Mess/chaos has its own energy

First off.... I just want to thank everyone who has been sending notes asking how and where I am. I'm not sure where I've been but I'm starting to feel like I am on the way back. Thanks to Tina (who is unfortunately blogless). She made a comment to me that the energy in the mess can be harnessed and used. So that is what I'm going to be trying to do.

I need to get back to the original point of this writing/blog - The studio wall.

Sometimes it isn't what I want it to be but, hey putting it out there is all a part of the process.

So....... Thanks you all for sticking with me. Who knows where this is going.

oh, and p.s. nice haircut.

I have been busy. And what better to do when you're going totally nuts and can't find a moment. A Time Waster.

48 Things You Could Care Less About


1. FIRST NAME? John

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No, I just had boring parents.

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Probably last week. I think I was talking about a dog.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Liverwurst, I hardly ever eat it.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes, but I wonder which one of us would do all of the talking.

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Journal, and journals, and many many sketchbooks.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I was just thinking about this the other day ... no.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Barbara's multigrain shredded spoonfuls. ah.... and muesli.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? For some odd reason I rarely wear wear tie shoes.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes, and I can lift things too.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Vanilla, really.

14. SHOE SIZE? 10 1/2 now 11 us.

15. RED OR PINK? Pink. Pink. Pink. and sometimes red.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My lack of motivation.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? All of my gay male friends from the late 70's and 80's. It's a very long list.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? NO.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black plants, green striped shirt, green socks.

20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Spaghetti for dinner.

21. ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? nothing, that's strange.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? I keep typing vermillion and then deleting. Why?

23. FAVORITE SMELL? Amber, and the woods.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Thom on his way to Mexico.

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Eyes and how they move through a room.

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON YOU STOLE THIS FROM? Love her blog.

27. FAVORITE DRINK? coffee a.m./ wine p.m.

28. FAVORITE SPORT? You've got to be kidding.

29. EYE COLOR? green

30. HAT SIZE? ???

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No, reading glasses from the dollar store.

32. FAVORITE FOOD? This could be a novel.... Chinese, not cantonese, or maybe cheese, or for comfort I like a roast chicken. I sometimes obsess about a steak. I love food, sometimes it's a steamed vegetable if it's just picked, or how about something with chilis I love chilis, in hungarian goulash or mexican food, or lets see ...I like to cook Indian food. This Is a question I can't answer.

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings, unless they really deserved to die.

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? winter into spring.

36. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs.

37. FAVORITE DESSERT? My sweet downfall is maple

38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I hope no one.

39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Same as above.

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? America's First Cuisines - Sophie D. Coe, False Tongues and Sunday Breads - Copeland Marks, Lorain Cooking - the American Stove Company , 1930, and Moby Dick.

41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? It is just plain blue.

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Weeds that we TIVOed.

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Waves.

44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Stones.

45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Which is further S.F., or Holland?

46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I am a colorist.

47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? New Jersey , South Jersey

48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Found at AmpuTeeHee's blog. Your turn.

I have managed to get a little work done amid all of the chaos here.
The "devil" is closer to the correct color on these machine embroidered things.


The crowded house continues, but hey look I managed to get my computer hooked up and I have a little teeny space where I can work.

The weekend was a whirl with tons of people and a party or 2 a day. All of that craziness because of the film festival.

And I thought the sheep and wool festival was this week. (the billboard in Rhinebeck had the wrong dates) I planned to have added to my stash. But since it isn't until the 21st it looks like I will miss it again this year, we'll be in NYC for a show.

The writing Mojo hasn't been with me lately. So many things to do.

Friday's update

Everyone may have noticed the big gap since my last post. A few little things have been going on.

I'll start with nice things.

Last Friday...

when Fran and I decided to go out for a walk I saw a hen of the woods mushroom and we picked it. I thought it was a hen of the woods but I wasn't sure so we called our friends Tim and Suki, and Danielle and tromped over to their house. And yes it was the very desirable Maitake. I would guess it was about a three pounds. We gave half to T,S,+D, and then I spent the evening making a broth and freezing 2 batches for use later this fall. And I made a sauce to go with scallops for dinner that night. At the last minute Fran freaked out that we were eating some mushroom I picked in the woods that I really didn't know anything about. His loss, it was excellent.

Saturday ...

We began getting emails from the evil landlady (oh, I should back up. She wanted us to be out of the shop by October 1st , we sent her a letter saying that we would be staying until the 10th.)
Anyway we get a nasty email that calls us lots of names and just goes on and on and on.... a vitriolic rant.

Fran responds that we find it laughable that she has now decided to call us all of these names and scream and yell after she has been the one harassing us for months and we are doing what she wants ( vacating her space) and we will be out the 10th.

Meanwhile... at the shop this woman keeps coming in and telling me how she is moving in on the first, when will I give her a key on and on...

Sunday ....

The crazy woman is back and wants the key. I feel like I'm about to snap. I know this is another way the landlady is harassing us, The "new tenant" tells us that she isn't going to be paying rent - The Evil Landlady is letting her have the space until December, gratis. I really feel like screaming at this point. That night Fran and I have a long talk and decide that it just isn't worth the hassle and we should move everything out on Monday.

Monday...

(Remember our bathroom is still under construction)
We manage to get everything out of the shop in Four van loads. It takes the entire day, but it gets done. We drop the key through the mail slot and poof, 6 years of retail in Hudson is over.
At the house... Everything from the shop is in the yard. We decide that we should try to get the fragile stuff into the house and we'll leave the furniture covered under a tarp until Tuesday.

Tuesday...

We spend the day shoe horning the shop into the house. (It's all a blur at this point)

Wednesday...

More straightening, cleaning and we pack the van for Rhinebeck. (antiques not wool).

Thursday...

Set up at the Rhinebeck Antiques Fair. We get home around 5 and the bathroom is nearly done. a little bit of painting left. Danny - carpenter (Who we are beginning to feel is on staff) jokingly reminds us that he likes to have meals with us. I make a note to have lunch ready for him
Friday...

And here it is one week later. We're off to finish the booth for the show. I think it's the last day of bathroom construction. The house is jammed full of stuff. The show weekend begins.