One Day At A Time

Baby Steps

2012-01-29T19:48:00.001-08:00

I'm taking baby steps today, back into the world of art. Well, brushes of gel medium, anyway!
It's amazing how you forget the feel of the brush in your hand and the way the paint and gel feel so natural flowing out from it. Clumsy, I was, getting gel medium all over the sleeve of my shirt.
I'm following the directions of Katie Kendrick in constructing a magical, framed, hidden piece of art - entirely of cardboard and glue. (And joint compound, when I get some.) I have the frame, with an extra layer around the edges underneath to lift it a bit off the page. I believe I will put a mica frame on it because I found some pieces of mica laying on the art table.
Now here is where I believe I am successful, only BECAUSE of my messy art table. I MUST have everything around me - all at the same time. That way, it sometimes seems, I can find just what I wasn't looking for! (but needed) Because of my messing about with the mica and trying to separate the pieces as fine as possible, I found out be accident how you make the sparkly mica bits to glue on artwork. Crumbling the fine layers up make this magical substance!! Love it.
The two doors will open up to reveal the frame, inside of which will be ... well, who knows? Not me; not yet - femminismo

January is a cruel month!

2012-01-24T17:20:00.000-08:00

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?

2012-01-22T11:24:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-15T18:33:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-29T07:39:00.000-08:00

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

More of Italy

2011-11-28T21:28:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-22T15:06:00.000-08:00

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?

2011-09-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-11T22:37:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-07T14:19:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-11T14:54:00.001-07:00

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 ...

2011-06-08T21:46:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-18T21:11:00.001-07:00

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!

2011-04-30T10:14:00.001-07:00

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

Some Things Accomplished

2011-04-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

I have some things to show you. I've been working on crafty-daffy art. The craft I just turned out today: fabric cuff bracelets. Our Creative Expression group is going to work them over this coming Saturday so I wanted to make up a few to explain how they're made. (Makes sense, doesn't it?)
The orange tool with the curvy blade cuts through felt and fabric. You measure your wrist (plus 3/4 inch) and cut a piece of fabric that long.
Then you cut the same length, in a different color, a little bit slimmer than the first one.
Steam-A-Seam2 put between the two layers of fabric, with ribbon placed on top (it's cut a little longer so the ends can be tucked in between the two pieces and land on some of the interfacing) and then you steam iron it all to "glue" them together.
I had to use a flash on this picture because the lovely green felt kept looking a dirty brown. (Not that there's anything wrong with brown!) The button collection will decorate some of them and they will either fasten with ribbon in a loop around a button or with Velcro.
I'm sure I'll have photos of actual hand models wearing these. They might seem a little too cozy for spring and summer, but I'm sure there's a way to solve that with different materials. The curvy rotary cutter seems to solve the problem of fraying edges.
I also participated in a Relay for Life bingo fund raiser on Friday night. We had a a lot of fun and raised nearly $650 (maybe a little more) for cancer research - femminismo

When Did I Lose My Enthusiasm?

2011-04-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

BLOGGING used to be something I did nearly every day, or at least twice a week. No restaurant meal was complete until I had photographed the food, no flower or sunset was truly appreciated until photographed and added to the blog, no social event worth its salt had really been enjoyed until I had blogged about it.
What happened?
I actually blame it on the Mister. He takes up too much of my time.
"Oh, I see," he said. "Now anything that you don't accomplish is MY fault."
Yes, I tell him firmly. It's all your fault.
Well, if only that were true. It seems my butt and the couch have a really hot relationship going on. Eating dinner takes up my time. And then there's getting ready for bed. (That takes longer every year!) Doing the Word Jumble puzzle in bed to relax is one of my creature comforts.
I have been leading such a lame life recently (so much work AT work) and whenever I get inspired to go to take a photo and post it (Lenten roses - done that two years in a row I'll bet; forsythia, same thing) I feel like it's Groundhog Day. Over and over and over.
I have been busy with Relay for Life. Last night I made oatmeal, peanut butter, raisin and chocolate chip cookies and sold them outside my office for $1 for four cookies. I made a whole $11 for Relay!
If only I could get online at the Relay for Life website I would send out emails to all my friends and acquaintances to try and earn more for the cause. However, the Relay website has many problems - a global complaint, I have heard - and it's always denying entry to me and the other members of our team.
Tomorrow I am taking a drive with a friend. She has a destination in mind and wanted some company and it's time for us to get together and talk. She also wants to stop at Macys and look at cosmetics! This sounds like it might be fun. Maybe I will find something to bleach a brown spot on my face. My doctor said this is the cure. Clinique should have the answer. Sorry there's no picture here, but I need some inspiration that's fresh and new - femminismo

Rest Well in Blues Land

2011-03-22T14:12:00.001-07:00

Pinetop Perkins, you made us dance. You made us smile. You made us richer by far with your great soul. Thank you!

Some 'Hummable' Tunes

2011-03-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

WELL, tangos, polkas and wild crazy music isn't really that 'hummable' but you can try humming along with Three Leg Torso.
What an awesome group. So talented, on violin, accordion, bass, drums, vibes and all other sorts of percussion tools. Using the bow for a cello on the metal edges of cymbals?
It was my pleasure tonight to finally get to see these guys. Reading about them on their website makes the musical journey complete. The stories they had to go along with their songs were wonderful. If I ever have enough money/gumption and/or stupidity to try and make a movie, these are the guys I would call to do the soundtrack!
You should hear them. Listen to their music on their website.
You can hire them for dances and large weddings, too. Wouldn't that be fun? Tell them femminismo sent you!

Always the Winner in my Heart

2011-03-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

LOSING an hour and readjusting the body and mind -- is there anything as annoying? Maybe it was just waking up to more rain this morning. Cold rain. But then again, I did wake up and could walk to the window. I think I should count my blessings!
The crocus are blooming and daffodils are all over the countryside. Yesterday (Saturday) I attended a horse show competition and my granddaughter was pretty darn cute in Western Showmanship. I was in the stands nestled between one of my oldest friends and my daughter and we snagged seats under the overhead heater so life was pretty good.
Here is Shey with Willow, the pony my daughter trained. She is a good little horse with beautiful eyes.
There are only two girls competing with the Oregon High School Equestrian Team from their small school, and I really have to thank Carol and Wendy for helping out so much. Being at a cold horse barn at 7 in the morning isn't my idea of fun, but these young people get to compete in ways beyond the classroom and it builds the kind of character you can't overestimate. Give me someone who can get a horse to do what they want it to do - like walk on top and over a 2X4 wooden box in trail class - and I'll give you a person who can pretty much tame society at large!
The Mister and I were certainly glad we timed our trip to Kauai when we did. The tsunami that devastated Japan also affected the Hawaiian Islands, though certainly not as badly. Such a loss of life and the ongoing threat of nuclear disaster. Such chaos in the world made this family event even more welcome. I hope you are all enjoying a day of peace and quiet in your day suddenly an hour later - femminismo

Can You Spell Kauai?

2011-02-26T17:29:00.000-08:00

I FINALLY learned how to spell it by Googling it enough times - about 17 majillion. I still don't know how the natives pronounce it, but I aim to find out.
There were so many choices on where to go for vacation, but when it's two people deciding there's always a flaw and it takes twice as long.
It has to be warm. It has to have beaches. It has to be interesting. It has to be relaxing.
So it was finally decided: Kauai it was. I will have pictures when I get back and hopefully the time to post them. I have been a really bad blogger lately, and since this is my journal (she reminds herself) I had better do a lot more writing and posting.
February has been a busy month, with lots to do at work and a lot to do at home. It snowed again on us and the temperatures have been very cold. I told the tree peonies not to leaf out yet, but they never listen to me. Year after year, they just keep getting more and more frisky and can't wait for spring. They have to sprout out those lovely green leaves that spread themselves in the sun and waggle in the breeze. In the fall they turn gorgeous colors. And the flowers!? Well, search this blog for "peonies" and you'll come up with lots of finds, I'm sure.
Here is one more picture and then it is time to do something non-electronic. I know, it's hard to find that nowadays, but I want to find a book to read, so off I go to my "library" - femminismo

Long Strange Journeys

2011-02-08T19:01:00.000-08:00

ISN'T it amazing that no matter how old you get you can still feel the thrill of spring and new growth? You can sense it all around - in determined flocks of birds rising into the sky with new energy and resolve; in thrusting green shoots from the soil, seeking to rise from the seeds left amid last year's dead stalks.
This is not the time of year when it pays to go against the flow. However, going against the flow - breaking all the "rules" - might be an option if you would really like to get somewhere in your personal growth. Things to ponder.
Today, at lunchtime, I drove to an artist's studio to photograph some of her work for an upcoming show at Valley Art.
Barbara Hertel lives in a tiny town (one large church beneath towering fir trees and a teensy store) surrounded by open fields for actual farming. Her studio is a wonderful place, filled with finished artwork and works in process.
Case in point, this vessel that will become wonderfully meaningful with its saying painted in Hebrew. I will have to ask Barbara again what it means. Something like "we are the clay, you are the potter, we are the work of your hand," but not quite like that. I wish my memory was better!!
I can't wait to see this when it's finished!
She was working on more, but let me show you some of her finished work. I think you will like that too.
She cooks her raku in back of her studio and fires the most wonderful glazes on to get iridescence and "crackling" galore. Barbara fires up the wonderful "Guardian Spirits" that you can see on her website, and she has other figures she is now doing. I can imagine my own sweet faces in the empty spaces on these figures, can't you?
Barbara and I were talking about our mothers today, in passing, and this year - at her suggestion - I have decided to have a celebration of remembrance in June for my mother. It is time. We think of her and still mourn her loss, but it the right time now to celebrate all the good she did and her spirit and zest for life. Why these two figures here might be mother and child.
So I also got some sad news today. News that sent me reeling back in time to remember a long ago part of my life. Reminded me of how far I've come and the strange journeys since - hence the posting title. Long journeys, changing companions, forgotten promises, remaining distant heartaches and a series of "what if's."
If I had it all to do again. If I knew then what I know now. What if my friends knew the mistakes I made? What if they knew what I was really like? Have I been forgiven? Have I forgiven myself? Lots of questions in life and there's no knowing the real answers for long ago questions, because we aren't that person any more.
So let's throw them all in a bucket and let them soak for a while. Here's one last picture; one of the disintegration project and then I must go off and get myself some sleep - femminismo

February's Disintegration

2011-02-01T16:19:00.000-08:00

I HAVE another Disintegration Project going on this winter, after hearing about a similar experiment by another altered bookmaker. Last night, just as the night time temperatures dropped, I took this bucket outside. It holds a softcover book, some water and has dripped paint in it.

Who knows what will happen?

I only overheard a bit of - a sort of an explanation of - what someone else had done, so now I'm trying my own version. You know that old game of "Telegraph" where you whisper a message to one person and it gets sent around the circle? Usually, it ends up something quite different. I'll bet this book will be a one of a kind thing. I plan on adding some metal bits and letting that soak and rust, and more paint (acrylic) from time to time so I can see what that does.

I'll reverse the book now and then, also, to give both top and bottom equal time in the juices of February. Brr! I feel cruel, but the whims of science (and art) must be bowed to - femminismo

p.s. The container of puzzle pieces was very colorful. I could barely stand not having time to put it all together!

Collaged Board Book Pages

2011-01-24T15:56:00.000-08:00

SATURDAY I took a Donna Bauermiller "Board Book" class at Art on a Lark. It was so much fun and I came home eager to do more. I spent the entire afternoon and evening in my art space pasting and tearing and practicing writing. Here are a few (incomplete) samples. More later - femminismo

Imagine my surprise ...

2011-01-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

I THOUGHT I had already posted this picture. And I haven't! So here goes my first bracelet project (finished! yes!). You don't need to tell me it's lovely, because it is only an experiment and is not lovely from all angles.
At Art and Soul (Portland) in November or December I saw one of the class participants in the most ingenious and beautiful cuff/gauntlet-type/vintage encrusted/goth/Emily Dickinson-era "bracelet," and I now wish I had insisted on taking a photo of it. She made it herself and I've been scouring the Internet for something similar - or at least something to give my memory a boost on how she did it.
I think the nearest I've come is the top of a sock (cut off an old one) and then covered with sewn on bits of fabric and lace and ribbon.
The bracelet I ended up making was like one I saw online, where you have longish pieces of fabric, fold them in half, make a slip knot at one end and braid what's hanging from there. At the end you make a regular knot and that goes up through the opening in the slip knot.
I had pieces of yarn braided through and tied beads on these to make sure they were secure. It's nothing I'd post on Etsy - if I had an Etsy page - but I like the idea of cloth bracelets because they're not cold and jangling - femminismo
P.S. If you know of something like the fabric cuff bracelets, please, please, please let me know!

