when there are enough hours in a day...

We were supposed to be visiting my parents in Michigan this weekend but the excessive heat, violent storms and our recent travel led us to postpone our trip until later in August(thank you mom & dad) and it was a solid decision. This weekend was that unexpected one where you gain time and it magically unfolds in slow motion and you are able not only to do the hours of yard work that need to be done but also to visit the farmer's market, cook*, bake* and take time to enjoy it all. The past few days have been full of physical labor in my own garden and the elementary school's garden, time in the kitchen and time with board games, lots of time in the kitchen and time at the table, time in the studio and time reading the paper (and snipping bits here and there for new work) and at the end of each night a walk for the dog and a glass of wine in the chairs by the the coop with C as we watch the chicks enjoying their new digs.

This was a full circle weekend around here and I can only hope the same is true for you : )

*sweet and spicy bread and butter pickles

*blackberry buttermilk cake

(also made these which were awesome)

last week (or a few things that go too fast)....

time on the water & time to notice things

go karts & being seven

17 years & dusk at the beach

Time with family is one of those things that always goes by too quickly. After a few days together in a lovely house set up for twelve you kind of get into the rhythm of living large. There's lots of noise, someone always around, someone always cooking something or making plans to set off to the beach, go for a bike ride or walk and once we part ways I always feel a little melancholy (it's as if I instantly feel nostalgic about events that happened only days ago). We've done a handful of these trips thanks to the generosity of my in-laws over the past 12 years and they have become a treasured means of looking back for our family. But now we are home and settled in, unpacked and trying to stay cool as the temperature hovers around 115 : ( I am on a mission to keep the chickens cool now that they are living outside 24/7. So far today I have fed them frozen baby peas, cool cantaloupe and blueberries and misted them with the hose (they didn't like that last one). I have also set a small plastic tub on it's side in their run and put a few frozen ice packs in it so it it a bit like a cooling room. They haven't come around to lying inside the tub yet but I'm going to keep putting treats in until they get the idea. I'm so happy to say that the office is cleaned up and put back together and my studio is calling my name. I have a looming deadline ( ETA 10!) and nine boards prepped and ready to go. I didn't realize how much the chicks sharing my space would hinder my ability to work. The heat lamp, closed door and fine layer of dust that took over the room led to zero painting being done for a number of weeks but now life and painting go on. I'm hoping to share the foundations for these new pieces within a few days and am looking forward to working on a large family of pieces which is something I haven't done in a while. What are you up to during these dog days of summer?

Down to the wire...

Moments after I started this post yesterday morning I received a phone call about the darkening sky. Within 10 minutes I was on my belly in the coop gathering wet and scared chicks into their coop (see the area under the coop...it makes gathering them in a hurry a wee bit tricky) in the middle of an insanely powerful storm which lasted only minutes but brought down trees, crushed cars and skylights, and left us without power for the 3rd time in two weeks. I only have a few moments before the cab shows up to take C and I to the airport. We are off to The Outer Banks of North Carolina where the kids have been since Friday with their Grandparents, Aunts, Uncle and Cousins. But before I take off I wanted to take a minute here to share the finished coop and the fact that the girls have officially left my office/studio for good. We put the finishing touches, locks and claps on Sunday and the chicks spent their 1st night in the coop. The timing isn't great for our trip since they are not yet in the groove of going into the coop themselves but we are so, so grateful for a few friends and neighbors who enthusiastically offered to chicken sit. We realize it's a lot to ask but then again who doesn't want to hold a chicken? Have a lovely week!

for a special someone...

wings give her flight

(but the stars hold her dreams)

What you can't really see in the photo is that the wire

between the two antiques screws in the top hold

countless little silver stars from Germany.

When the piece moves they shimmer

like real twinkling stars (like magic).

I hope she likes it!

how summer is playing out...

Summer has been a bit tricky this year with many distractions involving summer school, a two day power outage and chilly temps (just to name a few). These happenings have left me a little late in getting my summer groove on. But a brief get away (on my own) this past weekend with very special friends and a beach town set things right an I'm moving into full time summer mode. Tara inspired me to fire up some homemade pizzas but I have a problem. I have so many great crust recipes I can't decide which I like best and which one consistently results in a beautiful blistery crust. So this week we are doing our own little pizza cookoff to determine which recipe will be our tried and true favorite. I'm also experimenting with toppings and am going to start with black olives, rosemary and roasted garlic, spinich, feta, slow roasted tomatoes and pine nuts and pesto, roasted red pepper and goat cheese. In other kitchen news I am addicted to sweet and spicy goodness of the caramelized cashews with cayenne pictured above. I've made peppered pecans and candies walnuts in the past, and while they are lovely, they've got nothing on the buttery cashew encrusted with crunchy maple syrup with the kick of cayenne and warmth of cumin (although i have been using 1 tsp ground cumin instead of the 1 1/2 whole cumin called for). In the studio I've been working on a block print which still needs a bit of tweaking. I've gotten the image where I want it to be but still have to fool around with the text for the dinner plate. This week I will surely find my way back to encaustics and hope to share some new works by the end of the week. I hope your summer is in full swing!

ps: what's your favorite pizza topping?

This week and this guy...

Over the past seven days I have celebrated a 16th wedding anniversary, Father's Day and a 44th birthday with this guy. There is so much I could say about Chuck here but once again I'm going to let Billy Collins do the talking for me:

Litany

You are the bread and the knife,

The crystal goblet and the wine...

-Jacques Crickillon

You are the bread and the knife,

the crystal goblet and the wine.

You are the dew on the morning grass

and the burning wheel of the sun.

You are the white apron of the baker,

and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,

the plums on the counter,

or the house of cards.

And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.

There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,

maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,

but you are not even close

to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show

that you are neither the boots in the corner

nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,

speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,

that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,

the evening paper blowing down an alley

and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees

and the blind woman's tea cup.

But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.

You are still the bread and the knife.

You will always be the bread and the knife,

not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine.

Billy Collins

discovering what they were meant to do......

Watching these chicks over the past two and a half weeks has been like a meditation of sorts. Witnessing their journey from cute and clumsy balls of chirping fluff to their first outside experience where in an instant they discovered their inner chickeness has been fascinating.