On Returning Home After a Long Journey

You love adventuring, you really do.  But after days of touring several different countries and seeing so many sights, what you really want is a long bubble bath in your own tub, a glass of wine in hand, jazz playing softly in the background.  You want to sit out on your patio and linger over your morning coffee.  You want to sleep in your own bed again.

As you slide the key into the lock of your front door, you feel like Bilbo Baggins--there and back again--and ready to write about your adventures.  But first, you want to feel your home around you once more.  You breathe a sigh of relief as you close the door behind you and take in your familiar surroundings. Everything is just as you left it--the turquoise blanket you are knitting in a heap on your cranberry couch, your writing desk covered in books and painting supplies.  The kitchen, spotless.

It is the garden you go to first; you want to see how your plants fared while you were away.  Did the cabbage worms eat all your lettuces?  Did the pea shoots get enough water?  Is your cucumber plant surviving?  Your plants appear none the worse for the wear, though you fuss over them all the same, trimming back dried leaves and watering them. 

Then you fill your home with light, pulling back curtains and opening the windows for fresh air.  There is life here again!  You go to your bedroom and stare longingly at your big colorful bed, the covers of which you can't wait to snuggle under that night.  It will be nice to dream in your own space again.  Then your take in the kitchen, looking fairly forlorn without a full fridge or something cooking on the stove.  It looks almost as if dust has gathered there after two weeks without use.  You make plans to remedy that quickly--grocery shopping must happen; new recipes must be tried.

You unpack slowly, pulling out each simple treat you've gathered from your travels and taking time to decide where they belong in your home.  The ribbons bought in London must go on the vanity table, the tea, in the pantry.  Later, you will hang your paintings of Paris--done by a street artist, bought along the Seine--in your living room.  And you will place your magnets on your fridge alongside the others, some from past travels, some bought in a fit of pure whimsy.

As you go through this ritual of returning home, you feel your things; your creature comforts begin to wake up, your house stirring as if from a long sleep.  It is pure pleasure to be back.  The only thing left to be done now is that long bath.  You have journeyed far to restore yourself, and you find that restoration, at last, in rekindling your routine. 

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On London Cab Drivers

They were the first people to introduce you to London properly. Their shiny black cabs roamed the streets like traveling encyclopedias holding all of London past and present in the back of their seats.

Theirs was not the London of fastidious politeness and reserve as cool as the weather. Nor was it the Anglophile paradise of queens and outdated customs--the London that had been so off-putting, so full of its own importance as it was, the one that brought out the Chicana militant in you.  (Their history is great yes, but so is yours.  You will not bow down to them, not their conquests, not their customs.)

But the cabs, now there was the real London. The place where the drivers talked streets and politics and watching the telly over a few beers after work.  In the back of their cabs, you learned about the best places to eat--Indian food, traditional English fare, French steak frites--as well as the best sights to see.  You learned about the day to day life of the average Londoner--work, pub, home--and the affability you wouldn't necessarily find in a New York taxi.  

You learned of their love of Stonehenge documentaries, their mental tug-of-war of selling or not selling their Spanish villa, their thoughts on race and class consciousness, and their master's thesis on sacred spaces--non-religious mass graves of 19th bishop's prostitutes where people still go to mourn the lost.  You heard about their grandchildren and their trips to America. They drew you a map with their words of neighborhoods and beliefs and everyday life. 

These are the stories you don't read about in guidebooks, the London that is made of grit and good cheap beer and honest work, the one that doesn't really care about the Queen or the national religion, only a good conversation and a job done well.

As you found your way through London from one taxi to the next, you relish the feeling of cracking the thin surface of antiquated Anglophilia as you would the shell of a soft-boiled egg so you could scoop out the fleshy center, savor the heart of this city.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

A Study in Gin Tonics

Your first gin tonic was nothing special--just a perfect blend of ice, gin, tonic. It was in a little cafe in Barcelona's Gothic quarter probably visited by locals but unknown to the makers of guidebooks.  In fact, the only real defining feature of the cafe was the turquoise staircase winding up to the second floor of the building--the bright pop of color reminding you of your desert home.  Even the drink was homey in its simplicity as if you were in your own place and decided to whip up an evening cocktail. 

