I made this.
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Hello friends!
I hope everyone has had as wonderful a weekend as I have. Goodness gracious the weather is lovely, especially for this time of year. Normally, we’d be experiencing a bit of rain with occasional sunny days, but it looks like we’re being spoiled and quite royally – sun is expected through next weekend.
As we are no fools, we’ve done all we can to take full advantage. The first photo is of yesterday’s adventure, biking and walking our fair city. After seeing Portland City Walks recommended on one of my favorite blogs, Posie Gets Cosy, we thought we’d try it, too. We’ve ventured out on two of the twenty walks (I’ll post photos of the first one later) and have really enjoyed them. Normally this would not be our thing, as it seems silly to walk around like a tourist in our own city, but the author, Laura O. Foster, writes a lot about local history and has interesting little tidbits and “secrets” unknown to us, even though we’ve lived here for eleven years. The book also inspires us to venture outside our usual zone of influence, taking the bikes, parking them, and walking less traveled destinations, all good.
These first two photos are of the Rose City Golf Course. Now I am not a golfer by any stretch of the imagination, but it looks like a nice place to play. The hill in the second photo is Mount Tabor. It is nice to have a different perspective of it.
A neat garden structure we encountered along the way.
The view from the stairs descending Alameda Ridge. We actually stumbled upon these last summer. “Buddy, look! It seems like this is a public path between the houses. Let’s see where it goes!” It is a marvelous treat to discover.
We’re back on the home turf now. These are two of the peonies I planted last summer. I am over the moon at how pretty they are. This first photo is Coral Charm opening on Sunday.
How she looks today…
Buckeye Belle – apparently she is a bit more shy, as she hasn’t opened all the way. No matter, she’s still quite lovely!
Another little project out of the way. Greg put this bench together yesterday evening. I bought the backless variety so we can have the option of lying prostrate, looking at the little vegetable plot (tomatoes and cucumbers, and a volunteer rose), or the cutting garden. I love variety!
I’m sitting on the bench looking toward where I sat for the photos on this post. I know I’ve said this before, but I just love to see clothes hanging on the line. This peony is doing quite well, too. I don’t know what its name is, however, as it was inherited from someone else’s garden.
Looking from the bench to the cutting garden. I love having a new perspective on the yard.
If you’re wondering what the funny looking structure against the house is – here is a close up. Still funny looking, isn’t it? This was our final project of the weekend, a house for our bee friends. I’ve learned that most bees are quite solitary and make their homes either in the ground or in holes made by borers or woodpeckers. We’ve done the job for them and included our old license plate from Colorado as the roof. It’s good I kept it in the garage for the last eleven years. Hey Bridget, sometimes I do hold on to things!
As soon as I’m finished with this post, I’m joining the cats. They’ve got the right idea…
I believe it is the Shakers that have the saying, “Own nothing that is neither beautiful nor useful.” I would like to make an addendum to that: Or doesn’t have a wonderful story behind it. I love how nearly every object in my home has a story. Walk around each room and I will tell you about when we took a photograph, or the fun day we had when I bought a particular trinket, painting, or piece of furniture.
Take this glass. Isn’t it pretty? Many of you have already seen it as it adorns our front door, and for those of you who haven’t, welcome! As you can see, the opening is rather large, and I never liked the idea of total strangers, or even people I do know being able to look right into the house when I have the door closed.
So, for many years, I had some maple leaves I collected ironed between two sheets of wax paper and scotch taped to the glass. Oh yes, very classy! Finally, after knowing there had to be a better way, my friend Sarah took me to Kurumi’s, a local glass artist, and I made this, as well as some sun catchers and necklaces, in her studio. Then the hubster installed it to perfection.
I love it! The flowers are like poppies, one of my favorites! As well, it lets in light rather gorgeously and has the little cutout for a peep hole, so I can eye you before deciding whether or not to open the door. I usually do; stop by and see for yourself…
Yes, I am a crazy person. I’ve got that look in my eye. However, I am not crazy with junk sticking out of my head. That is just the door hinge in my very unprofessional office/photo studio. Anyhoo. Back when it was sunny and warm outside, I wrote this Concoctions post that told you about my DIY proclivities. Well, I’ve got an update for you, along with a couple recipes for new goodness you can try at home.
To start, the Queen of Hungary water is awesome. It really does make my skin feel super tight and smooth as a baby’s bum, with one caveat. It smells like vinegar, so I have to dilute it with water or I smell as crazy as I look in the above photo.
Angry Chicken’s deodorant has been terrific for the hubster, but after about a month, it made my pits get a rash, so I stopped using it. I am now deodorant free, and it isn’t as scary as I thought it would be, even Gregory agrees. I am guessing the fact that I shave is the reason for the rash. So, if you don’t shave, I think you are golden with this stuff. Maybe try it without the baking soda, too. Just a thought. Also, I did use her suggestion for glycerin to make it softer. I used a couple tablespoons, and the consistency is quite nice.
