The Violet Hoarder

Gustavian thrifting, #2

2012-02-12T09:18:00.001-08:00

Yup, I'm still at it. This time--white ware, silver plate, and glass apothecary jars and candle hurricanes. Also, just about to start down the path of silverleafing candlesticks and frames. Stay tuned! I've also added crafts and ideas/decor boards to pinterest--some very cool inspiration!

And so it begins...

2012-02-01T13:49:00.001-08:00

As you can see from my latest thrift store run, my Gustavian style period has just gotten under way! Pewter, crystal, silver. I'm leaving all my orientalia and worldwide exotica behind and entering a new era of soft shimmer and pale colors. I've poured over all the books I can get from the library, and am now nearly an expert...ha. If you want to see more, go to my new pinterest board on the topic!

Ingrid Michaelson--Ghost

2011-12-19T17:20:00.000-08:00

I just love this song.

Foodies and locavores--get thyselves to NGON!

2011-11-20T11:57:00.000-08:00

Well, some friends introduced us to a new French-Vietnamese restaurant in St. Paul last night, and I have to share it with everyone I know. Lovely vibe and decor, nice wine list, but OMG the food is fantastic! And it's all locally produced/grown/organic.

I had a rabbit dumpling that was so good I refused to share--followed by sweet potato ravioli that rendered me speechless until I finished it. Hubs had short ribs that melted in your mouth; others had a delicious duck sausage appetizer and delectable Char. I can't wait to go back and try everything on the menu. There is also a small traditional Vietnamese menu I want to try--bun and pho, etc.

GO NOW! Thank me later. Ngon Vietnamese Bistro on University Ave. just off of Dale St.

PS: I'm told they have an unbeatable Happy Hour, too!

Love it, Love it, Love it

2011-11-11T18:19:00.000-08:00

In a Better World

2011-11-02T17:47:00.000-07:00

Quite simply, if you haven't seen this Danish movie--you must. A gentle, provocative, complex, and above all human paean to peace. It won this year's oscar for best foreign film. This never could have been made by an American. Far too subtle.

My New Vegan Cookbook

2011-10-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share this new cookbook I was given to review--Eat Vegan on $4 a Day by Ellen Jaffee Jones. I've been looking for some new inspiration and recipes for winter in Minnesota--and I've found them! Fall rolls around and my cravings turn from ice cream, salads, and Italian pinot grigio to legumes, root veggies, and...OK, Italian pinot grigio. This book provides dozens of wonderful recipes that satisfy not only your hunger, but your need to stay healthy and solvent.

The content goes way beyond "the dummy's guide to cooking dry beans and grains" (a section I actually really needed) to offer sage advice about how to shop for good vegan food even in big box grocery stores (stick to the perimeter, folks). But the real message is how to keep your food budget low while you feed your body well--lots of tips on financial planning for grocery shopping, buying bulk, heeding unit prices, using weekly menus, stocking your pantry, etc.

On to the titles of some of the tantalizing recipes I've marked to try in the next few weeks! Sweet Potato Muffins, Cuban Black Bean Soup, Five Ingredient Salad for Pennies (with garlic-lime dressing), Quinoa Loaf (we love quinoa), Couscous and Beans (with raisins), Chocolate Mousse, and Carrot Cake to Live For.

Hardly a menu of deprivation, eh?

THIS is what democracy looks like!

2011-10-05T15:50:00.000-07:00

Kalle hits a home run

2011-10-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

I am THRILLED to see Kalle Lasn's (AdBusters) Occupy Wall Street movement gain traction and mainstream media coverage. Good for unions for stepping up to the plate! If you're watching Ken burn's Prohibition documentary, you're reminded of how incredibly powerful groups of average citizens have been in the political history of the US. I sure hope it's not too late for that to happen again--in a way that's for the common good (as opposed to the completely corrupt, self-righteous Tea Party). Those bankers making big contributions to the NYPD are not going to win this one! These protesters are heros!

Cosi non fan tutte

2011-09-30T12:00:00.001-07:00

First night of the Minnesota Opera season! It was delightful--one I've never seen before, Cosi Fan Tutte (Trans: They're all the same...referring to women.) Pristine, translucent music with wonderful harmonies and voices. Excellent, ingenious minimalist stage set.

I now understand what Garrison Keillor meant when he said Mozart's opera was like the finest porcelain bowl. There's a kind of trembling fragility that's just exquisite. No arias actually stick out, it just floats on and on. I do prefer the drama and guts of the Italians, but it was a fantastic evening and I'm so grateful to be among the audience for these performances. Takes you to a much higher vibration. And especially wonderful to share it with a friend who loves opera as much as I do. Oh, and I wore my "Bellinis at Harry's Bar" necklace!

Popover to our place

2011-09-28T17:38:00.001-07:00

For those who have tasted the delights of Jordan Pond House on Mt. Desert, this photo will elicit a sigh of envy. We went not just once this trip, but twice--to partake of traditional afternoon tea and popovers (and chocolate covered blueberries from their shop) as we gazed out over the incredible view of the Bubbles (two little mountains at the end of the lake) and Jordan Pond. Maine--especially Mt. Desert--should be called Eden!

Hot Latin Singers

2011-09-15T18:19:00.000-07:00

What can I say? It started years ago with Julio, then Jon, then Ricky, Marc, and Chayanne. Here's why (OK the voices are great, but can they move or what? And they're not hard on the eyes either.) Enjoy!

2011 Booker Prize shortlist announced

2011-09-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

Here they are folks--grab your library cards!
The Sense of an Ending,
Jamrach's Menagerie,
The Sisters Brothers,
Half Blood Blues,
Pigeon English and
Snowdrops

Fun by the River

2011-09-11T09:13:00.001-07:00

Well, I'd love to be among the throng in London today for this fabulous Thames Festival!

This is a beautiful publication, too!

Totally hilarious

2011-09-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

We all need a good laugh....

Dante's Inferno?

2011-08-31T14:40:00.000-07:00

Nope--just a tomato fight in Bunol, Spain.

For 364 days a year, this sun-drenched little city near Valencia goes about its peaceful life with just over nine thousand residents. But on the last Wednesday of August, everything changes: beginning at dawn, the village literally becomes invaded by over 50,000 people who arrive from all over the world, to take part in a war. Armed with only…tomatoes.

