it's all under the surface: October 2008

sooo sleepy!

I'm waiting for sleep to overtake me, after getting together with a friend I've had since I got to Seattle in 1988. She's an artist too & so I took her into my studio (such as it is) to get a sense of how to better unlock the expression bubbling beneath the surface.

It was gratifying to share my latest sketches with her, to hear about what she would do to convert my workspace into a usable studio - her sweetie had terrific ideas and I took notes. Whoo hoo!

It wasn't all about me - J & B went over a plan to convert the grapes in our backyard into wine. B brought plum wine and we savored it over dessert. It was terrific & I'm hearing we may get more!!

I always get so wound up when I get a chance to connect with folks who mean so much to me - it takes a long time for me to unwind, to relax.

J is beckoning me to come upstairs. I've got hiccups. That seems to be the end of this post.

up late

I'm supposed to have gone to sleep almost an hour ago. I am trying to relax and get ready for tomorrow. I should put away the computer & after this short note, I'll do it.

I'm angling to go to a pumpkin farm this weekend. If it rains, we may defer until there's better weather - or we can dress for the weather. It's raining now - I can hear the pit-pat on the roof. We planted heaps of shrubbery this year, so the rain is a relief. It will be a long time before we need to water our plants!

That's not to say there isn't a lot of work left to be done in the garden. I've been asking around about how to "put the garden to bed" and folks have generously shared their advice. All I know is that the dahlias that always show up so late in the season are laying all over the cute little geranium and the strawberries are growing into the spinach bed. Yeesh! I've been out in the afternoons, weeding - J has too, but without a coordinated effort, it'll all go crazy with weeds. We've still got potatoes in the ground and a few crops to carry on over winter. We're getting the hang of the garden, which is terrific.

So, the pancakes. This morning, I got up later than I expected. The scramble we made was terrific, but the pancakes were undercooked. The bits I ate were flavorful, but I'm no fan of eating undercooked food. I baked some of them tonight and had them with a little sour cream. Yummy!

It's October (and something about breakfast)

Sunday shopping brought me face to face with the spirit of the season. The local grocer was having a competition for the biggest pumpkin, had a sculptor carving a fancy face. I was inspired to cook, I'm hoping costumes, decorations come soon. It's been a while since I've felt the Halloween spirit.

Tonight, I was inspired to put together some potato pancakes. We've still got potatoes in the ground, the purple type that J likes. I've got the lowdown here:

Step 1: cut potatoes, admire purple color (if applicable)

cut potatoes:

Also, chop onion & add, with egg, to a food processor. Beat 'til frothy:

Add the potatoes:

If you have chives, add them too:

Once everything is all mixed together, pour into a bowl and add some flour, salt & pepper:

Let sit for 15 minutes. Or... put in the refrigerator overnight.

I'll let you know how it turns out!

Soon to be 8 feet tall, but for now

For now, the ceanothus is tiny. Blooms are lovely, too.

Back from New York

I got back last night, after spending half a week in New York City. I stayed in mid-town, Times Square. I didn't schedule things well, so ended up working most of the time. I missed dinner out, gathering with friends and any chance of museum hopping.

During the trip, I spent time in the Hearst Tower. The views from the upper floors were really something.

While there, I watched the debates, along with most of the people I was hanging out with - I personally felt that there was less difference between the candidates in their public speaking than I would have liked. I have my preferences, so think my guy won, but without some kind of dramatic error, the debates seem full of language that I can't really interpret, in terms of the difference.

Last weekend, I spent time in Twisp, Washington. I love the time I spend away with friends, this was no exception. The property we were on borders North Cascade Park trails. The "back yard" has some alder trees returning through the meadow grasses. I spent hours listening to the leaves rustling. I spent about an hour when we first arrived watching the wasps come back to life as the heat we brought with us woke them from their hibernation.

Here's what I wrote in my journal:

9 wasps spring back to life,
a 10th joins in.
Torpor reversed by
central heating revival.
Number 15 crawls around,
stiffly on the window
They all see the light -
don't know that this
is temporary.

I'm unpacking my sketchbook.

There are things to do.

Jiminy Christmas! My Site went down!!

I know I've not been very good at keeping up with good old Minkett.com, but I didn't expect my account to be suspended! Between updating the domain, various hosting of other sites, and missing entirely an invoice to the hosting service last August, I started noticing the slow trickle of readers coming to a complete halt.

Sigh.

Well, I've just now updated to blogger's free service - so the site is up for the moment.

I'm hoping to start blogging again. Hope, hope, hope.

Here are a few pictures I'm thinking about these days: