happiness in 21 lines

making me happy these days:


the color gray

cold popsicles

polka dots {red and white or blue and white}

cutting up old film photos

magazines-i splurged (again) on selvedge

warm breezes

my hammock

dance concerts

the sound of miles purring

kristen's drawings

my north face blue jeans

notebooks

potstickers

camera obscura

watermelon road

playing my guitar

silver toenail polish

ice cream on a hot night

driving with the windows down

the fourth of july: a parade, frozen lemonade, fireworks, being outside all day

gerwurztraminer grape juice from mendocino's navarro vineyards

how about you? happiness in three words?

wishing everyone a fabulous weekend. for us, it's a durham bulls baseball game, a play entitled "abigail's party", and the festival at the eno river.

til next time!
shari

summer in the south

stepping onto my front porch yesterday was like stepping into the pages of a southern novel. the smell of gardenias floating on the air, carolina wrens darting in and out of the bushes. a sticky heat like someone wrapped you in a damp wool blanket and then as night arrived, lightning bugs dancing in the shadows.

as much as i dislike a heat and humidity cocktail, i must say that a southern summer is at least charmingly hot. full of fragrance and a thickness to the air that could in fact make one swoon. ah, summer. you're here in full force.

along with these temperatures, comes the lowering of the thermostat. a/c is cranked and the world becomes a place of extremes. grocery store freezing. ball game sweltering. coffee joints jack up the a/c to improve sales in an otherwise difficult season. yet, as we walk from the world of icy cold a/c into the world of natural heat, it doesn't feel right, needing a sweater one moment and a tank top the very next.

don't get me wrong. although i've lived without central air during a southern summer, i don't recommend it. but as flannery o'connor said, "the truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it." the facts of the matter remain. it's summer! let's bask in the warmth a bit, shall we?

106: rain, oil, dance

sure friends it's sunny now but yesterday was a mess. i ducked outside during a brief pause in the action to take a few photos as i've been getting cabin fever!



puddles and water everywhere. self portrait in a puddle.



yesterday t and i changed the oil on my beetle. it's something that he taught me to do ten years ago back in phase one. this photo is hanging in our garage because it's his favorite. it's me checking the oil on t's old celica. i am always amazed when i look at this photo. i seem so young. no visible gray in my hair although i know i had a few strands even then.

so yes, yesterday was a washout. we watched the world cup, changed my oil, ate egg and cheese sandwiches, etc. nothing too exciting until the evening rolled around.

the american dance festival is in durham and i feel so lucky because i love watching dance. last night we drove in the rain to duke university to see the russian provincial dances theater perform wings at tea and wow wow wow! i can't even begin to describe it for you but i will just try to give you a few visuals.
big teased hair
a flying toy pig
cigarettes
three women in a cocoon
a wedding dress hung from sticks like a puppet
a woman wearing grapes as earrings
women dipping their long hair in pots of water and then flinging their heads back
amazing choreography

at one point, i was surprised to find tears welling up in my eyes, but i just loved it so much and was so thrilled to be sitting there taking it all in. t loved it too. he said and i quote, "this is the best thing you've ever dragged me to." :)

ciao friends,
shari

weather weary

so yesterday didn't amount to much. rain all day. poor light for photographs and much time on my summer vacation hands. i spent a good part of the day knitting and watching soccer but i did find the time for two new collages.

the top collage is "quill". my black and white photo for the background and a leaf scanned in mixed scale (gray) instead of color along with found paper and some bits of paper that marieke sent for our paper swap.

below is "chandelier". my photo of our backyard pond serves as the background with scanned leaves and scanned bark collaged on top along with bits of found paper.



i must also thank LJ for helping me navigate photoshop and showing me how to reduce the gray shadows from around the scanned leaf images. the cards i've created would not be as lovely if it had not been for her expertise. thank you LJ!!

inspiring me lately:

cloudwatching
tiny horizon paintings


yesterday i took the plunge and placed my first order with persephone books. my mom and i decided to split an order. ok, i highly suggested that she split an order with me and she was such a good sport! :) she loves books too so i didn't have much convincing to do. (hi mom!) anyway, on the way to the usa via airmail are dove gray books 21, 35, 50!!

