ElfLog update

Someone put up this cool card that says Make Art Not War. It's stayed up now for two days. Yesterday a PTA notice (green circle) went up, and was gone by this morning. Little stones appear and disappear, flowers come and go, my little plastic bags filled with a quote or a message disappear. I'm hopeful!

yummy food

Here are some images from last night's dinner. The bread turned out wonderfully, the honey cake with honey butter was yummy, Marilyn's quiche, Jessica's sesame noodles, Phyllis' selection of noodle and tofu dishes plus more made for a very yummy meal. It was good to be with family and friends.

At the market

I had to post this image. I love the way the produce looks, as much as I love cooking and eating it. Amy had set up some of our produce shares at the end of our market time. The only items missing from this group are our eggplants, peppers and tomatoes. If you'd like some of my recipes, check out Sprout Organic.
Cooking is so relaxing for me. I'd been feeling kind of down since returning from vacation, oh no wonder, because aside from the humidity (did I mention how humid it was?) the trip was sooo good. I spent some time cooking today, and it's lifted my spirits. We're having family and friends (who are like family) over tonight for dinner to celebrate the new year. We're putting together food. which is so fun. I made my radish spread (see Sprout for recipe,) some tiny salmon cakes, farfalle with my home made pesto, a honey cake, some honey butter to spread on it, and a bread, which is still in the bread maker. I borrowed the bread maker from my friend Phyllis and this is the first time I'm using it. I'll let you know how it turns out. It smells good. I used to make bread from scratch years ago, same time as I made my own yogurt, and sewed clothing and crocheted and ........aaaagh, I was so crazy busy!

ElfLog

I get such a sinking feeling when I see the shelf has been cleaned off each day. What does this mean? There had been three white ribbon "Xs" glued to the pole, one of them has now been peeled off. Today, I left three plastic bags, one on the shelf with a message in it, one with a note card I made, hung on a nail on the pole, one was something that I got at the art-o-mat event, which I hung on another nail. Tomorrow, I expect the shelf to be empty. No one wants to play with me any more! Waaaa.

Happy New Year 5768

Happy New Year - Rosh Hashanah 5768!
I had no photo of a shofar, no photo of apples and honey, no photo of a round challah, just some lovely orchids to remind me of the loveliness of the world, to turn my thoughts toward the new year ahead, to hope for peace, for us all, shalom, salaam, paz. For all of us health, kindness, connectedness, compassion.

Some final images of San Juan.

My last images to remember San Juan by... our lovely hotel entry way, the blue bricks that paved the streets, the sculpture in the little park in front of El Convento Hotel,
and the ubiquitous "vejigantes, " this one a cute stuffed toy in a souvenir shop window.

the last morning, cominando

We walked down the little street along the front of our hotel, towards the bay of San Juan, passing this house numbered with dancing nuns, to see the statue to the Rogativa. Behind us, a peach colored house, in front of us a view of the bay and the old city wall. Our time in viejo San Juan was coming to a close. Just a bit more to show you.