Your father will be pacing the floor...

Whenever I hear Baby iIt's Cold outside I'm reminded of one of my favorite childhood movies "Neptunes Daughter" starring Esther Williams and the Red Skeleton. I used to own it but I don't know what happened to it. The original appearence of this song as a hit was in this movie, but there have been so many versions of it over the years. I think it's a pretty song.

Heres Betty Garret and Red Skeleton performing their half of the song, I can't find the version with Esther Williams. I love the elegance and comedy in this scene.

I'm quite sure what to do with the new year yet, I have some things that I want to accomplish, but I mostly want this year to be a happy one. I want to make more crafts, learn to sew clothing, find a job that is fulfilling, and right now, I just want to play in the snow that is still falling steadily! Last night was the best for catching snowflakes, a nice backlit porch light helped a bit.

Pullin on slippers

this is such a lovely doll by simplyjessi on etsy .com I have come home from work tonight with new car parts for my little VW, and a large bag of donated christmas-y food, stuffing potatoes, chocolate covered popcorn or "coal". Generously given to me by a new co-worker and kindred spirit. There is quite a chill in the air tonight, I think winter finally arrived this week, we don't have nearly as much snow as some other states, but the little bit that we do have has stayed on the ground through rain and sleet for almost a week now.

I have been working on some christmas projects (some secret and some not) of which I'll put pictures up sometime soon once the gifts have been given. I'm taking an online craft class and just last night finished my first ever shadow box, I've made christmas labels, I have sewing to do, knitting to do, and christmas cards to make.

Got the christmas music on the pandora and a big crocheted hat on and the woodstove crankin.

Holiday love

Here are a few things that would be neat to have or make as the weather gets colder

The first are Russian Valenki Boots

The Bicycle Diaries

A Shop rouche dress

Pogo shop toys

Goddess wraps

Toward Saving the Honeybee

Ledthread Top

Cookie boxes

Red Stripe glasses for my brew

Red Garland

Sled Labels

Now I must go and do some holiday gift creating!

How Could I?

How could I possibly have missed this, World Wide Knit in Public day, are you kidding me. I would have donned my red rain coat and brought some water resistant fibers and sat out in the pouring rain and knit a soggy mess. Or I suppose I could have found a shelter to stick myself under. Alas, I'll have to jump on the bandwagon next year...

Boc Choy, Books, and Beaches

I have been reading Eco Geography by Andreas Suchankte. I finally made it through the introduction, slightly scathed by some intellectual late night reading, and happy to move on to the true meat of the book! It is a good book on perspective, using your creativity and imagination when looking at the world and the human mind. Some of it is based on Rudolf Steiner's writings and on anthroposphy. It is very thought provoking which I like!

This photograph is from Memorial day when I went with my family to the beach. I'm not sure whose feet those are but I know the small ones are of a gull, probably a lot of sea gulls. It was a pretty overcast day to start but the sun broke through and I managed to get myself into a suit and into the water for about ten seconds. Of course the proclamations of people who were out in it (the three people in the water mind you) were wafting across the water to the tune of "It's really not that bad once you get in" but I knew how bad it would be! There is no fooling when it comes to the temperature of water anymore, there is no kidding you into it after about the first time your toes hit the water when your a year old, and the frigid winter water bites your toes. This sensation is not forgotten, so don't try to fool us!

Today on the farm I harvested peas and squash and broccolli, weeded in several areas and planted five varieties of lettuce (romaine, black seeded simpson, red sails, green oak leaf, and another green lettuce!) and turnips. We also worked in the greenhouse planting some beets. pac choi and scallions. I found out today that the reason there is a spelling difference between "Pac Choi" and "Bok Choi" is that the B spelling is Chinese and more commonly used here in the states and that the P spelling is Taiwanese. I did however just find this article that better describes the misunderstandings of why this vegetable has held all of these names: Bok choy, bok choi, pak choi, pak choy

So hopefully this has been an enjoyable post about books, beaches and Bok Choy!

Fathers and Words.

This is a lovely picture from Apartment Therapy, a website in which I go to to fantasize about what sort of house I might have one day and how it would be decorated! These bottles come from an apartment in Milan. They must be filled with food coloring or some kind of dye as I'm sitting and thinking about it here, the glass is probably not colored.

Lots has been happening since I wrote here last, the farms thhat I work on are in full growing season swing, I finished my farming training in Spring Valley NY, I've been performing and booking more gigs in my guitar playing life, and I am currently eating a marvelous piece of blueberry pie!

