A few new things.

(The zinnias in the mason jar are there to give an idea of the bowl size.)







I made four others but decided I didn't need to post pictures of every single one, although I should have posted one of the smaller ones as they are my favorites.

And last of all, a bag with a shoulder strap! I thought some folks probably prefer this style to a tiny handbag. We shall see.



The Earthship adventure was a blast and I have loads of pictures. It's going to take some time to get them all posted. I also have about a million and one things to get done before we head to the beach. Time is short these days.

Hope you all are enjoying the weekend!

I'm tired.

Um, yeah, so what else is new? I haven't slept well in about two and an half weeks and it is really starting to wear me down, mentally and spiritually even more so than physically. I'm feeling pretty stressed and hopeless about the situation. Just one night of decent rest, is that so much to ask? (Apparently so.)

On the upside, there are some fun things coming up. Friends from the east arrive this week and we are very excited! It's been well over two years since we've seen Sheryl and Rebby. And one of the nights that they are in New Mexico, we're all going to stay at an Earthship in Taos.

That's right, an Earthship! The Phoenix Earthship to be precise. (It's for sale if you're interested.) I've been looking at all the photos online and it looks pretty amazing. I really have no idea what to expect, but I am taking an armload of cameras and film with me. It's out near the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge so I know the views are going to be fabulous.



And the sunset! I can't wait! And who knows, maybe I'll actually get some sleep.

Lastly, we are also looking forward to the first Steelers game of regular season. We're not going to be able to watch in real time, but nonetheless we are excited. Steelers football!

But before all the fun stuff, I have a million and one chores to get done and work to finish up. I also need to squeeze in a quick trip to the Farmers Market this morning to stock up on green chile for the winter. It's been on my list for ages and I just haven't made it over there. (No matter that it's about two blocks away.) Today is the day though. I am going to do it. And then we'll see what else I get done.

Hope your week is going well so far!

flickr faves

1. Clean, 2. Untitled, 3. apple orchard, 4. lo, 5. Untitled, 6. Untitled, 7. Hickman Bridge, 8. Untitled, 9. The Columbia River Gorge, 10. Untitled, 11. l'attente, 12. trompe-l'œil, 13. The High Line #4, 14. Untitled, 15. Untitled, 16. chiswick house walk 7

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Dinner is always the best part.

We ended up going to Mauka for dinner last night. We were tired and had a couple of very refreshing mojitos at Coyote Cantina in the late afternoon so driving out to Terra didn't seem like a good idea anymore.

We ate at Mauka last year for our anniversary and it was awesome. Last night it was awesome again. We started off with the Hawaiian poke spring roll served with pineapple chutney and black tobiko. For the main course, Will had the River Canyon Ranch tenderloin served with potato-chorizo hash, local mustard greens and romesco sauce. So delicious. I went for the Atlantic Diver scallops served with bacon - apple risotto cake, fennel confit and kimchi vinaigrette. It did not disappoint. The scallops were perfect and the bacon - apple risotto was amazing. Not to mention the lovely presentation.

The dessert options were interesting, but none of them really grabbed me. We went for the Blackberry Clafouti with Pineapple Caramel. It was good, but not really my dream dessert. Or perhaps I just had one too many glasses of chardonnay by then. Overall, I think Mauka is one of the best restaurants in Santa Fe. They always have excellent menu choices and seem to use a lot of locally grown food. A little pricey for us to frequent, but definitely worth it when we can swing the bill.

And today I am 39.

P.S. Today is not my birthday.

(So this is a pre-birthday birthday post.)



1. 30, 2. 31, 3. 32, 4. 33, 5. 34, 6. 35, 7. 36, 8. 37, 9. 38

[Created with fds flickr toys.]

When I turned 30, I wanted to have my dream rock show, and basically, I did. I wanted Oneida and a Dead at 24 reunion and that's what I got. And CC spinning tunes. And one of the best things ever, Sheryl, Kate and Fat Bobby getting up on stage and singing Little Red Corvette for me. Later, Fat Bobby and I played jacks on my kitchen floor.

[Another dream rock show, the JBB at my wedding reception. It happened. I was thrilled. Sadly I've already been told that the dream rock show for my 40th birthday is never going to happen because the JBB is done. Forever. Fortunately they live on forever in my iTunes.]

