Spring in the South

We have had Spring all winter here in Charlottesville it seems, there were cherry trees blooming in November! But now it is really truly spring and everything has burst - the trees outside our house were white dreams until a rain storm took down the last petals, now they wear the vibrant green new leaves.

I am appreciating the new sights and smells of spring here - there are maybe more variations of flowering trees than we had in Vermont? I don't know, but they are certainly different. And somewhat more lush, more tropical almost. The magnolia in particular.



And of course there are the dogwood, the state flower of Virginia, blooming now in the woods with their delicate flowers stained with a spot of red.



I am ready to burst this spring as well. Baby will be here in about a month. Is there any better time of year to be born?!

And then we moved...

Life has sped to an irrationally fast pace over the last few weeks - last couple months maybe? - while at the same time slowing so that it feels the days might never end. We moved, packed all our belongings into a 16 foot budget truck and hauled them to Virginia, where we unpacked them in our new house. We have not been able to live there, however, due to an ongoing lack of water. But life doesn't quit, so we are making do.

Actually, we are very lucky to have Cam's family all here so we have a wonderful place to stay while we wait for our own home. And we've been able to get in and do some unpacking, some painting, some planning. The office is partially set up so Cam can work there. I stay out at the farm and think of all the other things we need to do and try to work.

I was at the new house when the earthquake happened and holy crap, I had never felt anything like that before: it was terrifying. Then there was a tornado just down the road (the tops are snapped of all the pine trees - crazy), and the news of the coming hurricane. Irene mainly swept around us, though friends back in Vermont were not so lucky.

Vermont Red Cross

Boston.com article about Vermont and Irene

7 Days, Vermont's alternative paper

Westward ho!

We stayed at crappy cheap motels and ate fantastic food. We listened to our 10 or so cds (that was poor planning) until we couldn't stand them anymore and restocked at a truck stop. We sang the first lines to country songs about the places we were driving through and then had to call our parents to get the rest of the lyrics. We froze our asses off in south Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma and watched the dashboard thermometer slowly rise when we reached Texas.


We apologized profusely to Ramona at each turn in the road (she gets carsick) and considered sending a postcard to the Amish farm where she was born. She was excited to explore at all our stops - I can't possibly imagine the barrage of new smells she was experiencing - but seemed fairly certain we were intending to abandon her somewhere along the road (we wouldn't dream of it).


We took our time, stopping to see the sights (the Eiffel Tower of Paris, Texas) and taking detours when necessary (to see Oklahoma, neither of us had been to that state before). We followed my inferior map skills down a mud road along the Arkansas/Oklahoma border and I did not mention the lack of cell phone service.


We had bbq in Nashville and then again that night for dinner in Memphis because, well, do I really need to elaborate on that one? We laughed ourselves silly over jokes I can't recall, marveled at the changing landscapes, and decided we wouldn't choose to live in rural Arkansas. We made friends at a dog park in Dallas and walked in a meteor crater near Odessa.


We discussed "issues" and movies and music. Cam read his book and I tried not to fall asleep. We detoured to take a picture at Rosa's Cantina and ate green chile burritos while ladies in impossibly high stiletto boots played pool.


We arrived in Tucson after four (I think... they sort of blend together after a while) days on the road. Now we are settling in at my parents guesthouse, moving furniture and making plans. Absolutely thrilled that we actually pulled this off. I feel like making this crazy scheme come true set a good precedence for a life full of possibilities.

2011: Hello!

2011 is going to be a big year for me. C and I will be getting married in July. We will probably be moving - the place has yet to be decided. I took the GRE right before Christmas and am considering the options for grad school.

The excitement has actually already begun, as I quit my job as of the end of December and have embarked with C. on a cross-country journey to live for a couple months in Arizona. We are in Virginia at the moment, having spent the holidays with his family here.

This was my first Christmas away from my family and I expected awkwardness, homesickness, and general feelings of woe; but C's family is so affectionate and have taken me in so warmly that I didn't feel out of place at all. I think that's a good sign as we will most likely be celebrating many more holidays together in the future!

As always whilst on vacation - and even more so with the New Year and all the attending expectations of change and resolve - my mind turns toward possibilities and plans for the future. Right now this potential is magnified by the very real need to replace my forsaken income (what was I thinking! - is what I ask my self quite frequently) and my own internal insistence on figuring out just what the hell I want to do with my life. I am still adjusting to a suspicion that growing up does not mean acquiring an automatic knowledge of grown up information (how to decide on an insurance plan, for instance, or what exactly is a realistic savings goal for two basically unemployed twenty-somethings).

