Merry Christmas Everyone!

I hope it's merry and bright!

I Want to See This...

Christmas Cheer

Today is

turning out to be bursting with brown paper packages, snowflakes, beeswax, gingerbread, persimmons, walnuts, tea, new joanna newsom songs and pinecones!

Ode to Scandinavian Artists!

Sigur Rós - Við Spilum Endalaust from Sigur Rós on Vimeo.

Lately, it feels like I'm loving all things Scandinavian. And so I thought I'd tell you about some of them. Where to begin?

Well, first there's the music, much of which I've already mentioned, still...There's Sigur Ros, Jonsi, Seabear, Rokkurro,  and Parachutes (although this might not really qualify as two of the bandmembers are American) from Iceland. Taken by Trees from Sweden and Lau Nau from Finland.

Then there's the amazing Swedish author Linda Ollson who wrote Astrid and Veronika and Sonata for Miriam--such lyrical, poetic language.

And then there's the blog of Finnish artist Anna Emilia.

This music and writing and art seem to have seeped into my blood, filling me with a beautiful sense of spaciousness and quiet. Reflecting the white winter world I've found myself in.

Although I'm part Swedish, I never had any interest to really go to Sweden or explore my roots, but these days I've a growing desire to someday do so...

Khenpo Tsewang Gyatso Salt Lake Visit!

Well, I'm not sure anyone who lives in Salt Lake reads this blog, but just in case...

Khenpo Tsewang Gyatso Teaching

The Fatal Flaw

Despite Salt Lake's beautiful mountains, frequent clear blue skies, alpenglow, kind people, and abundant powder, there's one thing that's not so nice--the dreaded inversion.

Oftentimes in the winter, a hazy smog gets trapped in the valley--obscuring the sun--filling the sky with a grayish-yellow pollution. Yesterday, the online news said, "The haze that hangs over the Wasatch Front is not fog. The particulate count is high enough the air is currently what experts consider unhealthy for everyone living from the Cache Valley, to Utah County, and all points in between." Yesterday was a red air quality day (I never new such a thing existed!). No idling of cars, no burning of wood allowed. Yikes! The article I read also quoted some doctor who said that with the inversion here, it's like smoking a cigarette all day! The inversion descended upon us late last week and seems content to linger until a big storm whisks it away.

Nevertheless, during K's infrequent moments off from work, we've had fun practising our buttercups and buttered pretzels on the slopes. The smell of evergreen fills the house. Lights and pinecone garlands have been hung. Sufjan Stevens, Bright Eyes, and John Denver and the Muppets Christmas albums have been unearthed, candles have been lit in windows, layers of wool and corduroy have been donned. Now for some cookie making-excited for orange-cardamon sugar cookies and gingerbread men!

John Denver: It's in every one of us plus the Christmas story Alfie The ...

the light ekphrastic

my friend jenny has an online journal called  the light ekphrastric where she pairs up artists and writers. you submit your work and then jenny passes it along to another person who submitted, asking you both to make a new piece inspired by the other person's work. the new issue is up. click the link above to check it out. and thanks jenny, for including me!