Photo Favorite

Early this morning, before the heat arrived, Greg took a photo of me in the garden to be used on www.wecouldliveanywhere.com with my profile. He took 40 pix. I have a favorite. He has a favorite. We can't decide which is best. I sent both to the ad agency so they can decide. However, I thought I'd ask others opinions, too. I'm not telling which is whose favorite. Let me know which one you like. patsyterrell@gmail.com Thanks!

This is number 12:


This is number 35:

A Day Off

I took a day off today. A whole day. Well, aside from phone calls, which I still answered... and email. But I didn't do anything other than essentials. Well, not anything for work. I worked on personal stuff all day.

I slept late, worked in the studio, went to Roy's for lunch, worked more in the studio, fixed myself a sandwich for dinner, and worked more in the studio.

Last night Greg came upstairs to the studio and looked at it in prep for taking some photos for www.wecouldliveanywhere.com. They interviewed me a couple of weeks ago but I was so swamped with tea stuff that I haven't followed up. They want three photos - something art related, home related and garden related. Greg will do them for me, which is great, because I wouldn't let someone I don't know well into my studio.

Everything in there is pretty messy. Last night Greg suggested I "embrace the clutter," that it just looked like a creative person lived and worked in that space. He snapped this pic last night.



You can see there's lots of stuff junked on the shelves and the table. But, I work on that table, so it's understandable it would be full of stuff.

All day I was mentally prepared to "embrace the clutter," figuring the pic would run small enough it wouldn't be too much of a problem. And, besides, I thought Greg was right - it just looks like a space that someone actually uses.

Well, tonight I was looking for something. And looking. And looking. As I continued to look and put things where they "belong," as much as anything has a place in that room, I realized I was cleaning up in there. It was an accident, really, but then I was so close to having the shelves organized I wanted to finish it.

So, it's not as messy now, but it still isn't exactly "tidy," - just better.



It gave me something to do when the painting wasn't going so well, too. Apparently I exceeded the amount of paint fumes I should inhale because I lost all ability to make wise color choices and draw lines this evening. Oh well, I'm sure I will be back to normal tomorrow. It would be even better if I had improved, but I'm not optimistic about that.

Creative Sisterhood

Tonight was Creative Sisterhood. I made Lemon Curd Tarts and iced tea. Generally we have hot tea but it has been over 100 here so many days in a row I've lost track and anything hot did not sound appetizing.

I'm one of those people who's always cold and even I am hot. So, I can't imagine how miserable everyone else is. It's supposed to cool off to the 90s in a few days and that sounds like relief.

Of course, I had a ton of running around to do today so was in and out of the car a bazillion times. But, I got a lot of things done. Enough that I am hoping tomorrow is a day when I get to relax a little bit. I want to paint. And relax.

At Creative Sisterhood tonight my topic was that my life seems really dull these days - a lot of sameness - a lack of fun, unique, interesting things going on. I'm not sure how to address that, but I need to.

Kansas Dialogue is a little over a week away and I haven't done any of the things I'm going to do for it yet. So, I need to spend some time working on that. Seems there's always something on the horizon that I am about to miss a deadline on.

Well, time for me to rest. I am weary tonight for some reason. Of course, it is 1:23 a.m. so I suppose it is time to be tired.

Ranting

I live in a house with two computers and I have been checking email on my phone most of the day. Nothing like reading a lengthy email on a two inch square screen - much less trying to respond with thumb typing.

To top it off, I've had over 1000 messages in my work account today that are spam bounces - someone is using the domain to send spam. Not understanding the ways of spammers I'm not sure what to do about it, but I'm pretty close to simply not allowing any email to come in on that account and having essential email sent to a different address.

I think here at almost midnight I've figured out the program with the computer was Norton and its overzealous firewall. I shouldn't even get started on Norton because I'm more than a little PO'ed at them. It seems every single time I have to load a new Norton disk my computer is screwed up for a couple of days. This was no exception. And, to top it off, I still had another 125 days left on my old subscription - but gave up trying to get that to work and loaded a new disk. One year I bought a subscription online and never figured out how to get that to work so I haven't done that again. Unfortunately, I need something to protect me from the viruses that the spammers send in their spare time, when they're not busy trying to convince me of my need for Viagra or penis enlargement or millions in a Nigerian bank.

The laptop has the exact same problem the desktop did with Norton not recognizing that the version I have still has 271 days on it. I'm five layers deep into their "fixes" and it still isn't working. Just what I need - more Norton crap to deal with. Surely there is something that actually works well, but I swear I don't know what it is. Can you say "void in the marketplace?"

The bonus computer wise, of course, is that I got to spend time on the phone with my ISP's support. Frankly, they were helpful. But, the condescending tone they use is something I could do without. Today it was all about the splitter that runs the TV and the computer in my office. She decided the splitter was the problem - it's not. Never mind that if it's a problem to have two things on one freaking outlet that when they have been out here THREE times in the last year and a half, they could have put another one in.

Needless to say, I did not get to relax today as I had hoped. I worked all day. Sometime this week I am going to take some time off. My house is full of stuff from the tea that needs to be washed and put away. Tomorrow night is Creative Sisterhood and I'm sure it will not be done by then. But, so it goes. They'll just have to walk around the things like I'm doing. There's a limit to how many things I can do and I've exceeded it.

Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day but I get to have lunch with Trish, which will be fun. Teresa and I had a wonderful lunch last week. I want more good conversation like I have with them.

However, there is one thing today that is making me do the happy dance - Karl Rove resigned. I'm not sure why I'm happy about it - the damage is done now - but I'm happy nonetheless. I am wondering what the point is. I guess to "turn over a new leaf," which could be worse. As a wise woman once told me - sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don't.

Karl Rove is obviously a very, very shrewd man - and a very smart one. I'm certain he has a very bright future ahead in whatever he chooses to do. Lets just hope he doesn't bring another Bush to the national political stage.

Did you hear Mitt Romney "won" the Iowa caucus? Yup. It helped that none of the front runners were there. Even Sam Brownback made a showing - and this is a man who even people who voted for him as senator in Kansas are afraid for him to be president. Bush is far too liberal for Sam.

Restful Sunday

I had a very restful Sunday, which I needed, although I did do quite a bit of work today. I have a ton of stuff to do to wrap up the tea so I did some of it today and will finish up tomorrow. I made a dent in the kitchen, which I'm very glad about. And I started unloading the car, which is filled to the gills with tea stuff. I have to wash all 10 of the table cloths and they're huge. That will take a few days to get them all done. Only one or two will fit in the machine at one time.

