Sundays

Woke up with a desire to crack open a New York Times & then remembered how disappointed I am in that newspaper & in news in general lately. Apart from the upcoming election in France, the news was a bit too gloomy for a Sunday look see; the reduction in welfare & Medicaid is indicated in the increase in infant deaths, the ongoing issues with the dismissal of 8 US attorneys, the list goes on and gets worse.

I used to think that if more people knew something was bad happening, it would motivate folks to intervene. It may be more accurate to say that knowledge has little relation to what can be done to help.

So, no paper this morning. After breakfast, J got busy in the yard & has been out there all day. I've been inside, hanging new curtains and doing chores. It's so beautiful outside. We've got seeds to plant - vegetables & flowers. There are tulips out now, the dogwood tree is in full bloom and we harvested our first bunch of asparagus yesterday. There are so many things to do to get the ball rolling, not to mention we'll have our first actual harvest this year & will need to be ready to grab the food & share it.

Speaking of sharing, we have a plant we're hoping to have adopted. It's a pretty sedum, or sempervivum & it's crowded into a spot with rosemary & primrose. I have a picture of it below:



I've got a Territorial Seed catalog to pore over & dinner is almost ready. J is downtown so I'm getting the mashed potatoes & turkey meatloaf ready. We've still got spinach in the yard, that should round out the meal.

These last few weeks have been busy, with lots of change. I had been trying to schedule surgery and wasn't looking forward to it - I got a reprieve of sorts -
The doctor I'm working with has given me a clean bill of health & surgery has been canceled. That has sparked a big change - I can get back to work & all of the things that entails, I've been getting more active & honestly, I'm looking forward to rejoining the world in progress.

Last week we went down to a local park to have ourselves a beach fire. Hopefully, the first of many.

Spring is here

Just got back from Jr. Mom'ing with Paloma & Jennifer. We went to the park & P played on the swings & slide & practiced her balance. She did very well. Each day starts out super damp around here, but the sky was bright blue & the clouds were not obscuring the sun at all.

P at work:


I went out to windowshop for bulbs & plants for the garden yesterday. Between heading to a local nursery & pruning forsythia + magnolia branches to brighten our house up - I've got a real hankerin' for the beauty of spring. Since I'm not on the East Coast anymore, I'm asking folks back there to think of making the trek to Longwood Gardens, the botanical gardens on the mall in DC or the National Arboretum - just knowing someone back home may be going to those places warms my heart.

Here are two pictures of pretty plants out here:





That is all for now...

When life is full...

Spring in Seattle is a rainy affair. I'm heading out with my pal, Moll, to a museum tomorrow after realizing our afternoon at the sculpture garden will be a bit much, considering the weather. Moll and I schedule monthly dates throughout the year & recently were able to reconnect after a year or two of missing each other.

This evening, I'm testing a database mailing system I'm managing on a volunteer basis. After a few false starts, I've sent out the first email test for a big email blast early next month. This is a kick off, of sorts. I'm pushing to move to a new system & so am very interested in the results.

Today, J & I spent time getting the house back together after returning from our trip back east last week. We had the best time in North Carolina, celebrating his mom's birthday. Every day back east was a treat - the birthday stretched from one day to a "birthday season", we got to visit with the imediate family, grandparents, J's uncle and took many walks through Cape Fear's amazing wetlands.

While we were gone, J focused on getting our spring planting plan set up. He'd already cut back the grape vines, weeded the asparagus bed and the artichokes thus far - while I focused on pruning and ornamental plantings. We're hoping to increase our harvest this year; more carrots, potatoes, greens and the like. It would be nice to have more to share.

Before I left, I got a call saying my surgery was canceled for now. The doctor I'm working with sees potential she can't dismiss & although it points to a long slog down the line, it's very good news for me.

Finally, I looked online for & received news about the boyfriend I referred to two posts below - unfortunately, the news was that he passed away 17 years ago. His niece wrote me with the details - how he was to her as an uncle and how as an organ doner he saved the lives of more than one person when he died. The fact that he is gone came as a shock to me - but as I rifled through old letters from friends & family and photos from the past - in search of something meaningful to send back her way - I was overwhelmed by an undeniable sense of forgiveness, along with the realization that he had a full life & is loved very deeply by his people. I'm not sure what more folks can ask for. I'm grateful to her for sharing so generously. As I wrote to her, I'm glad I knew him.

