Sniff Sniff...

I'm so sorry for my absence here again lately, but allergy season has started in full force in my little mountain town.  This is not unusual for this time of year of course, but what is unusual is the severity of the allergies that have descended into our town.

I remember thinking that it's been a hot mess around here as everywhere I've gone lately, people are sniffing and sneezing and rubbing their eyes.  So, I'm not alone...and everyone who happens to be sniffing and sneezing and rubbing their eyes have all complained that this is one of the worst allergy seasons they can remember.

Myself included.

I've had to double up on the pills I take a couple of time, and it still didn't prevent me from getting some pretty severe flu-like symptoms this last week.  Although, I've talked to a few people who say when they get allergies, they actually feel like they have the flu (which is new to me)  So, I've been taking it a bit easy the last few days and trying to get over whatever it is that I have, be it flu or allergies.

Luckily we just got some more snow (yipes!) yesterday, so I think it's tamped down the pollen for a bit...I'll let you know.

Just When You Thought...

I would be posting regularly.

Or maybe that's just what I was thinking...?  Halfheartedly.  Last week?  When I posted more than once.  Honestly...I had great hopes for myself.

Sigh.

I'm stepping off the self-whipping post now.

Honestly, it's the words of life.  They are still escaping me...someone recently told me maybe instead of talking about what is going on in my life, it was more of a feeling thing.

So, scuse me while I feel all over the place.

(that sounds illegal)

Ok...so here's the happs:

*I think I am mostly over my cold/allergy situation.  Just some residual coughing and spluttering here and there.  In fact, I made it to the gym today to walk on the treadmill for almost an hour.  Lifting weights almost made me collapse, and I was only thinking about it...imagine what would have happened if I would have actually done something more?

*Fall has arrived in my little corner of Arizona.  I also decorated my mantle for Halloween...and I know how much you adore seeing those pictures, and I will most certainly post them soon.  I promise.

*At one point not too long ago, I totally ran out of hangers at Snap! Snap!  and shortly thereafter, I ran out of room...and I still had a 4 foot pile of clothing to be priced and put away and more walking through the door every minute.  You'll be happy to know that this pricing/organizing/markingdown/rearranging has happened...and the shop is stocked and fabulous...I have a surplus of everything (which is just fantastic as the weather is about to change and it's time to start thinking of new wardrobe items)

*I have been keeping a secret.

*I know.

*Not fair.

(*It's a biggie too...)

*And, it kind of affects you directly (mostly) (mostly not because I've been so crazy quiet here as of late)

*The blog will be quiet for the rest of the week...because I'm going away.

*Again.

* This is a total spur/surprise trip for me (which means in between having my head in the clouds, I've been packing and repacking the perfect wardrobe...)

*Thursday will find me and two of my loveliest girlie friends boarding a plane to other places. You can follow me on facebook like my Seattle trip if you're so inclined (although, I'm borrowing a point and shoot so there will be scads of pictures and probably words when I get back)

...And here's a bit of a hint as to where I will be landing:

And yes, I am totally delirious.

Totally.

Achoo.

Is it starve a cold feed a fever, or is it the other way around?

Achoo.

I don't want to jinx myself either way...but after waking up with a telltale sore and dry right nostril last night and the inability to want to crawl out of bed and leap into my day with verve and gusto (it's been like this for a few days...I just thought I was being a space cadet) and after spending more than a few days intermittently sneezing, I have come to the conclusion that I either have a fall weather cold or allergies.

The fall weather cold occurs for me most every year due to the days being very warm and the nights being very cold.  It's been this way since I was a small tyke (according to my mother) and it seems like some years I can sneak into fall without being sniffled...I really should be more preventative, after all these years...but it's almost like I can't wrap my mind around the idea that this could happen.

Again.

(and I'm old)

(I should totally know better)

The allergy theory is coming about because of the rather large plume of billowing smoke that is ascending behind the mountains and settling on the town due to a prescribed burn.

I think they are trying to kill us.

I say this because more than 50% of the people I'm coming into contact with are sniffling, sneezing, and wiping their eyes.  I also totally stopped taking anything for my allergies a couple of months back.  Probably too soon...again in denial that they really aren't serious about their threat to burn the surrounding area for three months.

Three.  Months.

Roll that around on your tongue for a while and tell me how that feels.

It feels like I need to get my tush up to CostCo and invest in more Zyrtec, that's what.

Or soup.

Because I'm not sure which one of these it is:  Cold or allergies.

I shall just take a Zyrtec with a soup chaser.

