My Trusty Assistant

Although I'm slightly uncomfortable taking pictures of myself, I push myself to do it. Why? Hmmmm. I'm not sure. I do know that a few years down the line, I'm glad to look back and have a few shots to record the moments.
I've painted myself a number of times as well, and I'd like to do that again soon.

I'm enjoying Dottie Angel these days. Pat turned me on to her. I'm guessing those are pictures of Tif in most of her posts. I wonder if she uses a tripod and timer or does she have help? In her bio she says she has four kids, maybe they help. For the above picture, I had my trusty assistant to aid me. She's right outside the frame. I was trying it on my own, and I think I've mentioned her sixth sense for when I am in a self portrait mood. I like that I was able to step away from my desk this time. Thanks darling!

(Photo-My trusty assistant with her trusty assistant.)

Road Trip

I love a road trip. I've always hoped that Annie would be my companion as we explored the highways and byways. What is a byway anyway? Well, anyway...Slight car sickness, terror of bridges, overpasses, tunnels and an overall unease with being on the road make it less that pleasurable for Annie. And of course, for me. And yet, Annie was willing to take this trip! She said it was because she wanted to care for me and help us enjoy our life. Ahhh! I'll take it!

We made 5 stops in 4 hours of travel yesterday, and after about half way through the trip, she finally seemed comfortable. The mist and the rain made the California scenery so fresh and beautiful, making it so easy to stop, again (!) and enjoy.

Trying to Catch a Moonbeam

We are suffering with the heat still. This house holds the heat and won't let it go. Nights are miserable when it's this warm. I have two appointments set up for this week with contractors to figure out ways to cool it off. More insulation, better window screens, etc. So anyway, laying on the bed with the fan directly blowing on us is how we spent most of the evening tonight. I admit to grouchiness in the heat. Annie goes more toward goofiness. So in her goofy state, and against my protests, she ran for the camera (grrrrrr...) even though the light was inadequate and we were both in our birthday suits. It was a very short shoot, my grouchiness made sure of that! But before I called for an end to the madness, I took a few sharp elbows jabs to the tit, got a ton more crazy pictures of Annie that I can never publish, plus the one above which you can see she wouldn't settle down for. Even so, I like it. I think I look like my mother, and Annie looks like the moving flash of light that she is!

In the melee, I got this one, and the one below. It was just a quick moment, but I got them. I converted the photos to black and white, then I increased the contrast and the brightness to achieve this dramatic effect. I think they have a timeless quality to them.



The song is Out Where the Little Moonbeams are Made by B.B. Bruns

Some Fruits of Our Labors

A Fairy Courting Chair

Fairy Coat Rack

Fairy Twin Bed Frames

Another Fairy Fort

A Fairy Picnic Table with Bowls of Food

Fairy Sleeping Loft

A Fairy Rocking Horse

Make sure to check out Annie's creations over at Goofing Off!

The song is Don't Go by Forest City Lover

Me, According to Annie

I interviewed Annie today on the subject of me. Just a simple one. It's illuminating for to see how she perceives me. Or maybe I'm amazed at how little she "sees" me as separate from her. I think it will be fun to annually interview her, about me, and other subjects too to see how she grows in perception.

Along with the interview are some favorite photos from the past. Annie as Peter when she was almost three. I loved that phase! She even wanted us to call her Peter, and we did. So fun! And the a photo above I love (thump, thump! Huge swell of love looking at that one!) of us when she was about four months...our love fest already in full-swing.

Here's the interview;

What is something I always say to you? "I love you"

What makes me happy? "That we're together."

What makes me sad? "Arguments."

How do I make you laugh? "When you cross your eyes."

What did I like to do when I was a child? "I think you liked to draw pictures."

How old am I? "I forgot."

How tall am I? "I forgot again!"

What is my favorite thing to do? "Clean up the studio and play with me."

What do I do when you're not around? "Have a date with Papa."

If I become famous, what will it be for? "Dancing or to open a famous cafe."

What am I really good at? "Drawing realistic."

What am I not good at? "Wrestling for a long time."

What is my job? "Watching over me!"

What is my favorite food? "Cesar Salad."

What makes you proud of me? "That you're my mom."

If I was a TV or book character, who would I be? "You would be Tweety Bird."

What do we do together? "Everything!"

How are we the same? "We both have the same brown eyes."

