A Peek in the Cupboard

Last week, I warned you that instead of sweeping up the contents of my week and sorting through the dustbin for blog ideas, I might just clean out the refrigerator and serve leftovers, but Old Mrs. Hubbard’s cupboard is bare. Okay, maybe not exactly bare, but not exactly organized either. By Old Mrs. Hubbard, I mean me, and I got nothin’. My well is empty (chalk it up to exhaustion).

So, I’ve got no story to tell as we leave for Sacramento early Wednesday morning for our last show of 2010 or Z0L0 as we’ve been calling it. We still have at least one more Eugene Saturday Market to do for our October point and a riverside studio sale in Roseburg later in the month and of course, the Holiday Market, but that’s of future concern.

Right now, there are clothes to be packed, pendants to be finished and a scruzillion little details that require attending, so this week’s blog shall be brief.

Combing through the photos, I selected a few that amuse me, probably why we took them in the first place. I’ll give you a quick tour and then turn you loose to view and make your own interpretations.

This past weekend we participated in the Corvallis Fall Festival, home to the Oregon State Beavers. Here is a humorous necklace we made and sold in the first couple hours of the show. I knew there’d be an arty fun Beaver fan who would appreciate the intent as well as the content, and sure enough, a creative soul tried it on and didn’t take it off.

Here’s a pile of treasure we discovered, bits and pieces we’re turning into wearable art.

One of them is an Amelia Earhart necklace titled Traveling by Starlight, which two little girls were playing with on Sunday afternoon.

Another little girl came into our booth a few weeks ago and while her mother was shopping peeked around the counter. Upon seeing my wine colored John Fluevog shoes, she scooped them up into her arms and gave them a hug. I didn’t have the camera in my hand when she did that, but grabbed it immediately and snapped her holding them. It feels like I’ve already shared this with you, if so, consider it a leftover.

Speaking of wine, there are a few people out there who will know why this particular bottle was a delight to receive as a gift.

And I’m glad to know about the healing power of wine… “use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses,” 1Tim 5:23. Cheers St. Paul!

It’s my father’s birthday this week and as a train lover, thought I’d post this one in honor of him. Happy Birthday dad.

This butterfly necklace is one of my favorites. While I’m glad we design one of a kind pieces, I sometimes wish we could replicate.

Groom took this photo of a person taking a picture of a butterfly with their cell phone.

Still enamored with our new cell phone, here’s one I took of a coffee date the other day with friends.

Speaking of which, take a gander at the older dude texting on his. To view the details and see it better, simply click on that (or any other) photo and then hit the back button to return to the blog. Do you notice how the younger folks are actually waiting for their boat ride in Grants Pass by hanging out while he’s separated himself from the herd and playing with his phone?

Always a romantic, I’m reassured to know there’s a special Prenup guide for lovers.

I opened a jar of liver of sulfur (a patina for metal) while working in the studio the other day and was tickled to see this smiley face peering back at me. Ah, I’m a sucker for sweet.

Yeah, I’m not sure what was going on with these two cone-head dogs in a parked car. Are they cute? A little scary?

The last two pictures involve parking meters in downtown Eugene. What, pray tell, is oozing from the coin slot? How did it get in there and why is it coming back out? Did it drink too much, ingest something that made it sick, or was it simply embarrassed by having to wear a pole cozy?

Alright, I told you I was keeping this brief, so I’ll bid you adios and happy trails.

Tastes Like Chicken

Last week, after a friend’s goat stepped on my head (I have video proof!), I wasn’t too sure about goats…but after this week’s adventure, I can honestly say I like goat. Especially with curry!

We discovered this by traveling to Bill Gatesland, home of the Sea Hawks, the Huskies, Seattle Grace and Dr. Frasier Crane.

Spontaneously boarding an articulated bus (note, if you want some extra fun, try sitting in the bellow seats, they’re super bouncy), Groom and I rode the public transport to the Fremont neighborhood where we sauntered past an Indian Restaurant. Our stomachs growled us into submission (was that yours or mine?), so we stopped to read the large menu board posted near the sidewalk. We both saw it at once.

We looked at each other. “Dare we?”

