steps to Crane beach

It could be the cheery yellow or the fact that I love words and quotations or maybe just the fact that these are the steps over the dunes to the beach, I am happy in an instant, as soon as I see these steps. Thank you Crane Beach, for being one of the loveliest places in Massachusetts and especially today for the plethora of driftwood the last high tide left for us.

westward

Between soccer and shopping I had to take a little detour and visit the Border's parking lot, conveniently located on top of a hill. It was funny, while I was taking pictures, more people showed up with the same thought - who knows, maybe we start a club! The sunsets lately have been just breathtaking.

advent

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, what a lovely season it is. It is such a peaceful and quiet time with moments of reflection by candle light and filled with anticipation and preparations for the louder and brighter christmas time ahead. I love lighting the first candle; of the many traditions and rituals that anchor my life, advent is very special and full of memories.

leftovers

Leftovers are awesome, I look forward to them already while making the meal. They are delicious, effortless and so very casual. It is so often that we have more peace and time to appreciate the food after the festivities are over. The after-Thanksgiving-turkey-sandwich is definitely one of the best leftovers in the entire year.

decorations

It is time to get out the advent and christmas decorations. Since I can remember, the Saturday before the first Advent Sunday is 'decorating day' and it is always so much fun to pull out old favorites, heirlooms and German traditional crafts because they are connected to cherished memories, times past, friends and relatives who are no longer with us. December is the month of traditions, like the Moravian star, which has been almost a staple as long as I can think back.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday. The thought itself - to give thanks - is something that is too scarce in every day life. Besides the truly black Friday following Thanksgiving, it is relative free of commerce and is a day that has humble expectations of good food and good company. And really, that is all I need. I am very grateful that I got to host it for the first time and share this day with wonderful friends and family.

anticipation

The excitement before a feast is a tremendous force inside me. It is unbelievable how much I can get done in the the frenzy of anticipation. The incredible amount of preparations is foremost a labor of love, but honestly, I also love the appreciation of it.

home sweet home

The bird who built this home is unknown to me, nonetheless I love seeing little nests like this one today at Gates Pond. It looked really sweet all the way up high in the tree, swaying in the breeze. Amazing, isn't it?

Köttbullar

Some nights one needs a little Sweden in the shape of Köttbullar (meat balls !). I have this strange affinity to anything Swedish, probably because I was made in Sweden, in Göteborg to be precise, just like the lovely Volvos.

dextromethorphane

We have a proverb in Germany 'Ehre wem Ehre gebührt', which kind of means 'honor to whom honor should be bestowed'. There are many things to be grateful for this Sunday, the wonderful music we performed today, the beautiful voices of soloists, orchestra and chorus combined, the lovely friends who came to the concert and the nice visit we had afterwards. But this Blog is not about the big things, it is about the little things and hence, I should give credit where it is due and the big shoutout goes to dextromethorphane, because without it, I would have had no voice at all!

... it really tastes awful though.

inspired and inspiring

Today I got an email from my twelve year old and this was at the end of her email - how inspired and inspiring!

when clouds are the exception

Brilliantly clear today and just nippy enough to know winter is coming. It almost smelled like snow, but that could be because I was hanging christmas lights. Yesterday somebody remarked that I was still so chipper, despite being rather sick with respiratory maladies. I figure I am sick either way, might as well keep chugging along and try to be relaxed about it. I do everything I can and the rest just needs time. Therefore the decision was to be happy about the sky and the christmas lights and let everything else run its course. The sky looks much more blue when there are some clouds for contrast and we can look at life the same way.

cheese

When you get to taste a variety of cheeses with perfect condiments and in combination with special cold cuts, carefully thought out by the master of cheese and friend Simone at Pecorino - you are in cheese heaven, which happens to be in Grafton. God I love cheese.

old brook

Whenever it rains, the old brook in our back back yard swells and starts gurgling, it is such a wonderful and soothing sound. We have been here 9 years and it never occurred to me to go down and try to catch the movement of the water with my camera. Good that I have this blog to keep me taking pictures left and right.

orange

Hardly any color can generate this much excitement in me - thank you orange for your warm, uplifting and defiinitely happy nature.

monteverdi

There are many theories around Monteverdi's vespers of 1610 and one is that he wrote the piece for the Saint Mark's basilica in Venice. In my view, this whole piece is ground breaking and magnificent and at rehearsals tonight it just clicked in place mentally and I felt tremendous joy singing it. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to perform this on Sunday.

