Anna Louise Throm

WOW! It’s been a week since I last logged on
and entered the world of cyberspace

YES! Last Friday was FASCINATING and
the mystery adorned me with treasures

Dinner with my brother & his wife and Colin @ Amada Restaurant was STELLAR
Every mouthful was savored and delicious!
What a pleasure to dine with kindred spirits who ENJOY flavors and feasting!
The four of us created an amusing cadence of delightful sounds as we ate
I’m inspired to make & serve a tapas dinner sometime with sangria
Time to find a cookbook

Edwin & Heather surprised me with two birthday gifts…
~ They treated Colin and I to our dinner
~ Edwin chose for me a gorgeous, funky handmade necklace

The necklace is a piece of New Jersey history
It’s a chunk of found glass manufactured in the Pine Barrens between 1837 and 1869
The glass is a pretty green with two golden amber spots
The glass is wrapped in copper with metal spiral flourishes
and hangs on a soft green silk ribbon
I LOVE it!
It reminds me of the style of jewelry Colin and I make
What’s special about this piece is that
rather than buying it,
I’d say, “I can make that,” and I’d create my own
I appreciate having another’s handmade art
When I’m not wearing my new treasure,
it hangs in the dining room window

Edwin’s gift inspired Colin and I to revisit a favorite haunt and
go on an “archaeological expedition” on Sunday
to collect the amethyst glass shards from the vintage bottle dump in the woods
As we collected our amethyst jewels, we found the most exquisite mother of pearl shells
The colors range from white to pink to lavender opalescent
I’m looking forward to a craft day to make more found glass jewelry

…Seeing my nieces on Friday before dinner was a treat!
I need to focus some time to upload photographs to share of these beautiful times
Watching Rebecca open her gifts and identify them is a pleasure
I’m enjoying getting to know her and choose gifts that have some relevance to what she’s drawn to

Eliza is a Buddha angel
You can see the timelessness and wisdom in her
and heaven, does she have a smile that lights up your soul!

Cheers & Thanks for a delightful celebration!

Saturday morning greeted us with a gorgeous day
so we secured our bicycles to the Murano
We thought of a day in Lambertville & New Hope navigating the canals and intriguing streets
Loving the ways of mystery,
while we were enjoying our pre-ride lunch at Ichiban in Princeton,
my cell phone rang
My fourteen year-old friend, Marisa, called to tell me that her and her mom were visiting the farm!
I was thrilled!
Merrily, we ate riding on the winds of change
The next 30 hours were pure mystery and adventure
We enjoyed an unexpected twist of bliss
This adventure included our archaeological dig,
sparklers at twilight in the woods
storytelling
lots of laughter and cheer

The rest of the week ~ Monday through Thursday ~ I felt as stormy & in flux as the weather
Every day I had some kind of wandering headache ~ the kind that signals that my head is a barometer
During these days I felt estranged from myself and life
with this undercurrent of dull, returning pressure to my forehead and eyes
…to everything there’s a season

Yet, in between naps and moments of stillness,
I found solace in my home
and in the freedom and luxury of not having to work

In gratitude and love, I cared for myself and our home in the following ways,
I read a wonder-full, inspiring story over two days ~ a story that soothed the worst discomfort
I practiced Yoga anyway
Journaled with sparkly pens with sunlight rainbows on my knees and hands
Enjoyed another excursion of dusting in preparation for our party on Sunday
We set up a new fish tank for Saffron & got a new black moor
(ALWAYS rinse the gravel when replacing it! Our beautiful Saffron suffered damage to his fins due to our mistake of not rinsing his new gravel before adding it to the new tank. I am deeply sorry.)

I had a “spa day”
~ got my bangs trimmed short
and joined my wonder-full friend/mother-in-law for a refreshing pedicure
and a day of antique shopping (browsing for me)
I shopped for ingredients and party fixings
and with the help of my darling husband,
was up till midnight last night making our finest salads and side dishes for Sunday’s gathering!

For our guests of honor, we are featuring an array of organic, wholesome options…
We appeal to both vegan and hearty meat-and-potato connoisseurs alike

*garlic hummus with lemon & Goddess dressing
*chilled brown rice & lentil salad: celery, onion, garlic, roasted red peppers, cilantro, parsley, a dash of dill in an Italian seasoned balsamic vinaigrette
*chilled bean salad: chick peas, kidney beans and pinto beans with corn, cilantro, roasted red peppers, onion and celery in a zesty lime vinaigrette
*red potato salad: dill, goat’s milk yogurt, mayo, parsley and cilantro, onion, celery, ground black pepper, sea salt, lemon juice, shittake vinegar, stone ground mustard, hard boiled eggs
*pico de gallo with corn chips
*grilled hamburgers, Komensky’s kielbasi and salmon
*grilled veggies
*fruit salad
*fruit soup
*chocolate chip mint ice cream
*Shiraz and chilled Cava
*iced tea
*water with lemon

Today I have felt very faint discomfort
and hope for a pain-free day!
Colin will be home by 11 a.m. for the day
We’re going to vacuum and tidy the house,
add some decor to the patio for Sunday’s celebration
for we have plans for this afternoon and a day trip planned for Saturday!

Today I’m going to watch my cousin bowl in Boonton
and maybe join her and her friends for dinner

Tomorrow is an early day…
Colin and I are picking up his mom and taking her to see some of our favorite sights in Scranton, PA
First stop, Komensky’s market for kielbasa
Next, we drive to a charming, fun antique store near my Dad’s house
I noticed the store because of its attractive sign: “New & Gently Used Items”
This was a haven for us during the days we took care of my Dad when he was mending his broken ankle
I love the way the decor is organized, the feel of the ambience and the prices of things!
We found a good lot of treasure there
Then we break our fast and feast at Cooper’s Seafood for a late lunch with my Dad
Finally, we are looking forward to introducing Joke to Nay Aug Park!
There are the most fascinating, magical spirits there to discover!
…the river, the ravine, the tree house…

‘Tis time to say farewell for now!

Brightest blessings,
Anna