Wisteria

I love to travel.  Be they big vacations, little vacations, long road trips, short road trips to nowhere in

particular (something that my family always called "Goin' round Robin Hood's Barn"), work conferences- my inner sense of wanderlust likes to be nurtured.  I'm lucky enough to be married to someone who enjoys travelling as much as I do, who craves the open road and devours the Rand McNally Road Atlas like pulp fiction.  Every once in a while though I like to travel by myself, soaking in new sights and experiences, relishing in the sweet silence of my own company.  In a life where this doesn't occur very often, I've learned to embrace it when does come.



Wisteria at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town

 The third week of April found me in Albuquerque for a work conference, at a lovely hotel, in a room with a view.  The weather was gorgeous, the hotel grounds full and fragrant with the promise of summer, and the many incarnations of red chiles tempting my nostrils and satiating my taste buds.  I arrived early in the morning and with a few hours to kill before my first conference session I took to exploring the hotel gardens.  The courtyard area was defined by beds of sage, rosemary, and desert plants with names that I didn't recognize.  I sat for a few minutes in one of the rocking chairs, basking in the cool morning light, thankful to be out of my basement office for a few days.  And then I saw it.  Almost out of view, hiding by the corner of the back parking lot-the most amazing wisteria tree.  I'd never seen anything quite like it: full fuchsia blooms dangling heavily under the weight of their beauty. 

Smiling to myself as I snapped up picture after picture on my phone, I couldn't help but think of the intoxicating power of the words "wisteria and sunshine."  At the start of one of my favorite movies, Enchanted April, two British women in post-WWI London are drawn together after reading a newspaper advertisement promising "wisteria and sunshine" at an Italian villa.  The lure of these simple words force them to make uncomfortable decisions about their lives; lives that have been defined by dreary, unrelenting charity work and troubled, unhappy marriages.  They embark on a journey of self-discovery and friendship, eradicating the pervasive loneliness of their former lives through a month long stay at a castle on the coast of Portofino, Italy.  It's a quiet, gentle little story of companionship, redemption, and love, all set in a stunningly sensuous location.  And it's got beautiful period clothes out the wazoo.  Trust me, take the afternoon off, pour yourself a glass (or two) of pinot grigio, and watch it. 



Film Still from Enchanted April  (1992) via Beauty Dart

Sometimes a few simple words have power to nourish our souls when we're weary, other times it's the sight of singularly gorgeous tree, gently swaying in the cool morning air.

Neo-Non-Hippie-ism, Hippie-ism

Shhhhhhhh.  Don't tell anyone.  I'm back (I think).  How do you address a lapse in your blog without making excuses, however true they might be? You don't. And I'm not gonna. 

For no particular reason, I'm going to jump right back in and write a little about my adventures in what I'd like to call "Neo-non-hippie-ism, hippie-ism."  What?! Here's the gist of it: I detest the word "hippie" and my husband and I have very different views of what exactly constitutes a "hippie." Our discussions usually end with him making his point by reenacting a groovy, "fire" dance that I once witnessed in Humboldt County, California at an art opening (no, not remotely "hippie-ish" by the way).  Yet, I digress.  As most of our friends and family know, over the past year we have adopted a mostly Paleo diet, restricting gluten-laced carb bombs and focusing on whole, natural foods.  We are not always successful (we both have a weakness for Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and desserts at our beloved Bavarian Grill), but we have significantly improved our health with modest weight loss, better blood test results, and our toes are infinitely more flexible after wearing our Vibram Five Fingers during our evening strolls.  We feel better, we look better, and we can't stop talking about the benefits of a paleo/primal diet.  I'm not one to do things by halves and I found that the more I started reading food labels and questioning the inclusion of certain ingredients, the more concerned I became.  As a society we have gotten very far removed from our food sources.  For the sake of convenience we allow (and in some ways forgive) the inclusion of GMOs, synthetically manufactured oils, and sugar in just about everything we consume.  I don't want to get preachy and I struggle with not being overwhelmed on daily basis (there's BPA in everything! Ahhhhh!).  As cliché as it sounds, I've really tried to focus on the mantra, "Think Globally, Act Locally."  I can't control other people's choices, but I can strive to make the best choices for myself and my family.  I can lead by example.  I can encourage.  And most importantly I can honestly share my experiences: the successes and the failures.

Here's three little things that I've learned so far:

1.  Coconut Oil is the nectar of the gods.  Seriously, I put coconut oil on and in everything.  I'm like the father from My Big Fat Greek Wedding with his Windex- I'm armed with a jar of coconut magic at all time. You've got a cut? Eczema? Bug bite? An upset tummy? Crazy frizzy, hair? No problem.  Coconut oil it up.  Not only is it a wonderful base for homemade beauty products, it's a fantastic lotion by itself and it's good for your insides too.  My favorite brand is Tropical Traditions. 

2.  Making your own body care products is easier than you think.  I've been making my own toothpaste for a few months now.  I'm not going to lie- my toothpaste doesn't taste great but it does a really good job of cleaning my teeth with no funky ingredients.  I've also started making my own deodorant and I actually prefer my homemade variety as it's gentle on the pits, smells great (thanks to organic essential oils), and is aluminum free.  My next foray into homemade body care is hard lotion bars and perfecting a shave lather for my husband.  I'm so fortunate he's a willing (most of the time) Guinea pig.  Trust me, he was not thrilled about giving up his manly electric blue tinted body wash, but I simply smiled, ignored his protestations and went about my merry way.  For great body care recipes check out the Wellness Mama website. 

3.  Giving up traditional shampoo and conditioner is not for the faint of heart.  By far this has been my biggest challenge and I am a repeat offender.  I have long, extremely fine hair that tangles easily, coupled with very little patience for hair woes.  The so-called "no poo" method of washing one's hair involves using a baking soda mixture as the shampoo component and an apple cider vinegar rinse as a conditioner.  It is supposed to take your hair a few weeks to adjust to this routine, with your scalp learning to regulate natural oil production.  I've never made it completely through the transition period.  I'm a big, fat chicken.  But as I squeezed the last remaining drop of shampoo out of the bottle of my favorite brand this past weekend I decided to give it one more try.  I'm nothing, if not optimistic.  So far I'm on Day 5 and going strong, but time will tell.

So if you see me in the next few days, please forgive the "hippie" hair braid and the aroma of coconut oil emanating from my general presence.  Never fear, I do draw the line at patchouli and granola, but there's no guarantee that I won't break out into a fire dance from time to time.