For fathers day today I got my dad a book on words thats called "There's a Word for it!" which has the origins and funny stories behind lots of words that we use and lots of words that you've never heard of. My father is the most avid user of the dictionary and of words out of anyone I've ever met, and I think it's turned into a somewhat healthy obsession, accept for the fact that I think I've inhereted this trate, and now I cannot find a word that I don't know and not look it up! I also picked a bouquet of wildflowers that I tied with twine.

We also went to the Book Barn in Niantic CT which is probably my alltime favorite place to get books and look at books and spend too much money on books! There are multiple buildings filled with every topic you can imagine, cats that roam the grounds looking for a pet or a treat, and sign posts that are posted  throughout the grounds, old village style that lead you to your desired topic. I got a book on Junk in NYC, and my  mother found a book on medicinal mushrooms and one on making skirts that she got for me. 

We went to the Ashford Farmers market where we have some friends that are starting out in their growing and selling pursuits and wanted to go and support them (thats where I got the blueberry pie) and we got some flowers (which have now majorly upstaged the bouquet of flowers that I picked for my dad earlier this morning) and some lovely smelling patchouli scented lotion. Man am I a serious sucker for patchouli. I'm very sensitive to smells but that is the one sort of perfumey scent that I can always deal with.

Hopefully I can do some more writing here, as I think most blogs are for people it is sort of theraputic and helpful to have your life documented to look back on and to track what one thinks about as the days go by and by. I had to do a project for my farming training and I decided to do a bit of writing as my project, and I proceeded to write and eight page paper or manifesto if you will, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. I may start adding to that as time goes by, just keeping track of my thoughts and ideas on farming, the natural world, peoples relation to it and to other people, all of that kind of thing. In the meantime though this blog at least keeps my fingers limber to the keyboard, as it uses different muscles than a fretboard or a hoe...

Blues for breakfast please. And for dinner too.

This photo was taken a few weeks ago. My feet and my dog play a starring roll you can tell. No, the frog takes center stage in this frame, panting heavily in the afternoon sun, un-able to move itself from its resting place in the middle of a local forest road. We placed it safely near its contemporarys on the other side of the road in the direction that it was heading. There was a small woods pond filled with these creatuers screaching away as they do so well, and lets just say, this frog had a mate waiting. Maybe several. That day every frog had 8 legs...

     I have begun playing guitar with a friend of mine who plays in severals bands, performing regularly. Playing guitar is nothing new for me, but playing with others is not something that always happens frequently. He is very talented and it makes me want to be so much better! That is exciting, to do well with your playing, but at the same time be inspired to play more, and to play better than you do. He is making his living playing music which is also inspiring because this is one of my life goals. We are hoping to write some material over the summer and play some shows together.

    We have been having some conversations admist our practicing about playing and performing music as a business. It is decided that one of the major social challenges that arises, is being accepted by people as having a "real" or "legitimate" job. The skill that goes into being a musician takes years of hard work and effort, just as much as everyone elses profession, even more so than some! I find it hard to tell people often times that I'm a musician and want this to be my money making living, and not getting laughed at, or criticized, even by people who you would normally thing of as supportive of creative endevors. This criticisim also comes from people of every age and backround, not that I'm continually faced with it, but the memories of these negative encounters has built up over the years. My friend has had similiar experiences, and he's the one out of the two of us that is actually doing what I want to be doing!

     So don't go harpin on those that play the blues for their bread! They are a hardworking kind. And if you're the one doing the trashtalking, your almost guaranteed to be immortalized in song at some point in time. And remember too, that those songs are the ones you turn on the sterio when you're driving down the road sad as hell, or having a rocking good time on a Saturday night, and that those songs were written by the hardworking musicians that surround us everday. And till 2:00 am too.

Farming Again

So in my last couple of posts I think I failed to mention that my farming work has begun again for the season. I work on a small (2 working acres) organic vegetable farm. There are goats and chickens that live there and run around too, but not for the purposes of the people that buy produce for the farm. This is my 3rd year working up the road and around a couple bends where the farm and it's people live. The first week was difficult getting back into the rythm after so many months of doing less activity. This season I haven't had as much of a roll in doing the seed planting which involves mixing compost, organizing seeds, making seed blocks and squinting as hard as the eyes can to see the small lettuce dots that litter ones hands. I have been doing a lot of transplanting the past two weeks. The first large project being getting all of the onions and shallots in, which when it was all said and done consisted of well over a thousand plants.

     I've also been working on planting lettuces and cabbage, potatoes, broccoli, squash and tomorrow a bunch more of the leafy types. Today we worked on potting up tomatoes and eggplants in the green house, placing the 2 inch seed blocks into wider and deeper pots. So now they can expand themselves, loosen their belts and drink up. It will help their figures.

