a spirit of simplicity

Sunday morning sailboat races. It was rainy and cold when we woke but that didn’t stop us from donning our raincoats and walking to Crocker park for the best viewing of the sailboat races! We noticed that other folks were heading in that direction also. We saw big dogs and little dogs being walked up the hill and over the grass to the edge of the harbor to see which boat would come in first.  Three each of red, yellow, blue, and green sails. 3+3+3+3=12 boats dancing across the harbour in the rain And 2 children watching from the shore. When things got too wet we ducked past the daffodils and into the gazebo to stay dry. 

  The children in my class discovered a branch that the wind had blown down while in the playground this week. We explored all of the lichen that had grown on it and peeled off some of the bark to examine the tiny pathways that insects had made in the wood. ~ The yellow house across the street has chickens in the yard. Here in my little town there aren’t too many chickens and I love to hear them in the morning. The other day my mum was going for a short stroll and noticed the neighbor planting pansies in her window box. I should say that my mum is 86 years old and has always greeted people she sees and that we live (she in the first floor apartment and my husband and I in the second floor apartment) on a very narrow little lane in Marblehead, MA where many of the homes are pre-revolutionary and many of the roads are more narrow than most driveways. In New England, spring time means greeting your neighbors after a long hibernation. When my mum got home from her little stroll the neighbo

  Orecchiette pasta Rainbow Swiss chard Cannellini beans  Grape tomatoes Shaved Parmesan cheese While the pasta was boiling I cooked the Swiss chard in a sauté pan in olive oil and a bit of the pasta water. You could also use some white wine if you had any on hand. When it was about half-way done I added some tomatoes and when they had burst open I added the beans.  Everything was added to taste and according to what I had on hand.  Yum! ~ ~ ~ The hearth and soul