lefiligree

natural dyeing with that valentine's day bouquet

2012-02-16T11:36:00.004-09:00

natural dyeing with that valentine's day bouquet, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

bouquet of florist's eucalyptus, cotton gauze, silk chiffon, water and a crock pot

scatter the eucalyptus leaves on half of the gauze because this will be folded lengthwise. i scattered annatto seeds as well.

layer with a length of silk chiffon and fold in half lengthwise. cotton and silk usually take up natural dyes differently so this is a great comparison.

i use the eucalyptus twigs to aid in rolling. there is a silk cocoon thrown in for good measure. how about some pineapple leaves just to see what happens?

bind with cotton twine. i use this antique coats & clark bedspread cotton because it's what i have lying around.

place more eucalyptus twigs on the bottom of the crock pot so the bundle wont get scorched. fill halfway with water and be prepared to check the water level so it doesnt evaporate completely and scorch the bundle. place bundle on top of twigs and let steam for 3 hours on high. turn off crock pot and let cool.

volunteering at school today

2012-02-15T23:08:00.006-09:00

volunteering at school today, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

hello amber,

it's half days at school due to parent-teacher conferences, and the kids and i volunteered to run the popcorn machines to raise money for the 5th grade field trip to seward. see my thrifted prana tie-dye skirt and vintage benetton denim blazer? very school-mom-selling-popcorn.

the festive outfit was offset by my strict boss-mom commands to my worker-kids: 1. wash your hands after you cough up phlegm, it doesnt matter if the phlegm did not end up in your hand; 2. wash your hands after you have a bloody nose; 3. run your arm under cold water after you burn yourself on the hopper; 4. do not eat popcorn behind the counter even if you bought it with your own money; and 5. count back change starting with the price they paid--even if it makes no sense!!!

the joke was "how many sweetmans does it take to make popcorn?" apparently more than 4! it was non-stop popping, scooping and me giving "how to be a professional" pep talks. good thing i wore that blazer!

i'm starting up my dye samples again, in preparation for some larger scale dyeing. i have a bag of annatto seeds, and i sampled dyes in water and in oil. the snippets are silk, linen, cotton and wool. there's a silk cocoon in there too.

why the oil? just because the traditional prep for achiote is to steep the seeds in oil so it gave me an idea. plus, turkey red is traditionally a dye prepared with oil.

while the oil samples imparted a yellower dye, it rinsed out of all the fabrics except the cotton. hey, turkey red is a dye for cotton as well, and i suspect oil enables cotton.

i was running a domestic streak this week, and we recently bought a foreman grill, so i tried my favorite soy-ginger eggplant on the new grill. winner! this grill can cook all our meals except for spaghetti. fantastic!

soy ginger marinade:
1/4c soy sauce, 2T olive oil, 2T rice wine vinegar, 1t sesame oil, 1" knob grated ginger, 1 large garlic clove crushed.

moose valentine and chocolates

2012-02-13T18:04:00.002-09:00

moose valentine and chocolates, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

hello amber,

some sugar-coated moose treats for you and your family!

i read that you are learning how to breathe again without the trach tube. good progress.

it warmed up to 40F yesterday and the snow got all heavy and mushy. today we got a few new flakes squeezed out of the grey skies. lichen is the only color to look at.

indigo herringbone scarf

2012-02-11T13:41:00.003-09:00

indigo herringbone scarf, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i took this work-in-progress out snowshoeing in the spruce bog. it's 30F and the snow is heavy and melty. the lichens are waking up and smelling...fecund.

a box of spices was waiting on the deck when i snowshoed back home.

wildwood

2012-02-09T23:51:00.004-09:00

hello amber,

i read that you were visited by your dog yesterday, and that you are beginning to make slight facial expressions. grimaces; you are in pain. or tears when you saw your dog. as you slowly surface from your coma, we are watchful for every movement as if you were an oracle. where does it hurt?

i bought this book because of the cover illustration, and because i was curious about the impassable wilderness on the edge of portland, and a baby being kidnapped by crows, and a roving band of coyote soldiers. i've been disappointed with kids' books before, but you can't go wrong with a story involving a forbidden forest where childrens' lives are at stake! those are the best stories. two days later and i am half way through the tale: it is very good.

image c/o wildwood chronicles.

smoke lilies

2012-02-08T16:18:00.003-09:00

smoke lilies, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

hello amber,

sounds like a quiet day for you and me both. those are good to have every now and then. so they say.

i heard you got out a little bit in your chair to view the mountains. it's warmed up here to around 20F and that feels so good. i could do winter if it just stayed at this temp, nothing less.

i have quite a bit of writing to accomplish, and i got inspired to get all our paperwork filed, and the taxes put together for the c.p.a., and anything remotely crafty moved up into my studio. not glamorous but it had to be done. the downstairs looks less like a hoarders den and more like a place for receiving guests.

i bought some new incense that smells...bad. but it sends out pretty plumes. i should have stuck to the japanese stuff i usually buy. this wildcrafted american stuff smells like i burned the house down. sweetgrass, my ass!

on our hike today, tippi and i played with the self-timer.

moose breath

2012-02-07T00:41:00.002-09:00

moose breath, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

hello amber,

i really felt for you today as i read that you were found crying in the middle of the night. i just cant express the sadness i felt that you might be waking up from your coma bewildered and in pain. not just happy to see your family. it underscores the gravity of the loss you have endured. i'm so sorry.

i did not get out today for any sunshine. i had a bunch of business calls and then i cleared out the studio and made a new space for myself. the studio usually becomes the overflow area when Bad Things Happen (like the flooding last year, or just daily laundry which is a flooding of its own).

it's good to have a studio again, even if things are not quite picturesque. all the mounds on rickety tables, the cardboard soda flats filled with snippets and the rubbermaid tubs are functional, and i am deciding to be happy with that. that is enough. to be able to function is great, it's all i really need.

it's a great lesson to learn. sleep well tonite!

help up onto the roof

2012-02-06T12:14:00.002-09:00

help up onto the roof, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

hello amber,

i read today that you'll be having a CT scan of your brain, some physical therapy, and a look at your foot. i'm thinking of you all day.

i've got to make a run to the dreaded costco, i've got to call on an insurance issue, and do some unemployment things...so not nearly as stressful as your day but ALMOST.

oh, to be a kid again and have your buddies help you up on the roof so you can jump off into the deep snow. and so you can find icicle daggers.

while the guys went to the super bowl party yesterday, cleo and i went to a movie. the movie was really lame (i hate it when that happens) but cleo and i had fun complaining about it in great detail. plus, we saw the trailer for 21 jump street, and i laughed obnoxiously through it all. looks like its going to be good.

deep snow

2012-02-04T14:01:00.004-09:00

mama moose, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

hello amber,

what i read in your journal today sounded like a painful day with the surgeon removing dead skin from the wound on your foot. ouch! maybe take the rest of the day off and watch an extra good movie.

we had a blizzard yesterday that brought some fresh deep snow. cleo and i made cookies to celebrate. baking in a blizzard is a tradition because you dont know if you're going to be holed up without power...or the ability to drive out for ice cream.

the moose are having a rough winter because the younger tender willows are buried now, and deep snow is exhausting to walk around in. notice how the cow doesnt even turn her head to look at me? that's because moose dont see very well, but she has her ear cocked right at me, which is all she needs to keep track of how close i'm getting.

late winter is the time when mama moose typically start to separate from last year's calves because the cows are halfway through pregnancy. i have been seeing my mama moose all alone recently. its worrisome for me because i want her moose calf to find food and it still might need some mama help.

lucky us: we saw the calf bedded down a little ways off. they are right on the pond's edge, the best spot for willows in all of midtown. but the snow's so deep we saw just its head poking up.

the boys were out on the snowbank doing flips when we got back. i told them to shovel the driveway stat! you you, in the shorts, get on some snowpants! why do we buy them winter gear if they wont wear it?

