Urban Oasis

New Blog!

2011-01-05T11:29:00.001-08:00

We moved! I started a new Blog (and imported the old posts) HERE!

Hot New Wheels

2010-07-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

1973 Motobecane Nobly.....Made in France.
I am the 2nd owner.

Victor Street Farm - It practically runs itself.

2010-05-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

Look what smarty pants did.

A little drip irrigation system

Theta helping.

My New Favorite Thing.

2010-05-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

La Fattoria poco in Italia

2010-04-07T00:08:00.000-07:00

I've had an internal debate as to whether I wanted to write about my experience applying for dual citizenship. In the end, I felt that someone else might find my adventure useful in their own attempt. So here goes.

Off and on for the last few years, I've wanted to look into the possibility of applying for dual citizenship in Italy under a law called Jure Sanguinis. I was pretty sure I would qualify on one side of my father's family and as it turns out, I qualify on both sides...... if all goes well. The law requires my decendent (grandmother, in this case) to have been born before my great-grandfather naturalized. Since she was born in 1921 and he didn't naturalize until 1937, we're good. Secondly, we haven't been able to find any proof that my great-grandfather Marino ever naturalized at all. The way the law works, though, puts the burden of proof on me. It's easier for me to use my grandmother's family records which include his naturalization than to try and obtain all sorts of proof that someone didn't naturalize. So that's my fallback plan.

As of tonight, I have an appointment with the San Francisco Italian Consulate for October of 2011. Since, appointments are supposed to be 2 years out, I'll count myself lucky that I only have 1 1/2 years to wait. We can't really travel until Conor is out of school anyway, so that's fine. I've had to gather every birth, marriage and citizenship certificate obtained by myself and my direct line of descendents all the way back to Carini, Sicily. Each of those certificates requires a translation into Italian if it is in English, and an apostille from the state of it's issue. I have almost all of the certificates gathered, but I think I'm going to have to have a few of them amended for name misspellings and general errors before the consulate will accept them. Luckily I have a year and a half!

I want to be able to travel and work freely in the EU. Dual citizenship would be my ticket to do it. Tyree will qualify for citizenship if I'm able to obtain it via Jure Matrimonis. I'll post my progress throughout the process and hopefully it will help someone. Meanwhile..... Buona Notte!

Small Victories....

2010-03-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

I had one of my proudest moments in step parenting this morning. Conor's math teacher showed the kids a shape in class consisting of a rectangle with an isosceles triangle tacked on to either end. It gave the height and width of the rectangle portion and the length of one if the sides of the triangle. The teacher said that using the info given, it wasn't possible to find the area of the shape. Conor raised his hand and said,

"Can't you divide the triangle into two right triangles and use the a(squared) + b(squared) = c(squared) formula?"

The teacher just looked at him and said "That's ahead of most of this class."

The Red Wall at Studio E.

2010-03-08T21:46:00.001-08:00

Waterfront Artist Studio Collective
Tyree Callahan

Photo by Dustin Basalla

We're seeing red.

2010-03-03T22:07:00.000-08:00

Tyree painted the largest wall in our studio a kind of tomato red this week in preparation for the Waterfront's Spring Gala. We're trying to really transform the space into a creative haven. Both of us want to spend more time in there, so some bold color might be just the thing to kick us in the butt.

I have a project in mind (when don't I) and it requires both Ty and I to spend more time writing. I might test a few things out on you all before we get to self-publishing them. I'll post photos of the newly painted studio tomorrow and try to get some Art Walk photos to share, too.

2010-02-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

Vancouver, BC

2010-01-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

Green Walls

2010-01-11T10:18:00.001-08:00

This post is for Tyree who is contemplating green walls for our living room. I hope he sees something to inspire him. All of these photos are from blogs that focus on interior design.

Perfect for our French Chateau.

The winner in my book. I love the richness.

Too Mod. I like it but I'd get sick of it.

Tres Dramatic

meh.

I like.

Love.

More ornaments

2009-12-04T09:45:00.001-08:00

Birdies

2009-12-02T10:48:00.000-08:00

Songbird ornaments for the Red Stocking Tea

Fall

2009-11-28T09:48:00.000-08:00

It was sunny for a few hours! My friend Rich and I went on a short hike while Tyree went on a motorcycle ride.

We tried to get up on Chuckanut Mountain to look for the elusive late season chantarelles, but there was another landslide on Chuckanut Drive. We just hiked down to Teddy Bear Cove and got some sunshine. We found lots of Fungi, but not the ones we were looking for, so I took the consolation prize of picking up locally grown chantarelles at the West Coast Oriental Grocer for $5.99 a pound. Sauteed them in a bit of butter with garlic, sea salt and black pepper on toast.

The sun! It burns!

Ribs

2009-10-25T10:06:00.001-07:00

So this is reason #2 why everyone needs a smoker. We cooked these for about 5 hours at 200 degrees. We just used a rub before made of white pepper, garlic, paprika and sea salt. No sauce. Next time I'd add some heat. I have hardly ever eaten them myself, but Tyree proclaimed them the best ribs he'd ever had.

We used the chips from the historic Apple Tree that came down on the front lawn of the YW a few weeks ago. The arborist let me climb into his truck and get 5 buckets of chips so everyone I know will be happily smoking away. I really only used a few cups of chips altogether for each of these projects, so if you want some apple chips, let me know!

Fermentation

2009-10-22T11:23:00.001-07:00

Kimchi Craving Satisfied.

Drunk on Smoked Chicken

2009-10-18T20:49:00.000-07:00

Test drive for the charcoal smoker tonight. Works well, with some hacks.

Hobbit Skills

2009-10-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

I don't really can a HUGE quantity of anything because of space issues and because there are only usually 3 of us. Also we rotate the garden, which is pretty tiny. We rarely have a giant crop of anything at one time.

Canned so far this year:

Apple Pear Chutney
Sweet Relish
Fig Preserves
Apple Rosemary Jelly
Apple Sauce
Tomatoes
Dilly Beans
Baby Potatoes
Peaches
Carrots

In the freezer:
Blackberries
Corn
Blueberries
Raspberries

Dried:
Hazelnuts
Garlic

Overwintering:
Leeks
Kale
Carrots
Lettuce (so far!)
Bok Choy

Urban Harvest of the Week.... Hazelnuts

2009-09-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

It's actually hard to get to them before the squirrels and jays do.