    It was raining hard this morning and last night so we kept our work confined to the brightly lit hoop house. It always impresses me how dark our homes are when you are standing in a greenhouse and the sun is nowhere to be seen outside, but under the plastic material you're transported to a warmer and brighter land. Granted all of the plants are smaller than normal, and you dwarf everything around you...Tiny seedlings are very humbling.

Pacman and Packin and the Bands

The middle of the week was spent hosting some great musicians (from my last post) who needed a place to stay during a rest over day from their tour. Heres to the long Haul, hauled it back from Providence, managed to get my phone number from a friend, and called at 11:30 pm hoping for somewhere to stay. They hung out for a couple days, played some music, relaxed, went hiking, and had a show on WHUS  with Washboard Pat that we hooked them up with. It was great to get to know the guys, get to hear them play more, and to make a southern musical connection. 

       Todays picture is from a lovely seller on etsy that you can find here on misterrob. I love this kind of artwork.

    So far my weekend has consisted of a lot of cool and un planned events involving music. First a friend of mine at WHUS radio invited me and Truckman to see a free thats right FREE blues show at Black Eyed Sally's in Hartford. A real cool music venue that has a lot of primarily rock and blues shows that I've always wanted to go to. WHUS was sponsering a live broadcast of this band The Delta Generators that hail from CT and just competed in the International Blues Challenge in in Memphis TN, and they came out as one of the top 10 bands out of hundreds from all over this country and elsewhere. The concert took place at 10:00 am and was broadcast live as an advertisement for a show that they are doing this Saturday at 9:00 pm same venue, same town, same good music. Killer guitar playing, loose and groovin drums, an excellent bassist, and the voice that comes from Craig Rawding is big and booming, you can tell that it comes easily from his gut. I'm coming to find that a lot of the singer I like the best have this quality of big vocals that come from a deeper place than just sitting in the throat. 

    After the show in Hartford we drove to the Reggae Fest at Wesylan University. It always seems that events at Colleges are poorly attended, as the afternoon wore on attendance picked up a bit. Some musical aquaintances of ours, a couple of musicians from Club D'elf performed and were great as usual. If you check ou the link above to Reggae fest you can look at the other bands as well. Buru Style was big but tight, we left partway through their set. 

     To top off the night we bought a boxing match on the tellie (yes I'm a rather large and very closet boxing fan) between Manny "The Pacman" Pacquio and Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton. It ended in a second round knockout with Hatton laying in the ring. Tough fight to watch, but I can't beleive their athleticism and dedication. Thats always worth watching no matter what sport it's in if you ask me.

Heat Wave

This weekend has been un-real for nice weather. A dunking (somewhat forcedely) in a local river completed the albeit short transition to summertime for me. It seems we still have a little while till we can really call it summer around here. Went to some good music yesterday with my folks to a show that a friend of mine helped to put on, a great southern appalichian band Heres to the Long Haul. There were uppbeat, and fun to move to, I finally learned how to clog about a year ago and was dissapointed at having a temporarty ankle injury that prevented me in partaking in my foot stomping good time. Friendly and talented fellows that are certainly worth the time to listen to. Once you do you'll be addicted. I promise.

     There is a dreaded day each year when the farmers that live on either side of our property spread chicken shit out on their fields to get them ready for planting corn, and of course if you've ever come into even remote contact with chicken poop you know of the foulness that it emits when spread in large quanitities in hot sun...So it's 75/80 degress out at 9:45 at night and the windows are shut to prevent our selves and all of our belongings to smell horridly of chicken droppings...Oh the suffering. At least the cows who eat the corn will be well fed.

Old friend

I talked to an old friend today. He's from the south, born and bred. We had a lot of fun long ago canoeing in NC, avoiding rabid dogs in VA, seeing the scenery on the Appalachian Trail in TN. We met when we were 14 and we are still long distance, occasional, but really good friends. I appreciate having the friends that you don't have to talk to for half a year, and they'd be there for you in a second. In homage to my southern friend I'm listening to Old Crow Medicine show, an understandably loveable and raucous old time band. I thought the faces in this picture personify the attitute deeply embedded in their music. Check em out.

Don't Ride that Horse by OCMS

To Winnipeg, Saskatoon
Eutaw, Wawa, empty room
Hidin' bags, rollin' smokes
Skippin' punchlines, crackin' jokes

So pour it on, toss it back
Play that cocaine, play that shack
Sleepin' every now and then
Curled up tight with Crit and Ben on the ground

I ain't never goin' home again
I was tuggin' at my mama's breast
The first year really is the best

His blood pressure's droppin' down
We ditched the pot and we marked the ground
Ante up and watch him ride
Check that dude, he almost died

Seein' bears, ascendin' clown
Shut our whole damn circus down
Crappin' up in Joliet
We haven't wrecked the trailer yet
But we will
We're gonna get killed

Don't ride that horse
Don't ride that horse, honey
Don't ride that horse back home
Just let him roam
Let him roam

There seems to be an odd attraction to all things horse today...They keeping popping up, in person, in print, and now in song.