The Blue Lady

2011-01-13T18:34:00.000-08:00

TODAY, in quietly experimenting with Adobe Illustrator a little bit, I suddenly went wild. The day outside was so very, very gray and drippy! Color - in a large dose - was needed.
It all began with just trying out different brush strokes in different colors. Branches appeared and then flowers. And then pistils at the ends of the flower.
Then a face showed up - a big heavy about the eyebrows - but with a gleam in her eye she couldn't be stopped. She insisted that a background of color be applied even if it turned HER face blue also.
Blue like the Mediterranean Sea. Branches gold as a sunset. Flowers bright as bougainvillea. Pistils like liquid sun.
The outlines of leaves and then a smaller brush, drawing in loops, to suggest trailing vines. (I'm drawing with my less dominant hand here.)
Illustrator has these "libraries" of "Nature" items that include dragonflies, and the small flares of light might just be lightning bugs mixing in with these winged insects out after dark.
I tell you: In Oregon, during the winter, we will do anything to brighten up the day with color - femminismo

A Perfect Day

2011-01-11T15:44:00.001-08:00

I give thanks for this perfect day. Miracle will follow miracle and wonders will never cease. - Author unknown

This journal page is just a few quick trys at color, drawing and an altered page of text.

A perfect day must include art - femminismo

Yellow Shafted Flicker ... or Red?

2011-01-08T22:21:00.000-08:00

SO what's the deal with this bird? Not a red shafted flicker. Golden yellow under the wings but I didn't see red on the back of its neck. And if it's a male, it doesn't have the black "mustache." And I do think it's a male since it has a mustache - and it's so very red.
I didn't see any color on the back of his neck, so I don't think he's a golden shafted flicker.
That leaves the gilded flicker, a resident of the deserts of SE California, southern Arizona and Baja California.
Brr! Why come up here. We were thinking of traveling down there!
If was so much fun watching the suet feeder this morning with this guy swinging on it. His beak is made to reach through the cage to get the goods. There were tiny little gray birds - like sparrows or finches, perhaps - and their beaks were tiny, too. They liked the suet but ended up frightened away by the bigger birds and ate from a tray of millet, thistle seeds, peanuts and cracked corn further away.
As you can see in the photo, the flickers had consumed most of the suet, so the Mister and I went to get some more. I hope to have lots more birds to watch tomorrow. I hope you've spent a relaxing Saturday doing something you enjoy. I spent the second half with family, and hopefully the birds found a warm place to roost for the night - femminismo

Oy! Glory!

2011-01-06T16:59:00.000-08:00

I HAVE no idea what my little "poem" or free association has to do with the drawing or vice versa. I liked the look of this Crayola crayon/ink drawing on painted white gesso. Tonight I'll try something a little more daring if I can get up off the couch and stop knitting.

I watched Lisbeth Salander last night - beaten, shot, buried overnight - exact some measure of revenge on her creepy father (oh, I should have mentioned a spoiler), and now I can't wait to see "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest." She makes me want to take up kick-boxing, weight lifting and get my nose pierced. But the smoking I could live without. (Although she does have a unique way when she does even that!)

Have a wonderful evening - femminismo

Second Day - Second Project

2011-01-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

TODAY I finished this neck warmer/scarf with a large antique button. Is "antique" anything over 25 years? It might be 50, because I am not really sure where it came from. I think it was in my mother's button box and might have been there a lot longer than anything I've found.
The yarn is really soft and fluffy, but NOT itchy! Love that about any yarn.
I also wrote in my art journal and drew a picture, but that can wait. I find myself thinking about drawing something I would want to show on this blog and then I get real nervous. Takes all the fun out of it, so I think I will only show pages from time to time.
The jasmine in the sunroom is beginning to show small buds and I can smell the little white flowers but I can't see any! Is this possible? I hope so. Maybe the foliage gives off an odor before blooming? Just wondering how powerful the imagination can be.
Oh! If you have time check out the link for these lovely book manipulatons and photographs on Art Propelled's blog. Really something!
Second day of the new year, and so far, so good - femminismo

I Can Do Plenty - My Word is My Bond

2011-01-01T23:14:00.000-08:00

I FOUND a journal and decided it would become my January art journal. I was inspired by this Suzi Blu YouTube video, right here.
I was amazed at the way my woman and living room took shape. She doesn't look much like me, or maybe she is the "me" I didn't turn into.
I also wouldn't have pictured she would live in a house like that with purple walls and a blue sofa with yellow and blue pillows. And that picture on the wall! I love trees, but ... ?
Last, I wouldn't have thought to put myself in a short sleeved blouse because that's so not me! And a headband? Who is this woman?
Well, it looks as if there might be an art easel resting in the room to her left. She'd better leave off gazing into space and get in there and go to work.
I wrote in the journal the way that Suzi did. I wrote down all the good things about me and what makes me special and the skills I take pride in. Suzi painted over hers and then let the paint dry and then scraped it away. Me, I couldn't even find a waterproof pen, but I think you'll get the idea. Perhaps painting over them makes you able to write them down and then cover most of them up to show you don't want to be boastful. What did you do today that was artistic? I'll bet it was something - femminismo
P.S. I'm back. I forgot to say this: Be Kind To Yourself!!

Hello 2011 ... Good-bye What's Your Name

2010-12-31T22:39:00.000-08:00

SAYING so long to 2010 at Red Lobster with family and friends. It was cold outside (about 33 degrees) and the restaurant was cozy inside.
We had to wait about one hour - the group of us, with two small children - until a table was available. There was a busy, busy staff trying to feed everyone and giving the kids a chance to pet the lobsters, if they wanted. One lobster was captured and carried to the kitchen, but at the last minute he/she/it was returned to the tank. Spared, pardoned, reprieve. Not sure what happened but many he didn't pass muster with the customer.
Cute little Kennedy here decided the lobsters were pretty neat, but they belonged in the water and she didn't. She was a good girl at the table and waited patiently by coloring until her order arrived.
This holiday time has been about friends and family in a big way. This made the third get-together we've had, and even though many of us are almost worn out from celebrating, we roused ourselves to take one last shot at it.
At the left in this photo is grandson Cameron, Kennedy between him and Ashley, Marissa behind the menu, Holly - Marissa's good friend and an adopted granddaughter to me - and my son Joe. What to order, what to order???
We finally made up our minds, with me thinking the pecan crusted shrimp skewers and wild rice pilaf sounded excellent.
The Fat Tire beer was excellent with all of it!
Here is the proud dad Joe with daughter Marissa. She got married in July and only has three more terms at the Portland Art Institute and is then bound for glory -- and working hard to pay off her student loans.
Couldn't be prouder she's almost finished with her degree! (Can you tell?)
Peyton (or Payton; I'm not sure of the spelling), the little redhead, played like a good girl/good sport with her magnetic drawing board while waiting for dinner. It looked like a pretty cool toy - one I would have liked to get for Christmas. You can erase everything and start over again from scratch.
And the Mister and his grandson Cameron had plenty of time to talk and catch up. That's the good thing about busy restaurants.
He had to work the next day, so no wild partying for him. And now the Mister and I are home and waiting for midnight - if we can. He's playing guitar and I'm catching up on my blogging. And my knitting, in between picture posting. Some take longer than others, and why waste time?
Well, my goal is to post more often and increase the quality of my writing, so let's hope I make good on this. I don't think it can get too much worse. My best to all my blog friends and the people who drift by - by mistake or curiosity. I hope 2011 brings us all the best and we find a way to bring about peace, feed the hungry, befriend the lonely, educate the world's children and make our world the best it can be. It starts and ends with each one of us - femminismo

Peaceful Solstice to You

2010-12-21T07:06:00.000-08:00

THIS AP photo of the eclipse in Chicago is quite stunning. I'm sure the photo is better on the Huffington Post website, which is where I picked it up. Here is another link to an excellent video on YouTube. In Oregon it was too rainy at 11 p.m. to even contemplate standing outside and looking for the moon.
It's mild weather today - sort of. It's 37 degrees F., and will only get a little warmer today.
I hope the solstice finds you well and on your way to ending 2010 with brand new goals and inspiration for the coming year - femminismo

The Mystery of Picasso ... or any artist

2010-12-16T14:18:00.000-08:00

THE Mister and I have been watching "Le Mystere Picasso" - more than once - after our trip to Seattle to see the Picasso exhibit.

You can find a YouTube video here to check out Le Mystere yourself. Watching a creative genius at work is inspirational, especially when you feel him guiding your hand when you try it yourself.

So, when I goofed on a copier job at work I recycled the paper by using magnets to attach it to my metal file cupboards and got a big, black Sanford Super Sharpie (TM).

Here are the pictures I came up with.

This first one looks like someone Picasso might have flirted with in Cannes.

The second one is a bit more contemporary, I think ... but I could be wrong. I would like to add some color, but don't have bottles of ink at my disposal as Picasso did.

During the filming of his work he was pushed quite hard by the director, Henri-Georges Clouzot, and because Picasso was such a manly man, he denied ever feeling tired and kept drawing and painting until he finally collapsed. I guess that's what "real" men do.

Standing while drawing and using the tip of the pen held like a stick you'd write in the sand with, is a unique way to draw and not one I've used very much. I am thinking I want a piece of metal and some sturdy magnets - all of this on an adjustable holder so I can stand or sit and draw - femminismo

My Picture With Santa

2010-12-11T10:20:00.000-08:00

FINALLY I pin down Santa!
When I was 6-years-old I waited behind a curtain for Santa in our little house in North Plains. My father encouraged us to wait and hide and BE QUIET, so my sister and brother and I waited with Dad for the jolly old elf.
We watched as Santa walked through our front door and spread presents under the tree! How did we stay quiet? Or did we? Oh, to have a time travel machine and spy on that merry little group in the closet!
Shhhhhhh! Don't tell me there is no Santa. I watched him come through our front door and now I sit beside him and smile at the thought of Christmas and the memories I have - femminismo

Office traditions

2010-12-09T20:27:00.000-08:00

ONE of the oldest ornaments on our office tree must have been created by someone in the 60s with a lot of time on her hands. (I am assuming an awful lot, but a close look at it will convince most everyone it was constructed by a "her" ... for sure.) The ornament may have been made for a holiday bazaar for all I know, but it has spent the last 15 years - at least - on our office's holiday tree.
This is the (at least) 18 ft. tall tree, a Noble fir. What a great name for a tree. The Santa on top is not old at all and it most likely originated in China. Other cultures must really giggle at the things they produce for Americans.
The Noble is not my favorite tree. I prefer a Grand fir, with its wonderful fragrance and bushy branches. The needles are soft, too.
I remember the trees we would have in our house when we were kids. After a long day at work planing lumber while standing on a concrete floor, searching through the woods at night with a flashlight or going out on a tree lot wasn't something our dad wanted to do.
My mother would have gladly gone along, but that would have meant loading up all the kids and she was a lot pickier than my dad and the chore would take "forever."
I seem to remember - or maybe I prefer to remember it this way - that my mother would whisper into our ears, "Make your dad look around and pick out a good looking tree." She would get a slightly desperate look in her eyes.
One year a friend offered our family a tree off his property. We most likely couldn't afford to pay for one that year. Every once in a while the union my father staunchly supported would strike and then we would have to play catch-up on our finances.
So it is 4 p.m., Dad's home from work, we eat dinner and then my sister and brother and I pile into the car with him. I can recall leaning over the front seat peering into the dark as my father drove through our rural area down a dirt and gravel road. His headlights caught a tree in their glare and he braked hard.
He was out the door in a flash and opened the trunk to take out his saw. Someone unrolled a window and we called out - uselessly - "Make sure it's a good one, Dad!"
Dad had the tree down in no time and it was either strapped to the top of the car or placed in the trunk along with the saw. I am certain the family friends were shocked to discover the next morning that the tree that stood proudly by the side of their road was sawed off and g.o.n.e.
I wonder if they ever offered us another tree?
So we take it home to my mother, who sighs as she looks at the crooked tree with the missing branch on one side. My father is not worried because one side can be turned into the corner and a nail and some twine will hold the tree straight.
"It's a Christmas tree!" he said.
Sure enough, it works out. and the bits of tinsel saved from Christmases past glorify each scrawny limb. The large colored bulbs look beautiful in the dark and ornaments gleam next to them. Bits of aluminum foil cover cardboard stars - whose star-shapes are the best we can cut out.
From somewhere, we have small figures for a nativity scene and we venture outside to gather moss and fir boughs to dramatize the tableau. Extra plastic horses or cats and dogs stand in for the camels and sheep that traditionally gather to witness the Christ child's birth. Each year, touching back on these long ago memories brings back the real Christmas for me. The scenes and scents - perfume bottles being unwrapped, cookies, fudge, and meat or fish cooking - of Christmas and the sacrifice of my parents to make our memories of this lovely season of light glow forever anew were the best presents we ever got - femminismo
p.s. The gorgeous fox stole is from the website flavorwire. Check out some of the gifts meant for our cultural icons of today.

