fear of heights

This image provoked a strong reaction in me. It is a Barbara Berry ad that I saw in Elle Decor magazine. At first I was drawn in by the garden scene. I've always admired hedge rows, they remind me of a favorite childhood book, The Secret Garden. Next I was struck by the funny juxtaposition of the giant, mirrored armoire in the middle of the garden. Then I noticed the woman sitting on top of the armoire reading a book. Her presence made me laugh. Finally, I realized that the book she is reading is titled "Fear of Heights" and my admiration for this ad was piqued. Such symbolism! Here is a woman, conquering her fears by doing the very thing that frightens her most. There is something exhilirating about staring your fears in the face, taking them head on and conquering them. That is what this brave woman is doing in this ad. I love it! I plan to frame this picture and hang it in my new home office where I will be working out the details of my new adventure: www.clementineroad.com . Check it out if you haven't already!

The Emperor Moth

A man once found a cocoon of the beautiful emperor moth and took it home so that he could watch the moth emerge from the cocoon.

On the day a small opening appeared, he sat enthralled and watched for several hours as the moth struggled to force its body through the little hole. After a while it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could go and it could go no further. He just seemed to be stuck.

So the man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth... he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of cocoon. To his relief, the moth then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the moth because at any moment the wings would enlarge and expand and support the body, which would contract in time, and the moth would fly away. But it never happened. In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening was the way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Freedom and flight could only come after struggle. By depriving the moth of its struggle, he deprived the moth of health and freedom.

If we were to go through life without any obstacles or struggle, we too would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we would have been. Give every struggle (opportunity) a chance, learn to grow beyond it and fly free of your cocoon - leave no room for regrets.

-Author Unknown

Layers

Have you ever noticed how layers make life more interesting? Cook a hamburger using meat straight out of the package with a bun straight from the grocery store and slap some american cheese on it and you have a burger. However, if you take the time to season your meat with some salt and pepper (and whatever else you prefer), add a few onions to the pan before you cook your meat, take time to butter and toast your buns, and then use a cheese that has been aged -- like a good aged cheddar, then you have A BURGER! There is more to it than the basic ingredients-- it has been layered with flavor and wow how those layers bring out the best in the end product!

I've started to notice that everything is better with layers-- makeup application looks better layered, decorating is better layered, cooking is better with layers and so is photography! Even people are layered. Children come fresh out of the package and it is endearing and fabulous because they are so in the moment and honest about it. As people age, there are experiences, sad and happy ones, that form the person and make them interesting, profound and sometimes difficult to understand. Sometimes you have to peel the layers away to get at the core of a person. And sometimes a person is so transparent you see through to the core immediately, even though there are many layers.

It takes courage to be transparent about one's life and to be honest about the layers-- the good and the bad ones. I think art (music, literature, painting, film, sculpture, architecture, etc.) that is powerful and speaks volumes comes from an artist who is honest. Honesty resonates with humanity and elevates expression-- whatever kind, to true art and sometimes even to a masterpiece. There are artists in each of us with an expression to be made if we are courageous enough to be honest with ourselves and voice it. I guess life is an evolution towards expressing this inner voice. And I read somewhere that true art is the expression of the divine within-- of God within us. When we reach that moment of honesty in our work/expression we are communing with God Himself because God is the embodiment of truth (as well as love) and that, my friends, is beautiful!

Ideas!

Every now and again I just get bombarded with fascinating ideas and possibilities. This past week has been one of those times. I've had a million and one ideas swirling around in my head. Photoshop has been my main creative focus the past few months and I still want it to stay that way. But a new glorious idea that Rodolfo and I have discussed for over 6 months is seeming to ripen as well and oh how I would like to pursue it!
In the photo above, Georgia is telling me about her necklace which was a gift from her Abuela Orie, Abuelo Ofo and Abuelita Tenchi. She loves that necklace. Aren't her eyes pretty?

A cook's heart

"You have to love either what you are going to eat, or the person you are cooking for. Then you have to give yourself up to cooking. Cuisine is an act of love." Madame Jehane Benoit, Chef

A few weeks ago I attended a cooking class called "Il Gusto Del Amore". It was a one night event that was supposed to teach about the aphrodisiac qualities of food in preparation for Valentine's Day. I attended on a whim with a friend and my mom, so it was really not as wild as it sounds. I was prepared to learn a good Italian meal, which I did get to eat a good chocolate creme brule, but in the end, the recipes presented were pretty run of the mill and un-exciting. However, by attending this class I received a book recommendation that has just burst open my mind to the creative possibilities in cooking. The instructor mentioned that one of her favorite books is called The Flavor Bible. I checked it out from the library to see what it is all about, and I have to tell you, it is a brilliant book!

This is not a cookbook with recipes. It is a book that lists ingredients and their compliments. The list is arranged alphabetically and covers a huge range, although who am I to say that there could not be more ingredients/topics possible, the list is pretty exhaustive. For example, let's take one of my favorite ingredients, honey. Here is a snippet of the list for honey:

Taste: sweet, astringent

Function: heating

Weight: medium-heavy

Wolume: moderate-loud

almonds

apples

apricots

baked goods (e.g. biscuits, breads)

bananas

brandy

butter

buttermilk

carrots

cheese: goat, ricotta, soft

chestuts

chiken

Chinese cuisine

chocolate: dark, white

cinnamon

coconut

coffee

etc, etc.

The point is this, say you have some honey on hand and you are really wanting to eat it, but you don't want to eat it the same old way you always do. Well, you pick up this book, see what pairings they suggest for honey, and then using your creative cook's mind, get to work concoting a brillant dish, meal, snack.

The suggestions come from surveys done with a handful of America's top chefs. This is really a clever compilation and I can think of 4 people already that I am planning on sending a copy. Just thought I would mention it here on the blog because this book has astounded me and opened up an entire treasure chest of cooking possibilities.

Happy cooking!