How are we different? "You have orange hair and I have black."

Where is my favorite place to go? "The spa."

How do you know I love you? "Because you say it all the time."


I saw this interview Six Thirty-Seven and at Mariposa.

The music - Lady Love by Mama Cass

Nuts About Miniatures

I love miniatures. I'm drawn to anything that has an unusual scale. Evidence here. I also love working with nuts, twigs and leaves. Annie and I have an ongoing Fairy Village that we are always working on and collecting for. So when I saw this recent post of Ulla's my heart skipped a beat. Not only are they miniature, they are made from acorns, sticks and twigs!
Now Annie and I want to try our own kitchen goods display!

Ulla credits this find to the Japanese Nut Craft Shop and to Haute Nature: D.I.Y. Projects. You may want to brew yourself a cup of tea and explore this treasure trove. I bookmarked it so I can return to it.

Warm Wishes

Visiting the San Francisco Japanese Tea Gardens in December is wonderful! No one is there! Except squirrels. We bundled up really well, enjoyed every square inch of the place, then filled ourselves with plenty of hot Jasmine Tea and a sampling of Japanese cookies. I find it poetic, contemplative and imagining you are in a long-ago private garden somewhere in Japan is very easy.
We both made wishes in the pond and both of us wished for the same type of thing. Connection and love. Mmmmmmmm!

A Portrait of Self-Care

In March of 2002 my mother died of colon cancer.

She was 61 years old.

I was, and still am living with a broken heart.

A routine colonoscopy at 50 would have saved her life.

She didn't get one until it was too late.


Life in it's beauty and mystery has moved forward.

And though I miss my living mother sorely, her beauty is ingrained in me and she is never far from my heart and mind.

I really love the life I live!

And I want to keep living and loving for as long as I can.

So, I had a colonoscopy when I turned 39.

It was yucky.


And I did it!

Now, five years later, at my doctors recommendation, I scheduled another colonoscopy.

It was today.

That last picture didn't really capture how triggering, uncomfortable, disgusting, scary and messy the proceedure is for me, so I'll try and capture it again.


There. That's more like it.

Ak! Now I'm worried that this post will keep you from taking care of your self!

Can I say that these photos don't convey a timetable? The above experience is very short lived. What lasts much longer is the feeling of joy and confidence in living!

Please encourage those you love to get a colonocopy if they are over 50, or earlier if they have any family history.

If you need any further encouragement, go to someone you love and hold them. Imagine holding them and loving them for many, many years to come!




Thank you Bill and Annie for holding my hands, rubbing my feet and going with me today. I love our life together!

Virtual Sketch Date

Annie and I have decided to join in and do Virtual Sketch Date.

Each month you do a sketch, painting, pen and ink, whatever, of the image they offer. Then you post your piece on your blog, and then VSK posts all entries and you can see all of the different works others have done of the same image.

Annie and I named this piece Dapple for obvious reasons.
We did sketches in pencil, then used watercolors. Annie finished hers off with pen and ink.

The Dark & the Light

That's what I love about Halloween. Life & Death. Trick or Treat? I guess there's not one without the other. Eh?

Annie loves this holiday. She isn't afraid of the dark side. She's asked six friends to come over and play and do funny Halloween stuff with her tomorrow afternoon, so today we made cookies and put up some streamers in preparation. I got a great recipe off of Cooks Illustrated for gingerbread and Ulla posted a great looking idea for decorating them, and that's exactly what we did. We made human bones and skeletons, a chicken skeleton and a few hearts. Now I just have to keep them away from Jasper until tomorrow.

Frida and Diego

Ever since we went to the Frida Kahlo show at MoMA, we've wanted to make some figures, based on the fairy dolls we love to create (only bigger), of Diego and Frida. We just finished last night! Diego stands a full nine inches, and Frida is seven and a half. Do you see the tiny hairless dog tucked into Frida's arm? Annie made it with Fimo, plus she made the jewelry you see her wearing. Annie also made a second set of shoes for each figure, and a second hat for Diego. The supplies we use are felted wool, wool roving, wood beads, embroidery floss, pipe cleaners, acrylic paint and Fimo. We used muted, earthy tones (our local wool supply is limited) and used the painting Frida did of their second wedding as our inspiration. The only items we didn't make are the clay flowers in Frida's hair. They are from Thailand.
(Thank you to the wonderful man at Castles in the Air!)