dart

2012-02-02T23:25:00.003-09:00

dart, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

hello amber,

i read today that you were able to blink in response to a question. the question was "are you in pain" and your blink meant yes, but still--you communicated! i know that went right to your mom's heart and pierced it.

tomorrow is 3 weeks since your accident, and you have made tremendous progress. i know you can do this, even if its the toughest challenge of your life.

on our walk today, tippi and i found about 8 ravens in a tree. they make all kinds of noise, like water dripping in a deep cauldron. one of them gave me the evil eye.

we startled some mallards too.

the kids and i are eagerly awaiting miyazaki's new movie:

chewing her cud

2012-01-31T13:35:00.002-09:00

chewing her cud, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

hello amber,

i read today that you have been gripping with the fingers of your right hand. that is great news! one day i'll read that you've woken up from the coma, and we'll all say we knew you could do it.

i went moose hunting without tippi today, because, let's admit it, i am more successful on my own.

and there she was, a pretty cow, softly shewing her cud. after i hid under my tree, she closed her eyes and relaxed.

i followed the snowshoe hare trails. they were so packed by hares i had no problem staying on top of the snow crust.

american dipper

2012-01-29T14:18:00.004-09:00

another cold day below zero, so every living thing except for the american dipper, and the chickadees are hiding out somewhere warm.

i miss all the dangerous beasts.

the peeled potatoes gave me some potato love the other night.

two sundogs in the ice fog

2012-01-26T16:18:00.002-09:00

two sundogs in the ice fog, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

hello amber,

today is one of those days where i have a ton of paperwork to finish: the kind that requires back up documentation and everything checked twice until there are no mistakes found, and then checked two more times. that leaves little time for fun.

on my way home from picking cleo up from school we saw these sundogs on either side of the setting sun. the ice fog was just thick enough to make them stand up tall.

the pine grosbeaks were watching the sunset too.

here's a moose nibbling on a tree i was hiding under last winter when i stalked moose. that was a lesson in the dangers of hiding under a potential food source for a moose.

this winter the snow is so deep i havent been able to stalk any moose. i have to stick to the packed trails and take pictures of birds. but there's nothing like that feeling of creeping up on a moose and waiting until it is comfortable with your presence.

bog stomping at APU

2012-01-25T12:25:00.004-09:00

alaska pacific university, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

hello amber,

i read today that progress is slowing down a bit, and new decisions have popped up. hang in there, girl. resting and slowing down are still progress. the body and mind take breaks, right?

what am i saying. im not a patient wait-er. my kids will tell you that! but i'll hang out waiting with you as you slowly surface from the coma-fog.

yesterday i went to a new bog to stomp in the snow. i had to change it up a bit--i was getting impatient with this everlasting snow.

i left tippi at home because i hoped to find some moose tracks and follow them to a moose. and tippi never wants to go where i want to go. i did find moose tracks, and i did trudge off the well-packed ski trail to follow the tracks only to end up to my hips in deep snow. i did not find a moose to take gorgeous pictures of. at all.

however, i did race this biker down the street. we got held up at the same lights the whole length of the road. he was pretty quick at the start!

to console myself i looked at photos of moose from last january when i got back home.

tikishla birches

2012-01-24T00:34:00.002-09:00

tikishla birches, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

hello amber,

i didnt quite get through my list of to-dos today. but as i sit here i'm thinking i did the important things, cat boxes can wait.

then i went upstairs to say good night to the kids and realized no, cat boxes cannot wait. good thing my own room is downstairs and far away from cat boxes. tomorrow is cat box day, i swear. the plain and simple sweater is finished, so i should have no distractions.

i read in your journal today that you turned your eyes to watch rango. it makes me think of when cleo was newborn, and she'd look at the art on the walls and i knew what a clever girl she was for noticing the art.

you are precious, amber, and noticing the world around you as you slowly wake up.

on tippi's walk we saw nothing but the foot prints of the american dipper, who left caddisfly larvae on the ice. i dont know why he left it and didnt gobble it up. with the remaining open water on the creek quickly diminishing, you'd think the bird would not squander the food. one of nature's mysteries.

tippi bounded through the snow, the only parkour a dog can do in a winter's marsh.

fat tires and handle bar mittens

2012-01-23T12:22:00.004-09:00

fat tires and handle bar mittens, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

hello amber,

more snow yesterday topped off with sunshine today! tippi and i went out in the flurry looking for adventure and found 1. a cow moose in the willows, 2. a biker with fat tires and handle bar mitts, and 3. a fluffy raven.

since matt was still trying to catch flights home from PA--MN--SEA--ANC i made another dish he would never eat. banana dutch pancake!

today i need to do all the things i put off over the weekend: clean the cat boxes, go to costco, mail out my sketchbook...i'm sure there are others...but let's admit it. it is sunny out and my camera needs to go on a walk.

take care today.

AK Lego Robotics championships

2012-01-22T13:06:00.005-09:00

AK Lego Robotics championships, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

hello amber,

I spent all day yesterday at the Lego Robotics Championship with Cleo's team the Awesome Sauces. (well, i came home at lunch and took a nap...shhhh). Cleo was pesto sauce, and littlest one to the far left. watch out, pesto has a kick!

This year the theme was Food Factor, and they chose to come up with a solution for solving ISA in salmon--a disease that causes anemia in salmon making them inedible. ISA has shown up in Canada and Chilean stocks of farmed salmon, and it's a big deal because Canada just revealed the problem in their stocks.

Without going into all the politics of keeping Alaskan salmon pristine, the Awesome Sauces did a great job talking with a Canadian biologist about the problem, and tweaking their solution based on those discussions.

Their presentation to the judges was really awesome. it involved sushi and an anime cartoon that cleo drew, and a bunch of skits. you studied computer animation, right? Cleo is big into drawing manga.

hey, look, a man in a kilt. who doesnt love that? better yet, it was a father-son duo in kilts. from 8am til 6 at night. i dont know how those guys do it.

anyway, i hope your sunday is full of awesome sauce.

entering the marsh at night

2012-01-21T18:43:00.003-09:00

entering the marsh at night, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

hello amber,

today i read in your journal that you sat in the therapy chair for 3 hours, and family is reading to you and massaging your feet. you lucky girl! soak up all that love and support. i'm excited to hear of each baby step--you are so strong!

this little ball of snow in the branches reminded me of you being held up by everyone's prayers, love and support.

matt's flight home got stuck in minneapolis, and he's busy yelling at delta for not putting him in an empty seat until tomorrow night. so i took that opportunity to make swiss chard, his least favorite! the boys ate it without gagging which tells you how delicious it really was. cleo and i loved it.

i baked some bread, too. it practically bakes itself; i hardly have to touch it. we could all use a little ease in our lives. right now it's this bread.

tribute to amber

2012-01-20T16:48:00.003-09:00

glassy chester creek, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

my cousin was in a terrible car wreck last friday while driving home from work, suffered major brain trauma and was in a coma for most of the week. the news today is that she is in a semi-conscious state, has opened her eyes and moved her fingers. my family says that the town of Grand Junction, CO has been blessing them with kindness and generosity. thank you, Grand Junction!

since she has such a long road to re-learn how to do and say everything, i felt i wanted to dedicate my posts to her: let her know i think of her every day, and i know she is a woman of deep strength, determination, and courage.

she is in for a whole lot of snow pics, am i right? she is a snowboard instructor in telluride, so i bet she wont mind.

take care tonite, amber!

striped cashmere funnel neck sweater

2012-01-19T17:07:00.005-09:00

striped cashmere funnel neck sweater, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i left tippi at home and did a photoshoot with the striped cashmere funnel neck sweater: plain and simple. plus, i wanted to peek in on the american dipper, and tippi isnt good at peeking.

the first trip i didnt see the dipper until i got home and looked at my photos. there it was in the water. so i went back, and ALL the birds were out.

i havent seen red robins all winter, and there was a pair.

the bohemian waxwings kept swarming the trees, too. they are too quick for my camera. jerks.

even a black-capped chickadee stood still for a nano-second in the cold. only -5F today. feels just the same as -12F honestly.

studded is IN for mid-winter

2012-01-18T12:50:00.002-09:00

studded is IN for mid-winter, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

trying to find something new to photo in this ever-loving winter snow is wearing thin, but i do it because i know some of you dont have any snow, and have misguided, romantic notions about it dare i say, but i'm benevolent and want to give you what you want. also, i have no choice of outdoor subject matter.

i did a final Final FINAL page for the sketchbook. then i swear i will mail it off to brooklyn. after i rub off all the rubber cement boogers, of course.

