tucson sunsets invariably take the cake

from Antigone's book shop on 4th avenue

WHA!?

Did you know that ACE Perry Cider, with a PEAR ON THE LABEL, has no pear juice in it!?

I've been hoodwinked!

But... that's okay.

It's still scrumptious.

floating cranberries are awfully cute...

...and tart-as heck when mindlessly chewed. Oops.

cloudy sunrise; raindrops on the window

Quiet morning. Sleepers down the hall. Sipping coffee; wearing a mammoth sweatshirt by a slightly-open window. Going to listen to some deliciously awful hip-hop music on my headphones.

my family of turkeys

... Mille snoozing underfoot and third grade jokes from family goofballs.

D.I.Y. Place Settings: PART TWO

Step #3:

Attach name tag around a glass or homemade treat!

(Here's the link to Part One.)

D.I.Y. Place Settings: PART ONE

What you need:

Mod Podge (or glaze of choice)

ink pen

notecards

hemp or rafia

junky paintbrushes

chalk pastels

Step #1:

Using an ink pen, design names.

Step #2:

Add color with pastels, using your fingers to soften the edges.

Glaze with Mod Podge and dry for at least an hour.

P.S. If a friend might bring a guest (but you don't know his/her name), there are ways to work around that blip and still give him/her a memorable name tag!

Here's Part II.

autumn arrival

My windows stay open all day long now. Mille's getting friskier.

Tucson Pride

love my home

Occupy Tucson

heritage food wagon

finally! the heritage food wagon is here!

a cocoa bean i brought back from Guate!

new room additions:

another homecoming

what finds!

watercolor & walks before snow-flurries

grass and clouds around Lordsburg, NM

Cloud 9: Vallecitos, NM

AFTER THE MOST EPIC OF EPIC WEEKS...

...I'm off to the mountains of New Mexico with sparkling clementine juice, a headlamp, my Big Agnes sub-zero sleeping bag, 13 books (including two plays) and a hysterical, motley crew.

::wigging out::

My friend Avery and I WROTE THIS BOOK!!!

And my friends Trish and Jeremy did all the sketches and block prints!!!

I want to use fifty thousand exclamation points!!!

In T-minus 2 hours, the conference begins!

I've been waiting for today (and tomorrow, and Thursday) all year long!

pastels and black coffee before sunrise

Off I go to New Mexico!

homemade fruit roll ups...

...TAKE THE CAKE!

third time's the charm!?

My dehydrator's humming (my poor parents' electric bill). The house smells like Thanskgiving. I think I've got it! Fruit leather post update ASAP.

Mille-billie

This morning I looked to my left and watched my pup fall asleep against my leg. She'd periodically open her eyes when a loud sound drifted in from outside the open window. Sometimes she'd raise her furry eyebrows and look at me, checking to see if I was on the move or staying put. I watched her chest rise and fall and her ears crinkle.

While human-dog relationships have their obvious limitations (although with her purring, we're not lacking on dialog), I love this little lady. I've never understood the term "best friend," because I have so many good ones and none of them rank higher than the next. But it's safe to say that she's my friend, we're smitten with one another (although perhaps I'm a little more so than she) and she's simply the best.

first day of vacation!

A few friends and I have been working on a handbook for new agrarian apprenticeships and it's going to the printers this morning. I've been chippin' away at this kick-tush assignment since June! At 11:49pm I converted the 76 page word document to a PDF; with a triumphant click of a button (and after a really long 16 megabyte moment), it puttered away into the ether.

I blinked at the computer screen for a couple minutes after the "SWOOOSH" -- the noise my iMail program makes when an email zips away. Faintly aware of stomach rumbles, I uncrossed my accordion legs and shuffled into the kitchen. I chugged some leftover smoothie, marveled at the hot water in the shower (still a delight), donned freshly folded PJs--smelling of lemon leaves from the line--and face-planted into bed.

Today I have no itinerary. I woke up to a light grey, pre-sunrise sky. I opened my bedroom window to let the cool air in and startled a rabbit who scampered East, down the wash behind my house. I nibbled coconut muffins and secretly allowed my dog to sleep on my "illegal" bed while my dad was out. I've been organizing, unpacking, filing, recipe-reading and recycling.

Today I'm dreaming of next week in Santa Fe and Albuquerque -- a whole week with a few spectacular friends and lots of agrarian nerds. To get in the mood, I've been listening to Heritage Radio Network. Last night Severine (of Greenhorns) featured my Trish and Jeremy and I just can't stop smiling, listening to Mr. Smith on repeat.

another depressing day for Arizona

If you don't like the map, impeach the map-maker.

ushering in a new month, a clean slate