new

I have two new things:

A new motto

From what I can tell, it's history is began in 1939 when the British government commissioned a set of three posters that were to be "a message from the King to his people, to assure them that all necessary measures to defend the nation were being taken, and to stress an attitude of mind rather than a specific aim." The first poster said "Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution will Bring Us Victory." The Second stated "Freedom is in Peril." My poster was the third, and it didn't get very much usage since it was reserved for display only when things really got dire.


I love the graphic simplicity of the print. But most of all the words resonate with me. Freedom's not exactly in peril in my world right now, but life is not honey and roses either. I apply this motto to my shopping, when instead of hoarding my pennies I buy a drink from the locally owned coffee stand in my neighborhood to help keep her in business. I apply it to my gardening, when sometimes the size of our land overwhelms me and I don't know what to do next (prune the apple trees? mulch leaves? label the dying hostas so I can tell where they will come up next spring and don't dig them up? analyze drainage on the hill to keep it from sliding? winterize the lawn mower?). I apply it to Charlie's 401K plan, by opening the envelopes and calmly filing them rather than freaking out. I apply it to my heart, on the days when keeping myself together feels impossible.

I must give credit to the artisan that made the print. Speaking of keeping calm and the economy, have you bought Christmas presents yet? If you haven't, consider Etsy. It has grown to an enormous community of really talented artists who sell things ranging from posters to hand felted gnomes to handbags to maple syrup to original paintings to pottery to, well, vomit rags. You can search by keywords (what is a good gift for a three year old?), topic (handbags, ornaments, soft toys) or even color. Every time I order something, it always comes packed as thoughtfully as it was created. And best of all, your money goes directly to the artist. If you have never bought something directly from it's creator, you are in for a treat. Suddenly you know where those earrings came from. When people compliment you on them your sense of pride is magnified because there's a connection. I love telling people about my personal jeweler. The things I buy aren't expensive, but I feel like they are made just for me (and often they are, since she takes special orders).

So, give your loved ones a gift with a past! That's my "buy handmade" message for the season.

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A new pair of shoes

My other new thing is a frisky pair of shoes. Four of us walked down a Seattle street yesterday afternoon, three wanted to go into a shoe store. Yet somehow the one that didn't especially care if she went in it or not was the one that ended up with a pair of shoes.

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Eggs laid in the coop Sunday: 2
Eggs laid in the coop Saturday: 3
Eggs laid in the coop Friday: 2
Eggs laid in the coop Thursday: 3
Eggs laid in the coop Wednesday: 3
Eggs laid in the coop Tuesday: 2
Eggs laid in the coop Monday: 3
Eggs laid this year: 322