what else? oh! we signed a lease for a new rental house only a block over and a block up from where we live currently. it is late forties/early fifties vintage brick with black shutters. it has hardwoods, a garage, built in bookshelves and china cabinets, a tiny side screened in porch, a big yard, and a breakfast nook with benches and a table.

so yes, we are glad to have that settled. we move in on july 22nd.

and with that, i bid you adieu!

xo
shari

collage and cards

"tame"



"divebomber"



"on one occasion"

three new attempts over the weekend. such a great activity especially with the rainy weather we've been having.

for two of these pieces i used my photographs as the background. in "tame", the background is an image i took of the grand tetons. in "divebomber", it is the sky that i raved about a few posts back. another technique that i've enjoyed playing around with is scanning leaves into my computer, printing them, cutting them out, and adding them to the collages.

in addition, i'm really excited to share these cards with you. i've made a few sets of these cards with different scanned leaf images. here is one example with four rhododendron leaves.




and another with a single willow oak leaf



sorry about the lack of light in the card photos but it's been raining all weekend.


hope you have a great monday friends!
xo
shari

lists, notebooks, the brain, etc.

like so many of you, i make lists. every now and then i stumble across a list i made but have since forgotten about. perhaps this is due to the fact that i own many many notebooks. i love notebooks of all kinds: moleskine, mead black and white composition books, handbound journals, etc. really any notebook will do. also, i never quite fill them to completion before moving on to a new one.

today, as i was looking for paper and thumbing through a plain black notebook, i came across this list which made me smile and immediately brought me back to my life circa 2003.


Pearl St Mall
-retro mullet from 1980
-guy shaving while sitting outside starbucks
-cute college girl with great hairstyle, white socks and black maryjanes
-a modern anne frank type
-families all with bikes, backpacks, and tevas
-guy wearing "if sex is the spice of life, i want to be cajun" tshirt
-college kids embarassed to be with their parents who are taking them to starbucks

the only image that is really clear to me from this list is the guy shaving. after all, it is a bit eccentric to be shaving outside in public while sipping on an espresso but hey. this image, though is THE ONE that helps bring it all back to me-- lets me know that i turned left onto pearl from my apartment yet stopped before reaching 15th street. reminds me that i was near a burrito joint and a kite store and a coffee trailer/kiosk from ward, colorado.

it's funny how the brain works. how our memories are like dominoes. one knocks over another and another and another. how we must be spelunkers, going into that deep dark cave just to remember.

oh how we want to remember.

friday update

two posts in one day? well, i couldn't leave you on a friday worrying about miles. thanks for your emails by the way. you guys are so very supportive. :) i am so grateful for your kindness.

we've been to the vet and miles has been given fluids and pain medicine. however, they didn't really find anything wrong. his x-rays looked good but they suspect it may be a kidney stone. he's resting quietly in the study now with a fresh bowl of food and a towel beside him.

no big plans this weekend. nothing on our agenda except watching over miles, viewing a possible rental house on saturday and hopefully a quick trip to the farmer's market. artisan cupcake will be there with their lemon rosemary cupcakes and i can't miss that. :)

now it's dinner time. we're having homemade calzones made from wheat flour and stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, fresh basil, and tomatoes. to the end night, a little house of elliot and reading i imagine.

hope you all have a great weekend!

shari

ps: this photo was taken two days ago. miles was all snuggled up in our folded clothes. cuteness.

second guessing

it's been a difficult day so far. miles is getting worse. late last night i noticed that he was hunched over, ears pinned back against his skull, tail twitching to the count of five. 1 2 3 4 5 tail whips to the side. 1 2 3 4 5 tail whips to the side. it was hard to watch. i tried to pet him to comfort him and his loud growl told me to stay away. this morning we can't find him but we're sure he is in the crawlspace under our house. i've been to the basement with flashlights but did not once see cat eyes reflecting back at me. i called the vet. they said to bring him immediately yet i can't even see him much less get to him. helpless. miles and me. thoughts swirling. we should have taken him last night. should have. could have. didn't.