The second gin tonic was the stuff of dreams--tantalizing, ephemeral, yet pulling you into this world here and now, much like the Gaudi building you spent the day viewing. It came from a little hole in the wall famous for how well it handles this iconic drink.  It was made of Hendrick's gin infused with basil--your favorite herb--and graced with fat ice cubes and Swepps tonic water. You watched in fascination as the bartender filled your glass, a fat round goblet, to the top with your restorative elixir.  Your only distraction, the bottled of house infused spirits, like rows of apothecary jars along the bar.

You sat outside, watching cars whiz by, discreetly listening to your fellow gin drinkers.  The drink was cool and tart on your lips, laced with the perfumey botanicals that make an ideal gin.  The basil hits you last, like a memory or whisper of the herb at the back of your throat. Yes, this was the perfect palate teaser for tapas across the road.

Your last gin tonic was in another hole in the wall, this time in Sitges, a favorite tapas place for the locals. You don't remember much about that drink, only the sand and salty ocean that coated your skin, your hair, your lips. Even this was the taste of Spain.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

5 Tips for a Perfect Cup of Tea

It seems only reasonable that since I am in England, I figure out what makes a perfect cup of tea.  It is, after all, the stereotypical homeland of the perfect cup (let's not forget the Asian countries and beyond that also have pretty amazing tea histories).  The English cup of tea is the stuff of novels--how can anyone escape a scene featuring tea while reading an Austen or Dickens' story?  How can you survive an afternoon in London without searching for a marvelously fortifying cup of this magical elixir, for another matter?

While I go off in search of my perfect cup here, I offer you a few tips on making your perfect brew---advice straight from London tea connoisseurs!--at home.  Enjoy!

1.  Know your brew time.  Each type of tea is a little different, so it helps to know the steeping time for the tea you are using--too little brew time equals weak tea, too long leads to bitter brew.  Below is a list of the most common types of tea and their brew times.

Black = 3-5 minutes

Green = 2-3 minutes

Herbal = 5-7 minutes

Oolong = 3-5 minutes

White = 1-3 minutes

2.  Have patience.  Don't swish the hot water or stir the leaves as it brews--just let the leaves sit in hot water. Be civilized--don't rush!

3.  Don't use a strainer.  This is a tough one--especially if you are on the go--but strainers constrict the leaves, making it harder for them to unfurl, which then makes it more difficult for the leaves to bleed into the water.  Now I'm not saying you should never, ever use a tea strainer again in your life (I will still use them!), but if you have time, pour the tea directly into the pot and let them stew.

4.  Always use quality tea.  I know it's hard, but you will have to give up the tea bags!  Most tea bags use the dregs of the tea leaves and the tea bags themselves have harmful chemicals in them--yuck!  So stick to good loose leaf tea from a supplier you trust--you can thank me later. ;)  Then use 1-2 tablespoons of tea per 8 ounces of water to get a strong cup.

5.  Start with cold, filtered water.  If you don't filter the water, the tea can take on the taste of whatever minerals come through the tap.  Cold water ensures that your water boils nicely without tasting flat.

At its very best, tea is a break from the world, a hug in a cup, a consolation, a celebration, a soother, and a pick-me-up--all depending on what the drinker needs.  In any case, make sure that you treat your tea as a self-care ritual in the midst of your day.  Take the time to brew a good cup--it is so worth it!

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On Flâneur

It's simple, really.

Your task is to be a flaneur.  A stroller.  A city wanderer.  Yet so much more than that.  You must be prepared to wander without a set goal, no clear destination.  You must walk to feel the city beneath your feet, to observe and be observed.

It is a sweet treat to feel the streets of Paris under your feet, to taste the absence of no real direction.  Your job as a visitor is to embrace the city one footstep at a time, to let the view of the Seine imprint itself in your memory, to feel the cool breeze on your skin, the taste of real croissants on your lips.