MLK day: a day of cooking

2012-01-17T14:11:00.002-09:00

MLK day: a day of cooking, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

cleo asked for brussel sprouts (?!) so how could i not try to cook them? a lil maitake mushrooms in butter and bourbon, some mustard, garlic and nutmeg, a sprinkling of parmesan and we had ourselves a winner. (and a lesson on how alcohol does cook off during cooking if you crank the heat high enough.)

even the boys ate them, and they dont eat anything that hasnt been approved over 11 years of tasting.

ep wanted to make smoothies, but we had run out of milk. skinny cow ice cream sandwich to the rescue! nothing gets in the way of making a smoothie! (except maybe a dirty blender. that gets in the way A LOT.)

i made a final final page of jim-of-the-bog's tent, which has caved under all the snow. his blue bike has been parked and accumulated a pile of snow as well. i wonder where he has gone. no tracks.

-12F and frozen eyelashes

2012-01-15T14:10:00.003-09:00

-12F and frozen eyelashes, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

after helping friends to move into a new house yesterday (which took 8 hours), -12F (-24C) seems like nothing. tippi and i headed out into the ice fog.

a neighbor snowshoed a new trail through the bog, and while it didnt hold our weight, it's nice to see some new scenery. tippi didnt quite make it across the footbridge.

the pigeons were too cold today to fly away when we approached. pigeon popsicles.

tippi might be the only sicilian who enjoys bog stomping up to her crotch in deep snow.

super T

2012-01-13T15:15:00.002-09:00

super T, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

it stopped snowing and we've finally gotten out for a bog-stomp. it warmed up to 9F so tippi didnt want her coat or boots.

we checked on jim-of-the-bog's campsite and his tent has caved in and his bike is parked under snow. this can't be a good sign. hopefully he has found shelter.

other than that, just lots and lots of snow outside.

pine grosbeak, and moose hair

2012-01-11T12:20:00.002-09:00

pine grosbeak, and moose hair, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

a final addition to the sketchbook project: i re-did an ugly page and added the pine grosbeak i saw yesterday. if i see any more new birds on my walks i will have to add pages to the sketchbook.

i kept the small brush made of moose hair.

finally, the cover! i found some gold duct tape for the spine, and had a plank of our new flooring saved. now all i need is a title. something about being lost and found in the snow. the things i find on my winter walks are both predictable and unexpected.

it warmed up by 28 degrees, but i have a ton of writing to get done so i wont be on any walks today.

steam coming off tippi

2012-01-09T13:28:00.002-09:00

steam coming off tippi, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

with all this sub-zero weather it had been a while since tippi and i got a good marsh-hike in. tippi was both frozen and steaming, so i let her off leash to keep her moving while i take pics.

it's a good thing we came out, because all the birds were in the trees calling to each other. my first meeting with some pine grosbeaks!

even a downy woodpecker was out being noisy.

one sidewalk along the road was plowed, but along northern lights blvd. we had to do some deep-snow slogging. tippi would rather walk in the road and get run over, but i made her do it.

frost king silhouette

2012-01-08T18:03:00.003-09:00

frost king silhouette, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

ive filled all the pages up for the sketchbook, and am now wondering if i should add some pages. or at least re-do 2 pages i dont like so well.

these pages aren't finished but i like the images so far. i'm still working on the word content.

a pastoral armageddon seemed like a cheeky way to say "The End." this is an obvious rip-off from richard saja's work, but i like it.

the new snowshoe hare

2012-01-06T17:18:00.003-09:00

the new snowshoe hare, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i ripped out the ugly page and replaced it with a full spread. this bunny is so much prettier. always trust your gut with creativity.

my daughter and i made chai tea concentrate after school. it was so good we made another batch for giving away...and then we didn't give it away.

61.4 inches of snow by the end of 2011

2012-01-05T17:19:00.004-09:00

61.4 inches of snow by the end of 2011, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

this whole sharing 1 car experience has me getting a lot done on the sketchbook. a papercut of our house with all our snowfall is a good counterpoint to jim-of-the-bog's tent.

here is a snowshoe hare (maybe not so successful as a papercut...might redo) out feeding at night on spruce needles, and the flipside is his carcass after the great gray owl ripped him to shreds.

it's just not a walk in the alaskan woods without a brush with nature. i startled the owl right after the kill. i saw where he plunged under the snow and dragged this hare out from under the snow covered spruce.

neighbor squirrel

2012-01-04T20:47:00.002-09:00

neighbor squirrel, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

3 pages left before the sketchbook is done. neighbor squirrel posed here on this awesome rug. i added a handbag and white inked hairs to make her look fluffy.

in other news: i grabbed a matsutake mushroom at the market and hoped to make something tasty. it's pretty lame to screw up such a good fungus, but i did! either the sesame oil was bad, or the slightly burnt garlic too nasty, and the pasta was definitely too al dente. a terrible dish.

luckily i saved half the matsutake for the next night, when i sauteed it and served it over mashed potatoes. really truly delicious!

long shadows and a sun dog

2012-01-02T17:57:00.003-09:00

long shadows and a sun dog, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

it's been too cold to go outside for pics. -5F just makes me bitter. MAS got me a very nice balaclava that covers everything but my eyes, so i wont stay indoors for long.

today we dismantled christmas, and got the truck towed to the shop--a pulley sounds like it's about to go. another reason i'm staying indoors. so i got to spend some time with my sketchbook

snowshoe hare went out with a bang

2012-01-01T21:11:00.002-09:00

snowshoe hare went out with a bang, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

this was a happy sight--it means the great grey owl is still in the bog. we startled it and saw it fly off with the head.

i know snowshoes feed at night, and i thought great greys might hunt at night too, but not so.

hair of the moose hard cider

2011-12-31T13:14:00.002-09:00

hair of the moose hard cider, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

it's cider-bottling day: hard cider fermented with blackberry honey and back-sweetened with black cherry.

i bottled 17 liters and stuck them under the stairs (61F) to carbonate over the next few weeks. too bad it's not done in time for the party tonite. my bad. last batch of cider i gave away half the liters, so if people would just return their empties i can trade them out for the new stuff.

at over 9% alcohol, i think it's too much for a cider. i dont like being knocked out after the first glass. next time don't add so much honey. but the black cherry is definitely delicious!

under the blanket of night

2011-12-29T21:57:00.003-09:00

under the blanket of night, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

at single-night count in january 2009 showed alaska to have 4,583 homeless people. alaska is 10th in the nation for homelessness. over 25% of homeless had dependent children.

i got a bunch of sketchbook pages done today under a sudden spark of inspiration. for a while i've been trying to tie my papercuts of wildlife to facts about homelessness in alaska. the point being that the beauty of the wilderness is an easy distraction to the harshness of poverty, addiction and sexual assault.

i wanted to make the move from homeless jim-of-the-bog, whom i avoid now, to focusing on the impact on alaska women and children. i am running out of pages.

ive started ripping out less-successful pages and replacing them with better. the found object wood and glue cum loon stamp turned out pretty well paired with foil from some bubbly. and i like the papercut of an american dipper made from eyeshadow ads.