Like a dragon guarding his pile of gold.

Guess What?

2009-08-17T10:04:00.001-07:00

Two small wheels of Manchego

2009-08-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Soaking in Brine!

Wooohooo!

2009-08-15T19:37:00.001-07:00

Cheesemaking date with Charlotte tomorrow! Pictures to follow!

Panning for Gold with Grandpa

2009-07-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

Ongoing Photo Project

2009-07-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

My giant picture file of everyone's photos can
be found here.
Some are still being edited, but there's some fun stuff here.

Honeymoon...

2009-07-30T16:35:00.001-07:00

First some photos from the honeymoon.....

Visiting Ian and Jennine in the Methow Valley

View from the yard where they were house sitting.

Setting up camp in Methow Valley

Fly fishing Boulder Creek

Camping in Entiat Valley

Fly fishing Entiat River

Bellingham Bay the night we came home....

Hitched!

2009-07-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

I'll admit, I'm left wordless for once in my life. So much hard work and love went into making our wedding day go smoothly for us. It was so wonderful to have our families together and all of our friends in from out of town. The day was perfect, the location was perfect. We are in love and we love all of you.

I'm going to keep things short, as we're saying goodbye to Conor for a couple of weeks and getting ready for our honeymoon adventure, but I promise a full recount and my massive compilation of pictures will be available to all shortly.

LESS THAN A MONTH!

2009-06-20T22:46:00.000-07:00

We're getting it all together! The only thing I'm worried about is pulling off the food.

So, here's the deal..... many of our relatives and loved ones will only be here for a few days and will be getting into town on Friday. Tyree and I were thinking that we'd make 3 giant pans of lasagna ahead and freeze them. On Friday night we'll just have an open house and people can drop in and eat lasagna and salad and wine and cheese whenever it's convenient and hang out ahead of time. The house is tiny but the backyard can hold a lot of people, so we'll all fit. No problem.

OOoooh! I'm so excited! Today my friend's band confirmed, I constructed a cupcake tree and Tyree bottled some beer.

It's so stinky yet it tastes so good....

2009-06-07T13:27:00.001-07:00

Here's a picture of my camembert getting it's white mold on.

Yesterday I went to Bellingham's one and only fromagierie and ordered up samples of 2 cheeses I've been wanting to try. Tyree's a big blue cheese fan so he got some Shropshire Blue and I'd been wanting to try Italy's stinkiest, Taleggio. I was not disappointed. It is so very good melted on toasted baguette. (I like to link to Murray's because they have great descriptions)

I'm not ready to make blue cheese at VSF yet. Other people have had trouble with the blue mold taking over their aging cave. I've decided to wait until this winter when conditions in our workshop are perfect for aging. I'll keep the blue isolated out there.

Making Taleggio on the other hand was what I did yesterday. I made new square molds and went to town. My homemade Taleggio style cheese is currently floating in brine. The red rind is caused by a bacteria called brevebacterium linens which ages the cheese from the outside in. It is also partially responsible for the incredible stinkyness. In case you're wondering, I have a file of frozen molds and cultures in my freezer. I'm adding more, bit by bit.

Taleggio

If you don't already know, there was a tragedy here in Bellingham this week and I'm doing my best to not obsess over the ongoing shoreline search for two of our community's well-loved characters. I didn't know either of them well, but people very close to me knew them very well. Family and friends are still searching. I'm keeping my mind occupied. The whole town is so sad.

Camembert!

2009-05-31T08:54:00.000-07:00

Ready in 4-8 weeks wedding attendees!

Boring....

2009-05-28T22:42:00.001-07:00

I fear this blog is going to become singularly focused for a while.

Organic Milk

Curd

Cheese mold

Brining

Drying

Wait....what's that?

A temperature-controlled cheese cave for aging courtesy of Craigslist.
I am such a nerd.

Photos

2009-05-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

I realize it probably seems dark, but here's the new kitchen color. You only get to see one corner, because it's the only not still in chaos.

My first cheese! It has to air dry for a few days.

Hello Old Friend.....

2009-05-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been a negligent blogger. We've had lot going on with wedding plans, the yard and baby chickens, etc. We have a looming fundraiser at work that does me in every year at this time.

Theta is recovering bit by bit. Every time she overdoes it, I worry we're back at the start. So far, so good.

I caved and joined Facebook, which I sort of hate and love at the same time, but it's not nearly as fun as the blog. I was starting to make a statement by NOT joining and since the truth was I was indifferent, I just did it. I'm already getting bored with it, but I'm the admin for the YWCA Facebook page, so there you go.

What with everything going on around here, Tyree and I decided to paint the kitchen. I promised him I would help put everything back in order tonight so we can have a proper meal. It turned out lovely. Dramatic!

I tried my hand at making homemade cheese this week and I think I'm hooked. We already had most of the equipment because it's the same as beer brewing. All I needed were some ingredients. I made my first 2 wheels last night and by my (admittedly low) standards, they came out awesome. My hilarious attempt at an improvised cheese press had everything heavy in the house precariously teetering in tower form all night last night. We made it without injury. Photos of homemade cheese in the newly painting kitchen are soon to follow. In the meantime, I leave you with cheesy inspirational photos! I did not take any of them.

Natural rinds with ash

The most beautiful cheese photo

Hope you're not scared of the mold! You can eat it!

How I'm hoping mine will turn out.

Cheese cave in France

Cheese cave in New York! I want to live in here.

Commercial cheese cave in France.

Go Here.....

2009-05-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

And read this.

Funniest Engagement Card Ever.

2009-05-01T22:22:00.000-07:00

Canoe

2009-04-25T23:36:00.000-07:00

Heading out to Fazon Lake.

Yay!!!!!

2009-04-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

Afternoon at the Studio

2009-03-29T19:21:00.001-07:00

Poor Puppers.....

2009-03-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

I feel like the last few months have been spent nursing my favorite 2 and 4 legged creatures. Poor Theta tore her doggie ACL (I think it's called a stiffle) and had to have surgery last week. In the course of x-rays we found that she had a bit of hip dysplasia. I'm not too surprised, but it's going to make getting around on 3 legs for a while a little harder. She's decided that Tyree is her official nurse and cries and sobs when he's out of sight.

