these days

these days, it's been getting cold, prompting us to pull down the wool blankets and exchange the cotton sheets for flannel. ever since our mattress warranty claim was settled and we got the brand new oh-so luxurious replacement mattress, we've been spending A LOT of time in bed. we climb in early at night, where we finish our days out together, and i stay in bed as long as possible in the morning after andrew leaves for work, drinking coffee and starting work from beneath the layers of blankets as i snuggle with the animals. i swear that they conspire to keep me there.

these days, i've been doing my work from the dining room table (when i'm not in bed, that is). it's a large, unfinished pine wood space overlooking the kitchen and beside the sliding balcony doors that look out onto the backyard. i draw the curtains to let the light in and i draw them to shut out the dark. the heavy cotton floral curtains given to us from my wonderful mother-in-law. they are like an embodiment of her: traditional with a modern flair, rustic, whimsy, beautiful, spirited. being in their company makes me feel loved, safe, and ever-inspired. 

these days, i have been focusing almost single-mindedly on my dissertation project (almost, because there are of course endless distractions that keep me from absolute devotion to my work and thus from full productivity). i find my mind wandering, dreaming, and thinking about all the things. 

These days I seem to think a lot
About the things that I forgot to do
And all the times I had the chance to.

(Nico, "These Days")

i spread my projects and desires across the surface of the wood table from which i work, but even as i actively so so - all day, every day, day in & day out - there are always things i never get to. i drink cups of lady grey tea and stage still lives. i play with the cats and take their portraits. i collect books for research and books for pleasure, for moments of rapture and escape, for moments often overlooked or forgotten. i am distracted by my surroundings; in a room of my own.

these days, i muse about having a real digital SLR camera, but for now i make do with my old Nikon point-and-shoot, my iPhone, and the brilliant editing software designed by Visual Supply Co.

portraits of the majestic, stoic, and ever-handsome, Dr. Hunter S. Thomcat. he's been a little displeased that Glasgow has been stealing all the attention here lately. he's also developed some slight attitude problems adjusting to the new kitten (jealous? inconceivable!), so i thought i would give him a prominent spot here. he has been such a central part of our lives over the past six years, he really does deserve it.

the joys of adopting a young kitten: they're ever-so sweet but also full of SO MUCH TROUBLE. introducing, for the first time, Little Miss Virginia Woolf. she's slowly finding her place in the family and even gets to participate in group snuggles in the morning now.

this week i posted about the early morning and my new relationship to it. as difficult as it can be to get out of bed some mornings, the beauty that awaits is always worth it. yesterday morning's frost was truly exquisite, making the whole yard glow with a white frosted mist warmed by the golden sun.

still lives:

1. andrew has been bringing home lots of moose antler sheds from the bush lately, adding to our ever-growing collection. this particular white-tailed deer skull and antlers is one that we brought back from Alberta two years ago. it has been hanging around the past couple weeks waiting for us to hang it on the wall, but i have been enjoying its company.

2. sweet little Herriott Grace cake flags leftover from our wedding + a gorgeous knitted short-sleeve shirt, made in Canada, that i recently thrifted.

3. lady grey tea in one of my favourite vintage teacups and an old teapot from my Nana. perfection.

collected works:

1. good night, day: modern & minimalist knitting patterns, by tara-lynn morrison. first edition.
2. A Pictorial History of Wilderness, poems by Laressa Dickey & published by MIEL.
3. Penguin Books "Great Ideas" edition of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own.
4. The Anatomy of Clay, poems by Gillian Sze.
5. issue no.1 of Sad Girls, a lovely little illustrated zine made by girls who make things and have lots of feelings.
6. A Guide to the Northwest Territory, poems by Josh Wallaert, also from MIEL.

collected works no.2 (on hysteria):

1. Aura Hysterica: Les exercises de la passion (1992), an artist's book by Montreal artist Nicole Jolicoeur.
2. Georges Didi-Huberman's The Invention of Hysteria: Charcot and the Photographic Iconography of the Salpêtrière.
3. The Hysterical Alphabet, text by Terri Kapsalis with drawings by Gina Litherland.
4. Nicole Jolicoeur's Traité de la perfection (1996).