David Hockney's 'Fleurs Fraiche'

2010-12-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

NO paint, no canvas, no paper - but a new exhibit in Paris by David Hockney. (The NPR interview is here.)
Hockney began using his iPhone and then went to the iPad with its handy Brushes app.
"There's no mess" he said, although an observer who watched as he "painted" on the iPad saw his rub his fingers on his clothes as if to clean them.
Well, I wish I lived in Europe or was visiting right now, that's all I can say.
I would like to view this wall of iPads with Hockney's fresh flowers.
But I can't imagine producing art without "mess." Isn't that part of the therapy? - femminismo
p.s. The photo was "stolen" from another blog.

Welcome to the Place Where We Talk Like Adults

2010-12-06T21:20:00.000-08:00

ADULTS: A terrifying word when it implies no more magical thinking.
Today I had my picture taken with Santa. I had to wait for a while, since he had gone upstairs in the assisted living facility near where I work to make a personal call. An older lady I was talking with, to pass the time until Santa returned, said she had seen him eating at one of the tables in the dining room.
"Was he eating a plate of cookies?" I asked.
"I don't know what he had," she said. "I think it was just some lunch. He said he got hungry."
"When I was growing up, I thought that's all Santa ever ate was cookies," I replied.
Santa came downstairs just then and I was urged to get my picture taken with him. It was free, so why not.
I got a candy cane from him and held his gloved hand and we smiled. He had an intimidating nose and quite the bushy iron gray mustache. White hair peeked out from behind his fur-trimmed hat and his red suit looked to be a fine polyester blend and quite impeccably brushed and pressed. (His hair might have been polyester, too!)
I think five photos were taken in all, to get it "just right," since this is a keepsake for me. I doubt that Santa needs any more photos of himself with kids.
But on the way out of the building (where Santa was holding court) I stopped to tell the receptionist I had gotten my picture taken with the bearded one himself.
"Oh, that's the Santa that's having chemo," she sighed.
All right then. ... Have you heard anything sadder today? Not me.
Well, maybe the part about everyone probably getting tax cuts.
Tax cuts should be a good thing, right? I'm thinking ... maybe not. I heard about an Oregon school district that may not make it through the rest of the year due to lack of money. If our roads get any worse I will need an off road vehicle to get to work. The mentally ill and homeless may soon be cut off without the few funds they desperately need.
How can we keep cheering for tax cuts when we don't want to give up our high standard of living which, incidentally, is declining? Not just in my opinion, but in lots of opinions.
That's where the word "adult" comes in; like "adult talk" and "adult decisions." It's the end of innocence - the end of (most) magical thinking.
All the good stuff in the world comes from somewhere, from people working and helping out others less fortunate.
Oh, I was so lucky to find this soapbox tonight! Kick it out from under me, if you want, but I just have some questions about how long this can all go on. We will have to cinch our belts and make do with less.
Oh, if we'd only known, when we kept wishing for more and more birthdays so we could be grownups and do whatever we wanted, that it was going to lead to this place and this time - when we would have to take on responsibility for making the world a place where our grandchildren could enjoy the good life too.
For years I thought Hollywood had pretty far-fetched ideas for movies set in the future where all news programs were dictated by governmental oversight, politics were run by a chosen few of the wealthiest people and urban decay was rampant. Who was more prescient? Hollywood or - femminismo
p.s. Enough adult talk! What can I get you for Christmas? A donation to Amnesty International or Doctors Without Borders? How about something for the local food bank? My pleasure!

Dreams Are Taking Over My Real Life

2010-12-03T22:47:00.000-08:00

LAST night I had the most vivid dream: I was with a guy and enjoying myself, laughing and having a good time. I was back in high school, I think, because there was my Latin teacher! She was very disapproving, thinking perhaps it was time to get back to work in school. Hit the books. Conjugate verbs. All that kind of stuff.
But looking at the guy - can't really say who he was* - I suddenly realized I was in love. Deep, true love. I was thinking in the back of my mind about how I was going to break this to whoever I was currently dating - or married to - but I had such a good feeling. It's not often you get back a memory so vividly and get to experience once again the actual brain euphoria falling in love brings.
It affected me even through my morning as I worked away in my office. Every once in a while, I would think about how good I felt and start thinking about my dream and how I was in love - wait, that's a dream - yet it seemed almost more real than my actual life.
Almost all my dreams in recent months have seem so vivid and they've taken up a good share of thinking time as I turn them to and fro in my mind.
In one dream I got to hug my grandmother again. In another I fall in love. I can't recall some of the others, and I'm not saying I'm turning into a mental case and not able to separate real life from dream life. It's just that they are so intense - and mostly pleasurable.

Cloths of Heaven

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. - W.B.Yeats

Sweet dreams - femminismo
*p.s. I do know, but I will not tell.
p.p.s. The photo is of Rupert Brooke, a war poet, and the image is from the Google collection.

A Fairly Nice Day

2010-12-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

TODAY was mostly gray outside and a little drippy with a few light showers, but there was one period of sun with blue skies. Love those moments when the unexpected sky appears behind all the "weather."
Got to "play" with Photoshop today, manipulating a picture of a building decorated with Christmas lights - taken after dark. Last night I shot the pictures beside a pool of water and a waterfall. With Photoshop I lightened up the building a little but the sky turned a very strange nubby "texture." So this afternoon I went over again - at about 4:30 p.m., instead of 5 - and caught a little more light in the sky. It was dim enough, however, so the colored lights showed up. I think these photos will be more effective.
Also found a snowflake graphic in Illustrator that I can save and paste onto the photo. That gave it a wintery feel. I liked it!
I am really stretching myself to come up with something to paste into this blog. Next I will be telling you about my lunchtime shopping trip where I bought a new lipstick and two kitchen rugs. Whoops! Too late. (By the way, what is it about a new lipstick that gives a woman/person the feeling you will look so incredibly different you'll be a new person?)
Our Christmas tree arrived at work today. It's about 18 feet tall, I think. When I came back from lunch it was put up and the whole building smelled sooooo good. Tomorrow it gets decorated.
Here is another tree picture of a ghostly-huge oak tree on the campus where I work. Doesn't it look spooky? It should be full of bats or ravens!
This evening I was visiting a friend's blog and found she likes pictures of shadows. This reminded me of a photo I took in Seattle of an African mask. Hope you like it too - femminismo
p.s. Hope I didn't show the shadow picture before!

Oh The Misery of not Keeping Your Word

2010-12-01T20:56:00.000-08:00

NOPE, I didn't follow through and keep my word - with NaNoWriMo! I didn't write 50,000 words in November. And you know what? I don't really feel guilty about it. Bad sign? Good sign? I don't know. This is the second year in a row that I've not done the writing. : (
I didn't have an outstanding November, but a few interesting things happened and some other goals were met. At Valley Art Gallery the Annual Event went off without a hitch thanks to everyone on the committee. And a lot of great art continues to be sold. I hope the earnings this holiday season will see us through the year with a little extra to spare.
A fund raising event is coming up for the gallery during 2011 since some work needs to be done to the building. Can anyone think of a great money making idea? Something fun that will draw people in to the gallery to contribute to our ongoing success. A catchy name? Special guests? Music? Food? Sit-down dinner???
Monday night I watched "Winter's Bone," and was very surprised to hear the next day that the film had won at the Gotham Awards for Best Ensemble and Best Feature awards. The movie is about "an unflinching Ozark Mountain girl (who) hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family intact."
Jennifer Lawrence plays the girl, and her determination is something to behold. I guess she also has a terrific amount of determination as an actress, since she learned how to skin a squirrel for the role.
Tuesday night, what happened? I guess I cooked some dinner and then worked in my "art studio," trying to get organized. Or maybe it was the other way around.
Now it's Wednesday night, first day of December 2010, and we lit the first candle on the menorah. There may be problems, however, since we are almost out of candles and Hallmark doesn't carry them this year. Maybe this will require a thorough hunting out at some more exotic shops. Oh, be still my galloping heart!
Actually, I'd rather go out shopping early in December than wait till the last minute ... again!
A friend said her family has a new gift giving plan this year: "Make It or Bake It." Sounds good to me as long as I don't get any gold spray-painted macaroni jewelry - femminismo
p.s. Wish I could find some of these rosebud shaped kale!

Time to Shop for Suet

2010-11-24T15:50:00.000-08:00

Birds can only get so much energy from apples. I would think some nice long-burning suet would be the things to power one through a cold, cold winter night.
I took this photo this morning around 7:30. I wonder what it will look like tonight when I get home?
They were nice juicy apples for birds and had been sitting on our counter a little too long for humans - picky, picky, spoiled humans.
I'll see if I can't get a follow-up picture come Thanksgiving morning - femminismo

A Space In Time

2010-11-23T22:20:00.000-08:00

As the blue moon appeared - drifting over our heads among the fir trees - we stood on this small patch of earth together and stopped for a space in time.
Once together often, now passing time together infrequently, we are always on the same page in space no matter the distance. We begin our conversations anew, without a pause, catching each other up on what's going on in our lives.
There is no substitute for an old friend. Someone who knew you when, and accepts you for what you are and who you've become.
Tell me what's in your heart, old friend, and I'll tell you what's in mine - femminismo

The Emerald City

2010-11-21T20:53:00.000-08:00

SEATTLE is known as The Emerald City. I guess because it is usually surrounded by greenery. Just like Oregon, it gets its fair share of rain.
This was our destination on Friday, when the Mister and I headed north for a visit to the Seattle Art Museum and the Picasso exhibit. We rendezvoused with my sister, Judy, at our hotel and then called a cab to take us to the museum. We had food at their Taste restaurant and then went for a spin in the gift shop. I always thought this was the last stop at an exhibit, but we did it first.
Our tickets were for 2 p.m. and the moment arrived. I actually saw the "Portrait of Dora Maar" by Pablo Picasso in "real life!"
My absolute favorite was a tiny oil painting called "The Bathers." (All of these images are copyright, Pablo Picasso Estate, I'm sure!)
We had a great time at the museum checking out more than 150 images, sketches and photos. If you have the chance, see this!
Outside the exhibit was this soft sculpture by Nick Cave, the musician - and artist. I thought my knitting friends might like to see this.
We then went for short walk around town until we found the most wonderful restaurant named Etta's. The Mister had the salmon topped with portabello mushrooms on mustard greens, I had grilled sturgeon with a side of roasted red beets with blue cheese and pecans, and my sister had the ling cod with delicata squash, cippolini onions and golden raisins. It was all terrific!
A good night's sleep at the hotel and then off to Pike Place Market downtown. There was much to see! Here are some pictures ...
the fruit at Pike Place

and down below the Gum Wall!
We did not leave anything. We just were not prepared ... with pre-chewed gum.

I did get my fortune told by Madame X, too. She said I have "patience."
I must sign off for now. My patience with my photos downloading to this blog site is at an end - femminismo

Before The Frost

2010-11-07T18:13:00.000-08:00

IT was time to put up or shut up, so after laundry was well on its way and the bed linens were changed I got dressed to go outside. The sun was shining and the weather forecast promised not many more hours before the rains came again. The sky in the west was threatening, but the day was warm - in the 60s - and the spring bulbs that were languishing in the garage absolutely HAD to be planted.
And the oak leaf hydrangea in the front yard, that has been doing worse and worse every year, really needed to be moved to see if it would do better in richer soil. (I thought it was better to move them in the spring, but recently read fall was better. This way they can build up some stronger roots before the spring growing period.)
Of course, instead of warming up with a couple of turns around the yard and making raking a few leaves or picking up fallen branches, I went right to digging a hole in the back yard for the hydrangea! Whew! Out of breath fast and my shoulder muscles tightening up. I walked to the front yard, got the wheelbarrow and rolled it into the back yard to dump the leaves that were in it. Back to the front yard with the empty barrow and shovel and I got the plant out of the soil just fine. It was almost like it was ready to come and gave me no trouble.
Warmed up now and ready to do more.
I got the bulbs and started digging holes for them. Our Oregon soil has so much clay, I incorporated some compost in with the soil I put over the bulbs. I didn't have any bulb fertilizer, but I am hoping at least doing this much will help them. This part of the garden gets a little soggy, so it's either mold, rot or bloom. I'm hoping for the latter. In this photo it looks like I've buried the tulip bulbs in wet volcanic ash. These pink tulips are now planted with pink hyacinths. I really, really hope they brighten up this area in the spring.
I planted lilies, too, for the summer, and just remembered this minute that somewhere out there in the back yard (!!) I left a bag of calla lily bulbs. I'd better go look for them and take a flashlight. It's dark outside, even though it's only 6:30 p.m. (Today we turned the clocks back one hour and now our bodies are going to have to try and figure out what the heck's going on. Do they have such a thing in other countries?)
It is really damp outside and, like I said, the rains are going to begin again soon. It's nice to know, however, that the plant I've wanted to move for so long is in a new home and beginnings are planted for spring. It was good to be outside, moving around and being close to the earth. I got caught in a "leaf shower" when the wind came up and then it really rained for about five minutes. I kept working though, remembering my one time goal to be a professional gardener. No wimping out just because of a little moisture from the skies.
Well, I found the bulbs outside! Rescued! Now I think I will spend some time with NaNoWriMo - femminismo

Good-bye October!