She cried all night the first night back from the vet and I woke up to find Tyree curled up on the floor with her and both of them sleeping. She's clearly having a hard time with it. She basically has to stay shackled in our room and just walked out to do her business.

Her actual wound looks pretty good and she's been well-behaved. She'll be up and about by the wedding and the vet encouraged us to take her swimming when she was able. She likes to swim.

2009-03-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to see what happens next.

Polaroids II

2009-03-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

Polaroids.....

2009-03-10T18:46:00.001-07:00

I DID IT!

2009-02-26T22:53:00.000-08:00

Finally the Bread Saga is coming to a close!

It was the no-knead recipe! It was a breakthrough. I have been adding too much flour all along. I never let it ferment long enough! The dough needs to be super sticky and MOST IMPORTANTLY it need to be baked INSIDE a cast iron dutch oven to steam itself!

We ate the whole loaf. After dinner.

At 50 cents a loaf, the world will never be the same. I can feed my people good bread.

Sometime the tiniest victory is all it takes to get you unstuck, you know?

Omphaloskepsis....

2009-02-25T10:43:00.000-08:00

My contribution to the YWCA Afternoon Tea.

It's a bit fuzzy because I took it with my camera phone.

February has always been an uphill climb for me. I start to really get cabin fever. I dream about planting the garden, even though it's too early. I've spent countless hours looking at property in Italy like this, where I fantasize we might move someday. Someplace where olives and lemons grow alongside the vegetables. Really though.... I like it fine right here, right now. I realize I haven't been blogging much, because at this point in time it seemed healthier not to. With any kind of journaling though I have noticed that when I write, I slow down enough to take a careful look at what's going on in my life that can be beautiful.

Cry Your Eyes Out.

2009-02-11T21:11:00.000-08:00

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Then go sign the petition: Courage Campaign!

Anybody?

2009-01-22T19:47:00.000-08:00

Well, all I can say is what everyone has already said. I am happy on the inside and I'm excited. Now, for the first time in my adult life (I'm not afraid or ashamed to say it) I am proud to be an American.

That being said..... I think I might actually have an Obama hangover. Something about too much happy at once. All things in moderation, friends.

No More Torture.

Back in the Saddle.....

2009-01-18T17:13:00.001-08:00

I think I've got my bookbinding mojo back. This is huge for me.

There's a long story that goes with this.

I started bookbinding as a hobby in about 2000. I had a little studio set up at the Apple Farm and I kept a small inventory of gift journals for friends and every Christmas I started doing the Holiday markets.

I took a few classes and after a while I started teaching myself conservation and repair techniques and got a studio to work out of in Fairhaven. I got a business license and started selling my books at the Bellingham Farmer's Market. The market wasn't nearly as big as it is now and I never really made more than pocket money for all the work I put into it. It was a labor of love, though, and the people that bought my books usually bought them for themselves after saving up for a while and that really touched me.

After leaving my longstanding job at the ReStore, I hooked up with some other artisans in town but we really couldn't work together. After hitching my wagon to what I thought was their rising star, I hit the ground pretty hard and couldn't touch my books for a while. In long retrospect, I did get some good things out of my collaboration with them. I learned some lovely technique that you only get at the university level and I learned how I never want to run a business.

Today when I touch my bookbinding equipment, it's with real purpose and only when I feel like doing it. I've had a couple of commisions this year and the one that I'm currently working on is for a dream client - the kind who has no expectations and just lets me do my thing.

Here I am at the Farmer's Market (maybe 2003ish)

I started off doing very rustic pieces like this (circa 2002)

Here's a custom leather binding a did for the wood-fired kiln log out at Carly's house.

I started playing with leather and copper

A repair job (2004)

Post-Repair

Text blocks for the Dennis' Kingfisher Log for his boat. In my studio today.

2 out of 3, without stamping yet.

It's so good to be back.

The Recap.......

2009-01-13T10:04:00.000-08:00

Click to Enlarge

The End.

Hovander revisited

2009-01-04T17:44:00.000-08:00

Irish Bling from Grandma Mo....Thanks!

2009-01-04T17:42:00.000-08:00

we survived.

2009-01-04T17:11:00.000-08:00

But we were tired of shoveling.

Done Deal!

2008-12-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

Ok...all of you out of town relatives can save the date for sure now. I got paperwork and permits in the mail for a July 18th wedding. It's going to be beautiful out there!

Prop 8, enough said.

2008-12-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

What's that on your stove, a reactor?

2008-12-02T23:32:00.000-08:00

It's my birthday present! Made in Wisconsin!

Delicious rich turkey stock....my first pressure canning project. Up until this point it's been pickles and fruits!

Concise

2008-12-01T23:44:00.000-08:00

This is a fun little meme. I actually completed it a few days ago. You only get one word per answer. I tag FireGirl.

Where is your mobile phone? Buried
Where is your significant other? Working
Your hair color? Horsey
Your mother? Animated
Your father? Tinkering
Your favorite thing? Bookshelves
Your dream last night? Sublimated
Your dream goal? Bibliophile
The room you're in? Victorian
Your hobby? Oscillates
Your fear? Anxiety
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Aware
Where were you last night? Horizontal
What you're not? Bored
One of your wish-list items? Chesterfield
Where you grew up? Rootless
The last thing you did? Checklists!
What are you wearing? Wool
Your TV? Computer
Your pets? Abundant
Your computer? Cursed
Your mood? Optimistic
Missing someone? Usually
Your car? VAN!
Something you're not wearing? Socks
Favorite shop? Aladdin's
Your summer? Cold
Love someone? Passionately
Your favorite colour? Changes
When is the last time you laughed? GIRAFFES!
When is the last time you cried? Elections

Try it!

Wooohoo! Compost!

2008-12-01T23:20:00.000-08:00

I guess we're doing something right in the garden.

We got our dates at Hovander Park for the wedding! I won't really believe it until I get something in the mail from the Parks Department. I had to get the one person who had never made reservations before. It took her 35 minutes. Oh well..... I'm happy!

Hovander Homestead Park.....

2008-11-22T12:45:00.000-08:00

Sorry about not blogging lately. I just haven't been feeling it.

However, I did want to share the probable location of our wedding with some folks who were curious. Please keep in mind it's nasty out and the pictures don't do justice to the beauty of the place.....

New Upholstery Project.....