these days

I haven't had much of a presence here lately. So much going back and forth between the city & and the country, wedding planning (some details of which I plan to share here soon - August 4th is fast approaching!), and preparing for the final move to Laurentian Valley to be with Andrew full-time, which we accomplished last weekend and was nothing short of epic. I have come to accept that moving plans never go as planned and was surprisingly relaxed (almost) the whole time. I think I have been successfully taking all the wisdom and advice from Meg Keene's most wonderful and endearing book, A Pracitcal Wedding, and applying it to other areas of my life. I have been actively practicing my wedding Zen and it has truly helped me to let go of all the little things, wedding-related or otherwise. I feel the most amazing lightness and the least stress I have felt in a long time.

Amidst all the craziness, I have still found time to savour the small moments and delicacies, from summer skies, gin & tonics, and Quebec's culinary delights to gardens both old & new.

And this. 

wishing you & yours a wonderful weekend. 

xo, 

sara

these days

it rained all week long in the city.
the kind of rain that soothes your body & soul,
that allows you to slow down and replenish.
to take notice of  the small and mundane things,
like thick raindrops streaming
and collecting on windows.
rainy days adorned with silk garments
and cherished jewels.
overcast skies and sombre moods made brighter
by the arrival of much-anticipated packages in the mail,
by diluted colours and whimsical florals,
and by the attention to detail.

///

you might have also noticed
the subtle but beauitfully crafted blog re-design,
for which i am indebted to
the lovely Ana of Blog Milk.
she is such a pleasure to work with
and her designs are the perfect balance
of artistry and a clean, minimalistic aesthetic.
i am only just settling in
and have some more personalizing yet to do,
but i feel like the precision
and soothing feel of this new space
will allow me to focus more on content. 


as always, i have some exciting plans.
so many ongoing projects
and always all at once.

///

hope your weekend is as wonderful as ever.


xo,

sara

these days

i've been fully immersed in writing my comps for almost two weeks now, and i am already exhausted. i try to find or create little bits of brightness in the mornings to kickstart my consistently long days and to help keep me going. this morning, i happily watched three blue jays flutter around in the trees in the backyard; other mornings, it's just orange juice and vanilla yogourt with strawberries.

i always look forward to my daily afternoon walks with glasgow; the only real thing that gets me out of the house. it's been fairly warm this week and we've even had a couple sunny days, which make me want to stay outside forever. yesterday, the snow was starting to melt and things were softening up, making it perfect to collect lichen and other forest bits preserved in the snow. i can't think of a better, more relaxing and fulfilling break from writing. 

my evenings have been fairly mellow and follow a general routine. if am really stressed or in the writing zone, andrew cooks me dinner. otherwise, we prepare dinner together and sit down to watch The X-Files while we eat. i usually unwind after long days of writing with a glass of wine or a beer, without which i honestly don't think i could get through this kind of intensive writing (or grad school, period). the thing that i truly cherish most, though, is spending time with my little family in our cozy little space together. none of this would be worth it if it weren't for their love and companionship.

these days

this year’s January
has been a series
of starts and stops,
with seemingly
more stops
than starts.

all the self-expectations
and -pressure
to begin anew:

new year,
fresh start,
ready, set, go!

and stumble,
and sometimes tumble,
and fall.

i feel like my life
has been on hold,
divided in two
without being
fully present
in either one.

yet amidst,
it is the little things,
bits and pieces
still unbroken
and the subtle curiosities
that carry on.

carry me on
and drive me forward,
one more day,
day after day.

and so it is,
these days.


CREDITS

books featured:
Menagerie by Sharon Montrose, with illustrations and lettering by Julianna Swaney
The Native Trees of Canada by Leanna Shapton

these days // winter scenes

not only have i redesigned the blog, but i've also moved it to a new home: http://arterieandco.blogspot.com. i'm not typically one for soft grey tones, but i've been inspired by these recent winter scenes from my daily life in Laurentian Valley. i've been spending a good amount of time outdoors, mostly taking Glasgow for walks, and the soft beauty and wonder of winter has really setlled in.

oh, and i also updated the nova lily shop with a new winter banner.