House Concert

pics from the colby stead house concert a while back:
thoughtful group.
Many thanks to beautiful Colby, Amy, and Steven for their incredible original music.

dear reader,

It's at times like this that i wish i could write like her because then i'd aptly describe the effects of colby's music on my heart. and you'd understand.

but instead i'll write like me and just thank James T. Russell, the inventor of CDs. Because of him i can listen and listen and listen to Colby's music any time i want!

you never know who'll show up...

...on sundays which have become an informal open cottage & garden day. You're welcome to come. It's best around dusk.

(disclaimer: this is not THAT garden show. if you need the garden to be perfect before you see it? uhhh... call first! and i'll tell you what i tell myself. PERFECTION is a myth manufactured to make us rely on drinking copious amounts of calming substances such as kava kava. which is really very tasty. but might have adverse effects such as turning skin green.)

Your kids will be put to work eating strawberriesfeeding the ladies...snacking on sugar snap peas...
and if you're a slightly older monkey you can climb into the pirate's nest.

Lumina was here.

and it was a dream.

and it's taking me ten billion years to try to paint a picture of what Lumi is like.

i haven't touched the room she stayed in because that could be bad luck against my secret plan to have her return. Plus that room now has the most pleasant beautiful scent. AND IT MUST NOT BE DISTURBED. Some people have the most amazing scent. AND THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW IT. and i am reminding myself that i just read the twilight series. but still need to back off the whole scent-of-a-human thing.

But it really was nice to have lumina here. she is the most fun you'll have. and she has so many stories because she does all the things i dream about doing. like wouldn't it be nice to teach at a university in Seoul and then get to know everything about Asia because you're always on an excursion and you just ran the half marathon on the Great Wall of China. and you have thousands of friends because everywhere you go people see your vivaciousness and want to be near you.

Lumina and Sus at Gallery OneTen where Lumina taught us how to do Korean brush painting.


Here's she's planting a "lumina" plant in our garden. It will produce white glowing pumpkins. And i swiped this pic from lumina because i love it!
she's off to boston, her new home, where she will undoubtedly make her mark in the art world as an artist and gallery owner.

Pomelo maté

In the summer it's nice to drink some yerba maté using a grapefruit as the gourd. O'lover brews mint tea, adds ice to chill, and mixes in agave nectar to sweeten. We add the "yerba" to the cored grapefruit, pour in the mint tea, and drink it while squeezing the sides of the grapefruit and releasing more juices into the mix.

It's delicious!

Abuelita assumes that we use sugar. But today there was no fooling her.

Does Abuelita like it?
No! She does not like it! Too "amargo" (bitter).
Crap! She really doesn't like it! What are we going to do ?! (We had run out of agave nectar!)

Abuelita! I'm taking pictures. Please smile for the camera! Pretend you like it!So we added some "miel" (honey) but Abuelita would not touch it. I don't think we'll get away with using a sugar substitute ever again.

But the rest of us, including AJ, really liked it!

The inside of my fridge

Actually looks a lot like this. (although our fridge hosts some lurkers: a large jar of kombucha tea that we "feed" daily and O'lover's fermentation experiments which we're holding hostage until they develop frontal lobes and petition us to be set free). this pic found from Designers' Block UK
my girlfriend Ardell (by her beautiful example) influenced me to not use tupperware (no plastic!) so leftovers are stored in ceramic bowls with plates as lids. all of my gorgeous baskets? used to be Ardell's. She is a minimalist with fantastic taste and few possessions. But Ardell is a magnet for all things beautiful and watching her in action is like watching a martial arts master in tune and ready to strike the right person at the right moment. Watt...CHA! This rare and artful waffle maker is for...you!

speaking of all things edible...these are some of my favorite posts about food:
my sister's lemon lush
azucar's food manifesto
and this lois denominator post makes me nostalgic.

Loving Neighbors and O'lover is the best shrink

My dear kind sweet generous neighbors gave me this vintage apron and some still warm homemade granola. Well, like Jethro Tull sings "i'm as thick as a brick" and i ate the delicious granola. Will i never learn?? (schmallergies...)

Also, Richard and Claudia Bushman, the famous LDS writers and Columbia profs, came over. We chomped on fennel from the garden and talked about their latest research projects. They are writing about farmers. How cool is that? I almost asked Richard to sign my copy of Joseph Smith Rough Stone Rolling... next time.

And today NO KIDDING, Ollie said this off the cuff :

[first me, feeling very anxious] Oliver? Am i flippant?
No. Why?
I really know i'm waaaaay tooooo flippant.
Ok, you need to suck the chi out of that story and reanimate it into something that empowers you.

I offer up Ollie for hire as an amazing therapist. Man-o-man can he nip insecurities in the bud (while kinda giving you homework to be a better person.)

My Girl

My girl Rachel sent me this pic from our recent pre-party before the open garden before the house concert that we recently had (more pics of that are on their way).

Rach does not read this blog. This means i'm talking about her behind her back.

Rach always complains that i'm not as fun as i used to be. i agree. i'm pretty much nose to the grindstone these years (or sometimes its like i've been injected with sleep syrum). But Rach still loves me. How do I know? Because recently when i had my cashed paycheck stolen from my bag Rachel insisted i come up to the Kura Door Spa in Salt Lake where she treated me to a massage and oxygen facial by a woman named Isis. How could i be sad after that? Not possible.

That being said, i'm a greedy unsatisfied wench who would be really really happy if Rachel started reading my blog. 'cause that feels like a million bucks!

editor's note: for the first time EVER ollie doesn't like my post. he doesn't want me to use the word wench. but i like the word and have to use it sometime.