Heart Shapes

Just found out some rather disturbing news, I feel that this should have been heard about earlier, Ticketmaster and Livenation entertainment industries that are huge with ticket sales promotion, and overall large companies that charge large sums for tickets, (not to mention that Ticketmaster is pretty much one of the only companies to get tickets from if you're going to a larger music venue) are now merging into one giant super company!

Here it is. A little info to brighten the day...

   On another note, check out the cool earth heart. I love finding hearts in nature, in stones, trees, cloud shapes etc. I think it is one of those universal shapes, not just because the heart shape symolizes love and unity and all of the valentines we made when we were little, but it seems to be a very organic free flowing shape that is inherent in alot of formations in nature and the things we make. My favorite new heart is the one that my dog friend Olie's rump makes when he lays on his stomach smelling the manure pile. The true picture of contentment and love. Happy Earth day.

Daffodils and Rain induced Rooftop Trills!

Almost a month since the last post. Oh well the wagon with the band on it has to go a little faster than all of us from time to time and we're bound to fall off when that happens you know?

  Starting farming work this week. Knitting, reading, planning, getting sick, getting better...

    I've been learning to sew, the crafting projects that are possible at this point in my life are a little daunting, knowing that I'm mystically attracted to every single crafting discipline that there is. Maybe it's not so mystical actually and it really makes perfect sense, once shown all the techniques and tricks of different crafts how could you not want to know how to do everything?

   Here is the Etsy find for the day. Or really the hour, as the Etsy addiction is just about as bad as the crafting itself, except that you get more instant gratification from looking at what someone else has made without having to go and make something yourself, you can still look at something beautiful and inspirational. 

Gardening in Heels

It's been a little bit since I have written anything on my blog here. I found this image during a search for a professional looking photo of my new/old New Home Sewing machine circa 1944. Instead of finding an online photo I found this victory gardener. 

 So the machine really is a new family household purchase, and not just my own, but I will pretend. It was found by the amazing mama at the first flea market of the year this past sunday. It's in wonderful condition. Very silvery and smooth and weighs about a 1000 pounds so it seems! It is a glaring object of well made machinery that just doesn't exist anymore. It's very sturdy, and to look at it side by side with the newer machine that lives here in the house as well, it looks as if it could beat the newer machine to a pulp with just a gentle shove.

   I've been learning to sew, something that I did when I was younger, and then lost track of. I would love to be able to make quilts, bags, and clothes. Not exactly something that I am anywhere near being able to do at this point, but it's practice I'm sure. I got some very pretty fabric and I'm making some cute Easter eggs to hang on a branch for an "Easter tree" when the time comes.

   Anyway, this picture of the 1940's victory gardener reminded me of spring, of the little green bits of daffodils and crocus's coming up. Of chives that are thrusting themselves very strongly out into the air, and the big chubby winter birds excitedly darting about, hoping to find fresh grubs even in today's cold winter seeming day. Notice how this very stylish lady is gardening in heels, mighty impressive, can't say you'll ever catch me in the act...

Lemonade I have made...

This is a lemon cake that me and a cake lover I know made a week or so ago. An excess amount of cream cheese frosting topped off this tasty treat. Of course milk is one of those obligatory accessories one must consume with anything chocolate or sweet. 

     I had a nice time doing some present making and decorating for my moms birthday. 2 scarves, one I knit and one made out of recycled sweaters that my Grandma helped me sew. I also made a whole bunch of oragami cranes, I'll put some pictures up later.

Valentines Update (or I love Valentines day and had to post over a week late))

This is a card I made with a big red love balloon!

A Pizza that we made, sadly this one didn't come out heart shaped like they normally do.

A beautiful pair of warm pink mitts made out of Manos lovingly made by my mom.

This photo of the red printed helmet I traced from a book I was given a while ago called "Faeries" it has beautiful images of faeries and elves, dwarves and every kind of magical creature you could imagine. This is a screen print that I did for Truckman for Valentines day of the helmet of the Irish king of faeries

These chocolates that I devoured with no shame.

Head of Lettuce

So Valentines weekend was enjoyable. It began with our local Food co-ops 29th Birthday Party Bash, complete with live music performances, 29 Birthday cakes lovingly made and donated for and by the patrons of the co op. Every single cake I'm assuming was fast eaten, digested, and finished off by hungry Birthday lovers. The peice I got was from an awesome (awesome with a big fat A in the front) chocolate cake with real peanut butter frosting. I wish I knew who made it.
Truckman and I took a trip to the Brewpub afterward where we sampled some delicious creations, a vanilla stout made especially for valentines day and branded "The S.W.A.K Stout" short for "sealed with a kiss" and an M.M Blonde Ale whose ingredients I don't remember off the top of my head but it was tasty. We then made pizza later on in the evening.
On Sunday my father, and friend of ours, Truckman and myself went up to see Lettuce at The Snowbarn at Mt Snow in VT. Every single one of these guys in this band are top notch, all play in several proffesional touring bands and are at the top of their game. The keys player (Neil Evans) and guitar player (Eric Krasno) from Soulive, Adam Deitch drummer for John Scofield, Break Science and a whole bunch of other projects, make up just part of the lineup for Lettuce. Check em out. I even got to meet Mr. Deitch himself on the way, I don't have anything to prove it by I swear to got I did...

Home Brewing

This past week two new batches of beer have been started. Truckman recently took a special Thursday at a local brewery to learn the ropes and get an idea of what large scale (by no means large considering there are such large corporations like Budweiser that basically own all companies that make the majority of commercial beer these days) really means. He got some supplies from the friendly folk, an awesome yeast culture,(which is simply taken from the bottom of their fermenting tank after it settles, it's eaten through a lot of sugar and multiplied itself, they just open up the spigot and out comes beautiful usable yeast, the circle goes round) and 5 gallons of mash liquid the liquid that holds the most sugars that are taken after sparging the grains to attain maximum sugar extraction.

With this he started basically a clone recipe of the pubs IPA (India Pale Ale) a traditionally English style beer with a higher alcohol content, and our favorite bittering agent hops!)

A couple of days later we decided to make a mild brown ale, we're not sure what will come of it. We were originally going to follow a recipe from an old Fermenters Digest, but after Truckman did some math the alcohol content was going to something close to a non-alcoholic beverage, so we decided to modify it. There is a mix of chocolate malt, and crystal malt, the chocolate being used quite often in stouts The old Fermenters Digest was gifted by the loving brew mama at Christmastime last year, and contain all kinds of interesting articles, hand typed, with hand done drawings and very homegrown feel.

The IPA is on its way into the secondary fermenter tomorrow, and we're going to do some dry hopping, the process of adding hops after brewing and fermenting for a short while. This helps to add more aroma and adds an extra bittering agent.

We've been looking into doing some hand silkscreening labels onto beer bottles, modifying equipment, and improving our setup. The book above by Charlie Papazian, a big homebrewing guru may be providing us with our next recipe, a stout. So far IPA's and regular Pale Ales have been our specialty but I think we're ready to take on the task.

I apologize if all of the explanations aren't clear, I'm doing a lot of learning myself on the whole art of brewing in general, types of beer, and the special skills involved in homebrewing. Most of which seem to involve fast problem solving, and the gathering of odd kitchen implements to help with the process! It's also a requirement to dump water all over yourself at some point, and also lifting large containers of water onto uncomfortably high surfaces.

Hernani

"Youth is the time to go flashing from one end of the world to the other… to try the manners of different nations; to hear the chimes at midnight; to see the sunrise in town and country; to be at a REVIVAL;circumnavigate the metaphysics, write halting verses, run a mile to see a fire, and wait all day long in the theatre to applaud Hernani."~Robert Louis Stevenson

This is a quote that I came across in my internet wanderings this morning. It reminded me of what life is supposed to feel like. Like lots of people the winter doldrums have taken a slight grip on my cold feet, and keeps tugging more incessantly downward on my mood. I may need to read this a few times today.

Hernani is the mysterious bandit in a play by Victor Hugo apparently. An interesting tale so it seems.

Pink Slips and Lady lips

Though the voting is now over, and I realized much too late that I could partcipate, Etsy hosted a vote on "The Loviliest Ladies Item" This beautiful sunset colored slipdress by Muir Hughs would have been my pick.  Though the winners ring is beautiful, I am not one for the shiny jewelry. 

   Whenever gift giving holidays roll around I am always thinking of the next craft project. I've got a few up my sleeve for this coming Saturday's Valentines day.

    Read a Brief history of Valentines day, a few different perspectives on this ancient practice of exchanging gifts of love. Maybe I am a bit premature in my valentines post, but I can't help thinking about it. Being someone interested in agriculture I like this take on the day...