We dared and it was delicious! Goat meat is not gamey like I’d feared. It’s less fatty than lamb, so it was a perfect combination of texture and flavor. Lip smackety good.

Groom and I are such nerds. Our definition of fun is going to the Planetarium at OMSI in Portland on the way up, having sushi lunch with Bee Bugg, almost getting kicked out of Whole Foods in the Pearl District (they thought Frida was a food spy! Hee-larious), and viewing a Coffee Exhibition at the Burke Museum.

We attended John Fluevog’s birthday celebration on Friday the 15th and each got a pair of shoes. Whoo hoo, mine are bright orange. On Saturday, we hung out with the highest-ranking non-fiction writer on Amazon.com (you can look that up if you want to see who it is) and together were shanghaied into a conversation by complete strangers about the Northwest disappearing into the sea within the next 18 months. Yeah, that was fun.

The other fun thing was the U-District Street fair. The weather in Seattle was positively gorgeous, a miracle in and of itself, but sales were down from last year. Sigh, I know. Want to know by how much? One dollar. I’m not kidding, so I’m doing a little jig.

You’ve heard the phrase, “April showers bring May flowers,” well, here’s another springtime observation. When the sun finally comes out after a long spate of rain, so do the people and who doesn’t love the first of the summer B.O.?

Parades of humanity flowed past our booth, the unwashed masses in their blinding white skin suits, several of them offering their bodies for cash. One guy held a hand written sign advertising you could punch him in the stomach for five bucks while other bright individuals were letting folks staple crisp green Lincolns to their foreheads with a staple gun. Ka thunk, ka ching!

Which might explain why I had a dream that Jane Seymour (the actress, not one of King Henry’s the VIII’s harem) was Miley Cyrus’ mother. I do not know what a Hannah Montana is, but I’m pretty sure Jane S. and Billy Ray did not make it.

But I did catch that episode of My Name is Earl, where Joy, who is White-Trash American, falls in love with Ms. Seymour’s open heart necklace sold by Kay Jewelers and just had to have one.

Every day is a learning opportunity and I learned something new just today. People skills.

Or the opposite of people skills. A woman came into the booth wearing a Jane Seymour open heart necklace sold by Kay Jewelers and recognizing the design, I asked her, “Is that a Jane Seymour open heart necklace sold by Kay Jewelers?

The woman smiled and nodded, her hand instinctively touching the pendant hanging around her neck suspended from a chain, pleased that I had noticed. People skills.

Hey, I saw that episode of Earl,” I told the customer. “Joy sure wanted that necklace bad.”

Oopsey, she was not flattered.

But I was when a very handsome man in a sharp suit gave Groom the full body sweep with his eyes. “Oh my goodness, did you see that?” I squealed, “He was soooo checking you out!”

“He was not,” Groom deferred. (Pause...)“But if he was, did he like what he saw?”

“Ho baby, you got the Dude glance.”

There’s no phobia taking place here, just a milestone. Over the last ten months, Groom has lost 60 pounds and can fit into something other than Diego Rivera’s overalls. With his designer zapatos and form-fitting togs, he finally got the urban seal of approval from a well-dressed fancy man in downtown Seattle. I think my husband is becoming a Metro-sexual.

It’s been fun to watch people’s reactions to him, especially those who haven’t seen him in a while. As the Art Fair season has just begun, we’re at the starting point of visiting our annual destinations and the difference is quite evident.

A woman gasped when she saw him and boldly ordered him to lift up his coat (to his T-shirt) so she could “see his belly.” She gave it a love smack with her hand and after making certain the weight loss was intentional, congratulated him.

We ran into an artist who had also lost a significant amount of weight and while oohing and aahing over her, she confessed Groom had inspired her into it. You go girl!

At the Burke Exhibition, we learned that goats discovered coffee. Shepherds, while watching their flocks by night, noticed how the herd caught a buzz after eating the red berries from a flowering plant that smelled like gardenias.

I’m a little sleepy, so I think I’ll grab a freshly brewed cup of that red berry juice.

“Tossed salad and scrambled eggs, they’re calling again, good night Seattle…”