My inlaws live about three hours away in West Virginia (we’re in Cincinnati, Ohio). I do always look forward to the drive with a bit of nostalgia and excitement. I’ve become so familiar with all kinds of landmarks along the way. I seek them out as our car curves along the mostly two-lane highway.
There’s the tobacco barn bursting with bunches of leaves for most of the year. The barn is large, weathered and all kinds of gray. The sloping land that immediately surrounds it is covered in a plucky swarth of green grass and the whole scene is framed by Midwestern forest.
There’s the mini-horse farm. I think that’s one of my husband’s absolute favorites. Five or six mini Shetland horses in shades of white, brown and tan nibble at the ground in their boxy fenced-in pen. Their manes and tails are well combed and are trimmed straight across. Two large, sloping hills jut up on either side behind them.
Oh, and I can not forget my factory. This is something I prefer to drive by at night. It’s actually an Ashland Oil refinery but the way this factory looks at night is breathtaking. Imagine a dozen silver cylinders wrapped in swirling steps capped by tall, blazing flames. Imagine silvery pipes twisting and turning all over, with a seeming lack of purpose, but dotted with yellowy incandescent-esque lights. These bubbles of light emit a golden glow in the form of halos. These golden halos reflect beautifully, nope-magnificently–against the silver background. White smoke tubes billow upward and outward in distinct, snaking spires. Magnificence, pure industrial magnificence.
And, after we’ve made the drive and made note of all the landmarks we pull into the driveway of a familiar house with a familiar bed inside, waiting for us. Familiar faces are inside, waiting for us to just open the front door and come in.

Driving to see our family is almost as wonderful as actually getting to see them.

I often include little watercolors on the backs of letters I send. The photos in this post are of the back of a letter I wrote to some of my yoga teachers (hence the Om).

As someone who writes a lot of letters, who has been through a lot of pen pals over the years and as a creative person—I can tell you that letter writing should most certainly be regarded as an art.

What I suppose is most intriguing about writing letters is that anyone can do it. And, anyone can embellish their letters or postcards in a way that they not only connect with, but take great pleasure in.

I’ve known people who:
+ embroider directly onto the letter or postcard
+ glitterize their correspondence
+ cut out shapes and patterns
+ draw in watercolor, pencil, acrylic or good old stick pens
+ make envelopes from the pages of magazines or old books

The main reason, I suppose, that most people don’t take the time to go a little further in personalizing their letters is not really because of time. I mean, if you’re taking the time to write to someone, then you are certainly someone that can pull out a few more minutes to embellish your craft.

No, no, in a way it is something very sad. People are embarrased–they are fearful of being judged; of the recipient finding their embellishment tacky or horrid.

But I tell you this—the sorts of people who write letters in the first place are the sorts of people who are openminded, accepting and appreciative of everything.

So, while my manatee drawings don’t really have personal significance for anyone but me, my recipients always appreciate that I took a little extra time to draw them their very own little work of art. And plus, how may people have you had take the time to paint something for you?

One more bit of letter-writing advice: some of the best friends you’ll ever find in this world live behind letters.

Wow–risque? Not so much. But at the time, apparently so. Here’s an article on the Baroness De Guestre.

Article appears below if you don’t want to download it:

This beautiful photo is of Coca-Cola in its infancy. At least my husband’s interpretation. And you know what, what we came out with was pretty darn close.

Have you ever wanted to try to make Coke before; you know, from scratch? Did you even think it was possible?

Well, making soda from scratch is not a new thing. This whole soda-in-cans thing has really only been around for 50 or so years. Before then, people made any kind of soda like this:

Mix together:

• soda water
• syrup

Gee…..that’s it?

Yep.

You may not know this, but Coca-Cola is a citrus-based flavor. I know, I know, it’s kind of crazy when you think about it at first, because really, what does Coke taste like? Can’t really put your finger on it, huh?

Well, noone knows the exact recipe. Not even Simplicity Embellished. But, we do know what many of the ingredients that form Coke’s unique flavor profile are.

My husband developed the concotion pictured above.

It’s a blend of:

• lime peel (all the essential oils are in the skin, thereby producing the strongest flavor)
• star anise
• cinnamon
• sugar
• vanilla
• water

What’s great about this is that you can basically vary the amounts of each of the ingredients and it will still taste good at the end.