2008-11-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

I picked up this chair at Value Village for $9.99.... You'll see the finished upholstery soon. I chose linen for the fabric. I still have to put the back on it.... the only part that requires sewing...grrr.

Here it is torn down. It had really great hand-tied springs in good condition. I sat on it just like this, with no upholstery and it was still comfortable. That's my test for a good design. It was stuffed with cotton and straw rather than horsehair. I think that's fairly common. I had to keep the vacuum on hand and tear off the seat on the porch because of the straw bits.

Halloween

2008-11-01T10:10:00.001-07:00

The Queen of Hearts...

Recycling

2008-10-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Tyree helped me frog (knitting term for unravel) an entire sweater that I scavenged out of the free closet at work. Everyone had been trying to give me this sweater for months, knowing that I love handknits. Yes the cables were nice, but the shape of the sweater was such that only Bill Cosby could truly love it. The neck hole was so tight I couldn't get my giant brain through it. I'm not kidding.

Not one to waste 900 yards of fine wool.....

Does it remind anyone else of a certain packaged Japanese convenience food that costs $.19?

Processed into skeins.

After a dyebath... Truly, though I love the color, I wish I'd left it natural. Sometimes I just get caught up in the process and it had been so long since I used my dyepot. Oh, well. I chose an Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern for a casual saddle shoulder sweater. Since the yarn is sort of scratchy aran (Irish) utility grade, I didn't want to make anything too fancy, more a functional fall weekend sweater. You'll see!

Fell out of the world for a bit....

2008-10-17T00:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long absence! But I feel like I'm getting my mojo back now.

About the leg surgery/procedure....I have to warn you that this post will contain some kinda gross photos. But since my family almost exclusively reads this, here goes.

I had been prescribed compression stockings some years ago for my legs and after a time, my insurance would have covered the procedure but my platelet count was too dangerous to do it. As of this last winter , though, my platelets are back in the low, but normal range, and I decided to go for it.

This first photo was taken the morning on my way to NW Vein Center. This is my left leg. It is significantly worse that my right leg, for the record. THose bruises are pretty much always there.

This photo doesn't do the lower shin veins justice, but you can see the greater saphanous vein is bulging pretty badly and I had just gotten out of bed for the day. I experienced a lot more pain during the procedure than I was supposed to. They're going to have to up the valium to get me in there for the second next week.

These two photos were taken a week afterward (tonight) and I still have a lot of pain, but as you can see that bulging vein has been lasered shut through some incisions. Not too bad.

This leg is a lot less lumpy, but the recovery, for some reason, is a lot more painful. Sorry about the ickyness of the post. I will now return you to your regularly scheduled craftastic yarnfest.

They say it's your birthday....

2008-09-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

It's somebody's 8th birthday today! I can't believe she's 8!

She has spent the last few months pleading for a Nintendo DS and as a collaborative gift between Mom, Dad and Grandma Marino, she got it, complete with 2 games and a padded case. She's pretty careful with her belongings, so I hope she takes good care of it.

For those that are worried, her games were rated E for Everyone with a warning of Comic Mischief. My boss, who is in her sixties and has two adult children, gave Bella some DS pointers today. Apparently she's had a Nintendo DS since they first came out. She loves video and computer games.

The tiara is from our friend Leslie.

Girl Weekend....

2008-09-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Melissa, Isabella and I got to hang out this weekend. Tyree went across the mountains on a ghost town/fishing adventure and we had the house to ourselves. We watched Youtube videos and learned how to knit and crochet. We had breakfast (with eggs cracked and scrambled by Bella) and went out in the pouring rain (Whee! Bellingham!) to pick pears and dahlias. Luckily we had 3 pair of Knee high farm boots. Of course, now that it's Sunday afternoon, it's sunny.

Theta doing her thing.

Last weekend Tyree and I drove around and picked apples, berries and plums from abandoned farms (soon to become strip malls or condos.) I froze about 3 gallons (more) blackberries and canned these plums and the apples are in a giant mountain on the table still waiting to be pressed when the sweet apples are ripe. These were mostly tart and you have to mix them, see?

Some sweet guy heard me say over and over that I wanted a fancy white cake stand and when he spotted it at Goodwill last weekend, he snagged it for me ($2.99!)
I think I might just marry him.

I got completely ready to can these today. I sterilized jars and made syrup and then decided they were nowhere near ripe enough. They need another week. Luckily Bosc pears ripen off the tree.

We went to the U-Pick dahlias at Boxx Berry Farm. This was my bouquet.

This was Isabella and Melissa's Bouquet.

Ancestors...

2008-09-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

My dad and I are working on a little project involving genealogy and family records. I've asked him to dig around in his papers and get me all the info he can find on my great grandfather Matthew Marino. In the meantime, I've gotten a look at some family photos I hadn't seen in a while.

I mean, I might just be trippin' out here, but does this person look like me at all?

My great grandmother Caetta

I'll try to look a bit more somber in my next photo.

Two wheels good....

2008-09-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

Tyree got a new toy last night. He has been tinkering with it all day getting it street legal. It has a few minor issues, but all in all, it's in good shape. It's mostly just for toodling around town. It's a Honda CT-110. The Australian postal service uses these bikes and they're called 'postie bikes' and in other countries they're sold as farm/agricultural bikes. They were/are in production FOREVER and parts are everywhere, so that's a plus. Oh, and it's supposed to get 95+ mpg in the city!

It suits him.

Long Term Investments..... and "Red Meat"

2008-09-06T12:06:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking lately about the future.... about the upcoming elections, winter, step-parenthood, getting older and hopefully wiser.

I wrote earlier this year about my decision to go ahead and order a 1/4 of beef from Skagit River Ranch, even though I used to be a vegetarian and even though it was a hefty initial investment for my (our) income. Today was the day that I drove south to pick it up. It was three nice boxes, frozen. I got it home and though three boxes (not huge ones) doesn't sound like a year's worth of meat, for our little family it looked like a ton. We don't eat it all that often. It is lovely grass-fed, organic, antibiotic and hormone-free beef. George, the rancher, runs his machines and his trucks on bio-diesel that he refines himself from used vegetable oil in his barn. He teaches workshops for other farmers. His beef has won national taste tests and been written up in all the American gourmet magazines. I feel really good about this investment.

Which brings me to the idea of sacrificing today for a more secure tomorrow. We have a little less money to play today, but we know we're going to have food for a long time.

