Building a new home…

LOTS.

That is my Jeopardy formed answer to the question, “How much has Molly been working on a brand new website for Organic Spark?” I begin so, in honor of both a super-computer beating a human on Jeopardy and my own computer dominating my race to the finish line of this new site.

A slave to my computer’s every need, my eyes become fixed and hair frazzled. Pulled along by the organized homework assignments of my amazing web designer (and cousin) Damon Morda of Branded Clever. Damon is turning a big, unsettling project into something that is actually manageable for a person who gets a bit big-eyed around core reconstruction involving technology. He is organized, talented, stylish and almost always… one step ahead of me. Thank you Damon!

Pushing boundaries…

Approximately 15 seconds after taking the above picture, I dropped my fish on the ground. I believe I was the only professionally trained student in the class and the only one who had to pick blades of grass from their fish’s gills. Nice.

I’ve been yammering on about River Cottage in Axminster, England recently, for example here and here. After our weekend vacation to Axminster, John headed back to Norwich for work, and I stayed on to take the Fish Class. I knew we’d be working with the whole fish, partly the reason I signed up. Fillet’s really don’t jive with the mission of River Cottage, and my goal was to stare each fish straight in the eye and tackle any bubbling squeamishness. I needed a mentor to take away the mystery of working with a whole fish, someone to guide me through and make it seem everyday. And that… I found.

A simple diet of love.

Home feels so good. I’m going to electronically hop back to England next week (the actual 10 hour flight from LAX to Heathrow in no way resembles a mere “hop”) to tell you about the Fish Course that I took at River Cottage, because I learned too much not to share. But first, I thought it was time for a break and a salad, because I didn’t eat a whole lot of salads while on vacation, unless of course they were covered in chocolate.

River Cottage: A Video Reflection

Not sure it translates in the video above, but I am surprised John’s microphone didn’t pick up the audible buzz of my childlike excitement. Sitting now, aboard my return trip from England, my thoughts reflect on the many blessings that aligned this trip. I first crossed this same pond half-planned and cautiously ready to improvise. Comfort rested in the knowledge that the portion of my soul I can only describe as a “traveler” had surprised me with her returned presence. She was very palpable during my early twenties, but snoozed in my late, allowing me to instead focus on the gift of responsibility – learning to cook, getting married, starting a small business and everything else that fills our days. Yet, she returned, to grace me with her presence, once again. She saw experiences I wanted to have, people I wanted to meet, and I welcomed her return. Hello England.

Did you bring the camera?

The answer to the question was sadly, no. We forgot the camera.