January is a cruel month!

I know, I know. According to T.S. Eliot, the cruelest month is April. I, however, happen to think it is dark, gloomy, cold January.
Even though our seasonal earthly rotations have turned the corner (so to speak) and the days are getting longer again, the rain continues to fall and the skies are a grim shade of gray. There are huge puddles of water about and the gardens are muddy, with an occasional green stem trying to push its way up - gasping for air.
The snowdrops under the tree outside the kitchen door are blooming and I am so mad at them. Why can't they wait a couple of weeks? It's too soon to waste their pure white color when mud is splashing all around them dirtying their petals.
Yesterday, while on a walk, I tried to find something pretty. Or at least interesting. There were leafless bushes, with branches that served as skewers for the dead brown leaves that fell in October and December. Not very attractive. The magnolia trees have those fuzzy buds on them, but please, oh please, don't open yet!
There was bit of heather with flowers. Those were sort of nice.
At last I settled on the green cedar with its pods and "berries." I should have broken off a tiny bit for the wonderful smell!!
I, myself, cannot wait for the hellebores, then the camellias, and then the daffodils! The months between fall and spring seem the longest, although they are cool and provide an opportunity to camouflage the ripples at the waistline - femminismo

Seriously? Last post was in December?

The post title speaks for itself. I surely thought I had been here since December 15. Fairly incredible that I've been going places, doing things, exploring the woods for mushrooms, cooking (not the mushrooms; not that adventurous/suicidal) and not posting extraordinary pictures of my escapades.
There haven't been that many, but a few. Uploading from my phone to Facebook is so easy and to get photos in here there is downloading from the camera onto the computer, etc. Or could there be an easier way? Let me know if you've found it.
The image posted is from my Italian trip in November. I found a courtyard exhibit of sculptures in Cortona, and since there was no ceiling this little cherub had a shower that made delicious drops of water form on his tiny foot. I just loved his butt. Reminded me of my kiddos when they were babies - femminismo

It's nearly that Magic Day

The magic day in December - for me - is the 15th. It is my personal deadline for sending Christmas cards to those lucky first few who might get them on time.
However, I have been looking all over and can't find my address book. Where, oh where, could it be?
......... Hello. It's now Friday morning, Dec. 16. This post has been sitting here all night. I haven't found the address book. I did address four cards and then I slumped into a "Pose of Denial" on the living room couch and caught up on some TV viewing.
I pity anyone anticipating a card and Christmas letter from me. And from not posting on this blog more often I think my writing skills have decreased vastly.
New Years resolution, anyone? Anyone? - femminismo

Journey of Tiramisu

There were so many memorable meals in Italy. Looking through my backlog of photos I chose a few that bring back one of the great dinners we had. There were sausages and sauteed grapes (these were delicious fried gently in olive oil - try them!) and for dessert we had a tiramisu - one of the fluffiest and tastiest ever.

Paola (left) made the dessert and Elizabeth fixed the sausages and grapes.

The people we were surrounded with proved to make the whole journey and every meal memorable. Have you ever been in a situation where it seemed as if everything was enchanted? Perfect accommodations, wonderful destinations, trouble-free arrangements on tours - everything just working out great? Well, this was my Italy trip. Sort of sets the gold standard.

Paola is whipping up the eggs for the dessert. Standing ready are the lady fingers and the super strong espresso to soak them in.

I am loving these memories and pictures because they take me back to that kitchen in Italy again. Back to that kitchen where Paola is layering the soaked lady fingers with the whipped egg and sugar mixture, which was just right: not too sweet so you could taste the other delicate flavors. (Elizabeth is in the background. She is writing a cookbook and I can't wait to see it.)

One of my favorite people on our trip was Anne (left). She is so sweet and kind and was always Johnny on the spot at helping make everyone super comfortable, even though she wasn't hired to help. She was on vacation too. She is just that sort of person, wanting everyone to enjoy themselves.

She had to leave our group early, after about a week together. She had a job interview in England. Pretty sure someone with her abilities was snapped up.

Here she is adding the chopped chocolate to the top of the tiramisu. Here's hoping for another trip one day to some place just as wonderful with such great folks and memories - femminismo

(I wish I understood why I can't "post" these from my laptop. So I write them on my laptop, save them as drafts and then use another computer to post. Any suggestions out there in blog land?)