2010-10-31T22:14:00.000-07:00

TIME to say adieu to October. On Saturday we visited the Farmers Market, the last one this year. We'll now have to wait until spring for plant starts and sizzling sausage treats and homemade cinnamon bread.
Somehow it makes the wait through winter seem even longer, but it does eventually come.
I loved the colors of these cauliflower heads and after taking a bunch of photos I felt guilty enough to buy some. I did not take the purple one with the small green worm in the foreground.
The chard was even prettier and will make a delicious, nutritious meal tomorrow night.
We had family over Saturday because my niece from West Yellowstone was visiting with her daughter, Brayden, and everyone wanted to see them both.
My son, Peter, and his wife, Jenny, and their daughters Cassie and Zoe, came too. Peter made borscht, roasting beets in the oven and then adding them to tons of other yummy vegetables. We couldn't have asked for a better lunchtime meal..
There were two babies in the house at one time and there were many hugs and kisses exchanged. Happy times.
The soup is bubbling, and after the meal and our main visitors had left, Jenny and I sat down and compared our button collections. The Mister had to laugh, since he felt as though he was watching two young kids trade baseball cards. "I'll trade you these six red buttons for the one white one you have with the rhinestone in the middle."
"OK, and you can have these blue buttons because they match the others you have."
"Well, only if you take these black and white ones!" (I actually made a button bracelet today, but I didn't plan ahead on how I was going to make the closure. However, it's the first one I've done in a long time and I'm allowed a learning curve.)
We had pumpkin pie, too, with vanilla bean ice cream. Yum! Can't wait for Thanksgiving now, and more pie.
Lots of leaves fell last night and this morning there was a covering of them on the sunroom roof. I love this time of the year, with the golds, reds and browns - and the sound of the small frog in the front yard with the giant deep voice.
Tomorrow is November 1 and NaNoWriMo begins in earnest. I'll let you know where to check in to keep up with my progress - femminismo

A Day of Darkness, A Day of Rain

2010-10-28T20:49:00.001-07:00

TODAY, when I awoke, there was no moonlight pouring through the skylight onto the bathroom floor. Ditto for the kitchen floor. So I knew it must be cloudy outside. And raining.
When I left the house at 7:45 a.m. it was still quite dark. The flaming trees dimly shone through the gloom and I thought the political supporters twirling signs at intersections at that time in the morning were the most devoted I'd ever seen.
Did I vote for the wrong person, I wondered. Did these people get paid to do this, or are they just ardent? Do they know something I don't? Oh, well. Too late now. The envelope is sealed.
The last two mornings on the way to work it's been difficult; I pay more attention to the trees and flocks of birds than my driving. Yesterday there was fog high off the ground, above the trees. The air was clear, the streets were dry, the leaves were gold and red, and there was a waning moon in the west to set it all off. Beautiful!
There were not many sun breaks today. Yesterday was really pretty nice and I should have gone for a walk ... but didn't. The birds I have been seeing in the sky, swooping through the mists, made me think of a great verb to use for birds in flight: The little birds' wings wiped across gray skies. You've seen this happen, I'm sure.
I love the flocks of smaller birds. Yesterday there was a small string of birds leading a large clump of birds. And the clump slowly started stringing out too, side by side, so it looked as if they were making a giant upside down "T" in the sky. Then, magically, they gather together again forming another clump.
Well, you can see why you don't want to be out at 7:45 a.m. driving on the same road as me!
It was dark on the way home tonight too. Never did get too cheery out. Time to go to Hawaii ... or Brazil ... or New Zealand!
The picture of the red leaves is from last fall. The "Art-Craft" picture on the right is just one I found in a blog file. I don't know if I've used it before, but I'm too lazy to go get something off my camera. I want to go read my book, "The Bad Girl," before it gets too late. Adios - femminismo
p.s. In just a few days NaNoWriMo begins and I once again question my sanity as I endeavor to write 50,000 words before the end of November! Arrgh! Why am I so foolish?

Tina Modotti ... brilliant!

2010-10-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

"Tina" Modotti.

What a story her life would make for a film. In fact she was in some early films.

This is a photograph (left) she took. She was with Edward Weston - his mistress and model.

She was with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

She was in Barcelona, California, New Mexico, Russia.

Perhaps her life would make a good subject for Nanowrimo next month. I've never tried non-fiction. Perhaps "creative" non-fiction?

She took the photograph of the lady on the balcony in Barcelona, I think. And this is a photograph of her and her "husband," Roby (at left). They tie-dyed fabric in California and talked a lot about what else they would accomplish - but didn't.

(She and Roby were never married, although she denied that until the day she died, I guess, according to various blogs and Wikipedia entries.)

I don't know who the lovely dark-haired woman is, but it's supposed to be another Modotti photo.

Ahh! A week of female artists - femminismo

Another Female Artist

2010-10-19T17:05:00.000-07:00

SERAFINE de Senlis!! I watched the movie "Seraphine" last night, about this woman of the '20s and '30s who performed menial jobs in order to buy wood panels to paint on. She scavenged the countryside searching for the materials to make her own paints.

She was a "visionary" painter, a "primitiv," or "naif," following the instructions from the angels with whom she communicated.

She was discovered in France, just before World War I, by a German art critic who was one of the first to collect Braque and Picasso.

Yolande Moreau does an exquisite job in this film, following her angels and leading a life close to nature, trodding with her bare feet through the grass, sitting under trees or (literally) hugging them.

I would love to have prints of her work. I watched to see who reproduced them for the film, but did not see this - or recognize it, since the titles were all in French. I found lots of interesting blogs with mention of her work. They are probably mostly people like me, who having seen the movie will never look at leaves and flowers and see them in the same way - femminismo

Have you heard of Paula Rego?

2010-10-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

I HAD NOT. And am sorry I didn't "meet" her sooner. Perhaps now is the perfect time, however. Portuguese, she started painting when she was 4 years old. Here is the artist at the right.

The painting of the girl by the window, polishing her boots, was featured in a magazine (maybe The New Yorker?) not that long ago. It fascinated me. Little did I know a couple of years would go by before I found out more about the woman who painted it.

And her "dog women" paintings are not denigrating to women in any way. The animalistic, primal, in charge, natural, unaffected, superior animal is viewed by Rego (we are told by her biographers and critics) as a grand stand-in for a woman's place in the world.

I especially love this picture of people dancing - in couples, young with old, alone - on what looks to be near a seashore.

Great dynamics of form, foreshortening is exquisite and the primal feelings are tangible. Oh to be this good! But of course, if you begin at 4!! - femminismo

Meeting and Swapping ... and Dithering

2010-10-17T03:35:00.000-07:00

GOSH! Think the title of this blog post will bring in the curious? I Googled "meeting and swapping" myself and came up with a fascinating post on Aleksandreia about Quakers and mate swapping. It's an interesting site and the Taberna, one section, looks to be quite the gathering place.
I found myself visiting this website when I should have been finishing this post - and right after reading a New Yorker article on procrastination! Follow this link *only* if you should be doing something more important. (great article, however)
Actually, this whole post (originally) involves three things I've accomplished this weekend. First, I finally met an Internet friend, Laura Grimes - a writer, editor, charmer, mother and pickle maker.
We became acquainted following a feature article on Henry James she wrote for The Oregonian. Since I love James' writing too, I was delighted to read the article and submit a comment on it. I also followed along from time to time on her husband's (Bob Hicks) website, Art Scatter. (Another interesting site for culture freaks and those who like witty writing.) One thing led to another, and after a couple of years we finally arranged to meet for coffee at Powells Books at Cedar Crossing to exchange some pickles she made for some art I made.
It was odd fun at Powells to wander the aisles looking for a woman (didn't know what she looked like) wearing a yellow jacket. After wandering a bit and e-mailing Laura from my BlackBerry I found a chair and sat down to read Henry James' "Portrait of a Lady." That's when she found me!
People had been looking at me a little curiously because instead of art, what I brought to Powells to swap was a small basket of tomatoes, Anaheim peppers, some Martha Stewart recipe vinaigrette, and some tomatillo branches. Maybe they wondered if Powells carried fresh produce? I toted it around the entire book store at least three times. Nice long walk, so it was good to connect with Laura at last and go off to have a cup of coffee.
I was embarrassed to realize I didn't have any money/debit card with me. (Turned out to be in the car.) She bought the coffee and I did not take a picture of it, or her or the basket of produce.
What was I thinking? One young woman stopped by our table outside and commented on the "husk cherries" which is what she called the tomatillos. (Should that be tomatilloes?) A fruit by any other name ... .
So in the picture above, the jar of homemade vinaigrette looks like brown gravy! Yuck! In the bowl, with the cherry and pear tomatoes, it still looks quite like gravy or chocolate pudding, but the smell of balsamic vinegar, garlic and black pepper (a hint) was heavenly. And my kiss goodbye to the Mister was one he won't soon forget.
I did take art at the last minute for Laura, but then I didn't follow through on giving it to her. It wasn't something that was "finished" and it was large, so if she wanted to actually hang it, it would take space and work. Here's the piece, and if she reads this and still wants it she can have it. Collage and some imagination worked up a story about Edith (I believe that's her name) taking stenography/typing classes while her beloved is out on the road touring with a band, playing the trombone. That's him with the heart on his jacket.
I did the collage/encaustic assemblage some time ago - a couple of years, maybe - and found it just before I left for Powells. Maybe I'm not ready to give it up until I learn more about the trombonist.
Well, it is nearly 5 a.m. Couldn't sleep so went to work on this blog. Now I think I'll wander back to the warm bed - femminismo
p.s. The "dithering" in the blog title is all the procrastination I am doing just by driving in the fall sunshine and blogging in the early morning and not finishing writing I *must* be doing!

Paint Under My Nails

2010-10-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

FIRST things first, we show the "Grandman," the best looking grandchild in the world. Just ask my daughter, the grandmother. Yes ... that, er, makes me the great-grandmother. Life is stranger than fiction (or something like that).
Saturday I was out shopping for art supplies and Sunday (today) I was at Art & Soul from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. using the supplies. I took Katie Kendrick's class, "Every Face Tells A Story."
What a place Art & Soul is, with rooms full of people creating wonderful things, treasures, gifts and new careers, I'll bet.
The hallway was full of women in aprons but no one was cooking food. Everyone was cooking up Art!
There was transformational painting, "Skulls, Wings & Rusty Things," "Funky Found Object Canvas Village," Tiny Treasure, Spinning Bead Pendant and lots more. And there are classes tomorrow, too. Oh, don't think calling in sick and getting a hotel room didn't come into my pea brain! Maybe next year I will do four classes in four days. I could eat for two days on the turkey club sandwiches from the hotel. I hear that Nov. 7-11 they are doing four days at the Inn at Spanish Head. Not many spaces left though.
So, what did we paint? Katie asked us to bring Ampersand claybord and it was great to work on. Gosh, I felt almost professional. She also wanted us to bring high contrast printed pictures of faces.
Here is my first picture from Google hosted Life magazine photos. We used light, medium and dark values of collage materials ripped from magazines to lay down for texture and then painted over them.
I was having fun with this one for quite a while. She was "speaking" to me and my fingers were covered with gesso and acrylic paint. It was like a pair of gloves! Then the fun stopped. I became self conscious and she got a bit testy, not liking anything I was doing to her. Fortunately Katie's method includes working on two or more projects at a time and so we all began another picture.
This time it was supposed to be mostly paint. Water-soluable crayons were used and stabilo pencils and sometimes a little collage. I didn't use a photo for this one, but just drew a face on my own.
You'll have to look sideways at this one. It forgot to rotate it and I'm too lazy to stop and do that now. I had big trouble with this one, so after Katie finished a "demo," I stood in line for help.
Here she is showing a bunch of different methods - transfers, stamping, shading and magic. She just jabs brushes into this paint and a little bit of that and they take on magic colors. The outlines on the faces she paints are just amazing. To watch them transform in front of you is like watching time lapse photography. Practice, practice, practice. That's all it takes. Well, not strictly all.
So after she took a hand in helping me with my face and the story it had to tell, this is what showed up in the hallway for our group show. (Mine is No. 2 and 3, both in the middle.)
I tell you what, I was going to show them all to you, but it is 9 p.m. and there's a workday tomorrow and more painting if I get home on time. We'll talk painting then, OK? - femminismo

Racing Into Fall

2010-10-07T09:49:00.001-07:00

THESE days are passing so rapidly that it's like that old movie standby when pages from the calendar on the wall are ripped off by the wind -- until we've arrived weeks beyond where we were.
Yesterday I went home sick from work. Tired is more like the reason my body decided it was time to go home. That and allergies. I have been pushing myself pretty hard and trying to cram too much into my 24 hours a day. I want to "possess" every minute of the time I've got and often I forget about relaxation time.
I made the Art Harvest Tour in Yamhill County this fall. Wonderful day for driving and visiting. We saw Linda and Jim Hayes in Pike (love the name of that town!) and they had so many beautiful jewelry items and a lovely garden. I owe them pictures, too.
Susan Day in Yamhill had many beautiful pastels and bicycles in her yard.
Whoops! Run out of time. Must run. I'll be back soon!

