Written by For our prompt today, I have some bay leaves as that’s simply the first thing that came to mind. Also, it’s an ingredient that often shows up in our house this time of year. A bit of slow cooked chicken or pork in the “magic pot” I bought Philippe for Christmas is a lovely thing indeed. The latest one is a Staub Dutch oven, but we use to same term to describe our Instant Pot which is always fabulous and a bit faster if you’re in a hurry. Also, there are some server issues happening on WordPress.com, so if you have trouble viewing this post, please check back as the site will return eventually. My newest adventure now, is most likely finding a new hosting provider as our little community is proving to be quite a burden on their servers. As terrifying as change can be, it’s equally an exciting problem as it means so many of you have come to share your watercolors and that’s a fabulous happening indeed! Thanks so much for being part of Doodlewash and also for your patience as we figure out how we can move the site to the next level!
I fully realize that transforming this site into such a blend of high-end functionality was quite an undertaking and experiment. Crazy, by most standards really, as I’m an illustrator and not a web developer at all, but we have a lovely community and site that is now quite optimized and running well, but still has little gremlins that appear every now and again due to server problems beyond my control. But as many of us now, when painting with watercolor, control is simply not part of the equation. Instead, one has to go with the flow and let things happen as they should. Or, in many ways, you could say, as nature intended. I’m a firm believer that life creates bumps along the way to push us to DO things we might otherwise be too scared to try. Those moments when you’re faced with only one option and it’s the one you’ve been trying to avoid all along. In these times, it’s terrifying to be sure, but equally thrilling as it means that something new is about to happen. And it might just be the thing that should have happened all along.
As many of you know, I’m horribly optimistic to a fault. I never let anything stand in my way, because the one thing life has taught me is that there’s always something incredible just beyond that little problem, whatever it is. In the end, it’s all about chasing your dreams, no matter how crazy or impossible they might seem. Poets and authors have put it more eloquently than I, of course, but it’s truly a pursuit of destiny. We all have the power, talent, and ability to make whatever we want happen. The trick is to never be afraid and always follow the path that appears next. It may be winding and perfectly uncertain, but it’s always the one you should definitely take. It’s the one, after all, filled with the most possibilities. In spite of all my optimism, I would be remiss to not state that I too get perfectly terrified. Scared that I’m taking the wrong path or worried that I’ll mess up everything. In those moments, I just relax into normal life and let the aromas of a simple dinner remind me of all that’s truly important, and that life is just as it should be. A positive and hopeful trance that can happen even with something as deceptively simple as a bit of bay leaves.
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About the DoodlewashDa Vinci Paint Co.: Yellow Ochre, Leaf Green, Terra Cotta, and Cobalt Blue. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. |
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Ah, I knew you’d work glass into the herb challenge somehow, lol! A different server host sounds like it might be a good idea. Often, an onerous (don’t ya love that word?) task, but I know you’ll turn it into a joyful adventure.
lol… it was either glass or dessert! 😉💕And yeah, I’m still holding out hope, but things have been a bit too crazy lately. However things turn out, it will always be a wonderful adventure!
You are a master at painting glass! I don’t mind the little gremlins on this site, but maybe a new hosting provider will work better.
Thanks so much, Sharon! 😃💕 Yeah, gremlins are crazy little creatures… hard to track down! hehe… hopefully we’ll get everything running better shortly!
Nice jar of leaves!
Thanks so much, Lisa! 😃💕
So, much as I have bay leaves in my kitchen and add them when the recipe says to, I have never really noticed what difference they make in the taste of a dish. What flavor do you get from them? And if they tasted as fun as you make them look in your painting, I might add them to more dishes! Nice job, Charlie!
Thanks so much, Ruth! 😃💕 I can’t speak to what they add specifically, as Philippe is far more trained in that, but I can attest to the difference in taste. It’s subtle and yet so amazing!
A lovely little jar of herby leaves, so attractive in their glass enclosure, imparting a subtle flavor into soups and stews. And this is the little site that grew into a really big undertaking, needing a new host. Just see what garden you have planted, Charlie, it grows by leaps and bounds.
Aww thanks, Sharon! 😃💕 Yeah, this has totally be the little site that could! hehe… I’ve not really marketed it or made it into anything other than what it always was. But I’m thrilled that so many people have joined me… it’s incredible when your crazy dreams actually come true!
Thursday nights were spaghetti nights at our house.
I always left a bay leaf in the sauce. Whoever got the bayleaf
had to clean up the kitchen.
I think you did the bay leaves just so you could paint the jar to hold them.
Grand job!
Keep growing…just be sure to leave a forwarding address!
haha.. you caught me… I totally started with a jar on this one! I love painting glass!! lol 😃💕 And I love that idea of whoever got the bay leaf… that’s a fun game! And no matter what happens, my address will still be doodlewash.com. 😉
Very nice Charlie
Thanks so much, Pamela! 😃💕
Wonderfully clear glass,
I think life is like Herbs, too much, you can ruin it, not enough, not exciting enough, we all find the middle ground in the end.
Why not just like the Bay Leaf take that leap into the hot water or dabble in the coolness.
Never just not try, life’s to short.
So true, Bella! 😃💕Life is indeed to short to avoid trying new things! I always think it’s better to just go for it and enjoy the adventure!