On Sickness and Small Comforts

Sick in Bed=Happy Cat

Haven't quite felt like myself this past week...A nasty cold has ravaged my household. Ever since the surgery I swear I have caught EVERY cold bug possible... soon I will petition Guinness World Records as the champion of most cold viruses ever endured. (or Guinness for several pints to numb my throbbing head!!!) I am an influenza trendsetter... first on the block every time... on to the next/the latest-before the masses catch on (or catch it!) Luckily, I have never been seriously ill. Pretty sturdy composition when it comes down to it. My body is still working on 'growing bone' from the bone grafts in my L5 vertebra-so I guess I'll cut it some slack! In writing that I realized that I never asked my surgeon where the bone material came from... do I really want to know?!!? (My imagination is now running away with itself!)

Haven't felt like making art... haven't felt like cooking...(or cleaning.) Just want to pull the covers up over my head... curl up within the cat incubated sheets and sleep the discomfort away. Follow the trail of kleenex... the sniffles and whimpers and you'll find me wrapped in a cocoon of blankets in the dark... nose blown red raw.

I usually awake to find one cat on each side of me. (Both cats on the same side ALWAYS results in a fracas.) I've got the drill down. Sometime in the wee morning hours I receive a visit from Ophelia who signals her desire to crawl beneath the covers by licking my forehead once AND/OR Lucciola (LuLu) who claws at the sheets until I lift them for entry. We settle back into sleep... warm, dreaming, whiskers twitching. A small comfort.

The Family Name

Luker's Pub-Ireland

I am so excited to reconnect with family after several years...so much catching up to do! How did so much time pass so quickly!?! Found This Fabulous Pub in Shannonbridge County Offaly Ireland. The perfect place to meet for a family get together!!!

Reconnection & Letting go.

I am reeling from the news that my Uncle passed away last Saturday.

It had been awhile since we last saw each other but I have always loved him. How did so much time pass so quickly? We are such a strong, stoic & enduring clan. Reconnection...

I will miss you very much Uncle Stan. Your sense of humor and your wide smile will always hold a place in my heart.

Hooray for Community Supported Agriculture!

(lovely photos from Sleeping Frog Farms)

I had a Eureka! moment this week when I discovered Tucson Community Supported Agriculture.

Even though The CSA concept has been thriving since the 60's-70's; I somehow missed the memo! What a brilliant way to eat locally and organically in an economical way while supporting local enterprise & family run farms!

I love the idea of eating locally and have tried here and there to adopt a more conscious way of shopping-but have found it to be really difficult on an Artist's budget (Translation: Penniless.) and in the Desert. I love the various spices and prickly delicacies that the desert has to offer- The roasted chilies out here are the best I've ever had. Although, I learned that New Mexican green chilies are quite different from their bland Californian cousins. I grew up believing that GREEN=MILD. (The joke was on me!!!)

I am really looking forward to experimenting with Mesquite flour/meal.

Scraping The Skillet
mesquite flour pancakes

It was much easier to find local, organic, in season produce in California. (easier but not nescessiarly cheaper!) I do miss shopping the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market in my more flush days! It was a bit of a Snob-O-Rama but the selection was/is? wonderful! Who wouldn't want to savor a brioche while perusing quail eggs! (The Bay Area must be taken, at times, with a grain of salt!!) The 'other' side of the tracks was no less bountiful-so many side of the road produce stands! Cherries, artichokes...right from the farm. (Still suffering from homesickness.)

I became so thrilled when I started researching a couple of the farms near Tucson which are offering CSA shares. I've been looking at Crooked Sky Farms & Sleeping Frog Farms. I would love to have a garden of my own; I miss digging in the dirt and tending to my plants. I worked for two different Nurseries in my youth and have spent many a happy day weeding & pruning. I really want to start a couple of raised bed gardens in my tiny back yard but it has become such a huge & insurmountable project that I'm fearing it may not get off the ground any time soon. Same story with the process of obtaining a plot in a community garden. The idea of becoming a CSA share holder is so perfect for me right now-I love the idea of receiving a box of fresh, organic, in season local produce (and goat's cheese) every week. (for about $20-30 a week.) What a great way to diversify my menu. It's got to be a much healthier way to eat-more variety & exposure to things I might not gravitate to in the store. Love that it forces a weekly exercise in creativity. Here is a turnip-how are you going to prepare it!!??! Just like the good ol' Art School days where I had weekly assignments which kept the creative muscles warmed up. I really love to cook but have fallen out of the habit. Can't wait to get this going-Have to wait until May! Phooey!

