The next couple of pix are from their building's roof top garden.

Good Night! xoxo!

I love being with this guy and with his momma, my little sister Tammy. Because of TamTam's cheerful disposition from birth we have called her "Sunshine." Her son takes after her (well his Dad is very good natured as well). I've had Mr. T all day while Tam's been at school and seriously...nothing but giggles and jokes with this kid.

Even while i'm in Ludite mode, I LOVE airports. And just to continue mentioning art professor Peter Everett's name every post i write - he makes large paintings of airports. Did you know that?

A clue about my destination: While standing in line to board my flight I kept fantasizing that Billy Corgan was around and I could kiss his elbow. The Smashing Pumpkins are from...Chicago. And you neverknow...people do have layovers in SLC. Like the person sitting next to me in the plane. Who brought the same library book as me! What are the chances?

So as we get older our noses grow, right? Every time i tack "right" with a question mark at the end of a sentence i hear Peter Everett's voice in my head. Well, my nose has blossomed to full snort-while-laughing capacity. O'lover likes it. Thank heavens. What if he thought my snorting was rough or rude? I'd have to punish him with loud guffaws and slapping my knee for emphasis and maybe some drooling. But he thinks the snorting is cute and so we're all spared forced dramatics.
Meanwhile, another new physical development has been allergies, particularly a susceptibility to my beloved cottonwood tree. And for the past two days I have lived in the crotch of that cottonwood as I help install a salvaged oak floor for the second story of the tree house. The entire time ringing alarms have sounded to my deaf ears. I ignored the tell-tell repeated sneezing with pressure building. Preventative homeopathic drops have been forgotten for months. Today my ten ton head was pillow bound with sinus headaches that have turned to a full fledged migraine. Resorting to desperate defensive tactics I've been downing apple cider vinegar. I ate WASABI until I thought I'd go blind (but it felt sooo good). Finally, after having to miss my favorite little boy's 3rd birthday party -HAPPY BIRTHDAY "A"! (of the Susan and Brad clan)-I finally...and here comes the most excellent part....took some Maximum Strength Exedrin for Migraines. And praises with loads of glory! legions of angels are holding me in their arms and massaging the crease in my brow...oh wait, that's Saint Oliver.

P.S. I'm almost 34. That's older than Jesus. AND WHAT HAVE I DONE WITH MY LIFE. This is a video of a song I made up about my upcoming birthday realization. I'm sure after the lovely meds wear off I will take it back down. when one is sick where does one's pride hide? Far far away.
P.P.S. Don't fall for watching this video. It's just as boring as all of my other videos. And it's sideways. And what is the deal with youtube always making the videos way darker than they really are?

Our homestead includes a dungeon-like basement which has too long been ignored. The immediate future calls for an overhaul. We're thinking "5 star root cellar". But what do nice root cellars even look like? How can we make it inviting... so we don't just open the hatch, throw our food down there, and close the hatch? (like we have been.)
This is what turned up on an idea gathering google image search...I love repurposed school buses and i absolutely LOVE doing things i never thought i would do- like burying a large vehicle for what could be another residence in our eco-village...LET'S DO IT!

i'm kidding.

no, but really, if anyone has some good ideas for root cellars, please share.

since i quit my director position i've liked it so much better...and keep working. it's kind of like saying goodbye to an exquisite sunset or a soon to be ex-flame. yes, our time together is almost over...but boy do i like you and want to hold on. and this is where an ability to remember your reasons for choosing something else would come in handy. unfortunately, that ability is not at the top of my toolbox. so this might sound a bit kindergartenish to most but hey, didn't we learn all the important stuff in kindergarten?
Put your own oxygen mask on first.
to keep yourself from being a shallow puddle about to evaporate you need to do what it takes to replenish your own waters before trying to water anyone else. (for me this means...MAKE some ART and hang out in the hot tub.)

Look at the big picture.
get an aerial view of your life in its proper context. figure out why you are where you are and reassess. (for me, i realized i was acting on very old ambitions that needed a serious update.)

Map it out. this is where Oliver alters a gardening solution and brilliantly applies it to your non-gardening complaints. with his mesmerizing wavy lines he draws a super cool diagram. you divide your life into zones- which are slightly different for everybody. zone 0 is yourself and includes spiritual and physical health. zone 1- your immediate surroundings, your family and closest friends. zone 2- your garden and other important relationships, zone 3- work/community life. the zones also have sectors which would definitely vary greatly from person to person. all zones must be balanced and addressed frequently and zone 0 has priority over zone 1, zone 1 over zone 2 and so forth. if you place too much emphasis in one zone the rest will suffer. (for me this means going on a project by project basis at work and putting more emphasis on zones 0-2.)

Now Get Your Groove Back.
this is the most exciting part.

Halloween Abroad...
it ain't hallowed without a trip to the Hayes'.
Their art-filled house; homemade donuts, brewed rootbeer, and stew; the scores of walking dead...
oh! and the art projects! this year we carved plaster heads on a stick.
more to come...