with a moo moo here

some people say the whole "local" or "locavore" movement is just a bunch of hype... but i have to push up against it in regards to the wealth and abundance we have in our own backyard here in the PacNw. after a long and bordering on indulgent trip to Metropolitan Market, the kids and I left with some fresh Washington Peaches, Pluots, seattle loose teas that the kids smelled and picked out, fresh baguettes, Valhalla coffee, and lastly a jar of every dairy product that Twin Brook Creamery (from Lynden) had to offer. WARNING: the chocolate milk is the thickest and most addicting treat that you've ever let slip past your lips.

As I pour the "half & half" into my coffee, the sobering thought that coffeemate will never again cut it. Darn you, good food!

i am a bunny and i live in a hollow tree...

 there is a season for everything and that especially means all things in the art and creative realm. my wonderful husband helped me realize this inclination that i had, and now it removes the "creative guilt" that sometimes overtakes me when i have left one endeavor for another. it also reminds me of my favorite book growing up as a kid, where the bunny basks in each picturesque setting of the seasons and describes each activity. i mirrored that style in regards to my creating seasons...

• in the summer i spend time sketching plans for the garden, getting my fingers in the soil and letting them be stained by the green of the grass and letting them dance over the grill or skillet as i saute fresh green beans or swiss chard. this season i let my inside passions go and walk barefoot.

• in the fall my mood changes to an energetic melancholy- what this looks like i can't explain. only that suddenly i want to read milan kundera, wear a skirt with a tweed blazer and walk the 'quad'. my canvas starts to look more like a real canvas with acrylic paint and charcoal on it. there is also a bounty of harvest and that leads me to milk all i can with the season's highlights. (i also learned to crochet and began to write more.)                        

• in the winter, for some odd reason becomes my deepest longing and need to experience a serious rendering of art. less in this time to i reach out for inspiration, but instead i dig deep and pour out. if i chronicle the past 5 years i see a history of this. standing out in my garage/studio with fingerless gloves huddling over the heat lamp, watching my breath as i sing at the top of my lungs a Bon Iver song (aptly named, too as it means 'Good Winter') and step back and sigh. it is in this season i received my first easel, showed my first pieces at a gallery and a festival, i sought out an amazingly talented encaustic mentor, and framed one of my biggest pieces to date. in this season, i come alive, i am ready- the cold brings out something in me. it affirms my hunch that cold cities produce true art and artists. (think Russia and Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Nabokov, think Seattle and all the amazing musicians, think Paris and A Movable Feast, painters and musicians alike, etc, etc, etc) this also becomes a cozy and perfect time to sew and create functional pieces for myself and loved ones.

• i like to lump spring in with winter somewhat in that we have a very non-distinct break from the storms and wet gray. but this is okay as the symbol of spring matters more to me and my art in that the birth and renewal of foliage reminds me of this life and how i am most alive when i have put to death the things of this world. ("for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." romans 8:13)

as always, here's some music that is inspiring me at the moment: the National

"stay-cation" and makeshift fun

this is what you do when you can't afford to go to Disneyland for vacation or buy toys from Discovery Toys... we make our own fun- the dorky way. who am i trying to kid? I think even if I had all the money in the world, I would find some way to make my kids have the same goofy homespun fun that I had growing up...

Summertime Grilling

What's in season right now? Salmon, blackberries and green beans. So i threw together a whole meal based on the above to enjoy after a hard day of working outside... Makes my mouth water just looking at it now. Grilling potatoes and baby carrots is very easy in a little foil "envelope". Same goes with beans. Add some olive oil and some Lavender Lemon Pepper (from last year's lavender festival in Squim). Lastly, I made a little dill yogurt aioli for the salmon and potatoes. The "Chobani" yogurt is a good one. Our whole family loves it- especially baby Adelaide. Happy Summer eating!