Happy New Year!

We gathered at Christmas, had one big family/friend dinner and then Santa delivered the flu and we all went down hard. My S-I-L, Kate left early but it did not save her. She is back in New Mexico, sick. Sorry, Kate. 

But we did have a wonderful few days of shopping and Christmas before the illness. 

It is hard to believe that it is 2025! I remember working when it rolled over to 2000 and we were ready for anything Y2K to happen. Seems rather naive when you think about what we are heading into in 16 days or so. I have decided to look at the next 4 years with humor and try not to get to outraged. My outraged level peaked about a year ago.

Matt was having a hard time at work dealing with a demented boss so Bri and I encouraged him to quit, take time to reflect and think about what he wants to do with the rest of his life. At the moment, what he is doing is finishing the deck and a long list of "HOME TO DO LIST". So the deck is very near completion.

Only to be hit in the face with domestic terrorist events, not to mention out crazy leader and his cult. 

It does seem we are living upside down again and he hasn't even been sworn in.

Looking on the bright side, there are always artist like Jane du Rand creating beauty out there in this messed up world. Her Instagram.

 

 

Gold, illustrated opulence

Irina Zaytceva exotic ceramics. Her art has the hint of Edmond Dulac children's illustrations, the color and subjects matter, or T. Blakeley Mackenzie in the ornate and details or my favorite, Kay Nielsen in the opulence and color palette.  

The curious cats of Louis Wain

LOUIS WAIN has a fun take on cats (and other animals). 

 

 

Perpetual breath

I spent good time yesterday working in the yard, in a glorious sunny day! Planted mint all over the place, with David scolding me in the back of my mind the entire time. Then the guy showed up who mows, and made the yard look perfect! Pixie just stands at the backdoor with her nose to the door, wanting out to sleep on the sunny porch. The Stellar Jays and dancing around and making lots of noise. It is a pleasure to look out to the backyard and see so many fresh new green and red leaves! One side of my yard is greening while the other side where the big tree was removed is becoming a HOT desert environment. Soon I will have a tree full of snowballs. The clematis is about the bloom to fill the air with the scent of vanilla. And all is right with the world? (Okay, that is taking it a step to far).

I made the Shrimp Spaghetti last night. It was soooo easy. Cooked the pasta. Coated the (thawed) shrimp with paprika, red pepper flakes, pepper, olive oil. Sautéed a bunch of garlic along with onion. Then added the shrimp to garlic/onion (sautéed with lots of butter), added a little sugar. When the shrimp is opaque, add the cooked spaghetti and some fresh parsley. I could not believe I cooked something that was good and edible!

Chris Garofalo seems to be reimaging the essence of nature and it is delightful! Don't you just love them?

Chris Garofalo, falling up: becoming from undoing from Rhona Hoffman Gallery on Vimeo.

Poem Singularity by Marissa Davis. 

About the poem:  

“‘Singularity’ was inspired by the poem of the same name by Marie Howe, itself inspired by the theory of singularity, which posits that before the Big Bang, all matter existed within one small, incredibly dense ball of energy. Conceptually, it was amazing to me—that every piece of matter that would become not only you and I, but each of our ancestors and each of our descendants; and every creature long extinct and every one not yet existing; every wondrous and every awful and every hideous and every radiant thing—that the components of its being would have existed first, alongside every other, in this speck of dust. Here, the scientific meets the spiritual; becomes it, even—we’re given the chance to frame any living thing (any existing thing, really) as our brethren, that with which we once laid together in an ancient, cosmic womb.” —Marissa Davis