Olive Picking in Umbria with Jan

For my 600th post: Enjoy the video. I really liked filming it.

More of Italy

We visited the wonderful town of Cortona and really did not (again) have enough time to see it all. It seemed a little more developed than when I visited in 2003, but maybe it was just due to the renovation of the museum and the improvements to the center of town.

We all got to go off by ourselves for a while and I dared to climb the stairs/alleyway and investigate the town a little more closely to see how others live. I could smell dinner cooking in one house and heard the radio playing in another.

Back on the main street I found a sign for Il Pozzi, a great little artshop with handmade leather-covered bound books. There was also a cistern from long, long ago and inside the glass-covered well were goldfish!

The owner of the shop helped me set up my camera, with no flash and setting the timer so I could just put it down flat on the glass. A beautiful hidden secret in this art shop.

We also had dinner in this town. I had the Sardinian pizza with cheese, capers and anchovies. Italian pizza is delightful. It's tasty, with thin crust, and you don't feel as stuffed with it as with our American-style pizza. Lovely!

We also had dessert - semifreddo. Seems a bit too much, but what else are vacations for? - femminismo

Coming Full Circle

I don't know what the title of this post means, but I do feel as if I've completed something I have always wished for: a return trip to Italy.

This journey lasted two wonderful weeks and was filled with all sorts of interesting, breaktaking, fully satisfying moments. Most important was connecting with new friends and seeing old friends I never knew I would see again.

We combined three loves of mine on this trip: food (including the cooking of it), photography and dramatic arts with a little physical comedy thrown in.

Our group of eight (sometimes nine) experienced some wonderful adventures and we bonded over the pasta machine. In the daytime we explored the Umbrian countryside. Whether it was in town (Umbertide or Cortona or Montone) or in the countryside chasing a dog (Emma) who was chasing truffles, it was all good.

At night we went home to our luxurious villa and sat in front of a warming fire with a fine glass of wine. Since this blog is also my personal diary, I will be putting more down as the days go by. (She said optimistically ... ) - femminismo

What Hasn't Been Going On?

Everything's been happening this September: the actual money producing job, the volunteering at Valley Art Gallery, producing ads, attending meetings, visitors from out of state, mini high school reunions, dentist appointment, eye appointment ... but thankfully NO jury duty. I called today after 4 p.m. and my number wasn't chosen. I've got to tell you that even though some admired my good citizen stance, I can use the time for other things.
I am going to put together artist kits for the Annual Sidewalk Chalk Art Festival on Saturday, Sept. 17, and then race home around 4 p.m. to hostess a graduation party for my granddaughter. She is doing ALL the work and others are supplying the food. I will just have to clean the toilets and make sure there are hand towels.
Oh, and I might shampoo the carpet, wash all the windows and paint the outside of the house. So you can see I won't be blogging here for long, since the party's on Saturday.
I have been remiss in not visiting my blogger friends for a while. And those friends who I see - those who still check into this site - comment, "You're sure not blogging much."
Well, I will end that today (to some extent ... for a while ... maybe).
It was wonderful to see friends from high school over the Labor Day weekend. We just all got together at the last minute, thanks to Jean L. Sometimes this works. Her husband grilled the finest chops and we had a memorable talk fest in Columbia City near the river. Very pretty home and view.
And of course Labor Day means Art in the Pearl. I bought only one thing and that's because the Mister was tired of following me. It wasn't too expensive. Can't be, because I'm saving (and spending) my dollars/euros on a trip to Italy in November!
I am so excited. Thrilled. Scared. Wondering if I'm crazy.
Well, honestly, mostly excited and thrilled. Scared a little bit that I will get lost. But the airport people always seem to know the way to your flight - even if it's just taken off.
The trip to Italy will focus on food, photography and theater. I love, love, love all of these things!
Well, must go. Here is a camera phone photo I took of the Living Leaves I do each September 11th - femminismo

Good Day, Sunshine!

