Last week, in Milwaukee airport, I learned that the TSA had developed a sense of humor. Who knew?
As if putting on my shoes would straighten me out!
January 29, 2010
January 28, 2010
Winter Runaway
I’m a city gal born and raised. Although I love Chicago, the city in winter is a harsh picture rendered in salty black-and-white. It grinds on even the hardiest of souls. Around this time of year, I long for a getaway as far from the big city as I can get.
Right on cue, three years ago at the end of January, I decided to bolt. Craving an experience that would be life altering, therapeutic and authentic, I found myself an ayurvedic clinic on a hilltop in Tamil Nadu. Yes, India. I wired almost $4000 to a retreat that I hoped would really be there when I got to the end of the road. My husband, always the skeptic, was aghast.
One week after I had found the retreat online, and two days after I kissed my family goodbye at O’Hare, I climbed out of a 4×4 in the middle of the a chilly, starry Indian night. My leap of faith began to pay off in spades.
The retreat, set in the middle of the rolling tea plantations of Coonoor, was made up of round buildings. This architecture corrals the positive energy and keeps in within the retreat. Looking down the path from the yoga studio toward the center of the retreat you can see the tea bushes that paved almost every hillside for miles. Let me say now that this was not a a five star, western-style spa. Far from it. Thankfully.
We were awakened every morning at 6 am for our ayurvedic tonics and the first of our three daily yoga classes began thirty minutes later. Sun salutations were begun just as birdsong announced the sunrise over the mountains. The retreat is perched on a mountainside 6,000 ft above sea level so mornings were cold and the yoga studio was heated by 2 wood-burning fireplaces.
The kitchen was completely vegetarian. We all gathered in the garden for breakfast which was my favorite meal – the organic fruit came from the retreat’s farm and was accented by healing coconut chutney. I’ve dined in some of the finest restaurants in the world but nothing tops the memories of this. I also lost 20 lbs in a month!
Neela, Vimli and Lali administered my treatments. Billed as healing “massage” (oft times that was a misnomer) the treatments involved a lot of oil while being laid out on the teak table called a droni and abandoning your modesty for a muslin loincloth. Chanting in Hindi emanated from the box on the wall. Ohhhmmm, shalla walla, ohhhhmmm.
The steam pump you can see in the lower right hand corner attached to a sweat-box. Almost comically, you sat in it with your head sticking out while they increased the heat until you couldn’t stand it any longer. Many times, the best part of the treatments were when they were over!
During the day, between the yoga the aryurveda treatments, we would hike through the hills, feed the local monkeys the kitchen’s leftovers or read books in the garden. The month I spent at the retreat was idyllic, mind expanding and life changing. In a quest for that same sense of peace and well-being, I would go back in a heartbeat but think that my impulsive journey is beyond replication. The constraints of my current western life and responsibilities make a return trip but a dream.
Namaste.
Next post: Small dose. What to do when a voyage to the other side of the earth isn’t possible.
January 26, 2010
Personal Rx For Winter Survival
This post started out to be about my winter survival kit featuring the products that I use to beat back the ravages of a harsh Chicago winter. My current obsession, and part of the formula, is a line of handmade, Italian products which happen to smell like cucumber. Light, fresh and hydrating. Ahhhh.
photo Leonardo Martins
Two key products of my winter remedy are a body cream and companion spray oil that are created at a charmingly romantic, 250 year old villa in Italy. The line is so obscure that I couldn’t find images online so I called the Italian offices.
via Ben on Flickr
Allora, the exclusive US distribution rights are held by a company big enough to be a household name. Yes, you would definitely know the corporation.
My US contact was a woman named Mia C. Our conversation went like this:
- Mia C.: “No, we don’t have images. I can send you some product and you can take your own pictures.”
- Me: “Great! That’s so nice. After I take the pictures, I will use the products for a giveaway on my blog.”
- Mia C.: “No, you can’t do that.”
I’m a little slow on the uptake. Mind you, I wasn’t soliciting a freebie, what I was really in search of were images and I crawled the internet and called from Italy to Arizona to find some. I wanted to tell the world (my little slice of the blog world, at least) about their products. And the bounty of a freebie? That was going to be passed on to my followers. It took me a minute but this BIG national company wanted me to return the two bottles of moisturizer after I photographed them, gave them free buzz and told my readership where to buy.
