β€œThe world is quiet here.”
Lemony Snicket

It’s a beautifully peaceful Monday morning on our Australian goat farm. The skies are dark and heavy with clouds and there’s nary a breath of wind, only a few bold birds singing while the rest of the world is silent.

I love quiet days like this. Days of napping and horizon-watching, endless cups of coffee and tea, old movies and good books.

It was just such a weekend and my heart is full with the joy of it. My strength restored, my creativity revived.

sheets drying outside

I’m so grateful for this quiet weekend. It healed wounds reopened last week and gave me time to calm fluttering anxious thoughts and get my soul peaceful again. It is so good to not be flattened by those painful situations life hurls at us, but only pummeled a bit.

It’s even better to stand up tall after the fact and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that in spite of dark moments, life is an incredible gift to be treasured and delighted in.

“If we sit with an increasing stillness of the body,
and attune our mind to the sky or to the ocean or to the myriad stars at night,
or any other indicators of vastness,
the mind gradually stills and the heart is filled with quiet joy.”
R. Ravindra

On such days I like simple foods. Easy, healthful things that don’t require much time or effort or ingenuity but still taste marvelous.

Like roasted asparagus, roasted potatoes, and roasted radishes.

roasted asparagus

There is something so comforting and nourishing about such simple fare. The crispy bits, caramelized and salty, melting on the tongue with an intensity of flavor that can’t be found in boiling or sauteing. I can happily eat whole plates of these roasted veggies with a bit of delicious cheese or a hunk of sourdough olive bread.

Today I’m roasting peaches and nectarines for a coconut crumble, and cannot wait to eat it for breakfast with a big dollop of plain Greek yogurt.

roasted heirloom radishes

I’ve been reading more these days, finding inestimable comfort, wisdom and creativity in the experiences of others.

I love how different we all are. How uniquely even similar experiences affect, inspire and shape us.

I read a lot of your blogs and really love doing so, but it occurred to me this weekend that perhaps some of you are writing and I don’t know about it. If you DO have a blog, I’d love it if you could share the address with me (and each other!) in the comments. I love getting to know you through comments and emails, but it would be great to read about your blog world too. πŸ™‚

country sunset

Now I must get up out of my comfy green chair and pickle some heirloom beets, get those peaches and nectarines in the oven, and fold the pile of laundry that’s been sitting utterly neglected since Friday. πŸ™‚

What is nourishing your soul this weekend?