Yes, this is the Tomatina, probably the world’s most famous food fight. Every year, between 110-155 tons of tomatoes (those unfit for food consumption) are brought in from the surrounding countryside, unloaded from huge trucks right in the town centre and then collected by “regiments” of young fighters looking for ammunition.

Sky and Prairie--Homage to the Dakotas

2011-08-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

Tempest Milky Way from Randy Halverson on Vimeo.

If you have buffering issues, try viewing it here.

Rescued from extinction?

2011-08-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

The face that launched a thousand ships--a baby Sand Cat (one-time denizen of the Middle Eastern desert, now practically extinct) recently born in capitivity in Israel. They're hoping to reintroduce these cats to their natural habitat again. Cute or what??? Love those striped legs!

By the way, if you haven't secured a copy of Patchett's new novel State of Wonder, do so immediately. Just terrific.

Get this movie

2011-08-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

I can't even talk about "The Stoning of Soroya M." but every woman in the world should watch this movie. You'll never forget what you see. We need to know.

The Age of America ends

2011-08-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

Read this article from way back in April...then try to be optimistic about this country's future. A wimper not a bang. And maybe it needed to end. China's methods may be different than ours, but haven't we too pursued an agenda of power over the past 100 years...at the expense of many other nations. Ask Africa or Southeast Asia or Latin America or the Middle East how benign our hegemony is.

A related question I've just asked on Quora: Wouldn't it be interesting to know what percentage of farmland in the US is actually owned by US farmers (not corporations or foreign countries or both)? In fact, wouldn't it be interesting to know what percentage of all US real estate is owned by US citizens or US corporations vs. foreign interests. We might be surprised at those figures. No, I'm not turning into an isolationist--I'm just saying that the article is right when it says we are ALL ABOUT PROFIT.

When I was visiting Iowa last month, I read that land prices down there have doubled in the past five years. 500 acres is now worth $3.8 million--and who's now buying farms as farmers retire? Wealthy individuals from the coasts who know nothing about farming but who understand that with unchecked population growth, arable land will only go up and up in value. This commodification of the landscape began back when they measured and platted the entire US land mass...so it could be SOLD.

We'll try to blame everyone else, but we've ended the Age of America ourselves--through short-sightedness, selfishness, greed, impatience, and unconscionable waste.( I'm not excusing myself--we're all complicit.) What saddens me most is the utter disregard for history in this country--and maybe throughout the world. Half of this country is deeply ignorant. How did that happen? TV? Lack of education funding? Hate radio? Lack of cultural and political leadership? Poverty? The "I'll do what I damn well please" legacy of the wild west? All of the above?

Maybe a country where individual rights (chief among them the right to profit) trump common good at every turn is just bound to fail.

Literary journey

2011-07-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of weeks I've been on an engrossing journey. Every once in a while this happens, when I'm so moved or gripped by a book I've read that I'm compelled to dig deeper.

It all started when I ordered Kings of the Earth from the library. I got through it in four days and then reread many parts of it (rare for me). It's an astounding book about a "backward" set of brothers who've lived their entire lives together on a hard-scrabble farm in upstate New York. There are some mysteries in the plot that are never entirely solved, which is fascinating in itself, but the construction of the book and the characterization are dazzling. This ranks among the top 10 books I've ever read.

Because I was so puzzled by parts of it, I went online to see if there was any conversation among other readers about the dangling questions in the book. There were LOTS of conversations, some included the author, who gave tiny hints about his intent.

From these conversations, I learned that the plot of the book was largely based on a real set of brothers--the Ward brothers. I don't want to give too much of the plot away here, but there was an alleged crime committed--both in real life and in the book. And there was a lot of media furor around the real brothers and this crime. Here's an article with many details, but don't read this before you read the book. It can be a spoiler.

Also in this conversation, I learned that an award-winning documentary had been made about the incident and the brothers--Brother's Keeper. I rented it online--it's from the mid-90s I think--and fell even further under the spell. The story is almost surreal, but so poignant. Such gentle strange isolated "boys". There's no black and white here, you have to suspend judgment. It's a lesson in endurance without all the suffering that more "educated" people would have layered on. They're just living their lives. Everything's OK.

Read this book!

Who needs Maine?

2011-07-05T18:58:00.001-07:00

OK, there's no salt snap to the air, and the cooked fish are freshwater--but three days on the North Shore made me realize that most of what I love about Mt. Desert is just 4 1/2 hours north of here. The weather was superb. We stayed at our favorite lodge--Naniboujou (photo of the dining room)--and just did exactly what we felt like. (There are no TVs and no cell phone coverage, wi-fi, or computers there.)

In my case, that was a lot of wandering the rock beaches looking at the dazzling, jewel-like array of rocks and taking far too many of them home. There was one hike up the Brule river to the upper and lower Palisades and falls (photo) and some oogling of the breathtaking fields of lupine in bloom...which were everywhere along the roadsides. Between sitting looking out on the water, high tea, reading, fireworks in Grand Marais, and just walking--we also managed to have some (perhaps too much!) great food. I hated to leave.

G'mas dress and petticoat

2011-06-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

My grandmother wore this dress and petticoat before she was married, which means in about 1915. I mentioned in a previous post I'd received these two garments from a cousin recently, so I washed them gently, mended the petticoat, and put them on. What a feeling!

Summer begins

2011-06-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

I've got a list of three dozen new things to see and places to go this summer and we kicked it off Saturday night by attending the Nuit Blanche celebration along the riverfront in Minneapolis and St. Paul. We went to St. Paul because we love Art Cars and they were doing a horn symphony, but we also took in the lighting of a temporary installation by artist Jim Campbell--a beautiful waterfall of light bulbs. Boy they've really redeveloped the riverfront in both cities--wish they'd preserved a little more green space but overall, it's far better than the old coal, train, and flour mill yards that were there before.

Next Friday, it's ballet in the Lake Harriet Rose Garden. So much to squeeze in while the weather is good (I use that term loosely since up until this week it's been cold and rainy and now there's a heat advisory out until tomorrow morning. It's 98 on our back porch right now. Such a freaking bipolar climate up here.)

