Scenes from a Birthday

It was a beautiful April morning complete with songbirds, butterflies and hummingbirds zooming about. There was a bit of a cool front that could be felt in the breeze, making sitting under the sun even more enjoyable.  I could have anything I wanted for breakfast so I picked macaroni and cheese, of course. It was the most satisfying bowl I have had in a very longtime.

After phone calls and cards, a short walk by my favorite house with all the roses. There was a quick turtle rescue, the lil guy was removed from the middle of the road. We released him in the lake where he very quickly and happily scampered into the water and swam off.

Later that evening I was lovingly gifted a most delicious dinner of crab cakes, stuffed portobello mushrooms, asparagus (I love asparagus) and grilled eggplant topped with pine nuts and balsamic vinegar. My mouth is still watering. This dish needs to become a tradition.

An evening can end quickly after a filling meal like that. I drifted off to dreamland soon after we watched a  French horror film and I did some real nesting. Swept and mopped the whole house. There is a very important person coming at any moment. 

Let's go to the flea market...

I longed to hear a rooster crow, smell manure, pet a bunny and see some goats, so we headed for the flea market this weekend. It felt great to be around these animals. I was only able to shoot a few photos as there was much activity; many of the animals were going to new homes, others being fed and kept hydrated, some coming out of their cages just to get loved on. Time spent here was well worth it. My husband found a few clean vinyl gems and I got my chicken, bunny, goat, pony, puppy fix.

Back in town...

We spent a very short time in Austin this week, too short. It felt like the warmest December in decades when we were there but I loved it. On a beautiful, sunny day we sat in the sun and ate tacos and chalupas at Taco Shack. We were also able to dine at Cheko's where I picked up some tips on making carne asada. It was like I never left, it was like I had been gone forever, it is where I spent all of my adult life until now.

Traveling around I come upon Austin-esque places. Pittsburgh, PA, Bloomington, IN, parts of Indianapolis, IN and Baltimore, MD all contained a little corner that made me feel I was back in Austin. What makes Austin, Austin, are my friends and familiar faces. Every now and then, when in an "Austin place" I search the crowd and for a second think I recognize someone, just for a second.

Out of the mouths of babes...

My favorite food du jour is gajar halva, an Indian carrot dessert. It can be made to be a very rich pudding or a subtle and sweet, warm carrot salad. The Indian restaurant next door to the hotel makes it on the light side and I love it so much. This afternoon I set out once again to place a pick-up order for gajar halva and found a child's birthday party in progress.

The ballroom in the restaurant was decorated with red and white balloons and tables were covered with pretty red and white tablecloths. The children were running about laughing, shouting and chasing each other. It looked like a fun and formal occasion.

Once I placed my order I sat in the lobby of the restaurant where, across from me, three, well dressed and well behaved little boys were sitting on a couch engaged in a serious conversation. I later found out their ages were six, seven and ten. When I heard one of them mention diamonds I thought perhaps they were speaking of a video game.

I then I heard the six year old explain."Silver is worth more than cheap metals, but gold is worth more than silver and platinum looks silver but is worth more than gold, you see?"

The seven year old said, "But what I am saying is that a diamond, a big diamond, is worth more than any of those."

The ten year old chimed in with,"No, no, you did not say that, you did not, what you said was a big, big diamond is just like gold and it is not like gold, it beats gold."

To which the six year old replied,"There are times when even a big, big, giant diamond is not worth more than platinum, it depends."

Then they all started to speak at once. I sat there flummoxed and deeply intrigued. I couldn't stand it any longer and had to interrupt,"Excuse me, how old are you three boys?"

After I learned their ages I was impressed and figured that they had family in the jewelry business. Before I could ask anything else, a group of little girls suddenly came in, chasing balloons, laughing and screaming. Some were wearing opulent saris and others dressed in puffy party dresses and sporting tiny, gold and silver heels. One of them stood in front of me and mimicked my way of sitting. I have often had my gestures or way of speaking mocked by children before, starting when I was a kid myself.  The way I had my arms crossed with my finger against my chin seemed to irritate her so she stood in front of me and crossed her arms in the same fashion then squealed, "Eeeeee, ooooooooo", turning her mouth down while shaking her hips and shoulders.  I laughed and they ran off.

The ten year old across from me then winked and smiled. I did a double take. Then the seven year old whispered something into his ear and ran off. The ten year old whispered something into the ear of the six year old who then looked at me with a cold, hard stare for all of five seconds before sternly remarking,"No, you should find a rich girlfriend."

