RING OF FIRE

We celebrated our independence with lots of fire: sparklers, fireworks, and a giant bonfire. There was also lots of grilling, game playing, canoeing, fishing, and family. And, of course, there was cake. It was a fabulous Fourth of July.

BAIT AND TACKLE

Louise Kept Her Favorite Earrings Hidden In A Sardine Can In The Cupboard
2008 | acrylic on wood | 6 in. x 8.75 in.
Contact David Lusk Gallery

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So Kurt ate some sardines, I have some fancy earrings, and my mother used to hide family jewelry in a fake Sunkist can in the refrigerator. Put all of that together, and you have this painting.

In other news, Kurt and I spent a total of three hours on the pond on Sunday. I lounged in the canoe and took an informal inventory of bugs and critters, while he went fishing. I spied many a baby turtle's tracks, lots of dragonflies, some baby salamanders, and millions of tadpoles. I even rounded up a couple of worms for Kurt to use as bait. They were pretty tasty worms: Kurt caught four bass and a brim. Just another Sunday at the homestead.

A TALE OF THREE APARTMENTS

Before Katie and I hit the bricks in Hampden, we wandered the alleys of our old neighborhood, Bolton Hill.

1. 1508 Mt. Royal Ave.: Our class (the graduating class of 1993) was the last class to be assigned a block of brownstones as freshman student housing. We all really felt like we were truly on our own, living in awesome apartments, and surrounded by friends. I shared the third floor of this joint with a couple of women I haven't managed to keep up with (one, quite honestly, I was glad to see transfer after only a year at MICA). Katie was living large at the end of the block in an apartment all to herself. I ended up over there a lot to eat spaghetti, gossip, and listen to Everything But the Girl.

2. 1403 Park Ave.: As soon as our freshman year was over, Katie and I conspired to rent a place together. We enlisted our friend Gene to share the lease with us. It was a cover up for his parents back in Miami; Gene was really shacking up with his boyfriend a few blocks away. The ruse definitely worked in Gene's favor but ours too: Katie and I enjoyed a huge apartment on the third floor for just the two of us and cheap rent. That summer we got another roommate: our dog June. Katie and I lived here for two years and in those two years we hosted many visitors and a ton of friends. Lots of memories were made on Park Ave.

3. 1519 Bolton St.: After two years on Park Ave., Katie and her sister, Heather, moved in together, and I had a chance to take over a friend's apartment on Bolton Street. I needed someone to share the rent, so I roped my dear friend Brian into leaving his efficiency apartment on Mt. Royal to share digs with me for our senior year. I think he made the right decision. Brian, got any pics of the voodoo corner?

The moral of this story is that Baltimore walk-ups are perfect digs for the art school crowd, but this thirty-something sometime painter likes to hang her hat in a little house on a handful of acres in rural Mississippi. It sure took a while to get here, but I'm damn glad I did. Still, I wouldn't trade those Charm City memories for anything.

A PRESCRIPTION FOR PANCAKES

After a week of collecting wine oral histories in Virginia and before the Cornbread Nation dinner in DC, I spent some time with my college roommate, Katie, and her family in Baltimore. And I have to say here that her husband, Dan, made some killer pancakes on Saturday morning that went completely undocumented, and I feel bad about that. But sometimes you want to just participate and not document, if you know what I mean. Such was my state of mind on Saturday morning in their kitchen, playing with their kids, and watching pancakes rise on the griddle. So, sorry, Dan. Your pancakes were definitely blog worthy.

Little did I know, though, that there would be more pancakes later on that afternoon. After lunch at the super awesome thrift-decorated Golden West Cafe in Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood, Katie and I did a little thrifting of our own. We browsed the isles of an antique mall just down the block, and I walked out with a handful of treasures. An inventory of those treasures will come later. For now, know that my thrifted bounty included a couple of pages cut from vintage cookbooks: one of cake recipes, one of pancakes (pictured above). I gravitated to them for the wonderful illustrations. When I unpacked them and spent some time admiring their simple beauty and my awesome find, I decided to try one of the recipes.

