Along the NCMA trail...

I seem to be walking a lot lately. Late autumn is the perfect time to get out of the house and just move! This past Sunday we went to the North Carolina Museum of Art for the Rembrandt show then decided we had enough open time to just wander the museum park trail. The trail is awesome. It's a paved trail with enough space to accommodate a bicycle, but peaceful enough to just walk. Being at the museum, the outdoor art is worthy of exploration too...

The outdoor ampitheater is a wonderful place to attend a concert or other outdoor venue. I've seen really good concerts over the years here. We saw Leo Kottke for the second time this past summer.

As you start down the paved path just past the ampitheater, the backside of the old museum building is visible. It's still a very interesting building with good architectural features. I'm really glad the building is being used for special exhibits and there's still a restaurant available at those events.

Quite a nice view a little farther down the trail. More impressive when you realize what the water features really are...

I've loved this particular installation from the first time I saw it. It was a bit controversial at the time.

Folk art in Mother Nature's fall beauty...

Even the service buildings are attractive and well landscaped.

And a picture of Gene in front of the first ring just for perspective...

Walking in the 'Hood...

One of the absolute joys of my life is autumn. I love the warm days and cool nights, the vivid hues of the leaves, and the abundance of the last harvests. The sky can be so incredibly blue, frequently without a cloud for days. Mostly, though it's the canopy of ever changing leaf color that makes my heart sing. Nature's paint brush at her finest....

This is the start of my mile walk through the neighborhood.

Nature's masterpiece in a very ordinary setting.

A view this glorious makes coming around the home stretch so much easier. Honestly, I don't really notice the trees except in the autumn when they look like this...

This is the view from my side yard looking across the street towards 49. I like this view because it shows my japanese maple in full blaze. The color contrasts and the visual textures just make me smile. At least with these pictures I'll have good memories to keep me smiling all through the winter.

More than a lion...

This is Arthur tiger stretching for a treat... he's very handsome, but he's also a showoff... and has the paunch to prove that he loves attention and treats.

I thought the lion looked so majestic that he deserved his own post. There wasn't really anything I could add to that picture that was as grand as that lion, so I gave him his own space.
There is a lot more to the Conservator's Center than just one lion... in fact, there are lots of lions, and lioness, and tigers and wolves and servals, and biturong, and assorted small jungle cats, and lemurs, and 3 very fine red foxes, to mention a few. Just call them and arrange to go on a tour. Just do it... you really should. And, you'll be very glad you did...

In case you need a gentle nudge, or are hestitating, let me show you a few of the inhabitants.

 There's nothing a biturong won't do for a banana...

This is Kira the lioness. She was horribly mistreated but now has a good life at the center. She lives with Arthur the white tiger.

There is something to be said for having a long treat stick and a very sturdy fence when you're giving a lion a treat.

There are four wolves. This one was an especially handsome fellow. I caught this image of Tonka walking towards the treat stick. He's got his tongue sticking out which sort of makes it look like he's smiling. Then again, if your groceries come ready prepared, maybe a smile is in order.

The last snack of our tour... the bucket is empty...

A Day at the Conservator's Center

Cooking Class

I took a soups class at The Cookery recently. Sous chef Brian Wiles from Nana's taught the class. He was a very generous and creative instructor. In the allotted two hours the class did the prep and cooked three soups. All were delicious, and I should say, I've already made two of them. We've totally enjoyed both the rotisserie chicken noodle and the spicy butternut squash. Leftovers from both are in the freezer... the cucumber soup will wait until next summer.

The soup pictured a hearty kale, white bean and veggie soup. I found the recipe in the Herb Companion along with the recipe for the cheddar and chive biscuits. Really delicious!!

The essential thing I carried away from class is the understanding of kitchen timing, and how flavors and textures must work together. I enjoyed the class so much that I signed up for another class at The Cookery at the end of the month for a session with Daisy Cakes to learn about bread pudding... and then I saw Scratch Baking offered a class next month on pies... pies... oh joy.... pies

Forty Years Ago...

We've been planning this reunion for nearly a year. Southern High School, class of 1971. The surest way to feel as old as you are is to be a part of your class reunion... in forty years the waistlines have expanded, the hairlines have receded, the chins have doubled, but thankfully the years have melted the harsh and left only the soft memories.

It was lovely not only to work on the reunion committee, but the memorabilia committee as well. Enough years have passed to to appreciate much of what once was scorned. I've been fortunate to have reconnected, or just simply connected to some very lovely folks, friends old and new.

