Artifact uprising

I am happy to have my first Instagram-friendly photo book which I made over at Artifact Uprising.  It has a lovely hand feel to it, and there is something very pleasing about seeing the photos in this format.  I'm looking forward to making more over the years, giving thought to themes and connections amongst the many, many photos that I take.

Peace and love.

True stories

Wow.  This graphic novel was amazeballs.  It was an unflinching look at aging and dying, parental and familial ties, and the gifts and challenges of the passage of time.  There were moments of incredible joy and wonder, true rewards for sticking with often heartbreaking and difficult terrain.

I am feeling slightly depressive.  I think, mostly, due to the time change.  As I mentioned yesterday, I am sensitive to the decreasing light this time of year,  The shift of daylight savings takes a bit of a toll on me.

I've noticed lately that I seem drawn, inordinately, to consuming art that is on the dark side.  I am not questioning it, there is, as they say, no accounting for taste.  It would be more accurate to say that it's occurred to me lately that perhaps if I sought out lighter fare, it might help tip the balance of my mood and/or perspective...which has felt a bit on the raw/rough/harsh side of things.  

But, I love what I love and so I recently watched a documentary about The Donner Party.  It was riveting and I learned a lot.  It says something when the most shocking aspects of a real life story had nothing to do with the consumption, by humans, of human flesh.

I have Blackfish on tap.  I have a feeling this one is going to gut me so I have been waiting for "the right moment" to watch it.

There is an empowerment that comes with bearing witness.

What are you reading/watching?

Peace.

Kids and food

I love this.  Right before I took the shot I said, "close your eyes".  For no reason, really.

Later, they painted.  Homework for Cap.  Their art, like them, bound with simpatico yet distinct.

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A yummy sounding soup popped up over at Orangette a few days ago.  Soup has been on my mind as the temps outside have dropped.  I realized that the seasonal nature of this recipe meant that I had all but one of the ingredients called for (canned coconut milk), which bumped it right up to the top of this week's meal planning because it would cost very little to make.

I haaaaaaaaaate preparing winter squash.  So tedious.  I decided to tackle as many squash as I could at once to get it out of the way.  Three sweet dumpling squash, two acorn squash and one buttercup squash turned out to be my limit.  I roasted the sweet dumpling squash (and finished it in one day) and saved the acorn and buttercup squash for the soup.

Warming and delicious.  I goofed and put in a tablespoon of sriracha rather than a teaspoon.  I added some water to take the edge off the heat.  Note to self: this soup was very straightforward to make having prepped the squash the day before.

We've had some sweet potatoes waiting in the wings in a bowl next to the squash on a shelf in the kitchen.  (I wonder what it's like to have a root cellar?)  I followed this recipe and roasted a few sweet spuds.  My potatoes needed a longer cooking time (I put them back in, raising the temp to 375º for an additional 10-15 minutes).  The kids both enjoyed these, Sag in particular.

I flipped through Gluten-Free Girl's latest cookbook (borrowed from the library) while half-watching the Pats game on Sunday night.  It's a nice looking book, and when I realized I had stuck post-its on nearly two dozen pages about halfway through the book, I laughed, stopped what I was doing, and put it on my Amazon wish list (which is how I keep track of such things).

She had a "recipe" for cooking quinoa which nudged me to make a pot.  Gem has always liked quinoa, but Sag has not.  I wanted to see if this recipe which guaranteed "fluffy" quinoa would do the trick.  I had my quinoa with a dab of Kerrygold and the roasted sweet potatoes.  Sag ate a few bites of his quinoa (with wheat-free tamari).  He didn't love it, but he didn't hate it, either.

I much prefer my quinoa cold, in salads.  Maybe because I don't taste the "nutty" flavor that most people use to describe quinoa, maybe because I find the texture of quinoa so enhanced when it is layered with other textures, but cold quinoa tossed with some veg (in this case: red onion, leftover roasted sweet spuds and "semi-homemade" sweet dill pickle relish), oil and vinegar (in this case: evoo and ume plum vinegar) and seasoning (in this case: garlic powder, salt and pepper) is a game changer for me.  Yum.

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Buzzfeed posts some very entertaining, yet consistently ephemeral, food stuff.  But, this post woke me up.  I have a feeling this recipe will change my chicken roasting/eating life...forever.

Peace and love.

Embroideries

I was going to post an image of the book cover, but came across this portrait of the author and loved it.  I found Embroideries on the library shelf when I was looking for Marbles.  I'd read Marjane's Satrapi's other graphic novels, but Embroideries, published in 2005, flew below my radar.

It clocked in at under half an hour, making it a very quick read.  And what a gem.  A friendly invitation to perch at the perimeter of a gathering of Iranian women "ventilating their hearts".  This book made me feel part of a large, warm, very much connected tribe.

Peace and love.

Craft and bake sale

Incredibly aromatic (soothing and energizing) bath salts.

Incredibly delicious Paleo carrot soup.  I was hesitant because I am not a fan of carrots, but this soup was out-of-this-world good.

Incredibly beautiful paper-crafting artform which dates back to the Renaissance.