Does this strike you as mean and stingy? Yeah, me too. Cut the music and bring up the lights — ZERO blog love for them.
And then I got to thinking…
Let’s be honest. I use different products in the winter but I don’t use them to get me through the winter. Instead, my M.O. is to run away in search of a life changing experience. Every year, it happens. The itch. The urge. Like clockwork, it starts around Christmas and reaches a crescendo every February. Sometimes, like last weekend, the cure is short and sweet. Sometimes, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime, other-side-of-the-world adventure.
So, tomorrow, the first in a three part series: Coping with Winter Caron-style.
January 13, 2010
A Meeting Of Minds or Why Everyone Should Have A Really Big Bust
I left a comment on a blog the other day. The post was on my favorite topic of monogramming and personalization. It is often said that the meat of a blog can be found in the comments and I couldn’t agree more. A comment left, in response to mine, by Civility Design reached out and grabbed me. Like minds. Stylistic soul-mates. Who were they?
Of course, I had to sleuth them. Their website let me know my instincts were right. Don Raney and Jaymes Richardson, the talented, monogram loving duo behind Civility Design and I were destined to meet. We like so many of the same things. The best part? They are my neighbors. Not neighbors in the scope of cyber, which could mean anyone living under the same weather pattern, but truly two-blocks-over neighbors. I shot off an e-mail and they responded with an invitation to talk about our love of all things personalized. I knew that this meeting was going to be a good thing.
Now, let me just interject that I have a bust fetish. A major one. I do have two antique, carved busts of Romans perched on sconces in my living room but what I really lust after is a great big terracotta bust on a pedestal. Put a bust of an 18th century Frenchman with a wild wig full of curls and a Gallic nose in my living room and I would never need another thing. Don and Jaymes employ busts galore to lend a sense of history to their interiors. That was my first clue.
Second clue? A fearless love of punchy color and gloss. I’m feeling those horn chandeliers, too.
But it was doggy love that sealed the deal. Mavis Astor meet LouLou.
Not pussy-footing around, we selected a place to meet for coffee the very next day. The Elysian Hotel recently opened a few blocks away we were all interested in walking over and having a look-see. From the moment I entered (and was greeted by those amazing busts) I knew I wouldn’t mind playing Eloise at the Elysian. Is the casting call for that role still open? 
That afternoon, in a wonderful setting, we laid out plans for a Civility Design/Queen of Cashmere media collaboration. The topic? Personalization beyond monograms.
Out of the ether of the Internet, real friendships emerge.
January 11, 2010
Queen of Cashmere Monogram Giveaway
Last week, I googled “Queen of Cashmere” to see what would pop up. Just curious. I found online love (which is a little different from finding love online). The search turned up accolades that had gone unnoticed. Unrequited, if you will.
There, on the first page of the results, was a blog post about Queen of Cashmere products. And more, there were comments from readers proclaiming approval and desire. Let The Tide Pull Your Dreams Ashore made my day. How does one say thank-you for a vote of unsolicited approval?
Well, one gives back, that’s how. I dropped Ms. EAS an electronic note of thanks, and offered a monogram Pasha Pillow for her to give away on her blog. The pillow comes in the winner’s choice of monogram and colors. Delivery is 6 weeks – perfection takes time. 
This should be fun so spread the word. Each participant can be eligible for up to 4 entries. It’s simple and open to everyone. {Update: Yes, we can arrange shipping to Canada, UK and EU!} Oh, and even if you don’t want to enter, please join the Queen of Cashmere Facebook Fan Page. It was set up just today and, as I type this, it’s an embarrassing expanse of virgin territory with nary a fan on the rolls. Change that and make me happy.
How to get in the game:
For 1 entry…leave a comment at Let The Tide Pull Your Dreams Ashore giveaway blog post by Monday, January 18th, by 5pm EST.
For an additional entry = 2 entries…become a follower.
For an additional = 3 entries…write a post about this giveaway on your blog or become a fan of Queen of Cashmere on Facebook.