I also painted today. It was good to paint some more. I called Jocelyn - she was painting too. We have about 30 days until the show, so I need to be painting every available moment. I have a couple of things I've made that I want to create in different sizes, but with the same basic concept. That way if you like the look you can buy it at $15 or $35 or $85 - whatever you prefer. I don't know that those will be the prices, but that's the basic idea.

I did some more ornies today. I love those. I'm going to call an acquaintance who has an electrical background. I want to know if I can run some Christmas lights off a car battery in the booth. There is no power at this show but I'd so love to have some lights on the tree I use to display ornies. I have a power inverter. So, I'm wondering if he can tell me how to rig up something to run Christmas lights off a battery - they shouldn't pull much juice - we'll see what he says.

Tonight Greg and I went out to Sandhills and hiked out to the big hill to watch the meteor shower. It was good. Not the best shower I've ever seen, but the best viewing conditions I've had since I was in Utilla, off the northern coast of Honduras. There's no power there after midnight so it was quite dark, which was lovely - and we were there during a meteor shower. Matthew didn't stay up with me, but I stayed out on the dock all night watching meteors.

We saw a couple of really spectacular ones tonight. It was worth the effort expended - the dark of the moon and no clouds - optimal conditions for meteor viewing.

When I get some of the tea wrap up done, I'm going to take some time off this week and catch up on my life. I definitely need to catch up on my life - and get it back in some sort of order. Whenever I'm doing a big event my personal world gets neglected - and that means it becomes messier than usual. So, I have to get it back into shape - as much as it ever is.

I also have some big MHA things on the horizon to handle. And at some point I need to have time to do the things I actually ENJOY in life, instead of the things I HAVE to do.

Why

This is why I'm tired. I made all of this - 64 plates full. I'm going to bed. Maybe for days.

Tea Over

Tea is over. It was a huge success. I'm exhausted.

Tea is My Life

My life these days is getting ready for the tea tomorrow. This afternoon volunteers are coming to make the tea sandwiches so I've been getting all the stuff ready.

Yesterday we sold the last tickets. Today and yesterday I have people wanting more tickets. I've been promoting this for two months.

I feel really bad that some people are going to miss out - especially our regulars. I think this is going to be our best tea so far. But, we have x amount of seats and they're all spoken for.

Of course, there will be some people who won't show up - probably people who haven't paid for their tickets. So, we won't get the money and we'll have empty seats. Some people pay anyway but some will simply call to hold a seat and then not show. Unfortunately, right before the event I can't juggle all that too, so I have to let people make reservations without payment when we get close to the day. Maybe this will be the year when that doesn't happen. We can only hope!

Well... I'm off to do more prep. It's my life!

Art All Around

As you know, I've been painting every spare moment lately, getting ready for the art show in September. Well... I'm not the only one... art is in the air.  Check out Artsy Mama's blog to see a whole slew of links to other artsy things going on in the blogosphere.

Meanwhile, I've had some questions about the art things I've posted in the last few days, so this is an opportune time to answer them.

1. The ornaments were bought clear at the local hobby lobby. However, if you want to use ones that are scratched or otherwise no longer appropriate for display I understand you can soak them in a strong beach solution and it will remove the color. Then you can add your own. However, I have NOT tried this. I just buy the clear ones to begin with. But it seems like a good way to recycle ornies that have lost some of their luster.

2. The paper used for the quote on this journal is not something you can buy. It's a standard paper that I've added to. I use stamps I've carved to give some "texture" to the background on this particular one. I also added a little gold highlighting on it - very delicately. Each one is different - some are on paper I've dyed - but that was what I used on this.




3. The paint is acrylic and I use different techniques to get the different looks. Just play! I've been doing this for a few years now so I've learned what's going to happen depending on the thickness of the paint and the various tools used. But just play and you'll come up with cool things on your own. I sometimes add glitter or beads or other embellishments - the one on the right has some glitter and beads if you look closely.



OK... I'll answer more questions as they pop up! In the meantime, check out other artsy things going on by checking the links at Artsy Mama's blog.

Cooking and Painting

I spent the day cooking and the evening painting - like every day lately. All I really want to do is paint - all day, every day. But, unfortunately, no one is paying me to paint. Yet.

Tonight I was leaving the studio to come downstairs and fix some dinner when I decided to paint just a couple of the ornaments I bought the other day. Well, 24 ornaments later, I came downstairs. I like the look of these smaller ones even more than the larger ones I was doing earlier.

I made a couple of other things tonight that I really, really liked. Unfortunately, my camera battery died before I got a good photo. Maybe in the next few days I'll share.

Jocelyn gave me some good advice the other day - to think about how many people you want to sell something to at the show and then make sure you have that many whatevers to sell. I am getting a pretty nice little stash of journals, and I'll have a nice mix of ornaments once I finish all I've got started. And I'm working on some other things.

I don't think I'll have anything large done for this show, but that's OK. I like to do the smaller things, anyway. I am always drawn to the detail in things.

I first recognized this about myself when I was hiking in Muir Woods near San Francisco a couple of years ago. It was an amazing morning - I arrived before they were open, but they allow you to go on into the park. It was many hours before I heard or saw another person. It was very close to paradise on Earth.

I realized that morning as I was taking photos that I was always wanting the detail - the fern on the log instead of the log in the water. I wanted the moss on the tree instead of the overview of the trees. Unfortunately, the camera I was using couldn't capture those details. It was one of the reasons I got the camera I use now - it does a much better job of close ups.

Of course, I will need to figure out what to put in the background of the booth - that will be a trick. But I'm sure I'll think of something appropriate.

My fun part of the day was seeing Trish for lunch. She was on a tight time table after the city council meeting and before an appointment, but we managed to get lunch in, which was great. Trish and I always connect with on a very deep level. She and I are both feeling the urge to GO somewhere.

Well, the only place I'm going tonight is upstairs. And I'm going to try to stay out of the studio so I'm not up for an extra two hours.

Lucrative Business

Tonight I attended a presentation by some local businesses about a webpage for an organization who's board I serve on. I came away with two main thoughts:

1. web design is a very lucrative business
2. when you're in a business like web design that is a mystery to lots of people, you can snow them pretty easily

I know a little bit about webpages. A little bit. I was a webmaster back in the dark ages before we had programs to do it all for us - when you just had to learn basic html. Thank goodness. It's useful to have that living in my brain and I use it on a regular basis. Now I have a nifty program that makes it very easy to do web stuff, although it does expect you to have some basic understanding. Although I have not used it, I understand Nvu is a great program comparable to Dreamweaver you can use for webpage design that is a free download.