I love summer. I can't remember one I've loved so much. Finally we have sunshine ... four or five days in a row. Kids running on the streets barefoot. Slugs hiding out under damp pots and holding up their "skirts" as they have to make their way across dry soil at night.
Roses blooming so boisterously their odor is everywhere. Basil leaves so large and fragrant they intoxicate!
I am going to savor every flower, every tomato and every ray of sunshine.
The moon is nearly full tonight and tomorrow we begin our camping trip in the woods to lay under the stars and observe the Perseid showers - but no precipitation! femminismo

Looking Through Fields and Gutters

Artsparker had a photo of some stuff she found in the gutter. After my noon-time walk I, too, now have found a cache of important stuff.

I believe it might be what our world is running on right now. Or at least those who walk and discard or throw things from their car windows.

When I called the Mister on my cell to tell him about the 5-hour energy drink he encouraged me to open it up. "There might be 20 minutes left!" he said. I think/hope he was kidding.

The next item I spotted was an icon. One abandoned, or blown, into a dry field. Through the chain link fence or under it, she ended up smiling in spite of it all. An icon is an icon is an icon - femminismo

Food can be Art

CHOPPING FOOD is being creative, to me anyway.
Deciding which flavors can live together happily - complementing each other well - is very similar to adding color to a canvas.
So today, remembering all of the Walla Walla (sweet!) onions I had bought, I decided to layer Yukon gold potatoes, the onions, and zucchini from our garden and bake them all together in the oven.
I decided to incorporate basil with the zucchini and since I had walnuts, I thought they would go well with the basil.

I know it's usually pine nuts, but there you go. Change about!

Throughout the dish is olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Just can't live without those things. I left out garlic. Don't know why. Didn't feel like dealing with it, I suppose. Thought it might overpower the other flavors.
Oh, I just noticed the Manchego cheese slice. It's grated up in there too - a little in each layer.
On top I drizzled more olive oil, grated the remainder of the cheese and topped everything with Italian bread crumbs.
It's all cooking in the oven now, covered with parchment, and the bottom layer is bubbling.

I wish I could describe the smell, but I'm betting you can imagine it.
When I get a headache the best cure is cooking. Something about the distraction of it all: blending, binding, trying not to slice off fingers.
Olive oil, olive oil, olive oil. Imagine the fortune one might have made importing it early on and opening America's eyes to how wondrous a thing it is! Better (well, almost) than stocking up on Microsoft stock or Intel - femminismo

p.s. Finished portion. (not big enough) Hate to brag, but this tastes delicious hot out of the oven. Zucchini on top browned, Yukon potatoes held up (not too soft, not too hard) and the basil was an inspiration. Glad I didn't leave that out. Bon appetit, whatever you have for lunch or dinner!

My Wednesday Walk

THESE are some of the picturesque items and people I saw on my Wednesday Walk. (And my Mister wonders why I want to go to Italy!?!)
It was a mostly nice day, with a chance of a shower, but I was determined to walk.

Isn't the mailbox precious?
The man in the football helmet isn't who I thought he was when I first saw him. I wanted to buy him a meal, but I guess he is a fairly well-to-do individual with a home and an income. He used to be an accountant (or something like that) and now he just pushes his carts up and down the streets and collects interesting bits and pieces. I can see myself doing that sometimes.

Just shows you shouldn't judge by appearances.
For the last photo, I took three pictures of the flag as I crossed the street. At the very end of the crosswalk I guess I was still technically in the street, but I wanted to get the flag just right. (It is a very, very large American flag - as you can see - and when it blows in the breeze it flutters so delightfully.)

Just as I clicked the shutter - if you can do that on a digital camera - someone drove through the crosswalk and yelled at me "Get out of the street!"

I wanted to yell back something appropriate, but perhaps it's a good thing I didn't. You never know - femminismo

By the way, here's my Italian dream!