So in travel, so in life.  It is an art to walk, to absorb, to resist the need to commit to a firm schedule.  Perhaps you will encounter a cafe to sit and drink cafe au lait, perhaps a small little antique shop, or nothing at all.  It is enough to stroll and learn the city through its people and the way the light falls upon the buildings at each hour of the day.

The French have it so right in this.  There is divine pleasure in simply strolling, in wandering aimlessly--it is a practice in taking the time to enjoy everything about you.

That is the job of the flaneur.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On Studying French

It is difficult to wrap your mouth around the sounds--the nasal whispers that pronounce familiar letters in strange ways.  You are much more at home with your Spanish or Italian that pronounce every letter and are so like one another that to know one, is almost as good as knowing the other. 

But French--that is another language entirely. 

Your expectations are reasonable; you only want to be able to read a menu and ask for directions--and understand the answers.  You want to be able to say please and thank you, for you are above all a polite lady.   Yet as you study the words in your book and attempt to accurately pronounce the survival phrases your language podcast rolls out with ease, you realize that even as you know what "bonjour" should sound like, you will probably never achieve the delicate phrase reminiscent of the perfectly flaky croissant that you so hope to try.

No.  Your French will be flat and garbled, without the grace of your classroom Spanish, or the happy buoyancy of your limited Italian.  You take comfort in the fact, however, that the French will as least understand your joie de vivre even if they cannot make sense of your "parlait vous anglais?" or your "Je ne comprends pas."

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

5 Things I've Learned About Travel from Audrey Hepburn Movies

As I get ready for another adventure abroad, watching old Audrey Hepburn movies while packing, it occurs to me that much of what I know about travel comes from her films, especially Roman Holiday, Funny Face, and Sabrina.  I grew up watching Hepburn transform herself from the various versions of the quiet country mouse to the cultured, sophisticated woman of the world.  She made everything looks so wonderfully marvelous!  Even when I finally got to travel abroad for the first time last year, I found myself looking to these movies for inspiration and advice as I got ready to venture into the world--I still do.  So if you too are wondering how to get the most out of your trip, be it to a nearby town or across the globe, here are five lessons I've learned from Audrey Hepburn movies to help you on your way.

Hepburn signing "Bonjour Paris!" on the River Seine in Funny Face.

1. Don't be afraid to be a tourist.  As Hepburn and her cronies croon in Funny Face, there is a certain joy in being "strictly tourists."  It's okay to snap photos and drool over the Eiffel Tower--lots of Europeans do the same thing when they visit the Southwest.  The first time I went traveling in Italy, I tried so hard to look like a real Roman.  After day one, I realized no one bought my flimsy act.  I was a tourist.  They knew.  I knew it.  I made my peace with it--and had a blast!

Hepburn riding a scooter for the first time in Roman Holiday.

2. Be ready for adventure.  Like her princess character in Roman Holiday, learn to be ready for anything when you travel, from dancing on the river (and getting in a brawl shortly after!), to breezing about on your scooter in Rome, to seeing things you never would have dreamed of, like the Colosseum.  Travel is always an adventure--don't be afraid to dive right in and enjoy yourself!

Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck drinking champagne at a Roman Cafe in Roman Holiday.

3.  No schedules, please!  This piece of advice is also from Roman Holiday, when Hepburn, as a burned-out princess, sneaks away from her political duties to spend one day playing in Rome on her own.  Her only caveat? No schedules!  Having such a regimented life as a princess, she wants her free day to be a series of impromptu bits of fun.  Sure, it's a good idea to plan ahead when you travel and get those tickets for the museums and big attractions that you want to see, but do leave time to simply wander, stroll, and drink champagne at a local cafe.

The newly posh Sabrina (in the movie by the same name) returning home after a year in Paris.

4. Let yourself be changed by the experience.  In each of these movies, Hepburn gets a total makeover--most notably in her fashion-forward short hair cut (yes, almost all these films feature this, surprisingly!) and stunning new wardrobe.  You might not end up with changes so material or obvious, but a good traveler must be willing to let herself be transformed by the places she visits.  This could mean enjoying new customs in everyday life or bringing the flavors of your travel home with you in the meals you cook. 