Most of the committe met in Pam's suite and had a little toast to the culmination of a year's planning. Then we were off and running, taking care of those last minute details.

I suspect in a few years we're all going to think just how wonderful we looked... actually, we do look pretty good... check us out in 40 more!

Garden Friends

I forgot to water the garden this morning... just forgot. The last few days I've been busy pruning the trees and bushes around the yard.
When we got back from the farmer's market this morning a trip to the dump was in order. At the conclusion of all the morning's activities, I just collapsed in my chair... and looked out the window and saw some very thirsty plants.... I summoned the last of my energy and headed out the door. I was richly rewarded for making that effort. Steel blue dragonflies buzzed overhead, while hummingbirds dive bombed their feeder... needless to say, I couldn't focus the camera on them... but I did finally get this wonderful butterfly to pose nicely and a hummingbird moth. It made standing out in the bright sunlight worth while. For the last few weeks my energy has just been zapped. Fortunately it's not serious. Just a little B-12 deficiency.. more supplements to swallow every day... good thing too as I have a lot more pruning to do...

Flutterby

I spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen. Tomatoes from the market were ready for my weekly batch of pasta sauce. Gene is always happy if I can make enough to last all winter. There was also chicken I bought on special at Whole Foods Saturday morning that I almost forgot.. that definately had to be dinner... and a little corn on the cob along with a few tiny zucchini. Ever since I found Andrea Reusing's recipe for simple zucchini I've been slipping that on the table whenever possible. That's the tastiest and best use of zucchini to date. I had the pasta sauce done by the time Gene got home from work cooling on the counter, and was seriously close to having dinner ready as well when Gene with a long sad face asked where the potatoes were... my fast potato trick to the rescue. I take a red potato and slice it really thin, about twice as thick as a potato chip. Into the frying pan it goes with some good olive oil and I fry it lightly brown on both sides, and give it a good sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper. Doesn't take too long and he's content with his starch... and my old standby of fresh lime juice, sourwood honey, and red pepper flakes makes a fine cooking sauce for the chicken... leftovers for tomorrow...

After the kitchen was cleaned and the pasta sauce was put away in the freezer, I collapsed in my chair at the desk. I turned my head just in time to see this beautiful monarch butterfly land right on the screen. Toby was briefly interested but once I got my camera out, he left... figures doesn't it, the photo would have been much more interesting to have Toby reaching for the butterfly, but no...

Sara's Shady Lady

She's called the Shady Lady... a gorgeous prehnite stone with a leafy surround... she was created by Rochelle Darrow, a jeweler in California. I've been stalking her blog for a while now totally certain that I'd find the turquoise ring of my dreams. I still might find that ring, but for now, I have this lovely lady to keep my fingers happy. Don't be surprised if I show more pictures of her jewelry... it's the first metal and stone combination that really speaks to me... guess I know where my "extra" money is going...   

I've Got a Secret...

I'm really glad most people find me trustworthy. I want to be "there" for all my friends in the ways that count. I try, I really do....

This morning I took my mile walk and finally beat the 15 minute time. More than 14 but definately less than 15. It wasn't easy, but it's a goal for me. Working on those little things that add up to the bigger ones... ate a sensible breakfast then headed out to the studio. Selected some music to keep me on track and got in the groove....

About 10:30 the phone rang and everything changed.  This was so unexpected and truly awful. No one is physically damaged, but lives have been altered by the actions my friend took. All I could do was listen and promise not to breathe a word of this to anyone... and I won't. But part of being a friend to me is helping, and I'm not sure my silence is help. We'll see.

One thing I know for sure, each of us is the sum total of our life experience. Nice when it's the lovely and happy... but when we are forced to deal with the parts of our lives we've tucked away for "some other time", well, it can be ugly and destructive. My advice to my sweet friend is not to be too harsh with yourself. You didn't get to this place alone, but you have made it worse by lying. So, ask for help and listen this time. The people who are your friends will stand by you. Your family will still love you, but it's time to work through all the reasons that got you to this place. Like the Nike commercial says, "just do it".

down the repair trail...

might as well laugh... it's the best plan...

For the last two months it's been, fix, purchase, repair, discard, worry, fret, but mostly, just plain old spend... There have been so many problems and issues I made a list.. a long list..

