mum show

Smith College has two flower shows a year. A bulb show in the spring, and a chrysanthemum show in the fall, besides being small, and just about flowers, you can also tour the rest of the conservatory, which is a plant lover's dream.There is always something blooming, or fading...the koi are fat and vibrant, and if you have a sharp eye , you can catch a glimpse of the frog that lives there, too.
I went this weekend with my Mom and my sister, and my best friend Denise.We had a great time, my mother went through rolls of film, like she was breathing, and we all had a wonderful visit.

dubious beginnings

and so NaBloPoMo begins...and all I have to show for it is a lame video.



Today is the first day of my staycation.Yes, one of the newer words in the american lexicon, that I agree with fully. There is nothing like a home based vacation, it's fairly inexpensive, and mostly relaxing. Mine will be some of that, but it also includes preparing for Print Show North, which will occur next weekend.
Getting ready for open studio weekend, is exciting, and tiring.
And with the way everyone's finances are this year, I'm definitely going to price my prints accordingly,so they will be hopefully affordable.

Now back to my less the stellar video, in my excitement about being on staycation, and doing my first video for NaBloPoMo, but 124th video, for 365 minutes group at Ipernity,
I realized I had only recorded 30 seconds, I need to fill a minute, for the group, so the rest of it I filled with pictures of myself...ummm I promise this won't happen again, really.
I promise, cross my heart, hope to die.

the finish line or TGIF

I can't believe I did it! Thirty days of posting daily. I've enjoyed the blogs I've discovered. There are some pretty funny people out there blogging. I thank you for taking the time to make my day start with laughter.

Today was like any other Friday, except I did a few things that have been waiting to get done.
1. I finally planted my narcissus bulbs, supposedly there were 32 bulbs, but there is no way there was, which made me happy.For one the ground wasn't frozen yet, and for two what was I thinking when I thought I'd have time between open studio preparation and a major holiday to be able to plant them. Today I couldn't stand it anymore, I was tired of their little papery taunting bulb faces, silently mocking me, threatening to freeze and rot, so I did it. I planted them , and gave my procrastinating self a kick in the butt.

2.I made my Christmas list out for my mother, so she won't go crazy, because she has no idea what to buy me. I've only been her daughter for 44 years, but I guess I am tres mysterious, and she need help. Which honestly she does, she's a bit like a magpie, and their attraction to shiny things, she often buys me things she just loves, which umm I don't. Does that make me sound ungrateful? I certainly hope not because with a little guidance( catalogs I've marked in sharpie) she's able to decide, and pick out some really cool things. Plus My mother almost always comments on her frugality, because she is Scotch. So for her spending her money to get the right gift is important. And who am I to deny my mother that.

3.I finished my CEU's, continuing education units, that I need to have to be able to renew my nurses license every two years.I need to renew my license in January. Luckily I had 6 already, but I need a total of 15.
Do I work at them over a two year period? Yeah, right. I usually do them in December.
I work part time at as hospital, how come I don't receive a percentage of those hours as a CEUs? My job is ever changing, and growing, but not considered continued education.Either way I'm done

So I guess this last day of NaBloPoMo was all about finishing things that needed to get done.
Congratulations to all of you bloggers out there that NaBlo'd your way throughout this month too.

the almost finished product

I finished carving the linoleum block (almost) I see a few areas, where I need to adjust a couple things, but mostly I'm psyched it's done. I hope she likes it, and it turned out as she imagined.

It was warmer in the studio today, which was nice. Tomorrow the forecast is windy which will suck for whoever is there, but it won't be me. I'll be snug in my house, doing laundry, and making a christmas list for my mom. Maybe I'll even do a little christmas shopping, dressed in pajamas, with a milky cup of tea. As much as I like traveling back and forth to the studio, I love being home too.

My dog Wilma and my cat Ginger will be psyched.I'll be home to provide them with much needed snacks and head rubs.And more treats, and pinches of catnip, and outties, and then more dog bones.It be a busy day.

driving at night

I work the 11 pm to 7am shift, I have the pleasure of driving at night, looking at the moon, and generally thinking,about whatever, I want to think about. Half of my ride is rural, lots of woods, open fields, before I ever reach the city.
Occasionally during these drives, I'll be fortunate enough to spot the animals that inhabit these areas.

My favorite is the night, I spotted something crossing the road, at first I was annoyed, what was someone doing walking the side of the road dressed in black, as i got closer I realized, it wasn't human but a most likely a big dog, as i got closer, i realized that's not a dog that's a black bear!!! I got to witness it climb up and over a stone wall, and continue on it's journey. I was thrilled and in awe all in the same breath.

