name ivan cried

That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history 

is the most important of all the lessons of history.

Aldous Huxley 

Up at first light today to get myself down to FedEx.  Wanted to be first in line to send out the quilt to Melbourne that I had forgotten.  Well, I hadn't forgotten the quilt, just forgot to enter dates into the calendar and went checking a fe days too late.  But FedEx, bless their hearts in the best way, can get it there on time tomorrow.  Whew.  Dodged that bullet-  when I told TY, he said we'd drive up there today to drop it off and that he as in need of 'an adventure'.  Things are that tough apparently that driving to a quilt drop-off 2 hours away is an adventure!  Instead, Molly went with me.  She is an excellent rider and asks nothing other than that I don't stop suddenly because she flies through the air easily now that she's a lightweight.  Only ended up in the foot well once today.

And speaking' of doggies, I took them both out for a walk yesterday evening because it was quite beautiful out.  When we returned to our street I let them run off leash (bad me) but you should have seen her go!  She was a veritable greyhound racing Pepper and out-distanced him in no time.  What a thrill to watch her do this again after so many months of illness and recovery.  She is definitely back, and even her shaved face is looking furry again.  

In other news, we are planning to build a house near here on a lot we've had a couple of years.  We don't want anything big, just a tiny bit bigger than we have now with room to stash stuff since I am a human carp and grow to the size of my environment.  This house we love but it was built as a weekend get-away and really pretty small, no storage, and not quite what we need now that we're here full time.  SO, as much as I'd like a special dog washing mud room with a waist high sink, a copper bathtub looking out across vast expanses of grasslands, a closet with a special room for shoes, and a six burner commercial range-  it ain't gonna happen. 

The great thing is that my studio is a mile away so I don't have to move that stuff, and in fact can pack up things and leave them there in all my plastic bins until the house is done.  It is, after all, a storage space.  So, we will be cleaning up this place to put it on the market and we will be cleaning out the condo up north and hopefully after all is sold and moved, buying a small pied a tier to act as a hotel room when we're there.  For that we need a closet for winter stuff (though it's now all 10 years old and in pretty bad shape), a garage space, and a kitchen with a coffee maker.  Hopefully someone out there is still making small one bedroom/ one bath apartments.  I've been reading ads for a long time and haven't found one yet.  

Might end up in the 'burbs in one of those hideous mid rise brick apartment developments that go on for miles. But for now it's high excitement as we toss out ideas to each other on what we want:  *I* want a loft with industrial fixtures and a black wall, TY wants a Mediterranean villa, but we have to cram it all on our small corner lot in a development that has some strict (and odd) building rules.  

Trust me, you'll be hearing lots about this.  Bare with me.

Pickled Head, an upgrade from Pickled Eggs

Directions for pickling your own, or a frenemy's head are HERE.  Actually you could do several since you're at it.  Puts special meaning into 'amuse buche'...

(or however you spell it)

Providence based Jenny Brown does amazing detailed plant-like drawings, done with inks and found materials on vintage papers.   Check out her early work too, it’s very interesting to see her evolution as she develops her work!  

 Joe Mangrum creates beautiful murals on the ground, painting with the ephemeral medium of colored sand. He has sprinkled his masterpieces on the streets of Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and even Sesame Street. Creating vibrant, kaleidoscopic images as sand falls from his hand, Mangrum improvises the designs as he goes, never fully knowing what the final product will look like until it’s finished.

Today we're doin' Fancy French Ecureuils (without the thingy over the E) because somehow I got myself out of the English Speaking Squirrels Source Catalog.  Hire Google Translator if you don't figure it out.  Love the graphic.

Now, off to do something creative, one can hope.  Thanks for all your comments and suggestions lately-  it's fun not talking to myself for a change!