Surprise Snow

It was only supposed to snow in the mountains last night. So we were almost late for school because I hadn't put the car in the garage and had to make time to scrape it off and warm it up and drive slowly on the icy roads. I barely had time to take a lunch picture.



What I love about these new long days with R in school full time is the peace of the house when I get back home. I know she is happy where she is, and is learning a lot of things I couldn't teach her. And for me there are uninterrupted thoughts, long stretches of time I haven't had since she was born. It's often too quiet and I'm lonesome for her. As kids go, she is a pretty easy and delightful one. She is good company, which means I miss her when she's gone. I'm always excited to see her again at 3:00. Maybe it's because this house is still so new to us--and we can't believe our good fortune to have landed here--but coming in from snowy roads to the warmth and the clear light with a blank canvas for my day, is a deep happiness.


I love the sunny front window and the curtains.


Swiss chard, parsley and mesclun saved from the garden last summer.


Arugula sprouts. I need to thin them faster. I planted the seeds too densely and I've been thinning them and sprinkling them on dinner for a few nights now. The stick is some Thai basil that seems to go dormant and then sprout new leaves from the stick, although it's been so long now since there have been any new leaves I should probably just pull it out.


Last night it was lemon chicken and green and yellow wax beans on quinoa pasta. I found these English ironware plates at the thrift store on Sunday. I need to stop collecting white plates, but I love these.


Kid-free days mean there is even time to make dessert. I like the way these turned out, whole grain lemon bundt cakes with berries and agave for the sweetener. R's plate in the back is white Provencal earthenware I found at the thrift store last month.



One final house picture from this morning to end this too-long post. It took D. a week of evenings to get these in, but we finally have doorknobs in the two front closets. The previous owners who lost the house to the bank took everything with them that wasn't nailed down, including light fixtures and doorknobs, and we are slowly replacing it all. These doorknobs are from Anthropologie, painted with junco birds. They make me so happy. D. had to take the doors down and build up the knob area with wood and plaster and sand them back down to get the knobs to install the right way. It's such a cheerful thing to see when you first walk in the house.