I think my inner homesteader is shining through. This weekend's adventure brought took me to an old farm house and a pasta-making operation and has left me absolutely giddy and inspired.
Saturday, I traveled up to Chillicothe, Ohio, to hang out with my friends Jess and Matt. While getting to spend time with these two college chums (who are getting married in October!) is always a treat, visiting Jess' family home is the icing on the cake.
Her mother is my hero. This woman (affectionately known as Mama Sko) grows her own food and herbs in a huge front-yard garden, took up professional French cooking as a hobby and recently began a homemade pasta business out of her kitchen -- all with a bit of sass thrown in on the side. A visit to the house never leaves your soul feeling empty, or your stomach either, for that matter. We got to chat about farm kitchens and the possibility of owning chickens and why living (and eating) sustainably is so wonderful.
The weekend was like a little B&B retreat from daily life. I needed it to keep me sane. Sunday morning, we all gathered around the kitchen to chat up about wedding plans that are underway and future marathons we all hope to run, all while watching Mama Sko's pasta-making in action. I can't say I've ever been in an environment that felt so relaxed yet so productive at the same time. I made Mama Sko promise to let me visit again soon and partake in the next demonstration -- home canning.
I felt so inspired by the weekend, I returned home to Lexington, and started my own "homemade" operation -- homemade Christmas candies. (They are amaretto truffles and they are delicious!) My 24 truffles don't quite compare the high volumes of pasta coming out of that old farmhouse in Chillicothe, but it's a good start for a novice like myself.
Did your weekend bring you any adventures -- even of the homestead variety?
Showing posts with label Economical Hobbies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Economical Hobbies. Show all posts
12.14.2009
8.03.2009
Keeping Composure and Desire
"The truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books without losing their composure or desire for more." - Gabriel Zaid
I've become somewhat of a book fanatic in the past year. Currently, I have borrowed about eight books from people (including Love and Longing in Bombay, which I just started) that I need to read before moving on to other literature, but despite that, I can't help myself from going into bookstores and drooling over the selection. This weekend I found two used bookstores that I can't wait to frequent.
Inside Grandview's Acorn Bookshop, Inc., readers can get lost in a sea of stacks. Every nook and cranny contains a good read, with the titles shelved vertically and horizontally and piled high on the floor. It has an amazing classics section that I can't wait to delve into - once my eight books are finished, of course. And they decorate by putting fun objects in random places. (Can you find the horse below?) Around every corner is a serendipitous find waiting to be discovered.
My second bookstore of the weekend, Village Bookshop, was housed in an old church. The bottom floor brimmed with new overstocks at highly discounted prices while the scent of old books wafted from upstairs. Dousing myself in one of my favorite scents, I spent some time browsing the upstairs.
On my stroll, I found a travel book written in the 1930s that talked about Cambodia. The writer writes, "...I would rather believe in drums as a cure for snakebite than to say that in seeing Angkor I saw only a stone building. It is the one last touch of superstition in this hard, unbelieving age, and I hug the memory of Angkor to me as a mother treasures a baby shoe. It is my faith in the immateriality of beauty, and by that faith I shall abide..." Apparently, Angkor Wat is still the sight it was 80 years ago.
I enjoyed my limited time in Columbus' bookshops this weekend. Only the fact that I'm still searching for that job is keeping me from becoming "truly cultured," as Zaid would say. I'm craving a new used book buy!
Do you love bookstores? Which one is your favorite and why?
I've become somewhat of a book fanatic in the past year. Currently, I have borrowed about eight books from people (including Love and Longing in Bombay, which I just started) that I need to read before moving on to other literature, but despite that, I can't help myself from going into bookstores and drooling over the selection. This weekend I found two used bookstores that I can't wait to frequent.
Inside Grandview's Acorn Bookshop, Inc., readers can get lost in a sea of stacks. Every nook and cranny contains a good read, with the titles shelved vertically and horizontally and piled high on the floor. It has an amazing classics section that I can't wait to delve into - once my eight books are finished, of course. And they decorate by putting fun objects in random places. (Can you find the horse below?) Around every corner is a serendipitous find waiting to be discovered.
My second bookstore of the weekend, Village Bookshop, was housed in an old church. The bottom floor brimmed with new overstocks at highly discounted prices while the scent of old books wafted from upstairs. Dousing myself in one of my favorite scents, I spent some time browsing the upstairs.
On my stroll, I found a travel book written in the 1930s that talked about Cambodia. The writer writes, "...I would rather believe in drums as a cure for snakebite than to say that in seeing Angkor I saw only a stone building. It is the one last touch of superstition in this hard, unbelieving age, and I hug the memory of Angkor to me as a mother treasures a baby shoe. It is my faith in the immateriality of beauty, and by that faith I shall abide..." Apparently, Angkor Wat is still the sight it was 80 years ago.
I enjoyed my limited time in Columbus' bookshops this weekend. Only the fact that I'm still searching for that job is keeping me from becoming "truly cultured," as Zaid would say. I'm craving a new used book buy!
Do you love bookstores? Which one is your favorite and why?
8.01.2009
Happy Weekend!
Happy Saturday friends! What are you up to today? I'm thrifting in Grandview with my mom then playing euchre (a very popular midwest card game) with some friends. Have a wonderful weekend and remember you are beautiful!
Photo courtesy Emily
7.09.2009
Columbus Art Classes
If my posts are few and far between, I apologize. I'm still in the process of getting my grounding and rediscovering America, Ohio , Columbus. Here's a little fun Columbus find I came across:
The Cultural Arts Center run by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department offers adult art classes and at a good price. For just $48 plus possible supplies costs, aspiring artists or those just looking to relieve some creative energy can take 3-months of lessons in drawing, painting, jewelry making, clay sculpture and stone carving. I think the bronze casting class would be interesting and different.
Isn't that a great way to wake up a dormant hobby? And since you aren't taking a class at a university or some hoity toity arts studio, it's economical as well. If you are in the Columbus area and want more information, check out this link. The center also offers workshops, a free coffee and conversation hour and volunteer opportunities.
Have you found yourself having to cut back during the economic downturn on the things you love to do? What have you done in order to keep your hobbies alive?
The Cultural Arts Center run by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department offers adult art classes and at a good price. For just $48 plus possible supplies costs, aspiring artists or those just looking to relieve some creative energy can take 3-months of lessons in drawing, painting, jewelry making, clay sculpture and stone carving. I think the bronze casting class would be interesting and different.
Isn't that a great way to wake up a dormant hobby? And since you aren't taking a class at a university or some hoity toity arts studio, it's economical as well. If you are in the Columbus area and want more information, check out this link. The center also offers workshops, a free coffee and conversation hour and volunteer opportunities.
Have you found yourself having to cut back during the economic downturn on the things you love to do? What have you done in order to keep your hobbies alive?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)