It started when the rainbarrels wouldn't fill up. It was raining but the gutters needed cleaning so I decided that spending money to have a gutter guard installed was a reasonable expense. I found a local company to install them and felt pretty smart about that. Then after careful research decided that I wanted a small backyard smoker. We both love smoked food. Plus it's an easy way to entertain... that too seemed like a reasonable expense. We've become social hermits, and this would help create a way to engage with friends. Okay, good so far. I knew a brake job for the van was on the horizon. Arlen had advised me that I'd need that done before fall. Gene and I were standing out in the yard talking when he noticed my tired were exceedingly worn... so, new tires and what the heck, get the brakes done and the van would be ready to go on vacation. Seemed like a fine plan....

Then I kept noticing my cat Bacon was exhibiting behavior just like he did this time last year. That ended up with a dreadful operation. After a few days of this, I called the vet. This time the local vet was able in a couple of days to take care of the problem.. but it was also time for Toby's annual wellness check up... and Bacon's wellness check up was scheduled for the following week. Took a deep breath when I transferred money from savings to checking so I could pay off the runaway mastercard bill... and heaved a sigh of relief... then I noticed water marks on the ceiling in my bedroom.. and knew the upstairs toilet could sometimes leak a little moisture from the tank, so I called the plumber... the plumber and I have gotten to be on first name basis with all the work he's done here the last year or so... Gary came right over and knew immediatly that the water on the ceilings on two floors are from the plumbing stack on the roof. The flashing is leaking. The roofer has been called, and am awaiting him anytime now... and for the real biggie... the air conditioner quit working Tuesday... I realized that the house was hot and not getting cooled off and the motor was running and running... the repair guy came yesterday and delivered the bad news... "m'am, it's the coils, they are leaking... so, this morning Gene stayed home from work and we met with their salesman... and are spending many thousands for a new heating and air condtioning system... the humor is all of this is look at all the points I'll rack up on my mastercard.... might as well laugh...

Toby's New Reality

Toby, our 13 year old grey tabby had his annual trip to the vet on Friday. Toby has never had a weight problem until our other cat Bacon started getting more attention. Toby is a true alpha cat. Unquestionably he is the center of the known universe... Bacon was very sick last year. He had a surgical procedure at the Emergency Vet which has changed his diet. Now Bacon eats moist food, very few treats, and not much dry food. He won't eat but a few bites at a time which means he gets a lot of attention with feedings about seven times a day.... Toby is jealous...

Toby, while handsome and occasionally sweet, can be a controlling monster. He demands snacks, treats, attention,  whatever he craves until he gets it.

He has  that true bully personality. Our vet bought her first pair of extra length heavy duty gloves years ago just to be able to handle him. Several vet techs have been scratched or worse over the years of trying to keep Toby contained. Toby will by force, sit on the exam table, but his teeth are clenched and his ears are pinned back so Dr D can see nothing. Even covering his head with a towel doesn't slow him down. This year he got his shot before he started making that awful sound in the back of his throat. She's also getting better at getting him to hiss at her so she can see down his throat. Thankfully he seems healthy... did I mention that Toby brushes his teeth? Chews his own toilet brush soaked in baking soda and vinegar... Unfortunately, Toby has gained weight this year... and now he must go on a diet... this is day three of Toby's new reality. Yep, he hates it... I don't like it very much either. He starts carping about 8:30 am for a treat... two small chicken snacks a day... that's all.. and less dry food... life is going to be tough... it is a fact that I have a bigger paw than he does...

watching my garden grow

It's either a blessing or a curse that I have to walk by all of my flower children on the way to my studio. Inevitably I will stop to water, pull a weed, or just rearrange some piece of garden art before I cross the studio threshold. Once inside I am finding that I can concentrate on the task I've set for myself. That's a huge improvement from a year ago. I can't say I'm overly fond of anything I've created except for my buttons. Figures that there isn't a market for them... okay, they sell well at Cozy. One place...

Today I began making blessings bowls. I have a wholesale order for some, along with a selection of purple trays. I call it making old work. It is money in the checkbook, even if I'd rather be working on new ideas. Not much of a surprise, most of the new ideas floating around in my head or in my sketchbook seem to have a floral theme.

Time for Change

I have this thing about Japanese Maples... here's the latest addition to the garden, a ghost maple... It's a bit too sunny but not so much as to damage the tree. It will just blush a bit too much.

This past year I've spent a great deal of time pulling weeds and rearranging the various aspects of my backyard garden. It was the best possible therapy. Nothing is more healing than sticking my hands in the dirt. The money I might have paid a therapist I spent on Japanese maples. Now I have three.... and, I'm okay...