Take 'er slow

I had a particularly long and busy day yesterday. As I neared the end of it, my mind was still racing with all of the "to-do's" for today bouncing around. I was annoying myself. So, I did a little in-place meditation. Basically, I breathed more deeply, thought about each action as I was doing it and repeated them in my head as I did them. (I'm walking now. I feel the pavement under my foot.) I know this might sound hokey, but it totally worked. So today, I'm reading the Food + Wine blog and came across this great bit about the Slow movement, as in Slow Food, knowing where your food comes from, cooking it with care, mindfulness. Then, I found another cool website: In Praise of Slow. P.S. It's also a book. By the way, the whole idea is less about the word slow and more about the words thoughtful, careful, mindful. Good stuff.

Now, guess who's sleeping over our house during the Charleston Food + Wine Festival? Why, none other than Master Sommelier Bob Bath. For those of you who don't know, Bob Bath is one of only 79 Master Sommeliers in the U.S. and one of only 150 in the world. We're thrilled he'll be spending some time with us, and I hope I get to be the one to put the mint on his pillow. Please, Randall!

By the by, if you haven't yet purchased your tickets for the Charleston Food + Wine Festival, you must. Fish is hosting a Chardonnay tasting on Saturday, March 1. Carolyn Wente from Wente Vineyards, Jed Steele from Steele Vineyards, Sarah DeLoach from Hook & Ladder Vineyards & Winery, David Whitehouse from Trefethen Family Vineyards, Susan Lueker from Simi Winery and Stacy Clark from Pine Ridge Napa Valley Wines will all be on hand.