After my first euphoria at being on the road - literally as well as figuratively - the worries began to creep in. Or to be honest, they hit me square on the head as I attempted to fall asleep. What are we doing? What am I doing? I had a fantastic job in a time when so many are searching without luck for any type of employment. My accessible savings are quite limited and I have no game plan for the immediate future as far as paying bills. The relaxation of the holidays has now passed and I am beginning to feel that I am just being lazy. Sleeping late and watching Parks and Recreation until mid-afternoon is great and all, but doesn't help my pocketbook. I am loaded with ideas on what I want to do next, but there is a necessary waiting period involved with our travel plans. I am starting to get antsy.

However. Right now, I am sitting in an incredibly comfortable chair with a mug of delicious coffee, next to a cozy fire in my future-mother-in-law's lovely home. I have so many people - my family and C's family and our amazing friends - in my life. I have a head brimming with creativity and a drive to make something of myself and my world in some way. I have a lot to figure out this year, but ever so much to look forward to.

Thanksgiving, a little later

All my Thanksgiving photos came out blurry. Vermont is pretty dark come November, with the sun setting around 4:30 or so and the light fading quickly. In a way though, I feel like this picture sort of captures the essence of the holiday and this year's celebration for me - warm and fuzzy, pretty without being fussy, and just incredibly comfortable. Childhood friends came to visit, and it was amazing to me how smoothly we all can rejoin each others lives - the 4 of us cooked together so unawkwardly in our little kitchen and then we hung out the rest of the time and chatted and watched movies. It was utterly relaxing, and absolutely heartwarming. I am so thankful for these friends (and super excited that they are living on the east coast now! though C. and I are actually going to be spending some time in the southwest over the winter so so much for that).

I was gifted a fabulous art clock at one of our arts festivals in the fall, and it turns out to have only hour and second hands. So one fun part of Thanksgiving weekend was when someone queried the hour, the response would be "oh, somewhere between 5 and 6..." Just a little more comfortable blurriness.

November

We're kinda bummed about the election results around the country. I am trying to understand why people think the way they do, but frankly when it comes to politics I am just bewildered.

This drawing is pretty old. It's a blind contour drawing of C. in the living room back when his roommate had a flag hanging on the wall. The roommate took the flag along when he moved on, though the oversize Marilyn Monroe Chanel ad and the Scottish Gameskeeper stayed.

I like blind contour; it is hard not to peek, but the results are often surprisingly interesting.

Morning Mystery

What is the meaning of this? I haven't a clue.


I found this heart with it's mysterious equation in a folder of old work notes this morning. Most likely the explanation is something arbitrary that has lost any meaning over time - some things are just much more fun when they are unknown.

Jumping into Wedding!

We are planning a wedding. And, as it turns out, this is about all I can think about these days. I should have known, I like to plan.

We are about a year out, and I am really afraid that my family and friends are already sick of hearing about this. Or if they aren't yet, they will be soon. So I am nipping that problem in the proverbial bud and turning to this here space, this outlet to the unknown world - kind of like talking to a large empty room that may or may not be full of microphones. Now, anyone can stop by and behold these Very Important Dilemmas and Details, and when it turns out said details aren't that important after all, the visitor is welcome to click away. Perfect. No wonder there are so many wedding blogs out there!

At this point, we have lots of ideas, we have a location, we have a bunch of photographer prospects, we basically have food, we have the cake. We don't really have a date...

We have lots of ideas and excitement and I think that's a good thing. We are happy planning this together and are learning a lot along the way. I'll be back with pictures.

Flags, check!

I am slowly checking things off my summer to-do list, starting with the flags. They were made for and used at my friend's gorgeous wedding in Toronto, and then got a second life at the Southern Vermont Arts Festival! I think they add a nice festive touch to the front gate tent.



I have a quilt in the works, its a little one but will be a nice curling up on the hammock size I think.

And, big news, we have our wedding date and location! That means I can start on the save the dates for real, which means the whole thing is actually real, which is freaking me out a bit but is mainly just exciting! Pretty sure there will be new to-do lists posted soon involving wedding projects...

I am Thankful

for great friends who travel all the way here to spend a weekend cooking, eating, talking, taking walks...

We had a lovely Thanksgiving; delicious food prepared together (including probably the best pumpkin pie ever), a warm cozy house, cards, champagne, and This American Life on Netflix.


