a friend I haven't seen in way too long.
4. The first al fresco lunch of 2009: an Arnold Palmer, a strawberry and field greens salad drizzled with sherry vinaigrette, and a jumbo lump crab cake.
5. A cup of Capogiro's blood orange sorbetto, before driving home to the 'burbs.

Leave Your Worries in the Trees

Finally got to a yoga class last night after weeks of "meaning to," and it was just what the doctor ordered.

It's not until I get to yoga class that I realize how much I forget to breathe on a daily basis. Of course, I'm walking around, so I'm breathing enough to sustain life, but I mean breathe.

Consciously. Deliberately. Following its path on every inhale and exhale.

This being a very gentle yoga class, the emphasis was on meditating the cares of the day away and out of one's mind (which was my goal, too, of course). This instructor always comes up with a different metaphor that makes it easier for me to disconnect from whatever's been vexing me.

Last night, in celebration of spring and all the petals bursting forth, she led us on a walk down an imaginary road, surrounded on both sides by trees. Each tree that you pass is diferent. As you pass a tree, imagine yourself draping a thought onto it, a thought that's crowding your brain and basically disturbing your bliss.

Keep walking until you run out of thoughts to drape onto trees. There are no more trees, and no more thoughts. Just your breath. With your mind clear of thought, just be.

It works. Try it.

Grace: Issue 42, The Easter Feaster

Boy, did we have fun yesterday!

1. Pirogis, procured from Krakus Market, along with the last of the shop's kielbasa on Good Friday.
2. A bite of that leftover potato pancake Mr Spandrel was enjoying, from Syrenka, a no-frills luncheonette that makes delicious Polish fare.
3. An Easter egg hunt for the kids in attendance -- with the added challenge of more undersized eggs hidden away in little pocket spaces around the yard.
4. Ham from Wegman's, which made grocery shopping oh so much easier.
5. Carrot souffle, a buttery, sugary fluff that barely qualifies as a vegetable.

Good Golly

Somehow, I'd missed that a lovely jazz singer that I've admired passed away in February.

My first brush with Blossom Dearie was a Target commercial a few years ago. And ever since, "They Say It's Spring" has been my definitive mini-soundtrack for the season.

There's something about it that's joyful, lilting and a little wistful at the same time.

We could all take a lesson from Blossom Dearie.

In a time where we're roiling from all the pursuit of excess, rather than excellence, why be overblown about things when a soft touch can do the trick?

Grace: Issue 41

1. Looking forward to the full moon tomorrow--things are so zany, already, who can predict what will happen!?
2. Realizing work will never be done. It's just that one can momentarily hold back the floodgates for a time, hopefully long enough to squeeze in some creative thinking.
3. Whimsically purchasing an Elle magazine, only to find quirky layouts, inspiring articles and colorful, uplifting imagery, for once. (And I admit, I even like reading the numerology and horoscopes -- and in other news, watch out, as apparently I am a force to be reckoned with this month!)
4. Getting ready for Easter, with ham, pirogis and carrot souffle on the menu.
5. Trusting my instincts, and feeling like I finally know more than I give myself credit for.

Grace: Issue 40

1. Waking up earlier than expected and having an extra two hours to think and plan the day.
2. Sunlight bouncing through the guest room, spilling out into the hallway.
3. Getting errands done in record time.
4. Realizing one of my favorite areas of the city now offers free lot parking.
5. Eating 6 tiny little tea sandwiches for a Saturday snack including:
   * egg salad
   * chicken salad
   * cucumber
   * salmon cream cheese
   * asparagus
   * three-tiered ribbon ham, watercress and chopped egg.

Graceless Under Pressure

Oy, what a week. Deadline upon deadline. Challenge after challenge. Confrontation and exhortations.

And through it all, did I maintain my composure? Keep my cool? Roll with it, baby?

Um, no.

I ranted. I raved. I bitched and moaned. Enough with keeping it all in. I let it all out. (Well, not all. But to my shocked and surprised cohorts, it must have sure seemed that way.)

Frankly, I am sick and tired of bottling everything up...

Of taking one for the team...

Of being a trooper, a good egg, a team player.

It's not good for my health, my heart, my creativity, my mind.

But I'm looking at the crazy-windy weather we're experiecing today as blowing away all that negative crud, breezing in new energy, wild ideas and upbeat moods.

Grace: Issue 39

1. Receiving long-awaited beads in the mail (now my fingers are itchy, looking for something with which to string them up).
2. Eating more peanut M&Ms than is advisable.
3. Resting my weary head.
4. Being determined to get a complete night's sleep.
5. Realizing a heat-and-eat "leftovers dinner" is on the menu (And after the week I've been having? Quick and easy never tasted good!).