Hepburn's character writing to her father as she begin her journey home from Paris in Sabrina.

5. It's okay to see the world through rose-colored glasses!  This last piece of advice comes from Sabrina, as the now-worldly chauffeur's daughter is on her way home after a year in Paris.  She talks about learning how to see the world through rose-colored glasses.  So I leave you with this thought: be romanced by life, enjoy each simple pleasure on your journey, near or far, get swept up in the delight of it all!

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On Giving In To Doing Less

It is one of those days where life won't let you do anything but take care of yourself--despite the things you had hoped to accomplish before traveling, the things you had wanted to cross off your to-do list.

No matter now. 

Your body has decided that you need a day to curl up in bed and read your favorite books, to eat chicken noodle soup and drink hot cups of tea.   There are still things to do, but your exhaustion has caught up with you. Nothing is as important as resting.

It is as if your body wants to recharge your batteries, store up your energy for vacation--tapas in Sitges, early morning walks along the Seine in Paris, tea in London. 

Soon you will be up and about again, but for now, you give into doing less. You close your eyes and snuggle deeper under your blankets.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On Watching Old Movies All Day

You are feeling positively lazy. 

It is a Sunday built for lollygagging.  You luxuriate in this feeling and this absence of things to do.  Your normal Sunday routine when teaching is one of cooking up your weekly breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  But you don't have to worry about that now or give to the fear of not having time or energy for three healthy meals a day.  Now, you have all the time in the world.

It is a divine pleasure to snuggle up on your couch and watch old movies.  You start with your Marilyn Monroe stash--The Seven Year Itch, Some Like It Hot--paying as much attention to the outfits as the plots, although you've seen both a million times.  Then you move to your Audrey Hepburn movies, getting swept up in her adventures in Sabrina, Funny Face, and Roman Holiday.  In each movie, you marvel at her transformation from young naif to polished sophisticate, drooling even more at her glamorous evening gowns and posh day wear (yes, even as you enjoy your own pajama pants and tank top).

Eventually, you might even talk yourself into a beer and a book on your patio.  But for now, you snuggle deeper under you knitted blanket on the couch, awash in Technicolor and black and white dreams, feeling as if everything is positively right with the world.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On Kitchen Sink-ing It

You must get creative with the food you have, using it all up before you pack your bags and head out on your next adventure.

It took all your self-control not to over-shop at the grocery store, despite the perfectly rounded artichokes and thick stalks of asparagus staring you in the face.  You bought only the bare necessities: coffee and wine.  It took even more reserve not to go to the farmers' market; that would only lead to a fridge full of spring's bounty--tender lettuce, red radishes, and if you were lucky, garlic scapes.

You know mustn't do that, hard as it is.  Everything but the kitchen sink must go, so you pile your plate with all manner of strange meals. You are traveling soon--that phrase playing round and round your head, a constant reminder--and have to clean out your fridge of anything and everything that won't last till you get back. 

It has been a series of creative lunches and kitchen-sink dinners.  There was the breakfast omelet with one and a half bell peppers and small wedges of several different kinds of hard cheeses; the lunch of quick pickled carrots, radishes, and cucumbers; the simple dinner of crudités and aioli to use up those eggs and any stray vegetables at the bottom of your crisper.  Everything must go!

Then there is the carton of half and half that you try to ration out across the next four mornings, so you don't have to buy another and have it go to waste.  There is the watermelon you had forgotten about--the one you intended to juice.  A watermelon cooler must be made, perhaps several.  You will diligently work on whittling down the contents of your fridge until it is nothing but bare shelves and butter, mustard jars and a wine bottle.

It's as integral to your travel preparations as packing your bags and boarding that plane.  Yes, this is kitchen sink-ing it.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On Polka Dots

They are the flirt of prints, just as pink is the coquette of colors.

They have bounce and boom and beauty--you can't resist them--not the smattering of little dots across your dress nor the playful pattern on your scarves and blouses.  You prefer the haphazard prints as if a painter has taken her wet brush and flung dots of paint across your clothes--no clear rhyme or reason to the pattern, just a series of dancing dots. 