The other thing I learned about this now very lucrative web design business when I was a webmaster is that I find it mind-numbingly dull. This would be directly related to why my own webpage never gets redesigned. I can always find about a million things that sound more appealing than working on a webpage. That list would include mopping my kitchen floor and taking out the bathroom trash. And those aren't even at the bottom of the list.

However, maybe if people were paying me thousands of dollars to do it, I might suddenly find webpage design fascinating. I doubt it, though. Money seems to have little impact on how much I enjoy a particular activity. One of seven things will motivate anyone. Money is one of them, but it works for very few people - me included.

But, I digress... back to webpages... I'm very, very, very glad I know some basics. I use it almost every day and I actually enjoy that level of it. I just don't want to have a  job where I'm doing it all day every day. I feel my brain liquefying at the mere mention of it. Yuck.

It's always interesting to see how people approach a presentation like this. People break it down and "explain" in different ways. When you're talking to a room full of people, most of whom don't know much beyond the basics of email, word, etc., you can either talk specifics or generalities.

Tonight was a real lesson to me. In such a circumstance I would speak in very general terms. But, I realized tonight that when you do that, and don't tell people the different options available to them, it can look like you're hiding something. I don't think that was at all the case, but it can certainly come off that way. Something good for me to remember for the future.

Every day is a learning experience.

Quiet

It has been the quietest day I can remember in a long time. My phone hasn't even rung today, and I haven't called anyone. I've even had very little email. I guess the whole world needed some down time.
I have barely left the house. I went to the garden to gather tomatoes and basil to make some soup for lunch and opened the front door to bring in some lumber I had left propped by it last night. I haven't been any further than that.

There's something quite lovely about being able to cocoon in my home, with no need to go out for any groceries or other supplies. I love it when I have everything I need at home. My mother always being prepared for almost any occasion - we did not go "to town" three miles away casually. I drive the few blocks to the grocery store at the slightest provocation. I think my mother probably had the better approach.

I had a really rough night last night so I needed a quiet day today.

This is going to be a busy week. I'm eager to be on the other side of it. I hate to wish time away, but I'm tired just thinking about all I have to do this week. But, I'm just going to improve my attitude and be thankful I'm able to do what I need to do and get it done.

I spent quite a bit of time in the studio today and got this basket out to see how it would work to hold journals at the show. I think it will work pretty well.



I have another half dozen journals in their final stages and another half dozen with one side done. They're somewhat labor intensive, but whenever I carry one I never fail to get comments on it.

Well, I'm calling it a day and heading upstairs. I am not even going to walk into the studio because I'll end up staying in there for 2-3 hours if I do. Hopefully I will actually get some rest tonight and wake up ready to meet this week head on.

Quote of the Day

The divide is not between the servants and the served, between the leisured and the workers, but between those who are interested in the world and its multiplicity of forms and forces, and those who merely subsist, worrying or yawning . . . . The world is full of light and life, and the true crime is not to be interested in it.

A. S. Byatt in "Elementals: Stories of Fire and Ice"

Studio Saturday

It has been a nice Saturday and I needed a nice Saturday. I went to the Farmer's Market and Roys and then spent the rest of the day in the studio and around the house. I did go out to get some more paint when I ran out of a couple of things this afternoon.

Other that that, and hanging out clothes and getting dinner from the garden, I have been indoors.

I've noticed it doesn't matter how much table space I start out with, by the end of a session in the studio, I'm working in a space about 18 inches by 12 inches. Maybe this is why I don't do much large format stuff.

I fear I'm not going to get any actual paintings completed for the show, but I'm doing a lot of smaller things - journals, ornaments, etc. I think they'll sell better at this show, anyway. I think this is more a "craftsy" crowd than an "artsy" crowd. So, I think I'm far less likely to sell a $500 painting than I am a $15 journal. Not that that's not always true, but it would certainly be the case here, I think.

I believe in giving people what they want. So, I'm going to devote my time to ornaments, journals and similar things. I'll just tuck my ego away on this one and go for things I think will sell well at this particular show.

I'm very happy with some of the journals I've been doing lately. They require many steps to complete - from painting the front to dyeing the paper the quotes are on to any number of other additions. But I like the finished products.



I also love this quote from Henry Miller: The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.

Farm Girl

CAUTION - LANGUAGE

So, what do you think of when you hear the term, "Farm Girl?" I heard it used today in a derogatory manner, and it never occurred to me before that it was a negative term.

It was one of those classic situations where you never know who's around and what their background is. I was at the round table at Roy's BBQ and there was another regular there with some guests. We nodded at each other, as one generally does in such a circumstance.

They went on to talk about a couple of women moving something very heavy and one of them said, "They must have been farm girls." Derisive laughter all around, and a glance at me to include me in on the joke, as if I could not possibly be a farm girl, and would enjoy a laugh at the expense of women who know how to work hard on a farm.

People are often telling me I'm a little "prissy," and I always discount that. However, I must give off that aura. Because today with my hair pulled up in a clip, absolutely no make up, old jeans and t-shirt, and my hands covered with paint, I still don't give off the "farm girl" feeling - whatever that is - but I'm pretty sure it's the opposite of "prissy."

Well... I am a farm girl... Always have been... and Always will be.

I just got up and boxed up my food to leave. I didn't want to share a table with those four guys any longer.

Now, goodness knows, I've stuck my foot in my mouth on more than one occasion in similar circumstances. I wasn't going to embarrass him or his guests today, but the next time I see this guy at a chamber breakfast or a local fundraiser or something I will take the opportunity to tell him I am a farm girl. He likes me - at least he always acts like he likes me - maybe it will open his eyes to the idea that farm girls can sweep their hair up into elegant chignons as well as wear it in pigtails. We can wear heels or boots. We can go effortlessly between different worlds, without people ever knowing we're "imposters." You'd think that would be something a man appreciates, but apparently not any of those guys.

I'm not sure why being able to carry my own luggage, even if it is filled with "prissy" things, makes me less appealing. But, I guess it does. Well, at least to some men. My guess is that would mostly be men who are offended that a girl might be able to lift more than them, or wield a power tool better than them or drive a tractor better than them. I'm certain in the case of these men I would have that competition wrapped on the the last two, and maybe all three.

Some men prefer their women dainty and helpless. Because when their women are helpless, the men are stronger by comparison. That's certainly true for this man's wife - I'm always amazed the woman can dress herself and function from the way she looks to him for constant guidance.

