You know this one:  

Hmmm, what shall I make today?

And what’s more, I’ve decided to copy you (in a sense). I have decided to try and make something everyday, even if it’s only a photo or a little prose. It shouldn’t be too hard. It’s not like I don’t have time. My girl’s birthday is coming up in a couple weeks and I’ve made her a banner today, hopefully it will turn into a keepsake that she can use with her children, should she decide to take that route… I am very fond of simple projects using found materials.

I am also working on a cover for a wooden toy-size ironing board and hoping to order her a wood iron for playtime. My friend asked me, “Does she like to iron? Do you iron a lot?” And the answer truthfully, is no. But I plan to sew much more, and sewing is a lot of ironing, so let’s say this is a pre-emptive toy.

My darling family:

And lastly, this is my studio space in my new apartment! Very open and light…SO necessary for these dark Portland winters.

It’s a sea purse.  The egg structure of sharks, rays, and skates. 

I don’t know if the fish I’m painting is a grouper or just some vague everyfish.  It is big though – six feet in length?
At least 450 pounds.

(See The 365 Days of Faith to know what I’m talking about, unless you’re hannah – in which case you do know what I’m talking about and this is just blabbity.)

My boss saw the picture, said the fish had a “hint of whale” -
I love that phrase.

However, then the fish wouldn’t be a fish at all.  If whales can’t be fish, then my fish can’t be a whale.  So, there…

Yes.

I still look for random people to write letters to.  Some girls look for a date, I just look for a fleeting curiosity and an address.

Also, connected earlobes.  I look for those, too.  I myself have connected earlobes.  I feel an imaginary kinship with others who do.  I know you don’t, Hannah.  It’s okay.

After work:
The chickens were herded back into their castle.  The dishes were done.  I emailed myself about ten times – just a sentence or two to remind me of what I was so happily thinking about.  I’m working on brevity.  Not so much here – in this particular email (obviously) – but, generally…trying to say more with less. That just means I talk just as much, but in shorter and more disjointed sentences.

The children came home.  A splinter removed, noodles boiled, eaten, pajamas fetched books read, blankets pulled tight.

I am so tired.

What I love about you is that you can be so clearly impressed by a fish.

Right after I read your post-words I drew a picture that might be one of my favorites – ever.

What I’m saying is thank you.

I might copy/paste this to our weblog, under the category of Best Email Ever.  I’m trying to find the energy to look at the computer screen, but I’m all looked out.

I’ll post properly soon.

Love You No Less Than A Billion (or maybe more…)

Faith

P.S. I know there may be typos – but I dropped my phone in my coffee a couple days ago.
The little scroll ball doesn’t want to scroll.
(Is that the cutest sentence ever?)
(Yes.  Yes, it is.)

Goodnight.

Here’s my favorite song tonight.  I stumbled onto it via facebook.*   I really thought the “video” would kinda suck, because I’m dumb.  It’s really sort of brave.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8pyCP-G4uc&feature=related

and here’s the boy-singing version, with a video that does suck.  Really.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6VkX0wgiwY&NR=1

*I’m still trying to figure out the fb.  I have only been able to check out the profiles of people who comment to me.  I know I saw you in the initial stages of the page creation process, but now I can’t figure out if we are friends or not and, if so, where are you?  I can’t wait to check out your stuff.  I had no idea you were so facebook-y.  I feel like I have a lot to catch up on.  I will.  I will.

This is the toad fish. The only reason I saw him was because I was looking deep into the coral crannies and saw a large dark green tail swish, and re-settle into it’s hiding spot. Then I was face to face with that guy. Today I learned that they eavesdrop on dolphin calls to protect themselves. I respect that. We all do what we can.

You are painting a giant grouper. Who knows how big she is? I saw one on tv that was 450 pounds+. I was looking for the correct species and I found the frog fish, named for it’s color I’m a-guessing. No, it’s not, I just looked it up. I found your Coelacanth. I happened upon ’27 forms of aquatic life forms you never caught while fishing’ and scrolled down looking about for the frog fish photo. What I found blew my mind. The coelacanth is almost normal looking compared to these others.

Do you know what a flying gurnard looks like? Well, it has wings, if that isn’t obvious. It’s like if a good omen was a fish.

