Inside The Polished Apple

Well it's February and it feels like last month went by in a blink. It's as if somebody stepped on the gas and has laid out a master plan for the year and I'm just going with the flow of it. That's cool, “I can dig it man”. That said... I've been encouraged to talk about warmth this month. Last year at this time, I talked about the intrinsic value and warmth of wool. Today, I would like to talk about a more metaphysical/physical form of warmth that is always around us. First the physical. If you hold a rubber band in your hand it will be in a cold state. Did you know if you were to take a rubber band and stretch it out to it's full length a few times and hold it in a tensed position you could feel heat that has build up in the rubber. Try it... give it a couple good stretches and put the rubber band to your top lip and feel it. It gets really hot. The stretching has created heat through the introduction of potential energy. You apply your energy to the r...

Seasons in Mosaic I said I wanted more art in my life.  Isn't this beautiful?   I spent the weekend at an Intro to Mosaics with Michelena of Wolf Willow Studios in the community of Spruce Cliff in Calgary.  I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend-you should attend!   It's so lovely to pick colors, smash pottery, cut things up and get your hands mucky in the grout.  The best part is to finally clean away the gunk and find your treasure.    Happy Art Making!  

We're over three weeks in to the New Year.  How are those resolutions going?  I found this lovely workbook-and I have no affiliate links because I did not have the patience to go through the steps to apply-but I'm loving it.  I only started working in it last week, but I hope you all can find some similar way to inspire you.  It's working for me because I've been craving art and journaling and getting messy in my planning for my visions and goals, and whether I finish the book or not isn't even my concern. I'm enjoying the process of it.  (I'm not here to talk about the book, but its download-able, or on Amazon).   Then I had a meeting last night with my Crave Calgary Women's group and we talked all about visions.  I left with the knowing that even if our vision isn't written down, just the knowing and the clarity of it can guide many of your decisions.  One speaker said that her vision and goals aren't tangibly out there, but eve...

I have started the New Year off with a BANG.  Me falling onto floor.  Me falling onto ice.  All within the first week of the year.   Fortunately, neither of them involved a hit to the head, but my head is involved because it has made me perplexed and befuddled.   Head. I didn't think too much about the first fall.  Some strange alarm went off in our house.  Wasn't the stove and the granola wasn't burning.  Seemed to be coming from the basement.   As I ran down the stairs, it dawned on me that it must be the carbon monoxide detector and I eyed it for a flashing light.  Did we really have fresh batteries in that thing or is it telling me to replace the battery?  At the same time that I was staring at it, I hit a puddle of wet floor and next thing I knew, I was on the floor and soaked from my bum to my toes.   The alarm was not the carbon monoxide detector but one of the water detector alarms that our insurance company h...

Elan's theme for January is Fresh!  Here's are some thoughts from Scott on this subject.   As we begin our journey through 2014, we start a new year with the theme of Fresh. Like opening a new book for the first time, this year will unfold in many ways, and with luck and planning, unlike the roller coaster of 2013. Today I want to talk about Fresh in a way that I keep coming back to in my mind. But first, let me paint a picture. It's Rome, 2010 in the fall. The weather is calm and muggy at a comfortable 24C. We wake from a dead sleep into our first jet laggy day in Italy and set off to find food. We are staying in an apartment with a full kitchen but no food other than a bottle of red wine. We are in the old section of Rome. The heart of Rome. Where Rome began. Narrow streets, plazas and courtyards. Cafes and Gelato shops every 15ft. We have been told that a local market is on until 1pm every day in the plaza just around the corner. Local butchers, farmer's markets, b...

What's good for the environment, works to put food on the table, and is nice to look at in your backyard?  That's right, a Food Forest ! I went through a workshop craze at the end of 2013.  On the day of the Solstice I attended this informative workshop on Food Forests, presented by a local business, the Leaf Ninja's.   I think the day was timely, as this concept will hopefully usher in a new backyard and bring with it much abundance!   Not only is it a wonderful concept to learn, I think it can give us a new perspective on our health as well. I won't try to pretend I can teach the subject, but lets just outline this as a "low-maintenance sustainable gardening system based on woodland ecosystems.  It incorporates fruit trees, berry shrubs, herbs, vines, and perennial vegetables to provide food, medicine, and other benefits for humans."  Some examples of food species for our area... Apple trees, Sea Buckthorn, Raspberries, Orac...

Welcome Back!   It's been a nice time away and we had the perfect start to January with a brand new, New Moon.  It feels like an auspicious start and aren't you curious what good things this year will hold?   Have you made plans for the year?  Resisted making plans to see how the year unfolds?  Made a planning date for later in January?   A year ago today I was fully into my food experiment challenge - with a January full of cleanses and playing with a changing diet from Vegan to Paleo.  While it was fun when I did it and I learned a lot about how my body interacts with food, there is none of that at this moment!  This moment will include a little less of the extremes and more of my own common sense.  Yes, I'll try new foods and recipes, but nothing crazy to start off my January.   Any voices that I hear, are all saying that I will have a year that is quiet, home-based, nurturing, creative and restful.  I would love if it in...