Mid-winter Mid-age blahs

Sick of winter. Want, I say, YEARN for spring.

Two new sites to recommend: One about food and links to food blogs like you wouldn't believe. Fabulous food blog, Orangette. I'll make three new salads, 1. chickpea, 2. lentil, and 3. carrot.

The 2nd is linked to Orangette and provides some small, tidy moments of visual splendor, smosch.com.

Currently contemplating Easter dinner for 30. I don't want turkey or pork. What I really want is all end-of-winter things like when the larder is empty and all that's left are beans and lentils, cabbage and potatoes. It would be nice to have tender spring things but spring in the north doesn't arrive until the end of May. It could be raining, hailing or snowing. Or the sun could come out and we might sit outside to eat our salad plate - with homemade bread. Do you think I could get away with it?

Traditions are nice but get in the way of pleasure, relaxation and renewal. In l'age moyen we want to get rid of some of the old things that no longer fit, furniture, pictures, nik-naks, spouses, houses, and turkey dinners.

Recycling and Happiness

These envelopes hold the holiday thank you notes and were created by an inventive young artist. Reusing the paper liquor store bags, she craftily constructed each envelope to accommodate the odd-sized thank you notes, and played the patterned side against the plain one.

The paper bags are made of the sturdiest paper imaginable. I happen to have quite a few. The inspiration for this recycling project came from a certain Uncle Vance (not mine but someone else's) who regularly collages birthday and holiday greetings using the bags as a base. He reuses the cards sent to him and, with a little cutting and pasting, creates an entirely unique card. Think of the cards you receive and how few really resonate - Uncle Vance's are always remarkable.

My own dear mother shares the same general 'age' as Uncle Vance and she has been known to clip the image from Christmas cards and reuse them as gift cards. Brilliant and thrifty.

Those of us in l'age moyen might consider this quirky and creative, they simply think of it as thrifty. Any excuse will do. For me, I have another reason to drink wine in 2009.