neighbor squirrel

2011-12-29T17:58:00.003-09:00

neighbor squirrel, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

get used to my lack of focus, because my big lens is manual and my eyesight is not sharp. neighbor squirrel forgives me of these inadequacies, in fact, he had a soft hello for me today. its as though he understood not everything works out in life.

i found the american dipper in the same spot, fishing for caddisfly larvae. he's a very exciting warbler who can see underwater, and splashes and dives like a duck.

i found the moose cow and her calf, who is starting to show knobs for next summer's rack.

snow in the branches

2011-12-27T12:20:00.002-09:00

snow in the branches, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

weve been getting snow since xmas eve. the slow-falling clumps of dust bunnies kind of snow. the kind that makes you choke if you breathe in too quickly with your mouth too wide-open. its the kind we like the best.

the chinook winds from last week blew over out smoke-hut, and then it got covered in snow. but we did the work to dig it out so we could have smoked turkey for xmas dinner. good choice.

on xmas eve we decided to be spontaneous and opened our stockings early just to get all the candy out, then we stuffed our pockets and took some friends to the movies.

the big event was my husband driving crazy (which you gotta do in a snowstorm) and ending up on the sidewalk before recovering. the kids LOVED that. infact, i have fond memories of my dad driving crazy in the snowstorms--he always knew how to recover at the last moment of danger.

bohemian waxwing

2011-12-23T14:09:00.004-09:00

bohemian waxwing, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

more have been flocking to the neighborhood for the holidays. a big feast is planned. pretty soon every branch will be heavy with waxwings.

they might get drunk on rotten berries and fly into our windows. they dont know any better. it's going to be a raging holiday!

ringed snakes!

2011-12-21T11:02:00.006-09:00

ringed snakes!, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i thought my nephew would feel left out if i didnt make him something special, so i thought long and hard about "what could i make in the few hours left before xmas that boys like."

while making a snake for my nephew, my boys came in and said "i want one!" and "make mine a bear!!" this is why its impossible to make something for just 1 person. and then, of course, the twins never want the same thing. they are individuals, afterall!

i used remnant koigu kpppm sock yarn, which did this nice self-striping.

bunny with treats

2011-12-20T18:53:00.005-09:00

bunny with treats, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

im pro at sewing up these bunnies now. i went ahead and made one for my niece, and since my SIL has a cute story about fitting in a bread pan as a toddler, i put this bunny in a mini bread pan with some picnic treats, a knitted bunny doll and a picnic quilt. i was happy to not have to buy anything for this project--i was lucky to have crafty bits everywhere.

we made the treats many years ago with sculpey clay. once you make one dessert many more ideas follow. its addicting. we strung them into garlands for our friends, which is why they all have holes in them.

i finished bunnies for cleo and her best friend, too. to counteract all this crafty, we did not decorate the house for christmas. we got a tree, but it's still bare. and the chinook winds (and by chinook i mean warm, hurricane-force winds) are blowing the cedar garland right off the house.

all the pieces

2011-12-19T19:02:00.004-09:00

all the pieces, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i used to make cleo a doll every christmas, and somehow that tradition got derailed...perhaps when i briefly went back to work. this year, its bunnies for cleo and her friends!

i had a thrifted cream eileen fisher silk shirt that was going to be used for a dye project, but worked so much better as a bunny body. i also had some silk brocade a friend brought back from deployment when cleo was a baby, and i had made her a dress using part of it. why not make a bunny dobok with the rest? cleo drew the face for me to embroider. she's a genius draw-er of manga characters, especially expressive eyes.

the project took all day and now my back hurts. my fingers hurt, too, trying to turn all those skinny legs and arms inside-out. one down, two more to go!

bohemian waxwings

2011-12-17T14:54:00.004-09:00

bohemian waxwings, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

ive been trying to get my lens to work out for me, and i just dont think it is happening. i went out into the neighborhood with a monopod and was stopped by an elderly neighbor who asked "what is so interesting about our neighborhood that you want to photograph?"

i must look unusual and suspicious wandering around with a huge lens and a monopod. that just doesnt happen in anchorage unless its the iditarod.

insane pink

2011-12-14T21:32:00.003-09:00

insane pink, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

we've been having some rockin' sunsets this week. such that i have to walk the dog twice a day now just so we can be out in the thick of it.

i met a neighbor out snowshoeing who looked to be in her 80s. she asked if i got any pictures of "that insane pink!" well, actually, i could not stop!

two nights in a row with the insane pink!

even the bohemian waxwings were perched en masse to watch the sunset.

dark marsh water

2011-12-12T16:48:00.003-09:00

dark marsh water, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

we cut through the marsh again today, and did not fall through once.

my snowmeter shows that we got 4.5" overnight. not bad, really, but they closed school anyway. probably because we didnt use our snow days yet, back when we had that heavy snowfall in november. everyone still complains that they had to go to school in that.

i need to go back tomorrow and try to get closer to this bohemian waxwing flock. i love watching the flock fall apart and then come back together.

the dark "hair of the moose" blackberry cider was racked, and some meyer lemon limoncello got started this weekend. the meyer lemons have such thin skins that i got quite a bit of bitter pith into this batch. so im pretty much expecting this to be bitter, like a gin and tonic. you know, in a good way. invigorating as opposed to disgusting.

snowing a little sideways

2011-12-11T17:21:00.003-09:00

snowing a little sideways, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

last night we had big winds and melting temps reducing our christmas cheer to a brown slush, and knocking our 7ft. smoker off the back deck.

today it is snowing sideways. at least it is white!

today it was dark and spooky, but when the skies clear it will be bright, and smell like vanilla custard.

making laundry soap

2011-12-11T15:52:00.002-09:00

making laundry soap, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

yep, its that time again. we are out of laundry soap!

this time i'm grating my favorite soap: a patchouli lavender one made here in AK. i like that the lavender cleans up the patchouli and makes it smell brighter...and less like reefer. i use the basic directions provided here:

wish list silhouette

2011-12-09T16:04:00.002-09:00

wish list silhouette, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

the tile guy finished repairing the entry tile, the grout was still wet and not 2 hours later the MUNI shows up to re-appraise our house?! i had to let tippi do the talking on this one.

meanwhile, i worked on the sketchbook.

and got the natural history shelf put back into place. what, its been a year where most of the furniture was being stored willy-nilly in the back room?!

this christmas we are going to celebrate double! and be so appreciative that we have a warm house to live in.

the fishing creel

2011-12-08T08:45:00.004-09:00

the fishing creel, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

grandpa monroe's fishing creel came in the mail yesterday. he was born in a logging camp near Coquille, OR in the early 1900s and lived out his entire life there, dying when he was almost 90. thats a whole lotta fly-tying and trout fishin'!

family folklore states that he lived such a long life by eating an apple fritter and a pepsi every morning for breakfast down at the bakery.
my husband remembers going to the rogue river to fly fish with grandpa.

great great aunt esta's sunday school scrapbook came in the mail last week with yards of beautiful fabric. we love family treasures like this. this went to the top of a stack of "family books" on the newly appointed bookcase.

lastly, yesterday i checked on the hair of the moose hard cider: the one flavored with blackberry honey and fermented with english cider yeast. while it has not fermented to dry yet, it tasted really good. i am tempted to rack it off now and keep it a little sweet. of note: the cider yeast has left no ale flavor like the first batch i fermented with gewurztraminer yeast. and the blackberry honey added some yummy fruitiness. if this can be done before christmas we will definitely need to share with the world!

the bookcase is in

2011-12-07T08:47:00.004-09:00

the bookcase is in, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

but i need to move the pictures higher and make them level. its so nice to have my living room back in order. all my little friends on a shelf, finally! the carved ivory animals are from my limited travels to fishing communities in western alaska.

top shelf: my curious and adventurous humpbacked whale, a box of bones, and a glass of feathers from the duck pond. the whale came all the way from BC with a little package of beach sundries.

