Spring News

It's been a little while since I posted and that is because a lot has been going on around here. I was offered a great design job in Cabot, Vermont at Zutano, an amazing children's clothing company. Tom and I aren't totally ready to leave California, but it is a wonderful opportunity that we can't pass up. We will most likely live in Montpelier, which is about an hour from Tom's family who lives a little further south. I will move at the end of April and Tom will come in July. We are so excited to be moving to the state where we want to settle down and to be moving on to this next phase of life. I can't wait to be just a drive away from my family and not a long, tiresome flight away.

That said, leaving California, our friends, and Juniper Ridge will be really sad for me. I love this state and all its beauty. I can't image what it will be like to not encounter all the plants I see every day in my neighborhood, or to leave some of my closest buddies, to not be near the ocean, to not design for Juniper Ridge anymore. All of this is going to make me SAD. It will take us a while to get used to our new digs and our new state, but I'm excited to explore more of New England and to be close to Montreal...we'll also be able to easily check out Nova Scotia and we'll be a little closer to Europe. Maybe I will start speaking French again and regularly eating Poutine. Yum!

It's spring, and it does feel like a good time to make a change. Yesterday was Ostara (the pagan spring holiday) and a full moon. Everything is in balance now and it's time to ask for change and to give thanks for rebirth and newness. I am feeling very thankful for the new journey Tom and I are embarking on and everything really does feel refreshing and uplifting to me right now. I know I'm sounding kind of new-agy, but I really do feel when you open yourself up to possibilities and change, it frequently flows right in. I hope the life-affirming effects of spring start to reach all the people around me as well (especially my dad and my dear friend Gen right now).

In keeping with my recent food theme, I want to share a really fresh, palate-cleansing recipe. My friend Alli made this for me after our friend Kelly had made it for her. I'm not sure where Kelly got the recipe, but she's an amazing chef, so I'm sure it's something she invented herself. This is a nice thing to eat before a light dinner and/or accompanying a veggie-centric meal because it feels clean and light, kinda like spring:

CHARD + PARSLEY SALAD (serves 4-6 as a side salad)

1 bunch curly parsley
1 bunch chard (I used rainbow plus a little yellow chard from the garden)
3 small lemons
salt to taste
olive oil to taste

Chop parsley and chard into semi-fine pieces. Mix them together with juice from the lemons in a bowl. Add salt and olive oil to taste. I'm a salt nut so I added about 1-2 tablespoons and a good amount of olive oil. You don't want to overpower the greens, though, you just want to give them flavor. Enjoy!