Green Bridges

Last night I caught a snippet of a Nature show "Prince of the Alps" about red deer in Austria. The program briefly discussed "green bridges" that have been built in Austria and other European Countries to allow animals safe passage across highways. France started a program of bridges and viaducts designed to allow animals to safely follow their migratory routes in the 50s. What a wonderful idea.

How much better than the walls that are built along US highways to block the noise for nearby housing developments. I sympathize that no one wants a highway in their backyard, but I hate seeing the bodies of deer and other animals who ended up trapped on the highway with no way out. Hurrah for green bridges. I hope we see them popping up along our roads one day.

More about green bridges and wildlife corridors here.

Affordable Luxuries # 8: Hot Chocolate

Sunday we spotted Santa in a local parking lot. The little town next to our was throwing a "Meet Santa" event. We stopped long enough to get a photo with Mrs. Santa, grab a balloon and realize the line to see Santa was too long. It was freezing cold. Despite the hot chocolate and cookies that were being handed out by kind elves, my usually adventurous sidekick was more than happy to fore go Santa and head back to the warmth of the car.

Seeing so many people enjoying hot chocolate reminded me how nice it is to sip one on a cold day. Hot chocolate whether a fancy cocoa or a mix with little marshmallows is definitely one of life's affordable luxuries.

Sugar Plum Fairies and Dancing Snowflakes

We are going to see the Act II of the Nutcracker this weekend. It's nice to have something extra special planned. So as I work my way through the week, visions of dancing snowflakes are twirling in my head and keeping a smile on my face.

It's interesting to look at the different interpretations of the Dance of the Snowflakes. The top photo is from the National Ballet of Canada and the bottom photo from The Washington Ballet. Very different but both very beautiful.

Slowing Down: Crossword Puzzles

The idea of relaxing with a cup of good coffee while solving the Sunday New York Times Crossword Puzzle seems a perfect way to spend a Sunday morning. I say the idea because in reality Sunday mornings are anything but slow in my world. Oh, and I'd be the first to admit that the Times puzzle is way above my head. But I'm working my way up.

One of my daily rituals is to pick up the two free papers with crosswords included. True crossword aficionados would laugh but I enjoy solving these novice puzzles on the train ride home. It stops my mind from running and pushes back the work day. So even while my mind is working it feels as if I'm slowing down.

Knock, knock, can I live in your house?

Ever wish you could move into someone elses home? That was my reaction when I saw these photos of this home in Holland. It's stylish, cozy, minimal but not cold. I love that there is a fire place, plenty of wool to knit with and a super cozy looking sleeping loft. Knock, knock.

YSL Rocks the French Manicure

Wow, after not being crazy about some of the odd brown, grey and blue polishes that have been gracing fingers and toes this past summer and fall, I'm excited to get adventurous with nail color again.

Leave it to YSL to add some oh la la to the usually demure french manicure. I'm still undecided which of the nail color duos from the Fall 2010 Rock and Baroque make up line is my favorite, but I'm going to take extra good care of my nails so I can try one for the holidays.

Thankful for the Little Stuff #1: The Hess Truck

A day set aside for thanks is a great idea but remembering to be thankful once annually is skimping on the gratitude. So I'm going to try and remember to be thankful more often and record some of my gratitude here especially for the little things.

I just want to make it very clear first that I am thankful for the big things, like my daughter (who is actually little), my family, a roof over my head, my health which I like to think is well, healthy. And so on.

But my focus here is the small things in life that can either make or break a day. Here's to the little things that get us through.

So my first little thing I'm thankful for is the "Hess Truck and Jeff". Yes, you may have seen it advertised on TV lately. It is that time of year, so yesterday we drove to our local Hess station to get this year's Hess Truck for my nephew and daughter.

I managed to purchases the vehicles and get them in the trunk of the car without my daughter noticing. She did however spot the multiple signs that were plastered all over the station and stated "I want a truck and Jeff toy."

Ah priceless! Well she just kept at it while we had a full tank of gas pumped. We said maybe Santa will bring you one for Christmas. To which she replied"But what about me?"and pushed out her lower lip. I must have heard "I want a truck and Jeff" twenty more times. I'm not a big fan of the I'll repeat myself until I get what I want tactic, but every time she mispronounced "jet" and said "Jeef" I couldn't help smiling.

The "truck and Jeff" are still in the trunk waiting to be wrapped and she will have to wait until Christmas Day. Come December 25th I fully expect to hear a joyous "I got a truck and Jeff, a truck and Jeff, a truck and Jeff toy!"

Monday Inspiration: Be Kind

Some Monday inspiration and wise words from Plato. Amazing when you think he was born c. 427 BC. The human condition and concerns seem to translate across the centuries.

Image via FFFFound.

Slowness: A Spot of Tea

Can you imagine taking tea in the afternoon? Actually sitting down with a nice pot of perfectly brewed tea nestled under a knitted tea cozy with a plate biscuits or tea sandwiches nearby. Such niceties are almost laughable in our society. But why? It is certainly seems more productive to grab something out of a vending machine and scarf it down with a soda right out of the can. Our need to be productive seems to have overridden any need to be civil or sociable.

Last week when I came home, I was informed that my daughter had thrown a tea party with her new stuffed puppy who she has pragmatically named "Dog". She and Dog played host to their guests, including a plastic dragon capable of spitting water (a fact I have hidden from her) and miscellaneous other characters both plastic and stuffed.

I'm glad someone in the family has time to sit down and share a spot of tea with friends, even if the tea imaginary. I can only imagine the topics discussed.

Slowness

I can't remember how long ago I read "Slowness" by Milan Kundera nor most of the plot. I'm pretty sure I didn't own a cell phone yet. I do remember that the contrast of pace between the lives of the 18th century courtesans and the contemporary characters. Now more than a decade after the book was published, the question "Why has the pleasure of slowness disappeared?" posed by the narrator seems even more apt. The 15 year old book seems prophetic of our ever accelerating lives in a digitally driven world.

There's lots I love about technology, like being able to talk to friends on the long train ride home or track down long lost friends who should have never fallen out of my life. On the other hand, I don't like the 24/7 connectedness, the platform for stupidity (I will not name political movements here), or seeing how engrossed people are with their various devices. There's something chilling about watching people text. Is this what we were given opposable thumbs for?

I don't think I would be happy in living in a horse drawn world where getting to the next town is a major effort. I would not like to wait weeks for a message to arrive from a friend. I do however wonder what happened to the world where Sunday dinners were not rushed. Where activities like taking a loaf of bread to the duck pond to feed the ducks was more likely than rushing around to stock up at Mega Stores.

I fondly remember Sunday afternoons where there was time to read or take a nap while football played on the TV in the other room. It was normal to just take a ride in the car with no real purpose other than to take a look around while the roast was cooking. Then the whole family would sit down at my Grandmother's dinning room table and enjoy a meal together. There was no sense of rushing.

This month I'm planning on lots of posts that celebrate Slowness.