the only thing you can rely on is change.

and you never know when one chapter becomes another.
time takes time.
rushed bread develops little flavor.
cold egg whites aren't as strong.
flour is never what you think it is until you know it.
fruit is way more complicated than you, but neck in neck with love.
chocolate can be mastered but never owned.
anything fermented is cities of tastes.
perspective should never be underestimated.
no one can guarantee you anything, unless you believe in lies.
believe people when they tell you the truth about themselves.
passion and numbers do not the best bedfellows make.
craft
is a mightily powerful force.
actions are choices. even when we feel trapped.
relationships are built by verbs not observations.

failure is relative.
you can define success.
there are many types of victory.
you can start your day over at any point.
breakfast all day is a wondrous thing.
chocolate is a better addiction than heroin.
if you keep doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results, it will make you feel crazy.
transparency
is refreshing.
while honesty is relative, it's utterly important.
self knowledge can be a compass if you let it.
a strong work ethic helps and hurts.
loyalty is often blind.
people are not fruit. one cannot shave off the nasty bits and eat only the part they like.
sometimes strangers can say the thing you need to hear the most.
but those who love and know you intimately can usually cut to the chase faster,
and the rewards are life long.
sometimes you're not meant to know why you've moved 8,000 miles away.
40
is a meaningful number, in human years.
4 is my favourite colour because it's orange.
morning ritual is lovely, and grounding.
april showers bring may flowers.
chin up.

being a cook's cook is an important distinction in my opinion.
craft can never be mastered but it can be studied.
sometimes you have to look at how hard you're working
and hear it
when people say
you don't necessarily have to work harder
but you might want to work
different.
"there is no failure. I give you permission to erase it from your word box altogether."
the kitchen is a siren.
the ending is always the same.
fame is an illusion.

the only thing you can rely on is change.
what does that make pattern?
years are just broken up into patterns disguised as coincidences.
sleep is delicious.
home is complicated.
the ocean is vast. and alive.
baking is alchemy.
laminated dough is a series of folds, like envelopes
carrying thousands upon thousands of layers
of words
inked, pushed, pressed
monotype, letterpress,
lead & oil
pigment & plaster
conjure & whisper
only to be shared
by those in the know
carrying messages over land and sea, through snow and rain.
for there is no destination to reach.
just one sign,


the only thing you can rely on is change.

Comments

[JonSavage]

Beautiful post Shuna.

Thank you

[Tea]

You do amazing things with words.
Wishing you all the best.

[Lelo]

Ah, so so so lovely. Transparency is refreshing, along with all of your words. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

[Melvis]

Absolutely amazing.
I want to hold your hand and give you many hugs...
Stay strong....

love you muchly

[cathy]

Just beautiful.

[Gabriel]

I love your blog! I am a baker at wildflour bakery in Freestone, (sonoma county) CA...I SO relate to your writings and look forward to reading them.
Thanks for the inspiration!

...by the way, do you have any amazing recipes for a rhubarb cake??
-gabriel

Hello Gabriel,

Look! A baker from Freestone! Yay!!! I have soo many stories involving that bakery and the things I've seen there! I hope you are having an educational, nourishing, soul-satisfying experience there.

And your paintings are beautiful, thank you for your link. My favourite cake batter to use with rhubarb is Cornmeal & Fresh Fruit Cake because it has enough body to withstand watery fruits, or jam/preserves/marmalade--- substances like this cpmplement this recipe well.

It's an honour to have you here, I hope you'll stop by again. ~ Shuna

[Toni]

not sure if you can check this facebook page or not - it's an eggbeater fan page - it has a link to your website on it - it says it's from Coney Island....fan, friend or family?
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Coney-Island-NY/Eggbeater/15828429258?v=wall&viewas=798223426

[Dragana]

Girl, do you have a way with words?! I was captivated!

[rachel]

any comment will feel feeble after that.
I want to print this post and pin it somewhere important.

[Tracey Callison (SugarPunk)]

This is an amazing post, and full of so many truths that I've just spent all afternoon forwarding it to people I love. Thank you.

[Elinore Schafer]

This post moves me too. I want to put your link on my blog. I am a former baker of many years and cook, never dared called myself chef, ever, or let anyone else. Went thru a period of unemployment and revisited the cooking world mostly by reading. Food is comforting you know.

[Marguerite]

Very enjoyable,poetic and insightful.

[Jenny]

Sad and enchanting. I hope you are ok....

The photos are very moving too.

You remind me of einstein, the true definition of an idiot is someone doing the same thing over and again expecting a different result. I'm sure I've massacred that quote, but you get the idea.