I love silence.  I love the way it feels to sit in a  room and hear the sounds of nothing: the air circulating, the computer humming, the walls creaking.  

If silence were a place, I think it would be the tiny house where our minds live.  Whenever it’s silent, my mind gets to come home and wrap itself up in the big duvet blanket inside my brain.  It relaxes. And in silence, my mind gets to just chill out. 

I used to live in silence a lot.  Alone.  Silence used to envelope me for large stretches of the day, punctuated by visits from my cat, who would come and see me - she in her silence, too. 

It probably seems strange, or sad or lonely to the average onlooker to imagine the girl all alone, kept company by her cats. The cat lady image is impossible to avoid. 

But if you go there and believe that, then maybe you don’t get it.  Be silent. And once you’re silent, try going back
to all the noise.  Maybe you’ll see it then.

Everything has noise.  Your computer has noise –feeds and updates and breaking news.  Your phone has noise – calls, and questions, texts and alerts.  Your job has noise and the radio has noise and the grocery store has noise.  

So sit in silence for a moment and recognize the power of your mind outside of all the noise.  This is where your creativity lies.  Outside of all the noise:  this is where your brain can be you. Where it can process.  Where
the uniqueness of your individuality lies. 

This is where mine lies.

There’s been too much noise. Too much noise that I can’t control. 

The challenge is to find the silence: the center, the focus, the realm of thinking.  From there creation is possible; creativity will come back, it has to. 

And when that comes – bam! – just like that, I’m back.

Seeking the silence.  Challenge, accepted.

Summer’s busy. 

Busy, busy, busy.

Busy in a good way.

It’s filled with activities of the most enjoyable varieties, like Wednesday cocktails or 10pm water slides with friends.

It’s less full of un-fun busy things like say, going to the DMV or trips to the dentist.  Those things should be reserved for entirely less-summery times, when life cools down.

Summer’s busy means it’s time for easy, throw-it-together, fresh fruit desserts on the back porch.  It means sitting on the porch, with drinks, concerts in the park, baseball games and dollar beer nights.

 Yes, totally time for that.

Strawberry Honey Pistachio Tart. Cocktails optional (but highly recommended). (from Savory Sweet Life)

Ingredients
1  (1/2 package) frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup ground pistachios
1/4 cup honey
1 cup (1/2 pint) heavy whipped cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1  pint strawberries, stems removed and cut in half vertically
1/3 cup chopped pistachios (the original recipe is a bit unclear about how much, but I'm estimating that 1/3 cup is totally sufficient here; add more, if you'd like)

Instructions
1.  Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. 
2.  Unfold and roll the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch square. Place the pastry sheet onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Allow the pastry to cool on the baking sheet
4.  While the puff pastry is baking, prepare the two different creams.
5.  Using an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese, pistachios, and honey until well combined. Set aside.
6.  In a different bowl, whip the heavy cream and sugar with an electric beater until firm peaks form.
7.  Evenly  spread the pistachio cream layer over the pastry followed by a layer of the whipped cream.
8.  Arrange the cut strawberries with the tips pointing up in layers of circles, starting with the outer one, making your way in.
9.  Sprinkle the tart with the chopped pistachios.
10. Serve immediately.