off to the races

my dad was an avid horseracing fan and attended to the races every August in Saratoga. i often went along, but had absolutely no knack for it. in fact, i was so bad at betting, it broke me from gambling altogether. it was really fun to watch him win, though.

this is a photo from the late eighties of me and my stepmother walking to the track. i think by then i just showed up in a hat and sipped the mimosas.

are you wagering this weekend?

mother's day gift in the mail

i sent my mom's gift off today. here's a photo of the outside. i wish i had remembered to photo the inside wrap job and custom card. oh well.

i usually like to take the time to make the package look a little special. decorating a box is a pretty low-risk artistic opportunity. get out some new supplies and let them rip. i wrap the box in brown paper and did some doodles on the outside using sharpies, gold shading paste, a levenger green highlighting pencil and some crayons.

i 've been sketching little butterflies everywhere lately–here too!

(one little note - i always want to put twine around my packages, but the p.o. doesn't take 'em that way any more. just so you know.)

inspired by ice

The last time I skated on Manchester Lake, I was surprised by the noise that the ice was making as we skated across it. I worried that the sounds were a sign of instability.

 

This time, the wind was quiet (very rare for this lake) so we could hear the ice much more clearly. I realized the sound indicated the ice flexing to accommodate us rather than a warning of an impending break.  

 

The ice music was so moving and so rich. Eeery and otherworldly. Gentle, but also tonal. It is reminiscent of whale songs. I hope to make a recording some day. When I stopped to listen, I also became enchanted and inspired by the patterns in the ice.

The textures and patterns are both random and repetitive. I imagine ice changes from day to day, depending upon the weather, as the it waxes and wanes.

Note: these photos were made with an iphone and processed using lightroom and photoshop. 

grass joy

shhhhh. the grass is growing.

i don't want to say anything to jinx it.

the happenings around here:

health stuff done. got the all clear on the boob squish. always a relief. blood work showed me at the very highest end of the normal range for the bad cholesterol. more exercise and less steak fixes that. the recommendation is 45 minutes of fast walking per day.

this weekend is the first of two for the open studios tour. i have my favorites picked out and my camera in the bag. hopefully the weather will cooperate. stay tuned for arty boulder goodness.

also, i am cooking up a few knitting projects. my very first chart. we shall seeeeeeee.

lawn joy

no so much grass

 (c) dana rogers photography 2010

i am craving a lawn that i can sink my toes into.

 a lawn that is green and lush and not splotchy and brown. clearly, this ain't it.

even less grass (c) copyright dana rogers photography 2010

mostly weeds (c) dana rogers photography 2010

do something about this lawn (c) dana rogers photography

at mcguckins, today i consulted with the nice man who's dealt with a lawn problem or two. it turns out, i won't have to bother with the thatch rake at all. since the lawn was stressed from the dry hot august, it would only do damage. i can use a regular ole lawn rake instead. cheaper, easier, bingo!

lawn-man really liked the idea of the aeration machine. after that, he selected a special seed mix to use on the bare spots and for overseeding. (overseeding is when you put more see on the parts that already have grass.) then i just use a spreader to apply the organic fertilizer.

i hope i am not boring you too badly with this, but maybe you would like a nicer lawn too? maybe like me, you grew up without a lawn and are just as clueless? maybe you can make use of the kind mcguckin's man's help? that's my hope anyway.

mainly, though, i can't wait to show the "after" pictures. to do that, i kinda need to document the before!

what's doing here:

today was the first appointment of the 'tour de health," my annual physical. even as health insurance has come and gone and come again, i have been able to stick with the same doc who patiently answers all my questions. if you live in Boulder, you want Lise Musny in charge of your bod!

after a detailed convo about the perils of ovarian cancer, we laughingly agreed that i much more likely to perish from heart troubles. it's the most common killer and it runs in my family.  for now, pending blood and pap test results, i got the all clear. phew.

Target and Design

photo courtesy of target.com

I am loving the design that Target is bringing to the mainstream. Fabulous. I just brought home a few of these moth mugs. while i normally dislike bugs, i feel straight over when i saw this mug. after taking it for a trial run with my morning coffee, it gets the double thumbs up - right size, nice curved lip to avoid drips.

photo courtesy of target.com

 great notebooks for capturing thoughts. i can't remember if they are lined or not.

photo courtesy of target.com

photo courtesy of target.com

these are shots from the look book of Tucker, designed by Gaby Basor. I am really tempted by a few of these items. this floral print comes in a blouse (the dress is a pretty big statement!) this is a great, neutral blouse with a unique style. it reminds me of an artist's smock. n'est-ce pas?

photo courtesy of target.com

great floral dress. although i am on a black clothing diet - well fast, actually - i think the flowers make this an exception. would look better with tights. i tried on the complete line and it all fit really well. the fabrics are 100 percent polyester, but they have good body and a nice hand. not bad for machine washable. amen.

i'm keeping an eye on things to see who is next at Target. it really helps to get there on they day they release it to have the widest selection. also, even if you have to drive a bit further, you want to hit a super Target - our home store doesn't carry all the items. 

i'd love to hear from you. what have you bought at Target lately that you love?

what's doing here:
this summer, the grass has really taken a beating. i thought of it too late to fertilize in the spring, so i had to wait. now i am putting a lawn plan in place to rehab the front lawn. first i need to thatch which will require a special rake. then i will aerate with a rental machine. probably 2 hours for $40. finally, i will overseed and fertilize. while i don't like having such a large lawn, right now it is more budget friendly to work with it than replace it with xeriscape. goal is to get it done this weekend, but that is a bit ambitious. there is also a studio tour in nearby Longmont that would be much more fun.

it's a busy week on the health front. I always put these appointments in september so it's easy to remember. teeth, doc, eyes, mammo, all scheduled!

seal joy

creating some bead joy

watch trio bracelets (c) dana rgoers photography

i can always find some joy in beads.     always.

the colors, the textures, the quiet time spent stringing and combining make for certain joy.

a new spool of .5 mm elastic i use to string bracelets arrived just in time. i like to keep a stash of these around at all times and i needed a set to go with my birthday swatch.

i love them because:

• one size fits all, even on "fat" days
• its fun to name them
• they are easy to make
• they can be combined to "go" with any outfit or mood
• and finally, they make great gifts

whenever i receive a compliment on a bracelet, off it comes and into the hands of its new owner. and that creates more joy.

pebbles (as in the flintstones) (c) dana rogers photography

sparkly girl (c) dana rogers photography

modern pearl (c) dana rogers photography

what is your "sure thing" for making joy?