Make plans yourself for stuff you've been waiting to do! Hike, bike, dance, picnic, go on a road trip, eat at one of the great new neighborhood restaurants around town, go to the farmer's market, enjoy the rooftop gardens, etc. Blink and it'll be the state fair already!

Amazing street art---understatement!

2011-06-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

Check out this collection of street art photos from around the world. Stunning, surprising, thought-provoking, clever, Wow!

Another milestone

2011-05-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

My birthday was a three-day event this year. I'm liking the trend. For about 15 years, I've had pretty bad birthdays. I'm glad to see the tide shifting. Friday we went for a 8-star meal at our favorite place--Restaurant Alma (Midwest chef of the year never disappoints). We shared our three-course meals (including quail, pork, lamb, and halibut) and topped it off with a double chocolate torte (OMG).

Earlier that day my cousin sent me some antique Chinese porcelain cups and saucers that belonged to my great aunt and a dress, petticoat, and woolen swimsuit that belonged to my grandmother (who died when my dad was a boy). She must have been exactly my size. This dress is a lovely sky blue and ecru lace, and the lavender ribbon in the petticoat is as bright as if she'd bought it yesterday. For someone who never knew either of her grandmothers, these are gifts I absolutely treasure. I'm going to wash and iron the dress and take a photo in it to post here for my cousin.

Saturday I drove down to Elko for the giant flea market and got some great vintage jewelry finds to disassemble and create with. It was gorgeous in that part of the day--cool but sunny. The place was mobbed, but not crowded--it's that big! Late yesterday afternoon, as it rained, I watched the Mad Men season four DVD I got from the library (at long last). Don Draper is a tragic figure is he not (rhetorical question).

This morning we sped over to Bread & Chocolate for the best chocolate croissants in the Twin Cities and a go at the crossword puzzle in this morning's paper. . .just like we did every Sunday in the first two years of our relationship when we lived near B&C. Then we took in Woody Allen's new film about Paris. A truly charming film that--as expected--fired me up for another trip to France next year. Oh, and on all three days--Italian Pinot Grigio poured freely. A good time was had by all!

Many blessings and challenges last year--looking forward to a great year ahead! Hope the same's ahead for you!

The Virtue of Blue--egad how beautiful!

2011-05-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

In case--like me--you're not in London right now, you're going to have to miss the art gallery debut of The Virtue of Blue, a solar-powered butterfly chandelier from Dutch designer Jeroen Verhoeven. I so want to see this activated at night. I so want this hanging in my back garden. 500 butterflies fluttering at dusk...just wonder-full.

Fellow Bobcats---Celebrate!

2011-05-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

Robert Zimmerman is 70, but his lyrics and music never age. There's not much of him available on YouTube but here's one of my favorites--Tangled Up in Blue.

A really creative video from Adele

2011-05-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know--this song is number one everywhere--but I'm really impressed with this video. Beautiful beautiful symbolism.

Whoee!

2011-05-06T16:41:00.000-07:00

I was absolutely shocked to see that I made it onto the CBS Minnesota website today as part of a great group of jewelry makers who use recycled materials. Not sure anybody reads it, but it felt good anyway! I've been working at my real work for the past several weeks and have had to take a break from the jewelry--but I'll be back at it in June after the Elko flea market!

Titanic Titian and his tiny heads

2011-04-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

Went to the big Venetian painting show at the MIA yesterday--worth seeing, not only for the paintings and drawings but for the wall didactics. The two large companion paintings of mythic scenes featuring Diana the huntress (she was brutal) by Titian were lovely but the convention of tiny heads on big, fleshy bodies lessened their effect. Take a look for yourself above (Diana's at the lower far right). Just an observation. I'll have to read more about that convention and why it was popular.

What was really interesting was the story about the three biggies of the 1500s (Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese) their competition, differences, and similarities. Not impressed with Tintoretto--looks like his work was painted in a hurry and in cold, yellowy colors.

Good to visit the MIA again. Love these places but get to them only once or twice a year. Too bad because I ALWAYS come out feeling refreshed and enriched from experiencing art.

Did I mention that it SNOWED yesterday--April 20--here? Geez...

Just do it

2011-04-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

That phrase doesn't just apply to physical fitness, but to spiritual well-being. This year, I decided to take National Poetry Month seriously and read at least one poem a day. It has been a revelation about the important place poems can occupy in one's life. But you have to start!

Here are two suggestions: Poetry Daily which features a new poem by a different poet every day, and Poetry Everywhere, a PBS site that features short videos of living poets reading one unforgettable poem. Once you start, you will actually thirst for poetry every day.

This week, we went to hear Gary Snyder at a local program call Literary Witnesses, and I was astonished to see an SRO crowd in a large space. Proof at the power of this genre for all ages. The sound system was lousy, but the poetry was excellent. We've both read him for years.

He's very small in stature, but he's got a huge heart and mind and has led a staggeringly rich and diverse life--from being a member of a socialist sailor's union in NY at the age of 18 to studying Asian languages at Berkeley to spending years at a Zen monastery in Japan and through it all hiking through nature and reminding us of its value and wonder. He has an enviably large view of life--almost beyond good and bad dichotomies.

It reinforced the message of a great book I just finished reading--The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet--where the same message reverberated: making judgments about things based on how happy or unhappy it makes us is a very small a view of life that obscures the connectedness of everything. Sometimes our personal "unhappiness" (mostly self-created by our minds) can be part of a web of happenings that actually benefit many living creatures..including ourselves. Hard to keep present enough to recall that in times of trouble, but necessary to practice. It's also the theme of the Marie Howe's poem in the Poetry Everywhere link above.

Dive in--read a poem right now!

Shot 'o spring

2011-04-10T18:01:00.001-07:00

And who in this region doesn't need it? So, I went to the annual Macy's flower show downtown--this year themed "Towers of Flowers." A little disappointing (OK--they've never outdone their Beatrix Potter show several years ago) but still a very refreshing infusion of color, scent, and even the smell of wet earth! All my green thumbs are itching...

Where Bluebirds Fly

2011-04-08T13:27:00.000-07:00

I just finished this new necklace, featuring the most amazing opaque periwinkle blue Czech glass.

New Gulph Road

2011-04-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

Read this wonderful short poem by Karl Kirchwey, called New Gulph Road. Exquisite. Perfect for those of us in the north watching the struggle toward spring.

