A Mindful Life

This brought a chuckle. I’m not a fan of opera, and perhaps this is why.
No opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible.
–WH Auden

Just be honest with yourself. That opens the door.
–Vernon Howard

Do you have recommendations for CDs that have good lullabies? There are zillions on Amazon and I’d prefer considering something personally recommended. I’d like to be able to sing along, and to learn some so I can sing whenever and wherever.

The baby’s crib, changing table, rocker and ottoman are being delivered some time between 2:30 and 5:30 today. Husband and a friend will assemble the crib tonight. We’ll get a mattress this weekend. Soon nesting, real nesting, can begin.
Also, there are only 60 days until my due date. How did that happen?! It’s gone so [...]

Shirl asked for pea recipes because her garden is overrun with them. So here’s one I hope you’ll like!
Braised Lettuce and Peas with Scallions
1/4 cup butter
4 Bibb (Little Gem) lettuces, halved lengthways
2 bunches scallions, trimmed
14 oz. shelled peas (about 2 1/4 lb. in pods)
1/2 cup water
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Melt half the butter [...]

This was tasty and easy to make. The smell of frying basil was heavenly.

Tomato, Bean, and Fried Basil Salad
11 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
14 oz. can of mixed beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves
5 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Put the halved tomatoes and rinsed beans [...]

I’ve spent the day in bed with my leg elevated to prevent knee stress. I’ve also been belching like a Yellowstone Park mudpot. I’m simply running out of room inside. Whenever I eat anymore (and I’ve always consumed small meals), hunger is alleviated but quickly followed by a feeling of bloating, discomfort, and gas. (No [...]

I wanted to poke at them to see if they would contract and close. But then I would have become an enemy of anemones! So I settled for a simple photo.

More about sea anemones here.

Yesterday I had another visit with my OB. All continues to be well; the baby’s heartbeat is in the 150s, my fundal measurement is normal. I gained two pounds in three weeks, which is on target. (I’d wondered if I gained any weight at all, because my appetite seems to have decreased in the heat. [...]

What do you think? Do you agree?
It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it.
–Arnold Toynbee