Introduction

I never thought in a million years that I would be writing a blog. Really, who cares what I have to say? But recently I found inspiration. There was an article in magazine describing a cool new e-newsletter called Goop (www.goop.com). It was described as covering travel, cooking and lifestyle tips. After visiting the very chic website I subscribed and was pleasantly surprised! In the first newsletter the author recommended their favorite Paris haunts and although I wasn’t planning a trip anytime soon, the contents conjured wonderful memories from past trips and got saved for hopeful future trips.
 
I never really paid attention to who wrote it. I just enjoyed the content on subjects I was interested in, cooking, travel, and even being a mom. However, after a few weeks into it the content of the newsletter lead me to believe the author and I ran in slightly different circles. Slightly. It had recipes from a dinner at Mario Batali’s house where the author, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Emeril Lagasse were guests.

Celebrity endorsements have never really done it for me, but I was and still am enchanted by this lovely newsletter that shows up in my inbox weekly. Now I don’t profess to having access to Sofia Coppola and Steven Spielberg’s list of favorite films (again, see www.goop.com), but I was inspired to follow through with something that I’ve always wanted to accomplish. For years I have toyed with the idea of keeping a garden journal. My grandmother, the wife of a farmer in Indiana, used to track and record all of her husband’s crop’s information meticulously. As a kid I remember sitting down with it, thinking how neat it was to read about how the soy beans did in 1942! It was impressive and I always wanted to emulate it. I would take photographs and record my plants progress, both the successes, failures and maybe someday someone would want to read it. However, balancing working in the garden with my other passions, ILT and cooking, it just never got done! 

As of late, I have another passion, a new daughter. She has inspired me to pursue recording things in my life that are important to me. You never know, maybe one day she’ll share my passions! 

Next week: APRIL SHOWERS

Photo: One of the first signs of spring, a blooming Magnolia
(Magnolia x loebneri ‘Dr. Merrill’)