There is a fox, I see from time to time on this route .When I first spotted the fox it was young, with it's sibling running beside it. I was so happy. It made me feel like the land was very rich, to be able to support two kits.As with all life cycles I also witnessed, the death of one of the young foxes, it made me sad to see it's brother or sister pacing near it's lifeless body, though the area is wooded, there is a street that still runs through it,and make it dangerous to foxes crossing the roads. As years have passed from that moment, I occasionally caught a glimpse of the lone fox, still surviving. This year I had the great fortune of seeing this fox grown up with it's own little fat bellied pup, tottering after it. I felt honored to have seen that.

My most recent sighting have been deer, you notice them out of your periphery as you drive by.They always seem to be waiting to cross the road, or they've just run into the road, it is powerful to witness that. That brief second where we are both staring at each other, then in a flash I've driven by, or that deer has crossed the road, to disappear back in the woods. The sighting may have been brief, but it's effect on me, priceless.

French toast

I'm hoping working this 3 night stretch at work won't effect my ability to write about the lovely but mundane details about my life.
Saturday night dinner is usually a pretty relaxed affair, during the summer, we go to Janine's or Howard's , local drive in eateries, that have good fried food for cheap, and you can eat in your car and people watch.

Once the temperatures start to fall, those seasonal drive- ins close, and well you want to be in the warmth of your own house.So we do, and we still keep dinner pretty relaxed, a way to do that is to have breakfast for supper, and having french toast for supper, well if i had been thinking fully about my favorite things this would have been on the list.

This recipe is by no means precise measurement, it'll feed 3 people , 3 pieces each. It's simple and good, and well is there anything better than that?

Tracy's French Toast
6 eggs
milk (approx 1/3 cup, maybe more ,maybe less)
zest of one orange, be it a clementine, naval, or mandarin, they're all good in the zest department.
juice of 1/2 an orange
1/4 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of nutmeg

1 loaf of day old bread,sliced thick but not too thick.I have use also new fresh bread in a pinch.

mix the milk and eggs together, then add the zest, and juice to the mixture, lastly add the cinnamon and nutmeg, mix real well.

I use a pan to soak my bread in, place the slices down then pour the mixture over it, don't forget to flip the slices, so it can really soak in all that yummy goodness, then fry in what ever manner, you fry things. We are a butter family, we believe in it's creamy goodness, and it's ability to brown and flavor things.

The final step cook with your family, My husband does the cooking on this one, I'm just the one that gets the French toast ready, for him to cook, and I'm also the butter girl, you know you have to always add a little more when you flip the slice.Does it taste better because he cooks it? Most definitely.

This recipe can adjust up and down, depending on the people, and if we're cooking a brunchy thing, to keep the slices hot, we keep them in a single layer on a sheet pan, in a 300 degree oven, they stay crisp, and hot, nothing is worse than cold French toast.

and lastly Enjoy!

Mr. Bowflex.

Since I wrote about Louise,my dishwasher, yesterday, I figure it's only fair to go on about Mr. Bowflex.He moved in with us this Sunday, he kind of wrecked havoc, with my studio. What we didn't throw away on Monday,from his room,moved into my studio, and it will be dealt with soon.(real soon!)

The 3 of us, me, my husband, and my son, we're all getting together , and using Mr. Bowflex.
It's kind of fun, except the Hub, likes it quiet, and I process with my mouth, so I've gotten the shush look, which make me want to talk more(well it does).
My son is pretty cool with it, it's kind of fun to be spotted, or handed the handle, we figure moving the bench off, where you have to for some of the exercises, should be an exercise, because it so damn heavy, good body mechanics, will keep you from hurting your back, maybe that why they have those seated lower back extensions, so your able to assemble, Mr Bowflex, with out killing your back.
We're doing the every other day plan, it'll give us a day to be really sore, before having to answer to Mr Bowflex again. I'm finding him to be a quiet taskmaster, it's figuring out the right weight,if it's too light well that won't accomplish anything, but if it's too much you might injure yourself, or be too damn sore.
Though I think the injury factor in this is pretty minimal, it's fairly smooth functioning, the only way I figure I'll hurt myself I figure is being graceful and sit down with the seat is in row, and miss the seat entirely, because it slid away.

Do i feel some muscle cells, getting jazzed up and firmed. Well yeah I kind of do, does that freak me out? Not really freaked, but surreal.
Here I am blowing my sedentary lifestyle. Oh my gosh, maybe I'll tame the pre-menopausal gut, that has be settling around my middle. it's bad enough that the facial hairs are running amok, I didn't realize my belly would too.Here's to fortifying the temple, yeah I'm talking about my body.

Here's to Mr. Bowflex,if things go well,maybe I'll fix him up with Louise.

the original plan

I'm finding with this daily writing, I'm posting now without pictures, something I figured would never happen , as i figured, I would never be able to find the words, or a sentence to write.
Surprisingly, my brain is enjoying this exercise in building grey matter, not sure if it's the endorphin buzz, or just I'm thinking more in words than in visuals. And I like a visual aid as much as as the next person.