Please stand by

It's been a while since I've written, and a while since I went out for a photo shoot, since I've done much of anything. Things are all going well, but my energy has been sapped.

Fall has arrived here in the Pacific Northwest. Spiders have made their way indoors & spectacularly out of doors. For weeks I've been walking through webs on my way through the back yard. Jason planted a few winter crops & when I join him in the garden, he makes a point of showing me the layers of spider webs that criss cross between tree branches.

More to come.

A good day

J & I are having a great time these days. I've been whupped by anemia for the last year or so & with the information we have now + treatment, my behavior makes more sense to him. So we are working through our days - as we're both working at home these days. It's cooler now, but still sunny & warm. We're still getting as many raspberries out of the garden as we can eat in a day & the garden and plants are still a delight.

We're off soon, for vacation on the east coast. There's heaps to work out before we go. It'll be a blast to bring our shenanigans to the beach. My camera needs fixing, the mirror that allows me to see through the lense is blocking most of my images & I've got tomorrow to head out & get it fixed.

Crimeny it's late! I'll sign off now.

slowed down

It's been a while since I've posted - got some news about my health that caught me off guard. Nothing terrible, but through it I realized how tired I've been & how much I've been pushing to get beyond that.

Things have been going well - it's been uncharacteristically hot in Seattle, which has been nice. Our garden has exploded with rasberries, artichokes & blueberries are a few weeks away. There are already a few ripe blackberries on the vine. Each weekend, we've been able to host garden parties where folks have shown up, we all make food (and get some from the garden) and while some gardening goes on, there's lots of relaxing and music.

J is out biking - he called from the road to say that he's enjoying the ride, on a trail that heads north to Everett. He also said I wouldn't enjoy the ride right now 'cause it's a slog, lots of slow uphill lengths. We're heading out when he gets back - bbq & fireworks being the order of the day.

It's a busy summer - lots of good times all around.

Wrapping up

Splendid weekend. I'm wrapping up loose ends, sitting next to my cat - who is talkative & squirmy on the edge of a chair & listening to The Drum Major Instinct by John Hollenbeck. The latter is a combination of jazz music & the sermon by Martin Luther King, Jr. I like it because he talks about how people want to excel & his view of how it can be done.

Today, I joined the Blind Shoemaker's Union in a song at Folklife. They went on to do their set & I got some pictures, here. After almost a week of rain, the sun was out. We danced & sang along - saw most of the folks from our turn class. It was a blast.

I spent most of the weekend immersed in the latest (in some ways the oldest) astrological theories at the NorthWest Astrological Conference (NORWAC). There were folks there who have been doing astrology for 30 or more years & folks who have become scholars in the areas of astrology that require them to learn greek or cuneiform to continue their studies. It was a bracing experience that I fully enjoyed.

Apart from the intellectual stimuli, the people there are lovely, funny and full of life. Next year, I'd like to grab some folks for a get together at our place. I got to soak in all that and still come home to J & Jema at night, exhausted & usually speechless, but ready to use this experience to shape another year of astrological study & application. I spent today sending e-mails to folks I'd like to stay in touch with - and making dates with local cats.

We also got to visit with family this weekend; Jason's Uncle & Aunt came out for a ferry to Alaska & we caught up with them at brunch before they left for the airport to fly back home. They had only good things to say about the trip & we were able to get news on the upcoming 60th anniversary of J's grandparents. We're heading to NC this summer and I can't wait!

After all that excitement, back home, the garden needs tending. Rasberries and blueberries are beginning to form. We've got a wasp's nest to get rid of in the greenhouse shed. There are still dandelions a plenty to eradicate. I wandered about, after re-planting an errant potato. It will take a day or two to get everything back up to where we left it.

I took some time to sit on a log in the back of the garden & just look around. It will be a while before my mind settles & it was great to have a moment of silence to look at - you know, sort of aspire to.

Well, the music has gone off & Jema is back upstairs in bed. I think I'll head up there too.

