selfies and shrinkage

i don't take conventional selfies. it just seems too narcissistic. also, i can never get a good picture no matter how hard i try - perhaps i'm too narcissistic! this shot is the closest thing to a selfie that i will take.

there's no place for a full length mirror in the house so i often take a self-timed photo to see how i look in new clothes or outfits that i haven't worn in a while. it sure saves asking "does this make me look fat?" when i can easily answer that question affirmatively for myself in private and in only ten seconds. 

today's "selfie" was to check the length of new jeans. they are the "short" length of the brand that i have always needed to wear and, before i put them on, they got the usual treatment for shrinkage - hot water washing and high temperature drying. but, for the first time ever, they clearly did not shrink enough. i will repeat the process again - and again if necessary - but i truly wonder if the shrinkage may be on my part and is not the fault of the pants. 

morning crescent

brilliant blue sky this morning with birdsong and a waning crescent moon. already, the sun is warm on my face. these are the days i wait for all winter long.

ides of march

rain, ice, snow, lilac buds. nothing to beware of here! almost springtime in new hampshire.

blue twilight

the shift to daylight saving time brings erratic sleep patterns, crazy dreams, and general feelings of internal disarray. i am having a hard time shaking it this year. but i can again walk - nay, mosey - in the evening, and that is good.

kitchamajig

i don't usually wax poetic about things like kitchen utensils, but i am so happy with this find that i feel the need to document my delight. i bought this at a local thrift store last summer. i'd never seen anything like it. i was intrigued with the fact that it was made in hong kong. the asking price was a dollar and i gladly paid it. i brought it home, cleaned it up, plunked it into the utensil crock next to the stove, and promptly forgot about it - until thanksgiving. in the rush of meal prep, as the pile of spatulas and slotted spoons built up in the sink, i grabbed for the ---  what was it, anyway?

long after it had drained the potatoes for mashing, scraped the turkey bits from the bottom of the pan for gravy, and whipped the squash into a puree, i googled it and found it was often referred to as a kitchamajig. knowing its quirky name made me even more enamored of it! it's now my go-to utensil - it beats, it drains, it mixes, it strains. i still get giddy using it.

winters like this one, it doesn't take much to make me happy!