I take a lot of photographs, a lot! So many that I have constipated, my Photoshop Elements, to almost imminent standstill. "no, i can't have almost filled it , I still do not know how to use it completely."
I have of late considered myself more visual oriented then literal, with the age of Digital cameras, I realize I have an eye for composition, which I understand better , what I'm taking a picture of.I'm able to really achieve this better with a digital camera.I can go back and reshoot, to get what I want.

Do i wish i had the patience for film, yes.
am I glad there are people that do have that patience. Yes!

Will i eventually go back to the original plan, pictures, and text, you betcha, but for right now I'll just continue the write, daily that is, it's national blog posting month after all.

open studio weekend

this picture says it all, it was all about people, little, big, small, there was a lot of smiling today.
and schmoozing, and explaining printmaking techniques.
I sold many cards, and 2 prints, it was nice, the best thing was it was a relaxed day, and I had a sunny window.So I could stay warm.

As the landlord, likes to let the heat run only in afternoon, when the sun is shining it's fullest,against the building. then he drops the thermostat, so when it's actually getting cold, there is no heat.(grumble- grumble)

Today, a nice woman, handed her very active, but grabby baby to Joyce, who calmly held him, he smiled, they came over and he showed me his cool socks, that were made by the sock lady of vermont.
which i coincidentally, I read about days before in mrs. g's blog.
this baby was charming, and a totally happy,he didn't fuss for one minute, and joyce and i were perfect strangers.Sometimes i think that is the best thing about open studio, not the actual selling, but the people watching.

mind frame veg

The studio is set up, for the open house over the next 2 days, there will be lots of people walking through, wondering, how you achieved the print , that you did. Hopefully making a purchase or two.
I find it helps to have a wood block, or a copper etching out, so they can see what the transfer device is, mainly how you transferred the ink to the paper.

I'm trying something different this year, less clutter at my table, I used to spread my prints out, for people to see, , as much as you tried to keep it orderly, there was too much, they were over saturated, and really couldn't see it all.This year I'm feeding them smaller bites, hopefully they be able to savor them, instead of eating and running.

Another fairly annual thing, is the decompression, before open studio, chilling out, doing a pleasant but mindless activity, drinking plenty of water, and getting lots of sleep, so i can be charming, and able to say complete sentences.

I bought plenty of munchies, cheese, fruit, cherry, tomatoes, cookies that I like, hopefully everyone else will. Eating a regular lunch at open studio, is a like an exercise in futility, your better, to grab a handful, and run back to your table, there is always someone, wanting to buy something, as soon as you try to eat something, so it's better , if you can swallow it fast.

Well wish me luck, I have water to drink, and mindless TV to watch, before sleeping 8 hours.
good night.

editioning

Recently, I read an article, I believe it was Art In America, and it was about how the importance of editioning a print, had fallen to the wayside. It didn't add any value to the print.

I've always looked at an edition as a goal to head for, there something exciting about knowing that 33/50, means it's the 33rd print out of 50. That you created a block, or an etching that you were able to print, 50 times, and all of the them theoretically the same. As a printmaker, I tend to be more successful with that with Relief prints, it's hard, once you know how, to f*ck up a relief print once you get going.

I keep a small notebook for the prints I've made, what year i made them, how big is the edition, is there a special little quirk to the plate, that i need to remember to keep the quality the same.
With my relief prints, there are often hatch marks, to keep track of the edition, a lot of my smaller blocks I make blank greeting cards out of, i don't print 100 cards in one shot, but i figure I will over the years, so i keep track.

Years ago when I first started open studios, I made lots of blank greeting cards, that would sell pretty well.
Inevitably I would have a happy Patron,come to me the next year, and tell me how they loved the card they bought from me, but they didn't use it as a card, they framed it, and it hangs in their house. At first, frankly I was pissed, I felt a little cheated, out of money due to me, if they had bought a print, it would have cost more then a mere 4x6 greeting card.
So one year I didn't make cards, did I sell more prints that year...No.
Did I get a little disappointed...Yes.

So after that I thought about it long and hard, and I let go of all that stupid disappointment, and I began to see what I did, in the printmaking world as a gift, to myself and others. If that meant someone could only afford one of my prints in card form then so be it. In other words I got over my big bad self.

So this year if you see me on Open studios, and all you can afford is a card. I'm happy to have helped you, buy yourself a really unique card, and I thank you.

blog, blog ,blog

So dear reader though, I posted last night's post a mere 5 minutes after midnight on Sunday, I am posting another Monday entry well to account for today,Monday. I'm on vacation this week from the job at the hospital. Every Veteran's Day weekend is the Holiday Open Studio for the whole building not just our studio, if it gets slow, I am sometimes lucky enough to see other artist's studio and see what goes on behind those closed doors.