For an additional = 4 entries…tweet about this giveaway with a link to this post and include twitter ID, @queenofcashmere
Warmest (Cashmere) Regards,
Caron
January 6, 2010
January Clean Pantry Challenge
I don’t know about you but I tend to over shop at the grocery store. Yesterday, I looked at my shelves and thought that I could certainly get a weeks worth of meals out of my pantry, freezer and fridge without buying another item. Can I do it? I’m sure going to try.
There were parsnips in the vegetable bin. I had intended to make soup from them before my mother-in-law let me know they didn’t really care for parsnips. I love them. Boy, did they miss out on an amazing soup! It was rich, slightly sweet as well as spicy and really, really comforting. Just what the January weather called for. I had everything on hand except the mustard seeds which I skipped and replaced with a bit of chopped cilantro as garnish. We opened a bottle of 2006 Grigich Hills Estate Chardonnay and enjoyed immensely with a loaf of crusty french bread.
From my favorite Fine Cooking Magazine – which is always a winner.
Parsnip and Leek Soup – Day 1 of the Clean Pantry Challenge.
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, cut into medium dice (2 cups)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups lower-salt chicken broth; more as needed
2 medium leeks (white and light-green parts only), trimmed, washed, and sliced crosswise about 1/2 inch thick (2-1/2 cups)
1 lb. medium parsnips peeled, cored and cut into medium dice (about 2 cups)
1 lb. yellow potatoes (like Yukon Gold), peeled and cut into medium dice (2-3/4 cups)
2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. cayenne
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tsp. cumin seed
2 tsp. black mustard seed
1 large yellow onion, cut into medium dice (2 cups)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups lower-salt chicken broth; more as needed
2 medium leeks (white and light-green parts only), trimmed, washed, and sliced crosswise about 1/2 inch thick (2-1/2 cups)
1 lb. medium parsnips peeled, cored and cut into medium dice (about 2 cups)
1 lb. yellow potatoes (like Yukon Gold), peeled and cut into medium dice (2-3/4 cups)
2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. cayenne
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tsp. cumin seed
2 tsp. black mustard seed
Heat the butter in a 6- to 8-quart heavy-duty pot over medium heat. Add the onion, 1/2 tsp. salt, and a couple of grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the broth, leeks, parsnips, and potatoes and raise the heat to medium high. Simmer briskly for 5 minutes and then reduce the heat to low. Add the turmeric and cayenne, stirring well, and simmer slowly until the vegetables are very soft, about 20 minutes.
Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender and then strain it through a medium-mesh sieve. The soup should be about as thick as a thin milk shake; add more broth if it’s not thin enough. Return the soup to the pot and season to taste with salt. (The soup can be made up to this point 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat before proceeding.)
Shortly before serving, heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, cumin seed, and mustard seed. Stir with a wooden spoon until the seeds begin to pop and the garlic is lightly browned, 30 to 60 seconds. Carefully stir the hot oil and spices into the soup (it may spatter). Season to taste with more salt, pepper, or cayenne.
photo: Scott Phillips, From Fine Cooking 102, pp. 69, October 29, 2009
January 3, 2010
Back to Life. Back To Reality
Today is the swan song of the holiday season. The in-laws fly back to London this afternoon and tomorrow Conrad, the man/boy, goes back to boarding school. Tomorrow it will just be January - cold and austere.
Living in the moment, we all enjoyed a long, wonderful Sunday lunch of Joyce Goldstein’s roasted lobster with tarragon under puff pastry caps, braised fennel and wild arugula and roasted beet salad. Ice cream sundaes topped with homemade brandied cherries from last summer’s bounty brought the meal to a close. Of course we had some a lot of very nice chardonnay. It’s back to reality tomorrow.
Before I decide to take that luxurious nap that I am craving, I thought I would share with you my resolution for 2010.
As an introduction, you need a little background information about Book Club. There are four of us now although initially there was one more person who gave up on us halfway down the pike. I met Gabriela, Helen and Leslie 14 years ago in the Moms and Tots class of St. Chrysostom’s Day School. 14 years is a long time for anything. 14 good years is a bleeding miracle. We have been through a lot together – bereavements and births, illnesses and milestones. Through thick and thin we have met regularly, been there for one another and divluged deep secrets under the protection of the Book Club Code Of Honor which prohibits us from ever repeating anything once we walk out the door. We have eaten feasts and drunk more than our fair share of wine while racking up an impressive roster of literature.