I'm guessing there's some compensating going on there on his part. And, yes, I did manage to get out of there without saying it, but it was on the tip of my tongue the whole time. But I refrained. Until I got in the car, where I said outloud, "Geez, I'm really sorry about your -----."

I can't decide if I'm more offended by the comment or amused by the compensation. It's pretty much a toss up.

Oh well... this farm girl is going out to use a power tool now... and then carry some lumber upstairs.

Sugar Cookies

My dining room table is covered with heart shaped sugar cookies and I am so relieved they are done. I despise making sugar cookies. Ironically, I love to eat them - but not enough to make them. I think the last time I made them was for last year's tea.

I was once involved with someone who loved them and I made them for him many, many, many times. I don't think he ever fully appreciated what a symbol of love that was.

Also ironic - I've always been on the lookout for the perfect sugar cookie recipe. I have three that I really like - Nan's, Mary Ann's, and Shirley's. I have others that I've never tried but that I've gathered because one day I might want to make them. Because, as we've already covered, I like to make them so much.

The one I used this time is Nan's because the recipe doesn't call for any milk. I don't drink milk, so I didn't have any in the house, and didn't want to go get any.

The trick with sugar cookies is you want one that's going to hold its shape and yet be tender. In reality, this has more to do with things other than the recipe. Of course, no one ever told me that, so I had to discover it through trial and error, cookbooks, the food network, or some other place. I can't even tell you exactly how I gained this knowledge, but I'm going to share it.

1. If you want the cookies to hold their shape they have to be COLD. Keep the dough cold before you roll it out. After you cut the cookies out and put them on the sheet, put it back in the fridge to chill before you bake them. Voila! (By the way, Voila! is a French word and means "There you go!" or something similar. There really isn't a perfect translation. But it is not spelled "walla" as I sometimes see it. That's one of my pet peeves. "Walla" in English is a second spelling of the word "wallah" that refers to a person who's essential in an organization, or works in a particular field. "Walla" is not a word in French as far as I know. Walla Walla is a city in Washington. Other than those instances, don't write "walla" when you really mean "voila". I also sometimes see it spelled, "wahlah," which is not a word in either language as far as I know - nor is "wahla.") OK, I got that off my chest... moving on...

2. What makes the cookie tough is overworking the dough. What that really means in this case is that when you pick up the bits and pieces and reroll them again and again it eventually gets tough - partially because of the added flour.

The same rules apply to pie crust. Maybe I just applied it to cookies from pie crusts - maybe that's how I learned it. Whatever the case - those two things work.

Today I got some of the shopping done for more cooking this weekend. I'll be cooking. Then cooking some more. To be followed by some cooking. Does my life seem dull? Well, imagine how it feels to be living it.

OK... just because I'm so nice... I'm going to share Nan's Sugar Cookie Recipe. She and I made these together one year before Valentine's Day and she sent some to the man she was dating at the time. He proposed a few months later. He, obviously, understood what an indication of true love a batch of sugar cookies is - unlike the man I was with. I'm not saying it was necessarily the cookies... I'm just saying they're good.

Nan's Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes.

I double this recipe often. These will freeze well, if any survive long enough for that.

OK... go forth and bake!

Garden to Tummy in an Hour

This is lunch and dinner today - all fresh from my garden. I bought some goodies at the farmer's market yesterday, including an eggplant, only to discover that I had not only some baby ones, but a couple of full grown ones as well in my own little garden. I'll have to find a home for the one I bought yesterday.

I came right inside and cooked up the tomatoes, chives, oregano and basil with some olive oil and garlic, and some onions I bought at the farmer's market yesterday into a sauce.



If it doesn't look as red as you would expect, that's because it's made from real tomatoes, without any red food coloring added in.

I cut up one eggplant and sprinkled the slices with salt and pressed them to get some water out of them. However, I didn't let them sit for two hours, as is always suggested. But, they didn't need it.

I dipped the eggplant slices in egg and dredged in flour with salt and pepper, and fried in a little olive oil. By the time they were done, the sauce was ready to be pureed. I layered an eggplant slice with some cheese and then poured the sauce over all. Naturally, I added freshly grated parmesan on top and garnished with some tomatoes and a basil leaf, and sprinkled with fresh chives.



It was delicious! I mean, really, really, really delicious. Even though I'm alone in the house, I exclaimed, "That is good!" outloud to myself when I took the first bite.

I am becoming more and more devoted to the idea of having food as recently picked as possible. There's a world of difference in how it tastes. If I'm not careful, I'm going to be canning before I know it.

Obviously, I need a bigger garden. This fall I think I will take the side of my yard where the garden is and get rid of the grass so I can put more garden in next year.

Oh... and dessert... the rest of the fresh blackberries from the farmer's market yesterday. Yum!

What in the Hell Happened to Journalism?

I was a journalist for many years. I got into the profession because it was a noble cause - I wanted to expose injustice and right wrongs. Along the way I figured there would be an opportunity to do some good - not only in the big ways, but in the small ways. I did my fair share of reporting from arts fairs as well as disaster areas. Both have merit.

To promote the Victorian tea I'm doing for the MHA on Aug. 11 I sent a number of press releases out to small newspapers in the area. This morning I got a call from one of them wanting me to advertise. That's not unusual and I understand it. I explained we're a non profit, running on a shoe string, trying to MAKE money and we're not spending money on advertising.

At this point, they informed me that if I didn't buy advertising they wouldn't run the press release. What? Excuse me? Did I hear correctly? Yes, yes I did.

When I studied journalism at the University of Kentucky we would have called this "unethical." That was true all three years I was getting my BA in journalism. Many years later, I still don't see any change in that designation.

Obviously, I refused. Not only on the basis of we don't have money - frankly I could have bought a little classified for a few bucks and gotten it in - and that's all it would have taken. There's another lesson here - people who can be bought are generally pretty cheap and they're not worth having - the same is true for newspapers. I will not sully myself or my organization in that way.

It would be different if it were being promoted as something other than a "news"paper - but I think most people expect their newspapers to be geared toward news. In a small town, that's probably not national news, but more local and regional news. The goal is to publish things of interest to your readership.

I'll be the first to admit that a press release about an event is not necessarily news. But, it could be made into an interesting story - when I saw the caller ID that said "Lindsborg News Record," I assumed that's what it was for. You might notice that "News" is part of the title of the newspaper. Nope, not interested in a story - just interested in getting some money out of a non-profit, which I also happen to think would be unethical for me to do. I don't think people who are members of the MHA think I'm going to spend their money on advertising - and they're right.

I am shocked. Maybe this is commonly done these days. I guess I'll know if I continue to get phone calls throughout the day. It won't change my opinion of it even if it is.