after the winds there were large chunks of bark strewn all over the snow. i thought theyd work well covering the soil in my potted plant. every time i water them they turn from grey to green. (however, im not 100% sure they will remain active indoors.)

masquerading

2011-12-06T20:28:00.004-09:00

red breasted nuthatch, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

red breasted nuthatch pretending to be a branch.
all the little birdies were having a party in the treetops today. on account of the sunshine.

i went back out with my regular lens but did not find the mergansers. i could hear the mallards and raven snickering as i zoomed in to make sure. they could have been! you never can tell from such a distance.

tree bracelet and grass earrings:

i found what i thought was a loon rubber stamp by the side of the road. turns out it is just a piece of burnt wood with old glue. turns out it will make a nice loon stamp despite it all. roadside art supplies!

twilight, loose knit

2011-12-04T23:13:00.002-09:00

twilight, loose knit, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i was given this very large lens for my bday and i am having a heck of a time trying to figure it out. on the one hand, it might not be compatible with my camera...on the other hand my brain is not compatible with new technology.

i found a nice pair of common mergansers at the duck pond, but i was unable to manually focus sufficiently.

my fave local artist

2011-12-04T11:59:00.003-09:00

my fave local artist, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

kevin crowley is the intensive needs special ed teacher at our school, and does beautiful, eerie prints and korean-style brush paintings. he has a booth at the school craft fair every holiday, so i try to get something special every year.

so glad he is on an owl kick! he also had some crab monotypes.

the boys and i had fun times baking up a storm for the 5th grade bake sale. elias infused his cookies with green laser essence. we both had a meltdown over the best egg-cracking technique. i am not a good teacher; i lack patience.

more work on the sketchbook: life under the snow in the spruce bog. i was forced to draw, and someone took off with my favorite mechanical pencil.

underneath the pop-up is a snow prism cut from a theo chocolate wrapper. i like the idea of being under the sparkly snow. on the flip side are my quick instructions on how to build a city igloo. it is something everyone must do who lives in a cul de sac.

tucked in a corner of the book are some orenburg lace patterns, and a little tuft of moose down. ive been collecting little tufts for a while now hoping to spin it into a fine yarn similar to orenburg goat fiber. im a ways off yet, but i had to include it because moose down is so soft, smells like oakmoss from the branches it gets snagged in, and is so different from the more familiar coarse, crimpy moose hair. everyone should be able to touch it.

warm winds

2011-12-03T21:14:00.008-09:00

physcia, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

the winds came and all that fluffy snow is now molten ice. the kids are going without their jackets. tippi doesnt need to wear her boots.

but the lichens like the wet weather--they frill right up.

i love lichens: they are the brightest colors of the winter. you can see my walls are painted lichen colors. and the floor is in!! (we chose burke luxury vinyl planks.)

here is the weather warning from noaa for tonite...not sure what to make of it...
ANCHORAGE-INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ANCHORAGE...EAGLE RIVER...INDIAN...EKLUTNA 941 PM AKST SAT DEC 3 2011

* WIND...EAST WIND 65 TO 80 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 110 MPH THROUGH
TURNAGAIN ARM AND HILLSIDE AREA. SOUTHEAST WIND 30 TO 45 MPH
WITH GUSTS TO 55 MPH IN THE ANCHORAGE BOWL LATE SATURDAY NIGHT
THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.

moose are not like horses

2011-12-01T11:28:00.003-09:00

moose are not like horses, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

the cowboy doesnt live amongst them
but the cowboy is often homeless

wondering about the freezing cold

i finally sketched something: ideas for a cider label for my raspberry hair of the moose cider, and some cattle brands. and a floor plan for our living room and dining room after the flooring is installed. actually i dont want to move any furniture back, i just want it to be clean and empty. oh, but we live here.

i changed the cottonwood bark into torn strips of paper, some folded with hidden messages underneath. looks much better.

thrifted

2011-12-01T11:06:00.002-09:00

thrifted, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

a silk ikat skirt because the fabric will come in handy for somethingorother

a tie-dyed prana t shirt skirt that is super soft.

hey hey its my birthday! i am that much closer to 40. i think i have been saying i am almost 40 since i was 37. that was the last year i kept track of individual years...now i just want to round up.

i think i have always dreamed of being older. some people dream about what heaven is like, or how life would be if they were richer. i just want the inevitable.

early morning chester creek

2011-11-30T11:56:00.004-09:00

early morning chester creek, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

the flooring guy came at 9am, so tippi and i had to make ourselves scarce. first we were met at the front door by the cow and her calf! it was good to see them reunited, but we were clean out of snacks. to punish me they nibbled on all my shrubs.

we walked along the chester creek dell while the sun rose. i looked "dell" up to see if we qualified as one. i think we do. we are no longer a ravine.

cannot wait to step on my new floor! it was hard to find something that "matched" the cherry cabinets. they are so stripey, and i didnt want anything warm or orange so the choice was tough. we shall see if we made it the right one. goodbye gypcrete, i never loved you. you hurt my feet.

icicle fire

2011-11-29T16:51:00.005-09:00

icicle fire, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

we took a rather quick walk today: i was up til 3:18a.m. reading didion's blue nights, which severly cut into my morning for getting anything done, which severely cut into my desire to take a long walk with tippi.

that, and she got into the trash. in the bathroom. a photo of that was sent directly to tippi's Real Owner with a mild threat.

snow crystals in the marsh

2011-11-28T23:36:00.003-09:00

snow crystals in the marsh, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

its been a while since i thought of something to put in the sketch book. ive been busy photographing the snow, but that doesnt exactly translate automatically into a page in the book.

also, ive been thinking a lot about what i like seeing in a sketchbook, and it isnt perfectly planned drawings, it isnt photographs either. its the working out of a problem thats interesting.

this sketchbook is not sketchy enough. too much planning, not enough crossed out messes. except that this marsh page started out as a drawing, which i covered up bit by bit with cut-out paper. i like that you can still see some of the drawing underneath.

speaking of messes: i moved the furniture out of the main part of the house in preparation for new flooring. the furniture has been hanging out haphazardly since last christmas when we had the water damage and we slowly moved stuff back in while we waited for the gypcrete to dry out. but it wasnt a proper living room or dining room. it will be so nice to have a finished floor, and in time for this christmas, too!

plain and simple cashmere

2011-11-27T13:56:00.010-09:00

plain and simple cashmere, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

ive been saving the plain and simple pattern for just the right fiber, completely forgetting that i had some mill cones of cashmere. yesterday i was sorting through a pile of guest blankets stored in my studio and found the cones!

cones, meet your plain and simple match! let's go!

light french blue and slubby dunes cashmere via colourmart. since this is mill spun, it has not been bloomed yet, so it feels thin and stringy. once it has been knit up, i will rinse and block it and it will soften and get lofty. did you check out the prices? jeebus! i think i just passed out.

dances with moose

2011-11-26T18:19:00.006-09:00

chester creek, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

we headed out in the cold today, and i let tippi off leash when we got to the duck pond. it was so cold i guessed there'd be no one else around, but i did not see the 3 moose bedded down.

she bolted over like they were long lost friends. sure, these were the same moose from our backyard a few days ago, but they were not happy to see tippi: she was not carrying pumpkin treats.

she didnt get it that she was not welcome. every time the bull moose reared up she thought it was exciting and reared up too. it's a game we play at home and she puts all 120#s into it. she throws herself into the air as if she were catching a frisbee, and it usually ends with one of us getting a paw in the face.

anyway, she almost got a moose hoof in the face a couple times, and the snow was very deep, so luckily she got worn out pretty quick and came back to me. i was so mad at her! we're both lucky that bull didnt charge after her and come stomp me too.

so what do we see at the back porch tonite? digging in the fern bed? nibbling the willows? the bull and cow but without the calf. they came to ask if tippi could play. but tippi's still in time-out in the bedroom.

