The Potting Bench

In bocca al lupo.  m

The Day Begins

The day begins.

I've added a few sites to my links that are fun and inspiring for the textile side of life.  I've been so hit and miss here lately that I've gotten behind on the other sites I link to.  I really enjoy the photos posted by 3191 Miles Apart, and Valerie Jardin with her international street photography workshops.  Take a moment and look through these sites.


And then there's the "kitten fix":

Phoebe.

In bocca al lupo.  m

The Serengeti of the Sea

Lately at the aquarium we've been having these little octopuses in our Tentacles exhibit. The body of these fellows is about the size of a baseball.  Their tentacles are webbed and they don't have suckers.  There are little flaps that stick out from either side of their bodies along with a siphon. We don't keep them on display for very long because these animals have only been found very recently.  They are so new that they are "undescribed". Little is known about them.  They are being studied at MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute).  So, we treat them very carefully.  They were found in the deep canyon of the Monterey Bay.

Among the many animals out in the bay at this time of year it is exciting to hear that Blue Whales have made an appearance.  In the past month there have been reports of sightings of large groups of Blue Whales numbering as many as twenty.  Blue Whales are the largest animal that has ever lived on Earth...larger than any dinosaur.  Last summer PBS and BBC combined to put on a program called Big Blue Live. They wanted to show the amazing variety of animals in the Monterey Bay at any given time.  In the three weeks that they were with us only one Blue Whale made an appearance.  I'm still waiting to see my first.

I like that the Monterey Bay is considered the Serengeti of the ocean.

In bocca al lupo.  m

Containers

This week's diptych. Fortuna in a basket, euphorbias in a pot.

In bocca al lupo. m

Garden Life

Outside in the garden I have so many visitors and, well, residents.  There has been this one-eyed, young cat I call Mimi.  Eight weeks ago she had two kittens.  I'm watching them all closely and when the time comes the three of them will be gathered and chauffered to the SPCA to be spayed and then brought back to the garden.  They have been living, at my invitation, in my studio. It's working out very well as they keep the rodent population at bay.
Looking back I'm realizing the last kittens I've seen around here were Emily and her sister nearly 18 years ago.  Growing up there were always kittens everywhere.  Generally there'd be young children sitting with a box at the entrance to the grocery stores with a note tacked to the side of the box announcing "Free to good home".  Sometimes there was even the inclusion of food.  I'm having a blast watching the two kittens growing and playing and being cared for so well by their mother.

In bocca al lupo. m

Garden Diptych

I'm trying out a diptych format.  They don't always print up very well being an odd size. Everything is experimental and I'll eventually figure it out.  I like some of the combinations and they'll be coming up in the next few posts.

In bocca al lupo. m

Like Living in Paradise

I took a drive along the seashore at the point where the Monterey Bay opens to the Pacific ocean.  It was such a dramatic afternoon.  I didn't have my camera, but just like everyone else, I had my cell phone with its camera. Remembering the adage that the best camera you own is the one you have with you, I stopped and took a picture.  I hadn't seen the kites until just before I snapped the shot.  Lucky me!

In bocca al lupo. m

Swatching

Checking the gauge.  Back to the meditation that is knitting.  Listening to baseball and enjoying a sunny afternoon. Such peace.
Quince & Co Sparrow yarn in Sky. Linen spun in Italy.

In bocca al lupo.  m

Home Treasures

Just keeping my hand in.  Treasures from around here, and a project I'm trying out

I have been missing my camera!  It's just been so very busy around here...

In bocca al lupo. m

Where Have I Been???

It's been such a long time! I've never gone this long and the story is too long to tell. Suffice it to say things have changed and are now beginning to settle into getting back to the new normal. Same house. Same camera...and me.  I want to make a push to post regularly again, at least weekly.  I will try...if anyone is left who checks in.

I've been reading, here are some of the titles:

Spirals in Time
The Narrow Edge
Lisette's List (again)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (again)
When Books Went to War
Prisoners of Geography
and currently:
Hamilton (on going)
Americans in Paris (on going)
Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms (on going)

The garden is in full swing with peas, onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, beans, asparagus, cabbages, and assorted herbs.

That's the mercifully short version of life around here.  Oh and there's always knitting, just not as much...

In bocca al lupo. m

January Landscape

I have been starting up with a new job and haven't been out with the camera much lately.  So, the other day I took a short trip over to the Fort Ord National Monument to check out the light near sunset.  The clouds actually darkened most of the scenery, but I was able to catch some silhouettes of these branches.

In bocca al lupo. m (no v)...still miss him

Holiday Afters

The holidays have come and gone...though we haven't had Epiphany yet.  But the get togethers, the greetings, the sendings, the wrappings, the cooking and baking are behind us for this season.  Time to rest, review, and recover.

In bocca al lupo.  m (no v)

Whoa! Clouds!

Clouds like this are still a rarity around here.  I see a rider on a serpent riding toward the sun. What do you see?

In bocca al lupo. m (no v)

A Peck of Peppers

Had to pick the peck of peppers.  I love my  garden!

In bocca al lupo.  m (no v)

New Skills

Christmas baking is underway and this house smells like gingerbread.  This is my first foray into rolled and cut cookies as well as (gulp) attempting to decorate them.  Practice with Royal icing is about to commence.  Thankfully these cookies are destined to be ornaments and not edibles.

It's always good to learn new skills.

Speaking of new skills, my two portfolios; Abitazione and Farms and Barns are going on sale this weekend at the Carmel Visual Arts Center in, well, Carmel.  These portfolios are sets of small to tiny photos contained in the above boxes.  It doesn't matter if they sell or not, I'm enjoying working on expanding the portfolios.  I've fallen intrigued with the small photo collection in a box format and will continue with these cherish-able photo findings.

In bocca al lupo.  m (no v)

Pansies

Deadheading pansies this chilly morning.  Pansies stay bright through the cold months as long as they get a regular deadheading to prevent them going to seed.

In bocca al lupo.  m (no v)

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

In bocca al lupo.  m (no v)

Morning Moonlight

Moonlight through the clouds this morning.  Another morning light.

My cat awoke me this morning and instead of going back to sleep like I wanted to, I found myself digging the tripod out of the trunk of my car and setting up outside the kitchen door taking shots of this light.

In bocca al lupo.  m (no v)

More Morning Sun

Another morning sun catcher.

In bocca al lupo. m (no v)

Morning Light

It's always just about the light.  Morning in the kitchen, November light.

Mini Portfolios on sale in December in Carmel, Ca.

In bocca al lupo.  m (no v)