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial — which probably occurred around 270 A.D — others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

Pinks, Permanence, and the Thunderbolt Kid

The photo to the left is of a scarf that I knit with some hand spun that I recently finished. I love the irregular texture of the way it knit up. I have a couple of batts leftover from a longtime ago that I was going to save for some needle felting, but will maybe try to spin. Usually by the time I have the tension set right on my wheel I've used up all my supplies to spin with!

   I've been reading the newest issue of The Permaculture Activist, a great publication that comes out 4 times a year each with a general topic, but comprised of articles written by permaculture practitioners, farmers, activists, and all the titles that you could come up with to call people! Past topics have included permaculture at home, Kids and Permaculture, preparing for peak energy descent etc.

   I'm also reading M.F.K Fisher who I recently read about in Ready Made Magazine, a mag that I mentioned earlier on a couple of posts ago. I'm reading As They Were, a sort of childhood memoir, poignant memories intermingle with prose about cooking, food, family life, and one persons experience that make up the history of our country and it's evolution over the last century, from what it once was.

   

To add one more to the list, I'm listening to a book on tape by Bill Bryson called The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. I've been told to read Bill Bryson for some time now, and I'm glad I'm actually listening to this book, as he is the reader. That is unusual in the book on tape realm. It's his memoir of growing up as a baby boomer in the 1950's and all the humor and real life obeservation that comes with having grown up during that time period. It is fun remembering a lot of common kid memories that lots of people share no matter what time you grew up in, and also learning through his eyes about the culture of mid century America. 

     I can envision being his childhood cohort in his adventures on the ice rink, the bicycle, and the icecream truck, even though the latter never came through my neighborhood as a child...I didn't grow up in the suburbs so I got the whistling wind in the pine trees instead. And of this I am very very glad.

Projects Smobjects

This is a bottle of Australian wine, part of which was consumed while I was making brownies and garlic pesto grilled cheese (mmm) and while other people were fixing bass guitars and broken Volkswagen Rabbits.

This is lovely pink frosting waiting to go on a batch of brownies in honor of a lovely dog that I know that has now passed on to that big field in the sky. Though I'm afraid she might not have been able to eat them herself, I'm sure she's snacking on all kinds of delicious doggie treats in dog heaven. Miss you Miss April.

In craftland, I've learned how to crochet a circle, I'm learning to knit a cable scarf in two colors, improvise my own patterns for 2 simple scarfs (check out my ravelry page for the Little Wing scarflette) and I've learned that yarn addiction is a fast and loose pursuit. No messing around with people that engage in this activity!

I've been reading Ready Made magazine lately. I got a couple of cool craft magazine that were sitting out for free on the stoop of a local smalltime general store, and that was how I got turned on to reading Ready Made. There is an upcycled scarf that they sew together using cut up sweaters and then dye them to your desired color. And also lamps, patchwork pillows, tables, clothing....

Pizza and Beer

This is the tube hat that I've been working on. I have dreads, so this holds em all together up and out of the way. I used a combination of Lambs Pride, Manos, Chunky yarns, and bunch of random stuff I've had lying around. It was a quick fun crochet project, next time I'll probably make it a little bigger to accommodate all my big fat hair! Looking at it now it looks kind of like a deflated lampshade....

The good things in life really must include homemade pizza shaped like hearts, home brewed beer, and newly finished hats! This is a pizza that Truckman and I made earlier tonight, caramelized onions with red and green peppers, garlic, sauce, pepperoni, and yes a big old pile of shredded cheddar cheese. I got a Birthday present last year of the pizza stone that this was baked on which has made all the difference in the quality of the pizza. Oh, and there's a little parmesan on the top to give it a golden crunch. Mmm it was tasty, and gone in about 20 minutes between the two of us. As for the home brewed beer I don't have any pictures of that to show you, maybe another time. 

I whipped out a couple new compositions today, one in a new open tuning called Terra Patch, a traditional Hawaiian Slack Key guitar tuning, and a flamenco like piece. I've never been one for complaining about my nails breaking, except for when it comes to guitar, my middle finger nail split down the middle and I now have much less of a nail to wail on strings with. I really need to find an effective nail strengthening procedure.

I bought the soundtrack to Once today, a great movie that I saw for the first time back in the fall, check it out, great music and good acting. A creative indie film, made on a low budget, with a very true to life feel.

Needle Needed

I received a gift at Christmas time, the best sort which for me should always consist of a nice stack of records. Or at least music to listen to in one form or another. In the stack I got Chick Corea, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Emerson Lake and Palmer, some really great finds made by my dad who was out on a pre Christmas record scouting errand when he came across these. Check out "The Monk Institute" in the link above.

    

I'm quite excited to listen to them, but do not yet have the proper needle on my record player. It worked for a short while and then died a slow painful death and now needs repairing. I think all tried and true record players need repairing at one point or another. More often than not it seems.

