mourningdove

Breakthrough Moments

Maybe you don’t, but I have days where I just don’t know what I’m doing. I mean, in general–as in, I don’t know why I’m alive and on this planet. I suppose this sense of disorientation is uniquely and also probably universally human. And I suppose most folks don’t resolve it until late in life,Continue reading “Breakthrough Moments”

Unauthorized Uses: Disaster Engineering

I don’t set out to create chaos. I’m actually the sort of person who dislikes chaos. And yet…. As I mentioned in my kintsugi post, I have a wide, wild streak of impatience in my personality that leads to disaster whether I like it or not (and I don’t). I do try. I have tried,Continue reading “Unauthorized Uses: Disaster Engineering”

Mendocino Coast

If I could wave a magic wand, I would live in Mendocino. There’s just something about that stretch of coast—the high, wild cliffs, the secret beaches and coves, the cedars trailing their long, elegant branches through the fog, a sunny morning like a surprise visitor turning everything to gold. I love the old clapboard whalers’Continue reading “Mendocino Coast”

Friday Favorites: Watch These on Netflix Before They’re Gone

I actually had a different list planned for today but then realized after I recommended it last Friday that Monkey Twins had been on Netflix for long enough it might go away soon. So, that prompted me to get this list up. These are the best things I watched on Netflix over the last yearContinue reading “Friday Favorites: Watch These on Netflix Before They’re Gone”

Campfire Fish Tacos

Just got back from a great, quick trip to the Mendocino area to escape the smoke. I’ll sort through my photos and post a trip report tomorrow, but for tonight it’s this quick hit: a serendipitous recipe for fish tacos I came up with on my last coastal camping trip and repeated this time withContinue reading “Campfire Fish Tacos”

Perfection

This is an essay I wrote two years ago as a thank-you to my dear friends Eric & Vicky, who gave Malena, Hyunsuk, and me their reservations for a temple-stay weekend with the Buddhist nun and chef Jeong Kwan at Baekyangsa Temple in Jeollanam-do, South Korea. LCO “…this Body itself is Emptiness and Emptiness itselfContinue reading “Perfection”

Letter of Recommendation: Kimchi Storage Container

I love making kimchi: I use a combination of a recipe my Korean friend Hyunsuk gave me and this recipe. But it was always a bit of a struggle because I only had quart canning jars for fermentation and storage—which worked but were a hot mess (or, technically, a cold, bright-red mess). And then thereContinue reading “Letter of Recommendation: Kimchi Storage Container”

Cute Animal Videos

Because this is what it’s like outside right now…. Scottie pinwheel! Otters! Turtle high-fives alligator! Baby pandas with Ideas!

Umeboshi (update)

Looking good so far! It’s been 2 weeks, and the plums have released enough brine to submerge themselves (just), and there’s no mold or anything. So, I’m adding the herbs at this point. Couldn’t find shiso, so used a mix of mint, basil, and lavender from my garden. Now it goes down into the basementContinue reading “Umeboshi (update)”

Friday Favorites: Feedly Clean-Up

I save things I find that I like and/or that I need more time to read/check out in my Feedly, a news aggregator I described in this post. But my Read Later folder tends to get backed up, and so recently I’ve been going through it watching/reading things and cleaning it out. Here are 10Continue reading “Friday Favorites: Feedly Clean-Up”