Despite temperatures in the 50s today, its starting to feel like actual Winter. Something in the wind, maybe?

One of those Days...

I had one yesterday. One of those days where you wake up knowing you shouldn't get out of bed, but some ulterior sense of duty forces the situation and you, or in this case, I, found myself at work, after nearly causing a multi-car collision at the post office. I proceeded to destroy our company website, then botch a mass mailing, and then left early before the computers started to actually explode. Gah.

Today, nearly everything was easily corrected, though I am still uncertain how many of the 2,000 mailing list recipients actually heard our important announcement. Norton Anti-Virus self-updating system, I shake my fist at you!

In local news, I have a new paperdoll in the works, something a little different. I'll introduce her here first, so stay tuned!

There's Nothing Like a Little Light Plumbing in the Evening...

Funny the things that get a person to write. For instance, this evening as I was fishing about with a clothes hanger in our disgusting basement utility sink, searching for the ancient drain - or more specifically, whatever nasty bit of muck was keeping laundry water from draining through said drain - as I was doing this, I was inspired to jot down some recent happenings here. I really can't say where that connection formed, but here I am (C went for the drain cleaner).

I have been living the glamorous Arts Festival life for the past two weeks - early mornings, cold fingers, running noses, lots of coffee and disgruntled artists... and then the ones that are so happy to be there, the ones that actually enjoy what they do and have beautiful work that they are inspired to share with the world!


And then there are the customers; they grumble about the weather and make the same jokes over and over and over and over and over (you get the picture?) and they ask the same questions and complain mainly the same complaints (there is always someone who comes out with a new way to complain, that can be counted upon) but then they go through the show and they have a glass of wine and taste the chocolate and fruit crepes, they walk through the tents and talk to the artists, and maybe have a nibble of chocolate or taste the maple candy, and when they come out they are exclaiming what a fabulous day it was, how they should plan their Vermont holiday around this festival next year and maybe the year after that, they take me aside to compliment the management on the gorgeous bathrooms, and, my personal favorite, they comment to no one in particular - perhaps even just to themselves - how very much fun they had. And they don't want to leave (the wives, that is. The husbands, weighed down with purchases, have no problem getting themselves through the exit).


So, over all, its not a bad way to spend a few weeks. Tomorrow we head out to another, our last of the fall season and what looks like it might be the chilliest yet. I can't say I am particularly looking forward to spending the weekend in a cold and most likely wet fairgrounds in central New Jersey, but at the same time I really do enjoy knowing that what we do makes possible what a lot of other people do, and what they love to do, and gives so many other people the opportunity to become inspired by this handcrafted creativity in such a real way.


And those are my evening plumbing thoughts. I will be back for another installment when the sink clogs up or the toilet overflows... or hopefully not.

Its June!

June is lovely, its hard to believe its here right now, but its lovely.


I spent most of this week being sicker than I have been in quite some time, which was not fun. But now I am feeling much much better and today was just so lovely, so things are looking up!

This evening I planted three tomato plants and 7 rows of carrots in my little garden, adding to the already planted broccoli, cucumbers, melons, radishes, lettuce, basil, sweet corn, parsley and flowers. That looks almost impressive listed out like that! Lots of things have already sprouted, and a few were transplants from my little peat pot starters. Now all thats left is planting pole beans in a pot to climb the back porch, and figuring out what to do with the herbs. And maybe some more flowers?

This is the first picture my grandparents ever made together, taken in 1937. On the back my grandma wrote "Just buddies!" - but I have seen her highschool text books where she practiced writing "Mrs. Harold Wright" and "Meryle Wright" over and over.


My grandfather was a wild youth in the back hills of Kentucky. Mommaw got her hands on him and straightened him out, a job she never gave up on for the rest of her life though he turned into the sweetest, most God-fearing man you could hope to find. They were such a pair, after 65 years of marriage I think they really felt they were a part of each other. The year and a half after Poppaw passed away, Mommaw seemed to have lost her will to live. I think all the difficult health problems she had dealt with for years had been tolerable when they were together, and then when she was caring for him, but without him there she gave in. We all knew that she was ready to go when she died peacefully in her sleep this past March.