So ... now I've done yoga to relax myself and keep limber and I got a little dinner and read for a while. Then a sudden urge took hold and I poured a generous amount of olive oil in two pans and started cutting up tomatoes - red and ripe from the garden. I had to get the flashlight out and made a raid on the garden around 7:30 p.m. just to fill up some room in the pan. There were so many big guys hanging there - round and red - happy to see me. You never know when the rain might start and the tomatoes will split. I can smell them from here at the computer, bubbling away in the oven. Yum! Tomato sauce beyond "good." It will be a present for a friend tomorrow - femminismo

St. Laurence - Finder of Lost Electronica

2010-09-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

THANKS, Seth, for the name of Sir Laurence. I will post him quickly - hopefully - and then be on my way to the meeting I *must* attend tonight.
He found my camera and cell phone and perhaps he can locate something in platinum for me that I haven't lost but would like to find! - femminismo

Good Grief! It's Raining Eggs!

2010-09-27T21:02:00.001-07:00

HOW could I allow you to worry all this time about my electronic devices, my dear blog!?
I found everything - phone and camera - shortly after posting the picture of Sir Laurence and was actually going to immortalize him as a saint through some nifty Photoshop work ... but then that plan fell by the wayside. The universe did look out for me once more.
I had better post something tonight, however, because I have a meeting tomorrow night and may not have the time.
-The picture of eggs is from a magnificent collection at the Pioneer Museum in Tillamook, Oregon. Go if you ever have the chance.-
Today I listened to a voice mail from Barb in Michigan, one of my dearest, dearest friends and she said she reads this blog (oh, isn't she the dearest?) and she said it sounds as though I'm leading an interesting life.
I had to laugh since I have been feeling quite recently (yesterday) that my life is depressing and meaningless. I have been (still) reading "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi and in the book she quotes from Henry James' "The Ambassadors" as Lambert Strether, the hero of the novel, tells a young painter, little Bilham, whom he has unofficially appointed as his spiritual heir: "Live all you can; it's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular so long as you have your life. If you haven't had that what *have* you had? I'm too old -- too old at any rate for what I see. What one loses one loses; make no mistake about that. Still, we have the illusion of freedom; therefore don't, like me to-day, be without the memory of that illusion. I was either, at the right time, too stupid or too intelligent to have it, and now I'm a case of reaction against the mistake. For it *was* a mistake. Live, live!"
And, yes, there were times when I was too stupid or too intelligent to take a different path than the one I'm on right now, and there certainly are some regrets. All the time I've wasted for instance. Some would say I'm doing that again right now, but not me.
The Mister and I spent Tuesday, Sept. 21, celebrating our 14th anniversary in Oceanside, Oregon. We walked through the tunnel carved into Maxwell Point and came out on the other side to dig through rocks to find another heart-shaped one for our collection. Lots of great finds and it was a beautiful day on the coast.
This Friday I am joining a friend to hit the Art Harvest Tour in Yamhill County. That area of Oregon looks a lot like Tuscany, only the hills are farther away from each other and the lanes are much longer and dustier with no impromptu boccie ball in the fields. And on Saturday the same friend and I are taking a travel writing workshop. This is our second one together and soon we will have to do some traveling for research on an article to $$ sell $$! Then we can take more trips.
And I've saved the best for last: On Oct. 10 I am taking Katie Kendrick's Art & Soul class in Portland, "Every Face Tells a Story." If I don't have actual artwork to show you after that I don't know what my excuse will be. Check out her blog if you want to see some of the wonderful work she's produced. So now I guess I'm not living a meaningless life. It's a self-directed life toward more art and travel - femminismo
p.s. The sunset picture, with fishing boat and gull on pole, was taken after dinner at the coast on Sept. 21, 2010, in Tillamook.

Feeling a little D.O.O.M.E.D.

2010-09-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

WELL, a picture-less post is not really what I wanted to give you tonight, dear old blog. I wanted to fill a post with pictures of the Chalk Art Festival in Forest Grove, but then I found out this morning that my camera is missing. So is my BlackBerry.
I don't know where that "last place" is where I laid them down.
Do I feel sad?? - Is the sky gray? Do mules have pointy ears? Are 2 and 2 still 4?
I hope my Principles of Universal Gratitude and Righteousness pan out and all is right with the world tomorrow, when I get an e-mail from someone that they found my camera and handed it in to someone in charge and it's waiting for me someplace. I don't really care about the phone.
JUST GET ME MY CAMERA - femminismo

p.s. Found this Life magazine archive file photo of Sir Laurence Olivier. Hope it helps ... this little prayer.

August Little Books

2010-09-14T19:44:00.001-07:00

TODAY I was out taking some photos for work, to use in a new advertisement we will have for October. These little mums seemed especially fall-like.
And here's another flower that's seen the warmest part of the season. Now it's gathering a little gold from a nearby tree.
This is that time of year when I feel I should be buying woolen skirts and sweaters and hiking for the school bus clutching my Pee Chee folder. I wonder if Pee Chees are used only in America? Or if nowadays they are even used at all. Probably a thing of the past. (Well, no, I guess not according to Wikipedia. -click on link- The entry says they had "fallen out of use during the 2000s" but I guess Mead still makes them.) We really used to decorate ours!
Tonight I have officially gotten every one of my little August books - all 31 of them - in painted envelopes. Each little book is hand sewn and I've copied poems in most of them. (These books are not collector's items, since they are not works of art. But they are interesting, I think.)
They will go next to three ladies who are going to add some decorations to them. I can hardly wait to see what they come up with!
I have put on torn out pictures and stamps and all sorts of little bits of things that have been waiting for some time for a good home.
Jeff Bridges (photo by Mary Ellen Mark) is my idea of a saint I could worship. Saint Jeff, patron saint of women who still get fired up thinking about the early Elvis.
Now I'm just going on and irritating people. Ah, well! If this is my daily/weekly/monthly diary, then I get to write what I darn well please.
Speaking of Saint Jeff, there's also Saint "Don Draper" to adore. Such a scoundrel! Is anyone else out there hooked on "Mad Men"? I actually sit down and devote an hour each Sunday, and then sometimes another hour on Monday, soaking in every last bit of dialogue. This last Sunday had quite a few laughs in it. One almost thought a bit too many, but it was enjoyable.
One last book to show you and then I'm off to dinner (a late dinner). Love - femminismo

Rare September Daze

2010-09-12T13:28:00.001-07:00

THE twilight between the seasons ... that's what the last two days have been. The farmers market was good for Gravenstein apples and beer tasting (and buying) on Saturday. The apples will go into a pie or cobbler - whichever can be made with the least amount of calories. I know: Good luck!
I met a beer maker at the farmers market and unfortunately didn't catch his name, but the beer is brewed under the moniker Captured by Porches. Click to see their Web page for more information on this unique beer brewing "company."
I tried Rebecca's divine wit, which was unique without being off-putting. However, I settled on the other beer - Invasive Species - since I thought the fruity flavor might go with food better. Food, yes. Another evening of food, me thinks.
And I spent the rest of Saturday at Valley Art Gallery helping with a reception for Forest Grove High School graduates who have continued their art adventures. Good for our gallery to feel like they had a small part in that.
And this coming Saturday, September 18, is the Chalk Art Festival - the 20th anniversary event. Maybe there will be birthday cake for the gallery??? Even if there's not, there will be chalk art drawings on the sidewalk and I can't wait. Maybe this will be the year for another balloon hat - femminismo

The Day of Awe: Rosh Hashanah

2010-09-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

"MAY you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." A tradition to say and my blessing for you.
The holiday ended tonight but last night (Thursday) we had our celebratory meal. I enjoy marking holidays because it gives me the inspiration to cook and discover new foods. Oh, and eat!
Somehow the Force was with me last night and the roasted chicken, rice pilaf and chard dish all turned out at the right times to come together for a fine meal.
The challah was from the bakery because, hey! Who has time to knead, let the dough rise and braid the challah with a full-time job? It was delicious though - everything was. And now I am a new fan of chard.
My stepson says it is "nutrionally dense" and I am sure he is right. I sauteed garlic in grape seed oil and then cooked about 8 cups of coarsely chopped chard. A little kosher salt, some paprika, cumin and red pepper flakes. Freshly ground pepper on top. Cook a little. Then you add 1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice. Instead of chard you can also use beet greens. Those would be awesome, I'll bet.
I have begun paying more for my fresh roasting chickens since I can trace down their ancestry by typing in the code on their package to find out what farm they came from. They are very tender also and don't have all the added salt, unlike those frozen breasts from unnaturally huge poultry bodies. Poor little chicks!
The chicken cooked in apples and onions and had cinnamon and sugar sprinkled over it all. Chicken broth, and a wonderful Chardonnay that also accompanied the meal in glasses, was used for basting and made everything even yummier.
An entire large onion, finely chopped, was cooked in olive oil with pinon seeds/nuts, and then rice was added, along with nutmeg and a little coriander and water. Delicious, with a hint of the spices and more than a hint of the sweet onion.
For dessert we had a prune tart I had made the night before. A cooked butter and flour crust, the bottom spread after cooking with fig jam and whiskey. Then the fresh Italian prunes were quartered and laid in spiraling circles. Topped with lemon zest and cinnamon, it smelled very good cooking and tasted even better with a little vanilla bean ice cream. Bon appetit - femminismo

Profound Ignored Changes

2010-09-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

Our political rhetoric is empty, vacuous and vapid, but things are happening. Profound, ignored changes are underway. - Llewellyn King

1999: Hillary Clinton, Millennium Lectures
What are we to do today, when leaders hijack holy traditions, even history; not to lift people closer to God or their own human potential, but to push them further apart? What do we do about those who try to constrict the circle of human dignity by convincing us that our differences -- race and religion, gender, ethnicity and tribal origin -- are more important than our common humanity? If this violent century teaches us anything, it is that whenever the dignity of one is threatened, the dignity of all is threatened as well; and none can or should remain silent.
Imagine how different life would be today for the people of Kosovo and in so many other troubled parts of our world if the evil that was allowed to run free had been stopped by those who stood up and broke the silence, that indifference did not in any way paralyze those who could have taken action.
In 1999, it isn't enough to refuse to commit crimes of hatred, stereotyping one another, going along with the crowd. It isn't enough to look deep into our own hearts and say we find them free of hatred. We have to do more. Every time we let a religious or racial slur go unchallenged or an indignity go unanswered, we are making a choice to be indifferent, a choice to constrict the circle of human dignity; a choice, I believe, to ignore history at our children's peril.

We have a lot to consider as we begin the new year - or continue it - femminismo

My Dinner With Nate and Briana

2010-08-27T18:20:00.001-07:00

TWO first class cooks showed up at my house to make dinner Wednesday night. Talk about luscious treats. The best of summer fruits and vegetables got cooked up into wonderful sauces and roasted with fish and roast beef.
It was hot - in the 90s - and outside was the perfect place to set up tables and chairs. The smells inside the house were too much to take anyway. Too, too good!
So we've got the flowers, plates and silverware. We're off to a good start here.
I did have to go back into the house for a few peeks at what was being prepared and to see if the cooks needed anything: a grater, a juicer ... a taster?
Outside the guests were starting to arrive and everyone was hungry and happy to see each other again. It had been a while since our last visit with some of the folks.
It was perfect weather even though it was hot, but there was a nice breeze coming up. One of our guests was especially well turned out, with shiny new shoes on her feet. How about that green grass? No chemicals; just a bit of well water. (We didn't ask Lila to click her heels together and wish she was home. She was so cute we wanted her to stay forever!)
Here is Briana, her mother, and one of our cooks. Briana has her own business, Red Apples, a sustainable private chef service. Reach her at bluewillow32@hotmail.com.
The small grilled pizzas were cut into triangles and served as appetizers. They were topped with the smallest and sweetest tomatoes, sauteed red onion and melting cheese. Delicious again. And the homemade pasta!
Inside the house things were still cooking. It was getting very warm in there with the oven roasting potatoes and pots on the stove boiling away. A gravy reduction was going on for the roast beef. The smell alone was almost enough to fill you up! (Only not quite.)
The pink raspberries (or white; not sure which) were so sweet and ended up in a sauce. That's chard and maybe red pepper on the back burner.
Fresh, organic, sustainable, local. This is a great way to eat everyday. And here are the polenta squares with a savory veggie topping. They were cold and made a nice treat for such a warm afternoon. Nate prepared these, I think. Here he is posing with the beets he bought at the market and then prepared.
Are you almost "pictured out"? Here is my glass of Cubanismo wine from the Willamette Valley and my triangle of pizza. (water back)
What a dinner! I'm running out of time now and don't want to make you too jealous, so I'll stop telling you how wonderful it all was. Please feel free to imagine you were actually there - femminismo

All Alone in the World

2010-08-23T09:36:00.001-07:00

Hi! I'm alone in the world and feeling a little bit desperate. Can someone help me?
Preferably someone tall and handsome in a cardigan or turtleneck sweater. And male.
Or maybe someone in a red sports car? Or someone riding a white horse?
This post is very much like Art Sparker's, since she found some abandoned babes in an antique shop. This was Goodwill. Hope this "babe" finds who she's looking for - femminismo

Forgiveness - a powerful weapon

2010-08-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

"Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon." from the movie "Invictus"

The movie had hardly begun when Morgan Freeman, as Nelson Mandela, utters this line. A sob caught in my throat and tears filled my eyes.

