On 4th of July Sparklers

The 4th of July will always be sparklers and cookouts, although it has been a long time since you have lit one of those little sticks and watched it light up the night with its crackling light. 

Yet you find your mind returning to those sparklers.  You loved them more than the big fireworks with their loud wheezing and banging, enough to scare your dogs and make you worry about their sparks catching on the tinder-dry trees--a hazard of celebrating the 4th in the desert.  No, the sparklers were safer, yet more whimsical.  They conjured stories of magic and secret wishes spelled out in the bright sizzle of their light.  As the night grew across the horizon, the stars yet to make an appearance in that dark cloak, you created your own stars. 

They were like fairy wands, meant for twirling like you loved to do, spinning round and round on the grass, blinded by their bright sparkle until you collapsed on the ground, you and the sparkler spent--until you lit the next one.  These sparklers were you and your sisters dancing in the night, running around the backyard, and thinking up the nonsense you so loved to think up; you were the wild ladies, barefoot and wearing comfy dresses, oblivious to everything but the warm air and the glitter of the sparklers. 

Now all you can think about is how much your future niece will love those little fairy wands and the secret wishes she will write in the sky with their magic.  You don't light sparklers anymore. But perhaps you should.

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 Summer

It is long days and even longer nights--as if your body knows that you don't have to be up early in the morning, even though you always are.  The days stretch out before you as you fill them up with early morning walks before the heat takes over the city, drenching it in sweat and light.  It is the quiet afternoons spent reading a book and drinking homemade lemonade under the protective shade of your favorite tree. 

You find it in staying up late to stargaze--or read longer, abandoning yourself to the simple pleasure of getting lost in a book as you would when you were younger, snuggled deep into your comforter with only a dim light to help you read the words on the page.  And when the monsoons come you indulge in Gothic novels, the wind and the rain and lightning outside echoing the mystery and mayhem between the pages until your eyes close against your will and you awaken to a cool morning, quiet, hushed in the wake of last night's storm.

Time does not matter in the summer.  It unwinds itself slowly from the clock of your everyday life, loosening itself from the tick-tock of 1-2-3-4-5... like a ribbon unwinding from its spool, the hands on the clock face no long needing to clip through each second, for during summer the seconds expand, holding you there longer than you ever thought possible. 

You can give up real clothes, too, and proper meals.  You are allowed to walk around barefoot all day, blades of grass kissing the soles of your feet, your hair loose around your shoulders and faded to a golden-red from the sun's caress.  You summer uniform: nothing but a loose dress or yoga pants, anything that won't get in the way of you being you.  Makeup is forgotten in favor of naked skin, the sky, the air, the earth touching your bareness.  And proper meals: you don't need them.  Lunch is an overripe peach eaten in the grass, dinner a slap-dash meal of tomatoes and basil.  Who needs anything else?

Summer.  It is when you can abandon yourself to your reclusive nature, give yourself over to the bird's song and the chanting of the cicadas at night.  You can dance with the moon and twirl under the sun's gaze.  You can fill your lungs with the lush rose's sweet perfume and run your fingers through the wildflowers--daisies and dandelion heads mostly--and relish the way the clock's tick-tock tick-tock is replaced by the humming of bees and the rustle of leaves.

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 Sunbathing

In this moment, you are like a turtle perched on a log, unwilling to move an inch for fear the sun will not fully coat you in its delicious honeyed kiss.  You want every bit of light to cover you, soak into your skin, and fill your body with the warmth of your desert sky.  It is pure nourishment, your soul forged anew under that solar gaze like tiny cleansing flames licking your skin.

You would take all your clothes off if you could, let yourself wear nothing but sunlight until your skin returns to its natural bronze color, faded after a winter buried under too many layers of clothes.  But you can forget all those layers now under the sun's tender caress. You want to map the sun's passage as it makes its way along your body, tattooing your limbs with its essence.  It starts with your closed eyelids--its touch surprisingly gentle across your lashes--then winds its way down to your toes and through your fingertips, luxuriating in the whole length of you.

Later you will still feel the heat of the sun in your body, although it has left the sky and the earth has cooled with the inevitable darkness.  Your skin will still be warm and your insides glowing from a day spent daydreaming, drifting, losing track of everything except the way the sunlight burns away impurities and feeds your true essence.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational collection of musings touching on life’s simple pleasures, everyday enchantments, and delectable recipes that will guarantee to stir the kitchen witch in you.  If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe here.

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Watermelon Cooler

Watermelon cooler (here made with basil, lemon, and lime) ready for an evening on the porch!

When the sizzling temperatures of summer hit, I find myself craving watermelon juice.  Perhaps it is because of the great memories I have of drinking this delicately refreshing drink after many a hot yoga practice or because I always find myself with an extra watermelon in my fridge, but in either case, I find this watermelon cooler a go-to drink for the summer.  As I've gotten used to "juicing" watermelon, I've played around with this cooler, adding fresh lime juice to compliment the sweetness of the melon and even herbs, like basil or mint, to give the drink an extra kick.  This drink is great for overripe melons; while their texture might be grainy and less-than-appetizing, their juices are still plenty sweet and delicious.  This recipe also makes a great mocktail (or virgin cocktail) for those times you want a festive, hydrating drink.  If you want to make a full-fledged cocktail out of it (as I've been known to do come Friday night), you can simply add a shot of vodka to your drink.  Don't have limes on hand?  Swap them out with lemons.  It's pretty versatile!

Ingredients:

1 medium sized watermelon, the flesh scooped out, rinds discarded (about 4 cups)

3 limes, juiced (about 2-3 tablespoons)

3 tablespoons basil simple syrup (optional)

To make basil simple syrup, simply follow the instructions in my ginger simple syrup recipe, making sure to swap out the ginger with two cups of fresh basil leaves. 

Freshly pureed watermelon being poured into pitcher via a sieve.

Blend watermelon chunks in batches in a blender on medium speed until pureed.  Then pour pureed watermelon into a pitcher, using a sieve to separate the pulp from the juice.  Once all the juice is in the pitcher, stir in lime juice and taste.  If you want more of a lime taste, you can juice and add more.  Then, if you would like, add the basil simple syrup.  Enjoy!  Makes about 4 servings.

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 Summer Solstice

Gorgeous summer landscape of New Mexico. 

To you this day will always be about collecting flowers and dancing barefoot in the grass, attempting to make daisy chains from dandelion heads and spinning around like a dervish until the sun is the only fixed point of your gaze.

You embrace it, this sun, as it stretches from horizon to horizon, coating the earth in its nourishing energy; for the first time, it is able to linger the longest in the sky, so as better to reach each and every corner of your life, illuminating even the darkest shadows.  You feel your skin shedding the weight of winter, casting off unnecessary layers and exposing your now tender skin to the sky, where it cures in the fires of the sun. 

But you have not forgotten the moon, your ever constant companion, with you always even as she gives the sky over to the sun each day, even when she appears absent at night.  She calls to you, too, on this longest day of the year, when her powers wane in the heat of her other half.  She reminds you that the darkness has its virtues, forever calling you deeper into yourself, your thoughts like constellations illuminating your inner landscape.

You will honor this day by tending your herbs and letting them bask in this decadent light.  You will honor this day by breathing in new insights and exhaling old ways of being.  You will honor this day by walking barefoot in the sun-warmed grass and later gazing at the stars when the sun gifts the sky to the moon; and you will honor this day by filling your body with light and well being. 

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 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!