What is that quote about "Truth is not determined by majority rule..." or something like that? I fear "truth" may be something that's not of particular interest anymore in these cases. If it were they wouldn't dream of such a practice because it breaks one of the major rules of journalism - the APPEARANCE of a conflict of interest is just as damaging as a conflict of interest. Trust me, buying a story in the newspaper, which is what this is, is a conflict of interest. There's a word for buying space -  advertising. There's a word for content - editorial. N'er the twain should meet.

Blackberries

Today was the farmer's market and I found something I absolutely adore - a pint of blackberries picked just this morning. I got the LAST one. I've just finished a small bowl of them, but saved some for tomorrow. I did hate to put them in the fridge, but did. I couldn't believe my luck at grabbing the last pint of them.

Blackberries are my very, very, very favorite fruit. I have always loved them and have many happy associations with them.

For many years I went to Kentucky at the end of June for a family reunion. Blackberries start ripening right around that time. My mom would pick the ripe ones from her vines and have them for me as a treat. It was one of those special things a mother does for her child. And this child appreciated it.

The last time I had freshly picked blackberries they were brought to me by a man I was deeply in love with. He arrived on my doorstep with a pint of blackberries he had driven to a farm (40 miles out of his way) to pick up before coming to see me. That ranks as one of the most romantic gestures I've ever experienced personally. I had just mentioned once that I loved blackberries and he brought some for no reason. Ironically, today is his birthday, so it's interesting that I saw fresh blackberries at the farmer's market for the first time ever today.

I think this is what men don't understand about women - it's not a new car that gets to us, it's you leaving a note in our old car telling us you care. It seems so simple to us. But, I've had two different men in the last three days ask me to explain women. I guess that's the best explanation I can offer.

I've had a very "blackberry" kind of day. I started the day by making Blackberry Tea Cookies for our upcoming tea. I hadn't tried the recipe before and wanted to test it before making it for the tea on August 11.

Well, I'm headed off to bed shortly. I'll probably dream of blackberries, or men bearing blackberries, or something of that sort.

Glenn Beck and Arms Deals

As you might well guess if you've been reading this blog for any amount of time - like oh, say, around the time Katrina hit, or the last presidential "election" - I'm sure you know my political leanings are definitely to the left. I would say I'm a moderate liberal - not a conservative liberal, but I'm still shopping at Walmart and I'm making no apologies for it, so I'm not a far left liberal either. So, I'm a moderate. Although, let me say, I wear the title "LIBERAL" proudly. There is nothing to be ashamed of in wanting the world to be fair for everyone - rich or poor. In fact, it's something to be proud of. And I am.

All of that said, imagine my continual surprise when I'm in agreement with Glenn Beck. I've caught his show before and there's always something I agree with him about. Today after work I was flipping past CNN and he was on and I stopped and... oh my gosh... I have agreed with almost everything he has said tonight.

He has been talking about the arms deal with the Saudi's. OK, just in case you've forgotten, those high-jackers that took down the twin towers in NY - the infamous 911 that still has enough Americans terrified six years later that it affects their votes  - all from Saudi Arabia - yes, the same Saudi Arabia we're selling arms to.

And speaking of "arms deals," shouldn't we stop speaking of them? Why are we Americans so freaking stupid we never learn from our mistakes? Just because Russia has made an arms deal with India doesn't mean we have to do the same thing with someone else. Didn't Barbara ever give George that little spiel about, "so if your friends all jumped off a bridge..." Until the Bush administration got into office we weren't in desperate financial straits like Russia, who needs the hard cash. Is the US so broke that we have to make these kind of deals, too?

Everytime the words "arms deals" are used in conjunction something very, very, very bad happens. Can you say "Sandinista?" Glenn Beck summed it up today by repeating the movie line, "I see dead people." Well, so do I. More accurately, I see MORE dead people.

Tom Snyder

Tom Snyder died Sunday at age 71. He will be missed.

In fact, I have been missing him for years since he left TV.

I grew up watching Tom Snyder on the Tomorrow Show. It started in 1972, so I would have been 10 or 11, and I watched it from its inception. I was never a good sleeper - even as a kid - and my mom gave up long before I was 10. She just let me stay up as late as I wanted, as long as I got up for school the next morning.

Johnny Carson and then Tom Snyder kept me company as I sat up late, having time to think, and time to be alone, which I never got during the daylight hours. In retrospect, I think that was probably part of the deal for me - I have always needed alone time. That was the only way to get it.

When I grew up and became an interviewer myself, I remembered that it's OK to ask the question that seems a bit rude, because it's what everyone really wants to know. I remembered Tom Snyder's easy manner and modeled it whenever it was appropriate.

Of course, I never interviewed the sort of people he did - from John Lennon to Charles Manson.

I was thrilled when Snyder came back to television in the mid nineties on the Late, Late Show that aired after Letterman. When Craig Kilborn took over the show it was a huge disappointment for me. I watch Craig Ferguson now, and love him, but it's a completely different show than what Tom Snyder did.

Snyder always looked like he had just heard the filthiest joke ever and was debating whether or not to share it with you. You always wanted in on it and he never failed to bring you along.

He died from complications of leukemia.

His sign off was my bedtime story for many years - "...sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air.''

The pictures won't ever be the same without him.

Jocelyn is Even More Famous

My artist friend, Jocelyn, is featured on a website done by Reno County, Kansas, where I live. This is a project to profile some of the people in the community and why they choose to live here. I love the name of the site - We Could Live Anywhere.

You can read more about Jocelyn, who is a very interesting person. There are also photos of some of her artwork.

And... another secret... look for me there soon. I've agreed to do it, they're interviewing me Wednesday afternoon, but it will be awhile before it's online.

Needless to say, I'll let you know when it's up. (Like there could possibly be anything else about me that hasn't already been revealed here on the blog! Well, anything I'm willing to reveal, anyway.)

I'm thinking about what I'm going to say about living here. Obviously, what keeps me here are people I have built relationships with - I think that's what keeps almost anyone where they live. But I like the fact that Hutchinson has some distinctiveness. I never want to live in the sameness of suburbia - in one of those houses that looks like all the other houses in the neighborhood, where everything smells "new." I want to live where there's some history.

Weekend With Matthew

I returned tonight from a weekend with my friend, Matthew. Matthew lives in Oklahoma and has a boat on Grand Lake. It's a classic 1960 Chris Craft wooden boat, and Matthew is completely in love with it.

We spent Friday at his house and then left for the lake Saturday morning. We spent the night on the boat after cruising all day, meeting some of his lake friends and enjoying the lake.

