Sunday, February 15, 2009

I Love...

The truly delightful Savannah tagged me with this, and it fits just perfectly into my February Cheer theme...and don't think the beheading of St. Valentine wasn't part of that! I never said I would forgo the acerbity!

Anyway, here it is:



in exchange for which I'll list a few things I love.

I won't even mention Sarge and Hedgie. My dear ones are the absolute sine qua non.

But I also love...

1. Rain: I scan the 10-day forecast to see when we're due for some, and then I look forward with such eagerness to the rainy days. I think rain speaks to most of my senses in a comfortable way. The long half-light that soothes the eyes and the subtle grey-on-grey of the clouds, the rivulets on the windows; the way a rainy day smells, in the city it brings a freshness to the concrete and in the country, carries with it the almost primal smell of summer grass or in autumn, the very distillation of wood smoke on damp; the feel of a rainy wind on my cheeks; the sound of rain thrumming on my little skylight, or the tin roof of Hedgie's lake cottage bedroom as I put her to sleep...

2. Perfume: I've never been a girl with a single signature scent. I change perfume with the whim of my moods. I think it's the best way I know, as a grown woman, to play dress up. My bottles live on my dressing table, which once belonged to my grandma Eva (a staunch single-scent woman by the way!), it's an enormous Victorian piece all out of scale with my modern life, but I'd never give it up. It's where I go to stand and look and wait for inspiration to strike: "who am I today?" I ask myself and some days, even if I'm just going to drop Hedgie at school and do the marketing and mail some letters, I find that I'm my own gothic heroine, planning some assignation with a shadowy someone...you see, one can't let one's self be crushed by the weight of sheer practicality all the time!

What is on my dressing table? L'Aromarine "Fleurs Blanches"; Annick Goutal "Mandragore"; Fresh "Fig Apricot", "Mangosteen", and "Pink Jasmine", just to name a few of my favorites...

3. Kissing Sarge: not sex, no. That I would put with my list of without which nothing...kissing, though, is a different matter entirely. Done correctly, as it is always between me and my husband, I think it's the epitome of...well, I won't say what. It's just the very last word.

4. Laura Ingalls Wilder: I know I've said it before, so many many times, but the "Little House" books are something like my bible, her words are my words to live by, and contrary to what one might believe at a casual glance, this was not a simple woman. She was complex, emotional, ornery, and romantic; thoughtful, faithful, and full of curiousity, a pioneer in every way one can be, a feminist housewife with boundless imagination...in short, my role model.

5. Felt: yes, felt. I do love felt. Ever since Hedgie was very small, we've kept a supply in our house. It can be easily sewn up by hand, even by a child, no seams necessary. It comes in every color imaginable--check it out--don't you want to make something with this too?

Now I won't tag anyone in particular, you're all great and creative, but if anyone would like to snag this and in turn tell us some things you love, please do! I guarantee that it will make you feel just wonderful.

16 comments:

savannah said...

fantastic, sugar! i am sooooooo glad i tagged ya'll for this! absolutely delightful! thank you1 xoxoxo

Leah said...

Savannah--that was fun! I do so love to tell things about myself, and I love hearing bits of things about other people too!
xo

Anonymous said...

Beautifully done- you don't want to drop over to UK and give me a lesson on html do you?

kidding...

I'm impressed by your perfume collection! :)

Anonymous said...

Wait is that felt at purl *good* felt? At that price, I'm excitedly imagining it isn't the disappointing POSF from Michael's and Hobby Lobby... If it's thicker and woolier and better I'm there at purl next time we're in the city to lay in a household supply. We love felt here, but are perennially let down by the felt we have access to. It's just not worth it.

XO

Allison

Leah said...

hey al--the purl felt is incredible. You can actually order it online. Also, check out their multi-packs. I just ordered two in different colorways. More of a "bargain." There really is no comparison between the POSF and the good stuff. We also use the POS stuff but it really sucks.

anyway, I put in the wrong link--to felted wool rather than wool felt--here's the CORRECT LINK to wool felt, and scroll down to see the multi packs.

who knew we had so many feelings about felt, or rather I didn't realize you did too or I would have brought it up sooner!!!!!

XO

Karen ^..^ said...

I LOVE Laura Ingalls Wilder!!!

I've loved her ever since I was a child, and I read every single thing about her that I could get my hands on!! This was not the simple girl she showed us in her books, Oh, NO!! She was very much a tiny little stick of dynamite, and suffered many, many hardships in her married life. She was an amazing woman, and I still love her!!! So sad there is no more family to trace back to her.

Barlinnie said...

Erm.. as much as I adore the very luscious Leah, and have an avid interest in her blog. I think I'm gonnae tiptoe quietly out of the room while you girlies do your wee chat's about fluffy pink things with each other.

Call me if anyone gets naked.

Leah said...

Jimmy--what, you don't like to discuss crafting felt and perfume?

Don't worry, we'll send a telegram when we've disrobed...

xo

Leah said...

Karen--she's really an inspiration. My dream is to take a tour of the Laura homesites, all around the midwest. There are several museums, and I must say I'd love to see Pa's fiddle...it's like my own personal mecca...

The Mistress said...

RAIN? Come to Canada's west coast and I'll show you RAIN!!!

Hideous 9-days-in-a-row without letting up RAIN.

And "oh look it's stopped raining but the sky is grey and no hint of sun for the next few days until yes, it starts RAINING AGAIN!"

Karen ^..^ said...

OMG, SAME HERE!!!!! I SO want to see all the places she lived, so badly. It's like we were separated at BIRTH!!!!!

Too cool. I've never met anyone else who loved LIW the way I do. Or Severus, for that matter... AND you KNIT!!!

It's just too mind boggling. Holy shit.

Mr. Shife said...

Hmmm rain and felt. Interesting. I can't even remember the last time I touched felt. I was going to say felt felt because it looked weird and I did it anyway and it does look weird. Rain is OK, but I just hate it when it ruins my softball games. I am so selfish. Thanks again for all of your kind words and support for Quincy dog.

kylie said...

kissing is definitely the last word. good choice.
i LOVE getting parcels in the mail, especially ones from brooklyn!
i was so excited.
thanks :) :) :)

Leah said...

Mr. Shife--you're right, "touched felt" looks both weird and r-rated! LOLol.

Hope the Fat Bassett is doing wonderfully well! I actually think about him a lot! Good old dog.

Leah said...

Kylie--yay! you got your parcel!!!!

Anonymous said...

Felt?

Beuys?