THANKFUL FOR THE STORIES

~preliminary sketch for Thankful Taylor print~

When I set-up at crafts shows with my folklore prints I get into some very interesting conversations. At the On The Beaten Path show a woman told me the story of Thankful Taylor. She was a farm girl, from the county I live in, who got sick after she drank some still water. After years of illness, a doctor extracted a snake that had been living in her stomach.

True or tale, there are so many good stories out there + I want to shift my focus towards folklore prints for now.

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A friend of mine recently became a Qigong teacher + needed students to practice with, so we got together a group in the park. It completely relaxed + energized me! After renting Funny Games last night I had to do something to relax.

NIGHT RIDERS

We started riding bikes Thursday nights with friends.

It's so much fun to go exploring at night. We find really cool stuff, although it's difficult to transport on a bike + we usually have to leave it behind.

Some of our friends are railfans so we rode to the train tracks to wait for one to pass by.
*
People in our town do a Critical Mass ride the 4th Friday of every month.

[NOT] SPENDING DYE DAY WITH THE BABES

Some of The Babes got together on Sunday for a roving + textile dye day. Unfortunately I could not attend.

To help me feel included, my dear friend Claudia, + hoastess of the event, gave me 3 cups of ground black walnut dye. My favorite! She uses it in much of her paper making (little bird on the left) + it makes me think of dark, rich chocolate.

I have roving, but don't know what color I want to dye it. I did buy a white skirt with the intention of dying it in a black walnut bath.

3 trips through the dye bath (boil + dry, boil + dry, boil + dry) + the color is not deep dark chocolate, it's more of a latte. I have nothing this color + really love the end result.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BLOG?

Like so many of you, I look to blogs for inspiration + would like to know what blog(s) REALLY inspire(s) you?
My Bloglines needs a bit of an update.

Here are a few I've recently discovered
Argyle Whale
Kleas
Milk + Honey

I am pleased to present a photo of the first tomato from my garden,
it's a Cherokee Purple.

WE LOVE OUR BIKES!

My boy got a tune up on his bike + now each journey starts off with the question...

should we ride our bikes? Yes!

As much as we love our neighborhood, the one thing that's missing is a grocery store. There is a corner market, but it's a little scary to this California-raised gal. A friend says it brings back childhood memories, the smell of bleach + cured ham.

Saturday we had a yardsale with some friends +
got rid of lots of crap-ola!
AND
Ruby (my red station wagon) is now 100% MINE! MINE! MINE!
I made the last payment to my boy's mother.

R.I.P. SPARKLE MONKEY

It is with great sadness that I announce the untimely death of Sparkle Monkey. It happened about a week ago, I forgot to close my studio door + Monk decided that the Sparkle Monkey printing block was a chew toy.

This was one of my first original designs I created when I decided move away from vintage printing blocks. I have decided not to try + recreate the block + to move on.

There are still a few postcard sets + cards available in my Etsy shop.

CAMP OUT

High price of gas got you down? Rent the super campy B-movie
Blood Car
(or at least watch the trailer)
We pretty much laughed the entire time + whole heartily recommend it. OK, it's a bit gorey (the word "blood" is in the title), but in an intentionally cheesy way.

WE NEED MORE 3-DAY WEEKENDS!

With our canoe strapped to the top of the car, we drove the back roads of TN + AL to my boy's family vacation cabin for 3 days of 4th of July fun + relaxation.

I got my bike back from the shop + today will be the inaugural ride to work. I'm a little sore from water skiing yesterday, but it's going to be good.

TAGGED!

As if she did not already have enough to do with her big move, downsizing + creating super-fabulous art, Ashley @ Kitty Genius tagged me with a questionnaire, so here it goes...

*PHOTOS TO BE POSTED*
*WHEN I GET BACK IN TOWN*

What I was doing 10 years ago:
I just moved in with my boy, we were spending our last month in L.A. (2 blocks from the beach, in Hermosa) before moving to TN. We both had a list of all the things we wanted to do in L.A. before we left, see Watts Towers, eat at The Pantry, VERY L.A. -type things.

What is on your to-do list today (in no particular order)?

Pack for 3 days at the vacation cabin in Alabama.
Go to the grocery store for provisions.
Not rush things. It's been a crappy week for both of us, I want to enjoy these 3 days + relax!

Snacks I enjoy:
Annie's Cheddar Bunnies!!!!!!!

Things I would I do if I was a billionaire:
Buy tons of Annie's Cheddar Bunnies!!!!!!!!
Buy those solar panels I've been looking at online.
Build the container house my boy + I are dreaming about.
Make sure people I love are taken care of.
Contribute to non-profits or maybe start a foundation of some sort. I'm not sure for what for, there are too many people, places + things in need of financial assistance.

Places I have lived:
Arcadia, Culver City, Topanga, Woodland Hills, Chatsworth, CA.
Madison, WI.
Murfreesboro, TN.

Jobs I have had:
An array of retail jobs
2 years at a talent agency
7 years in the areas on mental health + mental retardation

I tag all of you! (if you want to play)
AND for everyone celebrating The 4th of July, be safe!