Something old, somethings new

There's plenty going on these days - last week included events like; (music file) J & my 5th year anniversary, a Mos Def show, a trip to the Volunteer Park Conservatory & Jen, Paloma & the zoo.

Work has been going well - tho start up is a bit slow, with research predominating and implementation coming later. I'm excited about the intricacies - it's great to be contributing on these projects.

I got to volunteer at a local high school, this week, to critique the senior year final project presentations. All of the kids we had in our class were great - lots of art & physical focus on the projects. The high schools out here leave East Coast public schools, that I knew, behind. I felt as though these young'ns were actually ready to join the larger community. It's been too long between volunteer opportunities, it always feels good to help out.

Today was all about mowing the lawn. It's been a while, so the clippings were pretty dense, clogging the bag after two passes. There are so many plants in the yard, my inclination is to mow over anything I personally haven't planted. Not that I was the mower for the most part - J takes that honor. I kicked in at the end with the last of the backyard mowing and took the rentals back to the rental shack.

The yard is really a joy, although it's a bit overwhelming. J is great about getting out there, antagonizing dandelions, etc. It is inspiring to me and I love to get out there & tear it up. We've got a fair amount of debri to get rid of now a days, we should be able to take care of that soon enough.

Tomorrow is a clothes swap/potluck. I'm jazzed to be going. There are more & more opportunities these days - I'm grateful for that & very conscious of where my limits are. I'd like to ride out an era of consistency, rather than consistency for "a good chunk of time".

Hope it rains tonight.

dandelions be gone

Folks came over this weekend and helped us with yard work! We got lots of pruning and dandelion removal help. The weather was good & it's wonderful to have the yard moving along.


originally uploaded by Lilbenne.

Whew, got that out of the way

First day back at the ol' job & I'm glad to have it all underway. Took a nap when I got home & woke up to J's fine spaghetti dinner. Wanted to stay up to get a bunch of cleaning done - little stuff & have done nothing of the sort. Caught up with Dan via instant messenger & have been surfing my flickr pics since.

Tomorrow I'd like to get the gardening wrapped up. We've still got a yard or two of the compost mulch to plop onto the garden & I'm sure there's more asparagus ready to harvest. Then there's putting together the home office. I've heard it's going to rain, but I'm not even going there. I mean, what do I know?

I've been studying some of the more medieval aspects of astrology these days. There's a system to establish dignity - which ends up meaning working on your own or tagging along with others. It's not complex, but it's not easy to puzzle out why certain combinations are together. I enjoy the puzzle.

Last weekend was so full of good conversations - I feel like a tub of water, walking around & trying not to spill over. There's something about opening your home to folks & really being interested in hearing where they've been that is so satisfying. Of course, I usually need a few days of quiet time with J to ease on back to my regularly scheduled programming, but it's very worthwhile nonetheless.

Guess I should give up the ghost & get to bed.

Hiccups...

For no reason or for simply eating toast, I get hiccups. For about half an hour, I've been hiccuping, when I should be sleeping. It's a school night after all.

I've had a wonderful day - not enough time to spend with J, but apart from that nice and easy. I saw my print teacher from my alma mater & she invited me back to make the Japanese washi that we learned to make together ten years ago (invitation was to come back in Sept. when school starts again). I got to hang out with good friends. I got to see some stellar art. I got hired.

The dishes are clean and I'm still up. No reason, just amped for tomorrow's "first day at work". After so long, I'm curious as to how I'll do, but not really. I feel more stable in my intention than I have before. Than I have ever, is what I should say.

It's so springy here, in Seattle. Our garden grows like no one's business. If it weren't for the squirrels uprooting certain seedlings, it'd be a ridiculous crop.

I can't think of anything else to share. I've been hiccupping throughout this entire post. Ridiculous.

Mostly done

We got further along than we expected after seeing what we were up against. Still a ways to go, but not as much as we first thought.

Here are the pics, right this way.



Splendid day.

I should really just check the weather before I post

Beautiful sun is what we're having in Shoreline this weekend. Which is good, because we're pounding to get all of the mulch into the garden by the end of the day. This was the recommendation we got for managing our over 400 sq. foot veggie garden - cover most of it, while enriching the soil & killing all of the weeds at the same time.

