flower district

good morning duckies,

one of my most favorite morning places in the world is the LA flower market. i grew up in inner-city los angeles and despite it's suburban sprawl and horrific traffic i have a very real dedication to the city of angels.

there is something about the grunge of the city and the constant soundtrack of urban music that undoes me. i have yet to meet a dj who can hold a candle to the magical mixing sound power of the LA streets. the bass beats of hip hop mingle with the traffic's ebbing and flowing rumble and squeak. above the background's steady rumble pigeons cry, sirens sing, and languages flow out, consonants slapping long vowels creating a strange sort of harmony. it is the sound of diaspora and it is dizzying. it is addicting.

coming out of the noise of the city into the flower market was always instantly calming. a friend in college said when he was home and stressed he would go out to puget sound to unwind. i would go to the flower market. it is still bustling and loud, but somehow the colors of the flowers glistening under their early morning dew combines with the bustle to create an orchestral experience. needless to say when i was in the flower district the business of life made sense and i could stand still within the frenzied moment.

i have often thought that some of the city's angels must be the flower vendors with their magical hands, bartering banter, and beaming smiles.

do you have favorite early morning places? well besides for snuggled within the warmth of your covers!





photocredit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42315373@N00/

sing your brave song

welcome to surreptitiously cinnamon! this has been a year packed full of large life changes, beautiful discoveries, painful goodbyes, many amazing recipes and quiet beach/mountain retreats. i am a 24 year old who loves people and their creativity and am blown away by all those i am blessed to be able to have as part of my life.

i moved from oakland to denver this summer. it was one of those moves that is precipitated by a day where you wake up and think, "i love my life here, but there is something else. there is something else, right? i need some distance.my insides need some stretching." do you ever feel this way?

so i slowly untangled myself from my life and moved to the rocky mountains. i packed some clothing, my books, my notebooks, and my many scarves. i spent a weekend saying a farewell to my beautiful pacific ocean and giving it a promise of undying love. i hugged my dearest friends, who are the objects of my frequent day dreams, goodbye. i got on a plane and started the next phase of my life east of the rockies.

i'm emotionally slowing down. i'm making food. i'm trying to work diligently. i'm reading. i'm attempting to keep an herb garden alive. i'm learning about seasons and snow. i'm rediscovering my love of felt. i'm learning about the joy and sadness in change and the neverending comfort in daily household rituals and hugs from my mother. i've got a glue gun in one hand and a whisk in the other. my tongue is out to catch snow flakes and my eyes wide open to take in all the vibrant mountain colors. my heart is full of hope for those dearest to me. doesn't love just always show up when you least expect it unannounced at the door yielding some totally unexpected but delightful piece of pleasure? in spite of all life's confusions, i think so.

so welcome to the musings of a beautiful disaster who is madly in love with the human spirit and the natural world it exists within....

photo credit: celestephotography


* The blog title photo was taken by one of my favorite flickr photographers, khalidarasul. her work is incredible right?!