So I made Chocolate Chip Cookies... yes I know they have lots of sugar but sometimes you need a treat... this is a great recipe.
When Max, John and I were munching them I noticed that surrounding us were all kinds of things that bring comfort & a feeling of connection. Under the plate,is a navy and white cotton tea towel that I love using... Thick , absorbent, durable, beautiful, functional... To have a connection with something that you need to do a task makes the task not like work..... I wove it a couple years ago on my Glimakra loom ..... The loom is third hand & originally came from the Banff School of Arts, and acquired in a series of trades. Lucky for me...
....then I looked beyond to the old salvaged shelf we recreated into a useful cupboard, I gazed upon the collection of pottery that we traded with friends over many years of doing craft fairs. Again... Useful, functional, beautiful, durable, sensuous to the touch.... Each piece brings that particular potter to mind and our relationship with them. .... a comfort.... and connection.
Then my eyes went to the left of the cabinet, to the strong heavy gauge steel wood-rack that John created to hold our firewood. No chance of tipping that baby over. That is heavy. and beautiful in its simplicity and the function it performs. I love it...
...Then to the left of the firewood rack is the whole reason for it to be.... the Jotul Woodstove, that keeps us warm everyday, raises bread, drys wet mitts, socks, boots... .. and hands, we stand near it to drink our tea and coffee.... it sends its warmth out slowly radiating heat to all corners of the room ... it is the kind of heat that soaks into your bones, and feels so satisfying...
Our 3 dogs can attest to it, as they are particularly attached to it, laying there soaking up the heat that has transferred into the concrete floor... it is not surprising to find John or Max lying there too, with the dogs on top of them...
We all need a little comfort .... to sooth that savage beast.
The Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.
11 comments:
Gwen-
You actually make winter weather sound enjoyable.
My Art instructor in High School taught all kinds of fiber arts, as she's a fiber artist herself, and weaving on a loom was part of the experience. I have very fond memories of working on a loom, I'd love to see more of your work.
David
i am not a sweet person-more of a salty spicy person-but i do love chocolate chip cookies-yum! my family and friends always want to bake me a b-day cake and i always say-i hate cake!!!but if you insist on baking me something-make me choc. chip cookies!!!i'd love your recipe!!!!
I'm definitely adding you to my list of cozy blogs! This room is so delightful and warm. When I finally own a home, I'll be thinking of yours!
Thank you David, Wooly Daisy & mamashift for your kind comments... I am honoured.
I had a house fire in the early '90s and all that was left was the chimney standing up in the middle of the rubble and a few random items, so I tend to be sentimental about things sometimes. My advice to that statement is "Always make sure you have adaquate insurance".(no I don't sell insurance or am not related to anyone who does) I always used to say "awww that will never happen to me, those things just happen to other people." well sometimes they do happen to you. There is a saying "That which does not kill you, makes you stronger" and I do believe its true. The past is over & there is nothing that can be changed about it but we can learn from it. Besides the creative process that it took to accomplish the things that burned will always stay with you & I have always felt the best part of Art is "the Process".
Now that was long winded... wasn't it?... gwen
OMG Gwen...we surely must have been friends in a previous life (if you believe in same).
That which does not kill us does surely make us stronger...and I cannot count how many times I have said that to others...particular staff when they've had to endure things that they thought they were not able to bear. Things do indeed happen for reasons that we do not always understand...but those experiences tend to help carve who we are...and life goes on...and we deal.
Oh, I love this post, Gwen. I didn't know that you are a weaver too. That's neat. My mother's a weaver too and speaking of comfort, I have one of her coverlets. She gave it to me and called it a "mummy hug" to be used whenever in need one.
Ahhh that's sweet, Shayla.. cool that your mum is a weaver.. don't meet too many of them... You are so lucky to have a woven piece like this...
I absolutely love woven coverlets... I did coverlet pillow tops some years ago in a 2/16 cotton and navy one ply wool in a rose design.. I loved them.. sold most all them. gave away some and I think I have one left inside another pillow cover somewhere around the house... I haven't wove much since moving here, But for the time being I don't have the heart to take my loom apart and store it.. I figure if I do that I'll never weave again.. so it is sitting in a tiny back room not much bigger than the loom itself .. taunting me...
The more decadent the dessert the better, as far as I'm concerned. Looks a lot like my cookie recipe, 'cept I use pure butter.
What a lovely sentiment, Gwen...so true how our connections to things go much deeper than simply attachment to a possession.
I remember my one bittersweet moment after we left our lovely old home in the very capable, loving hands of its new owner. It was when I visited last summer and walked through my beloved garden, remembering that hosta from Jamie, this lady's mantle from Aiko, the veronica Nancy gave me, the cherry phlox from Janet...
Pure butter, Debbi, truly decadent.. I remember sticking my finger into my grandmothers butter-dish and running away with a scoop of real butter, I could have eaten the whole dish full...
...................
Ah yes, Deborah, there's the patterned bowl from Rachel, the cobalt from Dave, another fresh from the kiln(at the time) with brilliant colors from Marilyn who is sadly gone now... I see their hands creating them...
and I relate to moving and leaving a precious garden lovingly sculpted and cared for behind... it is like part of your soul... I am so happy to know that the people that now own your older home have continued to care for your garden.. that appreciation means so much..
last year when I drove past my old home, my eyes were horrified to see that the present owners had bulldozed the rock walls and the front garden away and planted grass... broke my heart....
Cookies and a tea towel that you made. That’s pretty perfect and comforting at the same time. Love the laying in the warm spot with the pups. We have two pups and they love to lay in sun batches when in doors. Little bits of sun on the floor and I’m sure to find a pup.
Post a Comment