The ones that make you sigh are lined up in neat little rows as if to take the bounce out of the dots, the flirt out of these bouncy discs. Surely designers would understand that polka dots are not for the understated; the demure organized lines of one circle after another are begging to be shaken up.  They must dance on your dress, move with the folds and the sway of your skirt.

Polka dots are a walking invitation--for mischief, for kisses, for fun.  You don't wear them unless you are ready to be as playful as they are.  They are your homage to the grace and strength of the Flamenco dancer, more than the polka music they were named after--emblems of pure movements spread across your body.

There is simply no such thing as too many polka dots, only not enough polka dot wearers.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On Wild Hair

It simply can't control itself.

Twice a year you get a stylist to tame it--snip snip with scissors, woosh woosh with the blow dryer and rounded brush to iron out those kinks and curls into smooth perfection.  For a few days, you have movie hair.

But it's not your real hair.  More like a wig or an outfit that isn't really you but one you sometimes put on anyway, just in case it is--and know full well it never will be.  Like that prim sleek office dress that holds you too close.  

No, your hair is a riot of half-formed curls and twisty waves that never quite commit to being corkscrew ringlets or soft waves.  It simply wants to have both and so colonizes your head with thick, wild waves going it whatever direction they want to.

It abhors barrettes and hairspray, too many hair clips and hair straighteners.  It rebels against too much product and not enough down time.  Even when you coax it into a sophisticated up-do for work, you know it only temporarily subdues itself for those hours between teaching and grading and then, once home, practically pushes the pins out of its sultry coils. 

It will not let you be anything but you.  And when you look at it first thing in the morning--a twisted riot of auburn curls half-smashed from hugging the pillows all night--you realize that this is you.  You are your loud curls that don't like to be contained, your thick hair that is more comfortable naked than tamed into politeness with those pomades you never really know how to use. 

You are bare feet and uncombed curls.   Wild thoughts and wild hair.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On Welcoming Spring (Again): Or Saying Goodbye to Winter (For Real...Hopefully)

It snowed yesterday.  In May of all months.

It wasn't a big snow, with fat, blustery flakes and a thick carpet of white velvet on the ground.  It was more of a quick, dirty snow that melted as soon as it hit the ground.  Still, your basil plant was not happy, nor your tomatoes who sat in the corner of your patio shaking in the cold, wishing they could pull their little yellow flowers back in their buds for safe keeping.

Even your halfhearted attempt at going out for your morning walk was quickly squashed by the wind whipping around your home, pushing you back indoors.  What happened to spring?  Where was your gorgeous morning filled with bird song and coffee on your patio?  Where was the sunlight streaming into your apartment in the afternoon, coating everything in a magical honey glaze?

You got a day more at home in winter instead: a dark, hushed morning, followed by an afternoon tucked safely inside your house, feeling more like snuggling on the couch and drinking tea than letting as much of the outdoors in as you could.  Even your plants stayed inside.  You hauled them in one by one, reviving them with the warmth of the house and your tender words until your writing space looked more like an indoor garden than a place for prose (though who is to say which is the plant and which is the story? Both take warmth and time to grow).  You went to bed wondering if your spring would even come back.

The next morning you awoke to the sound of your loud little finches and the sun kissing your cheeks.  Spring was back, the snow was gone.  You could once again enjoy the simple pleasures of the season.  You returned your plants to their proper place on the patio.  You opened the doors to your home to let the light and air in.  You drank coffee on the patio.  Winter was gone.  And all was well.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On Writing in the Second Person

It's uncomfortably intimate at first, the you. 

Then before you know it, it seduces you, wraps itself around you and holds you tight.  So tight, you couldn't let go if you wanted to.   

You. It makes you wear the experience like a second skin until you are there--experiencing that afternoon tea or that long walk or that conversation with the birds at your feeder. 

You. You shouldn't be afraid of how the word draws out your readerlyness, even when the writer you read invents words--especially so. It reminds you that you too create this world, this picture of patio gardens and long naps, evenings cooking in the kitchen and staying up late reading novels.  You are no longer allowed to be just a voyeur--you must live the experience as you devour each word on the page like it is a fat grape bursting with juice, filling your mouth with its tart sweetness.  Yes, you taste this too, even as you read it.