Glitter and be gay

2011-04-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

I made a wonderful haul at the gem show today--latched on to some dazzling crystals! It's so much fun to see all the other women makers wearing their own jewelry, no two alike. Everyone's vision is a little different, but still gorgeous!

Ice Queen

2011-03-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

This new necklace of vintage (and a few new) crystal and crystal aurora borealis beads celebrates the retreat of the ice from these northern plains! It would be sensational for a bride! It will be on Etsy soon. Very sparkly indeed.

One Poem a Day

2011-03-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

It's not even April (national poetry month) yet, but I've already started reading a poem a day. Here's a beautiful one from Poetry Daily by Jennifer Grotz, called Cassis. (Photo is the port of Cassis.)

Don't let them break the unions

2011-03-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

Whoever believes that unions are irrelevant needs to know the story of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire that happened in New York City 100 years ago today and claimed the lives of 123 women and teen girls trapped in a shirtwaist factory on the 9th floor.

Of course, the owners of the factory who allowed such dangerous conditions in the first place (and refused to unionize when many other shirtwaist factories had) escaped from the 10th floor to the roof. (They were tried later for manslaughter and acquitted.)

The conditions under which the women worked were terrible--10-12 hour days 6 days a week with hardly any bathroom breaks; the air and floor were filled with cotton fibers; the fire protection system was a bucket of water in the corner on each floor; and the escape door that could have allowed everyone to get out was locked because the owners insisted that everyone go out a single exit so they could check the workers' bags for stolen thread. When the workers tried the fire escape it pulled away from the wall and more than a dozen women fell to their deaths.

70 burning women jumped or fell from windows shattered by the heat to the pavement below, in front of a huge crowd. The firetruck ladders reached only to the 6th floor. The other women's charred remains were taken from the building later.

Until 9-11, this was the biggest fire disaster in NYC history. PBS did an hour-long special on this story, and how the thousands of female shirtwaist workers--working intolerably long hours in very dangerous environments--braved frequent beatings and arrests by NY policemen (on the take from the shirtwaist factories) to strike.

Every woman in the US needs to know the details about this story. The union-busting that's happening in Wisconsin and other states has a very long, ugly history that we forget at our own peril.

Garment workers in NYC are having a memorial march today, and bells are being rung at 4:45 all over the city and boroughs to remind people that these issues of worker safety are still vitally important today.

Poetry 101

2011-03-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

Delighted to see so much attention being paid to national poetry month this year! Here's my gift to you--the first chapter of Edward Hirsch's How to Read a Poem. It's a masterwork and a wonderful inspiration.

And we thought we recycled!

2011-03-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

Follow this link to a post about London's dust-heap "sorters and sifters" in the Victorian era. Dust and rubbish was carted away from homes by "dustmen," (pictured) who then dumped them in great piles to be sifted through for a staggering variety of recycling--the sifting was done mostly by women. And they didn't waste a thing--not a shard of coal or a cat bone. We have a ways to go in this art/science, methinks.

The first Mrs. Hemingway

2011-03-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

Great story and writing in Paula McLain's The Paris Wife, about Hadley Hemingway's life in Paris during the 20s. Highly recommend! After this, I'm also getting the new biography of Lee Krasner, Jackson Pollock's wife.

Delft and Damask

2011-03-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

Two LONG necklaces for spring--made with vintage art glass and vintage Japanese glass cabs. You can double them up too. Pink one is Damask, blue is Delft. On Etsy soon.

With the emphasis on the Gras

2011-03-08T16:52:00.001-08:00

Oh the beads, the floats, the balls, the parades, the booze, the cops, the beads, the music, the dancing, the debauchery, the costumes, the food, the balconeys, the beads....

Silent Auction

2011-03-03T10:11:00.001-08:00

I just donated this grey pearl necklace and brooch to a silent auction package benefiting Restart Minneapolis. It will be sold at their 25th annual gala this Saturday. They provide supportive housing for those who have sustained brain injuries. Here's a link to their gala info.

I'm choosing to ignore winter

2011-02-28T15:06:00.000-08:00

Two new necklaces for spring--the green one (which is actually a gorgeous lime green color but I can't quite capture it on this photo) features vintage filigree brass beaded chain and layered vintage filigree and set rhinestones and is called Primavera. The peach one features two kinds of vintage copper chain and vintage copper bead caps, and is called Blush. They'll be on Etsy soon!

MyCoolSigns

2011-02-21T17:12:00.000-08:00

Made with My Cool Signs.Net

A neat free tool to make shortish signs and embed them various places. Alas, you're only seeing part of this because it's too wide.

I love a barter society!

2011-02-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

Someone just paid my husband for his new book in organic honey. I love it! I just finished making pillowcases for my masseuse in trade for a couple of massages. I tell you--the barter culture is so much fun. Wish we could do more of it! Especially in this economy.

Shameless self-promotion

2011-02-18T13:28:00.000-08:00

My jewelry made it onto Twin Cities LIVE today!

The paella experiment

2011-02-14T17:55:00.000-08:00

Well, we made our first attempt at Paella tonight for Valentine's Day. I didn't realize it would be so stressful to make. But it turned out great. Lots of preparation and multiple "crustings" later, we had ourselves way too much to eat. Needless to say, that did not stop us from finishing up with a couple of chocolate lava cakes. Also, roses, candlelight, and hilarious valentine's day cards.

Tomorrow, I reform. Back to the culinary life of a monk and the exercise regimen of a hamster.

LIKE me

2011-02-11T18:58:00.000-08:00

Yes, I have succumbed to creating a Facebook page for my jewelry--Green Goddess Vintage Jewelry. If you're so inclined, please visit it and "like" it. The page looks so freaking bare without any smiling friends along the side.

Just finished a malachite/onyx bracelet and a red coral one. They'll be showing up here and on Facebook within a few days. I'm back to making again after a couple months of doing other stuff.

Oh, and isn't what happened today in Egypt phenomenal? The power of nonviolence. I know their new country is just beginning, and it's hard going. The speed with which this has all happened is hard to believe. Power to the people!!!

تهاني

Turn on your Ott light, folks

2011-02-07T18:24:00.000-08:00

Yep, you've got to create your own sunshine in the Twin Cities this winter--which has consisted of snow days, sleet days, subzero days, sub-sub-zero days, and gloomy days. Very little sun. I'm longing to get away but it's not in the cards this year.

