Ponderosa Pine

One thing I love most about my house, believe it or not, is the 100-year-old Ponderosa Pine on the side. I love the way it smells, and how you can sit under it, nearly completely protected, during a typical NW rain shower. I love the shape of the tree, the texture of the needles, and collecting the huge architectural cones that fall to the ground every once in a while - a special treat.

So when I ran across this ring - oh, and found out it was exactly the right size for my right ring-finger! - I simply had to have it - ?! That, and my great love for Tourmalines as well as pines, really cemented the deal.

It was made by fellow Seattle artist and self-professed ring-aholic Jessi Taylor, who got her BFA in metals here at the U of W. I am absolutely in love with her jewelry. Tired of the twee, I find this jewelry to be subtly feminine but earthy, and love the juxtaposition of textures: metal that shows the hand of the artist combined with the highly-polished look of the stones.

Another great thing I love is the words that she imbues on each piece. Often the name of the items - such as Ponderosa Pine, Raspberry (for a lovely red "tile" ring), Winesap (for an "apple necklace"), monozygotic (on a gorgeous topaz ring), and so on.

Tons of creativity with found objects such as pink elephants and glitter encased in resin, vintage mother-of-pearl and ceramic tile buttons, and even realistic-looking glass eyeballs, you can also find many of her items for sale at very reasonable fees on Etsy.

Just lovely. Now, waiting with baited breath, for he postman to bring that tiny but precious package.

Hmmm.....

I am not even sure what to blog about. I just know that I have to move that last post down, and move on. While I am waiting for Hannah to return with my dark-chocolate Raisinettes. OH! I know, I know.

I don't much post about books, and frankly, I am not sure how to even begin to describe this book. I am afraid if I call it "one of the most important books of this century" people will "bah" and turn their cheek. But, I swear, it is.

I have never been a religious person, and not much of a "spiritual" person either. (For some reason it bugged me when people described themselves as "not religious, but spiritual.") And if I tell you this book is a spiritual book, I would be missing the mark. It is not a self-help book, not a religious-y spiritual book, and I am not sure what it is. Perhaps you could call it a book of practical Zen. But it is so much more than that.

I don't mean to sound so "easily influenced" but A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle has single-handedly changed my life in an extreme way. In a very good way. About ten pages into it, I knew there was something there. As if someone was able to put into words what I always thought was probably true, but just couldn't connect the dots or even more, explain it.

From the Eckhart Tolle site:

He implores us to see and accept that [the state of humanity] is based on an erroneous identification with the egoic mind, is one of dangerous insanity.

I suppose I am not the only one, since this book has been on the New York Times Best Seller's list for 30 weeks so far, and currently holding the #1 spot. There must me something to it. So, ignore the Oprah endorsement, and see what you think. It'll be $14 well-spent.