i talk to t on the phone. he is obviously concerned yet in an econoline van full of vegetables that are wilting by the minute. he must get through his day. he calls again to see if miles has surfaced. he has not. at least the vet is open til six.

a job that i was hoping for two months ago is now a possibility. now that i already have a job and have signed a contract. i could do both but it would mean 50 hrs. a week. can't stomach that. i should have waited instead of taking the first opportunity. could have. didn't.

but second guessing gets you nowhere.

a map, a girl, and some paper=100!

hi friends,
thank you all for your lovely comments yesterday.

well, today i want to show you what i've been working on. i've been really inspired and excited by collage recently and of course wanted to give it a go. i limited myself to only a few kinds of paper so i wouldn't feel overwhelmed and worked with simple shapes.


my first collage is based on a simple sketch i was doing during the world cup. the paper is from marieke as well as the inside of mastercard envelopes. t has named this one " straight a's". although it's not what i had in mind, it fits well.


this collage is inspired by the shapes of our television set up. i've named it "when televisions are robots".


this third collage takes the shapes of a soccer field and plays with them a bit.


finally, i have started this collage of a tree. there are aspects i like and aspects i don't like so i am considering it unfinished. it is inspired by my camping trip. some trees have such personality. the working title is "deep in the forest".

none of these are glued down yet. i am still thinking about the backgrounds and the placement in general. can you tell i'm really into orange and brown?

and yesterday's map of the longest day of the year:



(edit: congrats to ashb who wins the special treat in honor of my 100th post!)

do you love maps as much as i do? then perhaps this book is for you.


until tomorrow!
shari

television first, live music later

another image of monday's sky. i can't get enough sky lately.

remember yesterday when i posted that we were drinking coffee and watching the world cup? not too long after that, our television died. i thought t had turned it off for some reason. he thought i had turned it off. nope. our eight year old tv died in the middle of germany vs. ecuador. shouldn't a tv last more than 8 years?

perhaps this is because we have had the tv on more frequently than usual, world cup and all. you see, we are not big tv watchers. basically, we have a tv just so we can watch dvd's. we don't have cable and are even watching the world cup in spanish on univision with the bunny ears out and aluminum foil attached to the ends for better reception. anyway, whatever the reason, we had to jet out between games to buy a new cheap tv so we wouldn't miss the next game and so we could watch the dvds that are waiting for us on top of the dvd player (old northern exposure episodes and the bbc's house of elliot, i believe).

now we're sad to be putting such a huge piece of junk into the landfill. i am ever the conspiracy theorist and the more i think about it the more i am convinced that the tv was probably made to have a short lifespan so that we will have to buy more tvs in OUR lifespan. ok, i'm being dramatic.

anyway, our night ended lovely enough. we drove to carrboro to hear live music last night. it was so funny to notice that right before we left, t and i both changed shoes and put on our chuck taylors. such the indie rockers we are! ha ha. :)

t goes back to work today for the long haul. i have my wednesday to myself. lattes, magazines, and baking are on my agenda as are taking photographs which i seem to do daily now and working on my new project.

oh! has anyone ordered from persephone books before? i'm so smitten with them.

hope you fill your wednesday with wonderful things. i'd love to hear about one!

best wishes friends!
shari

camping: home a day early

our camping trip was nice although a bit shorter than we hoped for. yesterday morning as we set out to do our nine mile hike did we happen to think of putting the fly on our tents? did we happen to think of the consequences? well, we returned from our long and tiring hike to find our entire tent soaked. sleeping bag, pillows, thermarest, you name it.

in lieu of sleeping in the car, we decided it was best to just drive home. we returned late last night and are still ambling around the house sleepily. t was glad to get home to the world cup matches and i was glad to return to a hot cup of good coffee first thing in the morning.


chloe is eager to get out of the car and on with the hike!


a wrecked bike hanging in a tree.