     

I've been furthering some guitar study with this book here "Flamenco Guitar Method Book 1" Great cd to go along with it to help with exercises, and there are very good, and detailed descriptions. I'm almost done with the first lesson, my fingers are really feeling the strain of learning new things, and I don't want to over do it. There is also a long list in the back of the book running off names of some influential flamenco musicians through the ages that I have to look up in the next day or so. 

   I'm feeling the fruits of the flamenco labor though! I'm experiencing some new bursts of creative energy in a totally different style. Thats the most enjoyable thing in playing guitar for me!

Orange Rumples

This is a picture of "Joe's Scarf" also titled "Orange Rumples" which is a Birthday present suspended in a serious state of delay. Hopefully this warm toasty gift will be delivered before long. If you'd like to check out more pictures you can check out my ravelry page, I've got a few up on there. As my first crochet scarf, this project took four skeins of  Berrocco Ultra Alpaca yarn and more than a few hours of labor, hopefully Joe G. will be pleased.

    Today when temperatures were lifted again (thank you weather gods) from the lovely 18 degreees below zero that we've been having, it felt perfectly appropriate to wear a simple sweatshirt and fingerless gloves outside. I can only imagine living in the upper midwest. Bless em and their cold toes. 

I've been marveling at this new site. It's called The Selby, (Todd Selby) and all photographs are of peoples living spaces. Artists, designers, crafts people, musicians, and all the places that they inhabit. The images provide small snipets into these peoples lives and are very inspiring to look at for fun and for decorating ideas and general creativity. 

Truckman and I watched a good documentary last night called 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama. A man sets off into Tibet on a shoestring budget to make a film and decides to attempt getting an interview with the Dalai Lama. Beautiful scenery, some obviously horriffic brutality of the Tibetan people, and much laughter and wisdom from the Dalai Lama. We enjoyed his happiness and frankness about humanity, peace, human relationships, and simple wisdom.

 Which leads me to this story...

Several weeks ago I was standing in line at a pharmacy at a huge chain store which I'm not proud of. I had had a disturbing argument with someone and all I could think about was how angry I was (this was just before New Years, and my plans were seemingly being ruined before my very eyes!) and I was festering there as I arrived at a line of no less than 15 people waiting for drugs at the pharmacy. All of a sudden I look over and there are two monks traditional dress on, walking through the shampoo aisle. Holding nothing in their hands, moving quickly, I only saw their backs, and their shaved heads, and then they were gone. 

   I took that as a sign, and decided to calm down. I started laughing at myself and felt an instant sense of relief.

 I have no doubt that they showed up for me, and maybe a few other people in the store that night, and man I was glad they did.

    

Inventory

This past weekend I helped out doing inventory at our local yarn shop. Many hours (not as long as some) un stacking, counting, and then re-stacking gobs of yarn. The picture here is of the mission falls yarn. I'm eventually going to make a scarf out of the deep red color pictured. Thebeautiful green sweater that you can only see half of is a design of Norah Gaughn who I love, but do not have the skills yet to knit anything of her design! The picture does not do her design justice so check out the links. 

   The Truckman and I are painting a room in his house together. A simply awful blue put there by the previous resident is horid! This person was a very un-skilled painter and managed to get dark blue paint on the rug, the ceiling which has grout on it, the wooden door, just everywhere. They also managed to paint over stickers and make it a miserable mess to repare. I beg you, if you are painting a room in the place where you live, either do it right, or let the resident do it! 

So we're slowly transitioning this horriffic scene to a lovely pale green color. I'll put up some before and after shots when it's finished. It would be too awful to only show you the before pictures!

An Oldy but a Goody

I decided to post a of picture here (but also on my ravelry account) of a scarf that I made a while ago. It's from Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick. A truely beautiful book with projects on how to make knitted puppet washclothes, a drop shoulder sweater, a snake, knitting needles, bean bags, all in beautiful colors and designs. I've always enjoyed looking at it.

   I helped out at the local yarn shop doing inventory over the weekend. Perhaps I'll post some shots of how neat and tidy I made some of those shelves when I was done with them! We all worked in teams, calculating and counting,Thanks to my mom for being my hard working number taking team mate we got it all done! We all had fun discovering the hidden yarns in the shop that we never knew existed. 

    I've got my eye on a few things now. I've set my sights on yarn for making the Williams Pullover Sweater and a pair of socks with some leftover yarn I have from making a hat for a friend. Hopefully my mother will be showing me how to do the latter!

