The CliffsNotes to the Last 14 days

6.01.2010

Koby ate a chair. I had an art show in Atlanta at the downtown library with 3 other artists. Show looked good. I sold one of the flower scan paintings to a librarian who works there. I had thought nothing would sell as the show was in a non-commercial venue and was less likely to draw "people with expendable cash". But i was reminded that art sells when the work resonates with the viewer on a personal level -in this case the painting was like a portrait of the librarian's Atlanta garden.

I laid in the insulation on the studio. It was harder than i thought it would be. balancing on the very top of the ladder to do the ceiling was difficult since i had to hold on to 6 foot strips of pink panther C19 and the metal sticks that hold the insulation in, all while trying to avoid getting tiny shards of glass in my eyes. Goggles didnt work; they fogged up making the top of the ladder routine stupid and dangerous. Later, in the loft area, there was an epic battle for territory with black hornets who were happy with the studio as it was. When i started to sweat i became aware of the fiberglass embedded in my skin. i should have consulted Google first. I would have learned that to avoid getting itchy i should have covered myself in oil or baby powder first. When the first two showers didnt end the itching, i took yet another - this time i coated myself in bath oil and scraped the entire surface of my body with an american express card with pretty good success; fresh sheets followed and i finally was able to sleep.

I designed a poster for the farmer's market pro bono. The farmers market board was thrilled and they bestowed upon me a free slot at the market for life. If i live to be 76 then that will be the equivalent of 2500 dollars! ($5 per 20 saturdays for the next 25 years). grrrrrrrherhahaha. I was very happy to do this project and hope that they make good money with the sales of the poster.

My seeds from the packet called "grandmothers cutting garden" are coming up nicely. There are flowers i do not recognize emerging including an airy white flower that is very weed like but i love it. Also coming up: cosmos, zinnia, phlox, all kinds of coreopsis, dianthus, daisies, and a variety of spikey salvias.

I found a ring necked snake in the hay. I harvested the last of my lettuce and pulled up a carrot to see where they were only to find a tiny cone of veggie. The effusive foliage on top fooled me. My onions looked and tasted good as did the sugar snap peas. I had a giant FAIL with the cabbage. I did not treat them with chemicals before i left for a few days and when i returned they were completely destroyed and inedible as they had been attacked by cabbage moth worms.

valentine-lettuce-mix
Lettuce was harvested at about 4" and was tender and flavorful. Not a hint of bitter and oh so pretty.

onions
the spring onions

dandylion
The field was dotted with dandelions the day before the mowers arrived and trimmed it to an even green.

3-kobys
Koby does an impression of Coco; Koby the perfect angel; RAWR! I chew through sticks like a chain saw.

trout-and-koby
Since Koby ate Trout's chair, we made another bed for Trout, situated so that she can do her job which is to watch the street. Trout's eyes are flaring up again as they did last year. This time i know it isnt glaucoma and went straight to the prednisone drops. I still dont know what causes it. Koby is 80 pounds now at 8 months. These two clash like stallions all day, up on their hind legs, snarling and neck biting. Now they are an even match, we shall see if Trout can maintain ALPHA status. Koby ate another chair: this time the crappy one at the cabin.

Mmmmmmmmm! Who want's cole slaw? Isn't this photograph unreal? Looks like a horror movie poster but it happened in my garden.

SO much for insecticidal soap! I had to go to atlanta for a few days and tried to protect my cabbage without harming my ladybugs or bees -so i was reluctant to use chemicals. When i returned just 5 days later i found my cabbage covered in cabbage moth caterpillars who had made lace of the leaves and ruined the tightly formed heads i had waited for for months.

Garden insects inspired my latest round of Kokeshi which i made for the arts festival but didnt sell any of them. I made a ladybug, a honey bee, and a cabbage moth caterpillar. It was interesting to make a character based on an insect i had just cursed and cut up with scissors.

new-kokeshi

mr-and-mrs-ski
I made these poultry family portraits for the arts fest too. I sold "Dovey" but not "Ski" which was regretful. They were such a perfect couple. I need to find more of these old timey cameo style frames so i can make more.

