Thursday, February 03, 2011

If Panda Says It, It Must Be True

1. A Panda Express/Panda Inn fortune cookie informed us of something we already know:
SIMPLICITY IN YOUR LIFESTYLE
WILL ENSURE YOU A HAPPY LIFE

2. Neither Panda Inn nor Panda Express needed to remind me that life is returning to the trees and bushes in my community.  The trees are furiously blossoming although with all the wild wind we've had, it's a wonder that there are any petals left on the branches.



3. One important component of a happy, simple life for me is finding time in my schedule to play with fiber.  I took Saturday as a fiber play day and volunteered to demonstrate spinning at a local Waldorf School's Winter Faire.  It felted wonderful to hold the wool and silk roving and allow it to slip through my fingers, twist tightly and be drawn onto the spindle.  It had been too long since I had pulled my wheel from the closet and spun some yarn.

4. Here at Willow's Cottage, we love music.  Specifically, we love choral music.  On Sunday evening, we were privileged to listen to the magnificent Men's Chorale from Azusa Pacific University.  All I can say is, "WOW!"

5. Another simple pleasure was having a little coffee date with The Professor, that most excellent of husbands, on Tuesday morning, after we made a quick visit to the lab for a routine blood test.  Morning coffee and oatmeal at Starbucks was my reward for being stabbed and jabbed by a needle.

Thank you to Susanne for hosting Friday Fave Five.  If you want to join, go over to Living To Tell the Story, sign in and post your Faves.

So that was Willow's Simple Week. How about you?  Did you have a simple week?

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can only imagine how magnificent it was to hear the men's chorale :-) My choir director is a professor at APU. How appropriate was your fortune cookie to your efforts toward simplicity.

roxie said...

Blossoming trees. Blue sky. Sigh.

Thanks for sharing!

Kari said...

oh how very true - simplicity!
that photo is gorgeous.
what a happy and simple week for you.

Susanne said...

Oh my, you have blossoms already? How beautiful! We are very far from that!

ellen b. said...

Oh I remember those blossoms. So pretty and so early. I'm glad you were able to do some spinning. I love rewards like you gave yourself after being poked!!

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

I've been noticing those pretty white blossoms popping out everywhere down here too. Spring is coming....

Karen said...

Such a lovely post. I agree that simplicity brings out the joy and meaning in life. The blossoms are beautiful and a nice reminder that spring will come again! We're in a cold spell right now.

Karyn said...

music, crafts, time with your man, blossoms.....sounds like a perfect week to me!

Bethany said...

I was just thinking about you and your pursuit of simplicity and thinking that I really needed to do more of that too. I think I get overwhelmed by learning sometimes... it's hard not to. I need to focus more and then other things will be more simple. Your week sounds just wonderful! Love that photo too!

Anonymous said...

Nice to get direction from unexpected sources like a fortune. I need to hold that principle closer (simplicity).

Awesome that you do make time to satisfy your creative needs. I am getting back to that this year (one of my goals).

Have a blessed week.

Brenda said...

My son sang in Azusa's mens choral for several years and he loved it, they are very good. He also played in their jazz band.

Love the fortune cookie :)

Cindy said...

Opportunities come to those with fortune cookies. Sounds like a wonderful class to volunteer at. Nice reward for your efforts.

Lisa notes... said...

Wow - can't imagine having that many blooms already! Makes me excited for spring...

Caroline said...

Here's a funny connection. One of my best friends from high school is a professor at APU. Her mother still lives here in town, and yesterday I had them over for tea and scones, and we were talking about how great APU is:)

I think that in a lot of ways, Thoreau was kind of a bum (Yeah, live at Walden's Pond for two years but show up that the Emersons just around dinner time.) But, I so appreciate his aphorisms on simplicity. They ring more and more true every time I read them.

Faith said...

yay for Men's Choirs!! i'll bet it was suberb...Azuza Pacific as in the Christian university?? just curious....
sigh..you are so lucky to live where you are seeing blossoms already. as i type this the sun is half out, the sun is Slllloooowwwwlllyy melting because it is the warmest day we've had all week (a whopping 33!) your list was great....

Caroline said...

I wanted to tell you my new dress technique before you finish a new bunny friend for Eleanor. I knit the skirt in the round up to the armholes; then I knit the two sides on straight needles I knit in rib stitch, but I K2tog for the knits in the first row of rib. I ended up with four stitches on each side, and I used kitchener's stitch to "seam" them. It worked really slick:)

Ally Jay said...

The best things do seem to be the simple ones.

Z said...

I've had many a fortune cookie, where the words on that tiny little peice of paper was like a right now word for me.

And, I have never heard of Men's Chorale, but it sounds very interesting.

The choir at my church has four members in it, and they sound tremendous. I imagine when you are singing from your heart and singing directly to the Lord, it sounds tremendous!