Full Moon

Hans Hoffman
A Hedgehog, 1584
Watercolor and Gouche on Parchment, 7 7/8 x 11 3/4″
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
German, 1545/50-1591/92.

Yeah! My little oven is a gem! The chocolate chip cookies Leo and I turned out last night were fantastic! There were no explosions, no burns and no burnt cookies to report, so by and large, I’d have to say that the move has been a success on multiple fronts. Now, if only I could get my new scanner hooked up, things would be just about perfect for about 30 seconds.

Been thinking and meditating on my beloved nephew, Andy, who was killed three years ago in New York. He’s been revealing himself to me from the beyond in the same form for well over a week. It’s always just his head, floating in a sea of blackness pinpricked with the faintest of stars, reciting the same refrain, over and over again as I feel his long arms embrace me, sending tears streaming down the sides of my face, his voice is like an echo, “Karen, you have to keep moving forward; you can’t look back. Keep looking into my eyes…”

Being and nothingness is a duality that has always fascinated me and is a philosophical conundrum that I attempt to solve during my yoga practice. My dristi gaze is always on a single point for the entire class; I always attempt to divest my entire self into that pinhole so that all that I feel , all that I know is that my breath is what is sustaining me; only my spirit will define me.

It is in this way that I attempt to live every aspect of my life; by being present to the everything and all, not just what I edit out from the madness of daily living.

In terms of cooking, all I can think about is how to cool off. It’s been lava hot here in Austin over the last few days and every time the sun touches my face and shoulders, I can’t help by cower under it’s unbelievable heat, searing my flesh like a white hot brand…so what could I possibly eat to keep this prophecy at bay? Why, Sorbets, of course! I have a few very refreshing ideas in the shoot, which I’ll post tomorrow.

Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite!