The Fortnight Lilys are blooming

It’s been a strange couple of weeks.
I hurt my back. Again. It’s getting better.

Every little thing that could go wrong at work went wrong and this afternoon I noticed the little gnomes that live on the balcony across the street are gone. I didn’t notice them leave and now that they’re gone I miss them.

Raj has started leaving again. Neighbor Jim says he’s noticed her escaping and taking walks down Main Street at dusk. She settles in after a while at the edge of the driveway where she watches the cars go by. He’s worried she’ll get hit by a car because she limps so badly and can’t move very fast. She’s wily though that Raj and she knows about cars and other things I can’t even imagine.

We’re almost finished with the studio but there is more work after that. Always more.
Hope I don’t stove out.

A new Lucy picture. Lucy anew.

We’ve been rebuilding our studio. Rewarding AND backbreaking. Mostly the Dishwasher’s back and my left shoulder. We’re almost done and it’s my favorite thing we’ve ever done (ok, maybe not my very favorite) but the biggest thing! In actual size. It’s only 12 x 20′ and it’s got these crisp, clean and heart wrenchingly dreamy looking french doors that open out to my flower & veggie garden (which is bustin‘ out! old English roses, oregano, Japanese eggplants, calendula, broccol rabe, zucchini, tomatoes, love in a mist, Jupiter’s beard, lilys and alliums, jasmine vines, lilac vines, poppies and daisys) and little lemongrass colored shutters with little white window boxes which I’ve already planted even though we don’t have the roofing on yet.

It’s stinkin‘ cute.

What I dream of as Summer is finally here. Warm, clear and blue sky days with Smoking Loon cabernet evenings. My summer reading New Yorker is here and I’m diligently practicing my Virabhadrasana (warrior pose 1 & 2). This isn’t as easy as it sounds. I always thought those poses simple, unchallenging. Au contraire mon frere.

this baby monitor
story
made me wonder and smile.
This is what it feels like watching my daughter right now. A moment ago I looked in on her and she was fine, she was ok. The next, she’s/we’re in outer space, there’s no gravity, nothing for her to hang on to.
Wait a minute while I tune it all in properly.

I’m missing my space and my supplies but I have this bag of fabric in my room with several started projects and I had this stitched portrait of Lu down at the bottom. I can’t even remember when I started it but I wanted to put my hands on some fabric and needle and thread and when I finished I decided she needed a little ribbon of brown leaves I’d seen at Birds of a Feather. Ta da

A new Lucy picture. Lucy anew.

We’ve been rebuilding our studio. Rewarding AND backbreaking. Mostly the Dishwasher’s back and my left shoulder. We’re almost done and it’s my favorite thing we’ve ever done (ok, maybe not my very favorite) but the biggest thing! In actual size. It’s only 12 x 20′ and it’s got these crisp, clean and heart wrenchingly dreamy looking french doors that open out to my flower & veggie garden (which is bustin‘ out! old English roses, oregano, Japanese eggplants, calendula, broccol rabe, zucchini, tomatoes, love in a mist, Jupiter’s beard, lilys and alliums, jasmine vines, lilac vines, poppies and daisys) and little lemongrass colored shutters with little white window boxes which I’ve already planted even though we don’t have the roofing on yet.

It’s stinkin‘ cute.

What I dream of as Summer is finally here. Warm, clear and blue sky days with Smoking Loon cabernet evenings. My summer reading New Yorker is here and I’m diligently practicing my Virabhadrasana (warrior pose 1 & 2). This isn’t as easy as it sounds. I always thought those poses simple, unchallenging. Au contraire mon frere.

this baby monitor
story
made me wonder and smile.
This is what it feels like watching my daughter right now. A moment ago I looked in on her and she was fine, she was ok. The next, she’s/we’re in outer space, there’s no gravity, nothing for her to hang on to.
Wait a minute while I tune it all in properly.

I’m missing my space and my supplies but I have this bag of fabric in my room with several started projects and I had this stitched portrait of Lu down at the bottom. I can’t even remember when I started it but I wanted to put my hands on some fabric and needle and thread and when I finished I decided she needed a little ribbon of brown leaves I’d seen at Birds of a Feather. Ta da

A new Lucy picture. Lucy anew.

We’ve been rebuilding our studio. Rewarding AND backbreaking. Mostly the Dishwasher’s back and my left shoulder. We’re almost done and it’s my favorite thing we’ve ever done (ok, maybe not my very favorite) but the biggest thing! In actual size. It’s only 12 x 20′ and it’s got these crisp, clean and heart wrenchingly dreamy looking french doors that open out to my flower & veggie garden (which is bustin‘ out! old English roses, oregano, Japanese eggplants, calendula, broccol rabe, zucchini, tomatoes, love in a mist, Jupiter’s beard, lilys and alliums, jasmine vines, lilac vines, poppies and daisys) and little lemongrass colored shutters with little white window boxes which I’ve already planted even though we don’t have the roofing on yet.