What are we really willing to sacrifice so that our families can have what we believe is important? What values, freedoms and services mean more to us than the accumulation material things? From a voter's perspective, what would I be willing to give up now to ensure that my niece has the same reproductive choice that I enjoy 15 years from now? So that Conor can afford to go to college?

Women have traditionally been "issues voters." If we could extract the identity politics out of the national discourse, we have to face the simple fact that there is never going to be the perfect candidate for all of us. We have to come as close as we can. Barack Obama has come the closest for me than other other candidate in my adult life, completely irrelevent to the fact that he is intelligent, and a charismatic speaker.

I have a conservative, wealthy relative, who claims to be socially liberal, who is aghast at Obama's tax plan and how it will effect him. Guess what? I don't care how it effects the wealthy. Trickle down economics is a proven failure. As a non-profit social-service provider, I fall well below the median income for families in my area. Obama's plan will save me as much as $900 a year. He's worried about Obama's radical church affiliation. Guess what? Obama has played it a hell of a lot safer than I have as far as fringe political and spiritual ideology. He looks like a frat boy compared to what my friends and I have done and believe in.

I have to vote for the candidate who protects freedom of choice. I have to. There are potentially 2 immediate Supreme Court seats coming up.

I have to vote for the candidate who's universal health care plan ends the pre-existing condition clause. I have an incurable, potentially fatal auto-immune disorder. My sister has a treatable mental illness. Period.

I will vote for the candidate who supports renewable energy, energy independence and who uses the best available environmental science. I could really give a crap whether gas prices ever get lower. I drive less. I made the decision to live near my job and near the services I use at the expense of having a great big giant lawn to mow. We finally caught up with the REAL price of gas in the rest of the world. Guess what? I will NEVER be able to buy a hybrid car, but I will drive the hell out of an electric scooter when someone invents one that runs in the rain.

I will support the candidate who voted AGAINST the Iraq war. I knew that it was bullshit (along with 3,000 other protesters in the streets of Bellingham) and so did Obama. Anyone else had an agenda or is simply ignorant. I will support the candidate who voted to provide our troops with appropriate EQUIPMENT for their 2nd, 3rd, 4th tour in an illegal war.

I desire a clearly delineated separation of church and state, the use best available science, realistic sex education, equal rights for gay and lesbian partners.

Well. That's all I've got for today. I just popped a deliciously browned organic roast in the slow-cooker. Tyree and I are going to go fishing at the Nooksack River. The salmon are starting to run.

A shameless plug for SRR.

This is 3 feet deep!

You have no idea how good this looks.

The First Wedding Post.

2008-08-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

JULY 18th, 2009

Ok...without getting all Bridezilla, I wanted to give those folks that live far away the EARLIEST possible notice on the wedding date. Here ya go. I still plan to send out a clever little "save the date" card for those in my circle and Tyree's who don't play with the innernets. Look for those in the next few months. Invitations with REAL solid venue details, etc, will be out this spring. I have already reserved this date at the current venue of choice.

The plans for the wedding (I am told by experts) are fairly intimate, though it is certainly the largest dinner party I've ever thrown. I am already actively recruiting my local friends and family for a little DIY help. Hopefully, when the out of town chefs arrive (Mom) there will be details, but not overwhelming details, to keep you busy.

We are catering our own. There you have it. Next Spring's garden will be dedicated to wedding food production. We're brewing our own beer. We are even making the cake. We just like to do stuff ourselves.

The shocking parts (not for anyone who has known me for more than 1 hour) :
We're being married by Marty, one of our closest friends who is an officiant. We'll develop the ceremony with him. There will be a visible tattoo. Um...I might not wear white. Not sure yet.
Our unique personalities + minimum "spectacle" = Happy Janet and Tyree in love.

Thank you thank you thank you so much to everyone who has offered to wrap, grow, cook, assemble, arrange, fund and otherwise support us. I love you all.

I've been tagged!

2008-08-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Firegirl at Just a Bunch of Silliness, Really. I was supposed to write 6 random things about myself, but I was almost simultaneously tagged on Myspace with the "10 Things You Might Not Know About Me " meme. These little writing games float around on the innernets all the time. Since I was almost done with the 10 things meme, Here's my go at it:

Ten things you might not know about me.. or might, if you've known me long enough.

1. I can Bellydance. Its harder now that I'm curvier, but I can still do it. I used to dance a lot.

Janet in the Bellydance Troupe days.

2. I love watching reruns of The Rockford Files. I think that James Garner's iconoclastic anti-hero is awesome.

Awesome.

3. I find the smell of my dog's fur comforting. When I'm bummed I drag her under the covers with me and sniff her head.

Also Awesome.

4. I prefer popcorn when it's stale.

5. I don't really care for cats. I have three of them living in my house, but I'd prefer not to. I don't have the heart to give my sister's cats away and Boo kitty belongs to Tyree. Boo kitty isn't really very like a cat, anyway.

6. I don't really like alcohol (of any kind) very much. I might drink socially but left to my own devices, I would choose root beer every time. I can, however, tell the difference between really good beer and wine and not-so-good.

7. I have Lupus (SLE) and I take medication for it daily.

8. I have to sleep with at least 1/3 of my legs and feet out of the covers otherwise I get too hot. I tuck my blanket completely around my upper body and clench it all night. I like to think it will keep bats out.

9. I am a very skilled certified forklift driver (I was trained by Marty). I can maneuver in really tight quarters. My skills are totally wasted now.

10. My longest solo motorcycle trip was from Bellingham to north of Helena, Montana. I slept the first night in a forest fire scar on a picnic table (ants) and hid out under an overpass during a dust storm. I sold my bike because I stopped traveling without my dog. And also a fear of dying.

Sold it. Loved it, though.

I suppose I'd like to read the list of Marty, Tami C. And Diane H.
You have your assignments.

2008-08-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

It was a nice weekend. We took a picnic up the Mt. Baker Highway (thanks for the picnic bag, Grandma Mo) and tried to find a decent spot to fish for trout. We didn’t find the trout spot, but we found an awesome picnic spot. The river was just moving a little too fast and cloudy for shore fishing.

Tyree did see a large fish in a sort of side pool and after all but bludgeoning it with his bait, he reached in and grabbed it by hand. It was a HUGE, old (and I mean beat) salmon. It was really old and beyond eating and we wished it happy trails but not before Theta got a really close look at it. I don’t think she’d ever seen a fish like that before.

