Walking with Bella  

 

I went walking with Bella today.  I can’t say it was a long time coming as I didn’t know she would be part of my life until I received an email stating she would be arriving.

She doesn’t mind the cold and seemed to particularly interested in sharing her warmth and comfort as she could provide. Today was a windy day so we bundled up, cuddled a bit and I cooed to let her know how soft and pretty she was even though her size was not great.

The sunlight was deceiving, the wind was cutting but we put our heads to the wind and bravely continued down this street and another, stopping to gaze at the silly daffodils blooming in the chill. I moved her a bit to settle the warmth between us. Not a single complaint as she was adjusted here and there to ensure continual warmth beneath a hiding sun behind storm clouds hovering with a wish to rain.

I knew our walk would not be long with rain seeking to drop out of the sky. It was after all a first walk for us. A time to get acquainted, to find out our likes and dislikes, how we would fit together and to dream of our future.

We didn’t talk, there was an easy silence between us. No words were needed just a comfortable feeling of new friends.

 

This little story is for Anne, my sister-in-law and her great kindness and cleverness.  A wonderful gift given in love and very timely with the chilly weather.  I thank you. Bella is a beautiful Merino wool scarf woven on a loom by Anne. 

The Art of Becoming Patient

 

 

Recently I bought a new teapot.  I have a stainless steel one already.  It lives on our wood stove insert. It is filled with water for cold days until it heats up from the comfortable burning fire. The man, my husband is the fire builder.  The fires he makes are generally because he has walked by me and has seen me huddled beneath several woven lap blankets, assorted knitted throws, and what-nots. The sight of me shivering with three sweaters on, hands tightly gripping a (burn your fingers) cup of hot tea stirs something in my husband.  After kissing the top of my head, he promptly sets about starting a fire.

We don’t always have a fire burning as I am not good about tending to it while he is gone during the day unless he has carefully placed wood at the ready in the garage for me.  I get distracted somehow and the fire goes untended until it dies in despair.

Back to the new teapot.  It is blue and beautiful.  It is a whistling teapot.  I had seen it in a little kitchen shop before Christmas but I had only admired it from afar as I was on a mission for pizza at the small bakery next door.  The pizza was still in the oven and I was wandering and biding my time patiently waiting for hot, delicious pizza for our lunch.  I was looking only, no touching, the better to resist temptation.  As food was on the horizon, I quickly lost interest in the wonders of the kitchen store. The pizza was perfect.

It is now January.  After watching an episode of Voir on television, the teapot came to life. The presenter was having tea and was pouring from my teapot.  I promptly said, “I want that.”

My husband, the man ever attentive in old moments asked, “What?”

“The teapot.”

I now have the teapot.  It is teaching me patience.  Whereas before I would fill my cup with water, microwave, steep and it was ready, my tea takes a longer process with the teapot. First, fill the teapot to an exact line, place on the heat, wait for the boil and after the whistle, wait 15 to 20 seconds off of the heat. This takes more than 1 minute, 30 seconds in the microwave I had been doing for a cup of tea. 

I make a matcha green tea with powder.  I have always found it soothing. The precise measuring with my son’s baby spoon of the matcha, the whisking of a bit of hot water and matcha together without a thought in my head as I gaze at the motion of the whisk, the green powder undergoing a transformation into a cloudy green liquid. I still do it.  But the blue teapot has added a new dimension.  The matcha still does its thing, I still whisk but my thoughts have a hint of anticipation.  An excitement.  A waiting.  Boiling down to becoming patient.