Now you are probably wondering why I would need to take time off. It's mostly for all the prep work, well there's sorting out my prints, what's really good quality, and what will go in the seconds pile, usually these are prints, where i can see the registration is off, etc. i need to bag the prints, in these lovely Polypropylene sleeves, that not only protect but are archival too.Makes me have little fantasies about being found in some one's house of course posthumously, and becoming a famous printmaker.I need to figure out a price list, finish my job that volunteered to do for the studio, I make the name placards for each artist table.

Now that was the good part of my day, this was the bad part.I had my teeth cleaned today. A new hygienist, I understand her need to do a good job, but I swear she scaled me some new teeth.She was also one of those back handed compliment people. First she asked me if I flossed, I said " I do regularly, I use those little Glide flossers" where she proceeded to tell me that "using those are better, than using nothing" I guess she's an old skool kind of flosser, not one of those new fangled flosser users. And I got to hear once again, about my filling overhang, that will slowly cause my jaw to crumble to dust, if I'm not careful. I guess I'm not careful, because if I was I'd use the old fashioned floss and actually do a good job.Instead of being a plaque maven. ah well we can't all be perfect toothed, or maybe it's perfect gummed.

I am a soap whore.

I think as I get older, I want(and need) to treat my skin with the respect it deserves, so it can continue to protect me, and not age too much....haaa!
Anti- aging, how to prevent those little lines, you know the crow feet, the laugh lines, the unmentionable age spots. Who knew aging could be such a dermatological drag.
I continue to feed my small addiction to skin care. In my 40's. I prefer natural ingredients, and chemical free if possible, life is short so why the hell not.


It began with Neutrogena soap when I was a teen, I faithfully washed my face with it, I loved the clear amber bar,that told me it was pure and only full of "good for you" things for your skin.
The clear amber bar, how it could melt away, if you didn't use the special little soap dish that came with it. well it's not really a dish, it's like a soap stand, that lifts the bar out of the water that collects in all soap dishes, so it can dry, remain intact, for your use another day.Eventually I stopped using Neutrogena,but that wasn't until my late 20's, when I moved in with my husband,who was my then boyfriend, and we lived together. We still use the little soap stand , but it's to keep our present brand, high and dry.


From the clear amber bar, I tried other bars, the honey wheat and lavender bar, the lemon and olive oil bar, by Jason's, they make a good soap, or was it made by Kiss my Face, another skin friendly brand, that uses natural ingredients in the most wonderful combinations, and makes my skin very happy.
From there I briefly visited the world, on those lovely slickery facial washes,one in particular made by Desert tree, the tea tree oil people, they put it into everything, and they make this facial wash, that does a great job, but only when the 30-something zits flare up,and you needed to banish them fast- I mean Fast! Otherwise a little too drying for daily use.

Now I have a separate soap dish attached to the shower wall, that keeps my special soap high and dry, presently I have a lovely Dutch soap , I bought at Hortis Botanicus, it smells of lavender, which FYI is very good for the glitches that sometimes appear on you skin, those area that need to be quieted and soothed, lavender rules that. This special soap has this honey under note to it, that makes my skin feel soft and moisturized, this soap also has the power to bring me back to Amsterdam, sniffing said soap, reminds me of where I purchased it, and that makes me smile, did I mention how good it is for maintaining a smile.

Today my purchase arrived from DHC, they are a San Francisco based company, that imports Japanese made skin products, when you receive a catalog from them, they include samples of there popular products, I used their Pure Soap samples for years,before succumbing to want to buy and own a whole bar for myself. It's a completely clear, see through bar, that cleanses, soothes, and ever so lightly moisturizes, which I find very important to me, now in my 44's. Not only was the delivery speedy, they also let you choose up to 4 samples, of their other products. Four! that's right four, not one but four free samples, and the list to choose from, is 25-plus items long! Frankly my head was in a spin of outright lust.Here is a company, that really wants me to buy their products.I mean really, how can you not be attracted to an over achiever, one who only want to do good things to your skin.

For my samples I choose some sunscreen,a mineral mask,and two different shower gels, the forth quickest way to my heart, if you can't bring me fresh figs,or chocolate, or have no sense of humor, you could woo me with shower gels.
Of course I've already used one of them, called Imperial Green Tea , it wasn't green, it was crystal clear and had rich heady scent of mint,it was invigorating.
My heart melted at the the packaging ,with it's simple instructions; wet skin with water, apply gel with hand, wash cloth, sponge or body brush, lather and rinse.And most importantly please discontinue it's use, if unsuitable with your skin. How's that for caring?

Will my quiet little addiction, keep me from looking older, who knows? But the joy I receive from merely using these products has to do something good for me, and my skin, and for mankind.

okay so I went a little over board, but I'm a soap whore, so get used to it!