June 11, 2011 - Beautiful Day

OFF AND ON the sunlight flashes through the trees and the blue overhead dazzles through most of today - so far.
I have made the bed, swept, dusted, polished, watered plants, washed windows and clothes and groomed plants and sprayed aphids (yes!) and I have even had time to adore my flowers and take some pictures.
Sitting on the ground taking photos led to laying on the ground admiring the trees and clouds. The ground feels good for a while and takes me back to childhood, watching the clouds sail past.
The allium schubertii bulbs I planted this past fall have bloomed, despite my fears they would rot in the ground since we had such a wet winter and spring. Wet? I don't think "wet" describes it, but I can't think of another word. I got the bulbs from White Flower Farm and would recommend them.
I really like them against the gray-green velvet of the lambs ear plant. These flowering alliums are huge.
There are so many lovely plants blooming in the garden right now and I'm hoping to transform the front yard this fall and make a small, intimate garden to observe and enjoy from our front living room window.
There is a very large magnolia tree there that I want to keep and build everything else around it.
I've been checking out books and Horticulture magazines from the library and they have been helpful, but I don't quite have my ideal in mind just yet.
Let's see; what else did I want to show you? Oh, how about this rose that - with your eyes closed - you could imagine is a ripe, lovely melon. The smell is a 9 on a scale of one to 10. Jude the Obscure is a 10, but I don't have on of those - yet!
Tonight we are going to a concert in Portland to see John Hiatt (acoustic guitar) and Lyle Lovett together. It should be a memorable night with these two. Who knows what might happen? The band might invite us to go out with them after the show? Well, who knows? Stranger things have happened.
The lilywort is blooming too. Got to enjoy them because it doesn't seem they last long.
And this tiny blue flower in the back of the herb garden ... what is it? I hope it's not borage.
Well, time for another load of clothes in the washer, so I'd best get going. Time is a'wasting this Saturday afternoon - femminismo

So I'm Spoiled ...

That's right ... I'm really spoiled! Look what came winging my way today! Thanks, Jim, for your beautiful work. I love the cutting board. Now to actually even cut something on it. I may just hang it on the wall!!!
Meanwhile, in my little world, time marches on. This month is going to be busy, with a week's vacation (probably at home), deadlines and celebrations.
The boy from New Mexico is coming "home" for a short visit. We'll celebrate his birthday and gather together for catching up.
There's a John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett concert this Saturday night and I'm prepared for fun.
Father's Day camp-out on the property with family and friends is the 18th and 19th. Under the stars with a campfire. Yay! And maybe some S'mores.
And one of my oldest friends may be coming to visit this month too. When life has its downs, it also has its ups.
Here's a last photo - a self portrait - taken during our recent "work convention" in beautiful Bend, Oregon - femminismo
p.s. I wish I had taken photos of the Three Sisters, snow capped mountains that make this part of the world an Oregon marvel.

Vacation is Coming UP

I HAVE to take vacation. I have two weeks that need to be used by July 17 or I will lose them.
Any suggestions on where to go? It needs to be where people speak English. With an American accent. (This is a must for the Mister.)
Perhaps a road trip down California way? Or maybe visiting loved ones in Washington?
Seattle and Pike Street Market? Montana?
What will it be I wonder. The lure of the open road is calling ... but then, again, the hallway that needs painting, the art "studio" that needs shoveling, the flowers that need planting.
Good to have this to look forward to since we're been facing many, many, many deadlines at work! Maybe Atlanta??? New York City? Wow, the possibilities - femminismo

Lovely, lovely peonies

If there was one flower from my youth that as distasteful to my nose as broccoli was to my palate, it was the peony. Tuberous peonies stank! They grew in one variety - dark blood red - in my grandmother's garden and I didn't appreciate them at all.

Now, however, after living through nearly 15 years of lush tree peony growth in my own back yard, I have come to adore everything about this flower.
Even the bitter smell of the petals.

These flowers lured me outside in the midst of a rainstorm on Sunday and I didn't regret getting wet. Not when you look at these lovelies swaying back and forth in the breeze, their petals heavy with silver drops of water. The heavy blue ball in the lower right-hand side is a nice part of our garden. Why don't we have more of these? Good question.

Other flowers that are more lovable from the start are the wiegila (not spelled right) and columbine. Enjoy these while I dash off to a meeting - femminismo

p.s. (edited later) Was bad and didn't go to the meeting. Went to a book reading at Powells to hear Steve Earle read from his new book, "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive." He looked exactly as he does on "Treme" and I wished he would have sung one of his songs.