Kombucha – still going strong! I love it! If you are a local yokel and want to try it, give me a holler and we’ll hook you up with a SCOBY.
Birch Water – my original intention with this was to replace shampoo. Initially this was great, but then, even though I had just washed my hair, it looked, well, dirty, mostly oily. So now I use it as a body wash and am super happy with it. You can’t beat the smell of rum in the shower.
So you might be wondering if I returned to the shampoo. Nope. I have, since September, been cleaning up with baking soda and Queen of Hungary Water. Here’s the “recipe”:
Mix about a teaspoon of baking soda in about a quarter cup of hot water. Swirl around until the water is clear. Pour the water over your head, concentrating on the scalp. Close your eyes, too. This stuff burns a little. Once you’ve gotten all of it on, give yourself a nice scalp massage. Let it sit for a minute or two, or comb through it. Rinse very well. Seriously, very well. Even though you’ve only used a little, it will dull your hair if you don’t get it all out.
Next, take about a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, or even better, Queen of Hungary Water, and mix it with about a quart of water. Pour this over your head, comb through, and rinse, rinse, rinse! Nobody wants to smell a vinegary head, nobody. I am speaking from experience.
Finally, the reason for the title and the kooky photo above. I recently made lip balm and it turned out really well – like well enough to surprise everyone who’s used it, including me. I got the ingredients from a few places, but this awesome website (Mountain Rose Herbs) has it all, and most of it is certified organic. Yippee!
Pucker-Up!
12 teaspoons castor oil
9 teaspoons grated beeswax (pack this and the cocoa butter into the measuring spoon)
9 teaspoons grated cocoa butter
9 teaspoons sweet almond oil
9 teaspoons jojoba oil
9 teaspoons glycerin
1 teaspoon vitamin e oil
Essentail oils – I used spearmint (10 drops), rosemary (8 drops), and peppermint (6 drops).
15-20 1/2 ounce metal tins – I used 20 but didn’t fill them all the way. I didn’t know how much the mix would expand as it cools – not very much, so I’d use 15 next time.
Place all ingredients in a heat proof glass measuring cup. Place that in a pot of hot water over low heat, and stir, stir, stir, until melted. It takes a while, but I read that melting it too quickly could cause everything to be grainy. Nobody wants grainy lip balm.
This turned out medium firm, I’d say. If you like it really soft, more like lip gloss, change the ratio of castor oil (more) to beeswax and cocoa butter (less). Do the reverse if you like it a bit more firm. You can also use any combination of essential oils. Lavender, orange, or lemon would be nice, too! Finally, if you want it tinted, add some lipstick or food coloring at the end. It will look much darker in the tin than it does on your lips.
**I forgot to tell you that I filled my tins with a turkey baster. Just be sure to get it really clean because it will smell like your lip balm or get a baster to dedicate to unusual home projects.
Have fun, and if you do try something, let me know how it goes. I’d be eager to hear.
But not a dollar short!
I had intended to show you some of this yesterday, but my camera batteries were dead, and by the time I got them recharged I wasn’t fond of the light. Hence the title, but, as everything has a lovely way of working out in these parts, I got to paint a little more whilst sitting in the gorgeous light you see above.
I love when the light looks like that, shining through the apple tree. Judging by the shape of the fruits, we think it is a Red Delicious. It didn’t bear as many as usual this year, which is a bit of a blessing. Trying to keep up with the fruit can be a little crazy – applesauce, cider, chutney, butter, sliced and dried, piles to give away. You get the idea.
Anyway, you will also notice a little watercolor station on my jammied lap. Yep, jammies. It is 3:11p.m. and I have yet to get properly dressed. I have, however, worked out, gotten two loads of laundry out on the line, and painted in the shade of the aforementioned apple tree. I’m not a total slacker.
As for the painting, I took some classes in college, but hadn’t really touched a brush since. When I worked at Clark College, I attended a conference in the Seattle area. We stayed in a kind of icky dormitory, but man-oh-man, did it have lovely grounds that were right on the Sound. In the early mornings, I spied my colleague out sketching, and envied his air of peace and contemplation, really seeing his surroundings. It got me thinking that I’d like to to that someday.
Then, when we were in New Mexico this past summer, admiring the landscape, I wished for watercolors to magically appear, so I could capture my interpretation on paper. It’s popped in my head a few more times since, so yesterday, after dropping a package off at the post office, I walked to the art supply store and hooked myself up. In addition to what is on my lap, I bought another pad of paper. A good start.
I’m already having a grand time, which is certainly helped by my willingness to let go. When I painted before, I was so wrapped up in getting it right that I didn’t have a whole lot of fun. Now I can let it be play. What happens when I do this? Neat! And that? Ooh, not what I was expecting. As the kids say, “It’s all good.”
Is there anything you’d like to get back to doing or just try someday?
