turn the page, the next chapter gets better!

Happy Memorial day!

First off, some of you who knew me as The Hartless Companion (which Chris said sounded like a bad romance blog; unfortunately I agree...) and then bare feet ~ free spirit, please understand that I am never set on labels and I think I have FINALLY found a blog title that I feel more accurately represents my intentions...so, sorry for the indecision...the Witty Hippie is here to stay, my friends!

I wore a pensive smile this afternoon as I wrapped up my employment at the Rte. 58 Delicatessen, where I worked as a server for almost 2 years, to explore my creativity and pursue some serious gardening and writing that I have been kindling for the past year or so. While I knew it was my time to move on, it was surely a bittersweet week, saying goodbye to all the amazing beings and network of minds that I have been around steadily since I was hired in the fall of 2008.

Finally at home and in my man's flannel (heheee! guys' stuff is comfier) I realize how I will miss seeing these beauties every day.
Amidst all the bustle and the craze and the egos and the feelings and the burns and the burn outs and the bad math and the bad manners and the hulabaloo of a full time job, sometimes bonds are made that exist outside of the workplace as the thoughtful individuals we are.
Not only will I see my friends frequently (like at the beach tomorrow : ) but the internet (obviously) provides the perfect medium to support each other as we wander our own paths.
I look forward to the next time I walk back into the Deli and how the absence will feel, after not having been away for more than a week for the last 21 months!

I have made so many connections and really want to thank the many customers who have been funny, friendly and supportive. I even thank those of you who were inappropriate and at times, obnoxious! (hehe just kidding mr. "Leiby" ; )
And of course a "Thanksh Bosss" to Mr. Goldberg for keeping me around this long and allowing me to meet said persons and have such fun and frivolity!

I did my best and want to express my sheer gratitude to those of you who appreciated my work, enhanced my experience, and also became my friends. For this, I am blessed _/ \_

Of course this is sappy...I'm a sentimentalist...why do you think I want to be a writer?


Sigh. I positively reminisce and know it was the perfect way to go : )

I have been extremely fortunate in the jobs I have acquired and managed to retain (knocking on end table, here) and will be babysitting, performing odd jobs, and hopefully writing some freelance articles to float through this capital-consumerist society (with feelings of which I won't divulge on now!.....you're welcome)
For now my goal is to be as mindful as possible, focusing on my yoga practice and helping my garden to flourish so we can eat raw, organic greens all summer long and give back to this little splotch of earth. By consuming little, creatively channeling ideas and making some sweet connections, I think this semi-sabbatical will suit me just fine!

~This life's not a resumè, it's a ride~
(i'm excited for where to go next...teehee! ; )



thank you thank you, to all who serve. please be safe and have a happy holiday!

get on my bike for a midnight ride

During last night's glowing full moon, Chris and I were wide awake around midnight and decided to ride through the neighborhood down to the ocean. There was hardly anyone out on the boardwalk so after biking a couple miles or so, we headed home along the inlet to see the moon reflecting so peacefully on the flowing water.

We love being outside and active and this is just easier when avoiding all the traffic and tourists the season brings to the area.

Things are certainly shifting as this spring weather is warming....just look at my little toms! ~~>
They are growing larger and more delicious by the hour : )
I find that as I eat more live and organic food, i feel more Alive and authentic in my body and my Self. Plus, what better way to work out, soak up some sun and get your hands dirty all at once than a morning in the garden!

You probably can't tell, but I used a stem from an old bouquet of roses, saved the dried petals and then had a nice sturdy stalk to put in the ground for tomato support!

I'm trying to use whatever materials I can, really, so that I not only cut down on waste and costs, but also enjoy my hodge-podge of a garden and the stories that went into creating it.

I cannot believe it but this is my 20th post, readers!

I have really enjoyed this blog thingie so far (and will continue to : ) and owe a lot of thanks to some amazingly creative people and wicked cool blogs out there. There will be many more, I'm sure, but these funky blogs have surely inspired me in setting up and formatting my own blog.
many thanks to you folks:

SimplyYogini
TheOrganicSister
The Everything Yoga blog
Free Spirit Life
Holistic Mama and also her blog Bohemian Shadows (sooooo beautiful!)
Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom
my buddy Jake's super fun blog Just a Fun Time
Goofy Spirituality
Good Green Witch
the Happy Janssens
A Green Spell



i hope this memorial day weekend finds you safely enjoying your holiday... and as i'm inspired these days, i'll leave you with one of the quotes fueling my drive.