Here’s how we did it:

• filled a pot with water on medium-high heat
• put all the ingredients in
• stirred it until we could really smell it
• Let it come to room temperature, then put it in the fridge for a few hours (you don’t have to wait that long. Just know that the longer you let it sit, the more the flavors develop.)
• Poured a glass of plain soda water (Usually about 80 cents for a liter at the grocery).
• Mixed in, spoonful by spoonful, the mixture above, to taste.

And, my friends, you don’t just have to set out to recreate Coca-Cola. Try just a basic lemon-lime soda or another citrus (just create a basic sugar syrup over the stove and sqeeze in the juice) or even something like mint.

Meringue is lovely. The flavor is simple, the texture divine and the experience–weightless.

Since I indulge myself fairly frequently, I thought perhaps it might be worthwhile to share some of my favorite meringue facts:

There are three types of meringue:
1. French (easiest)
2. Swiss (made over simmering water)
3. Italian (uses sugar syrup)

The recipe for meringues is just over 400 years old.

If you refrigerate them, they become soggy.

One of my favorite meringue desserts is the Dacquoise! Have you seen this before? Martha Stewart has a great section on meringue, including a few dacquoise recipes.

Mary Gullick, Zoe Gullick, Marjory Gullick, Chloe Gullick – outside Altoncourt, Killara? c.1909 from Gullick family, c.1909-1922 / photographed by William Applegate Gullick

Billy and Graham Green from the Salvation Army Camp practice a little deceit, Collaroy Beach, ca. 1940 / photographer unknown

Walter Burley Griffin, architect & designer of Canberra, 1912 / photographer unknown

Maud Grantham as Marguerite in “Faust”, Sydney, 1901 / photographer T. Humphrey & Co.

Galli-Curci toured Australia in 1925

I pull so much from these old photos–the details within the images inspire my writing, illustration and design. I hope they do for you to.

The print on the luxury boxes that Rossi’s Medioevalis Paper comes in is beautiful and I am enamored with the combination of the fiery orange and warm greys.

I have a box of envelopes and cards from Rossi’s Medioevalis collection. According to the Rossi Website, the Medioevalis Collection is a:

Fine selection of cards with deckle edge. Recommended for all writing applications as well as letterpress printing and engraving. Excellent for announcements, invitations or any kind of correspondence.

The feathery edge is the result of sheets being naturally and carefully torn according to the ancient tradition of ‘Amalfi’ paper making, dating back to the XIV century.

The cards are very firm and there’s a noticeable difference in texture on the front and back. One side is smoother. This is due to the manufacturing process and really makes the experience of writing so much better.

In the photo above I wrote with a Lamy Al-Star using Diamine ink in Damson. While it takes a few seconds for the ink to absorb and dry, there is no feathering.

And really, the presentation is just lovely. You can’t find things like this today.

Here’s a look at the Mediovalis seal on the packaging. These are certainly boxes one would keep around for other uses long after the paper and envelopes have been used up.

Here’s the embossed Medioevalis seal:

And a closeup of Rossi’s Medioevalis Stationery Envelopes:

Overall, the paper is wonderful and something you’ll want to save for special occasions. The envelopes had a texture and weight very similar to Crane Paper. If you can only afford to get the cards or the envelopes, go with the cards.

Writing is easy and enjoyable on the cards. There was no feathering and it took about 15 seconds for the ink to fully absorb and dry.

Every PO Box renter at my branch got a generic black and white postcard in our boxes this past week and after reading it I realized ‘Oh my God, the post office workers get just as irritated at us as we do at them!’

You know, I appreciate the post office so much–but not during times when friends four miles away mail me a package that somehow takes four weeks to get to me. I know we all have post office horror stories.

Here’s what makes them upset (things NOT to do):

• If your mail is metered (meaning, it’s got an ink stamp on it—not a sticker stamp) then it should be put in the mailbox the same day as the meter date.
• If you have five or more pieces of metered mail then you should face them all in the same direction and rubber band them together before dropping them off.
• Keep stamped mail separate from metered mail.

Did you know? In the Cincinnati District, more than 1,000,000 pieces of mail are collected each business day.

This is a section from the front of the post card. I appreciate how it breaks down what each part of a meter stamp is from and I thought you might too.

Motivated to cook. Actually, I think, motivated to be distracted in the kitchen for a few hours–do you know what I mean? Sometimes it’s really nice to be focused on one thing for several hours. And it’s even nicer when that one thing reaps quantifiable results.

I made yams.

I made roasted sweet potatoes and parsnips.

I made a lentil and rice dish.

And I made my husband a cake.

I used the yellow cake recipe from Cooks Illustrated and their Simple Vanilla Frosting recipe as well.