This morning, I made pancakes. How could I resist, right? The Sour Milk Griddle Cakes seemed like the perfect way to start my day. So I got out a bowl, sifted some flour, added some salt and baking soda, and then I opened the refrigerator for an egg. After a week away, wouldn't you know it, there wasn't an egg in sight. Oddly, however, we did have some shortening and buttermilk in stock, which I had laid eyes on earlier and which inspired confidence in my task in the beginning. But you can't make pancakes without an egg, so my hopes were quickly dashed. I was about to resign myself to a breakfast of plain yogurt when I decided to tromp down the driveway to my neighbor's house and borrow an egg. I was going to have Sour Milk Griddle Cakes, dammit.
As I made my way down the driveway, I noticed that our blackberry bushes we not only full with fruit, they were full with ripe fruit. Blackberry Sour Milk Griddle Cakes! I picked up my pace to reach my neighbor's house. Melanie was home and more than happy to let me have an egg. After I got the egg safely to my kitchen, I grabbed a bowl and headed back out to the driveway for a blackberry harvest.
Soon, there were Blackberry Sour Milk Griddle Cakes on a plate and drenched with syrup. Dare I even say, these were the fluffiest, tastiest, most satisfying pancakes I think I have ever had. I don't know if it was the scavenger hunt that it took to put them together, the simple addition of the fresh berries, the classic recipe or, I admit, my appetite, but I do know that at approximately 10:30 a.m. this morning I was in heaven--Blackberry Sour Milk Griddle Cake Heaven.

Unfortunately, though, there's no butter in heaven. Someone needs to go to the grocery store.

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UPDATE: Miss Lara requested the recipe, so here it is in an easy-to-read format.

SOUR MILK GRIDDLE CAKES
Via a random page torn from a vintage cookbook, verbatim

2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon Arm & Hammer or Cow Brand Baking Soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 cups sour milk or buttermilk
1 egg, well beaten
1 tablespoon shortening, melted

Sift flour once, measure, add baking soda, salt and sugar and sift again. Combine milk, egg and shortening. Add to flour mixture. Stir only until smooth. Bake on hot, greased griddle. Makes 2 dozen cakes.


NOTES:
--I halved the recipe (everything but the egg, of course), and they came out beautifully. But FYI, half of the recipe only made five pancakes about five inches in diameter, not a dozen.
--I only sifted all of the dry ingredients once.
--I never grease my griddle.
--Definitely add fresh berries!
--Cow Brand Baking Soda was, evidently, the very first brand on the market. In 1896 the brand was absorbed by Arm & Hammer. History here. Great image here.

GARDEN UPDATE: JETHRO'S BACK ON THE JOB

I haven't mentioned much about this year's garden. We planted late, so there hasn't been much to report. But yesterday, Jethro was reinstalled at his post, and Kurt gave the weeds a talkin' to. Other than that, the squash plants have blossoms, the tomatoes are getting tall, some other plantings are starting to do their thing, and the sunflowers are growing by what seems about a foot a day. Still, if you look at last year's garden, the joint is looking a little thin this time around. But last year we had corn and gourds. This year we decided against both. Jethro might be glad we nixed the gourds this year.

BREAKING NEWS: I'M BACK IN THE STUDIO!

Yep, it's been--gasp--three months since I shared news of my last encampment in the studio (I went with the rosary, by the way). Well, this weekend I got back to work, only not in the studio. This time, I set up shop in the dining room. The fancy schmancy new studio in the woods isn't quite ready for occupation, and it's so dang hot here these days that the unfinished back porch studio just won't do. So the dining room table it is. And actually, save the lugging supplies back and forth and making sure to not get any paint on the carpet, it's a mighty fine space in which to work. Air conditioning is so inspiring! And, as you can see from the photo above, I set some inspirational objects on the table to get my creative juices flowing. And flow they did.

I managed to put the finishing touches on a couple of paintings that had been hanging around, and I started a few new ones, as well. The photo above is a peek at one of my new pieces. I've been frustrated with this one, if only because I'm afraid people might think that I made up these objects--that they came from somewhere deep inside my imagination (I've been doing portraits of objects for a little while now). But really, these things do exist: an empty box of Cowboy cigarettes from Colombia and a set of very European-looking, male and female Native American salt and pepper shakers (yes, the woman is without clothes but with necklaces). See, I told you, strange, right? But the painting is coming together quite nicely, and I am less concerned about whether or not the objects seem real or not. There's quite a quirky mystery to this painting, which I think is its strength. I'll unveil the piece in its entirety when the time is right. Which brings up another little bit of big news.

Mark your calendars: I'm in a show at David Lusk Gallery in Memphis that opens on August 1. And now you see the reason for this flurry of studio activity. It's all very exciting.

In addition to the exciting news regarding my painting habits and career, there's also some good news on the construction front: Kurt is back on the job! His wrist has healed, the spring rains have cleared, and nails are in the nail gun! Kurt has asked me to refrain from documenting said studio construction until there's something particularly impressive to discuss (it's ALL impressive, if you ask me). So, until I get the go-ahead, just know that there is now a back porch, hefty cedar posts mark the corners of the front porch, and the wiring is about to go in.

There's so much happening around here, I can hardly stand it.