To read is to invent, to imagine what the writer's words look like when they lift from the page and become your reality.  You do this.  You.  The one reading this right now.  You.  I reach across my page and thank you for reading, for bringing my words to life, for being willing to wear your you so that I can bridge the gap between writer, word, reader.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On Maximalist Fashion

You must go boldly into this world--remember that.

You have long since outgrown your need to dress in muted colors, in perfectly matched ensembles of various hues of nude or gray or that one non-color so popular among the faint of heart.  No.  You no longer feel the need to fade into your surroundings--that was another lifetime, one you gladly shed in favor of your peacock feathers, bright a sin, strong as steel.

For you, the real you, your wardrobe is a work of art. Each day you prepare your outfit as a painter would her canvas, tenderly, one brushstroke at a time. Or as a gardener determining which flowers to plant in an open plot of dirt, only to decide it must be a small grove of wildflowers in all colors, all types, the seeds tossed about with abandon.  Your outfit is a living, breathing piece of art made up of layers of bright colors and loud jewelry and unapologetic joie de vivre. 

You must go boldly into this world without fail.  Your mustard heels and turquoise jewelry and purple dress and bright green scarf remind you of this--it is not enough to fade into the background, not enough to simply show up to life.  You must embrace it, bite into it with zest as you would a ripe peach. 

Your wardrobe is a walking advertisement for who you are, an embodiment of who you are not afraid to be.  You must wear it as your armor, your hard shell that refuses to be anything less than what you are.  Let the world know: 

You must go boldly into this world each and every day.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On Preparing for Vacation

It is more than just packing your bags or finding someone to water your plants while you are gone.  More than confirming your plane reservations and outlining your day-to-day plans, a loose collection of potential adventures.

It is in slowing down the weeks before your trip, allowing for time to rest, to play, to nourish the spirit of joie de vivre.  You must let your brain begin to breathe, your mind to expand beyond the work desk, or else the shift from your daily routine to far-flung adventure is too much, so abrupt so that you might find yourself in your proverbial business suit on a beach in paradise.

No.  You must respect the transition.  

Your preparations must include weekends goofing off, long afternoon naps, evenings doing nothing but enjoying your garden.  In this, you learn to respect your need to heal, the importance of moving slowly, of doing less.  Yes, you are preparing for your vacation by cultivating the pleasure of being less busy, unwilling to commit to a firm schedule or days packed with one event after the other.  You court your next adventure with quiet days and impromptu lunch dates, evening cocktails and long mornings drifting through the fun parts of the weekend newspaper. You exchange your work heels for sandals, that business uniform for loose dresses and little makeup.

Only then can you begin to pack for your trip, finalize those little details, and be ready for fun.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On Spring Rain

It only lasted a few minutes--here and gone in a flurry of wind and rain and hail--leaving light and soft earth in its wake.

Even now there is hardly any sign that it has rained at all, save for one or two stray puddles and an extra sweetness in the air.  Still, you know those few minutes calmed the earth and tamed the dusty winds that have rolled through town these past weeks, stirring up trouble and dirt.  The fat plops of moisture fell to the ground, coating the dry earth in a silky blanket, allowing the seeds in your garden to drink deeply and the thick yellow pollen to leave the sky and make its home in the ground. 

This rain, gone too soon, makes you want to run out and play in it; it is rich, violent, bursting with life in a way that compels you to dance in the puddles and twirl in the rain as you once did so long ago.  You want to feel these nourishing drops kiss your face, wet your eyelashes, and dribble down your chin.  You want them to slap your palms and mat your hair with their thickness as you gaze up at the clouds that have rolled over the mountains and covered your city.

This is your desert spring rain, a flashy foreshadowing of the monsoons with their thunder and lighting and lovely, lovely rain that grace your home in the summer, nourishing the earth, cleaning your soul, feeding your heart.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On Toast

It is a humble offering to the morning, but so delicious.