highlights of the trip:
staying up til 1 am talking around the campfire
the most gorgeous sky filled with bright stars
sleeping without a fly
a great, varied hike
wildlife spotting



animals seen:
a deer trio...a family. the baby was in the middle of the gravel road when we entered the forest
a turtle
three snakes (2 black and one brown)
butterflies and caterpillars everywhere
millipedes around every bend



on the way home, i fell in love with the sky. big clouds of bright white and pink tangerine. the afternoon sun shining a spotlight behind them. i kept staring. i kept describing the clouds to t who couldn't see them from his place in the driver's seat. i kept taking photos in hopes of capturing the moment, knowing that it would be impossible. a sky that seemed to be replaced by a beautiful enormous painting. a sky that i want to remember forever.

what's the most inspiring thing you've seen in nature recently?
xo,
s

red: friday

we've arrived at the end of another fabulous color week. my red photo was taken early yesterday morning with plenty of sunshine after a night of rain. these are an old, but much loved, pair of camper twins. it always makes me happy to see a pair of red shoes in my closet.

and so this week comes to a close. a week filled with creamy mashed turnips and bitter russian kale, three collages, tons of photo snapping, too much soccer, heavy rain and bright sunshine, heat and cold, a gazillion rental ads perused but still no house, lots of lovely comments from friends, many songs playing in my head, lots of inspiration, and plenty of good rest.

we are going camping in the shenandoah mountains on sunday and will return tuesday afternoon. so no posting for me until wednesday! i cannot tell you how excited i am to be going camping. t and i are meeting jed ( a good friend from colorado) and his dog chloe for three days and two nights of camping and hiking FUN!

hope you have fun weekend plans as well!
shari
ps: i know i said i was going to post a map but it will have to wait. i'm not making any promises but maybe saturday!

blue: thursday (duo)

{edit: this is a cropped version of the original photo. thanks to wendy for the suggestion.}

as most of you know, i am a gemini, and we geminis are known for our split personalities. for blue thursday, i couldn't decide between two photos. the first photo (and the one not featured) is safe (a dime a dozen even) but pretty.

the featured photo is more risky and unique. a portrait of an old friend i saw recently. i love how the blue hovers near the front of the photo. i'm still practicing with portraits and although i really like this particular capture, i'm nervous about sharing it. i haven't seen many portraits this week, though, so what the heck.

if you want pretty and safe, click here, although paul is pretty cute himself. i couldn't vouch for safe though. :)

the highlights of yesterday:
eating thai for lunch with my friends deenah and matt (coconut soup with tofu, drunken noodles)
seeing t come home with muddy, rolled up carharts
planning our virginia camping trip for sunday-tues
wearing long sleeves and corduroys in june

it's early now. i awoke to some serious meowing this morning. usually, this means that rilke caught something and usually the something is a mammal that is still moving. so i climbed out of bed and tiptoed around the whole house but found nothing. either rilke was feeling cranky or the something has crawled away. let's not think about that ok?

on friday, i'll post my red photo along with a map of my day. look for my finished collage next week.

your comments make me smile so do leave one if you are so inclined.

until tomorrow friends!
s

gray: wednesday

the weather is definitely not cooperating for color week...except for today of course as the tropical storm brushes the nc coast and brings durham heavy rains. gray indeed! i have a feeling that t will return home tonight covered in mud. :)

i took this photo in charleston. this house is painted a happy gray i think and i'm very curious about the h and what it stands for. ideas?

yesterday we: returned overdue library books, ate homemade cheese and basil calzones, watched lots of soccer, bought new supplies for a homebrew (pale ale), played with the kitties, watched LA Story as recommended by briana, hummed La Mer all night. :)

yesterday i : received a gorgeous gift in the mail that still has me smiling, sketched out a plan for a collage, took lots of photos, began a new book.

today: well, i haven't quite decided. i'm on summer vacation, if you haven't guessed. a perk of being a teacher. for now my only plans are to listen to the sounds of the rain and to do a bit of art.

as always, thanks for your comments.


may your wednesday be a happy one!
x,
shari

brown: tuesday

i love brown. i used to love black but brown is warmer, richer. brown and sky blue are friends. i like that too.