One good thing is that because I'm inside so much, I'm reading a lot of wonderful books. I can highly recommend Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, about racism and kindness in England, and In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, a collection of short stories about life in Pakistan. Also, Scandal of the Season, true fiction based on Pope's "The Rape of the Lock." Next on my list is The Dirty Life--a high power New Yorker falls for an organic farmer upstate and loves the life--also a true story. I figure that book--and all the seed catalogs--will start me dreaming about spring. It seems so impossibly far away right now, but I swear one day last week I smelled it coming!

High excitement

2011-01-31T14:46:00.000-08:00

A girlfriend and I are headed to Mary Stuart at the Minnesota Opera tomorrow night. I can't wait. The music, singing, spectacle, costumes, sets--what's not to love. This is my first time seeing this opera, so I'm doubly eager. (Although, I really think I should go dressed as Queen Elizabeth and she as Mary Stuart. Goodness knows, I have all the jewelry!)

A kindred spirit and a fun read

2011-01-25T15:10:00.000-08:00

I just finished this book by Isabel Wolff--a Brit with a twin passion to mine--a deep love of vintage clothing.

Reading it made me sad to have sold my vintage clothing collection 10 years ago on ebay. I still miss every piece, even though they all went to good homes. Most of mine were antique, from Victorian and Edwardian times. Every garment had a story behind it--how and where I found it, who I bought it from, what they knew about the history. Like Wolff, I felt a closeness to, respect for, and curiosity about the women for whom the item was made, and others who had worn it throughout their lives. And I loved wearing these garments myself!

When I was 16, I designed a vintage clothing store--floor plans and all--called Satin Doll. I designed the business cards, the displays, described the kinds of stock I'd carry, etc. I was going to submit it to one of those teen magazine contests, the winner of which gets the opportunity to get at least part way to her dream. Frankly, a trip to New York probably would have sufficed in those days! But I never submitted it. Pity.

If you love old clothes, you'll like this book!

Living with Rembrandt

2011-01-18T15:02:00.000-08:00

I just discovered Dennis Sever's house in Spitalfields (they founded St. Mary's hospital there in the 12th century) in London. (Thank you dear Eileen!) Severs died in 1999, but created a magical house I can't wait to visit when I go there next. Every room is set up like a still life drama: ten rooms portray life at various periods between 1724 and 1914. But it's set up with great attention to lighting, a storyline, etc. What's really great is that Severs lived there, just as it was. Beyond fascinating--Hockney said it was equal to the five greatest opera experiences. Here's link to the site, but this Flickr stream gives you a better idea of the rooms. Like a living diorama. How original!

HOME

2011-01-15T09:13:00.000-08:00

If you watch one movie this entire year, this has to be it!

HOME is 1 1/2 hours long--streaming free on YouTube. It will stun, sober, and mesmerize you. It's about the earth's situation--first of all what it is, then how we got here and the true price of progress. Gorgeous aerial cinematography, a brilliant script, mind-boggling facts--things that you've never seen or known before at a scale that's almost unimaginable. It keeps individual human beings out of the picture--you're forced to grasp humans as a species among many other species in a huge system. Everyone of us needs to know these things--especially in the Western world. Be amazed. Be aware.

Watch it in segments if you have to, but watch it. It's the truth we all need to understand.

Ole!

2011-01-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

My husband and I exchange hardly any gifts anymore for the holidays--seems kind of superfluous. We'd rather save for a vacation. But there's one gift I'm especially looking forward to--with admitted self-interest. I got him the special ingredients for paella. Last summer, at the Uptown Art Fair, we tasted the best paella I've ever had--made by a local culinary supply and cooking instruction store. I went back and got the recipe (no fish--just chicken and chorizo) and the spice, rice, and sausage. I can't wait until he recreates it! The heat will not go amiss--we're headed for a very cold spell in the next two weeks.

Love this voice & video

2011-01-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

Hello

2011-01-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

A welcome house guest...

Toward the light of 2011...

2010-12-30T11:30:00.000-08:00

Best donor gift ever...

2010-12-28T18:15:00.001-08:00

Among the stuff I support with year-end giving is public television...especially the British soap Eastenders, which I've watched for 25 years now! This year, they sent an awesome donor gift of artisan truffles with a picture of Queen Victoria on them, in a custom tin also with Vic on it. (The Queeen Vic pub plays a central role in the soap.) I've had them a week and I'm already down to the second layer. They're absolutely delicious. Thanks to B.T. McElrath, local chocolatier.

Seasonal greetings

2010-12-22T09:53:00.000-08:00

Excellent holiday eating tips

2010-12-20T19:41:00.000-08:00

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately.. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare.. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat.. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate and wine in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Partridge in a pear tree

2010-12-18T08:29:00.000-08:00

My new needlepoint is coming along--it's just magic the way the yarn brings the pattern to life. This one has 27 colors!!! It's really like painting with yarn. Much fun. This is my first Bucilla kit...and my last. Worst yarn I've ever worked with, and a few yarn color shortages already. Ah well...I think I may frame this one.

Unforgettable song

2010-12-17T16:48:00.000-08:00

I remember the first time I heard this years and years ago--I was driving and I started crying. I've never forgotten it, even though I only heard it once. It was almost equal to a novel. I found it on YouTube recently and wanted to share it.

Getting there is worth it---I guess

2010-12-05T12:59:00.001-08:00

My husband and I are getting less and less fond of Christmas decorating every year--despite the fact I can't throw out the wonderful decorations I've collected over time. It's like taking a trip these days I guess--you may hate the travel but once you get there you love it. Once the tree is in place, lit, and decorated and the mantle done, we enjoy it all for more than a month. Those sparkling little lights come in very handy on dark mornings in the great Northland...where we are already, I might add, blanketed in snow and having very, very cold temps for this time of year.

Other news is that a friend loaned my Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf--which I haven't read since college. I think it's a great piece to spend time with over the winter. I would love to study Old English--the sound of it is so interesting and satisfying. Oh, and I just started a William Morris inspired needlepoint of a partridge in a pear tree--another timely theme.

Loving Flash Mobs

2010-12-03T15:16:00.000-08:00

I don't know, I must be a real sap--but stuff like this can bring me to tears. It's such a shining example of what art can do and how it can humanize people in a second! Look at the bursts of delight on viewers' faces! Priceless.