That should totally help.

I think...

Decoupage Art...Sort of.

A while ago (although I think it was only two or three posts ago, because I'm suffering from ICan'tFindTheWordsToWriteButYouCouldProbablyCallMeOnThePhone and have not been very chatty...in the writey form) I mentioned my new little robot piece I had made for Foolsewoode...?  It's so very sweet, so if you'd like to scroll down I'll wait.

OK.

Isn't it just darling?

Well, take my word for it, it is even better in person and sadly, not big enough to take up the entire wall above the mantel, although I'm not sure I'd want a piece quite that large (only I have one, but I can't remember if my father has it, or if I have it...and it needs to be framed.  Anywho...) I decided it was floating around on the wall all sad like, so it needed some kind of art companions.

Now, I happen to live with a lot of art.  I love art...and it mostly loves me back, in the fact that it hangs on the wall and is beautiful just for me.  Well, and my guests.  And my cat.  And my lovely house mate DaNece...you get the picture.  But sadly, none of the art I posses was quite right in that spot.  Either it was the wrong size or the wrong subject matter...so I had to really think about this.

Which led me to finally do something with the stack of windows I have that lean against the wall by the mantle.  They originally came from an estate sale in town and are a light pink with green showing through all the crackled paint.  The have their original green glass knobs, and some 1920's looking hinges.  They used to live outside all individually leaning against the house under the picture window (for lack of a better place to put them) and when I had the house repainted, they clashed and had to find a new place to live.

Which really means that they sat in a stack leaning against the wall...and trapped dust, dirt, and spiders behind them.  Every once in a while I would trip over them and then think they needed to go elsewhere, leave them there, and go on my merry way.

Luckily, along came Robot and Sock Monkey and I was finally forced inspired to do something with these windows, because I couldn't possibly get rid of them, and tripping over them wasn't doing anyone any good!

I took the rather shiny and glaring hinges off of them exposing the dark unpainted wood underneath, and proceeded to clean them up (because I'd just hauled them in out of the elements and commenced to stacking, so they were dirty.  While that made the paint age and crackle even more...it made the glass quite dirty.  Ahem...)  Because the knobs were still on the windows, and they were connected to their original hardware, which basically means there's a hook extending from the windows about an inch...which then basically means to us, that they won't lay flat against the wall when hung...it was off to the hardware to figure out the best way to hang them so they would remain mostly stable.

Since they were being hung by a canvas, I decided to use round hooks (is that fish eye?) and attach some random wire I happened to have in the junk drawer to them and then hang them on picture hangers nailed to the wall.  They are stable, and don't extend any more than the canvas they hang next to, so problem solved!

But now what to do with clean shiny blank windows to make them look like art?

Well...I guess you could run hither and fro and gather all the little pieces of mail, art, cards, prints, fortunes, souvenirs...and all those little sweet things that you can't possibly bring yourself to throw away or get rid of, and use them to create seasonal and sweet little displays (with tape ThankYouVeryMuch) on that clean shiny glass of those beautiful little windows that are finally serving a greater purpose than an obstacle to jump over whenever you walk through the room.

I just adore these little thrown together pieces of art and happy reminders of things I adore, and have absolutely no idea how I did not have them hanging there all along?

Of course, this whole wall art overhaul started with me taking down the three pieces of art that had previously hung on that wall and moving them somewhere else entirely...I will take a few quick snapshots and show you how that all ended up soon...

Testing...1 2 3

Is this thing on??

Oh dear.

I've neglected this space something fierce haven't I?  I'm so very sorry...I have been thinking of the blog fondly as I run full speed around in my life though, and I'm sure that has to count for something.

Although, maybe not.

Probably not.

I have actually been very busy.  There has been truckloads coming into the shop which takes up a lot of the time I reserve to write in this space...but more importantly?  I haven't felt very chatty.  In fact, I have been saying to myself, "Self?  This is not even that interesting to write about...and besides, what would it be like to just jump ship for a bit?"  Which is a very odd thought indeed.  I have had just enough energy to wake up before the sun, go to the gym, get ready for my day, work my tail off, come home and vibrate in a chair for a while...call it relaxation, and then do errands (in my off moments).  It was in fact, the other day whilst driving home from CostCo that I thought to myself, "Self?  We could totally go away...somewhere tropical.  We could do that you know.  There's not much other than the obvious responsibilities that is holding us back"

Then I realized I was probably being dramatic and mostly sounded a little like Stella, and perhaps all I need to do is try to get my groove back.