Of course, I couldn't resist taking many photos of Matthew. It was hot. We were sweaty. It's not anyone's best look. But, hey, it can't be helped when you're on a boat in a 90 degree plus day. I'm sure you understand.

The boat's name is "Three Wishes." I learned this weekend that it's considered bad luck to change the name of a boat, and a whole process is involved. There's lore and tradition about almost everything connected with a boat, it seems.

Another bit I learned is that the yachting flag, which you see displayed prominently all over the lake, was designed with 13 stars around an anchor because when America was being settled, the sailors would come back after being gone and realize they now had the wrong number of stars on the flag. What we see today is a variant of what the Navy came up with many years ago.



Generally, you fly it on the boat only when someone is on board. That way, people can tell at a glance if the boat is occupied.

Matthew just graduated from Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa. His goal is to work in a capacity where he would be educating chaplains for hospital work. He worked as a Chaplain at Wesley in Wichita for quite some time and really liked it.



He is very happy in his current avocation as Captain of the Three Wishes.



Matthew is very smart and very kind. He's gracious to a fault and someone I truly adore. We haven't seen each other much lately, and I have missed him.



Matthew and I have traveled many, many miles together.

We've walked the streets of Brussels late at night, hunting for our hotel room that seemed to have vanished. And we've marveled at the "moving arch" in Antigua, Guatemala, near our hotel. We both SWEAR the hotel entrance was on one side of the arch when we first arrived and on the other side when we came back later that day. Even years later we are still certain it moved.

We have wandered the red light district in Amsterdam and been changed by going to the Anne Frank House the next day, which is infinitely more interesting. We have sat on the tarmac in San Salvador watching a flight attendant balancing on a seat banging the overhead compartment closed, and we spent hours talking to a gentleman from Poland talk about his bad experience on the "chicken bus" in Honduras.

Matthew is responsible for one of my most vivid travel memories, and he wasn't even with me - a pre-dawn walk in Paris snow. I was already there and headed out to meet him at the airport. His flight didn't arrive until much later, sans baggage. We've had many adventures and misadventures with airlines and flights.

A Patsy and Matthew travel tip - laugh when they ask you to give up your seat on an overbooked flight until they give you at least what you paid for the tickets. They'll try to get it out of you for dinner. We scoff! Literally.

Only when traveling with Matthew have I gotten on a flight and had the flight attendant look at us and squeal (and it was a squeal), "OH! I remember you!," while brandishing his pointer finger at us. We had ended up in the same hotel bar the night before - it was just us and flight crew pretty much - not that we knew we'd be seeing them at the Managua airport the next morning. That flight from Nicaragua is one of the most comfortable I've ever been on - few people and great service from the crew we'd seen the night before. And, this would be an opportune time to mention that the pilots were NOT drinking the night before.

Matthew and I have shared things we probably never would have done if we hadn't traveled in some unusual circumstances.

Some are funny - he reminded me this weekend that I dyed his hair in Paris once. After he told me it started to sound familiar. I had dyed his hair once before, so that would have been my second time ever. And I was doing it with only French instructions. I speak some French, and read more, but I'm about a million miles from anything resembling fluency. I can only assume he had had far too much wine with dinner to allow that.

Other things are more insightful than funny. Others are more embarrassing than flattering. But travel rule number one is you keep each other's secrets. Neither Matthew nor I have ever broken that rule. Thank goodness. And I certainly don't intend to.

Matthew isn't really interested in traveling much anymore and I'm sorry to lose him as a travel partner. He has always been one of my favorite people to travel with. I will miss sharing time with him in distant lands.

Facebook

This is a formal plea for everyone I know to please get an account on Facebook. If you're reading this, please go get an account. It's free and I think it may finally be the answer to keeping up with friends and acquaintances when we're not in regular contact, and even when we are.

It's like grown up myspace, but still fun, if that makes sense.

I'm not getting a cut or anything - I just think it's cool. Frankly, I'm only starting to use it, and only know the barest of facts about it so far, but I can tell it has potential. So... time's a wastin' - go get an account http://www.facebook.com.

And, you'll know at least one person on there to start with - me. My name on facebook is patsyterrell - the same as it is everywhere. I just can't do all that fake identity stuff - reality is complex enough for me - I can barely keep that straight.

Anyway, I'll add you as a friend as soon as you get an account. So... get crackin'! It would be such a great way to reconnect with people I knew in college and from old jobs and other "old lives" where we aren't really in close touch, but would like to keep up on the basics.

Howard Owens wrote a nice piece about it on his blog... http://www.howardowens.com/2007/friendships-in-the-networked-age/

SPIN Farming

Lately I've been writing here about local produce and growing herbs. After one of my posts, someone emailed and suggested I look at the website for SPIN farming. It's very interesting.

The idea is that people can make a living - a good living - from growing in their own backyards, and maybe those of a few friends if they want to rent more space. These folks have worked out a plan for how you can do this and make money at it.

The following if from their press materials:

SPIN-Farming is a proven organic-based growing technique that adapts commercial farming techniques to sub-acre land masses. S-mall P-lot IN-tensive Farming can be practiced in rural or urban locations on as little as 1,000 square feet; on a half-acre of
city-owned land; or it can be multi-sited on several residential back yards. It makes it possible to produce $50,000+ from a half-acre.

SPIN was developed by Wally Satzewich, a Canadian farmer whose operation is dispersed over 25 residential backyard plots in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan that are rented from homeowners. The sites range in size from 500 sq. ft. to 3,000 sq. ft., and the
growing area totals a half-acre. His produce is sold at The Saskatoon Farmers Market.

Wally Satzewich and his partner/wife Gail Vandersteen initially started farming on an acre-sized plot outside of Saskatoon 20 years ago. Thinking that expanding acreage was critical to their success, they bought farmland adjacent to the South Saskatchewan River
where they eventually grew vegetables on 20 acres of irrigated land. After six years farming their rural site, they realized more money could be made growing multiple crops intensively in the city, so they sold their acreage and became urban growers.

"People dont believe you can grow three crops a year in Saskatoon," observes Vandersteen. "They think its too much work, but the truth is, this is much less work than mechanized, large-scale farming. We used to have a tractor to hill potatoes and cultivate, but we find its more efficient to do things by hand. Other than a rototiller, all we need is a push-type seeder and a few hand tools."

"We are producing 10-15 different crops and sell thousands of bunches of radishes and green onions, and thousands of bags of salad greens and carrots each season. Our volumes are low compared to conventional farming, but we sell high-quality organic
products at high-end prices," says Wally. The SPIN method is based on Wallys and Gails successful downsizing experiment which emphasizes minimal mechanization and maximum fiscal discipline and planning.