I shamelessly stole this photo of the Nooksack River from a county government website. This is not really as pretty as where we were.

Sunday I pulled up all the old plants from the garden and planted a fall crop of peas, spinach, lettuce, chard, parsnips and radishes. I have new bush beans and broccoli sprouting and hopefully we’ll get one more crop of each before the days are too short. This will be my first year of real winter gardening and I’m pretty excited. Our back yard is pretty well protected, so I have high expectations.

We Made It!

2008-08-12T21:14:00.001-07:00

Man...that RV just got smaller and smaller as we raced towards home.

We got home at about 5am on Saturday morning after a marathon driving session between Tyree and I. We took two days to relax and catch up on sleep and it was back to work on Monday.

This was a really great trip. I got to see my folks and sister and niece. I got to meet my new family. They are awesome. Thank you all so much for going out of your way to make me feel so welcome. I really felt welcome. In-Laws! Me! Who would have thought?!

Todd and Dennis deserve massive thanks for keeping our plants and animals alive and well.

The Guys Go Hiking

2008-08-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

I did not accompany them. All of these photos were taken by Tyree or Conor. On the night we all had dinner with his mom and brothers, they went for a short evening hike and came across a Gila Monster and a Rattlesnake with it's recent kill. Enjoy these photos of Southern Arizona wildlife.

Gila Monster

Tyree guessed he was about 18 inches long.

A surprised rattlesnake and his prey. The rabbit was already dead.

Ocotillo in bloom.

Next Stop.... Grand Canyon

2008-08-06T09:43:00.001-07:00

After leaving my parents in Pueblo, Colorado, we headed for the Four Corners and the Grand Canyon. I'll do my best to put these in the right order.

The entrance to Navajo and Hopi land. A lovely rock formation.

Conor in 4 states at once.

The Grand Canyon

I loved the huge Ravens at the Grand Canyon.

On the road....

2008-08-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

After promising to post on the road, I have failed until the day before we head back....

We left on Saturday morning and made a beeline to my parent's house. Unfortunately Theta spent the first day very carsick and made us go a little slower than anticipated. We got used to the RV and drove about 14 hours. We did the same thing on the second day and arrived just outside my parent's town late that night. My parents had no idea we were coming and we surprised them the next morning by sending Conor up to the door to meet my dad. They were SHOCKED and happy.

Melissa and Bella were already there and my sister was in on the surprise. I think we pulled the whole thing off very well. The kids spent two days playing together and my folks got to know Conor a bit.

Conor figured out a comfy way to ride in the RV. Sadly, he was recovering from pink-eye the first part of the trip.

Theta insisted on riding in the front seat (leaving me in the back with Conor) and the air conditioning blasting on her face. She didn't throw up again after the first day...... though if a dog could possibly look green, she did.

RV Living

2008-07-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

Our friend Dennis is loaning us this awesome RV for our road trip. As you can see, we've put our rugs and a few other things in it already. We are really ready to get out of town for a bit....

Tuxedo Cat

2008-07-22T20:31:00.001-07:00

It has been brought to my attention, and rightly so, that Boo Kitty has few starring photos in the blog. Here she is in all her penguin-like glory.

Cat's out of the bag....

2008-07-12T18:13:00.000-07:00

If you liked the engagement card photo, there were a few more from the same session that were pretty fun. This is a picture-heavy post. Sorry if you have a slow connection. We would like to tell Conor the news in person after we pick him up on the 26th of July, so please wait to say anything if you talk to him. The photos of Tyree were taken by me and those of both of us were taken by my friend Marty. Thanks Marty!

I can't help myself.

2008-07-09T21:25:00.001-07:00

I have to post twice in one day.

Hey! Whatcha got there? Can I have that?

It's dinner by Chef Tyree

Complete with potatoes unearthed approximately 30 minutes ago and peas so fresh they melt in your mouth.

Afterwards, cleaning our first harvest of garlic.

I had some help. For some reason, she's so purely evil that I thought she might be repelled by the garlic. No such luck. I'm just kidding, I actually like her.

(but she IS evil.)

Tyree took this photo of his freshly picked raspberries. Hmm. He might be hired as the new blog photographer.

Hanging in the kitchen to cure.

Big, Exciting News!

2008-07-09T16:42:00.001-07:00

The artichokes are flowering!!!!

What? That's not what you thought I was going to say? Well, hmmm. Some of you are just going to have to wait a few days, I guess.

Meanwhile, back to the garden:

Last year they got an aphid infestation. It looks like the ladybugs are doing their job!

Teasers.

The bean and pea trellis' are completely overrun.

Raspberries are starting to produce.

We're already digging up monster potatoes.

There are a few tiny green tomatoes. Not bad for July.

During harvest season in the Pacific Northwest, zucchini are so abundant that people will do ANYTHING to unburden themselves. I've heard of people breaking into cars to leave zucchini behind. I take my extra to the YW where people love them.

Myself? I really don't care all that much for them. I know, I know....they can be marinated and kabobed and grilled and baked. That doesn't change the fact that to me, they taste like a really dry cucumber or really juicy dish sponge. Mmmm, sponge.

Surprise!

2008-06-30T20:40:00.001-07:00

What can I say? I like what I see.
This one is the one for me.

Beautiful Photography

2008-06-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered this blog/website through various links. It is the absolutely lovely photography of two women who live 3191 miles apart from each other. They post a photo a day and they have a book coming out. One lives in Portland Oregon and one lives in Portland, Maine.

If only there were more weekends....

2008-06-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

I feel fortunate lately to have quite a few people come back into my life that I haven't seen in many years. We're all so grown up and yet we're all still learning, you know?

We had a very relaxing weekend and visited with my old friend Tami (yay!) and her adorable kids. Tyree made his famous spicy noodles (tamed for children without Isabella's love of chilis and hot sauce.) We played in the yard and the Columbia Neighborhood had their big huge neighborhood yard sale day. We rode up and down the streets on our bikes and must have visited at least 20 houses. We showed remarkable restraint. I just got some wooden crates for the garden and a spool rack for sewing thread and a jar.

Tyree built a bat house. There is no underground parking for a batmobile.

One. precious. sunbeam.

Theta and Suki.

