january 19 - 25....let it snow

january 19th...

susie

practice makes perfect...or if not perfect, then better.  i'm really working on improving my technique and attending as many classes as possible certainly helps me get better.  my biggest problem with improvisational belly dance when i sometimes have to lead and my poor brain starts stressing out and freezing up.  but i am committed to pushing myself out of my comfort zone.  intuitively i know it is important for me to do the things i don't feel comfortable doing.  and so i do.  thank you to my wonderful teacher and class mates for putting up with me.  

january 20th...let it snow

woke up this morning to the first real snowfall of the season. snow makes everything look to bright and clean. the roads didn't look too bad so i bundled up and drove over to the studio for an early yoga class.

cheryl

this is my dear friend cheryl coming out from our yoga class looking very charged from the experience. yoga is such an uplifting enterprise, it always leaves me feeling very light and clear headed; ready to face the day.









january 21st...

e-ma and madhava

today  i held my little grandson madhava in my arms for the first time.... what joy!!  he's one moonth old today, meaning it has been one full moon cycle since his birth. he is such a busy little guy....burping, farting, wiggling, stretching, making all manner of grunts and noises, smiling, hiccuping and looking around.   so full of life and movement. he smells delicious and i am very glad to get to know him at last.  life is good. 

 

while madhava and i were inside snuggling mama and big sister uma were outside playing in the snow. 










january 22nd...bubbling

rain day. woke up this morning feeling very creative and bubbling with ideas.  after my dance class i went over to my friend amy's house to play with ideas and beads.  i made several pair of earrings and we talked about all manner of ideas for projects we're working on individually and together.  

amy has been such an inspiration for me.  she designs and creates fabulous creations, jewelery, belts, sculpture, photography, just to name a few mediums she works in.

amy ragsdale designs

i felt honored to be allowed to play in her studio... thank you dear friend for including me in your life. 












january 23rd....


beautiful sunny day today. sitting in my office looking out the window. the leaves on the bushes are sparkling in the sun, beckoning me to go out and take a little walk about...and so it do. there is much going on in the garden ...love these purple berries.
pleasant looking face on our office building looking out over the garden. 

january 24....

lida and i got together to prepare a ukranian vinegret salad. this was a prep her mother used to make, one that she loved to eat. the recipe calls for  potatoes, beets, cannelli beans, onions, parsley, sauerkraut and pickles.  boil the potato and beet (in separate pots) untill tender but still firm. once they are cooled cut into small cubes.  chop up the pickles and add everything else and toss with oil l in big bowl. add a little salt and voila...delicious! 

we'd been planning this for a long time, lida promised to make it for a friend and i was so happy to be in on the making and learning.  the best part of the evening was when we sat down to eat.  

lida made some roasted veggies and red quinoa too, but truly i could have eat the vinegret and nothing else, it was sooooo good.

january 25th...

the sensory tub

this evening i am going to visit my modern dancce teacher hedy, who has been laid up sick for a couple of weeks.   but first a quick stop in at my favorite after work spot...you know here.  uma's newest toy is a sensory tub...it's a plastic tub filled with dried black beans and colorful plastic buttons.  it really does engage the senses; texture, color, delightfully  tactile experience.  add spoons, cups, ladles, etc...and it's a whole lot of  fun and not too messy as long as you remember to not get too crazy with the beans.  it's even fun to sit or lie in.  what fun!! 

hedy walking the hallways

at 6:30 it was time to leave to visit hedy, so i gave everyone hugs goodbye and off i went.  it was rainy and kind of dreary but i was happy to see hedy at last.  she's not been well and it is so hard for me to get over to see her as much as i should like.  when i walked into her room the first thing she said was how happy she was to see me and how about going for a walk.  i brought over the walker and watched her pull herself up to her feet, don't help me, she said.  by now i know better than to try to help her do anything with first asking or being asked.  we walked the long hallway down to the nurses station and then all the way down the other hall to the dining room.  she turned around to return and i could see she was very tired and in a lot of pain,.  we walked back to the nurses station and hedy sat down in a chair with great effort.  she had her head down for quite a few minutes until she was able to adjust herself into a comfortable position.   she was spent.

after i got home i reflected on the disparity and similarity of the two females i spent my evening with.  both very single minded, and determined to do for themselves.  one who never sits still and the other who knows that when its time to sit still, its time to die.