The concept is beautiful and so simply stated, yet its application is so very, very difficult. But how much of life could be so beautiful if even half of our world was able to do this? - femminismo

Take A Look At August

2010-08-13T10:12:00.001-07:00

Here's August clematis spreading to the sky tops and some of my envelopes with a couple of August books - one to be for each day of the month, with a poem inside. Can't you smell the sweet phlox? This was a chance to lie on the grass and gaze at the clouds. Beside the phlox is false dragonhead, which will never die out thanks to all the seeds it produces!

All is going well, with dinner at an Italian restaurant promised for tonight! And music outside under the stars and the waxing moon - femminismo

Summer Is So Ripe!

2010-08-04T21:20:00.001-07:00

THE summer days are getting so thick and heady they are practically edible! The air is filled with tiny debris from trees, pollen and bug spittle; and then there is the heavy, thick scent of foliage; the musty odor of daisies, their pretty, fat, white petals frying a thin brown on the edges like sunnyside-up eggs in a skillet; and skinny dandelions are free to reach for the sky in the vacant lots owned by people with better things to do than arrange for lawnmowing, while the rest of us sneeze and say "Tsk, tsk!"

So I've been working in my journal - my August journal - and recently found (in all my "collateral debris"*) a list of what I did all on one day (August 2, 2009! what are the chances?) so I could keep track of my time and find out where it all went. It was a funny list and everything was easier to track because it was a Sunday and I could stop whatever I was doing and go write it down.

This August 2, 2010, was a Monday and work was a little crazy, so I kept telling myself I would do it later - do it later. At the end of the day I was able to recall most of it, but I'm sure I forgot some things. (And I still haven't figured out where time goes.) *collateral debris, AKA, creative tidbits

So these two lists went into the journal. The picture above is of the journal and the beginnings of the Tuesday book. It ended up with quite a few pages so I'm sure I will have to find a longer poem to go in it.

I love painting the envelopes for the books. I am thinking of sending this August Poetry Rolodex off - mailing it to one of my blog buddies - and they can have the joy of opening each pocket and reading the poem. Maybe they will glue in a picture or two (add a short poem, if there's room) and then mail the whole thing on to the next person in line. Sound good? Want to sign up now? Leave me a comment and I'll contact you! I trust the universe ... mainly.

Tonight after work I went to the downtown market and the artists' reception at Valley Art. I met two wonderful women artists who were so grateful to Valley Art for the wonderful, free reception they had: Dorothy Steele and Lin Haak. What sweethearts. Caroline Lau, who worked on the reception with Rusty Seeborg, made a tiny little white clay bridge that was in one of the table centerpieces and it was so sweet I wished I had taken a picture of it. What am I thinking sometimes, I wonder?! It looked like the sort of bridge a Japanese princess would wander over one moonlit night, looking at the sky and wishing for her lover - not noticing the young man in a boat, pulled into the shallows of the stream, gazing at her with such adoration! Oh, isn't the mind a wonderful thing when it can conjure up images like this!
I just know I'm going to hear from Rolodex corporate lawyers for using their brand name - femminismo

Project Begun

2010-08-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

August 1, 2010, and I've begun my newest journal today - the recycled annual report. I've also begun a new round of small manila envelopes with a little book in each one to make an essential packet of delight. Such fun to make up the books. No big fuss about measuring accurately or sticking to the rules. No fancy stitches needed on the covers of these books. They are just for fun. I'll show you one tomorrow - femminismo
p.s. Now this is a 'mater - and yes, spell check doesn't like that word.

A Walk Down The Labyrinth Path

2010-07-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

I HAVE absolutely no idea if this will work or not, but I have uploaded a video of my labyrinth walk on July 28th on Vimeo. See if this link takes you there and (warning!) don't get dizzy - femminismo

p.s. Have a great weekend!

p.p.s. EDIT on Aug. 1: The photo is by W. Eugene Smith

My Earrings, Garden and Project ... In That Order

2010-07-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

ONE pair of earrings didn't quite work out, so the jeweler/artist (Linda Hayes) who made them offered to trade them for another pair. Her studio is at her house, where both she and her husband design jewelry - and a pleasant way of life, too.
Their studio is the coziest place in the fall, which is when I've been there before. In the summer the drive into the country is lovely, with wide open grain fields and bluish mountains in the distance. And lots and lots of blue sky this time of year. Beyond the open door of the studio I could hear a water feature bubbling and babbling.
Linda was eager to show me all the vintage baubles she has collected. Old beads, rhinestones, rosary medals and beads - she's worked them all together into lovely, balanced pieces of art. Check out her website if you get the chance. It was a little slow to load tonight, for me, but hope you will give it a try. The earrings in the picture are the ones I chose and I loved them with my favorite purple blouse. I felt glam.or.us!
And I am pretty proud of myself because I've been following a walking regimen. Every day at lunch I go for a walk and along the way I find the most gorgeous flowers. These hollyhocks were in their prime. Today when I passed them I didn't stare too hard. I knew they were embarrassed at the declining state of their blossoms and the insect damage on the leaves. Or rust? Isn't that what hollyhocks generally come down with? Anyway, I admired them today and then found a shady spot to read "Reading Lolita in Tehran." I know I am probably the last one to read this, but it called to me from the Goodwill shelf and even after the first five pages I adore the author. Every sentence is worth reading twice!
Speaking of Goodwill, I also bought another book called "Produce." Mostly because of some illustrations in them. At the office, when I got back from walking, I was flipping through the book when I found a folded up $20 bill! These things don't generally happen to me! I'm wondering what to do with my largess.
And here's something happy to report today: Someone I really, really like is going to be coming to work in our office! I was so happy to hear the news and so grateful that the stars were all aligned correctly. I think the management is going to reap many benefits from her work and she will add greatly to the efficient operation of our tiny little world of keystrokes, filing and paper cuts - femminismo
p.s. OOPS! Didn't show my project, did I? Or my tomatoes? Well, only one will fit the time I have. Here's some more of my painted, small manila envelopes. They will all hold books - very small books. I'm sewing on buttons with ribbon so I can keep them closed!
p.p.s. Linda's page never came up so I linked to her info for a local tour. Take a look!

What I've Been Doing

2010-07-26T23:09:00.000-07:00

ZUKES, 'maters and beans. There's been so much sun lately the tomatoes have been reaching for the sky. They are now taller than me and need to be encouraged to devote their energy to spreading out a little and zapping those blossoms into hundreds of round, red juiciness. Now that's not really a word, is it? (Must be spelled right because the spell checker hasn't underlined it.)
I've also been organizing "the studio" and almost getting heat stroke. Water! The only cure. And no humidity to speak of makes things bearable. Also, it gets cool in Oregon at night. Why it's almost 71 degrees F. now at 11:21 p.m.
Saw "Inception" on Saturday night and then went to a Sunday matinee with a friend and saw "Maryada Ramanna" - all in Indian with no English subtitles. The colors, dancing and music made it terrrific. A young Indian man on our way out asked if we had been able to follow along. We had a few questions for him because whatever the hero had said a couple of times really made the almost entirely Indian audience howl with laughter! A fun experience. And, yes, I'm working on another painted envelope project. Another poem Rolodex, I hope - femminismo

Rest In Peace, Daniel Schorr

2010-07-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

THAT melodious voice stilled. How sad.
What confidence we felt when we heard his voice. Confidence we were getting the real story and not some shrill pandering to the entertainment (really? entertainment?) gods.
No crying on the air telling us about his problems, hatreds and misguided perceptions of what the world is like. No fear mongering or operating with only a teeny, tiny peanut-sized brain.
Just the facts with a measured opinion. Take it or leave it. But if you're smart, you'll think it over at least. Intelligence beyond measure, respect for the news business, respect for the intelligence of his audience. I fear we are truly lost now, wandering the dial in search of our True North.
Sleep well, sweet prince. Our "active witness to history."

A 'RePost' From February 2009

2010-07-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

TODAY I am going to repost something from 2009. On Seth's Altered Page blog he has reposted the most beautiful "handbook" he produced. It is wonderful and gives me great ideas, as always. I think he must have more time to shop for odd bits of this and that, or maybe there are just more dumpsters in New York!

Check out this link if you'd like to join me in "Remembering the Future."

p.s. I've corrected that link to Seth's Altered Page, but I hope you found something interesting in the other page, if anyone happened by last night. (Comments, comments, please!)

Wandering Through Blogland ...

2010-07-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

TODAY I went visiting, clicking on "next blog, next blog, next blog." There were so many in a row that had to do with gardening and flowers, I felt I was on a Google search. At last I came to Sachi's blog and here is the comment I left on SachiAmbi's blog:
"I cannot describe to you the wonderful journey you have taken me on. From your home and beautiful daughter to the mustard fields of India - all with your innocent, marvelous commentary! There are tears in my eyes as I think of my own grandfather - who is buried in an old country cemetery I still visit, because now my parents are there. Your photos are lovely and I have enjoyed them very much. Thank you for sharing and I pray for peace in our world and no more fighting to endanger a land you still hold tightly in your heart."
The ashes of her grandfather were under a certain tree, much the same as my tall Texan grandfather rests at the base of a giant Pacific Northwest fir.
Such an entertaining blog she has with an intuitive ear (if there is such a thing) for dialogue that feels like a real in-the-flesh visit. I went from being in her home and viewing her small daughter's play time to traveling with Sachi to India to visit her family's humble beginnings. Visit it, too, if you can!
Another blog I visited, the author used her photo editing software and cropped slices from pictures, ending up with some surprising floral and fauna collections. Very nice in small bits. So I wanted to try it. Maybe more of it tomorrow. I have some excellent coneflowers to slice into interesting bits.
Now, I must rest so as to be on time for work tomorrow - femminismo

I Write Like My Hero!

2010-07-17T10:16:00.000-07:00

I WAS visiting Laura Miller's art journal blog - look for her link over on the blog roll at the right - and then went to visit l'Astronave's blog (also on blog roll). I really should be doing my hair. I'm late for a date with relatives!! Argh! They will probably read this someday so I will have to be truthful about my whereabouts! Not that I would have lied, anyway. They never expect me on time.
Anyway, on l'Astronaves blog I saw she had submitted a blog post into "I Write Like" and got her answer - she writes like David Foster Wallace - so I thought I would quickly try it.
My jaw dropped when I saw who this analysis says I write like: Chuck Palahniuk. Oh my gosh! My hero. I've always wanted to take this Portland writer's class "Writing Dangerously."

I write like
Chuck Palahniuk

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Life can't get better than flattery like this - femminismo

August Journal Is Under Construction

2010-07-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

IT DOESN'T ALWAYS HAPPEN that I can be true to my word and keep to my agenda. More often than not something comes up to rearrange "agendas." This week things have been moving pretty smoothly (in that direction, anyway).
Last night I started painting this thick annual report with house paint primer. By the way, I am not endorsing this company. It just happened to come in the mail. The pages are similar to Kleenex. Cheaper to mail a phone book type document that way! We have since gone to paperless reports.
So here we begin. I used one of those sponge "brushes" and it was pretty handy. In order to begin reducing some of my collage collections, I took a brown paper bag full of inspirational pieces and just started pasting them in using the house primer. This is one of my favorite artists, Maira Kalman, and I really liked her New Yorker cover painting, so of course I had held onto it. Trimmed out and pasted down, I like the shadowy "self" behind the woman in front.
The words "Divine Companions" in the newspaper story about pets caught my eye too. With the "shadow woman," or maybe "soul" of the person Kalman painted, the phrase felt right. Sometimes - and I'll bet others will agree - the elements just seem to fall together and often they're right in front of your eyes.
So I'm on my way with this August journal. While I was waiting for the pages to dry a bit, I used the house primer to paint over the cover of another book and some pages in another. I liked the primer. It dries fairly quickly and isn't sticky. Makes a nice base for other things too.
When the Kalman page was dry enough I went on - and I'm painting together several pages at a time to save time and make the pages thicker. I don't want to paint every page in this thousand page document!!
So first I found the quote in the paper bag of "stuff" and then I found the ballet picture. The headline was with the dancers. Then this gent caught my eye. I don't know that he was really terrible. You can use your own imagination to interpret what the "seven minutes of magic" are. : ) A dance? A date? A ... .
Separating the pages with waxed paper was a good idea. It allows you to work on several at a time so long as they are not terribly wet. I used some gloss gel to glue down the pictures too and used a brayer which picked up a lot of primer. The brayer is now coated with the stuff and has a great texture. It will never be totally smooth again, but it does get the bubbles out of the glued down elements.
This last page was just a bunch of tags I made and found at the bottom of the bag I was trying to get to the bottom of. I think I got the window from Judy Wise and the mosaic came from a magazine ad on traveling to Turkey.
After all this gluing and painting, I was glad to have dinner and a movie ("Coco - Before Chanel"). Time to relax and peel all the gloss gel and primer off my hands!
More tonight, if I don't have to water the plants or make dinner or do anything else but have fun - femminismo
p.s. "Coco - Before Chanel" is very slow. Audrey Tatou is lovely and the straw purse she carries is to die for, but I wouldn't recommend it for an engrossing portrait of the artist.
p.p.s. Happy birthday to Peter, my little baby boy!