You had a lazy start to the day, luxuriating in the fact that it is mid-week, but you, you with your summer teacher schedule, can sleep in and treat this Wednesday as a Saturday or Sunday.  Even the thought of whipping up an egg or making some oatmeal is too much.  It would disturb the slow tranquility coursing through your veins.

But you must eat.  And toast, toast is the answer.

It is only worth eating if it's made from quality bread--in this case, a whole wheat loaf from your favorite bakery.  You slice off a thick piece and pop it in the toaster, making sure it gets that nice brown crust, not quite burnt but thick enough to leave a soft center underneath that crispy shell.  Then comes the butter, liberally slathered on--you mustn't be stingy.  You know some then prefer jam, but for you, the magic is in that simple marriage between toast and butter. 

You take your treat, along with a fresh cup of coffee and a small dish of blackberries, to your patio, where you linger over the morning paper, the little finches greeting you with their trill song.  You take a bite of toast, letting the earthy flavor of the wheat and butter roll over your tongue.  You offer a bit of crust to the birds--but not too much, as you want to savor this treat yourself.  Bite by bite you devour your simple breakfast until there is nothing left but a few crumbs on your fingers and a little butter on your chin.

You gaze wistfully at your plate: empty save for a scattering of crumbs.  Before you can talk yourself into another piece of toast, you press your coffee mug to your lips and sip the decadent brew.  Your coffee, your berries, the cool morning air remain your consolation, now the toast is gone.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On the First Swim of the Season

It is probably still a touch too cold for a proper swim--and windy--yet the sun and bright green of the trees beckon you outside.  You will just go and check the water, just dip your hand in and feel if it is warm enough, you tell yourself, even as you put on your bathing suit and gather a towel.  You've made up your mind without quite knowing when that happened.

Outside you are seduced by the turquoise of the water, reminiscent of one of those tropical beaches you've read about in magazines.  No one is around but you.  You slip off your flip flops and sundress.  You enjoy the sun's caress on your back.  For a brief moment you feel terribly naked, your skin unaccustomed to the elements after a long winter buried under sweaters and scarves and mittens.  It is hypersensitive as if you've peeled back all your layers of skin until you are left with a newer, more tender shell.

Yet the water still calls to you.  Gingerly, you place one foot then another into the water, feeling a thrill run through you.  It laps around your toes, egging you on.  You let your legs dangle over the sides of the pool, enjoying the cool water on your skin, a sharp contrast to the warm sun on your back. 

You've reached the point of no return--there is nothing to do now but slip into the water's embrace.  You go under, letting the cool water embrace you, then break to the surface again.  You gasp and wipe the water from your face, then plunge headlong into a series of breaststrokes, enjoying how this liquid silk flows over and under your body. 

The breeze races across the water, raising goosebumps on your arms. Too soon to take the plunge?  Perhaps, but oh so worth it.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On Antiquing

You hadn't planned on it, but before you know it the afternoon has become one long stroll through your favorite antique store.

You get lost on the embroidered handkerchiefs and bits of lace loving washed, ironed and displayed.  The tea cups and tin flour sifters seduce you with images of afternoon tea and freshly made scones.  The old books beg you to touch their spines, allowing your fingers to caress the ridges on the tooled leather of their binding.  As if that weren't enough, you marvel at the old bottles and jars--clear and green and blue mason jars, old apothecary bottles, even crystal perfume bottles.  Each one holds its contents like a distilled piece of history; here the jar of buttons in every shape and size, there bits of dust from another lifetime ago, in another German glass glitter so shiny it makes your eyes hurt. 

It is the writing desks and vanity tables that then call to you, throwbacks to elegance and the slow mediation on simple tasks like writing a letter or readying yourself for the day.  You luxuriate in the spools of ribbons on display, too and the piles of ancient typesetting and the retro paintings of fruits and vegetables growing in your garden at this very moment.  Each object makes up a piece of this extravagant tableau, this impression of life as art, of life as beauty, of life as enjoyment. 

When it is time to go--after you have wandered from room to room and around again--you leave the shop feeling refreshed, vibrant, as if the world suddenly has just a little more magic in it. 

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!