I think I am lucky that the last few years my grandparents were alive I was old enough to know them for a little while as people, rather than as only my grandparents. Now I am able to look back and admire my grandmother's courage in living alone with her young daughter while her new husband was off in WWII. I am able to understand the hard work my grandfather put in to move his family from Kentucky farmlands to a comfortable suburban life in Cincinnati. When I remember them now, I remember my grandmother telling me of the latest historical novel she had been reading; I remember my grandfather staying up late at night to read his Bible; I remember my grandmother's beautifully elegant hands and my grandfather's hands skilled at carving and other wood crafts. As I grow older I understand the little bits of them that have passed down to me, and I am hopeful of continuing their tradition of strength in adversity, of hard work and perseverance and the basic - and to me admirable - realization of the American dream. My grandparents thought this country the best in the World, my grandfather fought for these ideals. I am much more cynical, but when I think of what they were able to accomplish, and the life they were able to build here, I am hopeful as well.

May Day!

I don't mean to gloat, but what a fantastic day!

I woke up late because the wild winds last night knocked the power out sometime in the wee hours of the morning leaving the alarm clock blinking 12:00, but it worked out fine because I had a full days work to do from home. Completed said project apparently to everyone's satisfaction - a whole festival's worth of ads designed and ready to go!

Cam took me for breakfast at our favorite diner and since it was a weekday there was no wait at all. Then I bought some bright yellow flowers to celebrate May!

While I worked, Cam cleaned the kitchen and then dug out our garden bed so all those little peat pots will have a new home in the near future, where they won't have to worry about the forgetful nature of the bright pink plastic water god (although how much more dependable the outdoor for real water god is it debatable, really).

Then I went to the gym, didn't run out of gas on the way even though I kept forgetting to stop at the gas station, and got an energetic workout with the perfect music.

Home again to dig in the dirt a bit - kept finding pieces of bone which is somewhat oddly disturbing - and Cam cooked our recent favorite dinner (polenta and mushrooms) which we then enjoyed while watching 30 Rock (hilarious).

Next a stroll down to the park in the beautiful spring dusk - the kind that reminds us why we live in the north and brave all that rotten-ness - with a happy dog. Crazy clouds left over from last nights storms and most likely harbingers of more crazy weather (but not tomorrow, please!) made a dramatic display over the Adirondacks and the lake. Forsythia and tulips are blooming all down the street and the leaves are at that wonderful stage after the newly opened early spring green but before the full blown summer intensity; things seem to glow!

Now I will finish a website I've been working on and then watch JFK.

I don't know if its the extra couple hours of sleep this morning, the sun and clear air, or what! But I'm just feeling good. I hope you are too!

Happy Birthday

...to my Dad! The best one I know of and the only one I would want!

The Last Two Weeks

In list form. More for my own memory than anything else... And in no particular order, because I'm feeling a bit lazy.

Easter = lots of cooking and sleeping

I love quiche and plan to make more in the near future

I need a rolling board for making things like sticky buns and quiche shells

Crocuses blooming along the road

Around half the bulbs planted last fall have shown their shiny heads

Front porch is somewhat painted

Barnboard bench* is close to done

New website projects are up and coming

Winter jacket has been all but banished (I refuse to wear it during the day, early morning walks are the only exception)

Little peat potted plants in the windows are growing bravely despite a certain curious dog

I volunteered at the public library on Saturday and only really messed up once, so hopefully they will let me come again

30 Rock is hilarious

I've been seriously slacking on my gym attendance: this must be rectified

A Brownie 8mm movie camera is on its way to my door...

Waking up is hard to do

There is no excuse for baby presents to be a whole month late - I had 9 + months of preparation time!

I am trying to learn Flash, what a techie!

Tetris has been consuming way too much of my time and eye power lately

I am searching for the perfect cotton knit dress, comfortable and simple and solid colored

Also the perfect pants, but those are too hard to describe, I will recognize them when I see them...

Picture:



*exciting project, more to come when I have completed sanding, burning, varnishing and bolting

Dreaming of Somewhere Warm...

Stumbling into the New Year

Does anyone know a good way of making good with the Universe?

Here's the deal: I traveled home on the red-eye from Arizona, arriving at my door around noon on New Years Eve. I am also a wuss, and so refused to go out that night, opting to laze (and sleep) on my own couch. Lame, I know. I did get champagne, however, and I read this post and was intrigued with the idea of jumping into the New Year.

So, I woke with a start when the countdown was at 26 seconds. Groggy and slightly tipsy, I remembered the jumping idea at about two seconds. I leapt to my feet on the couch and made an extravagantly uncoordinated flying stumble to the floor into 2009. And I think I really offended the powers that be. Things have just been slightly strange ever since. I'm doing whatever I can think of to sort it out, but if you have any suggestions...

(New Years Eve on Lake Champlain)