Sacramento = Poems + Art

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

I just got back from a poetry reading at the Crocker Museum. More than 100 people were there in a gallery full of exciting art. Lots read their own own poems. I’m thrilled to live four blocks from this. 

Love,

And this couch is covered with crochet!
I need one!!

A simple instrument

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

Ukuleles are on my mind. Clark loved the instrument. I’m drawing one for Meredith, and — even though they crowded our shelves and even though I heard plenty of Clark’s ukulele back in Tallahassee — I’d never looked closely at the instrument. 

I love to draw things in front of me, so I tried to rent a ukulele to take home for a while… I went to three shops ... No luck. But Guitar City let me sit in this big room full of stringed instruments. I went to the ukulele corner, grabbed a stool, picked up a ukulele, and drew it. And then another… What a moody place! All around me young men were trying out guitars they might buy, playing snatches of song. Zing collapsed at my feet. (I think he might be a bit noise-sensitive.) I needed more, but we had to leave, and then I realized I could ask Keith to lend me a uke.

Yesterday we rendezvoused in the Safeway parking lot. I was putting groceries in Rosa. "Hey, Lady, want a ukulele?" Keith called, stopping behind my car in the F-150 he is testing. At first I didn't realize it was him, but Zing did. He loves Keith, and he loves F-150s. Keith handed over the instrument, and I took it home and have been sketching in free moments ever since, stroking the beautiful wood, crying a bit, and loving my ukulele memories. I'm studying the proportions, depth, and the way the strings are wound. All the while listening to ukulele on Pandora,

The ukulele is a simple instrument, yes. But not for me.

Love

k

At a friend's table

Yesterday:

A friend and I were going to have dinner at a popular restaurant (Waterboy). Then something came up and we couldn't. Instead we shared leftovers at Janie's place, and I made oatmeal cookies.  It was just as much fun.

Oatmeal cookies
(from Gourmet cookbook)

Beat together until fluffy:

10 T. butter, softened
1/3 C. light brown sugar
1/4 C. granulated sugar

Mix in:
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Add and mix until just combined:
1 3/4 C. rolled oats (not quick variety)
3/4 C. flour
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt

At this point it's all done. But you can add chocolate chips, fruits, etc. I used about a cup of toasted walnuts and 1/2 C. dried cranberries.

The recipe says make huge cookies of 1 heaping tablespoon each. I made smaller cookies. Put on parchment-covered baking sheets. Run your fingers under water and press each cookie down lightly. Bake at 375° about 12 minutes.

Not barking -- banking!

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

I try to do money stuff on Monday. It kind of rhymes. I’m getting more relaxed about it, learning the vocabulary, keeping tabs on mortgage, etc., trusting that every small move I make won’t end in financial disaster. Family and friends are helping me keep an even keel. Thank you! 

That was a lead-in to this photo. Zing was at the bank today, and not at all anxious. (I worried he might be asked to wait outside.) The bankers loved him, and he even met two other canine clients, on the left.

Love,

k

Olive oil green and gold

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

I went to the farmers market under the bridge today to learn more about green vs. gold olive oil. Last weekend in Michigan Roberta and Andy alerted me to this fine point. The green oil comes from unripe olives, and is prized for its intensity — it’s more expensive because green olives release less oil than ripe ones. It turns out R & A  love the brand of olive oil from my (MY!) booth in Sacramento.  In a wonderful coincidence, Andy said the woman who waited on me today (I sent them a photo) is the very same woman who sold them their first bottle of Bariani oil. I treasure the connection.

I also bought a lot of strawberries because the price was going down so much (as closing time approached) that I couldn’t pass them up. I’m learning the varieties of berries, and today's are Albions.

Luckily, I recently got to farmers markets in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Columbus, Ohio. Each has a different feel, as you can see in these photos. And of course they were less abundant because peak season in the Midwest is upcoming. 

Love,

k

Above and below, Columbus. Pearl Alley, I think, north of the Capitol

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Above and below; Sacramento

Hills can't scare me now

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

Months back I was scared to drive into the hills, but finally the rises and curves don’t bother me, and I think they’re gorgeous.

We celebrated Wyatt’s 4th birthday at a park in Placerville, a small town 45 rolling minutes northeast of Sacramento — a gorgeous drive with real mountains beckoning in the distance. Liz and Lawren selected a shady area for the party, and we even caught a little breeze. Not far away in the hot noon sun a fantastic red and yellow children’s play lot loomed -- glowing and scaldingly empty. The kids sprayed each other with water guns and we adults leaned back on the grass and watched. 

On the way back to the car I chatted with a woman who said she’d lived here off and on her whole life. “We have a beautiful place,” she said, gesturing to the big houses on the top of the hill. She said she loves the country and was going to walk her dog on “the path” this morning, but decided against it. “They had a sign that there was a cougar around,” she said, “so I stayed in the park.”