It’s stinkin‘ cute.

What I dream of as Summer is finally here. Warm, clear and blue sky days with Smoking Loon cabernet evenings. My summer reading New Yorker is here and I’m diligently practicing my Virabhadrasana (warrior pose 1 & 2). This isn’t as easy as it sounds. I always thought those poses simple, unchallenging. Au contraire mon frere.

this baby monitor
story
made me wonder and smile.
This is what it feels like watching my daughter right now. A moment ago I looked in on her and she was fine, she was ok. The next, she’s/we’re in outer space, there’s no gravity, nothing for her to hang on to.
Wait a minute while I tune it all in properly.

I’m missing my space and my supplies but I have this bag of fabric in my room with several started projects and I had this stitched portrait of Lu down at the bottom. I can’t even remember when I started it but I wanted to put my hands on some fabric and needle and thread and when I finished I decided she needed a little ribbon of brown leaves I’d seen at Birds of a Feather. Ta da

Tiniest Kitchen

This is where we keep our fridge. In the laundry room by the back door. It’s an old house with a tiny kitchen where one couldn’t fit even a tiny fridge. And yes I realize the stove is in a sort of dangerous predicament right by the back door. That’s why I mostly use the burners next to the counter. And behind the stove’s door number two is a kick ass broiler that one must vigilantly watch while roasting red peppers or anything else for that matter. There have been fires.
That stove is a masterpiece. Even though it is poorly located.
Much in the house is.
The previous owner worked for a time as a temporary day laborer remodelling houses. This proved to be our downfall as he went about gutting and then designing the interior to fit some strange plan in his big brain. He had one good idea and that was turning two of the bedrooms into one. That was the end of his good ideas. The bathroom is tiny and has two doors one of which slams your knee bones when your on the toilet and your husband or daughter or dog decide to come on in.

What used to be the dining room was no bigger than a small closet and he decided to open it up but only part way. He made half walls so the room is still too small for a table and chairs. We’ve turned that into a comfortable office space. There are other things about the house that drive me mad but we’ve decided to fix them. One thing at a time. We’ll be busy til we die and so will my daughter’s children and so on.

They left another bowl in the driveway this morning. This one is gray and has little black paws around the bottom. Very cute. Perfect for Rajah. I’m almost certain it wasn’t Rajah since she’s really too old and wobbly and basically uninterested in prowling the neighborhood at night like she used to. This makes seven or eight I think. I’ve lost count.

Tiniest Kitchen

This is where we keep our fridge. In the laundry room by the back door. It’s an old house with a tiny kitchen where one couldn’t fit even a tiny fridge. And yes I realize the stove is in a sort of dangerous predicament right by the back door. That’s why I mostly use the burners next to the counter. And behind the stove’s door number two is a kick ass broiler that one must vigilantly watch while roasting red peppers or anything else for that matter. There have been fires.
That stove is a masterpiece. Even though it is poorly located.
Much in the house is.
The previous owner worked for a time as a temporary day laborer remodelling houses. This proved to be our downfall as he went about gutting and then designing the interior to fit some strange plan in his big brain. He had one good idea and that was turning two of the bedrooms into one. That was the end of his good ideas. The bathroom is tiny and has two doors one of which slams your knee bones when your on the toilet and your husband or daughter or dog decide to come on in.

What used to be the dining room was no bigger than a small closet and he decided to open it up but only part way. He made half walls so the room is still too small for a table and chairs. We’ve turned that into a comfortable office space. There are other things about the house that drive me mad but we’ve decided to fix them. One thing at a time. We’ll be busy til we die and so will my daughter’s children and so on.

They left another bowl in the driveway this morning. This one is gray and has little black paws around the bottom. Very cute. Perfect for Rajah. I’m almost certain it wasn’t Rajah since she’s really too old and wobbly and basically uninterested in prowling the neighborhood at night like she used to. This makes seven or eight I think. I’ve lost count.

Tiniest Kitchen

This is where we keep our fridge. In the laundry room by the back door. It’s an old house with a tiny kitchen where one couldn’t fit even a tiny fridge. And yes I realize the stove is in a sort of dangerous predicament right by the back door. That’s why I mostly use the burners next to the counter. And behind the stove’s door number two is a kick ass broiler that one must vigilantly watch while roasting red peppers or anything else for that matter. There have been fires.
That stove is a masterpiece. Even though it is poorly located.
Much in the house is.
The previous owner worked for a time as a temporary day laborer remodelling houses. This proved to be our downfall as he went about gutting and then designing the interior to fit some strange plan in his big brain. He had one good idea and that was turning two of the bedrooms into one. That was the end of his good ideas. The bathroom is tiny and has two doors one of which slams your knee bones when your on the toilet and your husband or daughter or dog decide to come on in.

What used to be the dining room was no bigger than a small closet and he decided to open it up but only part way. He made half walls so the room is still too small for a table and chairs. We’ve turned that into a comfortable office space. There are other things about the house that drive me mad but we’ve decided to fix them. One thing at a time. We’ll be busy til we die and so will my daughter’s children and so on.

They left another bowl in the driveway this morning. This one is gray and has little black paws around the bottom. Very cute. Perfect for Rajah. I’m almost certain it wasn’t Rajah since she’s really too old and wobbly and basically uninterested in prowling the neighborhood at night like she used to. This makes seven or eight I think. I’ve lost count.

Just in the nick of time

My Dishwasher comes home today. For good. Thank you and Oh Shit.
The house is a mess. Not anywhere near as neat and tidy as the Dishwasher and I both like it but there’s nothing for it. Em’s home and she is, to put it delicately, a slob. She’s being pretty good about containing it to her own room but it spills out and it depresses and confuses me. I’ve managed to wash dishes every day but beyond that, I’m just barely holding it together as the following will clearly demonstrate.

I call this my Crack Smoking Skirt

It all seemed like a good idea at the time and you wouldn’t believe the amount of time I spent putting it all together. Yes, it was a strange week last week. I had the worst case of “the spins” for days on end. I know it’s no excuse but maybe it is. I don’t know.

I’m thinking I’d pair it with these beauties

scored at the thrift store.

I can hardly wait to find the perfect top for the whole ensemble.
Maybe something furry.

Just in the nick of time

My Dishwasher comes home today. For good. Thank you and Oh Shit.
The house is a mess. Not anywhere near as neat and tidy as the Dishwasher and I both like it but there’s nothing for it. Em’s home and she is, to put it delicately, a slob. She’s being pretty good about containing it to her own room but it spills out and it depresses and confuses me. I’ve managed to wash dishes every day but beyond that, I’m just barely holding it together as the following will clearly demonstrate.

I call this my Crack Smoking Skirt

It all seemed like a good idea at the time and you wouldn’t believe the amount of time I spent putting it all together. Yes, it was a strange week last week. I had the worst case of “the spins” for days on end. I know it’s no excuse but maybe it is. I don’t know.

I’m thinking I’d pair it with these beauties

scored at the thrift store.

I can hardly wait to find the perfect top for the whole ensemble.
Maybe something furry.

Just in the nick of time

My Dishwasher comes home today. For good. Thank you and Oh Shit.
The house is a mess. Not anywhere near as neat and tidy as the Dishwasher and I both like it but there’s nothing for it. Em’s home and she is, to put it delicately, a slob. She’s being pretty good about containing it to her own room but it spills out and it depresses and confuses me. I’ve managed to wash dishes every day but beyond that, I’m just barely holding it together as the following will clearly demonstrate.

I call this my Crack Smoking Skirt

It all seemed like a good idea at the time and you wouldn’t believe the amount of time I spent putting it all together. Yes, it was a strange week last week. I had the worst case of “the spins” for days on end. I know it’s no excuse but maybe it is. I don’t know.

I’m thinking I’d pair it with these beauties

scored at the thrift store.

I can hardly wait to find the perfect top for the whole ensemble.
Maybe something furry.

Dude, why’d you jump?


He looks sad but he’s fine Scotty. No permanent damage from his death defying leap out of our truck last weekend. He followed me around the yard today as I did some digging up and re potting. I planted the Broccoli Rabe seeds. It’s beautiful here today.

It’s Week 2 and things are settling down nicely. This week we had the So My 15 Year Old Daughter is Pregnant Can She Spend the Night Here With You and Your Daughter visit from one of Em’s friends. Right in the middle of my Six Feet Under episode. My own daughter assured me she would never come to me with that kind of news, that she would take care of it all on her own. She didn’t get why I wasn’t comforted by that.

We also had her first driving lesson and I’m proud to say I only chewed one nail down to the quick, didn’t scream AT ALL, even when there was perfectly good reason to and I only grabbed the wheel once and only because I didn’t want us to die in a head on collision. All in all a pretty good launch. Does anyone have any valium?

Dude, why’d you jump?


He looks sad but he’s fine Scotty. No permanent damage from his death defying leap out of our truck last weekend. He followed me around the yard today as I did some digging up and re potting. I planted the Broccoli Rabe seeds. It’s beautiful here today.

It’s Week 2 and things are settling down nicely. This week we had the So My 15 Year Old Daughter is Pregnant Can She Spend the Night Here With You and Your Daughter visit from one of Em’s friends. Right in the middle of my Six Feet Under episode. My own daughter assured me she would never come to me with that kind of news, that she would take care of it all on her own. She didn’t get why I wasn’t comforted by that.

We also had her first driving lesson and I’m proud to say I only chewed one nail down to the quick, didn’t scream AT ALL, even when there was perfectly good reason to and I only grabbed the wheel once and only because I didn’t want us to die in a head on collision. All in all a pretty good launch. Does anyone have any valium?