snow glitter

2011-11-25T18:44:00.005-09:00

snow glitter, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i didnt walk the dog today; i just walked myself. and i fell thru the marsh again and got some boots full of stinky brown slush! note to self: the marsh might not freeze solid all the way to the middle. decomposition and all.

the air was glittery though. all traces of moisture are freezing and floating about like glitter. its pretty awesome.

we forgot to bring home leftovers from thanksgiving dinner, so i'm starting from the beginning with a baked ham and potatoes. pour some hard cider--sparkling cider for the kids--and we are good to go! who needs vegetables?

oh, i almost forgot to mention! we were driving home 100 miles from thanksgiving and it was around 11:55pm when we hit city limits, and the parking lots to walmart and target and best buy were jam-packed with cars trying to park, and people lined up outside all the way around the building. in 5F weather? no-sized TV is that much of a motivation for me. had i not seen it i would not have believed it. today i bought absolutely nothing!!

bacon ginger cookies

2011-11-23T17:15:00.003-09:00

bacon ginger cookies, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

today was baking all things toasty and golden day.

bacon ginger cookies--of course!
roasted chicken velvet soup--blended so no one knows what's in it!

pumpkin marmalade loaf--my contribution to the feast tomorrow, along with hard cider and clam dip...and the bacon cookies if they make it.

roasted chestnuts--are these supposed to taste good, because they dont!

hurray for turkey day! we are driving 100 miles to eat with family, and then driving back. can anyone top that?

chester creek, twilight 5pm

2011-11-22T23:46:00.002-09:00

chester creek, twilight 5pm, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

some days it is prettier at night than during the day. and tippi and i only walk when it is pretty out!

it's cider bottling day

2011-11-22T10:12:00.002-09:00

it's cider bottling day, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i could have swore this has been brewing longer than 1 month, but according to my notes this is not so.

who cares, the hydrometer reading says it is time to bottle!

i bottled up 12L and then 2.5 growlers, added some sweetener hoping it will produce some fizz, and drank the scrumpy bit at the bottom. it wasnt bad, actually. i told myself it was a heath drink, and it was like drinking the blood of an animal youve hunted: a necessary rite of passage.

i started a new batch for christmas: its called hair of the moose. it has been started with blackberry honey, english cider yeast, and will be flavored with blackberry concentrate after it has fermented.

sliver of moon

2011-11-21T18:10:00.003-09:00

sliver of moon, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

someone forgot their homework this morning, and so i had to get fully dressed and fully awake and drive out in this coldness!!

then i bought a coffee and it was so cold my window wouldnt roll down. i had to open the door! and the barista didnt even offer me change. i gave her a fiver and she said "thanks!" and slammed the window shut!

so i said screw it and went home and walked the dog. thats how awake i was.

moose bowling

2011-11-21T09:37:00.002-09:00

first we saw the mama on the back porch, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

first we saw the mama on the back porch digging through our compost, so we bowled her an apple.

then the calf nudged in, so we bowled it a potato. the cow was making weird loud noises we took for "nom nom nom!" it was a cross between labor noises and "gee this apple tastes great!" noises.

she was calling in a young bull! i had never heard a cow be so vocal before.

he crawled in on his knees, but she wouldnt let him have any veggies. she chased him away.

and let the calf eat the rest of the carrots.

they licked their plates clean.

then the calf asked for more. please?

they bedded down in the front yard and got covered with a snow blanket.

footprints in snow

2011-11-20T14:07:00.003-09:00

footprints in snow, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i dipped tippi's foot in ketchup to make a stencil for the cut out (thinking she'd clean her foot off easy). she has wolf-paws, right?

tippi does not like ketchup.

birch frost

2011-11-19T23:20:00.003-09:00

birch frost, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

it is so cold out! i can handle a 1/2 hour and then my fingers are done and my eyelashes are frosted shut. but i had to get back to the creek and capture all the freezing and vapor. it's magical. feathery.

owl feather on leaf

2011-11-19T11:54:00.002-09:00

owl feather on leaf, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

the winds have blown the final leaves down onto the snow, and the veins on this one reminded me of a feather. i actually drew something! great horned owl feather.

i cut some other feathers (duck, warbler) out of bark and pomegranate paper, and made a little brush out of moose hair.

birch bark frame with sparkle thread

2011-11-18T20:19:00.002-09:00

birch bark frame with sparkle thread, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

as promised, i quilted the frame with some sparkle thread. i didnt change out the needle, so the thread wasnt sliding well, so i loosened the bobbin tension. i was going for the idea of dark wood frames which have been gilded.

the backside of this page shows the pooling sparkle thread quilted on pomegranate-dyed paper, folded shibori style and clamped. i like how the pooling thread is like the frost that accumulates on all the tree twigs.

birch bark frame

2011-11-18T11:56:00.002-09:00

birch bark frame, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

for jim-of-the-bog. i found the curl of bark on our walk to see if he had made it thru the sub-zero night. we found tracks, and lots of windfall.

yes, i am aware of this romanticism of homelessness, but its just my honest reaction to having someone living out the winter in our bog. im perplexed why he is there, because he doesnt have the behaviour of an inebriate. im sure the reason is not good. so i am fascinated.

my basic recipe for making hard cider, along with a flyer for some local meads and ciders. they supposedly do a tasting every week. it is on the other end of town, far outside my map of life!

my thrifty thursday finds: 2 robert douglas hunter prints framed very nicely. i went in for the frames at first, and then i realized i do love a luminous still life.

painting a portrait

2011-11-17T22:39:00.005-09:00

painting a portrait, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

of jim-of-the-bog. i havent painted with watercolors since highschool (20 years ago?!) and its been a decade since i did a portrait. but hey, this is supposed to be like riding a bike, right?

okay, so i am lucky that this fellow is rather scruffy in real life (eah, i painted this way on purpose). and dont mistake his look for friendliness, he was giving off a rather fierce vibe. i am hoping this is it for my homeless chapter. i mean, what more could i include? then again...its somewhat unavoidable considering how often our circles intersect. i am sharing my beloved bog with someone i suspect is...not your typical homeless person.

i used my husband's carhartt jacket for reference. it did not mind its picture being taken.

pop-up tent

2011-11-17T09:59:00.003-09:00

pop-up tent, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

jim-of-the-bog's campsite is pretty well camoflauged in the spruce bog. coming down the trail you wont see it until youre right up in it, and then its too late.

peek inside to see a photo of his tent.

now that it has snowed heavily, everything that i saw outside during the summer must now be inside. he drinks grape juice and has a bike. i dont know what he uses for heat; a fire inside the tent is out of the question, so perhaps he has a propane heater?

homeless map

2011-11-16T13:56:00.003-09:00

homeless map, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

my mapping of the camps is restricted to the area covered by my daily walks with tippi. the sampling around my neighborhood is central within the entire greenbelt, which extends from the hillside down to the coast.

i also cut out a map of our weekly routine within midtown; something we have established over the past 12 years.

my new ideas for the sketchbook STILL involve papercutting. i had no idea this would be my medium. i cant say i have ever really cut paper before, except as a freshman in highschool i got some scherenschnitte scissors and spent the summer cutting silhouettes.

my map of midtown, mid-process

2011-11-15T12:00:00.002-09:00

my map of midtown, mid-process, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

the focus is on the area covered by our daily routine, the greenspaces i wander, and our favorite places to eat.

a counterpoint is planned of the greenspaces, the homeless camps, the hospitals, soup kitchen and liquor stores.

i did a lot of searching for the right kind of map to use as a template. but i love the satellite images so well i think i need to continue with the theme.

we tried to avoid the moose on our walk, so we went a new way. we found the moose trying to avoid us. darn boring moose!

experimenting with papercutting

2011-11-14T23:26:00.003-09:00

experimenting with papercutting, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i started working on my sketchbook with the idea that if i stack a bunch of magazine papers and use an x-acto knife to cut out bird shapes, then i will end up with 3 versions i can mix and match. it worked about 78% of how i hoped.