I felt so proud, staring across the room at my three layer cake resting peacefully on the cake stand.

And when my husband got home, he felt hungry. Which was perfect, because I had a lot of food.

They’re red!

What a lovely shade! I’ve got the perfect red Diamine ink and my Gold Sheaffer Agio would compliment this Moleskine so perfectly. Glorious!

What a lovely color!

And, I think they are lovely to look at.

The photos in this post feature a mixture of green lentils and french lentils; both of which you can purchase in bulk from places like Whole Foods, which is where I bought mine.

Lentils have a shorter cooking time (than, let’s say, beans) and these are a great ingredient to keep on hand. If you mix lentils with rice, you then are getting the full spectrum of protein (cystine and methionine are two proteins).

This past week, I made a dish in our dutch oven of lentils, rice and carrots seasoned with a sauteed shallot and garlic. Instead of using water, I used chicken broth.

Lentils are great cold or warm and I think they go best with either rice or quinoa.

Here are a couple good lentil-based recipes:

• Lovely Lentil Soup
• Stewed Lentils and Tomatoes
• Curried Lentils and Sweet Potatoes
• A Lentil Dessert

This just seethes saccharine sweetness. Except I feel like those cats want to nom that little bird as soon as possible.

Oh gees. A singing animal choir. And look! They’re all so concerned about staying in key (and are actively avoiding the urge to chew on eachother.)

There is so much that I love about this. First, the rooster is wearing stirrups. Second, you can see a very faint scene in the background. Third a little boy is riding a giant rooster, and is very happy about it.

Hello gents! Top ‘o the mornin’ to ya!

I love these two little dogs as I’m sure you love your pets.

I love how, on sunny mornings, they follow sunspots around the house. The sun carries them between their early-morning nap and their mid-morning nap; both of which generally take place on the bed.

When I get real close to their little faces, I wonder what they are thinking about. They sit completely still, the sun fully shining on them, occasionally blinking. What are they pondering?

And then I catch a moment like this…..

…and I feel their happiness.

Ambre De Birmanie

It certainly matches the lovely hue of this ink.

Here’s a page from a Moleskine. You’ll see I wrote in many different styles and even doodles. You can get a good sense for how the ink looks and behaves.

All the testing in these photos was done with a Lamy Safari Medium Nib.

This will be a really fun color to doodle with. And a great ink to accent the right piece of correspondence.

I picked up a great little postcard featuring a farm in the state of Ohio, and this color matched the haystacks featured on the front beautifully.

I, personally, like inks that have variation in shading. You’ll see how the color is deeper at the bottom of my strokes.

The paper used below is a Neenah 25% Cotton Arctic White. I didn’t get a bleed or smudge on the Moleskine or the Neenah stock.

Happy little yellow lines.

When I think of Valentine’s Day (just around the corner!) I think of pinks, reds and yellows; like the one below.

I love the J. Herbin bottle. The top of the bottle has a notch which, I assume, is for resting your pen? No? I mean, what else is it for?

My Sheaffer Agio is featured below.

Oooo la la I just love the label and the bottle.

And, one requisite artsy-fartsy shot. The plant in the back is a desert rose sorbet….the actual name escapes me.

All in all, a great ink. I’ve noticed no clogging in my pens, really no bleed and very little smudge. The color is consistent and the ink is high quality.

I purchased this bottle from Poeme in Hyde Park.

“She’s here!”

I ran down the steps, pulled myself together and opened my front door with a smile, “Hi Donetta!”

Donetta stood there with a smile. She has short blonde hair, some sparkly earrings and a canvas tote tucked under her arm.

“Come on in.”

—–

Donetta came in the house, got settled and we all went into the living room. The beagles were immediately all over her; Hairy was jumping up and down like a mad man, Ruby was furiously sniffing her pants. After they got their fill, they then began to sniff her purse, her coat, her shoes….anything she brought in.

Donetta had already worked with an abused horse that morning and a cat, she told us. The beagles were sniffing what they could from her earlier appointments. I sat on the floor and offered Donetta some tea, while trying to figure out what exactly one is supposed to say to initiate a pet communication story.

“No thank you,” Donetta said with a smile. She was sitting on the floor, pulling toys out of her canvas bag and packets of information for my husband and I.

—-

Donetta is a pet communicator; however many call her a pet psychic. She said she first noticed this gift when she was a child; and it put her (and her family) into awkward situations now and again when Donetta was confronted with abusive pet owners.