My Seventh Heaven

To commemorate the seven fascinating, exhilarating and wonderful years of living with Annie, I am painting her seven-year-old portrait. I haven't done one of her since she was five as a gift for Grandma Jane (see very bottom photo).

Can you picture Annie and I, working side-by-side in the studio, listening and singing along to Van Morrison and Annie keeps ohhing and ahhing about how beautiful the painting looks with every brushstroke I make? It is so fun! She is really excited about the whole process. Today she wore the tutu I sketched her in so she could pose for me. (Right! If she would only sit still for a minute!)

My hope with this painting is to capture the young woman I keep getting glimpses of and still show the wild little girl that I'm so crazy about. I'm showing her wearing her kitty ears and her kitty tail, and of course the bright turquoise tutu that Molly gave her that looks so good on her.

I've painted portraits before and I find it very challenging. And this portrait is doubly hard! Annie's face is one I look on day in and day out and I know it well, so while I paint it, I can see it looks a bit like her, but it doesn't capture her magic. I'm going for the magic! I'll keep you posted.

Enjoying Frida

Annie and I went to San Francisco today for the highly anticipated Frida Kahlo show at the MOMA. Wow! It was better than either of us hoped for. It included works from Frida's entire career, and so many pieces I never expected to see in person. There were huge powerful works, some dear intimate paintings and some pieces that we'd enjoyed through books that surprised us in person. Each piece is so full and vivid and I loved hearing what Annie noticed and thought about each one.

Just take a look at the photo's and you'll see that Annie went in full Friday regalia. Before we even got to the will-call counter, MOMA employees came up to us and asked if they could include photos of Annie in some of Frida press that they do. Annie said yes. Throughout the very crowded show, in the lobby, cafe and in the parking garage, at least a dozen other people asked Annie if they could take her picture. I kept checking in with her to see how it all felt to her and if she was enjoying so much focus. She said she was OK and that she liked how happy everyone was. I am so proud how she handled herself. How graceful my little girl has become! A few elderly folks came up to her and told her how much joy she had brought to their day. Oh, she really seemed to love that!

One thing that I really loved was spotting Ulla from ULLABENULLA in the crowd. I had never met her, I just recognized her from her blog photos. What a thrill! She's very glamorous and warm in person. I love when blog-world turns into real-world!


Photos from top to bottom: 1.) Annie's self portrait of herself in the car, on the way there. 2.)Holding up the camera and taking a portrait of the two of us in the bathroom of the MOMA. 3.) Taking a breather outside of the show. 3.) On the drive home taken from over my shoulder.

Here's the link to the MOMA blog photos.

Happy Hippy Chick

Anne and I did some tie dye at Perpetual Recess (a wonderful SF Bay Area Unschooling Group) last week and now she wants to tie dye her sheets, towels and all of her clothes. She's worn this outfit as jammies and as a bathing suit so far, which I find charming especially because she is becoming more aware of how others dress and and still choosing it. I am noticing my dear Annie growing and changing rapidly these days. Even her voice. Bill and I are celebrating many milestones with her, and it's seems like so many clustered together. For instance, she is trying out bike riding without training wheels, tying bows proficiently (which she's never expressed any interest in), trying a lot of different foods and last but not least, she is reading whole books out loud to us all by herself. Wow!

This week we are focusing on getting ready for camp in Calistoga which starts Sunday. We've also got a date with Johnny to go to the beach and a playdate with Cilla, Nick, Ilana and Syke, a possible outing with Willow and Lazuli and the big big event...Grandma and Grandpa are going to be here on Thursday!
Yahoo!

One Hour Dress

Annie loved my Two-Hour Dress and made a request for one just like it. So I made this for her. The fabric is the same as mine, but the style is a little different. I copied a unique (and twirly) dress of Annie's for the pattern. It included an asymetrical skirt and a few additional details, like a drop waist, and a gusseted section on the skirt with an exposed seam. I added the roses...one at the shoulder and one at the waist. We both wore the dresses yesterday to walk the span of the Golden Gate Bridge along with Grandma and Grandpa who were visiting. And who could guess with the extreme heat that we've been suffering with, that the bridge it would be totally blanketed in fog and extremely high winds? We couldn't see a thing, froze our fannies off, and I got a hot pink wind burn on my face and chest.
So today I've babied myself with a nap, a bath and home-improvement TV.