the next idea was to make a bird template and cut away each part.

that worked so well i did two birds. the background might be a bit much behind the great gray owl so i might switch it out.

honestly, i did not see myself cutting paper as a way to get ideas into the sketchbook. im not a huge bird lover, either.

i couldnt quite get to it from the porch

2011-11-14T13:44:00.004-09:00

i couldnt quite get to it from the porch, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

the bald eagle was perched up in the trees overlooking chester creek. matt heard it chirping its girly song (more like a chihuahua being strangled, really) while he was out shoveling snow.

no time to get dressed, so lets hope these boots are tall enough to get through the snow.

no, tippi, you cannot come. not even if you make that face. and stop that whining--the whole neighborhood can hear you.

dang eagle has eluded me again. no fabulous portrait. just boots full of snow.

snow negative

2011-11-13T12:26:00.004-09:00

snow negative, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

we were antsy, so tippi and i went out at 10:30pm into the dark flurries. it was dark but glowing out--snow bounces light and the whole city has a fluorescent peach halo from the sodium vapor street lights.

we found the moose, but they were laying in the shadows getting covered in snow. and i didnt have any pumpkin treats in my pockets.

trying something new

2011-11-12T12:15:00.005-09:00

trying something new, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

2 weeks into winter and i have cabin fever. maybe time to switch it up? with some indoor shots of people with their messes...thats a nice counterpoint to all the abandoned homeless camps from the summer. see all the blue light outside the windows? expect more of that until next april.

my trusty assistant tippi may be patient, but she forgot to clean the mirror and to tell me to smile at the birdie! (OMG am i one of those people who were born with CBF?) what, you werent born with CBF? well, here's a nice DIY for ya (nice to see tavi has expanded her repertoire...where have i been for the past 3 years? kids--they grow up so fast!)

it started up with blowing snow again, and we got 2 more inches on the fish smoker.

the winter bikers

2011-11-12T00:47:00.003-09:00

the winter bikers, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

they are a tough bunch. this guys tires could be fatter, but nothing wrong with powering thru it, either.

tippi and i cut thru the marsh where our neighbor skied a path to work. after grunting at the moose and unsuccessfully getting their attention, we both fell thru the ice. i had wool socks on, so i was okay. wool stays warm when wet! and tippi is a cane corso so she knows no pain! either that or lei non parla inglese.

2 weeks into the snowfall and im getting sick of snow pictures. it's just so grey and white. i need to change things up...

art supplies

2011-11-11T14:36:00.004-09:00

art supplies, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i got all my supplies ready for the sketchbook project, as well as a few other things: essential oil, obsidian arrowhead, pushpin, cork, dyed thread...

i liked the pindots on the washi tape, so i made some pin dots on the paper. those werent so cool, so i grabbed some lace and traced the pattern into paper with the pushpin. i like the idea of not being able to see a design, but being able to feel it. as if i were blind.

my theme is "it is winter where i live" and of course the snow makes it hard to see things clearly. it changes the texture of everything. ugly debris gets buried, the darkness is lightened. there is a misleading sense of beauty, because reality is the harshness, bitterness and sharpness of the cold.

guess where i found my supply box this morning? in the kids' room.

everyone around here likes to make stuff, and have their own kit of supplies. we share, but we also guard things closely. deacon made smoke bombs, and we were unprepared for the little fire. snow to the rescue!

he was hoping this could be his school science experiment, but i dont think the school will allow it. anyone notice that schools often eliminate the things that (my) boys are really into? they have their reasons, but its unfortunate nonetheless.

moose three

2011-11-10T14:42:00.005-09:00

moose three, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

of all my moose tracking through tikishla marsh i have not seen a cow with twins all year. where have they been hiding?

the young bull was browsing a few yards away, but the bigger bull was gone.

at the duck pond this bald eagle was tracking critters under the snow. they dont tolerate people watching under their perch for long, and with my lens i need to be about 10 feet away to fill the frame. we probably threw off its rodent mojo. so in 5 quick wingbeats it had flown across the pond.

we had to trek over there anyway, so we caught up to it after 5 minutes. (what, it's you again? yeah, dude. my bad.)

waiting at home was the city snowplow (what, it only took 2 weeks to plow our neighborhood?!), the empty sketchbook from brooklyn art library, and this persimmon colored cacharel tablecloth.

sometimes i find things when i clean

2011-11-09T16:21:00.006-09:00

sometimes i find things when i clean, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i bottled this 2 winters ago, along with the black currant, yellow raspberry, elderberry and watermelonberry. i think this must be plum wine, because its the only one i do not remember tasting.

well, so here it is! and no, it didnt taste good enough to keep.

the hard cider is shaping up nicely, though! my wine-making setup is not so medieval anymore, so the end product is not so hit and miss.

while the rest of the nation was participating in the national emergency alert system test, we in AK were not because we're having an actual emergency! all along the west coast of AK they were pummeled with level 3 hurricane winds (but the storm technically isnt a hurricane) and tonite they will be dealing with higher than normal tides (so, higher than 7.5 feet) and possible flooding. the super storm was appx. 1,700 miles wide, so thats a LOT of coastal impact. the biggest concern stems from the lack of coastal sea ice in the bering and chukchi seas--sea ice acts as a buffer from such storms and without it there could be massive flooding and erosion to the communities.

although these rural fishing communities are so vulnerable to the elements as part of life on the remote coast, ive heard nothing but reports on how they have banded together and made sure the elders were taken to safety, that meals were being cooked and neighbors checked on each other.

thrifty tuesday

2011-11-08T00:11:00.004-09:00

thrifted, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i ventured to the goodwill on the southside (where people live in big fancy houses) and found this ridiculous hip hop duck quilted satin moschino bomber jacket. it was so tacky i had to pay for it and bring it home. i imagine myself wearing it exactly ONE time outside the house, so it's going into my collection of vintage garments.

the item that really got my heart pumping, and which i have worn every single day, is this vintage renato nucci prairie-edwardian blouse. the fabric is viyella, which is the softest scottish wool-cotton flannel ever, and the first fabric to be trademarked back in the 1880s.

the collar is too prim, and the pleated bodice doesnt do me any favors, so i wear it backwards. see the sweet wooden buttons? and yes, those are leg-o-mutton sleeves! there are french seams, too.

lastly, i needed a cup for rinsing my mouth in the bathroom, so this franciscan "antique green" teacup came home with me. but only because of the gold trim. im a sucker for metal.

peeking through the spruce

2011-11-07T11:58:00.002-09:00

peeking through the spruce, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i got my batteries charged and went back out in the falling snow to find these 2 young bull moose.

they had made it to the marsh and were bedded down chewing their cud. i stayed crouched in the spruce.

now that the rut is over they can hang out like good 'ol boys and shoot the breeze.

theyre just 2 guys wanting to get fat over the winter.

not all humpbacks migrate south for the winter

2011-11-07T11:34:00.004-09:00

look who is coming to stay? good thing i dont have to stock the fridge because they are mainly summer feeders. whew. there are 2 requirements of permanent guests at our house: 1. they can feed themselves and 2. must like bones.

crafted by the expert hands of fog and swell. she adds the most clever details: hand dyed fabrics, barnacles and boro patches and silken stitches. see the glimmer in its eye? the tie-dyed and ridged chest? the white under-fins? image c/o her etsy shop.

some days start out flat and grey

2011-11-06T12:39:00.005-09:00

some days start out flat and grey, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

and you dont expect much.

but then your walk is cut short by 2 bull moose sleeping on the trail.

you take a detour and meet a new friend. you play chase until youre both covered in slobber. one of you gets tired before the other, so you bite his neck.

you find out the owner is your state legislator. ahem, a good-natured, very friendly state legislator! (should i be embarrassed that my dog slobbered all over her dog, and then nibbled on it?)

you go back to filming the moose until your batteries die.
that's a great day!

black sunflower seeds came in the mail

2011-11-05T12:11:00.004-08:00

black sunflower seeds came in the mail, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

a friend in CO sent me these black sunflower seeds with the promise that they produce a dye that ranges from dark red-purple-black.

but i must hand over my eldest child for the recipe.

if this kid cant get the recipe for me, then i dont know who can! not only does she have her stealth ways of decrypting passwords, running surveillance, and keeping a poker face but she has the determination and memory resources of a well trained combat warrior. do not let the lollipop fool you. its part of her disguise.

a quick look at the best natural dyes

2011-11-05T11:59:00.003-08:00

peach pit and cortinarius mushroom dye, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

peach pit purple and cortinarius mushroom dye.

