Roommate

I am temporarily living in my sister's house, while my new house is being prepared, and I have a new furry roommate. She is the real star of the show and I can't imagine life in this house before her. Inside cats or dogs are so much fun. Koshka ("cat" in Russian...she is a Russian Blue) has a wide range of hobbies: looking out the window and wishing she could catch some pigeons, intently watching people cook, hiding behind the curtain and attacking your feet when they pass by and rolling around and purring loudly for you to pet her when you get home.

Moving

I moved out of the house I've been living at for three years now. Even though I was tired of living there and am very excited about the near future, changes involve this sense of weirdness, discomfort and a lot of work.  

Groceries

My new grocery bag... 

It made me happy, walking home in the cool shade with a bag full of food. 

It's a traditional pattern from the north of Portugal, "Lencinho dos namorados" and it says (in rhyme), "Go bag in my hand, go run to the village. Go show my love his filling/parcel of joy."

Woman

A woman ought to have an immense capacity for acceptance. 

Be able to integrate everything...

floods of emotions, 

broken, shattered dreams, 

human frailty. 

Be adaptable, 

create and dream using unexpected materials. 

Make beauty out of the impossible. 

A woman is an endurance athlete, 

an artist with recycled materials, 

the last living survivor in a train wreck, 

the last standing spectator on the sidelines. 

A woman knows all, feels all, integrates all. 

Rest in Harvest - William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Spring is for...

Runs/walks in the park...
oatmeal+chocolate+cranberry muffins...
and strawberries...

...and nurturing hope that there is a solution/redemption for every problem, no matter how awful it may seem. 

"Expect to have hope rekindled. 

Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. 

The dry seasons in life do not last. 

The spring rains will come again."

 - Sarah Ban Breathnach