The festival wasn't too bad. I had a good time merchandizing my booth but it was a ton of work. V sacrificed his holiday weekend doing all the hard parts like set up and take down -both in the rain. And we only went to DefCon 4 once! I made a little pocket change and rejoiced in the fact that i dont do this every weekend like some artists do. Now i am back on the studio -this time cleaning up after the sheet rocking (very very messy) and preparing to paint the walls. I should be ready to work in there by the end of June.

How i spent memorial day:

sweet-peas

ladybugs


fern-bank

silver-maple

How is everyone? Ive missed you all and your blogs. I struggled to write this. Im just not feeling it. maybe i am all blogged out.
or maybe its just a bit of the blues.

32 comments:

  1. Hey chickory! My, you have been a busy bee. I LOVE your poster. I had a lab that ate a chair once. ;) Such beautiful photos! I'm having a little blog burnout/blues, too. It will pass, I am sure. xoxo!! Pam

    PS I got the ornies - thank you!!

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  2. Congrats on the studio progress and poster win!

    HA! Ladybug porn!

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  3. If I could choose a new life right now, I believe I would be Koby.
    Still looks like paradise to me...cabbage worms and all.

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  4. Doin' ok. Change is a comin', as Dylan sang, and I think I'm finally ready to not just whine about it, but to make it happen in my own life.
    I do worry, though, about the future of the community, state, nation, and planet apropos my young son. I would prefer to be in the countryside, but that will happen in its good time.
    I need to make more time for my projects, and writing, and even art... and music.
    The "modern" (what does this mean anyway? It's been used since the Middle Ages to refer to the fact that people always think their ways are cool and novel. hah!) life just sucks too much time up. We allow it to...
    Be well.

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  5. You're way ahead of me on garden vegatables. We have a lot of romaine lettuce, but that's it. We also have that purple lettuce but it's not ready yet.

    Fiberglass insullation is a bitch to work with. I've worn regular safety glasses with pretty good success. Gloves, face mask and long sleeve shirt finish the outfit. Although I must say I was getting turned on by your itch cure. Bwahahaha

    You have to do something arty with the cabbage bug picture and the lady bug porn picture because they look way cool. Looking forward to seeing the finished studio.

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  6. PS: A Coco-Koby Summit would be cool. Unless, of course, if Koby ate Coco!

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  7. yoborobo: yay! they arrived SORRY it took so long (note to Karl and Publius: you WILL get your chicks) yeah, it seems bloggin tends to slow down every summer. Its better in winter that is fo show!

    xl: i know! good they are making little ladybugs to destroy aphids. oh that studio...it is a slooooow progress but it will be done by the time my blog summit in september happens.

    gnome! WHERE have you been? its so good to see you. Koby does have a good life. today i took her to "town" to socialize. she was brilliant. I cant take trout - she doesnt like anybody. except betty. who she loves more than me. xo!

    Publius: first..you chick IS coming. Im sorry the store that sells them sold out so i had to fill space with the ones i had...including yours but i am making more and will ship out to you in a few days. i didnt forget! promise.

    yes a change is coming...i havent wanted to write about it here on my sweet little nature and art space but i have to. I dont know what more we need to be shown to wake the hell up and DO something so we dont end up ground down under the machine. i cant look at the gulf stuff. i saw a photo today of dead porpoises all over the shore...why arent they showing that on ABCCBSNBCMSNBCCNNFOX?

    glad you are going to move into a more fullfilled life. after all, isnt that the point? its a gift, to enjoy. cherish whats good and real and cut away the sick and dying parts as best you can. the kid will be alright with you.

    be well.

    buzz: remember those old trading cards that were like dumpster kids or something like that? thats what that photo reminds me of -just unreal how sickening it is. i cut every caterpillar i found in half. they oozed out onto the sickly leaves - the whole area smelled bad. i burned the shit in my fire pit.

    apocalypse now!


    i did cover up with clothes on the insulation project but still ended up with a ton of it on me. hated that project. gah!

    xl: well its going to be hard no matter what. because Boxer has to take the chicken home with her. and how will coco react to a new feathered boss lady?