Before we went home Zing and I walked down Main Street, past art galleries and restaurants and a big thing that looks like a cross between a bell tower and a beer stein, which seems to be a good-natured sign for a beer celebration tonight. 

Love,

k

I’m trying to get a photo of those pink words on the right (to you) side of my face, but the window reflections make it hard

Celebrating love

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

The best times in my life are when I see people I love, or am about to love, and hug them and just bask in the pleasure of being together. I think heaven will be like this, and so was last weekend. At Jeffrey and Megan’s wedding in Ann Arbor I met people I’d heard about but never met, and I loved them immediately. They made me feel that way. Everyone was celebrating love.   

Same thing the following couple of days with Mary's family in Columbus — and that family includes me!

Love,

k

I'd love to spend a rainy day reading here:  U-M Student Union

Sacramento airport

As I was walking Ann Arbor's crowded streets to the reception

I followed some people into this graffiti space

Two kids asked me to take their photo, and then they took mine

Midwest moderation, then California heat

Written last night:

Dear Friends, 

It was great -- the wedding of Megan and Jeffrey in Ann Arbor Saturday. I'm so glad I was part of the celebration. I'll tell you more later --kind of tired after today's flight back from Columbus. Sunday night was great, with all in Ohio. The next 2 days Mary and I just had fun! 

Here's what I came home to -- Rosa recorded 108 degrees outside temperature when I went to Safeway to stock up on mangoes and peppers:

and it looks like dogs might be welcome at Trader Joe's, 

where I 

Zing wants to shop with me next time!

Inspired by Beatriz Milhazes

12" x 12"

Acrylic collage on canvas board

This piece is inspired by Brazilian artist Beatriz Milhazes.  Her collage + paint technique and vibrant colors and design enchanted Patrice and me when we saw her work at the Perez Museum in Miami. I was experimenting with her methods and trying to see if they work on fabric right when Clark died. After that I stopped. Now I've picked up the project, using 12" x 12" canvas board instead of cotton. It is easier to work with.

1. Draw designs on plastic.

2. Paint the design. I used heavy body paint, Liquitex Cerulean Blue Hue. I let the paint dry overnight.

I painted the canvas board beneath it in Liquitex Brilliant yellow-green.

3. Brush Elmer's glue on the back of the designs.

Place the painted plastic, glue side down, on the base.

I put bricks on top. 

Let it dry. When dry, gently pull the plastic off. Some of the paint might come off as well, creating a weathered look.

Make more designs the same way. 

Let the paint dry.

Cut the designs out when the paint is dry.

I made simple fish in Liquitex Prussian Blue Hue and a red-orange curved piece (Liquitex Naphthol crimson + Turner's Yellow.)

Experiment with placement of the designs.

When it looks good, glue them down. Let the glue dry.

When the glue is dry, pull the plastic off and leave the designs.

I could add more layers of design and color, using the same technique, but I have challenged myself to make one small piece each week, using a different inspiration every time.

Ice cubes cure my shuddering sink

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

This morning the appliance repairman said, “You have a wonderful sink."

“Very good quality,” he said. 

“I also like your garbage disposal,” he added.

Made my day.

Sunday my sink shuddered suddenly .I thought I knew the answer because I Googled it. The paddles were not aligned, maybe.  

But, no. He said something jammed in the side of the grinder thing and threw it off balance. Most likely it was the package of garbage disposal cleaner that I’ve been using. “Throw that stuff away right now!” he said, and I did. 

Perhaps you already know his way to clean your disposal: every week put a handful of ice cubes in it and grind away. Then once a month or so sprinkle scouring powder on the ice cubes.  

Earlier today I got a call from Washington state — my cousin Damien, who’d learned I live out here now. Turns out he lived in Sacramento for 30 years, and now he lives near Seattle. We talked for an hour, and I’m sure we’ll meet somewhere along the west coast here. 

Love,

k

My refrigerator can't scare me

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

You know I love a simple Sunday, and that was today. … except … the garbage disposal is making the sink shudder … and it’s time to replace the filter in the refrigerator and I can’t pry the old one out … and the manual (Yes! I found the manual!) says turn off the water, but I’m not sure where … 

A few months ago I would have been literally shuddering — terrified that the refrigerator would flood, or maybe the sink, and I would be kicked out of my new home. Today I’m pretty sure things will be OK. I'm sitting in the kitchen easy chair right now, and the refrigerator is hulking beside me. I’ll take care of it tomorrow — I know the name of a plumber. 

I hope you had a relaxing Sunday too.