I did not think I was looking impoverished today. I was dressed rather sharply, or so I thought. It was a very chic ensemble with new, black leather boots, black jeans and a new, black turtleneck. My hair was neatly done in my signature up-do. I was even wearing plum lipstick and liquid eyeliner (I started wearing it again). I was neat and clean. What about my vintage, Navajo ring with it's outstanding, large turquoise cabochon that usually brings in so many compliments? Not a cheap relic by any means, despite being only silver. Was it the baby bump? I giggled but they remained serious.

A few minutes later the ten year old looked at me and shyly smiled and then turned to his wiser friend and said, "She is poor but pretty, right?"

Again, what was it about me that looked so "poor" to these young fellows. So I pulled out my compact to see if I had smut on my face and to check my hair. I was cracking a bit under such scrutiny.  I heard a loud laugh when I opened the mirror to look at myself.

The six year old then pointed and said, "Look, your girlfriend, she's looking at how pretty she is, ooooooo!"

He laughed and laughed and the 10 year old only smiled sheepishly, looked down then tried to cover his friend's mouth and said in a low voice, "Noooo, stop, you are being rude."

I couldn't keep a straight face. The six year old then grabbed his friend's hand and off they went to join the party.  My order was ready and I went up the stairs to pay for it. As I was coming down the two boys were on their way up again.  I was so tempted to ask these two sweet faces what I could do to look a bit more affluent. I imagined they had an answer I probably didn't need to hear. 

Change...

Here comes lovely, wonderful, beautiful change.
As if things had not changed enough this year,
more surprises were in store and are now
well on their way.

Even Mr Gage has been to Indiana...

I phoned my friend Mr. Gage the other day to check in on him. I had heard Austin had temperatures ranging from 105 to 112. I worry about him although his 175 year old house stays remarkably cool. It's those really thick walls. He said he was doing fine and had not felt the heat too much since he is up at 5am, does a few things around the yard and is done for the day by 9am. I remembered his schedule after he said that.

He asked where I was and I told him Indiana. "My goodness, was Austin that terrible to you?", he said and we both laughed. He then asked where I was and said he had lived in Franklin while working construction. This was new information to me. I had no idea he had worked construction and asked him for more details. He said it was with the WPA back in the 1930's and he was in a group that built schools and a courthouse. I recalled our conversation about the WPA but always assumed he did work in Texas. All of a sudden I wanted to make a trip to Franklin to see what Mr. Gage had built. It is north of Indianapolis and there is a chance we will be passing through. He then gave me his impressions of Indiana and I  enjoyed hearing his voice again.


























When I told him I missed him and our visits, talking about old Hollywood stars, movies and photographing his house, He told me he missed me as well and asked when I will be in town. I hated telling him I didn't know but felt so much better when he told me he'd be waiting and it would be a nice surprise to find me at his doorstep one morning.  I have actually been at his doorstep in spirit several times since I left.

Pause

Feeling like this:

and like this:

and this:

I always feel a bit out of sorts waiting for the seasons to officially change. The weather here has been a bit odd. It is not cold nor is the temperature too warm but the humidity is high and grey, dark mornings give way to partly cloudy days.  There is much to do but I find myself thinking of cool sheets, soft pillows and drawn curtains. In a week or so I'll have what I need to take me through spring and summer.

West Texas

I have been itching to visit  Marathon, Alpine and Marfa. I'd like to get there by way of train sometime soon.  It seems to call me this time of year. I'd like to stay at the Antelope Lodge in Alpine because it seems so familiar. I'd like to visit and spend some time there because I need to see and feel all that empty space. I miss empty space. My Grandmother has said if she could, she would like to come along. She likes empty space too. She spent a great deal of her childhood outside of Rocksprings, TX. Yet another place where my thoughts often drift too.

Yard things

We have a few weeks before the start of Spring but already I am excited and looking forward to yard work, new plants and starting up the garden again. Looking forward to mornings spent in a hammock and afternoons spent sipping on mint and hibiscus tea.


























We may have lost a lot of plants this winter and who knows what sort of freak freezes might be in store for March. With so many wonderful nurseries in the area, I console myself with the thought of weekend buying trips and opportunities for new plantings and designs.

We watched In a Lonely Place last night and I couldn't help but notice the little pots of plants in the background. Not only did I want one of those vintage, Spanish style California cottages but some of those little plants in terra cotta pots around the place. The latter is completely attainable.