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  8. I am impressed you are a woman who allows a chair eating dog into her house. This designer learned of a whole new look today. Never once have I thought of creating a Library for dogs with textile draped furnishings. I so wish there had been a pair of professor-ish glasses on your beautiful Koby. Does Trout have her rump turned toward Koby? Quite the statement. Next thing you know Trout will be vocalizing her opinions of co-confinement. At our place, the spanielly pup tells me promptly what he thinks of me when I put him in with that hound!

    Reading thru this I suspect it isn't that you have blogger fatique .... I suspect you are just tired.

    No doubt you have inspired Buzz to invite his wife to play credit card spa. That man never misses an opportunity to translate!

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  9. fishy: Trout gives everybody her butt. that was kind of you to call a sheet and towel "textiles" grrrrrrrrhehrehahaha. lets face it: my house is a dog flop house. you should see the destroyed chair now. V had it recovered. as a gift to me. the fabric is...tragic.

    (i hope doesnt read this.)


    honestly, with the oil crisis in the gulf...a destroyed chair could hardly rate on the stress o meter. suddenly i just dont - cant care -about anything almost.

    weird

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  10. and keep writing. Your page is amazingly comforting somehow... the strength combined with gentleness... as a male, I appreciate this, as I don't think I can combine such important traits as well..
    and such beautiful photographs!
    I will be posting a rare entry tonight or tomorrow. Please stop by.

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  11. Good afternoon Chickory,

    You had me with first line "Koby ate a chair" kind of says it all doesn't it.

    Tyvek suits with a hood and vinyl gloves are the best protection I've found for working with insulation. I use regular safety glasses and dust mask. When finished I wash my face cold water. No itching or discomfort and they're cheap.

    Your posters is good. Remember payoffs for things like this may not fit your checkbook. But they have a bigger way of paying you back.

    Sorry about your cabbage. What chemical would you use?

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  12. I got the blues too, Sweet Chick. I stopped looking at the news because it makes me sick/sick/sick. Summer is a quiet time with blogging, maybe because outside life can take our attention? I love every picture you have on this post and even though you struggled to put it together, I find it helpful to map things out at times when I can't figure out what ails me.

    Koby is magnificant! I call Coco "The One Who Can In Public." And I'm sorry about Trout's eyes, but given it's nearly the same time of year again... allergies??

    Sending you big love little bird.

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  13. Lovely post, poster, and photos. Thanks, as always, for sharing your little corner of the world. You may be weary, but I always feel that stopping by here is restorative.

    Take care,
    eggy

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  14. fantastic post, c

    this gulf worry has everyone,
    pretty much, it seems, off their game, but keep the faith -- keep on plugging -- we LOVE your sweet nature posts

    best to you

    × × ×

    /t.

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  15. The only blue I like in my summer is overhead and underfoot. But now it's stuck in my head, too. Boo. Manuscript fits prevent me from having a life outside a brief escape to the desert for four days, so a garden is most definitely out until perhaps the fall. I will content myself with photos of your bounty. And be glad my dogs only kill things outside the home (Although, Maddie trapped and killed a beautiful spotted lizard yesterday and I cried until I scared myself.)

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  16. You take AWESOME pix like these, and you commend ME on MY photos ?!?? C'mon !

    I'm not even in the same CLASS as you !

    Hey, bring K9 back to HBAG and drop a loaf, lol !

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  17. you know that despite everything/anything I'm going to return to Chickory in the Fall.

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  18. Love your updaqte and your pix. Roses and irises and even hydrangeas are in bloom here. Cannot wait for the dahlias, though ... The blackberries are in blossom ... and figs are on the trees but still green.

