Dear friend,
Last Sunday, we spent five hours with our boots on the ground, wandering through brush and trees and hillsides, covered in dirt, and so bloody happy I wish we could’ve bottled it up and carried it with us always. I love a good mission and this day, it was simple. Spend the day together not working. Lest we think “not working” looks like sitting still entirely, for us, it looked like traversing the foothills of the Cascade mountain range we are so blessed to call home, eyes peeled and minds engaged, looking for mushrooms. (I would’ve been just as happy if we found zero.)
The smell of the moss, the chatter of the children running up and down the hillsides, the sense of discovery all around, it felt electric.
You can watch this week’s new video right here and come along for some of these moments.
I’ve been making a lot of hard decisions lately; decisions that will leave more space for life and moments just like this. After a few decades of building our family and over a decade of building our home, we figured it was high-time that we start making sure we enjoy some of it too. That makes it sound simple, but it didn’t feel simple to me. It felt like a thousand small decisions to feel joyful.
It felt like looking myself in the mirror and saying “My dear, you look lovely today.”
It felt like letting everything that we already have be enough.
It felt like seeking out opportunities to love others and to be with them.
It’s no secret that I’ve had my struggles this year. By God’s grace, I’ve been digging out of dark places and learning to set my footing on what is good and true and beautiful once again. It’s no one thing, but instead, a combination of so many little pieces… small decisions, small words, small victories, small moments taken.
Small adventures like our mushroom hunting.
Small projects like stringing up some new lights and spreading some gravel to create somewhere beautiful.
Small actions like taking out my camera again and using it to see beauty.
As I should’ve expected, there’s no magic bullet for any part of life — but would we really want there to be? Or would we rather labor and sweat, toil and solve, build and harvest, weep and rise, hunt and find, tend and nurture, mix and delight, laugh and cry. I’m finding, more and more, it’s both/and. It’s laboring when there is labor to be done and making sure to fill up too. As I show in this week’s new video, it’s about putting in the sweat-equity and then making sure to stop and enjoy it all a-plenty. It’s the low hum of chatter that’s always surrounding us as we labor and the many hands that jump in to help and learn. It’s the feeling of satisfaction when the job is done and the delight in discovering something new.
I suppose, in short, it’s a hunger for life. And it feels good to be hungry again.
Have a blessed weekend, my friends.
Love,
Shaye
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Barley and Mushroom Salad Recipe
When the wild mushrooms are in season, do try to use them. Wheat berries could easily be substituted for the barley, though they do take a bit longer to cook. The flavor of this salad is light — this isn’t a punchy vinaigrette that demands your attention; rather, it’s a subtle nod to the light flavors captured within. Simple, comforting, and beautiful.
Ingredients
8 cups water
1 cup barley, rinsed
½ teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces mushrooms, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon dried herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, or tarragon
½ bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
Large handful fresh greens
1 teaspoon wine vinegar or lemon juice
Instructions
Combine the water, barley, and sea salt together in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid, and let cook until tender — about 30 minutes. Strain off any excess liquid and set aside.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add in the shallots and garlic and cook until just fragrant — no more than 2 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and cook them in the butter mixture for an additional 4 minutes until just soft and tender. Sprinkle with the herbs, toss to coat, and set aside.
On a large platter, scatter the parsley and greens.
Add the strained barley into the mushroom pan and toss well to combine.
Pour the barley and mushroom mixture overtop of the greens and gently toss to combine the salad.
Drizzle the vinegar or lemon juice over the top and do one final toss to combine the salt. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