So here I am...groovin' away.

I did have a bit of an opportunity for an escape this last weekend however which entailed getting in DaNece's car and riding down the mountain and into The Valley of the Sun...and participating in some long time coming boot shopping.  We went to Last Chance and oddly enough, boots were 40% off...so I nabbed a couple of pairs (seeing as that was my focus after all)  Needless to say they were both lovely and quite a steal at less than $24.00 a piece (Steve Madden short red cowboy boots and Michael Kors tall dark brown suede boots)  I also found a wool cream colored pea coat (which I totally didn't need because I adore jackets and I honestly don't have room in my jacket closet, but it looked so lovely on me...and into the basket it went) and a Michael Kors long black over-sweater thing...oh, and the most fantastic black dress with a stand up collar and ruffles running down the front of it.

Swoon.

I just got my hair cut with a lot more choppy layers in it last week, and I have been doing it straight for a total change so these things look fantastic with my new hair.

Isn't that just the way of it?

Well that and I'm not enamored of anything in my closet and drawers at the moment.  I think it's about time to invite my sister home for a once over...she's so good about going through my stuff and making me part with things I think I can't live without (mostly she makes fun of me, but it seems to do the trick quite well)

But, in all actuality I owe her a trip and she's right by the seaside...so maybe I should just scrap it and get my groove back after all...

She's Off...With No Forwarding Address...

photo credit

Have you ever gotten into the car at the start of a day and thought that it would be amazingly fun to just keep driving?

Instead of doing the right thing, and showing up at all the places one would normally look for someone like yourself?

Who would notice you were gone?

Would anyone miss you?

Well...I washed Honey all up this morning and vacuumed her all out...shined her up and filled her up with gas.  My bags are packed.  Ms. Mena, Foolsewoode,  and Snap! Snap! are being lovingly looked after.  It's time for me to flee the mountain for a bit.  Change up my perspective...look for new inspiration...dance in the ocean, eat some fish, chocolate, drink coffee and wine, and relax...I board a jet plane early tomorrow with my good friend Claudine to fly away from here.

I will not be posting in this space until Monday...but you can follow my further adventures on Facebook if you wish.

I will miss you all madly...

But.  I need this break.

Flying Along By The Seat Of My Pants...

Usually while going through life transitions (see:  Rough Waters Ahead) while in the throws of life's little fun dramas (see:  Growing Pains) I've noticed that if I take a second to notice (see:  Sucked Up In My Own Drama) things in nature are usually trying to get my attention.

In this case lately it's been humming birds and skunks.

Lately.

A lot.

Like, the kind of a lot where I'm sitting outside enjoying the time at home and hummingbirds are flying all around and landing on the trees right next to me (see:  I Don't Even Have Feeders For Them, So It's Not That) and I sit there and talk to them (see:  "Hey There!"  Nothing Too Deep)  and they sit and look at me, cocking their little heads and hopping from branch to branch.

So, I've taken to carrying my camera around with me, because it's kind of bizarre...so I can snap a picture of them.

Which I did up there.

Yeah.

I was sneaking around in my front yard and snapped this little guy totally clear.

Except I defy you to find it in the picture.

I'll help you out:

Better?

No.  I didn't think so.

Trust me, he's there...hanging out letting me know all sorts of things according to Ted Andrews book that is (and one that I happen to keep handy to look up animals on the fly...get it?)

(Hummingbird?)

(Fly?!)

(No.  I didn't think so.)

And there is a very young skunk living on the property of Foolsewoode...who is so cute I might add, that I want to pick it up and give it a big squeeze.

Almost.

(we all know what happens if I try that)

So...both things are very interesting symbols and just a little reminder that usually we all have more help than we are even aware of...which is comforting.  Even if I just happen to read about it and then almost immediately forget exactly what they mean, so that I can't possibly enlighten you (see:  Sigh)

And even if these symbols of extra help are not showing up in pictures as well as they could...At least I know they're still there.

My Closeup Mr. Demille...

Saturday morning I met my wonderful friend Monika for coffee and chit-chats.  We love our chit-chats and we do this whenever she comes in to visit Snap! Snap!  Of course, me being at work never makes me feel like I really sit and chit.

Or chat.

(for that matter)

Somewhere in the middle of all the coffee drinking and scone consuming (that would be on my part, ahem) Monika looked at me and exclaimed that while she always enjoyes talking to me she was dying to photograph me.

She's a photographer you know.

Which made me slightly cringe (on the inside) because I'm not usually one for having pictures of myself taken (mostly because I'm totally horrified at the results.)  But Monika is an amazing portrait photographer...