No small miracle when Bellingham produces enough sun for sun tea and it's still June.

Fly away home.....

2008-06-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

Today's big adventure involved the use of predatory insects. I watched my friend Kate do this last night. After watching them devour the aphids on her beautiful strawberry plants, I marched right down to the Garden Spot Nursery and bought myself some bugs. This little bag contains between 1500 and 1800 ladybugs. They were released at various points throughout the garden to keep down the aphid population.

Surprisingly, the urban garden doesn't have too many nuisance pests to eat the vegetables (except the chickens) but we do always have aphids. They always seem to be on everyone's roses. Last year they took out my artichokes completely. And I found them IN my broccoli crowns. Disgusting. This year, I think we'll be just fine.

You wait until dusk and mist the area they are to inhabit, then you open the bag and they just slowly crawl out. I moved the bag around all evening. One crawled up my skirt during dinner (outside) but, oh well.... at least I wasn't eating aphids.

A moment of sunshine....

2008-06-14T22:07:00.001-07:00

Addendum.....

2008-06-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

Tyree's table was featured on The Steampunk Home today!

Automatic Temperature Controlling Apparatus...

2008-06-09T23:54:00.001-07:00

I love the way this guy thinks.
Keep an open mind, now!

Neat.

Last degreased in 1927!

Clean!

Awesome.

There went the rest of it.....

2008-06-03T22:36:00.000-07:00

A nice sort-of surprise when I came home today. The rest of The Nasty Carpet was gone. We all joyously slid around in our socks.

This carpet is sucking the life out of me.

Oh dingy carpet, how much more gray can us Northwesters take?

Oh My.

Theta reverted to her pre-carpet game of dribbling a tennis ball all around the living room. She drops it and catches it after one bounce. She used to do it for hours in my old house. Usually when I was trying to sleep.

Goodbye Nasty Carpet.......

2008-06-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

We have THE coolest landlords in Bellingham. They were ok with the chickens, ok with the gardens, paint and now this. When Tyree asked if we could rip out the nasty commercial carpet to expose the hardwood beneath they just said "more power to you." True, we are pretty mindful tenants, but it took some faith on their part. It feels great to get the hallway (stage one of 4ish) done. It took all of an hour.

The revolting floor before....

The sweet scent of Murphy's Oil Soap.

Counting Sheep....

2008-05-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

When you work with wool on a regular basis, fiber animals become really big. I fantasize about having sheep or alpacas of my own some day. Whoever designed this scupture is a mad genius. From one of my favorites, Make Magazine.

Rainy Monday....

2008-05-26T18:31:00.001-07:00

Conor came home this morning recovering from a flu-like weekend at his mom's house. We made plans to take the kids to see the new Indiana Jones movie.

Bella got here a few hours early and we all enjoyed a relaxing afternoon of just sitting around. Tyree and I did a lot of that on our own this weekend. We each finished at least one book.

I had embroidered a bluebird on a cloth napkin using the kit that I picked up at Goodwill for $2.99. Isabella was excited to try it so I taught her the basics. I tried to teach her the back stitch and the split stitch, but she just ended up doing her own thing anyway. Just like her Auntie.

Here's what I got at Goodwill.

She's not at all afraid to try new things and she sat very still for well over an hour working on this.

Concentrating

Summer comes to Victor Street Farm....

2008-05-24T12:20:00.001-07:00

Two weekends in a row of sun! The garden is finally doing something.

The view of the backyard this morning.

The bean and pea trellis' from Carly's downed tree branches.

Cupcake eating muffins.

Lest we burn our tender Irish and Mediterranean skins, we put up a canopy.
We were pretty proud of ourselves.

Liquid Happiness.

2008-05-24T12:15:00.001-07:00

Inspired by our visit to Cacao in Portland. It wasn't perfect, but it did to trick. I think if I got better chocolate next time, it would be just right. This was all they had at Haggen at 10pm.

Yes, I secretly like fancy teacups. It's from my Mad Hatter phase.

Longest. Week. Ever.

2008-05-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

Very Long. So glad it's over.

More than many things, I hate photographs of myself. On rare occasion (without a flash) someone takes one that actually looks like the me inside my head. The others are usually a disappointment. Here's what I usually look like on the inside of my head.... though probably less frequently on the outside of my head.

Hello gray hairs! I even like you!

PDX

2008-05-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

I love Portland.

Tyree and I went to stay for a few days with Marty. The inspiration for this trip was great little loom I found on Craigslist in Vancouver, but we had an awesome time.

We rolled into town pretty late on Friday night and had to drop my friend Oscar off at his daughters. When we finally got to Marty's we immediately passed out. The next day we picked up the loom. We took a tower of books to Powell's to sell, and considering they were the dregs of our collection, we did pretty well. They bought about 2/3 of the stack. I picked up the two specialty weaving books I had been looking for while I was there. Powell's is one of the country's largest independent bookstores and it was awe-inspiring to be sure. The rare book room on the 4th floor is filled with treasures and ephemera for all tastes. It's temperature and humidity controlled. I found it a little stuffy.

On Marty's recommendation we went to a little specialty chocolate shop near Powell's called Cacao. In addition to the mind boggling display of specialty chocolates, their main attraction is their 'drinking chocolate.' Not to be confused with hot chocolate, drinking chocolate is a dark chocolate, velvety smooth dessert. It was like the finest liquid chocolate bar you've ever tasted. They have a version that has ginger and cayenne in it that was our favorite. It was one of the finest pick-me-ups I've had and I have to say I spent the rest of the day on a cloud.

We ate Ethiopian food for dinner, which I love, and had a drink at our friend Josh's bar. Portland is fast become one of the foodie capitols of the US. I can see why.

We picked up Conor at his mom's on the way home and I had just enough time to put the loom together, warp it and weave a little before I was completely exhausted.

Here she is. Made in Oregon. Yes, Shrimpy McShrimp has to sit on a telephone book.

Practicing my twill patterns.
There will be more to come.

This Stinks.

2008-05-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

Last night Theta was yelping and whining to be let out at about 2:30 in the morning. She usually only does that if it's a dire emergency or there's a raccoon in the yard menacing chickens. So I let her out. Mistake.

I saw what I thought was one of the cats standing about 10 feet away in front of the garage. Theta charged out the door face first into the noxious blast and the skunk retreated into the garage. Theta came yarking back to me and I led her straight to the bathroom and hoisted her kicking and flailing into the tub and scrubbed her down… with Rosemary Mint shampoo.

