An Urban Girl

Remember when Tom Hanks offered to send Meg Ryan a "Bouquet of Newly Sharpened Pencils"? Didn't your heart just do a flip in your chest at the thought of it?   There are a few things that take me to that special melancholy/happy place...  like buying stationary in the Fall, the sight of a star studded summer sky, the smell of a Springtime afternoon rain, twinkle lights and the mood around Christmas Holidays...  but nothing makes me more sentimental and giddy than the scent of Hyacinths in the air, rosewater in tiny Persian cookies, and the smell of brand new dollar bills marking the beginning of Spring and Norouz (Persian New Year).  I love how Norouz customs glorify the organic nature around us... the Norouz spread honors the goodness of red apples and green grass and wheat pudding, and the Norouz meal is simply herb quiche, fresh fish and herbed rice... all reminding us of our close connection to what is wholesome and earthly....    I LOVE the excitemen

Mr. Urban totally swept me off my feet this past weekend and treated me to a date by the ocean, with a clear backdrop of the City (San Francisco), that involved plenty of time alone with him, great gourmet food, shopping and yummy deserts too! That, and pushing a shopping cart and a flat bed full of someone else's junk for hours on end... Before dawn on Sunday morning we headed up to the Alameda Antiques Faire, the biggest monthly market for "Antiques" and Old Beat-Up Country Looking Stuff in Northern California.  Although we moved to the country months and months ago, our home is far from being ready and done.  Even I, who love empty surfaces and clutter free spaces, have to agree with Mr. Urban that we are in need of more Stuff to fill in the many blanks around our home to make it usable at the very least...  besides the many, many empty walls, missing coffee tables and end tables to hold lamps, there is a lack of a je ne sais quoi to make our home more cozy.