Donetta described how pet communication works like this:
+ She is near the animal; and will pet them now and then.
+ She’ll get little blips; images…..pictures. They are black and white. They are images from the animal as they see things.
+ Donetta then interprets those images as best she can.
+ She’s also able to visualize something and ’send’ it to the animal. This is how she’s able to ask questions…she asks in pictures.

—–

Now, I feel like I should mention that I gave her no information about my dogs beyond their names and gender. She does not know about this website or anything else I’m involved in so she could not have gleaned information from that.

—–

Donetta was chatting with Victor and I as we sat there and she said
“Hairy is happy-go-lucky……oh, and Ruby is the boss. She runs the house.”

Why yes, that is correct.

She then told us that Ruby tells Hairy what to do but sometimes he doesn’t listen because he chooses not to.

Yes, also correct. {An image popped into my head where Ruby is standing across the room from him–just staring at him. And he refuses to make eye contact with her. Usually, Ruby wants a toy he’s playing with, or a spot on a dog bed. It’s so funny watching him trying to ignore Ruby.}

‘Was Hairy a rescue? He seems like one,’ she said.

“Yes, sort of.” I said. She told us how with his first owners, he knew they didn’t want him and he felt like something bad was going to happen.

[Hairy's original owners got him as a pup for their kids. The father was then transferred to Japan just weeks after they got Hairy. The family tried to prevent the kids from getting attached to Hairy before the family moved....eventually giving Hairy to a family friend to try and find him a home. That family was a coworker of mine...hence, how we got him.]

Donetta told us he’s very happy here and just really happy about life in general.

Ruby then apparently let Donetta know that she thinks Victor and I don’t discipline Hairy enough.

This about blew me away, first, because it’s true. We do tend to let Hairy get away with more….partly  because he’s just so happy all the time he’s just so darn cute…even when he’s being bad. Second, because every time we yell at Hairy or tell him ‘bad,’ Ruby wags her tail and….seems to smile. It makes her happy when we yell at him.

{In the past, Victor has pointed at Hairy and said ‘bad’ when Hairy behaves poorly and we look over and Ruby is intently watching from across the room wagging just the very tip of her tail….she likes when he gets yelled at.}

Donetta told us that it seems Ruby thinks Hairy should be disciplined a lot more than maybe we think he should be….she reminded us that we’re the owners and so she needs to be OK with what we think is OK. She needs to understand that what we say, goes.

We tend to have a problem with Ruby ‘herding’ Hairy. She’ll force him pretty much wherever she wants him to go. She’ll nip at him. She’ll growl at him…if he’s doing something she doesn’t like. This doesn’t happen all the time, mind you, just when….well, I guess when she feels like it. It’s funny that Donetta said this because often enough, we are telling Ruby to cool it and back off….I guess what I’m trying to say is that we realized we often diffuse situations where Ruby wants Hairy to do something by picking her up and ‘resetting’ her. Does that make sense?

———–

Then, I asked, “Do the beagles have any pain anywere?”

Donetta looked over at the two beagles, who were about an arms length away, and put her right hand on Ruby’s lower back. She said “Ruby has back pain right about here sometimes…..it feels like she got jerked……oh, she says she fell down the steps.”

We took Ruby to the vet 4 months or so ago for her back pain. She wasn’t able to go up or down the steps. The vet said it was in the same spot Donetta had her hand.

And, about 2 years ago, Ruby fell down the steps from the second floor to the first floor—she was really excited to go outside. However, I thought her back pain was attributed to a time about 6 months ago where she was running figure 8’s around the house and she hit the side of an open door. (Ruby sometimes isn’t the best at making sharp turns…..she has a bit of a…weight problem…..)

————

Donetta continued to chat with us for a good hour. She answered our questions and told us stories about other animal sessions she’d had.

I have to say, it was a really neat experience and both my husband and I were surprised at the accuracy of what she said.

All in all, I think any pet owner just wants to know that:
+ their pet is happy
+ they are healthy
+ they feel loved

It’s, I suppose, peace of mind to have someone like Donetta come in. Even though I know my pooches are happy (can you tell from the photos?) I still am happy to hear it confirmed from an outside source.

————-

Here is Donetta’s contact information if any of you are in the Cincinnati area and are interested.

Donetta
513.541.2537
Animal Non-Verbal Communication

Donetta accepts donations only for her visits! We donated about $40 and reimbursed her for her gas money and travel time. I know most people give around $25—and Donetta will tell you, whatever you can give, if at all, will be put to good use.