What Is ... Isn't

This used to be a sunset. On a gray beach. Now it sort of looks like a black hole sucking in the purple sky above the water, which it's reflecting.
Sometimes things aren't what they seem to be. When you play around with hues, saturation, "noise," and other stuff, you get something that looks pretty unnatural.
I have been thinking quite a bit about an iPhone lately. Mostly because of the cool pictures people take with them.
When there are so many photo applications, and Photoshop and what have you, would I really, really need one of these phones?
I would hate to give up my BlackBerry, especially since I found this little wall-smasher, cannon shooting gun thingy that practically makes me press my thumbs all the way through the little tiny smart phone. I think this phone is way smart enough for me - femminismo
p.s. Can you tell I'm really tired? I'm not even making sense.

Enhanced Oregon Just For You - and me

WARNING: These pictures have been enhanced. Not the scenes. They are real and they exist (for the moment) here in Oregon with me. It just seems that the camera doesn't do justice to the colors and so I played with them a bit in my free version of Photoshop Elements. That simple program has come in very handy over the years.
Last weekend the Mister and I met with another guy - Phil - up on the property (we need to find a name for this "place"). Phil and his dog, Sydney, had been mowing the grass before we got there. The grass along the roadside and in the road. And some in the woods.
I took off for a while with my camera to document all the new growth: skunk cabbage leaves, goats beard, trilliums, ferns, Johnny jump-ups, currant tree blossoms. I walked down Far Road to the western civilized (cleared) end of the property with a bucket and came back with the prettiest maidenhair fern. (It's now planted in our backyard in the wettest area we could find.)
The Mister and Phil winched up some trees and started up the chainsaw, which Sydney did NOT like. I ended up grooming ferns - cutting away the old growth to give the new fronds full advantage - and of course went crazy, sitting on the bank above our little trailer and worked away so I would have a pretty view from the window if I ever get the chance to just be there and sit and do nothing.
Phil has some interesting theories about life in general and he entertained me with those thoughts while I chopped away. His dog is named Sydney either because she actually came from Australia or they knew each other in another life in Sydney. I'm not sure, but I sometimes enjoy listening to other people's views of the world as long as they're not trying to convert me. And, Phil, if you're reading, thanks for all your help in the woods.
On the way to a family gathering following our time in the woods - where I had to sit on a towel thanks to my dirty pants - the Mister took a route home that went past the mustard field we had seen on the way in. Don't damage your eyes staring at all that yellow - femminismo
p.s. I love you and I think I'm back.

Dinner With a Friend

TONIGHT I had dinner with a friend - a woman I went to high school with. We toured a college together once in 1963. We talked about rooming together once. We gossiped, we dreamed, we wondered what the future might hold.
We've walked two different paths and ended up together tonight - for a while - talking over dinner about the present, past and future. Italian food, beer for her and Italian red wine for me, a plate of three delicious types of bruschetta and a romaine salad with beets. Yum!
We looked through art shops and walked a bit on a labyrinth - until we got dizzy.
It is so good to touch base with an old friend and remember times gone by that seem at the same time to be long ago and just yesterday.
I was hoping we could travel together, but that won't be for a while. Maybe in a couple of years.
For me, I'm thinking of going to Italy in November. Harvesting olives. Taking a cooking class. Never coming back. (Wait! Did I say never come back? I can't do that!)
It's always fun to dream. Tomorrow night I will try to post some photos. I've been taking them, but not having as much time or energy ... or mojo? ... as usual. Bad blogger! Bad! - femminismo

Book Sale!

It has been a busy month, and with April turning in its grave - twisting and moaning - but ending with sunshine and breezes here in Oregon, we're about to enter the happy days of May. Thoughts of picnics (maybe), camping trips (probably) and more opportunities to get out and enjoy the fair weather. We hope!
Today I'm going to a book sale at the Main Library with my brother and we'll not doubt find one or two volumes to bring home. I seem to remember the sale last year when I paid an exorbitant amount for a used book I hoped to tear apart. Where is that now?
After that I want to stop by Primroses & Tumbleweeds, a new wine/boutique opening today in town. They will have Champagne for sale and other wonderful items. They have a Facebook page.
Farmers Market is opening too. Plant starts, I will bet - galore!
Talk atcha later - femminismo