A STORY ABOUT VERMICELLI

I love Vietnamese food. You know that. When I moved to Mississippi from Texas, I thought I'd miss all of my favorite Tex-Mex restaurants the most. I was wrong. I missed Van Loc. 

A couple of weeks ago, Van Loc came to me. Kind of. Poppy and Liz, two of my high school girlfriends, came to town. (That's the three of us pictured above: Poppy, Liz, and me.) One night, Poppy made us dinner: Bun Heo Xao (stir-fried pork with vermicelli). It was awesome. Somehow I never realized that vermicelli noodles could be found at our local Kroger. I had to catch my breath as Poppy picked up a package of vermicelli from the bottom shelf on the Asian Food aisle. I had never--not once--noticed vermicelli in my Kroger. I felt like an idiot but was certainly glad to know vermicelli could now be had any time I wanted it. What a revelation.

 So last night, after Kurt and  went grocery shopping, I came home and made Bun Tom Xao (stir-fried shrimp with vermicelli, pictured up top). It was awesome, too. There are a couple of things I'll do differently next time, but for my first time out of the gate, I must say, it rocked. 

Kurt and I ate our supper of Bun Tom Xao on the front porch and had this captive audience drooling the entire time. Jerry Lee has only appeared on the blog once before. He's settled into things here at  the homestead quite well, as you can see. Although Jackson still doesn't understand why Jerry Lee insists on nipping at his butt all of the time.

Also last night, I made some marinated carrots. Something inspired me to recreate the spicy marinated carrot salad they have at one of my favorite taquerias in Houston, Taqueria Tapatia on Richmond. I have to say, I don't know why I never tried this before. It's so very easy and so super awesome. It'll be just the thing to go with the Ninfa's chicken fajitas I'll be making tomorrow night. I'll also be trying my hand at making homemade tortillas. Wish me luck.

Okay, so I do miss the Tex-Mex.

CRAFTY INTERLUDE

I thought I'd interrupt the Portland vacation recap with a little bit of craft. It has, after all, been a while since any of my own personal creative expressions were highlighted here. (Note to self: get back in the studio!)

Kurt and I spent the weekend doing some nesting: I did some spring cleaning and house rearranging, while Kurt worked in the yard. One of the little organizational projects that showed itself to me was figuring out how to organize my growing collection of awesome earrings. It didn't take long for me to come up with an idea. I took an old wooden frame out of my studio, found a scrap piece of brass screen in Kurt's man cave, and put the two together to make this handy earring showpiece. The best part: it only took about five minutes to put together. And now I have all of my wonderful earrings on display, instead of in a knotted mound. Putting the finishing touches on the day's outfit has never been so easy.

Actually, there is a little bit of Portland in this post. If you look closely at the frame of earrings, notice the ones on the second row, second pair from the left. I got those at the Museum of Contemporary Craft's gift shop. More on that wonderful place to come.

LIFE IS GOOD...

...When you own a canoe.

Saturday, Kurt and I took a little road trip to Memphis to pick up our new toy (and some Thai food). We'd been wanting a canoe ever since our friend, Nick, brought his over to our house for a little yard party that we had last year. Needless to say, it was a big hit--with our guests and with us. Now that we have what amounts to two ponds, it seemed obvious that we were in need of a canoe of our own.

We christened our new Old Town with the help of our friends April and Chris and their son, Jonah, Saturday night. I'm telling you, there's nothing like a campfire and dinner by the pond, prefaced by a little paddling in the canoe.

And so you know, Jerry Lee has taken to riding in the canoe. He's a good little passenger, too. Jackson, on the other hand, is content to sit in the yard and watch.

A NEW MEMBER OF THE FAMILY

Meet sweet, sweet Jerry Lee. He came to us all the way from Athens, Georgia, just last week. He didn't make the trip on his own; he had some help from our friend Stacey, who fosters dogs for Athens Canine Rescue. I stayed with Stacey back in February, when I was on the road for work, and I fell instantly and madly in love with Jerry Lee.

Unfortunately, though, I don't have a great picture of him. This is the best I could do for now: through the screen door. He's a busy little fella! He loves tromping through the woods, wading in the pond and, yes, chasing Friday. And Jackson, who I'm realizing is getting up there in age (we think he's about seven), is not completely convinced that this little guy is all he's cracked up to be. They're getting along, sure. It's just that Jerry Lee is on the playful side, while Jackson's more on the lay-around-on-the-front-porch side. These new bosom buddies made a day of it yesterday, though, when they went on a romp through the woods together and returned to the porch covered in mud.

Welcome home, Jerry Lee!

DIGGING IN THE DIRT

Digging in the dirt: a great Peter Gabriel song and how Kurt is spending this Easter weekend.















I did my bit. I tromped through the garden barefoot and documented the entire scene.