Truly.

Which I totally knew going in to this madcap photographic adventure.

Which means we slurped up finished up packed up and ran up to Foolsewoode to find a more colorful appropriate outfit and one that Monika thought could capture my quirkiness (which I always thought my face did um, rather well...)

And would you believe we could find nothing?

Yeah.

Right.

If you've ever had the pleasure of visiting Foolsewoode, you'd know that is just plain untrue.  There are tons of lovely frocks lying around waiting for their moment to shine...shoes, jewels, handbags, hats...you name it, it's all there.

Monika dug around in my closet and in my armoire and came up with this outfit, and I'd say that it works rather well.

One of my friends on facebook said she loved the way the photos turned out...there were some happy, laughing, and pensive and dramatic.

Just like me.

And my character laden face.

Seriously though?

After taking about 200 pictures...squinting in the sun, trying not to crinkle up my eyes, sweat off my make-up, sucking it in, tilting my chin up, shoulders back, and fixing my bra straps...I am absolutely amazed by the results.  I have never. in. my. life. liked this many pictures of myself.

Not ever.

 It makes me wish I would have had Monika take my High School Senior Pictures...only I think we were in high school together at the time.

Or something else more monumental than just some random day...

But this day?

This one random day?

Turned into so much more...

I feel monumental.

I feel beautiful...

I feel amazing...

I feel happy...

And she captured my quirky just perfectly.

Totally perfectly.

And the one random day was full of magic.

*If you are in need of a photographer for a monumental event or the capture of an ordinary day...Please feel free to contact me and I will put you in touch with Monika.  Even if you cringe when you think about having photos taken (and yes, even it it's on the inside) I want to tell you...having a photographer who is happy, fun, and trustworthy makes all the difference...and heck yes, it's worth traveling up to Prescott to play with Monika for a few hours.

You most certainly won't be disappointed.

Burnin' Down the House...

OK.

But not really.

(thankfully)

This is what happens when one accidentally knocks a knob on the stove to Med Hi while they're cooking on a totally different set of burners and then walks out of the house to work...thus leaving the burner on without knowing it.

All day as a matter of fact.

And say someone does this and on the particular burner in question, one has a Kitchen Aid ceramic teapot on it...that was bought because it was red and matched all the other Kitchen Aid things in the kitchen...cause' heaven knows at this point, it can't just be a burner with nothing on it.

Luckily my dear sweet roommate walked into the kitchen and noticed the entire situation when she got home from work.  By that time the kitchen was rather hot, and the teapot was black and more melted to the burner than not (no great loss there though, it never ever whistled or worked right since I acquired it.)  She handled the whole thing with a calm cool head...

(And, Not to mention the fumes that now permeate the house)

(Let's not mention that, shall we?)

(I should probably mention here that now I'm more than a little nervous about lighting candles and incense to get rid of that smell)

It's been a hard week in the kitchen at Foolsewoode...as far as burning goes.

The other day DaNece was making a pie in the oven and it decided to boil over and through its crust...all over the bottom of the oven.  And now me bumping the knob?  Yeah.  We'd already gone through this once not too long ago...and ever since I bought this stove I've accidentally turned on this burner when I meant to turn on the front one.

Seriously.

I was in shock when I came home, and I'm still not feeling panicked about it.  I do feel insanely grateful that nothing worse happened.  What if it had been the glass Pyrex teapot sitting there instead?  What if one of the potholders that hang above the stove tried to get into the action?  What if something would have happened to my Kitchen Aid Mixer...or worse?  What if something had happened to the cat because of this?

What if...?

Kitchens are precarious at best.  Especially lately.

It makes me close my eyes very slowly and take a deep breath and let it out rather slowly and shakily.

But, I've fixed the problem...

I took the knob off the stove, and set it on top of the stove instead.

(at this point I'm not sure if I'm punishing myself or the stove?)

I honestly don't think this burner is useable as I can't get the charred burnt enamel off (although to be fair, I haven't tried all that hard yet...I'm too scared)  But for now?  The knob is off and sitting in the teabag holder Rozz painted for me.

Seriously.

What a week.

Mostly Wordless Wednesday...

HA!  Just when I get back into the blog-groove I decide to go mostly wordless.

(I know that's what you're thinking...)