this morning, t and i are sitting down with our cups of black coffee watching korea play togo. i'm thinking it's a crepes kind of morning. crepes with butter and turbinado sugar. yum.

it's overcast here and i'm feeling pretty quiet this morning. perhaps, i'll write more later.

xo!
shari

ps: thank you SO much for all of your wonderful comments. i really enjoy reading them!

white:monday

it's day one of color week. stephanie and mav have definitely made me appreciate the power and beauty of white. this photo was taken this morning after realizing that there is not much *pure* white to be found in my house except in the bathroom. unfortunately, due to rain, the lighting is not so great. sorry about that.

this weekend we spent most of our time driving in order to be able to spend a little time doing things like absorbing beauty and visiting old friends. on sunday, the temperature reached 99 degrees!! it's hot and i'm in the south and we're in for a LONG summer. the one up side to the heat is heat lightning. nothing quite like watching it race across the summer sky.

happy monday one and all!
xo,
shari

five senses (birthday) friday

taste:
kudu house blend coffee
homemade pasta sauce with fresh carrots and broccoli from the farm over wheat penne pasta
spicy ginger beer (homebrewed by t) that makes your lips tingle
strawberry lemonade--the perfect blend of tart and sweet
crunchy chocolate covered espresso beans that give you a jolt

hear:
t talking about the world cup (i'm participating in the pool. when in doubt, i chose teams from the countries of my favorite bloggers like portugal, sweden, the netherlands, australia, etc.)
miles' loud meows as we left him at the vet for a check up
thunder as a band of storms approached yesterday afternoon
the ditty bops
npr's song of the day

smell:
gardenias
car exhaust
a slightly cinnamon smell that apparently comes from wheat pasta while it's boiling
the oncoming rain
miles' new (wet) prescription cat food--chicken flavored

touch:
miles' cold nose in an attempt to comfort him while in his cat carrier en route to the vet
smooth, cold quartz
my karin eriksson cup which becomes cold to the touch when filled with iced tea or iced water on a hot day
magazines
a warm bathroom mat under cold morning feet

see:
an older woman with a cane stopping to pick up a penny in front of the post office
a beautiful bungalow with a tin roof
a lovely card with blueprint drawings sent by friends in manhattan
lj and gh's new artist print. wow. so wonderful!
an empty fridge with little more than my brita pitcher and a fudge pound cake, which arrived yesterday from my family


yes, it's official. i'm the big 33! tomorrow, t and i will pack up the car for a quick overnight trip to atlanta (unfortunately missing my dear friend jen, who will be on a book tour). i have been talking about seeing the quilts of gees bend for ages, and the trip will be a delightful birthday present. i can't wait!

for today, i'm just taking it easy! i'll be hanging out with miles and rilke until t comes home from the farm. however, my friend matt has offered to take me out to eat an indian buffet lunch at noon. i'm really looking forward to sag paneer, naan, and rice pudding with a cup or two of chai to wash it all down.

hope you all have a fabulous weekend!
shari

a map of the last day of my 32nd year

my map isn't super exciting today. i wasted many hours trying to make a banner for my blog. although i was able to create the banner in photoshop, i have NO idea how to put it on blogger. i would love for some kind soul to email some helpful suggestions.


i spent some time playing around with my scanner today. here is that beautiful piece of quartz from t.

oh and i drew some bugs for fun.



i have more photos from my walk today but will just have to post them tomorrow (friday). i am SO tired of the computer. ugh.

hope you have a great evening. see you tomorrow friends!
xo,
shari

the highlights

i love having buttered wheat toast and black coffee for breakfast.

i love beetles: insects and cars.

i'm a drainspotter. so now i know!

i ate a delicious cold hibiscus peach popsicle today from our neighborhood shop locopops!

t and i walked to dinner tonight, holding hands. i had stuffed poblano peppers. he had green enchiladas.

on our way home, we saw the first lightning bug of the summer. i swear that every time i see one i'm as excited as if it were the first time. pure magic.

t brought home a piece of quartz found in the fields. it is so lovely and he gave it to me. a simple treasure. a kind gesture.