I took this photo 4 years ago on a foggy morning in late fall during my first stay in Venice.

piano

I love it! My kids have gotten to the point, where I find it quite enjoyable to listen to their piano practices. Thank you for the music.

blue skies

... smiling at me... Isn't it incredible to have a few days of completely clear skies, so clear in fact, that at sunset, the color is not found in the west, but actually in the east? I took this picture at the clam flats in Ogunquit last night and the image stayed with me all day today.

catching waves

Overwhelming force of nature, waves relentlessly crashing into the rocks of Ongunquit, Maine - so majestic and fantastic. It took a lot of patience to get a picture of the spray, it appears that waves come in waves (!). The waves themselves were already humongous, but the spray was even bigger, creating a spectacle for all the walkers on the Marginal Way. Thank you awesome waves!

birches at borderland

Today we discovered the Borderland state park and had a most beautiful walk in the fresh autumn air during the golden light of the setting sun. The quiet serenity and scent of mushrooms, leaves and plants with the the blue of the water and never ending sky- there is something in the natural world that puts my mind at ease and calms the chatter inside my head.

fire in the sky

Breathtakingly beautiful sunset today - we just stood there, watching in awe and then, from one tiny moment to another, darkness fell.

ginkgo leaf

Ginkgo leaves are so beautiful, they have such a special shape. This one flew into the house, just to make me happy. Thank you little leaf. It's a ginkgo kind of week; last week I collected a whole bunch of them in front of our house to press and glitter them for Thanksgiving and when I decided to put them into Spock's childcare book, a whole bunch of pressed ginkgo leaves fell out - I had collected them while being in San Francisco during my first pregnancy - how strange is that?

first snow

Hurray, snow! Everybody was all giddy this morning with snow excitement, even if it is more slush than snow, who cares, it is the first white on the ground and that is all that matters.

teaching traditions

I am so grateful for my mom to teach my children our birthday traditions. If it would not be for her, my birthday would not be very special, but she makes sure the kids are crafting and baking and joining in the preparation and execution of the festivities. It is great that at 72 and 45 years old, my mother and I still get excited about birthdays.

mini bakers

While I am sitting here feeling terribly ill, my children and mother have been busy in the kitchen baking a birthday cake for tomorrow. No matter what the cake will be, I will taste the love they put in. Thank you mini bakers!

orange light

Every morning during the dark seasons, I turn on my flower lights that fill the kitchen with the warm glow of orange light and I rejoice every single time, but especially on gloomy days.

in lieu of the real thing

Thank you photo taken on another day on the beach. Today we were supposed to spend a whole day at the beach, but due to the rain's relentless downpour and us feeling completely under the weather (pun intended) with severe colds, you are all the beach we got today and that's at least something!

having fun...

...with my mom doing mischievous activities like throwing leaves in the air on the cemetery, cutting birch branches in the wilderness and playing more than one round of cards a day. I am ever so grateful that she keeps cheating death*, maybe because she is so young at heart.

* in German we call this "to jump off the devil's shovel"

1556 g

of Earl Grey tea that is and I am thankful for every cup, mug or pot it will make!*

* for all of you thinking in imperial measurements (gasp), that would be 3.427 pounds

november

It is November! I love November! It was a beautiful, clear and chilly All Saints Day and I went on my weekly walk in the cemetery. It is incredible how much nature has changed in just a few days. It is November! Did I mention I love November?