The SPIN-Farming is a method uniquely suited to entrepreneurs, and it provides a new career path for those who have a calling to farm.

An important aspect of the SPINFarming method is adhering to a highly regimented work flow that Wally calls the Five Day Work Week. He allows plenty of time each day for farming tasks such as
harvesting, planting, and weeding. Evenings are work-free, except perhaps for something easy and relaxing, such as watering. Wally and Gail also enjoy an off-season in the winter when they indulge their wanderlust. They travel to warmer climes where they help
out farming friends in places like Costa Rica.

If you grew up on a farm like I did, I'm sure you can't imagine a regular work week farming either. But, Wally says it's possible.

I was very interested in this concept because I know a couple of people who would really like to farm, but they can't afford the initial investment in land and equipment. This seems like a great way to become a farmer.

I am not interested in becoming a farmer, but I am thinking about getting a spot at the local farmer's market to sell my excess herbs. Apparently I over-planted when I replanted after the hail storm destroyed - or so I thought - the first bunch. I cannot make enough pesto to justify four basil plants. And only so many people will take some off your hands.

Life is a Creative Adventure

I couldn't get a blog to post last night, so I'm a bit behind. I did nothing particularly interesting yesterday except work in the studio.

I mentioned I've been doing a new technique I think I'll dub lava color flow. You can see it on the front of this journal. It's a cross between marbling and something else, but I'm not sure what. But, I love the effect. It's tricky. This is my favorite journal I've done with this technique so far.

Otherwise, I was just doing the normal stuff that almost everyone does in their workday - email, phone calls, projects. I finished the MHA newsletter last night and will be glad to deliver it to the printer today. I'm always thrilled to get a project off my desk and into someone else's hands. Of course, this one will be back on Tuesday for mailing. But, nonetheless, at least this part of it is gone.

I'm reminded of just how much I blend my work and home life when I want to have a full weekend of doing no work, as I want to this weekend. I swear, it's like I'm preparing to be gone for a month just to have a couple of days of not doing anything for work. I was at my office at 1 a.m. doing some things just so they would be finished.

Although, I must admit, it's kind of cool being at my office late at night. I have three huge windows that look out onto Main Street and at night I can open the blinds because there's no sun pouring in heating things up. So, I can watch the traffic go by and it's kind of cool. I'm only on the second floor - we don't have a lot of skyscrapers in Hutchinson - but it's neat nonetheless. I move my desk around in there pretty often. At the moment I don't have it right by the window, but I have in the past. That's better in the winter, when heat isn't an issue.

Part of the problem was I went upstairs to the studio about 5:30 yesterday to just do a couple of quick things. When I came back downstairs it was 8:33. Honestly, I thought I'd be up there about 20 minutes - maybe 30. Instead it had been three hours. I just totally lose track of time in there.




Plus, at the moment I'm working on something I love doing, so that makes it go all the faster. I'm doing Christmas ornaments. That's one of the things I will be selling at the Hillsboro Arts and Crafts Festival on September 15. Greg suggested I put a note up about the fair on the blog and I think he's right - I should do that. It would be cool to run into blog readers while I'm out there. I'll add that to the list of things to think about this weekend.

I'm putting myself in the frame of mind for September and realizing that we will be thinking about cold weather and Christmas and fall. That gives a different slant to the things people are interested in so I'm trying to plan accordingly. I hope it's not freezing cold that day, but of course, we have no way of controlling the weather.

I came up with a new idea last night of something I want to make for the show. I've got more paper dyeing in the sink - you don't think that beautiful mottled orange is something you can just BUY, do you - and I need some boards to paint on. I'm not sure exactly what I want, but hopefully a trip to Home Depot will show me something that will work.

I love it when life is a creative adventure. I'm not sure the folks at the local Home Depot share my enthusiasm, but so it goes.

Occupied

I've been busy all day, running from one thing to another. One of the bright spots in my day was lunch with Ray. He and I serve on a board together and we've never gotten much of a chance to really chat. He's funny, and that's always delightful to be around. It was a great way to spend an hour. And, we didn't say a word about the board we're both on, which is nice - it means we had plenty of other things to talk about.

Early this morning I baked brownies to take to the mechanics who did me such a big favor last week. I had hoped to get it done before now, but that just didn't happen. I dropped them off this afternoon and also popped in to Diana's.

Diana is closing her store, The Dancing Grouse. She decided a few weeks ago and is selling what's left. I bought a folding screen to go in my downstairs sun porch. I was just thinking a few days ago that I needed one and she had one for sale, so it all worked out.

I'm looking forward to a really fun weekend. I'll be seeing a friend I haven't gotten to see in a long time. We have a lot of catching up to do. We have a lot of shared history and that's always good. And he's one of those friends like I wrote about a few weeks ago. Hopefully we'll have a chance to really reconnect.

There's a lot of uncertainty in my work life at the moment. Running a non profit basically means you're a professional fundraiser. The only problem with that is that I don't want to be a professional fundraiser. If I'm going to be a professional fundraiser I might as well go to work for someone doing that and make a whole lot more money.

There are forces at work beyond my control and I have to jump through some hoops in the next couple of months that I hope I can successfully negotiate. It seems there's always something to be worrying about and it always seems to involve funding. I just don't care for that at all.

I want to do the actual work of my organization, but you have to do the fundraising piece in order to be able to do that. The balance is the trick - how much fundraising versus how much actual work you're doing. It's a continual struggle and I'm about to get worn out. I just don't do "worry" well, and it seems a necessity in this line of work.

It's time for me to be making my living writing.

More art and more conversation

Things are really starting to come into their own in the garden. In the next few days I'll have my first crop of regular sized tomatoes. I've been enjoying watching the cherry ones turning from top to bottom. I've had a couple of handfuls off them, but will start getting lots more shortly.

I had a lovely lunch today with a nice gentleman I've known casually for years. When we were working on things for the garden tour we had a chance to talk just a bit this year and decided we might enjoy getting to know each other. So, we talked about getting together for lunch. A month later, we finally got around to doing that and it was a nice lunch.

We spent most of the lunch talking about quantum physics, which was quite interesting. It's always good to find more of "my kind" in town, and he's definitely one of them.

It at least satisfied my craving for some deep conversation today.