(Maybe it's only what I'm thinking)

Lest you think I be a huge ginormous slacker...I present to you, the official tattoo photos:

The owl...and his sweet little face (he's definitely a male.  Don't ask me why, I just know.)  And a somewhat bizarre circular scar that doesn't seem to want to hold the color right there close to his body under the second set of wings.  I'm sure Tony would be more than happy to touch that up for me, but I'm honestly not sure if it will hold color?

The Celtic knot made from tree branches with apples arm band.  Which as I am staring at it I notice it's upside-down...but if I rotate the photo it doesn't look as good.  Deb (my photographer and editor for this project) certainly got it right the first time.

I especially love the little whips of ink that Tony was able to bring right off the end of the branches...and I'd like to go on record as saying that I was envisioning more of a blocky tree-branch design and he's the one that came up with this...which I love.

It reminds me very much of Snow White as well for some reason, and I think it's more feminine which balances out the male in the owl.

The other side of the owl who is perched on a tree branch and something Tony and I came up with on the fly as neither of us had thought about it...but it works very well.  Also immediately to the right (and going out of this shot) is a lovely knot he made from all the branches.

The detail on this tattoo is exquisite and I actually get stopped constantly by people who want to see it closer or talk to me about it...I can only take credit for the idea, Tony is the true artist here...

This shows the underneath part of my arm.

I know what you're thinking.

Ouch!

Not as much as you would think though...The owl in its entirety too about 3 hours from start to finish.  Tony and I got up only once to stretch.  I'm not a GetUpAndStretch kind of gal when I'm getting a tattoo, I'd rather sit and get it over with...Tony was a bit amazed at how well I did.  But he does have a very nice and light touch...The arm band which was completed 6 weeks later took about 2 and a half hours...and he did the bulk of the outlining around my arm as far as he could reach without me moving it...which was honestly not as bad as I thought it would be.  It was much quicker than the owl...and honestly, for me?

It's the healing.

I have a harder time healing from a tattoo I discovered with this one.  It's kind of worrisome and exhausting to me...and itchy.  And the under arm and arm band was very different from the owl...the owl being on the outside of my arm where it didn't rub against anything.

You use your arms a lot in a day.

(who knew, right?) 

(or at least I do...since I gesticulate a lot.)

(like a Muppet)

The whole thing healed beautifully for me though eventually, the color is still very vivid (because sometimes red looses a bit after healing) and I just adore it.

Which is good, it being permanent and all.

My special thanks and undying admiration for Debra Duncan...my very talented photographer for this project.

Break Over...

Hello there blog.

Did you miss me?

Well, technically I actually had my power cord for the Mac back this weekend, and I took an extra day for myself to collect words up.  It's horrible, I know...and I'm sure there's a million little things to update you on, if I could find the words.  Words are at a bit of a scarcity for me right now...I attribute it to the way things are going as of late.  It's been, um...odd in my neck of the woods.

To say the least.

When Ms. Dina wondered out-loud to me whether or not I was taking a break because of the smoking melty power cord or if I just needed a break?  I have to admit I scoffed a bit.  Now I'm happy that I took last week off...

Phew.

It's a bit elusive...sometimes I can put my finger on it, sometimes I can't.  It's like being bombarded by a million little things.  Yes, I can certainly handle them, but when it keeps happening it becomes exhaustive.  Especially when I can't remember where I've put my shield.  Actually, a lot of my friends have been feeling the same way...and I am ready for it to shift in a different direction and get more better.

So...we'll just sneak into our mother's yards and wiggle the apple tree branches and make off with some instead, eh?

You know.

And apple a day keeps the crazy at bay.

(OK, I'm sure there's supposed to be something in there about a doctor, but we'll just mold it to current situations instead, being the sculptors that we are.)

And we shall concentrate instead on the positive that's been happening while I've been away:

• I got my new power cord (I'm sure everyone on facebook was relieved about that)
• I went into Verizon to complain about my cell phone.  They sweetly replaced it with a lovely new touch model as a total surprise because they could not find the model I had to replace it with, and I only have 4 months left on my contract and they didn't add one day...so, it's like getting a whole new upgrade for free!  Verizon has lovely customer service.
• I am deelply in love with my new phone.
• Seriously.
• Hanging with friends.
• Recovering rather quickly from a couple of weird yoga injuries.
• Attending The Prescott Film Festival at various times over the weekend.
• Attending a coffee and truffle tasting at Method Coffee (actually I had a date with both Andrew who wan an MC at the Film Festival that night and then his wife Angie picked me up and I had a date with her...such fun!)
• Streaming movies through Netflix via the Wii...If you haven't seen The Price of Milk yet, you totally need to.
• Watching it rain, and then pour rain some more.
• Baking the first apple pies of the season from the apples grown from my mother's trees (no stealing necessary)
• Having the most lovely customer of mine who always drops off clothes for Snap! Snap! tuck a handmade knitted cardigan...you can get lost in the depth of the turquoise.
• Having home made apple sauce (courtesy of mom) for breakfast this morning.
• Planning a vacation.
• Making and enjoying mocha frappucinos (cause' I'm talented that way)

And we won't concentrate on the negative.