Black Friday

2010-11-26T12:16:00.000-08:00

How Much More (lyrics to a song by Dave Mallett)

Things are gonna get worse
It's gonna follow us all around like a curse
The more you make the more you spend
And them old knees are startin' to bend
You're a fat cat now but the dogs are startin' to feed
Tell me how much more of this do you really need

Things are gonna get wild
Gone are the days of the meek and mild
The more you give, the more they take
Until your back is about to break
And you come to blows and your nose is startin' to bleed
Tell me how much more of this do you really need

Things are gonna get rough
There's only so much, ain't never enough
The bigger you get, the harder you fall
You just don't quit til you get it all
And the whole damn world is falling' right down on its knees
Tell me how much more of this do you really need

Things are gonna get bad
We're gonna bury the best friend we ever had
All in the name of a privileged few
All in the interest of me and you
And we all got a part in the doin' of the dirty deed
Tell me how much more of this do you really need

Things are gonna get hard
Ain't nobody gonna get away unscarred
It's all waiting on me and you
Better say your prayers and pay your dues
Been a long time comin' and a long time sowin' the seed
Tell me how much more of this do you really need

I need a winter ball to attend

2010-11-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

My latest...all vintage; including the boullion medallion I got with an antique silk military sash I bought 25 years ago in London. And actually wore during my costume years.

I want BIG BEAUTIFUL government

2010-11-12T14:37:00.001-08:00

Maybe it's the antihistamines, but I feel a rant coming on...

YES
I want great public libraries in every city and town
I want efficient snow removal
I want a well-run fire department and other emergency services
I want more trees planted along the streets, and more sidewalks to walk down
I want schools to have enough and the latest equipment and safe buildings and good teachers
I want mass transit and bike lanes and all kinds of alternatives to cars
I want a police person to come in a hurry when I need them
I want garbage and dead trees removed as soon as possible, with the stumps ground up
I want beautiful public parks and trails and recreational areas
I want there to be enough money to help people in disasters
I want no one to be without affordable health insurance and good doctors
I want free public wi-fi and more computer access for those with low-incomes
I want to be sure that every senior citizen (including me) has enough support to live and die with dignity
I want kids to have places to go to have safe fun and learn positive lessons about life and each other
I want all this and I'm willing to pay more taxes to get it! Let's think about the kind of society we want, not grab for the cheapest price tag.
What I won't pay more taxes for---is another bloody, unecessary, US-centric war.

Two new pins

2010-11-12T14:21:00.000-08:00

I've discovered that having a cold does not prevent you from making brooches!

At last, bracelets!

2010-11-11T18:28:00.000-08:00

Yes, after two years solely focused on necklaces, I'm branching out to statement bracelets. Pretty happy how these first ones turned out. Working with pearls next.

It's about forgiveness

2010-11-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

I'm been feeling really down about the election results. A friend and I were talking the other day about the meanness of politicians...when did it start to be OK for people (especially public servants) to be cruel to one another? When did politicians stop caring anything about the American people? While I was trying to get some emotional distance, I heard this song on the radio--one of my all-time favorites. And the middle section just resonated for me. I'm going to start featuring some songs with really profound messages about kindness. We need them now.

Leaping into the Void

2010-11-06T17:49:00.000-07:00

Walker Art Center scored another huge success with its new Yves Klein retrospective. the exhibition features all of his "periods"--monochrome. blue, etc. I knew about the blue period, but I didn't know the context. He was an extraordinary creator--attempting to take the experience of painting beyond the eye into the soul, to liberate viewers into the void. Makes sense he studied Zen in Japan.

The blue room in the exhibit is a remarkable sensory experience--like being sucked into a benign black hole--or blue hole. The total saturation of pure pigment isn't something we experience a lot, and he's right in choosing ultramarine. It's beyond the connotations of life (blood of red, growth/nature of green)--it's close to infinity. Walking into the room I felt an immediate sense of relief and a need to be silent.

What surprised me were his other periods, the paintings where he created pigment but scarred it with craters or added blobs, the blue sponge sculpture period (these are wonderfully displayed), or the fascinating fire paintings he did just before he died at 34 (from a heart attack while watching a film he was in at the Cannes Film Festival). He used a primitive large torch to singe cardboard, pretreating areas of the painting with water so the fire would affect it less. His drive to paint with the elements themselves--rain, fire, wind, the human body--was so original.

If you're in town, take this show in. It's very uplifting in troubled times. Don't get me started on the debacle of Minnesota politics!

My afternoon walk: signs of the season

2010-10-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

Alec Soth at the Walker

2010-10-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

Alec Soth is the equivalent of a rural Diane Arbus. He's from Minnesota and still lives here. I just got back from his photography show "From here to There" at the Walker Art Center and am blown away. I knew about his early stuff but I hadn't tracked him through the past several years as he's gotten more famous. This show has made me want to see every photo he's ever taken. If you have the chance, GO--if you don't have the chance, GO anyway. It's free on Thursday evenings.

His work melds the too familiar with the totally foreign--both things and human beings. You feel like you should know these people but you're also relieved you don't. Things are as evocative as faces and bodies. His drowned mattress is as eloquent as any painting of Ophelia, and Lindberg's boyhood bed is tragic.

Nature is a big player in many of his pieces--from desolation to serenity to power, as in the shot above. His photo of the edge of Niagara Falls is breathtaking--a mingling of peace at the poetic clouds, treeline, and mist of the falls, and panic at the force of the turbulent water right in front of you.

Many of his shots are instantly iconic--as if that one example of a particular thing defines all others--the house boat, the ice house, the young girl in a ski hat, the clerk in a superstore, etc. There's also wonderful humor in some of his work--a cop and a clown sitting in exactly the same position two seats away from each other in a coffee shop.

Just like with Arbus, there's strange satisfaction in being able to stare at these scenes without having to feel afraid or guilty. For his latest work--Broken Manual, about how to disappear in America--he's gone to remote places and photographed people we would never catch a glimpse of. They are like specimens of a rare species we've never--or seldom--encountered. Purposely and permanently isolated. Creators of their own nests, their own worlds, their own enemies. But also painfully vulnerable. It's remarkable the way Soth achieves both distance and intimacy in these photographs.