Love,
k

A box named Saturday

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

Walt Seifert, a journalism professor at OSU, used to repeat, “The way to get a thing done is to do it.” That’s all we had to remember, he said — if you have a piece of paper in your hand, file it immediately. But I still put things aside — I’m starting to pile papers in a box named Saturday. Which was today. It took a couple of hours, but the box is empty now. 

It was a simple Saturday.

Love,

k

Looks like Zing is losing patience with me

I wanted to capture the slanted evening light at the Stanford mansion gate

Makeup anxiety

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

Marisa is not as exasperated as she looks here. She’s patiently showing me how to put on makeup. I didn’t wear much in laid-back Tallahassee, and after Clark died I stopped wearing any makeup at all — it was kind of like I disappeared — until I geared up again in April, before Gretchen and Rich got married. "Gotta wear makeup for a wedding," the makeup guy told me then — "otherwise you’ll just disappear from the photos.” And very soon Jeffrey and Megan are getting married. I’m sure nobody cares if I wear makeup or not, but to my surprise I’m having fun with it.

Later today my friend Cher and I were talking about anxiety -- I think I have makeup anxiety. Marisa is helping me get over it. She did one side of my face and made me do the other side. Was it my imagination, or were people looking at me crooked as I walked down J Street after that?

Love,

k

Where the art things are

Written last night:
Dear Friends,

Today this collage is close to finished. 

It's my first actual project since Clark died. I loved making it and in the process I learned where  all my art things are! 

Love,

k

First the chill, then the sun

silk,  gold leaf,watercolor and acrylic paint

on canvas panel

12" x 12"

Connecting then with now

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

This morning I had a visit from Tallahassee friends Marsha and Frank, and while they were here it seemed so normal that I almost took them for granted. It was just like when they would stop by and talk with Clark and me. But since they left I have been feeling grateful over and over, deeper and deeper. — I just mean Wow! — how nice of them to stop on their drive to see relatives in San Francisco. We talked for two hours and they promised to come again next summer.

Their first impression was Sacramento’s trees, how green the place is, and I found myself being proud of the city as if I belong here. Then our conversation was peppered with casual references to Clark — how he grasped the world with a historical perspective and in a positive way, how he understood politics and cars and the way a refrigerator works. It wasn’t eulogizing — far from it! — it was just connecting then with now in a natural way that I loved. It was good to be with friends who shared Clark with me.

Love,
k

Vegan surprise

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

Today is the birthday of the Russian writer Pushkin  I’ve always liked his name, but must admit I haven’t read any of his work. I only know it’s his birthday because this morning’s Writer’s Almanac email told me. But I am familiar with Pushkin’s restaurant on Capitol Avenue, not far from me. I’ve been meaning to go there, except that it’s vegan, and I figured the food must be righteous and bland. But to celebrate Pushkin, I decided to go there for lunch today. It was busy and bright and and I loved the arugula omelette. I was wrong. In the right hands vegan is delicious. (There was no sign of a vegan Pushkin birthday cake.)

Love,

k

I claim my space on this planet

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

Today did not go as planned, because someone parked in my spot. Stole my parking spot. Flicked my sense of justice. 

Terrible, I know.

I get ticked when someone disrespects me — don’t we all??  Rosa was annoyed too. She had to park on the street several blocks away from her true home. 

I won’t tell you the details — they annoy only me. But I considered the slight an opportunity to take up as much space as the next person on this planet. So I wrote a windshield note, made some phone calls, talked to some “officials,” and tried to keep my cool. It took a couple of hours. Finally I talked to someone who knew the car’s owner, and he made a call and my space was mine and Rosa’s again. 

I admire people who can be dispassionate when they are standing up for themselves. I’m not sure how close I got to that ideal, but today I did practice.

Love,

k

After a year ...

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

A year ago today Clark died. I woke up this morning and cried. 

Despite the tears, you, my family and friends, have helped me end this year happy. Clark thanks you, and I do. 

These things made me happy today: 

You know that you kind of belong when you go to the grocery and run into people you know. That happened twice today. 

And the Sunday farmers market under the freeway was bursting with life — it’s been kind of quiet the last couple of months. Remember when I thought the cherries were not sweet enough? Well, they are now! I bought a pound of the red and white Sierra variety — my favorite. By the time I left (near closing time) they were down to $2/pound. At Whole Foods they are $9, I think. 

And I argued with the honey vendor about the merits of Tupelo honey from the swamps of North Florida and Georgia. He agreed it is the best, and then he gave me a taste of something dark and sticky. It was terrible! He laughed… “Tastes like molasses, doesn’t it?” I nodded yes, and then he gave me a taste of buckwheat honey to wash the flavor away. 

I checked the wild salmon, and it is supposed to be fabulous, but too expensive to find out.

Love,

k

This man said some people buy large amounts of honey to make beer

Leather kilt at Safeway checkout