Sunny, instead!

Moll and I had a fabulous time at the sculpture garden afterall!

Here's the Neucom Vivarium, by Mark Dion - it's a "nurse log", a fallen tree that acts as an incubator of sorts for a variety of plant life. I've not yet been inside, but took this pic today:


Loved catching up with Moll, we spent the hours chatting happily. When I got home, J had just arrived from a long bike ride that ended on the Burke-Gilman trail. He was wiped out, but has been keeping himself busy listening to music tonight. I've been idling on the computer too. I'm hoping to shift gears in April, but don't regret the time I've spent tonight. Got to catch up with Eero, her orchid blossoms are not to be trifled with & I forwarded along her artist recommendation to a pal in Chicago. I was also able to confirm that the bakery Nerd's Eye View was referring to is indeed the one with the tasty baguette I enjoyed over at the Gulassa's a few months ago. So, time well spent afterall...

Quiet night

I'm borrowing J's computer to catch up on email - I'm a few days away from getting my laptop fixed. Until then, I'm visiting internet cafes and borrowing...

It's been pouring rain here. Pineapple Express they call it, since the front comes from Hawaii. Jason and I have taken turns clearing leaves from the lawn - we still have bulbs to plant. There was no real closing down of the garden this year.

Some photos:

downtown Seattle, 2nd Ave. heading South



Mt. Rainier, on our way back to Seattle with J's parents a few years ago


Forgive me for this shot - I shot quite a few frames of the male lion. After a few seconds, I was surprised to see the female lion got up from behind him & then they rubbed noggins together before she walked away.


I've turned on the heaters in the studio. I'm heading out there tonight.

slowed down

It's been a while since I've posted - got some news about my health that caught me off guard. Nothing terrible, but through it I realized how tired I've been & how much I've been pushing to get beyond that.

Things have been going well - it's been uncharacteristically hot in Seattle, which has been nice. Our garden has exploded with rasberries, artichokes & blueberries are a few weeks away. There are already a few ripe blackberries on the vine. Each weekend, we've been able to host garden parties where folks have shown up, we all make food (and get some from the garden) and while some gardening goes on, there's lots of relaxing and music.

J is out biking - he called from the road to say that he's enjoying the ride, on a trail that heads north to Everett. He also said I wouldn't enjoy the ride right now 'cause it's a slog, lots of slow uphill lengths. We're heading out when he gets back - bbq & fireworks being the order of the day.

It's a busy summer - lots of good times all around.

I should really just check the weather before I post

Beautiful sun is what we're having in Shoreline this weekend. Which is good, because we're pounding to get all of the mulch into the garden by the end of the day. This was the recommendation we got for managing our over 400 sq. foot veggie garden - cover most of it, while enriching the soil & killing all of the weeds at the same time.

The difference between the garden as we saw it in Oct. & yesterday's first swipe is pretty amazing:



We still have a bit more cardboard to collect & of course the whole wheelbarrows full of mulch thing is going to kick our butts today, but it feels really good to take care of the yard. Not to mention that we're already enjoying the food from the garden.

I've always really (& really secretly) admired horticulturalists (my Grandfather was the guy who took care of the cherry trees along the tidal basin in Washington, DC and my friend Richie has worked with plants the entire time I've known him) so getting to do my own landscaping and gardening is a real treat.

Well, I guess I better get the last of the morning coffee drunk & get out there.

Weekend plans

The rain has returned, and J and I are expecting a delivery of 8 yards of compost mulch to cover the part of our roughly 400 square foot garden that we want to keep free of weeds while we get our bearings as gardeners. We've already benefitted from the vegetables that were planted before we arrived here. Fresh asparagus is a treat & I guess we can harvest it twice more, if we're lucky.

My job today is to corral enough cardboard to cover the grassy areas that are encroaching on the beds that we've not planted yet. I'm also heading over to D.D.s to help out with her launch party for her new business. I'm glad everything is indoors today - I'll be working in the rain this weekend, so this will be my treat.

Well, just got off the phone & it looks like I'll be prowling around Home Depot, Costco, etc. to corral enough cardboard. Ah well, I guess having it delivered woulda been a bit too much to expect.

Art studio update: Nothing to report here, but wanted to post that I'm still doing art, still have art on the brain.

Have a good weekend, everybody.

Sunny after all

Sunday brought plenty of sun - a lovely accompaniment to J's return home. Hope everyone had a good Easter - Passover - Mohammed's birthday and other festivities of this season.

Saturday's performance with Ahmet Ozhan went very well. The dervishes joined in two separate sections - Avery Fisher hall was full, tickets sold out and Ahmet Ozhan's performance was met with a standing ovation & encore requests.

We sent four local dervishes & were regaled with wonderful stories from their experiences in New York on Monday. I've been looking for reviews & will post when I find one, but so far - no luck.

J & I are gearing up to take on the garden this weekend. This week has so far been very pleasant, although it's grey again today. I've been getting out more & even made a trip to the zoo yesterday. An early visit was they way to go as most animals were out to have their breakfast. Photos here.

My neighbor, Margaret, invited me over to play scrabble any time I want. She's going to be 103 this year & I got to spend an hour or so with her yesterday. It's really something to spend time with someone who has decided to live on their own for the long haul. Margaret is very companionable & terrific to spend time with - I'll definitely take her up on her offer!

Pouring again...

It's dumping rain today and was the same yesterday.

J called to say everything went really well in New York. He didn't let me know when he'd be arriving today, though. I can't wait to hear how it was to be in New York like we were in Turkey - there's nothing like Turkish hospitality & that counts no matter where the visit takes place.

Dinner tonight was a treat. Five of my favorite women, potluck style, all foodies and all have plenty going on. More potential bike riding & walking dates & a book to read. This was very satisfying. Also fun to hear the joy & trials of raising teenagers - two of our number have new drivers in their midst.

Potential stuff reduction happening today. We have an insane bookshelf/queensize fold out bed. It's a terrific & fun piece of furniture - but we're done with it in the new place and it would be nice to feel less crowded in the living room. Folks are coming by today to see it.

Happy Easter everyone!

Food Poison'd!

Back a week now, from our trip to see my mom for her 75th birthday. My sister did a fantastic job of rounding everyone up for the party. Even though the snow in DC brought the party numbers down, the calls from friends have kept coming & mom has enjoyed that tremendously. So much fun!!

In other mom news, J's mom is much better after wrastling a nasty bacterial infection. After two months of losing weight & not feeling well at all, she has taken a turn for the better & is sounding wonderful. J & I have been very concerned about her & so this is terrific news.

Whoa! Blogger's linking abilities have bombed, so no pics here. I'll update the sidebar, so's you can see pics from the recent trip. Egads...here's a link to the album for now.

The snow was beautiful. It did stop flights out of National & so we took advantage of the extra day to hit the Mall & see as many monuments as we could. Good times. We capped it off with dinner from the marina - fresh, steamed crabs. They were out of season & my brother was lukewarm about partaking, but I bought a half dozen for fun & a taste of home & headed to my brother's house.

J & I ate the first two out of the bag. Mine was off, so after a nibble, I tossed it into the garbage. Crabs can be watery when cooked, which ruins the experience, but I didn't think much of it as I went on through dinner. J stopped after one, we wrapped up dinner & hung out with my brother, his wife & son. So much fun!

I started feeling rough around midnight. I laid out, trying to figure out what was wrong. J got ready for bed & joined me. That was the last of the awesome trip as I began a 7 or so hour spat with food poisoning. I missed our early flight home & spent the next day (and a good portion of last week) exhausted and nauseous. Fortunately, the seventh day adventists had a store nearby & so I was able to get charcoal tablets to rid my body of the poison. It was a relief to get home the next evening.

Well, onward & all. I plan on regaling soon with tales of astrology & art. In the short term, this will have to suffice.

Creakshow

It's just now warming up. With the chill in the air - I feel creaky. I've gone out to get more space heaters - and the furnace folk are scheduled to come at two this afternoon. Funny how constraining the cold is - I feel less able to think & certainly less motivated to do things.

I took a walk around the garden & into the greenhouse today. Talk about restoring yr spirit - It's raining and winter, so the plants in the food garden have mostly given up the ghost. I did walk by what looked like cilantro - still green and lovely, but can't be sure. Also, the blackberries don't seem to be weakening at all. There are some without thorns that are pretty weeds.

The laundry room needs cleaning and stat. I'll get back to that, but wanted to post some pics from the trip - (for the set, go here):

Almost decent

Whew, time sure does fly. It feels like yesterday I was contemplating leaving life in the corporate world & striving to do right before I departed. Now, it's almost 6 months later & things are revving up for our trip to Turkey.

The show was lovely, plenty of folks came by, including some peeps & my initially critical views of my own work were softened by repeat views. I'm not there yet, but if I work at it, I think I can do justice to art.

J & I went running this morning. A temperature inversion has created the typically enigmatic fog that is so attractive & J made sure to take me to a footpath through the tall cedars & other pines that dot our neighborhood. The water in the muddy grass gave a slight edge to the ethereal surroundings.

I'm wrapping up a job with a cancer ward at a local research facility. It's been very humbling to be present while others receive experimental treatment that surely causes them suffering. I try to stay modest as I move through the waiting room & to smile as I see everyone - knowing that feeling unwell, as they most likely do, would lead some of the patients to be impatient with my joy & gratitude. I imagine myself in their position & feel myself steeling my body, as though to ward off an impact. None of us know when we'll be struck down & I hope I can be graceful, but will settle for honest.

The job is to write code for excel. Fun stuff. I've learned lots to flesh out my already substantial knowledge & a new appreciation for the various layers of coding folk who automate what would inevitably be dulling routines for busy people.

I'll be glad to be done, though. I'm ready to get back to the work of unpacking. I was able to sort out the remainders of the upstairs that J hadn't gotten to this weekend. It feels more peaceful upstairs & with the reduction in space, we don't have the spartan digs that we did for years and years at the rental place.

Our home is still so enchanting. We have gone outside at night to shoot photos many times, in fact J has some awesome shots from Sunday night. The greenhouse sits vacant tho - all I can come up with in the time I have to do research on the web, describes our greenhouse as a coldframe system that is best used in the fall or spring. I'll wait until I get a clearer picture of what needs to happen to make it useable & what plants will benefit before I set up shop there.

I'll sign off now, have to get back to work. With a bit of rest, I now feel almost decent...

More pics available

Diablo Lake pics are up. We had a great time, after a few initial discussions about who wanted to camp when and where and what we wanted to do. The campsite was peaceful and beautiful, we'll go back a bunch of times, I'm wagering.

Everywhere we went, we were traveling alongside folks taking much fuller advantage of the beauty of the North Cascades, lots of fishermen, hikers, folks with canoes, etc. Our car looked way less utilitarian compared to others loaded down with all manner of mountain appropriate equipment.

Even without crampons or a tent that could hang on a cliffside, we were able to enjoy the mountain range, the clean air and critters. We were beset, of course, by stellar jays and douglas squirrels, the latter chiding us as they do when we were eating (not sharing) and when we were putting food away.

It rained almost the entire time, which really put me off, but once the tent was up and we were in it, it was obvious that the rain was falling on the trees mainly and hardly at all on us. Our one hike along the river was easy and dry, even though we could hear the rain almost the whole time.

Diablo lake, Ross lake are both strikingly jade/turqouis colored -- due to the rock "flour" found in the water. The sunbreaks were very bright and made it tougher to capture that color, but it was still amazing to shoot.

Fussy

I painted today. Not a lot, but it felt very good. Now, to keep that up through the rest of the week is the goal. Felt fairly luxurious to focus on details. The piece I'm working isn't new, but is very detailed. It's even on canvas, about 2'x3'.

This last week was a doozy. Got to reconnect with folks who I very much loved seeing, got to visit Vancouver, BC for an extraordinary class on Rumi's Mathnawi, got to go to the racetrack. I cleaned the house like a fiend over the weekend, except for my art space.

Instead of cleaning my art space, I had a fit all over Jason. I'm chagrined - but have to note that the fits I have these days are so short-lived, so mild compared to anything I was able to rouse out of myself in days gone by, that I am very, very pleased. The content of the fit? Well, I was going nuts because I wanted everything perfect before I started painting. I'll let y'all figure out how possible that is...

Today's tasks included getting a hat to keep my face out of the sun & then checking out my office & studio. It's amazing how quickly things come together when they are in the way of being creative. I can't wait to FINISH one piece, then another, then another... it will mean the world to me.

It's been lovely here in Seattle. Right around 80 degrees Fahrenheit & breezy. Yesterday, the 3-day Breast Cancer walk (60 miles from Issaquah to downtown Seattle) walked by our house. I noticed a row of port-a-potties in the parking lot across the street on Friday night & thought about sticking around the house the next day - no telling what it meant. The worst of it was around 10am, when the neighbors in the duplexes on either side of our house had rental trucks full of furniture, the cheering squad for the walking women were joined by ambulances, buses and vans of supporters and traffic on our normally busy road was almost at a standstill, while folks tried hard not to hit each other.

More soon...

In terms of communication:

So, a good weekend has grabbed me by the metaphorical tail & is at it's end. Tomorrow I face the last of three days of pre-ordained work. It's undecided on my account, but I can assure you, with my schedule as is, there is work to be done.