GARLIC N ONION, IRIS PODS AND COLUMBINE DYE

CAMPANULA, ASIATIC LILY POLLEN AND MONKSHOOD DYE

UMBILICARIA AND PELTIGERA LICHEN DYE

ALKANET, GREEN STAIN FUNGUS, AND COTTONWOOD CATKIN DYES

INDIGO VAT, AND WAKAME SEAWEED SALAD DYE

MUGO PINECONES AND BIRCH BARK DYES

LEMON BARK DYES

now that i have my mitts on a box of washing soda i must go through all the dyestuff (you know, the hundreds that only produced tan-gold?) and see what other colors lurk there.

moose jawbone

2011-11-04T00:35:00.005-08:00

moose jawbone, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

of course i was surprised that 1 large shadowbox was not enough for all the stillborn moose bones. they are tiny, but many.

there is a 15" adult jawbone for comparison. and what do you know, but we have more adult bones for even more comparisons!

HIP BONE TO HIP BONE

METATARSAL TO METATARSAL

the metatarsal looks like a shin bone to me, but really it is a fused foot bone, and moose walk on their tippy-toes. and there are toe bones inside those hooves! so fascinating.

TOE BONES (and vertebrae)

racked off into a carboy

2011-11-03T15:27:00.003-08:00

racked off into a carboy, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

today was cider racking day! the bubbles in the primary fermenting bucket seemed to be few and far between, and it has been 2 weeks of fermenting in the back room at 68F.

i took the SG reading and got 1.004. i took a sip and it was definitely alcoholic, but with a very flat flavor. not much apple, not much sour, not even harsh...?

i cursed at the siphon for an hour determined not to use my mouth, nor to google how to use it. i had it filled with priming water, but i also had the stopper in the wrong jug and the siphon went the wrong way every time i tried to fill the tube with water...for about 24 tries!

finally it occurred to me to switch the siphon and in no time at all i had the secondary jug filled. a couple times i got too close to the lees and sucked those up, too.

now we wait a month for this to mellow before we bottle it up.

winter bark natural dyes

2011-11-03T12:17:00.007-08:00

BIRCH INNER BARK DYE

birch cambium dye, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i collected the scrapings of inner bark where the moose gnawed it off, and they sat around in my pocket until now. time for dyeing!

i was so happy to see the washing soda brought out some major color. the pale pink-tan turned into a deep redwood color. (now, if gathering fallen birch scrapings werent so difficult!)

LEMON BARK DYE

i also saved the lemon shavings from my whittling project, and experimented dyeing with those. the top 3 swatches are lemon shavings on cotton, silk and linen with alum. the bottom swatch is the shavings on silk with vinegar (cotton and linen wont dye with just vinegar).

MUGO PINECONE DYE

winter dyeing would not be complete without fallen mugo pinecones. this toasty tan was mordanted with alum, which brought out the color a bit.

BIRCH BARK CURLS

also gathered from the ground: a collection of birch bark curls. the thin ones usually blow off in a storm, but the thick ones must have pulled off. i found a pile behind my neighbors fence after they moved. its quite possible they did native crafts with the bark.

my 15 min. of feeling like doug lloyd

2011-11-02T15:40:00.003-08:00

my 15 min. of feeling like doug lloyd, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i took the kaffe fasset knit socks out for a walk around the duck pond and was surprised to see a couple bald eagles. the adult eagles flew off, but this juvenile allowed us to creep under its perch and take 100 photos for about 15 minutes. then i got cold and left...who is doug lloyd? better go and find out!

ready for trick or treating

2011-11-01T12:30:00.003-08:00

ready for trick or treating, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

the kids couldnt tolerate the makeup, so we kept them minimal, piled on the winter coats and heading into the snow. we only got through 2 blocks before the boys were too cold and our hats were piled with snow. the wind driving the snow into our faces didnt help much.

first thing they wanted to do after school today: massacre the pumpkins.

and then, just like that

2011-10-30T15:11:00.002-08:00

chester creek, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

it snowed (a little.)

finally a bull moves in

2011-10-29T16:02:00.003-08:00

finally a bull moves in, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

to make an honest woman out of our ms. moose.

shadowbox

2011-10-28T17:06:00.005-08:00

shadow box, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

its an inservice day for the kids, but no one wanted to help exhume the bones nor arrange the shadowbox. oh well, it is a 1-person job anyway. i tell them that any hobby is acceptable: tolerance begins at home, right?

i fit the mallard skull, hare skull, squirrel, vole, bird skull and hares foot all in this 1 box. that's great news considering the moose skeleton is going to require 2 boxes.

after learning the bleach is not a good way to clean bones, i switched to letting them sit in dirt all summer so the bugs can clean them off. they arent as pretty white, but okay.

SNOWSHOE HARE FOOT

VOLE SKULL

BIRD SKULL

thrifty thursday

2011-10-28T12:23:00.007-08:00

thrifted, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i was looking for a shadow box for the natural history shelf. obviously this one is too small for the moose skeleton, but it will work great for the squirrel skulls.

many thrifters have thrifting mantras that sustain them through the hundreds of sticky, smelly racks they must sift. mine is to never leave behind metal office accessories. or wool gabardine hoodies or blazers. wait, is that a polish pottery mug? yes, yes it is.

we misplaced our halloween decorations, so we had to scrounge around. the dog sign might need to stay up all year. i will replace "children" with "missionaries" because tippi actually likes children. at the last minute we decided to go to the fall carnival, so we all wore mustaches. kind of a weird thursday, really.

stillborn moose calf bones

2011-10-26T18:55:00.002-08:00

moose calf bones, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

i laid out all the bones to make sure i had 2 of everything. im not sure where all the bones go, but i think i have a complete skeleton except for 2 front teeth and a thin bone that (maybe) goes behind the tibia?

i could always go back to the spot in the marsh and sift around for those bits. i should go before it snows.

moose calf skull

2011-10-25T13:41:00.005-08:00

moose calf skull, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

its getting to the point where theres not a lot of pretty going on in the marsh. its all homeless camps and dead animals. snow will be here soon enough to cover it all up. meanwhile, the stillborn moose skeleton is all cleaned.

i considered leaving it be all winter to get really clean, but the bones are so soft, and perhaps like humans they arent born with fully hardened bones anyway, so the prolonged exposure to the marsh water is going to ruin them! i carefully picked everything i could right down to the little hoof pieces. theyve been brushed and rinsed and are drying, and my family is thoroughly disgusted with me. but who leaves a complete baby moose skeleton in the marsh?

bottling the limoncello

2011-10-24T13:28:00.002-08:00

bottling the limoncello, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

it's way past 40 days, so it's high time to bottle up the limoncello.

i strained the vodka off the lemon peels, made a 1:1 water-sugar simple syrup (for a half gallon vodka add 2 c simple syrup) and mixed it in with the vodka. bottle it up, have a nip, and give to friends. they will reward you with new bottle of vodka so you can start the whole process over again.

next batch i promise to make labels out of something other than fluorescent duct tape. leetle tiny cordial-tasting glass, handblown with a chartreuse stem, given to me by the fabled kris h.