[Belly Of The Beast Necklace — Autumn Bear — sterling silver, copper, coral, chrysoprase, silk and Oregon beach stone in ochre and striped plum]
Holy Coyote. I know that today is the first of November but I have one final thing to do before I officially summit the mountain of October. What a month it has been! A very good month of very good work, indeed. I am headed for Jackson Hole, Wyoming tomorrow on a business trip (with a bit of pleasure mixed in, to boot). I can’t wait to see those snowy Tetons, hug my friends, pet a buffalo and have a couple of rambles with the dogs in the woods there.
A handful of random informations for you:
1. For the last two weeks of my life I have suffered a total body poison ivy (or poison oak — we aren’t sure which…) attack! I had, at one point, a total of 21 patches of rash on my body (including the palm of one hand and the crease of one of my eyelids). It was awful. By nature, I am an itchy person, however, this is the itchiest I have ever been in the history of my life. I’m almost over it now. Yeesh. I thought I might perish. We don’t know how I came down with it or what the heck happened. I have washed all the clothing and bedding in the house TWICE now. Lord preserve me.
2. I made this soup yesterday and my golly, it is the best pumpkin soup recipe I have ever tried and let me inform you of the fact that I am a mighty fan of the pumpkin soup. Most pumpkin soup concoctions call for a vat of heavy whipping cream — not this one! It’s quite light, spicy and whole. PLEASE NOTE: I used an extra half an onion, 3 more garlic cloves than required, an extra teaspoon of cumin, a whole bundle of fresh oregano instead of dried oregano and in the future I WILL use two jalapenos instead of one…I may add carrots too. I have about 12 baking pumpkins I brought home from the smokejumper base in Washington which means I’m pretty much going to make pumpkin soup for the entire universe for all of infinity.
3. The studio is officially unpacked, fairly tidy, organized and ready for me to get down to business. Did I tell you I am sharing my building with a girlfriend this winter? She’s a painter and leather worker — truly talented and individual in her work. I have much respect for her work but I also love her as a person. I’m so excited about it. She’ll be in Nicaragua for a little while but once she is home in Idaho again, she’ll be working alongside me in the studio most days. I know we are both going to benefit from the creative energy and hum and thrum of each other. We’re not the neatest pair of people, the studio may burst at the seams from creative chaos. It’s still going to be awesome though. I can’t wait.
I really like my building. Working in the small space of the Airstream in the summer months helps me to deeply appreciate my workspace here in Idaho. It’s expansive, lit with huge windows and the ceilings are high enough that I can really wing my way around without feeling cramped. It’s good to be back.
4. I had my hair cut. It. Felt. So. Good. I think the last time I had it trimmed was April. Now I look like a demure lady wolf without split ends.
5. There’s a baby boom happening in Pocatello. I mean, some of our friends are having babies. It’s exciting. It’s also terrifying because everyone sits around and talks about how Rob and I don’t have a baby yet and how we’re going to have a baby any moment now…just pop one out…it’s all rather disconcerting. I stay cool as a cucumber when they all start talking like that. Babies are contagious. These will be the first babies in our circle of friends here which is why it’s exciting. It feels like a big life shift for us all. I’m going to host all the baby showers. No one asked me to, I demanded the honor. Which leads me to my next point:
6. I love our Idaho clan. Seriously. Everyone is just exactly who they are. It’s glorious. I thrive in the circle of our friends here. Thrive. And the girls are all so awesome, unique, confident and straightforward. I love ’em.
7. Stop motion with PAPER!!! Love that Laura Marling.
8. The weather lately:
Wild and awful. Lovely and dark.
9. I made this little lady…more on her later.
10. Have you checked in on Jonathan lately? Gosh. I think he is officially one of my very favorite photographers of all time. Brilliance, color, emotion, texture, honesty…everything I always strive for with a camera. Take your time looking. You will be moved.
I hope you are all better than fine. As always, thanks for being here.
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