Until I can rewrite it into a funny anecdote...because I know it can be done.

After all, if you're laughing after the 3rd time something hurtful has been said to you...it must be ridiculous, and I believe I can do it.

So.

Let's you and I set a date for a meet-up here tomorrow in this space, and we'll see what I can come up with shall we?

Melty and Sparking...

Hello all.

I'm writing to tell you that I'm taking a bit of an unscheduled break.

Its a forced thing at this point.

You see...I noticed the other day that my power cord for the Mac has started to be a little flaky.  By the time I really realized it and admitted to myself and researched buying a new one (hello $80 from Apple...for a "known issue") Cause' we all know that is the process.  I started smelling a little weird smell...picked up the cord and watched the sparks fly.

eep!

Oh dear.

No burning down of the Snap! Snap! or Foolsewoode or myself though.

So...I will be a little quiet here until I get my new power source and I can then fill you in on all the happenings.

I will see you all soon...

Carry on.

Mostly Wordless Wednesday...

Things have gone seriously awry at Foolsewoode.

Not only has there been a stomach flu...but look at the hot mess this guy's gotten himself into.

Apparently he is an Airbender that has been stuffed into an red ant pile.

I'm not sure if he's the last Airbender...or what the deal is, but thankfully whomever buried him only buried him up to his waist, so technically he should be able to dig himself out of this fix...unless he is indeed an Airbender and can't manipulate the Earth?

I'm not sure.

But he's been like this since this morning.

I fear the worst.

Fluish...

ugh.

Sunday I woke up feeling a bit...strange.

Which led to laying on the couch and resting all day, not getting out of my PJs (as I will spare you with the details at this time)

Stomach.

Ick.

Then I woke up this morning dizzy.  I went to the gym and floated through my workout.  I thought it would pass...I met a friend for a photo shoot of the tattoo...so you could all get a better look.  I drank coffee and chit-chatted.  Then I went to the shop and things started slipping a little sideways.

I got a delivery of ginger-ale and Saltines.

A customer said she was battling with the same thing this last weekend...I noticed time passed quite strangely today.

Stomach.

Ick.

I drank broth for dinner and will most likely rest for the duration of my evening...my feet propped up, sipping ginger-ale.

I'm hoping this passes soon...I have decided that nausea and dizziness in such a spectacular combination are not my favorite way to spend the day.

Stomach.

Ick.

image credit

And...

Changing the windows at Snap! Snap!

Incorporating:

Strings of Vintage wooden thread spools

Vintage wooden shoe forms

Vintage clothes and Current Fashions

Watching:

The rain pour down outside

The end of the week slip by

People come and go

Eating:

Not a darned thing, as I was totally going to run by Pangaeas this morning before work and grab a macaroon...and I totally ran out of time.  I'm somehow remembering that they close before I do, so I may just have to remain macaroonless.

Wondering:

If I accidentally left the cat out?

And about a hundred tiny little things I have no control over and...

and.

and.

...

From In to Outside...

Late afternoon sun streaming around the corner of the house, through the tree branches, and reaching its way across the front of the house...its little fingers waving a sweet good-bye for the day as the sun finally sets.

And...what I am currently enjoying in the evenings at Foolsewoode when I happen to be lucky enough to be home and not out and about.

You see...it's feeling a little warm in the house when I get home to it being closed up all day...no, I don't have air conditioning.  I suppose I could install this, but I chalk it up to being a long time resident of Prescott...that I can feel the heat, but not be too bothered.  After all, not only does it totally cool down at night, but I have various fans and a swamp cooler placed in mostly strategic areas...

And when it gets too unbearable, as it is wont to do in all of Arizona from time to time...I just take it outside instead, light a slew of candles, and put a foot or two up and enjoy.

Sometimes I even eat Popsicles...

*You are Here...I think...

Hello, I'd like to introduce myself...although, it's almost unnecessary at this point if you've been following along in my many varied life adventures here at and around Foolsewoode...but I feel like I must anyway.  My name is Sadira and I've lived in the same small town for 30 years.