And through all this, there is one undeniable and certain truth about Book Club. Just as we know that the sun will come up tomorrow, if Gabriela (who I love more than ice cream) gives a book her stamp of approval, I certainly will not like it. Such is the case with last month’s selection: Mennonite In A Little Black Dress. However, buried in it’s pages was a golden nugget that resonated with me long after I finished the book. And so from it I glean my resolution for 2010. Thank you Rhoda Janzen.
“I have come to believe that virtue isn’t a condition of character. It’s a choice we keep making over and over, hoping that someday we’ll create a habit so strong it will carry us through”.
May the close of 2010 find me a better person made through one good choice at a time.
January 2, 2010
Ride a Cork Rocket
I like the fact that January1 fell on a Friday this year. One doesn’t have to get down to good clean living and fulfilling resolutions until Monday. It gives us a little more time for revelry and reflection. Funny, how I never thought those two things would go together but they do. It’s the times we are living in. Perhaps will all get back to a little revelry this year. Mindful revelry.
If yesterday was portentous and full of possibilities of how 2010 might unfold, I’m in for a banner year. Let’s hope so since it will roll in on the heels of one of the worst years ever. Although I’m still standing and my family is safe and together, I never again want to go through the global uncertainty and personal emotional morass that 2009 served up in a jumbo sized portion. I’ve had a not-so-elegant sufficiency to last me a lifetime, thank you very much. As the Germans like to say, I’m ‘holding my thumbs’ in expectation of better times.
And yesterday better times there were a plenty. I spent part of the day with my good friend Marsha. We met in 1989 at a champagne tasting at the long shuttered Johanna’s Wine Bar here in Chicago. That is a lot of miles ago and a long setting of the cement of our friendship. Yesterday, Marsha and I attended her friends Adam and Wayne’s New Year’s open house. I haven’t had such a great time at a party in absolutely forever.
Sabrage is the slicing open a champagne bottle with a sabre. And yes, I did this. Inside. At a crowded party. Nervously – since I have always been a bit of a klutz. OK, more precisely, I’m a walking disaster but this time I nailed it – dead bang on. And I have the trophy to prove it. 
How that cork rocket flew! And not a drop of bubbly hit the floor. We drank it all toasting to a New Year that feels like it is going to be very, very good.
January 1, 2010
A Shot of Sunshine for the New Year
Happy New Year! It’s a brilliant sunny day here in Chicago. Admittedly, it’s a bone chilling 7°F but a dose of sunshine can make up for a lot of winter’s transgressions.
I have been gone awhile but I’m back in the blogging saddle. Where did I go? Well, I went to the pound and adopted Churchill’s Black Dog. Seems like I bring that mutt home every year.
I’m not sure why it took me so long (48 years) but I finally had an ‘a-ha’ moment and bought myself a full spectrum light box. Genius! A shot of sunshine to banish the blues. Brilliantly simple.
So beaming out to all my friends is my sunshine blog made up of all things vibrantly yellow and uplifting that I wouldn’t mind adding to the curative therapy. 
Perhaps soon, I will revamp my office to have a little more va-va-voom like this zingy yellow interior by my friend Alessandra Branca. It’s graphic, uncluttered and vibrant. Uncluttered, hmmm. Might have to work on that aspect of my office a little harder.
I adore this Thakoon coat and am on a mission for something like it. I can’t think of anything I would rather wear when it’s cold outside. Sam Kori George makes the MOST elegant and impeccable couture clothing. 2010 might be the year I take the plunge and have him make me a yellow coat complete with a fur collar but sans the black clown buttons.
A canary diamond would lift my spirits for sure. The Queen Mother Annie Mae actually has one but she doesn’t do loaners. Oh, well.
And lastly, a yellow champagne toast to my friend LPC at Privilege for encouraging me to shake off the dust and begin to blog again. The friendships I have found through blogging touch me to my soul.
To my friends both old and new, Happy New Year and best wishes for a bountiful, sunny and happy 2010!