    My camera and I have been keeping busy, trying to keep up with nature! The Chinese Night Market has started up again in Chinatown and the Farmers' Markets are in full swing.

    The Wolf has a birthday tomorrow (3rd), and we expect a visitor from across the pond in about 6 weeks' time. My project for the remainder of this week is to rearrange the furniture in the bedroom.

    Hope you are well ... your dogs are a riot. I remember too well the battling among our herd of afghans for ALPHA.

    xxx ~roxanne

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  19. thanks again for sharing the beauty you are.

    also kind of short on words at the moment.
    the only thing that wants to be said is if you want to help your dogs retain the alpha status, always feed the alpha first and make the second one wait a few minutes.
    it is probably common knowledge but i only heard about it recently and it makes sense.

    take of yourself.
    su

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  20. Great to have you back dear Chickory, you have been missed.
    Gosh you have been busy, pleased to hear that your studio is coming along (I hate fibreglass)and that you sold a scan at the art show; great poster for the farmer's market.
    I love reading your posts and looking at the photos, which are always lovely, if you do get a chance could you please post some photos of your flowers from the "grandmothers cutting garden", I so love your flowers.
    Great photo of Trout and Koby on the divan, I do hope dear Trout's eyes will be OK, it must be an allergy of some kind.
    I'm sorry that you feel down sweet girl, we all feel like that at times, but just look at all of the beautiful things around you and hopefully that will cheer you up. xoxo ♡

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  21. Hey girl, You sold two pieces from the Library show! Don't forget I want Ski. I have the perfect place for him.

    I am inspired by your commitment to post so honestly, beautifully, and is humorously a word?

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  22. oops.
    Perhaps I forgot to click on the "publish" button...
    Lesbian Ladybugs? Amazing...

    Any advice about the insulation is probably too late for now, but, here's what it's all about. The "itch" is really microscopic cuts, and like all scabs, itches a bit after it first heals. The oil idea is interesting, but, just a thorough warm water shower with plenty of soap will do as well. The important thing is to not mix your clothing that you wore to do the work and the towel you dry with after your shower in with your other clothes.
    Wash them separate, and even two or three times.

    Congrats on selling. While it is nice to see appreciation for your work, a lil ca$h is good for buying stuff, yes?

    I love the Trout Koby connection on the chair/ottoman.
    (do you suppose Trout charges for the space?)

    I only hope that the next time I get to visit Jeanie that the two of us can weasel in some time to come see your new studio.

    Now, as for "burn-out"?
    Perhaps you are doing it so well you make it look effortless? (You know...like some artists do that.)
    Because this was a cool post, gal!

    OK, now, this time I'm going straight to the publish button...although with my memory, who knows, eh?
    d=))

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  23. Next installment: Kobe ate the rafters-yeesh! have ya read CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG to her?

    Looky, that Poster is a beauty! No wonder the BR folks luv ya'!

    Put Thurgicide on the cabbage.

    Gnome Self came to see ya? Thas' one thang I hate about not bein' cute sprite, us ole cracker wimmen jes' cain't attract us no gnomes.

    The garden pics is wunnerful--blog when ya wanna, no more--or it will git to be a job not a pleasure.

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  25. I changed my mind about that idea...

    If the thurgicide doesn't work, ask me and I'll tell you an exquisitely torturous way to remove those worms...
    d=))

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  26. ande, i am so in love with the farmers market poster. it's perfect. thanks for doing it!

    i love the poultry family portraits. they are some snazzy looking birds.

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  27. publius: thank you - i look forward to reading your post...chicken flies your way TODAY!

    Karl: does kryptonite come in a spray? grrherhahaha

    boxer: i agree with you - it must be an allergy to something that blooms/appears this time of year. but at least it isnt the terror of last summer where i thought trout might lose her eyesight. today they showed the coated pelicans...and yesterday i saw photos of dead porpoises on the beach in LA. i cant stand it. i cant look - i cant not look. *sniff*

    have fun at the red rocks! xoxox oh and fall at chickory will be divine! i promise. growin' stuff for shamy to work with

    eggy: thank you - comforting and kind words. so glad you stopped by.