Yes, I grew up on a mountaintop...much like a wise sage whom people travel miles to see, so they can ask various questions about life...only, people tend more to seek me out and ask me directions.  Which is great because I've lived in the same little spot for 30 years...but is not great, because in that 30 years a lot has changed.  Street names, landmarks, businesses...which tends to make me not a very reliable person to ask directions from if you want accurate and up to date names.

For instance...at the end of the main street in town which is either Gurley or Sheldon, you can then pick two distinct routes to leave in different directions...one leads you to Phoenix eventually, the other one leads you to Chino and then to Ashfork (I think...or as I like to refer to it, that place we jumped off a train once when My Pal Amy's brother took us to hop a train in the middle of the night.)  And, it wasn't until recently that I could remember the names of the highways (89 and 69 in case you're wondering) and even now?  I just wave my arm vaguely in the direction and tell people to either veer to the left and go under the bridge, or veer towards the right...and then become a master storyteller about which direction they should take and all the landmarks they would see if they were going the right way.  One would think that it would just be easier to memorize street and highway names.

It would make me hang my head in shame if it wasn't so funny.

The other day DaNece and I were invited over to a friends house for dinner and chit chat...only DaNece was driving in from Chino and needed directions.  These are those directions more or less as emailed:

Ok...this is going to be interesting, because I know how to get there, but I don't know the names of all the streets!  Hold on to your hats:

If you're going up Willow Creek towards town from Chino, turn right on what used to be known as Sylvan...or 21 curves, I'm sure they changed the name at some point, but I really honestly can't remember what to.  I believe that it's the next street after Geneva the street where Amy's family lives, although I don't think you've ever been there...it was a lot easier to find before because it had the most beautiful huge tree on the corner, but they massacred it during the "street widening project"...Um, that would be Geneva that had the tree, not the one you need to turn on to get to M's, but you turn on the next street after Geneva that has a light...which helps.

Now...go up and curve around a lot and go by that SUPER CUTE house that's for sale that I lust after every time I go by and have some sort of fantasy that I will move in there with someone in the future?  I mean, it keeps coming down in price, so that could happen...although, it's really only a close second to the one that is in that fancy-shmancy neighborhood that Amy and I go walking in...the little Spanish style one that has a courtyard?!  I don't think you've ever seen it, but it's AWESOME!  Gawd...I totally LOVE that house and I can picture starting a family in it...sigh. The house on the street you need to go on to go to M's has natural wood siding and green trim.  I believe the road to that's next is Country Park Dr?  There is a big whitish house with blue trim (I think) on the corner...follow that road down and around...at one point it will look like you can turn right, left, or go straight into a house...Oddly enough, the right hand is Geneva, but it doesn't go through from Amy's Geneva...believe me, I've tried it!  SO...turn leftish and ease your way gently around the next corner to your right...otherwise you will fly right off the side of a mountain...sure, you'll then totally be at M's house, but you may really hurt yourself and I don't know if they can afford to re-roof the place right now if you come shooting off the side of the mountain and land on top of it...

The next driveway is M's...and it goes down to her house, which is olive green...and my car should be there.

Good luck, and if you need to call on the way there please do and I'll hand the phone off to someone who knows the names of the streets...

She actually found her way just fine, although she'd driven out there before so she had that going for her...but honestly?  I think I would make a great GPS voice...you would totally eventually find your way to your destination and you'd have a whole lot of lovely stories on the way...

Building a Firm Foundation...

Okay.  So I had this huge post all written in my head about how since I own a resale clothing store, I watch women on a daily basis try on garments and struggle.  Most often they're struggling because the things they pick don't fit quite right...usually it's because they're too small...but sometimes, it's because they're trying on Jeans.  Jeans are a nightmare...and they follow no rhyme or reason on any kind of sizing chart created for the humans on this planet.  Trying on jeans give people low self esteem...

It's worse than the feeling you get when you try  on bikinis.

So, here I am waxing all poetic in my head about the first step to trying on things is to admit to what size you are...blah blah, and then it happened to me.

Lately I've noticed that there are things in my own personal wardrobe that are wearing out.  Things that my grandmother would call foundations.  To my grandmother's generation a woman is a totally blank slate that needs various things to be able to step out of the house.  There's the bathing and washing and plucking and shaving, applying various cremes and lotions and potions...then you set your coif and put on your face...but at the very bottom of all this lies a good foundation.

