A little of this and that...

Today is a rainy day, but yesterday I took this photo of some of our daffodils blooming. I love these little ones - they look like sunshine to me! And the smell good... 

And then, of course, there is a shamrock in our house announcing soon to come St. Patrick's Day! Savannah has a huge parade on St. Patrick's Day (second only to NYC they say - which I am not sure how true it is), but the town is packed with tourists who arrive in huge numbers. Needless to say, we stay away from downtown that weekend. Crowds are not really our thing.

Yesterday I remembered my pressure cooker and decided to use it again. It had been a while. So, I got out Lorna Sass's vegetarian cook book and chose a potato spinach soup.

I remember my mother cooking with the old-fashioned pressure cooker with the jiggle top and how scary that always seemed. We kids were not allowed in the kitchen when she was cooking with it. So, even now, with my perfectly safe pressure cooker, it still makes me a little nervous.

But once I get going, the whole process is like a miracle to me. After a little bit of sauteing of leeks and garlic, I simply added all the rest of the ingredients, locked the lid, turned up the heat and - in just 6 (!!!) minutes - dinner went from this...

... to this! The speed of it amazes me. Plus it's delicious and nutritious to boot!

On the painting front, I have started a new layered abstract and am probably five layers in. I've been observing my inner voice - not the kind one, but that critical one - and it's interesting how after I painted the very first layer and I kept thinking I did it wrong. Funny thing is, there is no right or wrong in this process, yet with every layer that isn't quite super gorgeous to me, I am tempted to just gesso over the whole thing and start again.

However, as I resist that temptation and just keep working with transparent acrylic layers, the painting changes, starts taking shape and often surprises me. We'll see where it all goes.  I'm sure it'll be very different from what it looks like now.

I sure hope the sun is shining where you live and that spring is on its way! Here, it's been a little warmer and everything seems to start to wake up and grow. I love this season - aside from fall - it's my favorite one! I guess I like the seasons of great change.

Wishing you a relaxing and inspiring Tuesday!

❧ Silke