The Horizon

Work has been intensely stressful and non-stop for several weeks. With a major event looming ahead next weekend, I have found myself unbalanced, filled with anxiety, and suffering from stomach ailments. It has been so extreme that I found myself unable to do my favorite Western-style exercise yesterday, which is riding on my stationary bicycle.

Today, I realized that the only thing that would possibly help was - you guessed it - yoga. And I was right. I had an hour to myself this morning, so pulled my mat out to the porch, and listened to the birds and felt lovely spring breezes on my skin while I practiced. It was a fairly basic routine, but one which I knew I could accomplish without too much frustration, and it was absolutely the right thing to do.

These past few weeks I have come to realize just how precious yoga has become to me. What a wonderful addition my practice has been to my life! I feel blessed to have found this kind of peace.

Namaste.

Rules of thumb

I have decided I will occasionally post "rules" here, probably random things that I decide are important. And I can do that if I want, because this is my blog. (Ah, the POWER!!!)

Today's rule is: "Never say it can't get any worse." I'm not going to go on about Murphy's Law or tempting fates or knocking on wood. For whatever reason, declaring to the universe that there is no way it can get any worse is just too juicy of a dare for said universe to resist.

Alexander Valley Merlot 2006

Alexander Valley Merlot 2006 (Alexander & Fitch Winery) is a wine that I would like to like. The label sounded so promising, but I should have been more wary that it only told the story of how the winery was founded and said nothing about the actual wine in the bottle. This is certainly not the worst wine I've ever had, but if I opened a bottle of white that was this poor quality, I'd put a bunch of ice in the glass to dull the taste. This wine is just too astringent - nice berry notes and bold flavors, but I expected the acidity to dissipate as I let it breathe and that just didn't happen. Disappointing. I give it "2 glasses" and I didn't even ask my husband to taste it, because that would just launch a gripe session focusing on this being the reason that a lot of people can't stand to drink red wine...

Trentatre Rosso Salento

We picked up a bottle of this wine at Trader Joe's over the weekend. When I first opened the bottle, it seemed a bit too fruity and bright for my husband, but our tastes are different and he prefers a much more mellow red. I enjoyed it: the forward berry, clean and bright finish, the way it made my taste buds kind of perk up, though it was a bit too acidic for me. However, by the second night, this bottle had taken on a richness and depth that was far superior, so I guess it needed to breathe. I think it would be great with a spicy marinara sauce, but since I didn't try it that way, I can't be sure! I'll give it "3 glasses." Good but not the best.

HRM Rex Goliath Merlot

Holy smokes this wine is delicious!!!! (See following crummy picture - taken with my phone because our camera is on the fritz.)

I was so taken aback by the pleasure of drinking this wine from the first sip that I am having trouble describing it. The label on the back says "big, fruit-forward flavors" and I certainly agree with that. But even more than that, this wine has a buttery feel on the tongue, has a smooth but crisp finish, definitely calls to mind flavors of berries and it was great with chocolate. Oh, AND it was still terrific on the 3rd night ater I opened it. This wine is worth a lot more than the $10 that it is retailing for!!!

I can't recommend this one enough - I give it a rating of "whole bottle" with no reservations at all. I can't wait to drink it again.

Spring! Spring! Spring!

Ah, Spring!!! She has arrived in full force here in Ohio, and we are ever so grateful. I can't remember an early warm spring like this, at least not in recent enough memory, and oh it is such a treat. My back porch is proving to be a spectacular spot for yoga. We live in a quiet neighborhood with a big yard, and since ours is a 3-season porch with indoor/outdoor carpet, it's nearly perfect for yoga. If only my husband weren't washing the car right in front of me every time I spread out my yoga mat...

I spent a lot of time in the garden this weekend, prepping the beds for both flowers and vegetables. This weather is a temptress - I fear a lot of people will put their flowers and veggies in too early; since we are still about 7 weeks away from the last frost date for our area, that would be a big mistake!!! I will resist!! Except, I am going to go ahead and sow cilantro and basil outside. I'll start some on the porch too, just in case the weather zaps the ones outdoors. But that's all, I swear, I won't put in anything else outdoors yet.

Unless I just can't resist, that is. I have a feeling there will be lots more to report on this garden saga this year.