    /t: i know -even canadian geese are at risk and other migratory birds. makes ya wanna howwwwwwl

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  28. moi: sometimes a small creature is the symbolic stand in for the bigger picture...i understand those tears. sorry about the postponed veggie garden...can you start a late summer fall plot? You have fun on your weekend and you'll return to the project refreshed and inspired. xo

    heff: well you do a great job with the editorial work..the set ups. I loved you holding a cigarette and blowing up a pool float. just such a sense of fun. a loaf> you mean a steaming hot brown dont you? grrrrrrrrrrrrrherherhehahaha

    faerie: yes, i liked your post on the macro -though i dont have f-stops etc on my point and shoot. i like the new technology which allow me to focus on composition. Hydrangeas! among my favorite. i was given a few rare species when i did that gig with the botanical gardens....its a tight head of tiny green florets. loverly. just lovely.

    su: and letting the older dog in the door first. its hard with the pup who is so large and exuberant. i thought your poem was a healing thought....just breathe in and out the love for the living...thank you.

    dianne: its been fun having two dogs...it is harder im not gonna lie - mostly because Koby is still in the destructive stage...seems to be tapering off now. i dont want to let my guard down though. whats on your docket for the weekend? i am going to the botanical garden today! yip yip yip!

    cary! hi. i didnt forget - i just dont mark it in the sold category until it leaves my studio and into the safety of your hands. thank you for your kind words and so glad to see you here! what a treat.

    boney: well lets see, i am about 6.5 hrs from jean. but its an easy drive. i too love that photograph of the dogs in their library. its the light that makes it sing. You know, i was happy to sell as i did at the festival - i havent done one in about 7 years...it was fun but hard on my neck packing in and out. i made a few pieces on plywood left over from the studio buidl -mostly chickens and guineas with bottle caps hammered into them...sold all of those.
    there always seems to be a bit of slow down on summer bloggin..dont you think?

    aunty: gnome has been quite scarce of late. i know just what you mean about bloggin as a chore - i wont let that happen. i have a plan to restore myself today. xo to you aunty

    boney: well the way i do it now is to cut them in half with scissors. ewwwwww i burned the cabbage.

    hannah: thank you so much. I am thrilled you like it -you are such an amazing artist. they could gone with one of your photos too. i love that curly cow!


    happy day to all!

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  29. The garden is looking great, Chickory! What did you do with those sweet onions? Fresh lettuce like that deserves simple dressings with good quality oil and ingredients.

    I hate giving up any of my garden to garden pests as they are just so greedy and wasteful! (like birds that take one bite out of fruit and then it drops to the ground, they move on to the next one.)

    I struggled to write my blog today too. Wish I was in Utah with Boxer and Moi.

    I love your Farmer's Market poster, so colourful and fun! Glad you sold some art, it's hard to sell your work and be 'detached.' Maybe you should tell people that the chicken cameos are only sold as a set?

    I hope your doggies, art and garden can be beautiful comforts to you. Boo to the Blues!

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  30. Hmmm...Maybe I AM a contender...

    Your "Ladybug Porn" has been CHALLENGED at HBAG !

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  31. I suspect you will soon be the chair artist as Shamu is having a "donate a chair to Koby" drive over on another blog. Maybe you can paint
    em with chickens and .... did you say bottle caps?

    Your poster makes me smile. No surprise the Farmer's Market folks are grateful you created an invite folks will honor.

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  32. oh my goodness
    habenero peppers chopped down fine, boiled, strained and liquid put in a sprayer.
    I probably don't have to warn you about the habeneros, right?

    Thurgicide works like wonder on the bag worms, but it like took us two months to find someone reputable to buy it from
    and
    all the praying mantises are gone from this quadrant of the property.
    I dunno if there's a connection...
    But we don't use it anymore.

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