Now before you all email to tell me about tomato sauce, tomato paste, soup, etc, let me just say that it doesn’t work any better than anything else. And if you happen to own a snow white husky like I once did, it will make her a cotton candy pink for a little while. Which might be worth it. Nature’s Miracle makes a Skunk Odor Remover that’s enzymatic and non-toxic and works well. Good luck finding it at 2:30 am.

I forced her to sleep on the front porch, which she did unwillingly because she was damp. She came in once but I think her own stink overpowered her because she begged to be let back out. The whole house was reeking and I was reeking and try as I might I couldn’t find the source of the stink other than the air and it was still so pungent when we woke that breakfast tasted like skunk.

Tonight after work we’ll treat the dog and ourselves and the living room to a little Nature’s Miracle. I believe I’ll be buying an extra bottle to have on hand for future noxious gassings. I wish I could have it delivered in a 55-gallon drum.

Janet's New Colossal TimeSink

2008-05-05T18:31:00.001-07:00

No, it's not these two. They just happened to be cute near a camera.

I took my first weaving class. It was for beginners and went for 7 hours for 2 days. I feel like I understand the basics. She had us warp the loom twice and get right to work. I made this scarf on a Schacht Baby Wolf Loom. I did NOT choose chenille nor the colors, but I was happy with the way it turned out. Not really my style, but pretty.

Next she had us do twill samples. For all of these patterns, the loom is warped the same. You use a different combination of foot treadling to get the twill patterns. She taught us to read the pattern drafts.

Obviously this one was the easiest.

Whoops! A few mistakes in this one. Now I'm supposed to wash them in warm water to full them a little and the pattern is supposed to pop.

By the way, I'm hooked on this.

My dogs are barkin'

2008-04-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

I got almost all of the garden planted today. It was overcast and very warm and therefore perfect for transplants. I went to Joe's Garden twice today for stakes and there is plastic mesh deer fence 3' tall around all of our beds now. If it wasn't the cats reveling in the giant litterbox I had constructed for them, it was the neighborhood squirrels. I keep finding peanuts buried in every bed and every tiny shoot just tossed aside.

My order to Skagit River Ranch goes out tomorrow. I'll post more about how that goes. I'm finished for today and it's time for a late afternoon nap.

Wordy.

2008-04-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

I don't have any photos today, so I'll try to tack up some old photo to catch the attention of you short attention span/MTV generation types (myself included.) OR you can click on my links. I like hyperlinks because they allow me to digress without losing my train of thought. You, the Reader, can go back and follow my various digressions if you choose to do so, or ignore the red words entirely.

Tyree has gone back to school at BTC and is really excited about the classes he's taking. Quite frankly, so am I. (If you'll remember Aunt Katie) I guessed that it was going to be the welding part that REALLY excited him and hooboy, so far it is. Plus I have about 1 million things I want him to weld for me, starting with a coffee table that looks like this. Then proceeding to a metal and copper Shoji screen that I have in mind. Woohoo!

Penny the Van continues to run more or less perfectly. We wanted to take it camping this weekend, but it started SNOWING. Freakish weather.

I've been thinking more and more about the meat we eat. I was a vegetarian for many, many years. This was first about the humane treatment of animals for me and it eventually morphed into the concern about the sustainability of the meat agribusiness industry. We continue to allot more and more of our pesticide-laden genetically modified corn to feed our confined, feedlot, hormone and antibiotic-laced cattle. There weren't a whole lot of other options at that time. That's not the case anymore. The end of my vegetarian days came when Robin Du Pre, an environmental activist whom I truly respect said to me one day,
"What do You think is more sustainable, clean fish and organic meat from our local area or soybeans trucked in from Kansas." Yeah. That's all it took.

The local, natural foods industry has exploded in Bellingham in the last 10 years. There is an organization here in town called Sustainable Connections that does an amazing job of promoting th local economy. Heck, as far as I can tell they are CREATING the local economy. Anyway, now I can get fresh, local, organic produce, meat, dairy, etc practically any time I want. Which brings me back to the meat. Organic meat and chicken are REALLY expensive. As in not within our budget. Unless we buy bulk.

I'm considering ordering 1/4 (of a cows worth) of beef this year from Skagit River Ranch. It's really expensive but about 1/2 the price of buying it in the store. We would just freeze it. and it would be our year's worth. My friend has been doing this for years with her family. Her dad buys a couple of cattle every year and they raise it, have it butchered and divide it up. They're well cared for and pastured in the most beautiful land and are basically organic, free-range, grass-fed, etc.... without the label. She said there's a small chance I could get a share from her, which would be about 1/2 the price of Skagit River because her dad doesn't do it for profit, just cost and labor. I've got my fingers crossed.

We spent a lot of time in the studio this weekend. I'm preparing my side to house a loom soon. I've packed up and culled a lot of my bookbinding stuff. I'm not having much luck selling my antique equipment locally so we might keep it until we open our bookstore someday. It would look pretty neat.

There, are you happy?

May I introduce Penny....

2008-04-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

Named for her copper color. Hooray! I already love this van!

We pulled the middle bench seat out for space for a bed and camping gear.

Totally decent interior.

S0me of you may know that I used to own another van very like this. Theta remembered EXACTLY where to sit. Scooby Doo came with the van. The previous owner was teased about it looking like the Mystery Machine.

warm

2008-04-09T18:44:00.001-07:00

There's a little glare on this new photo. It's one of Tyree's latest paintings. A woman has already arranged to buy it.

Another reason I love this town...

2008-04-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

This is the view out our studio window. Not 3 days ago we were discussing the various shapes this ivy could be trimmed into. The next morning on my way to work there was a guy on a ladder.

Plied.

2008-04-08T08:44:00.001-07:00

The dyed silk was trickier to spin than I thought. First, I used the heat set dye method and no mordant and I'm not really sure I did it right. I used the yellow and apricot dyes straight and the red was dilluted, and the red washed out. I wasted about 1/2 of the silk learning to ply it. Silk doesn't have a memory like wool. It is also highly inelastic compared to wool.

Once I got it figured out it was working, but I only ended up with about 50 yards of it. It was an inexpensive lesson. I think it's pretty, though. Sunset colors.