I've acquired a renewed thirst in mystery's that I haven't had a for a while I got this and this at the library over the weekend and today. No I have no shame when it comes to mystery's, it's giving me something do when I go to the gym. One is on tape and one is a book. I also downloaded a few podcasts from the long list on crafsanity. Just find the descriptions on the long sidebar on her site, and then I just looked up the number on her listing under podcasts on i-tunes and downloaded the ones I wanted. I started with Amy Butler who's amazing fabrics you can find here.

Good and Neat

I have embarked upon cleaning a large portion of my living space, getting rid of clothes, books, art supplies, all things that were once useful to me, but are now finding their way to new homes and new people who will actually enjoy them. The main reason for the purge of items was to clean up my practice space for music. I have a spot to record, keep my instruments, music books, stereo's, mic stands, you name it there is a lot to fit. Here is a shot of my newly organized music area.

        This is a handmade slide that Truckman made for me out of a beer bottle neck. He sanded it, ground it down all by hand. He cut the neck from the main part of the bottle using a sharp stone and scratching the glass in a circle till it just popped off. This part would be much easier if you had a glass cutter. It produces a very nice warm sounding slide when played on a resonator guitar. I enjoy using it because it's the real thing!

This is perhaps the best late night snack I can think of. Candied ginger with green  apple slices and peanut butter. I suggest you try it if you can get your hands on some good salty peanut butter (Teddie is one of my favorite brands) and dried ginger slices with big granulated sugar crystals.

I bought more yarn to finish crocheting a scarf. My very first crocheting project. Check out the link to Berocco's great color pallet of Ultra Alpaca yarns. I'll post some pictures of the scarf later. 

We're gearing up for a bunch of snow here later today and into tomorrow. Lots of knitting to happen in the next day or so I hope when we get snowed in!

   

Reminiscing in Tempo

Last night I sat by the woodstove polishing a few pairs of leather boots and shoes. A pair of workboots that I have were getting quite cracked so a little saturation helped. I remember as a child watching my father brushing a pair of grey suede shoes with a brush and special polish and seeing them shine when he was done. This memory probably sticks because I only saw it happen once or twice. He's not really a shoe polish kind of man anyway. 

   This is a picture of Bucky. The stovetop resident who is permanently curled up in iron form on the top of the woodstove all winterlong, steaming water out of the holes in his back. Deemed "Bucky" for the several holes the evaporating water comes out of that look like they were painfully made of buckshot. Thankfully this story is nowhere near true and this water holder makes our lungs a little happier doing the winter months when it gets dry from wood heat in the house.

   Truckman (as he shall henceforth be named) and I watched one of the many movies in the Ken Burns Series Jazz. I had seen the whole documentary when it aired on PBS several years ago and even have the cd set that sold as an accompaniment to the movies. This episode #4 "The True Welcome" had Duke Ellington, Chick Webb, Fletcher Henderson, Art Tatum, and a host of others. Footage of the lindyhop, big dance halls in New York and Chicago and venues everywhere in between litter the screen in depression era scenery, deppressing and also beautifully decadent at the same time. There are some romping images from The Savoy, the only racially integrated dance hall in New York city at the time. Women (and sometimes men) being thrown over the heads of their partners in true swing dance style gusto.

   Theres a beautiful interview with a couple that danced there in their youth at the Savoy, and they have some great stories. I highly recommend watching even just one of the movies from the series if you like history, good music, and inspirational stories.

    The title of this post comes from the title of a song the Duke Ellington wrote that's featured in the film. He wrote it as a tribute to his mother when she passed away.

The First Post

Ah, the first post, the classic moment where what I write here will go down in the evolution of this blog as number one. The surely uncomfortable moment where you have pressed the button to take you all the way back to the beginning of the archives in the hopes of finding out some secret tidbit that you haven't come to yet in the dissecting of this on going piece of writing.

So if you are reading from the back forward, let me just say welcome! I extend this to you the reader and also to my innermost self that desires to share parts of my life with others that I do not know in person. I hope that this experience will be a rewarding one on your part as well as for me on my end.

If you look at the date on this post, surely you can see that this must have been sparked by some new years resolution gone awry, the lofty hopes of a person seeking contact in the grossly digital age we're in, and yes you are right! On all counts I am drawn to the idea of throwing a chunk of myself out into the ether to see what happens.

As for Ya want a peanut? A question I asked one day of some folks at our local knitting shop. I apparently declared the question in the most offensive, non generous kind of way, as I held out a large bucket of salted peanuts for people to share. With slumped shoulders and wet snowy pants and big snow boots and a cold nose I guess I appeared to not want to give them up, and that anyone who dared to take a peanut from the container was gonna get a fist in the face.
I'll just say no bloody noses were to be had, and the idea for this writing project began...