Riley's House

For years and years this was one of my dream homes. Quite the modest mansion. It's the house from The Life of Riley. This somewhat ancient television show would run on a Christian channel that would come in really snowy sometimes, before cable. The house looked a lot like the homes in one of the post-war neighborhoods in my hometown.

I loved how these houses were usually painted white with black trim. The simplicity of this color scheme allowed the landscape to stand out more. They sat on perfectly green lawns with a tree situated in just the right spot. Rose bushes really stood out, flowers would pop and bushes were shaped into perfect rectangles under windows. The garages or carports were located behind the home and American flags would wave as you drove by.

These post war homes usually housed WWII veterans who had made it through the Great Depression and a war and now had a place of their own. These were modest homes, some better built than others. Not many of them stood the test of time.  Many became rentals and fell into disrepair or were razed years ago.  I am always happy to see one retro-renovated. As much as I try to like the new aesthetic, I have yet to see a contemporary home design that I can say I truly love. While there are many designs that adopt a vintage look, when they stand next to older homes they are still huge. I think I am one of those rare people who likes a small home, it's instant cozy. I love the idea of owning only what you need and use daily, keeping and storing only the most cherished of relics and personal artifacts.

While I love a small home I love a large lot. I crave space for fruit trees and gardens, comfy places under shade trees, spaces for meandering  beds of flowers.  Nothing makes me feel better than to look outside and see a large  yard.  Last I heard the trend was for smaller homes less than 2500 sqft. but  yards are  getting smaller and smaller. 

 I was a huge Lightening Seeds fan back in 1989. Thank you Ian for allowing fans to post!

Visits

He didn't know the out of work painter who was renting one of his upstairs apartments had invited a Chinese couple to live with him to help pay the rent. In fact, they were paying all the rent. Something to do with a misunderstanding and problem with the English language. Once the landlord found out what was going on, he kicked out the deadbeat and is pleased with his two new tenants.

Wee bit of snow

This is all we need to get a day off from work.

That's all I need.

I'd like to hunker down

I woke up at 3am to a blustery scene out our bedroom window. The wind chimes were screaming as the trees took turns bowing to each other. Poor squirrel and family. I could see her nest rocking in all directions and wondered how she was doing. How do those poor squirrels manage in weather like this? The temperature had dropped to 35, it was raining and the wind, I found out later, was at 50-60 miles per hour. Poor, poor squirrel and family. It's supposed to get down to 20 degrees while we are at work.

I went back to bed and woke up three hours later for work.  I wanted so much to remain at home, not just for the day but the rest of the week. What makes work pleasant on cold, cold days when I'd rather be home is waering a vintage, flannel shirt and this tiny, cozy corner in my cube where I keep my teapot. Today, Moroccan Mint and gingerbread cookies. Hmmmm maybe we'll finally get an ice day or two out of this. I'm dying to hunker down.

Fin de Semana

No ice days were to be had this week though it was terribly cold. Each morning found me struggling more and more to get out of bed. I didn't think I could finish the week.  Yesterday evening I was inspired to make soup. My Grandmother taught me how to make pozole and caldo de pollo. She has shown me how to make menudo but I have yet to attempt it.  Pozole and caldo de pollo turn out great cooked on a medium flame in a dutch oven. If the kitchen is filled with the familiar smells of my Grandmother's kitchen, I know I did it right.

Last night I made pozole and topped it with slices of avocado and grated cheese. I had never topped it that way. It was not my Grandmother's pozole this time. I was distracted when I was cooking and sort of rushed it.  I was prepared to be disappointed but I rather liked my neo-pozole. I loved the fresh creaminess the avocados brought to the dish and how the dash of mozzarela cheese reminded me of the queso fresca on the chalupas in Port Isabel. This dinner made Thursday feel like Friday evening so I had a hard time getting up again this morning.

Man with a Camera

"I’m  Mike Kovac freelance photographer. Excitement is my business. I find it by poking, prying and listening. When I find what I want I record it with my camera. It’s fun, money and people. I don’t know which I like best."

The show, Man with a Camera, ran from 1958-1960. It is my newest discovery and I wonder how I missed it this long.  What little I have seen of it reminds me of Johnny Staccato. I'd like to watch all the episodes.   You can read  more about the series here.  Take a look at that camera. With a cameras like that... I wonder if Weegee had an impressive set of guns.