An Important Day

2010-07-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

I CAN'T be more clear or more right when I tell you this is an important day.
Today I stood up for myself and spoke about my disappointment and hurt instead of holding it inside where it could do me no good.
I didn't attack anyone verbally and I believe I was within my rights to express my hurt. It just isn't like me to do this. I am the nicest, quietest, meekest person you would ever - or maybe never - want to meet, and this is a good thing ... sometimes. Sometimes it's not.
This morning, at work, we had a meeting, and you know how it goes when you anticipate an event. Does anyone else write scripts inside their heads? Do you plan ahead of time what people are going to say and how you will respond? Or is it just me?
Well, this morning I expected things at the meeting to go entirely different than they did. Because of miscommunication, I ended up with my feelings hurt and felt entirely extraneous. I felt as if the valuable skills I believe I possess were not appreciated or needed.
Now I'm not saying I'm the best thing since microwave popcorn (although it's a pretty even race) but things just didn't play out the way I thought they would.
So there I was, once again, facing the reality of all of my actors not reading the correct script!
At noon I had errands to run and I had time to think about what had happened and what I wanted to do about it. I decided to talk to my employer (who may be reading this ... she checks in sometimes, and that's OK) because I'm just tired of being as "mature" as I am and still not taking charge of running my life better. She was shocked to hear my feelings had been hurt and we talked about some ways to fix the problem. So it turns out that things may turn out better because I did open my mouth this time.
I am happier tonight than I was this morning, but still have a kind of lump in my throat because of a couple of things. One is that the magnolia tree is finally blooming, but that reminds me of my mother who died around the time they flowered four years ago. There are some kinds of pain that just never go away, and losing her is one of them.
The other is the "Battle of the Detritus" that goes on between me and the Mister. What I see as fodder for projects, he sees as clutter - depressing clutter. And I believe him. I believe it dismays and depresses him. And I know some will say just forget it; one man's clutter is another collage artist's valuable collection of gems. I suppose I will just get serious about categorizing and filing it all in the area that is now designated as my "studio." Every night I will work on it a little more until I get this area of my life right too.
The photo up above is a "polarized" picture of poppies - stems, mostly - in the field near Halfway, Oregon, where we stopped on the way home June 10. It looks suitably weird and sort of fits my mood tonight. (I guess I call them "Sleepy Poppies" remembering Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz."
And I apologize if these posts have been hard to read lately. I've been fooling around with the design and I don't have it quite right yet. Thanks, Fresca, for your comment.
Now let's all just grow up and take responsibility for ourselves, OK? - femminismo
p.s. I forgot to tell you: I posted "Did you ever feel extraneous?" on Facebook and my brother, Bob, replied: "Once I did, but Karen (his wife) slapped me." For a couple of seconds I didn't understand, but then I got it and roared with laughter!

From Halfway, Oregon

2010-07-12T22:03:00.001-07:00

THE FLOWER QUEEN in Halfway, Oregon, on her way home: June 10, 2010.
Amid all the flowers, under the blue sky, without a care in the world. If only life could always be as sweet.
And I was with a good friend who has helped save my sanity on more than one occasion. I like this picture of her sitting on the little bridge over a tiny creek that probably ran swiftly this spring - with melting snow and heavier than usual rain showers.
She will not like her picture, but then I don't like mine either. I apparently am about five months pregnant!! I knew I should have made this picture smaller ... way, way smaller - femminismo
p.s. On Wednesday, I am going to begin painting the annual report I got with white house primer so I can have a journal for August. I really, truly swear to goodness I am going to do this. You'll remind me, won't you, if it doesn't show up on these pages? Thanks!

A Certain Sadness, A Certain Joy ...

2010-07-11T12:04:00.001-07:00

THERE is always a certain sadness on arriving home from an excellent adventure. The joy, however, in bringing back images and memories of the adventure more than makes up for returning to reality.
These flowers are courtesy of the city of Halfway, Oregon. It was not halfway from our home. No, siree!
My cousin John noted I've been from one side of Oregon (the Pacific Ocean) to the other (the Snake River, that divides Oregon and Idaho) in the span of less than a week - and it's true. Such different land formations, yet similar in some ways. Such different temperatures! The stars put on quite a show for us and I wish I had gotten pictures of them and knew more constellations. We saw one planet/star disappear on the western horizon. So either there is some hanky panky going on in the universe or one of the planet's moons got between us. Here's hoping you see some good stars in your own skys. Now I'm going to a wedding! Can life get better? We'll see - femminismo

EDITORIAL ADDITION: Here comes the joy ... and the bride. It was very warm so the straw fans came in handy on the grounds of the Joel Palmer House restaurant in Dayton, Oregon. Everything went perfectly as far as the guests were concerned. The groom strutted down the aisle to the ZZ Top song "Sharp Dressed Man" and looked sharp, indeed. Next came the maids of honor and then the bride on the arm of her very proud father (my son!).
Go on ... you can say it! "Awww!"
The minister was sincere and authentic, the vows they wrote and exchanged were tear-inducing (the crying grandmother sat behind the crying father, at left being comforted by his wife) and the kiss was very well done too. (Good job, Matt!)
The reception? Awe inspiring food from the restaurant. The pesto/garlic shrimp, porcini risotto with meatballs on the side to be draped with a cherry sauce - all the fresh fruit - WOW! There was much, much more and then the cake. A chocolate layer that took this chocolate lover's breath away and a delightful poppy seed layer with raspberry filling and cream cheese.
While helping clean up I found this natural arrangement of the straw fans, a wedding program, lavender sprinkles and the pillow the ring was on. I wouldn't be surprised if the "E" monogrammed on the handkerchief isn't an "E" for Evelyn, the bride's late great-grandmother - also known as "Grandma Portland," one of those cherished family nicknames. Now you've seen some of the joy I've experienced today. I hope you found some - femminismo

An Earnest Attempt at Art

2010-07-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

THIS IS ONE of the treasures I found this past weekend as I dug my way through our guest room/art studio. It must become one or the other and the weather is warm enough - and now there is enough shelf space - for the "other half" of the garage (the half with no car) to hold my art doings.
Summer guests are now (almost) welcome to descend. Only the bed needs to be put together. And it would be nice if the room were painted. And the corners dusted. But one thing at a time.
I found these leaves last fall up on our property and arranged them ala Andy Goldsworthy. Someday I may do this with the banana slugs that congregate on the pathways on the property. I'll take some kitchen tongs to herd them.
So many different things have been going on in life. Ups and downs, ins and outs, sidestep and skedaddle. Last month I danced outdoors under the light of the full moon at a party, over the Fourth of July the Mister and I went to the Oregon Coast to stay with friends for the night, and today the coolness finally eased and we got a taste of real warmth - real summer - in the air.
There were sprinklers going with golden sunset light shining through, barefoot kids in the park, the thrumming sound of motorcycles and the warm summer air like some sort of heavenly dry water flowing around your arms and face.
I'm leaving you on the precipice of the Pacific Ocean, where Lewis and Clark might have walked to if they could still make one foot push out in front of the other after they stopped at Seaside. Down below is Manzanita and then Nehalem Bay, which was our destination - femminismo
p.s. It's 75 degrees outside right now at 9:30 p.m. Yesterday it was probably 53!

Not Quite Through With Tacoma

2010-07-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

IF YOU LOOK closely, you will see one of Chihuly's putti in the lower left (semi-center). The putti are Renaissance figures that were usually cherubic and carved from wood. Dale Chihuly decided to construct them from glass. They are so sweet and mischievous, reclining above octopi or holding hands while swinging above ribbons of glass. (this is another BlackBerry photo)
If I already told you I won tickets to the Museum of Glass, I apologize. I really want to go visit and see them produce the glass. I guess, for a price, you can even make your own and if you goof up the pros will "rescue" it for you. Now that's what I call an authentic souvenir.
This adorable pink bicycle was propped up against a perfect gray/blue background. The Northwest is BIG on bikes.
What else did the city hold for us? Well, we had dinner in the restaurant below our hotel - Pacific Grill - and had a delicious dinner. The establishment was even kind enough to move our party of two away from a party of 1,000 talkative chatterers. My dinner? Prawns with tiny, skinny spaghetti. Don't think it was angel hair pasta, but close. My compadre had clams or mussels in a very light garlicky sauce. Delicious! And then we had Julia Child's perfect fudge brownie with Madagascar vanilla ice cream for dessert. This started us off on ideas for a party to mark Julia's magnificent contributions to our world of food. We are planning the perfect gathering - food and guests. They all complement each other. The food will taste even better with the right mix of people.
And guess what else we found near the Bridge of Glass? That's right: a used book store. When in doubt, choose something by Henry James. I have never read "The Ambassadors," and I'm sure it will be delightful. It will be my "after gardening book."
Now, if you'll excuse me, I am off to Ace Hardware for some house primer - and no, it's not for the house. I'm going to paint a huge annual report we got. Thin, cheesy paper; but Judy Wise is always painting even newspaper with house primer and then going on to paint it with exotic colors and stamp it and then use it to all sort of things with, and I want to try it too - femminismo

Tacoma Sights

2010-06-30T22:56:00.001-07:00

HERE is the first sight of glass that we beheld when we left the freeway for the museum district of Tacoma. Overhead were these towering "stacks" of blue "rocks" made from glass, I assume.
We checked into our hotel first - to attend the travel writers conference the next day, and then we took off for the sights. I, of course, forgot my camera so was forced to take photos with my BlackBerry. I seem to be doing that a lot lately - forgetting my camera. Maybe I'm forcing myself to just be an observer and not a recorder.
I have seen Dale Chihuly's work before, but was as amazed this time as the first time I ever saw the wondrous glass work he and his crew produce. Amazing!
I may not have mentioned this, but I am not going to Italy this summer. It's a long story, but the Mister and I decided to try another trip when he is able to walk a little easier. He is having a problem with his foot and knees - so my sister and brother-in-law will go on without us and we will try another time. So this glass in Tacoma will have to substitute for the glass on the Isle of Murano - femminismo

This is the Day! The Longest Day!

2010-06-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Summer! HERE for your delectation is the "April Poem Rolodex," each in its own little envelope - finally finished.

A compadre said they are each their own little work of art and I hope that is true. I have been astonished to pick poems at random - checking first to make sure I'll like them for more than just one reading - and then finding them in some way serendipitously relating to spring, or April, or a photograph or art object I chose to decorate their holder. These things never fail to astonish me.

The last poem is "Trying to Raise the Dead" by Dorianne Laux. I have two of her poems in these 30 teeny-tiny April books. Maybe one day I will make them ALL by her.
The stand was made by the Mister and is everything I could have hoped for. Using copper and wood, utilitarian materials, this completes the recycling efforts of dribs and drabs, scraps and pieces.
Now I cannot wait to begin the next one! However, perhaps I should write my own poems or stories. Not always fair to glean others' hard work when the whole project could be my own work.

On Friday, a friend and I leave to attend a Saturday travel writing workshop in Tacoma. Up I-5 north of us and alongside the Puget Sound. I can smell the docks now and I'll bet they can inspire a poem or two - femminismo

p.s. The big picture is for grl+dog, Deneese, who is - she says - "too lazy" to click on the pictures and make them bigger.

Fixing Mistakes . . .

2010-06-20T22:10:00.000-07:00

TRIED TO "DESIGN" TODAY.
Yes, things look a good deal different here on this end. I accidentally changed the page and couldn't undo it. It was awful. So ugly - like a bad, bad sin you would never admit to - I spent a good two hours redesigning things. I'm still not happy with the transparent background since I think it makes things to hard to read. However I can't decide on a plain one-color background, so I guess I'm stuck with this for a while.
Please visit again tomorrow when I want to show you my finished coin packet books. The Mister made a super holder for the packets and I was overjoyed! Our first collaborative art project!!
- femminismo
p.s. Happy Fathers Day to my two sons!