*be bold! go confidently in the direction of your dreams*
                                                               ...and so shall i    ; )

sunday's venus-pluto opposition, monday's musings

good morning!
i hope this monday finds you fresh for a new week. if you are a total LOST-head, like me, maybe you are aware that the show wrapped up with the 2.5 hour (tear-jerker) finale last night. while many people stuck with LOST through all the confusion and 6 years of time-traveling, and some dabbled at first then returned years later with renewed interest, i feel like this show (though crazy and confusing at times) was embedded with important ideas of knowledge, philosophy, and spirituality. the themes of connection, redemption, and riding the island-of-life's many waves rang through the whole series and i have truly enjoyed the story. what a great metaphor for life and death, rebirth and love. everything is connected!

my head has been buzzing these past few days. here is what the experts say for us Libras:



*Monday, May 24th, 2010 -- Even if you're exhausted from a recent struggle and aware that the issues are not fully resolved, you still may feel much better today. You might be concerned that your current vulnerability could lead to disappointment, but you also are intrigued by the potential of a major breakthrough in your life. Don't be afraid to take a risk in the days ahead; you cannot count on anyone else to know what's in your heart.*


 i've quoted howard thurman before and now, more than ever is when i feel i must do what makes me come alive, not what hinders my strength and spirit.
my dad loves to quote Shakespeare, "nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
hamlet has a point. where Denmark is his personal prison, we also have our own, devoid of how it is viewed by others. i also interpret this quote as, if you change your thinking, you change your attitude...but sometimes where you are and what you are doing is no longer congruent to who you are or what you believe.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"i am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together..." john lennon

~this is one of my all time favorite articles on being spiritually centered by believing and acting your truth... respecting and loving yourself, leading you to your best possible attitude toward the planet and toward others.
~check out these super cool tree spheres that my friend Ron sent me the link to...my dream of living in the trees just became a little more realized!

~her blog is totally awesome and i really dig how she has weekly intentions. what a great way to focus

~this is a great, pertinent article on taking responsibility for your thoughts, words, actions, and therefore life. what freedom this brings about! what contentment!

and so...following my daily musings, it should fit that my weekly intention is

RESPONSIBILITY

though a slightly different context, i think jerry seinfeld would agree i'm the master of my domain : )

*i will take responsibility for my thoughts, words, and actions because this is how i am creating the mosaic of my experience! in this way i will have more control over myself and be able to sing sweeter and shine brighter*

; )  have a lovely day!

aboreal dreams

maybe someday i'll be out of the bungalow and into the trees  : )

today's things that move me:

an amazing and inspiring woman and her hub of awesomeness, Peace Love and Balance.

*thank you kindly for reading my mumbling and musings : ) enjoy your last week of may!

in a new york 4320 minutes...

Good Morning!
As I am overcome with nostalgia these past few days, it is the perfect time to post some of my favorite pics from the trip my mom and I took to New York City recently.
Here to the right you'll see the beautiful Donna as we selected our meal in the dining car (which, I gotta say, were some of the NICEST dining experiences that I've had!) of BBQ ribs for this lady and a tasty, shroomy, vegetarian dish for me. The train ride was so fun and comfortable and quaint that I don't think I'll go to the airport for some time... (which seriously excites me. I mean, check the fresh flowers on the table, and the lush scenery... Amtrak totally rocks!)

So we finally got to the city and much to our delight, one of my mom's oldest friends (and my very own Godfather ;) met us at Penn Station and together we traipsed around the city.

A couple salads and un poco vino later, mom and I went to see Phantom of the Opera... AHHHHMAZING... and then narrowly escaped the hulabaloo at Times Sq. when we got out of the theater. (Can't give enough love and appreciation to NYPD and FDNY for going into action and attaining control in that amount of chaos!) But we got back to the hotel safely, thanks for all the love and concern from friends and fam. : ) We were super fortunate to be able to get back into our hotel for our required amount of beauty sleep, whereas others closer to Times Sq. could not!

The following day we went to see the musical Wicked and, have mercy, I'll never be the same! Such amazing performances left us stunned so we headed up to the rooftop bar of The Peninsula, per suggestion from a few Va Beach friends, to recover and lighten our wallets with tasty cocktails and (again)AHHHHmazing atmosphere....see above right .....iii KNOW!?!?!!

Sometime amidst the Broadway exhibitions, we managed to get downtown to Chelsea, where we met up with my friend Ryan to get some Murray's bagel's for brunch... quite honestly this place is becoming somewhat of a tradition in my New York excursions... and then walked to a lovely little nearby park. We scored some karmic righteousness by helping a little old lady whose nurse accidentally dumped her onto the pavement, and also remenisced and waxed philosophical, which has been known to happen in our chance outings : )  

I love meeting up with Ryan in New York, because as he is not only one of my oldest friends, he is quite cute and eclectic in where he brings me or what he chooses to reveal to me in this colassal city.

After our little jaunt in the park we went to meet mom's friend Keith and I fell in love. He is hilarious and sooo friendly that I contemplated moving to New York just to be able to go out to lunch with him (at least)once a week. We could quote FRIENDS and he could aid my quasi-creative circuit with his sharp decorator-eye and texture-love!
Sorry, I get sidetracked. I just love remembering that afternoon when the four of us went to a fresh, earthy, organic restaraunt that Ryan found and ate tasty raw food over inspiring conversation. Being surrounded by colorfully awesome people is my favorite : )

Mom and I also took a bus tour, which I was opposed to at first, because c'mon, I'm trying to look like a New Yorka, here! But it was actually super informative and negated cab/train fare for 24 hours! Not only did one guide drop a couple of great FRIENDS facts when we got down to the Village, but the other guide was so funny it was more of a NYC comedy tour while on top of a double-decker bus : )

Does the building above look familiar? I wish I could have gone into that coffee shop and gotten a "Central Perk" coffee!