Filling the Cookie Tin

Not long after we met, William and I drove to Fredericksburg and stopped at an outdoor antique mall. I was curious as to what his aesthetics were. I had seen his house and what he collected and liked but with all the options and variety around us I wondered what would catch his eye, what sort of relic would appeal to him. I was surprised when it was this English made cookie tin. He liked the design and the idea of  having it filled with cookies. So he bought it and I fill it with cookies. It has become one of those possessions loaded with memories and meaning and one that I am very fond of. I baked some cookies tonight.

Weathersquirrel

The arctic front that has been predicted for this week has Squirrel in a panic. I have observed him and his friends/family frantically collecting and gnawing away pieces of my plant covers and taking off with them into the trees. I can see their large nests lined with green cloth. They took it all, there was nothing left but the string used to secure the covers. They started to tear up the chicken coop cover yesterday afternoon. They didn't do this in December. This behavior began a week ago. I thought maybe babies were coming, but no one looks in the family way at the moment.

The weathermen predicted  highs in the 60's and lows in the 40's for the weekend. Squirrel has me thinking something big is going to happen between now and this weekend. It's easy to get me hopeful about ice days.



Weathersquirrel Spring 2010

11 minutes of minutiae

My skating coach said I have to rebuild my skating legs. I will go in on Friday and do laps of scissors for an hour.

No Rosca de Reyes this year unless we can find one that is gluten free. I have already declared tomorrow night be dedicated to Mexican hot chocolate though. A special batch.

Because it is the year of the rabbit, Artie gets extra, extra special treatment all year. He already has a brand new, spacious abode with loft. Next on the list is a brand new harness and leash in his favorite color...red. I put several colors in front of him and he picked red for whatever reason. He  kissed the color card then tossed it and did nothing to the other color cards so I am going with it.

I've been really into teas lately and bought several boxes after Christmas that are nearly gone. I have discovered red and pink rosebud tea. It's a very pretty tea. Rosebuds don't have to make a wimpy tea either. Steeped long enough, it can be strong and fragrant without becoming pungent in any way. One cup leaves me feeling pretty dreamy.

All the seed and plant catalogs have already begun to arrive and they have managed to get me looking at the backyard again. Making plans, deciding on plants,  finally getting a much needed composter. Four, picky, little hens just can't  make up for a composter.

Watched  La Cienaga by Lucrecia Martel because my friend loved it and declared it one of his favorite movies of all times and urged us to see it. It is a slice of life sort of film and focuses on two families living in Argentina. I find myself liking it more and more.  Many scenes overwhelm the lens it seems and it works to pull you into the lives of these people. I didn't always like being there but it was an experience nonetheless.

Caught Mona looking at the tree lights. She loves to do this and it's always so nice to sit with her and  just look at the lights from her point of view. They will be coming down this weekend. We'll all miss it.

The tree is still fresh and green. It will be in it's stand out in the yard for a few weeks. I like looking out the window and pretending I have a balsam growing. Last year I continued to water and new growth appeared before it started to turn an orange-red in March. It was then chopped up and became mulch for the backyard. Part of it was burned in the chiminea in October. It smelled like Christmas and got me started on the holiday thoughts.  Round and round we go.

Thankful

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with yummy food and coziness. Enjoy your turkey lunches and turkey dinners, your friends and family.  And remember if ever you cannot sleep, count your blessings instead of sheep.

Just the miniest of minutiae

Today has been a truly beautiful day. A cold front blew in and gave us a very pleasant seventy something degrees on a bright and sunny afternoon. The early morning was chilly enough for a sweater. Those of you with four seasons can't understand what it is like when we actually get weather like this in Austin, Texas while still in September. It makes people giddy, gives us all a new lease on life, it's special. We usually don't have early falls. Sometimes summer bleeds into late October or early November. I wonder what sort of person I would be if I could count on four seasons through the year. This cooler weather puts me in a great mood. I wake up with tons of energy and get so much done during the day, makes all the difference.

I have been trying like mad to conquer the knitting block I have once and for all. I discovered that my Abuelita taught me the Combined style. It is not English or Continental or even a combination of the two. It's a somewhat fast and economical way to knit and is the style most used in Mexico and Latin America. However it is difficult to apply this style to patterns. I ran into trouble knitting in the round a few years ago and after hours of trying I gave up. Now that I know what the problem is there are all sorts of websites dedicated to knitting in the Combined (Combination) style. I must learn to read and follow a pattern so that I can knit awesome vintage sweaters.