The only thing in the garden at the moment is a row of green onions that have gone to seed. Soon, though, there will be rows upon rows of tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and more. I can't wait.

Happy Easter, everyone.

ED & EDNA

These two have been hanging out with us all week. They fly in each morning and fly out at dusk. We've decided that they must spend the night in the marsh behind our house. Who knows where they camp; we're just happy to see them in our pond. And the other day when we came home, they were making themselves right at home in our front yard. They're getting so comfortable around here, I feel like we might just see them up on the porch one of these days. They're more than welcome, although Friday, our cat, might have a thing or two to say about it.

A PEEK AT THE PONDS

Thought I'd round out your idea of what's going on here at the homestead with a little snapshot of our front yard. You can't really tell from the picture, but there's a narrow little inlet behind that clump of trees that connects the two ponds. Ed and Edna happen to appear in this photo, as well, although you can hardly see them. If you look closely, you might be able to make out two dark grey specks on the sandy pond bank near the center of the picture.

The yard is looking pretty good right now. The ponds are full, and the grass is getting green. Pretty soon, those trees will be full of leaves and the garden in full swing. I absolutely love spring in Mississippi.

DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE

Some Canadian geese landed in our pond on Sunday. We spent much of the day watching them eat our grass, swim from shore to shore, and honk at our neighbor's dog. It was quite entertaining. And really, there's nothing quite like seeing a couple of beautiful birds enjoying your pond, coasting effortlessly across the water's surface. Especially when there's now twice as much pond for them to enjoy.

Eventually, the geese, whom I've taken to calling Ed and Edna, took flight. But yesterday morning they returned and spent another day napping on the pond bank and waddling around the yard. We thought it was a fluke, until this morning when, as we were eating breakfast on the front porch, they gracefully landed in the pond once again. And then there they were, still enjoying our yard, when we arrived home from work this evening. I don't know where they spend the night, but they sure know a good thing when they have it.

See you in the morning, Ed and Edna.

STUDIO ON HOLD

Bad news on the construction front: Kurt is injured. With Kurt's semester of teaching gearing up, him getting a cold, and it being a rainy winter, there hasn't been a lot of progress on the studio. But Saturday was the first day of nice weather we've had in a while, so Kurt got back to work (still in a cold medicine induced haze, mind you). Unfortunately, though, he wasn't on the job site for more than a couple of hours when the ladder gave way beneath him, and he hit the ground. That wouldn't have been so bad, except for the fact that he tried to break the fall with his hand, which ended up hitting the cement support. The result: a sprained wrist. His right wrist. His working hand. So he's taking his carpenter hat off for a while to mend. Meanwhile, I just might pick up that nail gun--with some supervision, of course.

ONE STEP CLOSER TO A ROOF

We have rafters!

It rained on Saturday, but yesterday was absolutely gorgeous, so Kurt and I (yep, I helped--a little) were able to get back to work on my new studio. Oh, the satisfaction! Kurt's back on the job today, so I do believe this thing might be roofed and walled by week's end. Unless, of course, that crazy sixty-degree-and-rainy weather rears its ugly head again. This is January, right?

You can see a few more pictures of the building site right here.

NIGHTBUILDING

Kurt works into the night, while I hum one of my favorite REM tunes.

STUDIO UPDATE

It rained most of the day today, so Kurt hasn't been able to do much to the studio. Still, there's been major progress! Walls and windows are framed in, the loft is up, and the porch boards are down. The forecast calls for clear skies tomorrow. And maybe a roof?

ROOM WITH A VIEW

The studio has walls! And windows! Granted, there are only frames for walls and windows but goodness, there has been progress! And there has been even more progress since I took this photograph yesterday morning. Last night, Kurt managed to get up all of the framing for all of the walls, and he added the platform for the loft area. Yep, there's going to be a little reading/sleeping/storage loft in the back of the studio. Exciting, I know.

Today, Kurt is working on--ahem, creating--the roof. At this rate, I'll be sanding boards and mixing paint (and nesting!) early in the New Year. Wow.

Thanks, my love! xoxoxo

THANKSGIVING PROJECT 3 :: SPLITTIN' WOOD

After recovering the chairs, baking the pies, making the soup, and putting the turkeys in the oven, our guests arrived. We poured drinks. We went for a walk in the woods. We warmed up with mugs of carrot orange soup. And then the guys headed to the pond's edge to split some wood for the fire.

After the splitting of the wood, it was time to eat. The turkeys came out of the oven, the sides found their way to the table, and so did we. The meal was wonderful and the company divine.

After dinner, we sat by the fire. We drank. We laughed. We ate pie. And there were a few marshmallows thrown in for good measure.

Go here to see more Thanksgiving weekend photographs.