The difference between the garden as we saw it in Oct. & yesterday's first swipe is pretty amazing:



We still have a bit more cardboard to collect & of course the whole wheelbarrows full of mulch thing is going to kick our butts today, but it feels really good to take care of the yard. Not to mention that we're already enjoying the food from the garden.

I've always really (& really secretly) admired horticulturalists (my Grandfather was the guy who took care of the cherry trees along the tidal basin in Washington, DC and my friend Richie has worked with plants the entire time I've known him) so getting to do my own landscaping and gardening is a real treat.

Well, I guess I better get the last of the morning coffee drunk & get out there.

Weekend plans

The rain has returned, and J and I are expecting a delivery of 8 yards of compost mulch to cover the part of our roughly 400 square foot garden that we want to keep free of weeds while we get our bearings as gardeners. We've already benefitted from the vegetables that were planted before we arrived here. Fresh asparagus is a treat & I guess we can harvest it twice more, if we're lucky.

My job today is to corral enough cardboard to cover the grassy areas that are encroaching on the beds that we've not planted yet. I'm also heading over to D.D.s to help out with her launch party for her new business. I'm glad everything is indoors today - I'll be working in the rain this weekend, so this will be my treat.

Well, just got off the phone & it looks like I'll be prowling around Home Depot, Costco, etc. to corral enough cardboard. Ah well, I guess having it delivered woulda been a bit too much to expect.

Art studio update: Nothing to report here, but wanted to post that I'm still doing art, still have art on the brain.

Have a good weekend, everybody.

Sunny after all

Sunday brought plenty of sun - a lovely accompaniment to J's return home. Hope everyone had a good Easter - Passover - Mohammed's birthday and other festivities of this season.

Saturday's performance with Ahmet Ozhan went very well. The dervishes joined in two separate sections - Avery Fisher hall was full, tickets sold out and Ahmet Ozhan's performance was met with a standing ovation & encore requests.

We sent four local dervishes & were regaled with wonderful stories from their experiences in New York on Monday. I've been looking for reviews & will post when I find one, but so far - no luck.

J & I are gearing up to take on the garden this weekend. This week has so far been very pleasant, although it's grey again today. I've been getting out more & even made a trip to the zoo yesterday. An early visit was they way to go as most animals were out to have their breakfast. Photos here.

My neighbor, Margaret, invited me over to play scrabble any time I want. She's going to be 103 this year & I got to spend an hour or so with her yesterday. It's really something to spend time with someone who has decided to live on their own for the long haul. Margaret is very companionable & terrific to spend time with - I'll definitely take her up on her offer!

Good news from J & local friends!

Jason is going to NY this weekend to turn at Lincoln Center with Turkish singer, Ahmet Ozhan. More information on the performance is here and Ahmet's singing here.

Brian Murphy won the well-deserved Behnke Foundation Award in this year's painting category. To hear a review of his work, KUOW. The discussion centers around Rhododendrons and azaleas & so I'm letting y'all know that before you select the audio - I loved it, but I believe my plant geekiness is only beginning to show.

My accomplishments today include clearing more of the bed in the front yard, deadheading the daisies that my sister got for me on her recent visit and getting vacuum bags from the store. I did get info on a possible part-time job, which is loverly. I'm getting jazzed now about the little jobs associated with gardening - there's something very bouyant about working with plants.

Oh, I did do well at yesterday's turn class. It's been a while since I've even turned in class, though I've attended class more regularly this year than in others. Last night, I hit a speedbump & had tremendous energy with which to turn. Fortunately, the ateshbaz - or teacher - wanted to turn a lot to prep for Saturday & so we turned to two songs - about 20 minutes or so of turning.

Since our Sema in Turkey, I have recalled that a semazen I turned with in Galata was praised for turning in very the tight space that we turned in. It's difficult to not bump into someone, while turning, in general and the number of people turning at Galata was a bit large for the space we had to turn in.

The dance we do is best if it looks effortless - but the experience is rarely that way. There is a certain grace to the movements - but if you add other people and try to move in a circle while turning, it ramps up the number of obstacles to reaching that grace.

Finding a groove between two people who are also turning is a job of constant observation & an ability to start and stop on a dime. My turn is evolving, so I'm still paying attention to where my center is & how many movements I'm using to accomplish the turn (three steps should do it, I tend to add a few to compensate for losing my balance).