In conjunction with this show--Soth's running a flickr photo competition. He's on assignment #2 right now. Check out his blog for details. Walker has done a great job with the show. Kudos. But the real star is Soth's talent. Minnesota should be very proud.

Right out of Goya

2010-10-18T17:08:00.000-07:00

I just finished this one, which I call Espana.

More fall

2010-10-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

My front stairs--no pumpkins this year just mums. My allergies are hell right now but it's worth it. The last roses are luminous and the geraniums, which have kind of struggled all year, have burst forth--probably the drought we're in.

Two new ones

2010-10-11T17:33:00.001-07:00

Rain

Mardi Gras

Love is...remembering

2010-10-08T19:09:00.001-07:00

Images of the season

2010-10-08T10:31:00.000-07:00

Compared to past years, this autumn is offering rather dull colors so far--with a few exceptions I captured on my walk to and around the lake this morning. This past two weeks of perfect weather has done our northern souls a world of good. Take a walk today!

Introducing Vivian

2010-09-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

My latest creation--old Hollywood glamour, but with the patina of age.

Now showing--Paris

2010-09-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

Ah, French melancholy--is there anything with a sweeter sting? Try last year's movie Paris, with a stunning Juliette Binoche (where isn't she?) performance.

If you want a hoot instead, get the DVD of Clatterford--a British TV series send-up of English village life with the stars of Absolutely Fabulous from years ago. I'm impatiently waiting for season three to arrive at our library.

Our state fair is a great state fair

2010-08-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

Well, we went to the state fair today to get in a little zydeco dancing to Geno Delafose, up from Louisiana. Great music (less great dancing--but at least we still remembered some of our old moves).

Today was the fair's first day and it was perfect weather. Masses and masses of Minnesotans, no idea what the attendance figures were because it's still going on tonight as we speak. But I haven't seen solid people down 25 major streets in a long time. An explosion of color--souvenir stands, food stalls, animal barns, midway rides, art exhibits, tractor displays, concerts, and kids activities. Everywhere people in paper chicken hats, carrying free Home Depot pails or complimentary yardsticks, ketchup and mustard on their faces, holding gigantic stuffed animals they'd won...looking overstimulated yet very happy. Everybody's equal here--farmers and CEOs, teenagers and seniors. After 4 hours, we were exhausted and hadn't seen half of what was on offer. But I did get some photos to share.

The closest thing we have to Luxembourg Gardens

2010-08-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

The bookends of my perfect day today. I feel so grateful.

I started out with a walk around the lake... 55 degrees, sunny, a true Minnesota morning. This is the lagoon end of the lake where the herons are nearly every day--but they come later.

Then in late afternoon I rode my bike to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, which is very close to the feel of the Tuileries or Luxembourg Gardens--at least as close as we can get here. Clutches of international tourists occasionally meandering through dappled sunlight and shaded allees --it's a very beautiful area and only about 8 blocks from our house. I feel like I've just rediscovered it this year. I've been going down there and reading. I sit on the bench you can see to the left side of this photo. Very lovely early autumn feel to it all. Tomorrow the State Fair!

Mum and me

2010-08-23T08:20:00.001-07:00

Mother's birthday is coming up next week so I had a couple of those photo mugs made for her, in the process, unearthing some of my favorite shots of her as a young woman living in California and of me as a child. Here are two. She looks like a movie star and I, like a troubled ruffian. Even then I had wellies. Our natures are clear--she's eternally optimistic, I'm a skeptic struggling to be an optimist. There's something so revealing about black and white photography. Gets right to the essence without the distracting (albeit beautiful) colors.

2010-08-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

The year of difficult living. Nearly everything has been a challenge for us--to the tiniest thing. Not tragic, just relentless. I feel like Sisyphus. I'm starved for a change of scene and culture, but vacation looks as far away as spring 2011.

My psyche barely makes it through being cooped up in the house all winter because of weather. But it's been so hot and rainy here this year, I feel I've been cooped up all summer too. Now we're two months away from the cold again.

Whine on. I sound like a chapter from the Culture of Complaint, which was Robert Hughes' portrayal of self-absorbed, privileged Americans. Actually, I should have written wine on--because, along with chocolate, gardening, and some excellent novels--that's what's pulled me through this Louisiana summer.

And on the other hand--this isn't Pakistan or Russia where real suffering is rampant. BTW, I finished The Lacuna and highly recommend it to anyone who wants a searing, fact-based depiction of American politics from the 20s-50s. I had no idea--exactly the same lies and tricks (and same citizen sheep) we witness today.

Here's a little video from Chile I found yesterday (it's a year old and maybe everyone in the world but me has already seen it). It is so simple and unbelievable that it shocked me back into recognizing what innate kindness is--even in very difficult times. (The Red Queen may need a pig, but I need a dog.) The dog doesn't even use his teeth to pull the wounded dog--he uses his paws. The hit dog died, the hero dog ran away once they got to the side of the road and a rescue team stopped to help. Thank goodness someone caught this incident on film. Surely we can at least try to be as kind and brave as dogs?

Oppression

2010-08-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

I'm reading Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna and am once again discovering all kinds of history I was never aware of or didn't care much about. I'm finding history--actual verifiable facts about what happened---is getting much more important to me, urgent even. I think because the internet has spawned not only massive creativity but also massive fiction, much of it completely unsubstantiated yet taken for truth.

Publication used to have some weight of credibility behind it--there was quality control, a curator, a fact-checker who winnowed the wheat from the chaff. We are suffocating in chaff these days. Everyone can publish their opinions (including me!), and it seems they are all treated as equally valid. Absolute idiots testify on FOX news and gosh, it must be true. People listen only to information that reinforces what they already believe--able because of infinite "news" sources to filter out any mention of what they disagree with and to live in a self-righteous bubble. News is little more than prurient interest or celebrity sitings these days.

But what about history? If you read enough of it--even carefully researched history embedded in fiction--you see the patterns, you see the same mistakes being made over and over again. You gain an appreciation of records, of facts, of things that actually happened and were witnessed.

You may begin to see things from multiple perspectives--the "enemy's" even. Someone once said the history of this country is made up of who we've been told to hate at the time--English, French, Native Americans, Africans, Vietnamese, Germans, Russians, Japanese, it goes on and on. Read enough history and you see the futility and destructiveness of that pattern.

The Lacuna has eerie resonance with what's happening in this country--and other places in the world--right now. Read it, and weep.

It all started with a Yeats poem...

2010-08-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

For decades I've carried with me the image of the ancient Grecian goldsmith's hammered bird from Yeat's "Sailing to Byzantium." One of many indelible marks Yeats made on me. (You'll notice that another one of my past necklaces of lapis was called "Their Ancient, Glittering Eyes.") This will go on etsy soon...if I can part with it. 90% repurposed vintage.

The colors of Aspen

2010-08-11T08:39:00.001-07:00

My latest venture--vintage repurposed chain and Czech glass beads that remind me of the early fall colors in Aspen. My next one is a vintage fantasy inspired by Miriam Haskell.

Fab food memories or the Danes are more than just herring!

2010-08-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

Fortunately, I've had many peak life experiences around food . The latest one was last Saturday when we celebrated my husband's birthday at our favorite organic locavore restaurant, Alma. (I cannot sing it's praises loudly enough.) We lingered, drank a little too much wine, and managed to vacuum up two Swiss chard souffles, quail, rabbit, orzo, trout and a flourless chocolate cake. It was like eating art that tasted as beautiful as it looked. I want the world to eat there every night, we would all be so much nicer to each other!

Another humble but delicious (non-herring) memory is sitting outdoors in Copenhagen, starving and tired, wolfing down street hotdogs (not weiners more like really really good brats) and swilling that nectar-like substance they call Tuborg gold. OMG, I could have drunk a river of it. It was late in the afternoon, after a day of walking everywhere, and we sat there like a king and queen feeling completely happy and sated. Did I mention happy? Did I mention Tuborg? Another time on that same trip we went biking and picnicked by a river with friends on smoked fish, cheeses, fruit, and wine. I feel like that lunch were yesterday, it's so clear. Here's to the Danes. Golly, I might even be a little Danish...

The Criminal Trombone

2010-07-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

I heard this gorgeous thing on MPR this morning while I was driving and wanted to share. The trombonist is Christian Lindberg from his album The Criminal Trombone. It's Tomas Albinoni's famous Adagio. What superb control of an instrument. Enjoy.

It's a Wonderful Life

2010-07-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

It's unbelievably hot here today, unfit outside for man or insect. Even the squirrels are napping. What better time to start a post series about some of the most joyful times in my life. I asked a friend recently to describe her most wonderful day, and it inspired me to think about mine. For the next several posts I'm going to share those recollections.

There are some days that just flow from one moment of joy to the next, no coaxing, no trying--just a fountain of abundance. Then there are moments of bliss that are suspended in time--the rest of the day was a blur but how you felt at that moment is with your forever.

One of those moments happened at about 2 am after a foot of snow had fallen in the town where I went to college. I was just getting off a waitressing job and I had to walk about 8 blocks to my apartment. I remember coming out into total silence. Everything was pristinely white and undisturbed. I almost didn't want to be the first person to walk in it. It wasn't particularly cold, so I walked very very slowly. I remember feeling completely conscious of everything, especially the rare beauty I was witnessing. I saw no one, it was like this exquisite white world was for me.

I remember the pools of light on the curving snow drifts cast from the streetlamps, and a profound sense of belonging and abandonment at the same time. I felt this was home, that I could have sat down in the snow and carried out the rest of my life from that seat. But I also felt the lightness and fleetingness of it, and how easy it would be to just disappear. There was no sadness about that--just a stunning sense of love without longing. This experience happened many, many years ago but I can still taste it.

Au Lait

2010-07-24T08:40:00.001-07:00

My husband calls this one "seashells," but it reminds me of milk and cream. Every bit of this is reclaimed or unused vintage...except the wire of course and one new enameled chain. Wish I had an event I could wear this to! It's on Etsy now.

And so it begins...

2010-07-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

Our tomato crop is finally yielding. The dark horse this year is the "Black Prince"--and boy are they tasty! Oh, and I ate our first four Romas before I could take the photo.

Little Women

2010-07-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

When I was about 10, my mom helped me make a set of cloth dolls of the four Little Women (from let to right, Amy, Beth, Meg, and Jo). We got the patterns from one of her sewing magazines. I remember working on these for six months. First we made the dolls (my mom embroidered the features and helped me attach the doll wigs), then we made an entire wardrobe for each doll, including slips, bloomers, camisoles, shoes, hats, purses, hankies, snoods, a formal period suit and one other outfit. I picked out the fabrics for the suits from a collection of antique fabrics my former library teacher had given me. Anyway, I took this photo when I was home last because these are on the way to my nieces, who've just read Little Women.

Favorite Summer Lunch

2010-07-20T13:32:00.001-07:00

Before you knock radish and goat cheese sandwiches, try one! What a lovely mingling of creaminess and snap.

In Treatment

2010-07-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

OK. I'd read great things about this HBO series for a couple of years, and even tried unsuccessfully to get this at Blockbuster (they'd never even heard of it). Then I saw the library had it, and last week I started watching season one. From the first minute--I was hooked. It's every bit as riveting and mesmerizing as the promos promise. So intelligent, so well written and acted--like a series of glimpses into the human machine/condition that have a strange familiarity to them.

Each of these actors deserves an Emmy--Blair Underwood is phenomenal. I have always loved Gabriel Byrne and he is in top form here. The multi-layered subtlety of the performances is fascinating to the point of addiction. Masks behind masks behind masks--all visible on one face. I cannot stop watching! I'm nearly at the end of the first season and have to find a source for season two--the library doesn't have it. I think I found someplace online.

Rent it, borrow it, buy it--but watch it. Unlike anything I've seen since Dinner with Andre...and way better than that.

Berylissima

2010-07-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

A new creation of aventurine, malachite, azurite, chryoscolla, india glass, vintage art glass, and Czech glass hand-wired in metallic green...nearly emeralds!

Egad, the lilies

2010-07-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

Today some photos of my massive, obscenely gorgeous lilies. My first planting of these designer lilies was two years ago--all yellow and peach. This year they are as large as a child's head and in sumptuous colors. Some of the peach ones look like exotic birds. Enjoy! (This year's lily planting was purple and white.)