My cat is outside, as am I. Soaking in the windy rain that is the true lot of any Seattle-lite. I am one of those, being 15 years into this game. My cat, who arrived in Seattle shortly after I did, is old now... given how cat years run... but I am still a pup.

Cooperation & familiarity ruled the roost this weekend & that seems correct, given my new focus of home over work & friends over co-workers. But there is much to be done to complete the transmission. Assured, as I am, over the limitlessness of Plaxo (the web address book that houses my contact information), I am still concerned that the Marlena's, Craig's & Matt's of the world will not have sufficient access to me in the switch from high tech to high road.

There isn't a sure way to confirm the footing upon which I travel. The road is more than even friends can help foreshadow & caution seems to be the key.

If I told you that in this transition that all I have been concerned about is that the folks who deserve it would get the love that I have to share, what could that mean to you, unless you are one of the deserving? As selective as I am, how could I not leave out a Molly or two? How could I not look to a Shannon or a Jessica to help me pick up the pieces? And what does it mean that wine is the impetus for this posting?

The web has been all but silent on this issue. It offers me no more than a hyperbolic Jacko entry or a repetitive warning on the mistakes of the House of Bush.

I'm going it alone, fundamentally & must trust that the falling away of crutches like caffiene & nicotine will suffice as I find my way to my true calling and to what will truly help me give what it is that I apparantly have to give...

Back that thang up

We're home from N.C., after a beautiful wedding, with beautiful bride & groom. I wish them the best, from the bottom of my heart!

Jason is playing a cd he's preparing for one of my four favorite nieces (there are three favorite nephews, for those interested in keeping track). Paul Rucker's elegant composition fills the air of our home.

I got to see my mom, sister & brother-in-law - always a treat, even in my distracted state at the wedding & reception. The guest list was replete with Bennett's, Benditz', Rogers & more, which made for a non-stop (and too little sleep) weekend. We all clean up beautifully, which I'll be poring over in photograph form this week.

It's chilly in Seattle, no 80+ degree weather to saturate my very fair skin. I missed the photo of the osprey that I wanted to take, but am left with sun in my hair and skin, so can't really complain.

Looks like the world went on without us. A confusing retraction from Newsweek greeted me as I read through the blogs I regular keep track of. Either we (US) did or didn't descecrate the Quran via the creative interrogation techniques at Abu Graib. Newsweek reported the rumor, that the rumor is the cause of the riots. And now they are retracting. My head spins with the kow-towing to the current administration. Call me nutty, but blaming the media seems like the party foul here, not the media itself.

Ok, looks like it's back to work for me. I've missed my co-workers & can't wait to see what this week brings.

Onward.

Watching an old TV show on DVD. We slept in today, this week having been a tumult that exacted some energy that we coulda used this weekend. After rousing ourselves, the house was cleared of furniture we were storing for friends. After that, beef stir-fry, good stuff -- and then this series.

It's late again & tomorrow is May Day. Each year, the gang joins up for an actual may pole dance. They've been doing it since '90 or so. You can imagine the build up of ribbon after 15 years. I'll tell you something, there's a lot of ribbon after 15 years, that's all I can say.

We're thinking about making lamb stew tomorrow. The idea is to use the last of the fresh rosemary from earlier this week. The beef stir-fry had rosemary in it, but the ginger flavor took over through the cooking.

I've been dreaming, in the excessive sleep that has resulted from the exhaustion of this week. The dreams feel as unfamiliar as the weeks' distressing tension. Wish I could remember them, but I get only glimpses of sensation. There were people I don't remember, ideas I can't comprehend.

Jema is at my feet, I've pulled her bed over to where we're watching the TV show. She's all curled up & completely asleep. I put a heater under her bed, which sent her packing at first, but she seems happier, now that it's later & chilly.

It's rainy/sunny these days. Seattle is known for rain & this year has been uncharacteristically sunny. We look for rain, for snow on the mountains - to ensure our water (which we share with all states southward)will sustain for the summer. Backpacking is a goal for this year. Who knows whether or not I'll be able to enjoy it.

Preparing the soil. It's all about accepting the enrichment without bloom, without harvest. That's what this time feels like. As a side note, I just read the Smithsonian article on coal fires burning under the earth across the world, that the idea of purifying soil is better than figuring out how to fight fires of anthracite across the globe.

I guess I can wrap up there. Life is like butter, y'all. Viscous, but kinda tasty in moderation.