Taking The Long Way Home

Everything is drying out here, including me. As the weather cools, I forget to drink all that water I guzzle in the hotter months. I need to find a way to trick myself into it. Maybe some nice herb teas or something. There's nothing to be done for the flowering plants in the yard though. It's Purple & Yellow season around town, with all the last minute bloomers coordinated into this glorious color scheme. I still have a few stray hollyhocks in bloom, and the cosmos are going strong, along with one unlikely pink-and-yellow rose bush. I don't know why or how it survives here, but I sure do enjoy it. The local birds are having a real feast these days, fluttering around the finished sunflowers and hollyhocks, and splashing in our makeshift bird baths. One is a saucer stolen from under a potted plant, and the other is a beautiful blue frying pan that I overheated and blew a hunk of enamel out of. So sad to lose it from the kitchen, but lesson learned, and now it mak...

As you may have gathered, our daughter Julia, and her sweet baby Jacob have been living with us for a while. Jacob is 5 months old now, and it's time for them to have their own place to call home. Although our house is too big for the two of us, it's too small for two more. And of course, Julia wants her own place, filled with her own things, where she can do things her own way. And now, happily for all of us, she has it, and we will soon have our guest room back. Yesterday, Rick and I helped move them to their own pretty little apartment near the center of town. It's clean and bright, and off the beaten path, so hopefully quiet too. They have 2 bedrooms, a bathroom with a nice tub, and a big kitchen that flows into the living room, and opens out the back door to some wide open space, and a very friendly looking old cottonwood tree. I think it's perfect. And best of all, they're still only a few minutes away, so we'll have lots of time with them, and lots of b...

As promised, I've started new blog, focusing on vegan cooking and lifestyle. Even if you aren't vegan or vegetarian, I think there will be a lot of fun, interesting, and tasty things for everyone. It's called Positively Vegan . I hope you'll visit! And if you spot any typos, please let me know. As my own editor, I sometimes miss a few. Enjoy!

Rick and I went for a nice hike to Williams Lake yesterday. It's our favorite hike in this area. It starts above Taos Ski Valley, and goes up to 11,000 feet in elevation in about 2 miles. It's not exactly easy, but not too hard either, especially for uncommitted exercisers like us. We paused to consider our options when we saw a school bus parked at the foot of the trail, but decided not to let a bunch of kids scare us off. The hills were indeed alive... with the sound of high schoolers. It wasn't exactly a serene setting, so when we got to the top, we kept going to the waterfall, where we had a nice quiet lunch, all sounds of youthful exuberance drowned out by the stream. The kids left after a while, and we had a chance to sit quietly by the lake for a while, in the cool fall air, before skipping back to the bottom, where there is always a reward for our hard work... on the deck of the Bavarian ! Who would guess there was a little slice of Germany, high on a mountain...

Facebook, love it or hate it, is a great platform for discussion. And due to the limited space and custom of saying things in the briefest of ways, it's also a great place to be misunderstood. I really put my foot in it yesterday when I glibly quoted a bumper sticker that I found witty. I will repeat it here now, but you are not allowed to start yelling at me until you've read this entire post. It said, People who truly love animals don't eat them... just sayin. The sh*tstorm ensued almost immediately, and continued throughout the day, leaving me feeling battered, tearful, exhausted, and eventually... inspired . I learned a lot, and came up with a great idea - I think - as part of the process. As Difficult Things tend to be, even self-induced Difficult Things, it was absolutely perfect, and I'm not at all sorry it happened. I am sorry I hurt some feelings with my blanket statement, which of course could only reflect my own limited perspective. But because of those hu...

Rick and baby Jacob, almost 5 months old already, share a sunny September moment on the porch. I love this picture.

Over the years, I've made a name for myself - in the bead world, at least - as one who makes flower beads. I do other things too, but the flowers are what I'm known for. I like making them. And I stopped trying to stick to "real" flowers long ago, realizing that any flower I think I invent already exists out there somewhere, so matter what colors or how crazy looking. But as much as I like making the flower beads, they aren't what I tend to wear. I wear my own beads all the time, but usually not the ones I put out there for the world. I prefer to wear simple strands that celebrate light and color. One great bead is a wonderful thing, but I prefer to wear a necklace that's more a sum of the parts. I also have and wear a lot of silver jewelry. Plain silver makes my heart sing. I wish I was a silver smith. I've tried, but I didn't love the process, so I leave that to others. The silver is great with any of my beads, whether they're simple or extrava...