YES! More Michigan Pot Hole PLEASE!

Yes, it is possible to  love Michigan Pot Hole, when it's Ashby's chocolaty, chocolate, chocolate ice cream filled with pebbles of chocolate and ribbons of ground chocolate cookie sand in a mud of chocolate.  This is Willie Wonka style road work.  Eat responsibly! 

A Distinguished Profile

A lesser published view of Mt. Rushmore is this profile of first president George Washington. It seems right that his image is the only one that can be seen, at some point, unaccompanied by the other presidents. Being first is a lonely position.

Strength and Humility come to mind when I reflect on these president's service to our fledgling nation. Strength and humility is reflected in the strong and humble stone from which their images are carved.  I like how the portraits are polished to a kind of "spiritual radiance." 
It's fun to quiz folks as to why they think these four presidents were selected for this special memorial. Their many achievements are worth remembering and acknowledging. 

Here I am trying to look distinguished alongside Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln.  It's doubtful that any other portrait will be sculpted at Keystone Park, however in a metaphorical sense U.S. citizens can consider themselves as part of the sculpture.  Many of us are like the strong and humble rock foundation from which great individuals emerge and/or are supported.

Bean out West

 At the end of May I headed out west with my friends Gwen and Mike.  On our first day we made a stop at the "Bean" in Chicago.  We arrived at the end of the day as the sun was setting and the early rising moon was bright spot in the cloudless sky.

I really like this photo I took of the moon above the sky scrapers.

I really enjoyed seeing the Bean as it reminded me of a past fascination I had with an old parlor game that uses a chrome tube and a distorted picture which reflects a proportional image in the the tube's concave surface. Of course everything is distorted in the bean, but it is fun like the Fun House Mirrors in Dempsey's Restaurant.  However, the Bean, at least on that night, in the cool of a May evening was more like a magic mirror and was full of elegance and class.  

Painting the Glazow with thoughts of Spring

On March 6 the grandkids came over for mid-winter break.  It was a bitter cold day but Mekayla said something about painting the snow.  Typically this is done with spray bottles filled with water dyed with food coloring.  I don't have the spray bottles, but the snow had a icy slick over it on account of freezing rain the previous Tuesday.  I told the kids that the Inuit have many words for snow and that I decided to name the snow glazow for glazed snow.  The glazow made an interesting "canvas."  Our thoughts of spring made charming images and so it was worth it to brave the cold for a few minutes.  But, it was so cold that the water froze in the containers before our eyes!

Yesterday warmth passed through melting our Spring Dreams and leaving no detectable trace of their being.

My New Friend

This is Bailey.  My friend Gwen bought him at a pet store in Billings.  I took this picture in January and he is a little more grown up.  It's clear he is adorable and he loves me and he is funny and sweet and he doesn't have accidents in the house!  He does get into the trash can . . . but as he he is becoming more excited about the outdoors he should out grown his interest in trash.

Calendar Waste Basket

I made a waste basket from an old calendar.
I used some chip board, and some old harvest gold vinyl shelf liner, clear contact paper, hole punch, and some yarn in mardi gras colors. I found a pattern for a waste can and traced the shape on the chip board. 

I glued the calendar onto the board using rubber cement.  When the glue was dry I trimmed each side and put contact over the images.  I glued the shelf liner on with E600 spray adhesive and trimmed off the extra.  Bore holes around the edges and then I blanket stitched around each piece. I sewed the sides together using a light green cotton thread which I wove around the existing threads.  

I like the results.  The waste basket is contemporary and nostalgic.  I think I would like to make boxes using this method.  

Valentine Cookies

Gwen gave me pink pearl sugar so I made these lovely heart shaped palmiers.  I have made them before but these were the most charming by far.  The large grains of the sugar really accentuated the form of the cookies.  The grandkids loved them.  I also made them hazelnut spread shortbread cut in the shape of hearts. These cookies needed a few days for the flavors to come to a peak, also the dough was kind of a pain to work and required my patience.  However, the results were worth my effort.

Goat Herdess

 So a week ago I was invited to help tend some goats.  I helped to feed them grains and hay, and I even cleaned a stall.

The place I went to is not a large farm, rather it is a little hobby setup for gathering milk.

Have you ever used goats milk soap?  It feels wonderful.

The does have fun loving dispositions, but the bucks (not shown in these photos) can be aggressive and they stink.  Their vile odours were stuck in my brain for days.  Both does and bucks show stubborn attitudes. They do not go where you want them to.

The little goat "camp" cares for a variety of small breeds:Nigerian Dwarf, Nubian, Boer.

 

Happily living among the goats is a Great Pyrenee named Sasha.  She sleeps in the middle of the herd at night.  Protection is her primary service.  Protection from what?  Coyotes! When the sun sets these wild predators rise up howling and hungry!  Sasha looks sad in this picture but she is a very happy dog.

Sasha is fulfilling her calling.  Dogs want meaningful lives too.    

It is funny that I had this goat tending experience.  Goats have been showing up in my travels.  I saw a picture of my mom as a little girl sitting in a wagon being pulled by a goat.  This was a professional photograph as sales men used to bring horses and goats with wagons into cities (like Battle Creek) and parents would have their children's picture taken in a mock rural setting.

Then I came across the Coco the Goat by Rhea Wells which has charming illustrations.

All this goat talk makes me want to dig out my Goat Rodeo CD.