No pictures please

We are in mourning. Last Thursday we had to put our 14 year old lovable grumpy old man (cat) down. He has been battling cancer and it finally was just too much for him. He had lost a pound of weight in a month.

We had had him since he was a stray little kitten, he came home with us in a toy pet carrier! He was grumpy and hated people. Some more than others. But he protected us. If one of use was ill, he would lie with us. He made the rounds every night to make sure we were okay.

So, rest in peace, Pancake. I hope you are happy in the catnip bed. You will be loved for ever.

And then she has another idea.

And I have been pretty much beyond busy. Gardening, making my own cleaning supplies, working on being an herbalist (or a potions master, I haven't decided). For example, today I made a double batch of biscotti, finished a basil tincture, and a fever few one, made 5 gallons of laundry soap, 6 loads of laundry and then will be heading out to the farm to help a friend. And I still managed to blog and do three hours of homework.

But the big news is that I am planning on starting a line of gourmet biscotti. For mail order sales... I think. Perhaps a couple of local vegan restaurants. I need taste testers and a few months of experimenting. But after that, hopefully in time for Christmas, I shall be ready to launch. 

So, if you would like to be a taste tester, please let me know. I will be able to ship anywhere in the U.S. for the testing phase. (The actually details of world shipping I will need to look into.) 

So, yet again, another change and another adventure. This one will be yummy!

too long

So, this week has been just too long. Between work and class and getting out to the farm, I am just beat. I had wanted to spend time today in the studio finishing up some things that have been requested of me. But I think I just need to shut down my brain for a bit. Thankfully Netflix is now streaming all of the Star Treks, so my little brain can just go nerd out on the awesome that is the Trekking Universe.

Part of my struggle this week is that I am getting conflicting messaged from the universe at large. On the one hand I am being told that it is clearly time to move on from one project. The people involved in the project have slipped into some pretty backhanded behaviors and I just don't play games when it comes to getting the grownup stuff done. Particularly when I have requested what I need from others involved in this project. But... I can't actually move on from it until other things happen. And I am trying to make them happen. Trying to find the person to fill my shoes, trying to line up the resources that will be needed. At each turn, I feel I am being thwarted. And that is making it all feel so crazy. How do you help people that fight back?

Looking for the answers is tiring, but I am looking every day. I am up and out and doing the work that needs to be done. Thankfully I have a pretty intense support group. A group that has been very helpful about teaching me to ask for help when I need it, and then actually following through by helping me. Helping me by asking what I need and then doing that. Amazing.

I just need to trust that it will all work out the way it is supposed too. And that the people who are around me will do what they need to do. I have a pretty great group of readers, too, who will understand for the most part why the extra drama is just so silly to me. I am shooting for being on to post up lots of pictures in the next month or so of things I have been working on.

That and clearing out any more drama. 

New cards

Here are two great cards. Why are they great? They are easy and clean and they use scraps. Additionally, they are easily modifiable to any sort of event. I should really be in the studio making many more. Instead, I am watching stuff on Netflix and doing homework.

I have new pets!

And they are too cute.
Turns out these little girls will help keep pests down in the garden and make excellent compost. The little white one is a Batam Silkie and the larger orange one is an Araucana (we think). One will lay little pink eggs ( really like half size eggs) and the other will lay green eggs. No, I won't be eating either the chickens or the eggs. Mostly, we just really wanted chickens. 

Let me tell you that nothing beats chicken t.v. for entertainment. They are so fun to watch.

That is it: We are done

There will be no more grade school at this house!

I was going to post a longer post. But the more I wrote the more political it became and now is not the time for that.

Now is the time to look at my youngest being thrilled that she is done with grade school and is going to be getting very nervous about middle school!

the garden is in

Well mostly. And it is looking good. Vyapti made structures so we can play with vertical gardening. Right now we have beans, and zucchini, corn, and tomatoes, and lettuce. There will also be a new herb garden going in, in a couple of weeks. 

He told me we had over 1,000 starts. We will be giving away a bunch. But it is nice knowing we can do all that in our tiny space.

There is a bunch more to do, of course. It is just nice to be able to share a bit of it.