A small party for age 31 and Sheryl made Tres Leches cake for me! I keep asking Will to make one for me to no avail.

Another small party for age 32, this time in New York City at Lakeside Lounge. I was head over heels in love. (And I got a nice pola of Jami's boobs.)

Age 33, Will gave me a Lomo LC-A camera and we went to the Bronx Zoo. Good times.

I couldn't find a single photo for my 34th birthday. Checked out my old archives though and found that Will gave me a Polaroid ProPack and we went to see Oneida that night.

I neglected to look up what we did when I turned 35. We were in Pittsburgh.

We went to Dana's PhD party for my 36th birthday. Working Poor at the park and then karaoke in Swissvale later that evening. I remember getting Ben Brain to sing something for me and now I can't even remember what it was. Iron Maiden? Billy Squier?

By my 37th birthday, we were here in Santa Fe and I wanted to go hiking for my birthday. So a-hiking we went with my dad and Katrina.

And last year, I worked on my birthday, but we had a superb sushi dinner at Shoko Cafe. Oh, and I got a new stove.

As for this year, well, that remains to be seen.

I know this post is rather indulgent. I like birthdays. I like other people's birthdays, I like my birthday. I have no idea why. Will could give a shit about his birthday. Another day, another year older, yadda yadda. But it always makes me think a bit, reflect on birthdays gone by and I don't know, some years I probably don't like what I see, others I do. This year I have no complaints. The drama quotient in my life has gone down significantly so it's not like I look back on the year and get blown away. What I see is very slow progress toward achieving the kind of life that I want to live. Working outside the 40-hour work week. Doing something I love. Actually acknowledging that maybe, just maybe, I am a creative person. For someone who has, unfortunately, had self-esteem and confidence problems for the greater part of her life, these very small steps feel very huge to me. And sure, I wish I was younger and making these steps. That I had more time. But I'm not and it's okay and there is always time. It is never too late. (Or so I hope!) I suppose the main thing that remains a monkey on my back is the insomnia and the anxiety. Both things oftentimes keep me from living life to the fullest and it is incredibly frustrating. But I have hope. Slowly progress is made in those departments as well. I am who I am and I deal with it the best that I can. I wish I didn't have anxiety problems, but I do and I miss out on things, but at some point I also have to stop beating myself up about it. I also wish I was a better photographerknitterwifedaughtersisterfriendcookgardner. I wish making friends came easy to me, online and off. I wish I wish and I wish and then I stop and it's okay. I haven't given up on changing, no way, never, but picking on myself isn't going to help. So mostly, at almost forty, I am pretty okay with who I am. And for me, that's saying a lot.

I am currently obsessed with bowls.

Felted bowls, to be precise.



Here's a shot of my very first attempt. I think it turned out quite nicely. (I just need to learn how to take decent shots of my felted goods. I have to admit, it is not my favorite type of photography.)



I was picturing something much smaller than the result, but it's all good. Big bowls, little bowls, why not? I have two more made that are experiments with size and shape, but I haven't felted them yet. Once I get them felted, I am going to go bowl crazy.

flickr faves

1. Untitled, 2. morning shower, 3. day before the ride, 4. Untitled, 5. dining out | may 16. 2009, 6. . . ., 7. Weekend is finished, 8. senang, 9. eucalyptus bark, 10. ., 11. Silverchair, 12. tiny yellow, 13. Untitled, 14. Tabby's nose, 15. fields of gold, 16. Untitled

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Pickled peppers.

We have a plethora of jalapeño and cubanelle peppers, more than we could possibly eat all at once. So I pickled them. I used this recipe because it sounded tasty and simple enough for my first attempt at pickling. They are supposed to sit in the refrigerator for a week so I'll keep you posted on how they taste.

I never used to like pickled anything, not even pickles. But when I met Will's granny for the first time and she sent us off with some jars of her pickles, that was it. Granny's pickles were the best thing ever and turned me into a pickle person. So I am all for trying my own pickling. I hope the peppers turn out well as I am going to have lots more ready to pick in another week or so.

And of course anytime I think about pickling peppers, that childhood rhyme come to mind:

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers;
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

Things that go bump in the night.