Who's your Farmer?

Farmer Frank Martin owner of Crooked Sky Farms

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

In pondering the Pre-Hallmark origins of St. Valentine's day I realized how little I actually know about its namesake...

The Origin of St. Valentine

(according to catholic.org -didn't want to link the actual sight as I am not religious...will spare you an essay of my beliefs at this time!)

"The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. One opinion is that he was a Roman martyred for refusing to give up his Christian faith. Other historians hold that St. Valentine was a temple priest jailed for defiance during the reign of Claudius. Whoever he was, Valentine really existed because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.

The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in a The Nuremberg Chronicle, a great illustrated book printed in 1493. Alongside a woodcut portrait of him, text states that Valentinus was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius the Goth [Claudius II]. Since he was caught marrying Christian couples and aiding any Christians who were being persecuted under Emperor Claudius in Rome, Valentinus was arrested and imprisoned. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner -- until Valentinus made a strategic error: he tried to convert the Emperor -- whereupon this priest was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stoned; when that didn't do it, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate [circa 269]. Saints are not supposed to rest in peace; they're expected to keep busy: to perform miracles, to intercede. Being in jail or dead is no excuse for non-performance of the supernatural. One legend says, while awaiting his execution, Valentinus restored the sight of his jailer's blind daughter. Another legend says, on the eve of his death, he penned a farewell note to the jailer's daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine."St. Valentine was a Priest, martyred in 269 at Rome and was buried on the Flaminian Way. He is the Patron Saint of affianced couples, bee keepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travellers, young people. He is represented in pictures with birds and roses." (Epilepsy? Fainting?!? Plague?!? Might Hallmark be considered a plague!)

I have never been one for diamonds & hothouse red roses. (I much prefer sea glass & peonies. Maybe garnets & orchids on a decadent day.) The corruption & tragedy associated with the diamond trade has completely soured me to the lure of these mysteriously powerful gemstones.

"Diamond. The mere mention of the word fills the mind with a multitude of concepts and images. Diamond is a mineral, a natural crystalline substance, the transparent form of pure carbon. Diamond is something superb, the peerless 'king of gems' that glitters, dazzles, and symbolizes purity and strength. Diamond... for a commitment to never-ending love. Diamond is indomitable, the hardest surface known. Diamond is exotic, formed in the Earth's interior and shot to the surface by extraordinary volcanoes. A diamond is likely the oldest thing you will ever own, probably 3 billion years in age, fully two thirds the age of the Earth. Diamond is a strategic and high-tech supermaterial for our technological society..." (from the introduction to the exhibit (The Nature of Diamonds) which was held at The American Museum of Natural History in New York several years ago.)

I am fascinated by origin and symbolism behind the gemstones but just can't get my conscious around wearing them.

I am a complicated 'simple' girl. I am a sentimentalist through and through. I get frustrated with all of the adds on TV & in print around this time of year imploring us to purchase (or be deemed inadequate) jewelry, glass eyed bears, dozens of red roses and just too much red glittered-chocolate covered-heart shaped junk that will be soon forgotten. (Let me contradict myself here and say that chocolate covered IS appreciated-ANYTIME!) Of course, the original sentiment of the holiday has been hijacked by the consumer machine. I understand the "But it's a Hallmark Holiday" argument but do see Valentine's day as an opportunity to celebrate those we love with meaningful gestures. I also get the "But we should celebrate our loved ones EVERY day..." I suppose the hedonist in me is attracted to the idea of a specific holiday which celebrates endearment. I wish that it hadn't become so centered around spending loads of money. What has happened to our creativity? Hand made cards are lovely... mixed tapes say so much! (yes I grew up in the 1980's!) Artwork. Really, any significant memento that says "I was thinking about you love" in some simple way.

One of the most romantic 'gifts' that I have ever received was a beautiful pear! The sincerity of the friend that presented me with it really touched me. I have this long enduring daydream of receiving a rock as a surprise gift from some significant place that I've shared with my love. These are the things that move me!

I always think of Peter Weir's wonderful film Picnic at Hanging Rock on St. Valentine's day. I last saw it many years ago but its ethereal quality has stayed with me. The image of the forgotten Valentine's day cake-taken over by an army of ants-as the hot drowsy afternoon takes hold of the girls...

Ah, the mystery of love. The mystery of St. Valentine. Remembrance and pink frosting mustachioed grins.