The yoga I used to do helped, because those slow, still stretches & odd positions emphasize strengthening the overall body. That helps in turning because there's no physical equivalent to the movements you make. In day to day life, you're not going to turn yourself around on your left leg. The same could be said for "the pigeon" or "downward dog". I mean, c'mon...

So when Scott (our ateshbaz) suggested the lengthy walk turning, I focused on keeping my spot, between J & Michael. I had to stop and start & I couldn't tell if we would ever develop into the groove. But that happened & I felt fairly even in the turn as a result.

Ok, time's a wastin'. I'm heading back out into the garden.

Bossy

Pics from weekend plant work follow:





Daisies that are alabaster white on the interior petals and smoky lavender on the outside, primroses that look like roses with flecks of gold on the petal edges, violas that are pale & sweet, trailing plants with delicate, tiny blossoms and ornamental sweet potatoes with dark purple leaves - beautiful colors in the containers in the front & back of the house. Lovely to hear the rain this morning & awaken to see plants energized and bright with water droplets on the leaves and blossoms.

I also weeded the container with the pretty pink and salmon cone flowers, which are growing back nicely from last year. This house has cone flowers growing around the patio & geraniums growing back already - primroses aplenty & flowers practically everywhere ya look.

On to bossy: I'm still backtracking - the picture cds are done, but not in the mail. The studio feels like a space built for me, but is far from functional. I'm going through my things to see what I need vs. what I bought impulsively & is now just taking up space. I've spent a week watching what I'm doing & as opposed to the last several months, I've stuck to the goals I've set - achieved a good portion of them.

My thinking these days is less tied up in the brutal-ish mania of overproductivity I still read about & admire on the web. I've dropped coffee, caffeine rather, and have done the same with cigarrettes and overall feel more solidly grounded in just what my body can provide on it's own.

Since I'm gearing up for hard work I can't quantify on the outset (readings, studio work on a production scale & studying) I'm nervous that the habits I built in the last 5 years will resurface as I engage. That's where bossy comes in. I'm acclimated to pushing myself & need to see what that looks like without crutches. At any rate, it looks like I'm back in business.

Blooming

Good couple of days - the Blind Shoemaker's Union debut(husband's band)was great fun, J & I worked in the yard together today, my Mom's gift of a trip to the garden center yielded lots of container plants along with seeds for our first go at growing our own herbs & spices.

Tonight, we're heading up the street to the $3 theater to see Syriana. I'm eager to see Capote, but even though it's out on DVD, it hasn't hit the cheap seats. The race between Netflix & the $3 theater is on.

Still to do: more on the studio, prep cd packages of photos, prep containers & plant.

I'm so glad that Spring is hear. Whew...

Friday wrap-up

Trying a few new things here:

First, John Lee Hooker's Hobo Blues, live courtesy J & Youtube.com



Now, the news of the week:

J & I took some time to put together a packet for J's bro's wedding - pictures & sound for family folk. We're popping them in the mail this weekend.

That led to me tending a big 'ole backlog of images that I owe folks from last year. I've gone through 6 cds so far & haven't calculated the total I will go through. Some have ended up on Flickr.

The Blind Shoemaker's Union is coming together. That's the band J is in. They are having an open house sort of thing next week. They want feedback cause they can't hear themselves anymore. J's been making cd's of their weekly practices & we listene dto one last night going for a food run for a late supper. All the elements are there, but there's still more shaking out to do with the vocals.

Jema just came upstairs. She's so old. 16 years this year, tho I fudge the numbers regularly because she's just 3 or so to me. A former room-mate's cat died this week. Same age as Jema. There's something so vulnerable about the relationship between a cat & their person. Not to get all cat lady on you, but there is. My cat is ridiculously important to me. She's super independent, but we're really close. So my friend's loss hit me.

This weekend, J & I have few social commitments & hopefully it won't rain, so I'd like to spend some time in the garden. I did some cutting back of plants earlier this week & so much is happening in the yard, it could use another look. We've got daffodils, crocuses (croci?), hyacinths, tulips & more peeping up throughout the yard. There's no telling what else is planted there - should be a very fun Spring/Summer plant-wise.