Last night I woke up at 1:10 in the morning. I kept hearing weird noises. Or I kept thinking I heard weird noises.

So I woke up my husband.

"I keep hearing weird noises."

He got up and checked the house. No one in the house. No one lurking outside the house. All was well.

Except that we were both wide awake. And we woke the cats up.

It's not so bad being wide awake when the person laying next to you is also wide awake. I felt like a jerk for waking up Will, but he was very nice about it.

The cats were restless and kept me from sleep until 3:49 when I finally gave in and let Rocky go outside. (I let Simon out at 3:16. Rocky usually isn't allowed out until after 4:00, but I've been giving in lately. And yes, I remember exact times of the night. I think that's what happens when you have problems sleeping.)

I think that I have an overactive imagination because the past few weeks, all I've been doing is knitting and watching crime shows. Crime shows plant all sorts of scary and gruesome scenarios in my head. I need to start watching sitcoms or something.

I just sat in the car in the driveway

so I could finish listening to Balls to the Walls. It made me inordinately happy for some reason.

The video link is worth checking out. Classic 1980's hard rock cheesy video.

My love for the hard rock/heavy metal of my youth will never die.

Granted, I don't think I could name any other song by Accept.

Rain, rain and rain!

It's coming down steadily and I am not complaining. We've been needing a some rainfall, big time. It also means that I don't have to water the garden. Double yay!

We went to see District 9 this afternoon. I'd heard good and bad reviews of it and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I liked it. It was a good story, touching and suspenseful. But good lord, way too much blood and guts for my taste. It didn't make me not like the movie, but I am just not a blood and guts person. I thought I was going to throw up at one point. Yuck. And yeah, I know that I suck at movie reviews, so I'll just say that this was definitely worth going to see at the theater. No regrets.

I've still in the midst of a knitting frenzy. Today I felted my first bowl. It turned out much bigger than I expected, but it is quite nice. I'll post a photo when it's dry. I think I'm going to knit up a few more bowls, maybe in some different sizes and then get back to handbags as I still have so many new ideas. So much fun!

Hope your week is off to a good start!

flickr faves

1. the world is a much smaller place..., 2. Untitled, 3. Gently, 4. Untitled, 5. ., 6. Evening Swim, 7. Untitled, 8. Untitled, 9. We are gathered here today, 10. I Know It's Over, No.1, 11. Untitled, 12. And It Was All Yellow, 13. Iris 2, 14. money well spent, 15. goodbye, 16. Untitled

Why is it that people in Santa Fe

are completely unable to use their turn signals? Is it so hard to make it blink, blink, blink so I know that you are going to turn, and when needed, which way you are going to turn, or that you are going to squeeze into my lane? I don't know about you, but when I learned to drive, I was taught how to use turn signals. The habit is so ingrained in me that occasionally I find myself hitting the turn signal when it's not even necessary, like when I am turning out of my driveway and there is no one behind me or anywhere around.

I mean, come on people, turn signals! How hard can it be? It's not like I am asking you to actually yield at yellow lights or come to a complete stop at stop signs. I know that would just be way too much to handle.

It drives me effing insane.

And today we are wishing

p.nut (aka donut) a very happy birthday!! Hope you have some fun celebrations plan and have an excellent day. We miss you and send you much love. (Kisses for the kitties too.)

Another new one.

I thought this one turned out looking very "Santa Fe".

Excuse my language,

but you've got to be fucking kidding me.

Favre likely to return (again): QB meeting with Vikings

Three weeks ago he said he was done. Retired for good.

Dude, give it a rest already. I think he just likes being in the news. How long is this going to go on??

Stripes and checks.

I ran out of wool yarn last week so I switched to cotton and made a couple of baby hats over the weekend.

Note to Alyssa: I really need all of your kids to be hat models for me!!

Wishing a very happy birthday

to CC today. We love you and miss you tons!

flickr faves

1. orange & brown schwinn, 2. Untitled, 3. This rich life., 4. Untitled, 5. Work Storm, 6. El Dorado, 7. alexandria, 8. Untitled, 9. Take Me To The River, No.17, 10. Untitled, 11. Untitled, 12. silk cocoon , 13. Rabbit Patch, 14. poppies 09, 15. Deep thought. , 16. sc0007943d

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