Incredibly cool blow torched lemon brûlée cookies.

Incredibly beloved semi-annual event which was born from the mind and heart of a dear friend (performing original songs here) when she was seven.

It was another wonderful day nestled amongst loving old trees, hanging out with friends, connecting with our community.

Peace.

P.S.  The wares featured above were all conceived and executed in large and larger parts by our amazing kids.

Neko Case

Last night we went to see Neko Case at Radio City.  "A dream come true," she said with gratitude, before leaving the stage.  It was in my fuzzy top five concerts ever.  I thoroughly enjoyed the evening of at times raucous, at times dramatic, at times heartbreaking, songcraft and music.  And laughs...there were many laughs between Neko's and Kelly Hogan's witty quips.

The most intense moment of the night was this song.

And the most happy-making, head-bopping, release-full one was this song.

Peace and love and music.

Saturday snippets

A quickie as I am shifting and shifting and scattered and still a bit of a mess.

• yay for clarity and clear/ed channels through which understanding and communication can flow.  Cap asked me if I'd be interested in doing something next week which I knew would be helpful to him, but I really did not want to do.  I struggled with it for a bit, but then a light shone and the dam that burst turned out not to be holding the flood I feared.  and things sorted out fine.  I faced the internal thing I was resisting facing, which in turn was why I resisted agreeing to help him out.  and it's all good.

• a lovely and sad read.

• a funny and insightful read.

• I am determined to go here before this exhibit leaves.

• I deleted Candy Crush and Bubble Witch Saga from my phone.  that this is worth mentioning is...I don't know...what my life had become, I suppose.

Peace and love.

Looking up, down and all around

Today's theme: things that caught my eye (and oftentimes my heart/soul).

The moon as we crossed the Bay Bridge from San Francisco to Oakland on our first night.

First morning.  Early morning jet lag did not persist.  The 3 o'clock dip did for awhile.

Gem and I took a neighborhood stroll our first morning.  He was antsy to get out of the house.  I took this shot because I loved the way the garbage cans dotted the street (garbage day).  But then Gem, who was walking uncharacteristically quite far ahead of me, crossed the street alone to get back to the house.  I hold him, his style, his pace, his path, fiercely close to my heart.

Seen on our walk.

A house near the Rose Garden.  For want of a better way to put it, they do a lot of cool stuff with rocks.

The rock people also like their newspapers.

Sag sat at this fountain in the Rose Garden for quite a bit.  He really wanted to go in it.  I think he was trying to figure out a way he could go in (without consequence) as much as he was enjoying the serenity of it all.

These numbers indicated years that donors made large contributions to the Rose Garden.  I liked the way they looked and the fabulous Bay Area light is always good for brilliant shadow-making.  Gem is an "aughts" baby.

Everyone loved this reclining chair.  I was a bit worried the kids were going to break it.  So inviting, though, could you blame them for enjoying it as kinesthetically as they could?

This was a sheer curtain in front of the stage curtain at Berkeley Rep, made for the play we saw.  It was hauntingly beautiful.

Leo in alert mode in the backyard.

Blue wagon in Mary and Nate's front yard in Berkeley.

Two pensive kids.

Three turquoise trucks seen from the walking path on the Oakland Estuary.

Three versions of Barbra.

Audrey and Leo starring in a post-apocalyptic universe.

Mystery (I take all blame, I did not note the artist or name of work) public art in Oakland.

Gem shooting footage for his vacation vlog.  Outside the Exploratorium in San Francisco.  The light, the light.  So fantastic and breathtaking.

This kid.  He spends so much of his time super comfortable...or super uncomfortable.  This is a good example of the former.  A sunny reverie by the bay while we waited for our friends.

Gem was reminded of reclining (ancient) Egyptian royalty when he spotted this chaise lounge outside the restrooms in the Exploratorium.  He lay right down for a reenactment.

Malachi may have been pondering fish here.  He loves them.

American River.

Dusk in Sacramento, evening breeze cooling the land down.

Night play.

A sweet little owl that reminded me of my grandmother who loved them.

Laundry day.  Sacramento has ideal line drying weather.  Jealous.

Reading the funnies.

This was a display at the train museum in Sacramento.  The telephone operator's lunch remains!  I adored the pewter salt shaker and eggshell pieces.

From an exhibit of produce crate labels at the train museum.

Stained glass train window at the train museum.

Light fixtures in the Tower movie theater, Sacramento.

Erika and Charlie.  A huge and palpable sigh of relief as Charlie turned a corner and started healing the day before we left.

My favorite of Malachi's displayed paintings.

Cap and Sag under the eucalyptus trees, Berkeley.

Leo snuggling.

Sag in contemplation.  The super comfy being in the super comfy chair.

Mary's birthday pot de crème with whole wheat hazelnut shortbread at Zut! in Berkeley.

This is a cool underpass mural in Oakland that says "eRACISM".

Noticed his body filling the space differently.  I may have a shot of him on their steps when he was wee.

Alameda view before stepping into the restaurant for dinner.

Peace and love.