We also got onto the set of Good Morning America early Monday morning. As you can see we were yuckin it up with Juju Chang and Robin Roberts and they were both really pleasant women! Met some really funny people on the set and some nice fellow audience members too. We Hartless women are rarely less than replete with options of entertainment.

We climbed 82 flights of stairs to get to the top of the Empire State Building... yea, UP THERE! Wellllll, alright so we didn't have to wait in line at all and then got right on the elevator, big deal. It was still a long 1.4 minute ride. Slight vertigo at the top but it was really cool being up there, even though visibility was at 0. I don't know if I watched too much Sleepless in Seattle as a tot but it felt really familiar being at the top...hmm. We also met some nice Romans up there and I got to practice il mio Italiano un poco : ) And don't even think it, NO WAY did we go to the 100 somethingth floor at the top of the spire. Nope. I have watched Discovery Channel specials about maintenance on that thing and then had scary height dreams. It was windy enough on the Observation Deck! I do want to go up there again on a really clear, sunny day, though, and get to check out the whole city.

Whew... I am winded just reliving it in my head and through my fingers! With the mind-blowing shows we saw, the tasty food we ate, the lovely people we enjoyed, the atmosphere we imbibed, and even the hustle of the city, my impatience and my mom's sore feet, I am reminded of the intensity of my nostalgia for this legendary trip. I always have a magical time in New York and I have loved this crazy place for a long long time.

thanks again dad! i love you mom!

and may you all drink in the experience of your wanderings~

little patch of earth, thou art loosed!

It's a beautiful morning in Virginia Beach! hot and humid on this sunny Friday, and a perfect day to finish putting in my vegetable garden : ) 

brewed my morning joe and i'm ready to go

before the afternoon sun hits, this bed will have doubled and these guys will have some neighbors!

after a rainy thursday and a little leverage, the grass came right up and the dirt shook right out, back to enrich my vegetable bed : ) (Lots of earthworms and spiders were left as my finest workers!)

now my bungalow garden is twice it's size and we're housing red cayenne pepper, zucchini, yellow belle pepper and cucumber besides the previously put-in tomato, basil, onion, and white eggplant. on the shelves are a variety of lettuce and herbs, from rosemary, lavender and sage to dill and cilantro. this summer is proving to be a healthy and deeeeelicious season! 

tunes & reads i'm currently digging, whilst digging:

I love Ellen Dugan's Herbal for practical and magical uses of all sorts of greens~

this new moon felt like the perfect time to finally read yogani's deep meditation, which my dad recommended to me about a year ago. this is a really simple yet comprehensive meditation manual and i have found calm in starting and sustaining a meditation practice this week. thanks dad!

After seeing Wicked on Broadway, I am ADDICTED to the music. the soundtrack has been on repeat since.

Because of another groovy blog, i have also been dancing it out to Beyonce's Halo, which is just such a jamtastic song that i am already out of breath.

And then there is the band Iration, whose album Time Bomb is so chill and welcoming for this beachy spring and summer.

well, mates, thanks for following my fun and frolick in the garden! i wish you a safe and blessed weekend and leave you with this quote that inspires me to live my dreams, which feels so0o0o0o0o good : )

"don't ask what the world needs. ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

dr. howard thurman

dirty fingers, toes, shovels and hoes

a morning beachy ride...a new shovel...and i'm off!

it started out as a patch of grass...

but singing 'a little help from my friends' in my head transformed the time i spent digging and before i knew it, the grass was gone, while the dirt and earthworms remained! ( by turning in some ocean forest potting soil i fluffed up the bed and got my days workout, all in one : )

got my veggies in! (well, some of them :-/ )

i thought the board lying right where the hole in the fence was, was kind of enchanting so i left it where the gnomes, fairies, and kitties of the 'hood wouldn't traipse through my bed...shyea.

at this point, the Italians say, "basta!"
enough work for today, time to chill and enjoy my bungalow garden and soon the fruits of our labor! (note: this garden is soon to be expanded...stay tuned...)

memories of Avalon

in a small valley northwest of Harrisonburg, Virginia there lies a 17-acre paradise. this small biodynamic farm, run by a 60-something couple, Solly and Lorinda, supplies the local farmers market patrons with delicious organic greens and juicy vegetables. Lorinda also makes her own soaps and vinegars, along with salves and tinctures. i was fortunate enough to work here for 6 months in college and in that half-year, i became reenchanted with the nature i had been distracted from~

all sortsa greens!

Astor helping the weekly harvest

mama love