Even If You Have Nothing to Blog About ...

2010-06-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

HOW CAN WE NOT BLOG? (It's like, how can we not breathe?) How can we not have something to say or think? Even if it's meaningless to 95 percent of the people who may see it - or read it - there might be something provocative for someone else to read, see or know.
Yes, I know. I can hear you. We are able to do and say lots of things. That doesn't mean we have to pass them on - out loud or in print.
However, I have some beauties to show you. A co-worker brought some peonies into the office to share and there is no way I cannot share them with you.
My camera captured them for the eternity this blog lasts. And, also for this period of eternity, I've captured a poem by Dorianne Laux. I have wanted to find this poem for quite some time and now I know I can find it on another blog where someone else "steals" poems. This is from Laux's book "Facts About the Moon."

KISSING AGAIN
By Dorianne Laux from "Facts About the Moon"

Kissing again, after a long drought of
not kissing—too many kids, bills, windows

needing repair. Sex, yes, though squeezed in
between the minor depths of anger, despair—

standing up amid the laundry
or fumbling onto the strip of rug between

the coffee table and the couch. Quick, furtive,
like birds. A dance on the wing, but no time

for kissing, the luxuriant tonguing of another
spongy tongue, the deft flicking and feral sucking,

that prolonged lapping that makes a smooth stone
of the brain. To be lost in it, your body tumbled

in sea waves, no up or down, just salt
and the liquid swells set in motion

by the moon, by a tremor in Istanbul, the waft
of a moth wing before it plows into a halo of light.

Praise the deep lustrous kiss that lasts minutes,
blossoms into what feels like days, fields of tulips

glossy with dew, low purple clouds piling in
beneath the distant arch of a bridge. One

after another they storm your lips, each kiss
a caress, autonomous and alive, spilling

into each other, streams into creeks into rivers
that grunt and break upon the gorge. Let the tongue,

in its wisdom, release its stores, let the mouth,
tired of talking, relax into its shapes of give

and receive, its plush swelling, its slick
round reveling, its primal reminiscence

that knows only the one robust world.

Wow! That woman can write a poem about kissing, can't she? The first time I saw/read this poem was at a calligraphy art show. The calligrapher had taken a long, long strip of brown Kraft paper and inscribed this poem onto it. It was a great mixture of images. Imagine being that close, nose to paper, so near these luscious words describing the sensation of kissing.
Only something as sensuous as kissing could be mixed with these slippery, velvety peony petals - femminismo

The Edgier Blogger

2010-06-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

EDGIER? Yes, edgier! Fresca (l'astronave) was talking about how "unprivate" do we want our blogs to be. How much do we want to reveal? "How 'naked' do we want to be?"
How honest do we want to be?
What's in it for us, we wonder, to tell more than we feel comfortable with?
In writing, they call it "dangerous" writing. It's exploring who you are and what you really think and what you're really comfortable with.
And you're doing it in public! We shall see where the weeks take us - femminismo
"Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls." from Chapter I, Micah, The Old Testament

So This is 'Almost Summer' Weather?

2010-06-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

TUESDAY was an awful weather day. The western sky was gray and foreboding while in the east the sun was shining. Talk about your evil twins!
The weather hit our building at work and you can see the hail bouncing around my car tires outside the building. This is five days before summer? People are going to start believing the gossip that it rains *all the time* in Oregon. AND hails!
Our building has very high ceilings - like 20 feet high - and there are skylights up above. When the hail hit it was so noisy you could hardly hear yourself think. I wonder what the birds thought.
I watched "The Lovely Bones" on Tuesday night. The Mister was spooked by the scene when Susie was crossing the cornfield and left to go take a shower. I have to admit I was spooked too. I loved the book, but I am not sure about the movie - even though I thought the actress who played "Susie" was wonderful. A terrible thing to lose a child in any way, and this particular movie at this particular time reflects a current theme in Oregon: a 7-year-old boy going missing from school. There has still been no word on Kyron Harmon who's been missing since June 4th. Real stories like this just make you feel sick with helplessness.
It's getting late and tomorrow is another day. I see a new dentist tomorrow and hope he is getting a good night's sleep tonight and feeling up to a 3:30 p.m. appointment tomorrow - femminismo
p.s. I'm getting very tempted to try the new "design" element available on Blogger. Don't be surprised if everything on this page changes one of these days.

June Events & Treats

2010-06-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

This pretty girl, our granddaughter, Leesha, graduated from high school on Saturday. We are very proud of her for finishing her education despite some of the obstacles in her path.

Saturday was also the first day of sunshine around here in what seemed like a very, very, very long time. Some of the flowers had just given up trying to bloom and the foliage on many flowers and vegetables is very sketchy because of the slugs - who adore the moisture. Time to set out the slug bait.
On Saturday, after graduation, Leesha's parents had a barbecue to celebrate and it was a chance for my son and his dad to hand-crank ice cream. Old fashioned vanilla on top of the chocolate graduation cake. Yum!
The Mister and I attended the party and had a good meal to fortify us for more partying later on at a friend's house, where we danced and then the Mister played guitar. Fun times. The hostess had a beautiful bouquet of peonies with stalks of a mustard plant with variegated foliage. It was quite unusual and gave me a "plant itch" for something similar in our back yard.
This peony portrait is worked over a bit in Photoshop, but it was lovely on its own, too.
Here's the Mister at the barbecue before the party. While he played guitar at the party all I got was shots from behind. It was a "band in the basement" party and the music was quite loud for a while. They played until a little after 10 p.m. because most of the neighbors were at the party!
Here, below, is a picture of slim, tall Zoe, another granddaughter. She is growing so fast it's a wonder her skin can keep up with her.
And I'll finish up with a June rose that is so perfect and fat. Can you smell the peachy goodness of it? - femminismo

Five Hundred First Post . . . !!!

2010-06-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

GOOD GRAVY! I almost didn't notice this piece of information when I logged in, but this is my 501st post on Blogger. Propitious moment to give you a picture of my Teeny Tiny Books. I suppose they might be even smaller, to be deserving of the title "Teeny Tiny," but they do fit into a coin envelope. You know: the kind you put loose change into when you make a deposit at the bank?

I have been a lousy blogger recently. Thinking a lot of what I'd like to write about, but never getting it down on paper. Or on the magical glass screen either!

The "Bound for Glory" picture is one I took in Salem from our conference headquarters. Overlooking a busy thoroughfare can be quite interesting!

I've been visiting other blogs the last two days - finally - and seeing these posts energizes me to get busy and do something. Anything to feel creative. So now that I have the April project finally almost done (I need to produce some sort of holder for these booklets) I can start on something new.

Something to do with paint and paper, I think. Now go create, people - femminismo

Testing My Photoshop 'Skills'

2010-06-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

As you can see, the real Photoshop geeks have nothing to fear. I used an image another blogger generously distributed and added a few other images. I'm nowhere near to painting faces and adding other elements that these ladies might be holding.

Hmm. Marie Antoinette as a zombie on Day of the Dead? I'm sure she wouldn't be holding a rose, but rather an arm or a leg to feast on - femminismo

First Day of June

2010-06-01T22:19:00.001-07:00

JUNE - the month of graduates and newlyweds. And this year, apparently, gully washers of rain showers here in Oregon. A "pineapple express" is scheduled to come through tomorrow or the next day - or maybe tonight! I love pineapple, but I don't think we'll enjoy this one so much. The flowers are already looking pretty worn out from all the rain.
Not this clematis though. Sturdy flowers and such interesting centers I thought I would zoom in on this one.
We were up in the woods, too, on Sunday and I brought back a couple of photographs and a lot of red clay mud on my tennis shoes. Everything was very damp and my little path - Jeanne's Trail - down by the river had really grown over. Some of the deer ferns were as tall as me. Here I had it all cleaned up and spotless and now these little white flowers are carpeting the pathway. The goatsbeard* is in full bloom too, right by the side of the creek.
This is a sword fern, shot from overhead. All the "spears" look so fresh, clean and new! Gorgeous. Must go now. Bedtime and it's off for an annual conference tomorrow about an hour away from home. My suitcase is packed and with all the outfits I was stuffing in the suitcase the Mister was getting a little worried, asking how long I was going to be gone. Just three days, and not even that, really. I'll be back Friday evening - femminismo
* there is a photo of the goatsbeard on another "page" of this blog, if you search for it in the search field at the top

A Weekend For Remembering

2010-05-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

THIS three-day weekend has been full of weeding, working, laughing, hoping for sunshine and counting blessings. Oh, and eating strawberries.
Here's a picture and a word or two to keep my hand in this "blogging thingy."
Today we went to the cemetery to say hello to Mom and Dad and my Uncle Frank and Aunt Mildred. Small flags on the veterans' graves. We walked around the old country cemetery to see the hard work others had done cutting the grass and raking up fallen limbs. On every tombstone in the cemetery there were flowers on the graves.
I know some of the people buried there probably don't even have relatives who remember them any longer, but the local church must have some really good people helping out.
Our section of the cemetery was overflowing with flowers. You could really tell my parents and grandparents were well loved!
Today was a good day for gathering flowers - remembering my mother's favorites. This calla lily we got from her garden and brought home to flourish in ours - femminismo
p.s. Check out the pistil, especially at the bottom, and the fluted, rippling petal edge!

Tumbling Strawberries

2010-05-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

I SHOULD have been more ambitious, started earlier in the evening, not put off my blogging ... but none of those things happened. We've been busy here. Lots of deadlines to meet at work, art receptions, volunteer meetings and a bridal shower here on Sunday last.
I've been thinking about my blog and wishing everything came together more easily, but here is a photo taken after the art reception. This pitcher, with strawberries and violets, was a centerpiece surrounded by cookies. Then I got to take them home to munch on. I tried one of the violets, but it didn't have much flavor.
I've planted flowers in the front during breaks from the rain. Wettest May on record - or something like that - here in Oregon.
I hope you are all well out there in Bloggerland. I will soon have a photo of all my completed coin packets and tiny books with poems. So many great poems, so many vivid images to save - femminismo

I Miss You xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

2010-05-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

I MISS the days I first began this blog and savored the wonder of seeing my photos and words come together. I miss the times I couldn't order food without taking a picture of it once it arrived at my table to share with "you."
The places I went, the people I saw, the books I read - I shared them all with "you."
No, this isn't good-bye. It's just a wish I had more time - more time - more time!
Here at the keyboard I scatter a few words magically on the screen before me and say hello one more. Hopefully I will see something tomorrow to show you.
Maybe the limping raccoon that lives in our neighborhood will visit and I can get his picture, although he isn't very friendly. (thank goodness!)
Maybe I will have a great dream and need to tell you about it. (A couple of nights ago I dreamed my cousin sang a hymn in harmony with herself. Her voice could sing three or four notes at one time. It sounded beautiful.)
Do you hear in your dreams? Do you smell things? Do you dream in color? I do all of these, but I've never tasted anything in them.
Sometimes when I am driving I see wonderful things and I think of "you" and want to remember to tell "you." I love you - femminismo

Of Hummingbirds and Flowers ... and Water.

2010-05-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

THIS WEEKEND was one with wonderful weather and work in the garden. Lots and lots and lots of work. Everywhere I looked there was a vacant space in the garden (which the Mister likes and I don't care for) and I envisioned planting some flowers - finally! - that would bloom throughout the summer. Perennials are wonderful, but in our garden there is not too much for July and August. So voila! A trunk full of fresh pickings from New Leaf Greenhouse. Enough to add some color but not pack the place so there would be room for walking into the garden to weed. Ouch! My back!
I chose a ligularia for a shady spot in the garden. When I saw this gigantic plant with its lacy-edged leaves, I thought it could be a powerhouse punch under one of the shade trees. Dahlias will give some color to the edge of the flower beds in the back yard, without overwhelming anything else. and some geraniums, larkspur and campanula - the last two to grow tall and stand out in the front yard flowerbed.
The orange poppies are flowering around the red rhododendron, splashed with two yellow tulips - just like last year. I didn't want to post almost the same exact photo as last year so I played around with the photo editor colors and got this weird shot. Strange garden, huh? I felt a little cruel taking the orange from the poppies and turning the yellow tulips reddish, but, eh! What's a little fun between garden and gardener?
On another note there was a hummingbird trapped in the sunroom. We opened all the doors and windows and I was hoping the draft would lure him/her out. We finally left it alone and went about our business and pretty soon he/she was gone. It was difficult to listen to its little head hitting the glass ceiling!
There was more that happened this weekend. The usual busy round of chores and obligations, but that never seems to end.
A couple more pics of flowers and then I am out of here. Sorry my page isn't getting refreshed as often as it should. I am losing some valuable writing time, putting down my memories - femminismo

Coin Packets With Books

2010-05-10T07:27:00.000-07:00

HERE YOU GO! Grab a cold one and view the packets and books - femminismo