I'm not talking about 3inch heels here ladies...I'm talking about unmentionables (which I know may be confusing as to why I'm now choosing to mention them here, stay with me...it gets better)

It was these that I went shopping for yesterday...unmentionable foundations.  Which isn't usually a big deal, as everyone in my family usually wears the same brand of these types of things...we always have.  I picture us standing en masse on a poster somewhere, our fists raised in the air in a defiant We Can Do! It sort of way.

But yesterday, I found myself walking through the aisles looking for the same style I'd bought before and wouldn't you know it?  They've discontinued it...unless you want an non-underwire, which I've never been able to do.  I'm not a gifted woman by any means...but I like to go for support.  Which is why I never have a lot of frilly lacy unmentionables peeking out here and there, because support apparently does not equal feminine...in most cases.  Sometimes they put a bow on something here and there...

So, there I was wandering around wondering what the heck I'm going to do now, because I've totally left this until I can't ignore it anymore, and I have no idea where to start because It's suddenly becoming very obvious to me that there's no way I can buy my usual brand this time.  I decide to rally the troops and start where any educated and sane woman does...by remembering the last time I got measured for this and them telling me what I already know about myself.  I'm somewhere around this area, but in between this other area...you know?  Give or take.  Well, they don't usually make unmentionables for that size.  Give or take...

So, I went with what information I had on hand and tried one on, which was too big...so I went down a size, which was OK and thrilling (because at this point I'm patting myself on the back for being in the gym so much)  but it was a bit snug...so I went with another cup size because I vaguely remember reading that you can do that if you go down in inches around the middle.

It was at this point that I was walking around with an large armload of these things, because nothing was fitting...and I had no idea what to grab, so I had to grab four of each style...and after going in and out of a dressing room...too small, too big...too tight...I started to wonder, if this is such a scientific and measurable thing, why do I suddenly feel like Goldilocks?

After about an hour of this agony, I settled on a model I think I can live with.  Nothing gaping, or hanging over in unsightly places...straps where they're supposed to be and a lot of separate, lift, and support, even a little floral satin design...

Only...

Things had suddenly changed.

This model?

Huge.

Seriously.

According to what this foundation undergarments size tag is telling me, I'm seriously wondering how it is that I can walk upright all day and not fall on my face, or have major back problems.

I was so surprised by this development, so to speak, that I actually had to compare it to my tried and true brand...and found much to my surprise that it was almost exactly the same size as the one I was wearing, only the numbers and letters had all changed.

It's maddening.

And it's exactly why I could not in good conscience, post a blog about how women need to pay more attention to their sizes because it would be less frustrating and it would be easier for them to find things that fit.  Because apparently buying foundation garments is going to be like buying jeans.

Anything goes.

Sigh.

I may relocate to Dollywood.

Mostly Wordless Wednesday...

Sometimes I wish that I could have a mask to put over the mask that I often put on to go into the outside world and deal with life...An inner purple bird, if you will.

Or a monkey.

Sometimes the things that happen to us at certain times is reminiscent of rubbing salt into an already vulnerable wound.

Mostly though, I figure everything is just about perfect and right where it's supposed to be, and it's just me running to avoid feeling.

And that's perfect too...

No matter how many Band-Aids you need to get through the day.

Solstice...

Yesterday's Solstice was brought in by a light colorful meal with friends at Foolsewoode...a kind of impromptu dinner party, if you will.  To tell you the truth, I hadn't even planned anything to celebrate Solstice, but I decided since cooking was happening I might as well name it something.

I was terribly inspired by these ears of corn my mother bought me at last week's CSA...look at all those organic shades of yellow peppered throughout the whole ear.  I can't remember corn being quite this beautiful as usually I only remember it as one uniform shade of yellow.

This corn is an overachiever indeed.

It was cooked to perfection and when I wasn't admiring its exquisite beauty I was eating it with relish.  Well, not relish the pickle concoction...I was actually having it with a smear of soy butter and a dash of salt.

It was calming to be able to appreciate it before I ate it however.

It was a lovely evening out under the stars with candles lit everywhere (well sort of.  It was still a little breezy from the day, so I did a lot of relighting of things quite a bit)  and Italian white wine flowing...from the little medieval village of Orvieto, and a place I've actually had the pleasure of dining myself...on truffles, for my birthday as a matter of a matter.

Sometime towards the end of the evening I realized in some other life of mine that it was my wedding anniversary...or would have been if I was still walking down that path.  It was more of a feeling of curiosity this year when I realized it rather than the pain of feeling like you're missing a vital part of yourself.

Time.

The ultimate healer...

If you're not counting overachieving corn that is.