i love sending mail to faraway places like portugal and ecuador!

tomorrow i will create a very special mind map. until then....

good night friends!
shari

ps: does anyone know what kind of beetle this is?

charleston goodies

i scored my campers and i love them so much. they are comfy and stylish and remind me of the ballet. when i wear them, i feel just a tad more graceful.


my new mathilda ring. chunky and beautiful all at the same time. visit her website to see more of her jewelry here.



i've been intrigued with adrienne antonson's work since i read about her poem undies on muse to muse. so when i visited my family, i set out to find some spinster beauties of my own. my cuff is awesome. i love it. i'm thinking of emailing adrienne to ask if she could create something (a bag or a skirt) special from a few pieces of clothing that used to belong to my grandfather.

the ring and the spinster items were early birthday gifts from my mom. thank you mom! :)


i found this darling farm tea towel (art by luther travis) in an antique shop in mt. pleasant. i couldn't pass it up! the adorable pig was made by tracy of jumilla bugs. see what else arrived in the mail here.


i was drawn to this book immediately as the cover had heart shaped stones. inside there are lovely photos and a bit of text to tell where the stones were collected. visit josie's website to read her artist statement and to see images from the book.

other artists i discovered on my visit and want to share with you:
alice keeney
karin olah. also here.

lastly, poor miles is at the vet right now. last week, we were told that he has hyperthyroidism and a heart murmur (thought to be caused by the overactive thyroid). he is having a check up in regards to the urinary crystals and will have to begin taking medication for his thyroid today with the possibility of radioactive iodine therapy in the near future. poor guy! he definitely does not like riding in a car and we left him meowing loudly today. :(

all of this and we're desperately searching for a new house to rent. our lease expires soon and we didn't have a chance to renew it because the owners sold the house. we are looking for a bungalow with a big porch and a garage for t.

until next time!
shari

back home and catching up

so before i can move ahead, i need to back up a little and fill you in on all of the fun i had in charleston.

storm grates, manholes, whatever you want to call them. they are all different and often have their place of origin stamped into the metal. i am (obviously) collecting images of them and without really knowing it, i have started a little project for myself. paula, can you tell what i'm wearing in this photo?


tomatoes at the farmer's market. hayley asked about tomato pie so i want to share the recipe with you. it is much like a quiche. we didn't grow up eating these and only found out about them after my family moved from orangeburg to charleston. my mom thinks it's a sc lowcountry dish.

tomato pie:
2 9inch deep dish pie crusts
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
6 tablespoons torn fresh basil
1 cup chopped yellow (vidalia) onions
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise

bake pie crusts according to directions. take from oven and set aside.
pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

dip tomatoes in boiling water for 1 min. and peel. slice one half inch thick. drain dry on paper towels. divide ingredients evenly between the two pies. cover crusts with tomatoes. sprinkle with salt, pepper, and basil. sprinkle onions on top. combine cheese and mayo. cover pies loosely with mixture, spreading with fingers.

bake pies for 30-40 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. let set 20 minutes before slicing.


cupcakes at cupcake on upper king. my mom and i had them for breakfast. black bottom and red velvet. have you ever asked for something that you didn't want? i asked for red velvet. why? it just came out of my mouth and so red velvet i ate. it was good but it will never be my favorite. i'm such a chocolate cake with vanilla bean frosting kind of girl!


an open door on upper king street. check out the photo in color here and tell me which you like better.


so i leave you with an image of shrimping boats taken in mcclellanville, sc. a sleepy little town north of charleston.

tomorrow will be my last charleston post...featuring my newly acquired goodies and some art discoveries.

hope you all are having a wonderful monday!
shari

hominy grill

here are a few shots from my faux birthday dinner. the food was fabulous. i had as expected cornbread, fresh greens with pepper vinegar, butter beans (aka lima beans with carrots and mushrooms), okra beignets, baked cheese grits and chocolate pudding for dessert.




the hominy grill is in a gem of a building with bead board and pressed tin ceilings.




sorry you had to miss it t! everything was delicious.

how about you friends? do you like grits? greens? southern food in general?

until next time,
shari