favorite spots

As the short winter days go on, I gravitate towards my favorite spots in the house. This corner catches some afternoon light, appreciated by the gorgeous orchid sharing space with a couple of oil lamps (we haven't had to use them much yet, thank goodness.) Though notorious for killing orchids, I still can't seem to resist them. I purchased this one with the blooms still closed, for maximum length of enjoyment. Shafts of light filter in and are slowly coaxing them open, revealing maroon spotted throats and yellow tongues.

A long standing battle at our house is to get everyone to take off their shoes when entering. I even bought a little ceramic sign and posted outside the door, but it's sometimes still a struggle. Then I grabbed up this shoe rack at the hardware store, and the entry became more of a place. A strategically positioned chair helps to encourage the task. I think people's unwillingness to take them off speaks of our inability to slow the heck down. It is respectful to remove one's shoes and it carries gentle energy into the house, rather than tracking in the outside world (literally and figuratively.) And it sure is easier on our nice bamboo floors. (Little P. puts hers in the big old thrifted basket.)

But my most favorite spot of all right now is a cozy corner of our big leather couch with a cup of lemon ginger tea and the current sock in progress. I confess to watching more t.v. than usual lately just to have an excuse to knit. I am in LOVE with the Cherry Tree Hill yarn I purchased recently - so smooth, warm, incredibly soft and lovely colors to boot. This colorway is called birch, but since there are no birches here in the redwood forest, it makes me think of mushrooms, or driftwood, or the breast feathers of our local hawk.

As of last night, I'm marching down the heel flap of this one. And there's soccer this weekend!