Grace: Issue 38

1. Taking a daydream vacation on sunny shores... Bermuda... Kauai... Low-key, coastal Florida.
2. Imagining the soft sand giving way under my feet as I walked the shoreline.
3. Thinking about a dip in a refreshing pool of water.
4. Floating on crystal-blue water, with cloudless blue skies overhead.
5. Sipping a cocktail as I dangle my feet in the pool.

Grace: Issue 37 (Cousin's Wedding Edition)

1. Rediscovering a kindred spirit in a distant relative.
2. Escaping the noise for some quiet and cool air with my hon.
3. Momentarily losing my voice from talking so much - and so loudly - over the din.
4. Enjoying a band that worked the crowd into a frenzy.
5. Hearing the amazing band play James Brown's "I Feel Good" and later learning it had been my cousin - the groom - who was singing! (He was surrounded by a packed dance floor you couldn't see who had the mic.)

Grace Issue 36

1. Picking up my good-as-new shoes from the cobbler.
2. Taking a long, long walk amidst the break in the rain.
3. Crunching on kettle-cooked chips.
4. Parking at a meter with time still left on it.
5. Eating a fresh-baked croissant and gabbing over fresh coffee with what turns out to the shop owner/baker.

Springtime Friday Workout

This morning, I had to stop at the cobbler. You know, the shoe repair guy's place. (I know, cobbler sounds so ancient and too-prim and/or proper.)

I was dropping off shoes that I needed fixed in time for an event I'm going to tomorrow night. These are fancy, pointy shoes that I seldom wear, and the last time I'd worn them, I realized way too late that the rubber heels had become detached from the shoes (as in, while at church!).

And of course, this discovery was made after I'd clomped all through our hardwood-floored house while trying them on and testing them out, noting that I was curiously less steady on them than usual.

Plus, didn't they seem extraordinarily clacky, I'd asked Mr. Spandrel?

I dunno, he shrugged.

A quick look at the bottom made it clear I'd been walking on the connector screws instead of the rubber heels that had once been there! Gah!

Luckily, I didn't seem to gouge the floor anywhere I can discern. But I digress...

So I walk into the shoe repair store, and I'm not alone: a little puppy is barking like crazy, runs over and starts clamoring around my legs, jumping up, pawing and snurfling at my knees with excitement.

Her enthusiasm is palpable - and catching!

The shoe repair guy, aghast, runs out from behind his counter to corral the puppy, only to inspire her to think we're all three engaged in a game of "catch me!"

Around and around the store we spiral around each other, the three of us, a cacophony of barks, "sorry!s" and "whoops!"

Each time the proprietor tries to scoop up the puppy, she scampers away and runs hither and yon, her tongue and tail wagging in triple time.

Should anyone else have walked in, it would have seemed quite the spectacle.

I dodge, but the puppy lunges, until finally there's a tiny break in the action. And suddenly this puppy, wound tighter than a rubber band, propels herself into the cobbler arms in a little heap and calm is restored in the pocket-sized shop.

Just. Like. That.

I spent the rest of the morning with a goofy grin on my face.

Grace: Issue 35

1. Finishing a necklace with beads from my favorite bead artist.
2. Realizing that what I like best about jewelrymaking is the completion.
3. Making incremental progress on a big project I've been stewing over at my day job.
4. Promising someone a chocolate bunny once Lent is over.
5. Watching robins hop around and knowing that spring is definitely en route.

Daily Grace: Issue 34

1. Dress shopping with my Mom, my sister and my niece - three generations of funny women.
2. Deciding to buy cool shoes (to be worn to work later) to jazz up a little black dress already in my closet.
3. Walking several miles in one day after too much time away from the gym.
4. Spending time playing "The Candy Game" - which consists of naming random kinds of candy - during a car ride with my niece.
5. Realizing that simpler can be better, in fancy dresses and in most areas of life.

Maximal Weekend

This weekend went by in a - poof! - of activity.

It all started off bright and early Saturday morning, where I snagged a prime parking spot in the city for $2 (just one block from my destination - hurrah!).

Got a haircut from my excellent stylist (always seems a little flatter than I'm used to, but we'll see).

Stopped by a small bead show (spent way too much - but it's inspired me to make more jewelry to sell to de-stash, so stay tuned for more details!).

Lunched with my Mom and my aunt (we are dweebs and all ordered the same thing: crab cake sandwich, but we enjoyed it immensely).

Trekked to Crate and Barrel to check out media consoles (none accommodate our weird too-large speaker).

Slept straight through the night (a deep, dreamless sleep, which is a huge departure).

Celebrated a friend's milestone birthday with her beyond-lovely family (a surprise brunch that actually knocked the socks off the guest of honor, who smiled for hours).

The Thrill of the Hunt

Off to a bead show tomorrow. I know at least two vendors that will take my money - the aforementioned Louise Mehaffey and her lampworked beads, and a silver vendor that gives my pieces their "oomph."

Then, after the show, it's lunch with two of my favorite people.

After the week I've had? I cannot wait!