I started painting a huge fish on my wall this weekend and let the children make their marks as well. That is the beauty of having a home with rough edges: there is no perfect to try to preserve. Let the kids paint on a wall, let the moss grow green on the steps, let the chickens wreak havoc and put the power tools in the broken dishwasher. My life is so far from simple. Everything is dusty. There is a ladder at the top of the stairs. Really.

I don’t worry about the danger of the previous days detritus. We all just edge around it.

On the subject of soup: My favorite stock adds celery to the trinity. I also enjoy over-cooked potatoes in stock, because they fall apart and give the illusion of substance. I do not like thin broth. The heat doesn’t seem to hold unless it is too hot…and then it burns.
I am more of a baker. I have given up the cups and spoons of measurement and everything I pull out of the oven is a surprise. The other day I showed Leo what a teaspoon in the palm of a hand looks like. I want my kids to know these things, these ways.
My hand looks kind of old to me.

I am also going to make stock and the subsequent soup and a bit of a tutorial. Any soup recommendations? I am just going to cover the basics, mirepoix and how to make your own stock…SO easy!

I just read an interesting jocular tidbit, and I think you like jocular tidbits! It’s from the link above. In Cajun cuisine, a mirepoix, the “holy trinity” is a combination of onions, celery and bell peppers. I like peppers better than carrot and I really want to visit the South. Being a French foodie is just too much for me. Therefore, I like a touch of the French cuisine in a heaping helping of cheap, resourceful and totally unpretentious.

Agnetha is a pretty cool name, one of the A’s in ABBA. I have a major radar for palindromes, they keep me level. Now back to band practice. Learning “There is a War” -Leonard Cohen on ukulele (wish that was a palindrome!). Hawaiian has 12 letters, A E I O U H K P L M N W. Lots of palindromes.

This is my buddy Baudelaire. He looks grumpy but he loves clouds, coffee, hand-rolled cigarettes and writing. I think he’s adorable.

The middle name of my girl is Valentine. It was her paternal great grandfather’s name. We were going to name her/him “Valentine” but ruminations on the nick-name “Val” curbed that quickly. So, a new year, with better things in store. Last year was, agreeably, the WORST (or among the worst for anyone I’ve talked to). I also knew a gal who later changed her name to Valentine. As having children blatantly points to…oh gawd, what was I saying? I can’t even think. I’m trying to force myself to let go. Apparently it really helps.

I’ve been really inspired by the title track from the Bob Log III Album.

Tonight I made a slideshow. I’m trying to master the art of “uploading” onto youtube. It’s basically a free resource to become a dj. And it seems that ALL I care about in the social networking world is sharing music and making dope-ass mom friends, or at least, cool mom-friendly friends.

Here’s the two versions of one of my favorite Kinks songs (and I am a Kink-head, now, certainly). The all black one is my youtube channel. Soon it will be colorful. I just noticed your comments. Thank you for those. It’s weird to crack open,  not quite sure who can see you. That’s catharsis for you. Tonight I proposed a film blog with a fellow genius in the Bay Area…only if it was super unconventional. And I gave him the address for our reunion blog. (bold move, Harding!)

mindless child of motherhood (dave davies, b-side of Drivin’ 1969)

mindless child of motherhood (TOPS)

Here is the blankie I started in Tucson. Going to post a before/after. Like, THREE years after. Funny; for how much I love antiquated bits and bobs and brick-a-brac, this cotton, (walmart skeins) blanket seems ANCIENT. Good night, my muse of muses. Some english guy told me today that he didn’t know what all the fuss was about the Kinks and I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Maybe I’m a snob? Time will tell.

They are ice.

How in the world did people live in these mountains 100 years ago? My house is wickedly cold. The pellet stove error-ed in the middle of the night; It was 45.7 degrees when I woke up. Still, much much much warmer than outside.
My kids saw someone yesterday in “a big box costume” -
I assumed that it was just someone trying to stay warm, someone who had only a big cardboard box for a coat. However, they assured me that it was a costume, that it was decorated and even had a little window.
There is a story there somewhere.
I am happy to see you and your girl. I’ll bet the trampoline was hot under the sun.

Thanks for being here, Hannah. I need you around.

This is Shiny. I was trying to find a picture of myself, but could not. I’ll work on that. She would have been warm in this picture, her black fur soaking up the sun.

I need to make a list of chances.