After work I painted for a couple of hours. I'm doing some new journals for the art show I'm doing in September. I have developed a new technique I think I'm going to dub color lava flow. I am strategically placing the paint and moving it over the journal covers without ever using a utensil of any sort. It gives some very interesting effects. And I love the texture. Anyone who has seen my work knows I'm all about the texture.

I'm discovering there are some tricks to it - aren't there always. The consistency of the paint, the placement and the combinations are all important components. But it's really interesting to see the finished products.

I've also been working on Christmas ornaments for the show. I really love doing those. I'm doing some in the traditional colors and also some red and purple ones for red hatters and pink and purple ones for pink hatters. I've also made a couple of blue ones that I really love. I'll try to get some photos to share in the next few days.

It is so nice to have my studio functional again. There is still a lot of tidying to do in there but at least I can use it again. I do have a lot to figure out as far as furniture in the bedroom. And I have a lot of stuff in the sunporch up there that needs to live somewhere else - I just don't know where that is, yet. But, I'm going to put my sewing stuff out there. I love having my writing desk downstairs in the sunporch so I think I'll enjoy the sewing stuff upstairs on that one.

Before that happens there's a lot of "stuff" I have to sort through and decide what to do with. Much of the stuff in that room is things I want to keep, but don't know where they go. Here's an example - the reels of tape of stories I did when I worked in radio. Where do those goes? I want to keep them. There's some good stuff in there - the audio of the show we did the day Challenger exploded, interviews with people who are no longer with us, a story I did that's in a local time capsule, etc. etc. etc. I want to keep that stuff, but I don't know where it belongs. I guess I'll figure it out eventually.

Well, I'm off to go paint a bit more before bed. I already have paint all over my hands so I might as well do more tonight. I had to paint my nails this morning because I couldn't get all the paint out from under them and they just looked nasty. Now that polish is covered with more paint. Maybe this is why people wear gloves. But, then you can't feel the paint and I like to feel the paint. It's essential as far as I'm concerned.

Art and Conversation

I've been working in the studio the last few days - reclaiming it, in a way. I moved some things out of there that go into other rooms, and made room to actually work on my art in the studio. It has been far too long since I've been able to do that. It feels good to be able to create in there again.

When I bought my house, one of the "must haves" on my list was room for a studio. I was really fortunate to buy a house where the upper floor, at one time, was a separate apartment. Of course, this meant there was a kitchen up there and fortunately, it was still extant. So, it was the obvious room for a studio - running water, cabinets, and a nasty old tile floor I can slop paint onto without worrying.

It has been a real joy to be able to work in there and I get so much more done. But since I got the floors refinished a couple of summers ago, I have never fully reclaimed the studio space. It was one of the places I stuck furniture because I didn't have the floors in that room done.

But it is great to have access to my "toys" again. I love these little bottles of paint. They're cheap - about fifty cents each when on sale - and you can have tons of colors on hand. I use them for any number of things. I have "real" paint tubes, too, and use it as well - but these little bottles are so nice to grab and try out on various things.

Tonight was Creative Sisterhood and it was a really nice evening. We will soon celebrate our fourth year together as a group. It's hard to believe it has been that long, but it has. I was thinking the other day it was three years, but it's not - it will be four years on September 3.

We have gathered every month except one since then, for the purpose of sharing our lives. We have experienced some major milestones in that time.

One of my topics for tonight is that I am craving "real" conversation. I mentioned to Martha how much I enjoyed talking with her nephew, Michael, at the wedding. We talked for probably 30-40 minutes and covered a ton of different topics - interesting topics. We talked about travel and science research and math theory and  religion and philosophy in that time.

I was struck, once again, that my conversation with twenty-something men is often more interesting than my conversation with men closer to my own age. There are certainly exceptions to that, but they are rare. Conversation with forty-something men generally centers on things like children's soccer games. As I put it to a girlfriend, there's too much soccer and too little substance.

Do people just stop thinking/pondering/questioning when they get over 40? Surely not. I haven't. But it is becoming more and more difficult to find someone near my age that can talk about something abstract. I can find it in people older and people younger. But in people my age it seems nearly invisible.

Martha mentioned being in a conversation with someone once she had just been introduced to. They asked if she had children or grandchildren. When she said no the person asked, earnestly, "what do you talk about?" I would like to know what this person talked about before they had children and/or grandchildren. Surely they had conversation prior to that. Surely they had interests.

I know other people my age care about things like travel and math and philosophy - surely they do - I just don't know how to find them. The only times lately I've been able to have these conversations is when I've been with someone who's much younger than me. Is that just coincidence? Maybe. I don't know. I just know that I haven't ever had a conversation with anyone over 30 about theoretical math. Probably no one over 25. Is that something we "mature" out of?

I am really trying to figure this out. Partially I simply don't meet many people my own age. I don't know where they are, but not where I go - and I'm not talking about meeting men - I mean I rarely meet anyone my own age. People older and people younger, but not my age. Aside from Greg, I can think of two people I know who are within five years of my age. Two.

Where are the rest of them? What are they doing? Probably at soccer games.

And if I could find them, would we be able to have a real conversation? I guess that remains to be seen.

The Weekend

I spent most of Saturday in this chair in my downstairs sun porch, curled up with the Harry Potter book. I love this chair - $12.50 at a junk store some years ago - and it's the most comfortable thing in my entire house. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an indictment. But, it's true nonetheless.

Sunday was spent working around the house and taking care of some basic life needs. Even when there is a new Harry Potter book, we still need to wash dishes and do laundry and feed ourselves - inconvenient though it may be.

Speaking of feeding one's self, this was a delicious spinach salad.



Spinach leaves, feta cheese, pine nuts (toasted for a few minutes), fresh cherry tomatoes from the garden. The dressing was simple - these are the rough measurements:

Herb Vinaigrette Dressing
1 teaspoon fresh chives, minced
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

I just whisked it all together and poured over. It was pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.

I'm really glad everything is coming into season now. I didn't get a chance to go to the farmer's market Saturday so until Wednesday I'll have to make do with what I have in the backyard.

I have a long list of things I need to accomplish tomorrow. I'm doing a Victorian Tea for the MHA on August 11 so that will take tremendous energy from me on multiple levels. The planning is fun and I've been looking at some recipes and thinking about how things will work. We're taking a different approach this year - local businesses and organizations will decorate tables, so I won't have to do that, but this setup will bring with it a new set of things to be decided. However, I won't be hauling the hundreds of pieces of dishware I generally do. That will be a pleasant change of pace. I hate the hauling. If it weren't for the hauling I wouldn't mind doing catering - but the hauling - ooooh I hate it so much.

Well... time for me to get some rest so I can do more tea things tomorrow. Always something to do.