4 SKIRTS

I match the trees.

Somewhere in the World - Michigan, Upper Peninsula

Last summer we flew to Minneapolis to retrieve our daughters from a Japanese camp that they had been attending. We decided to take a side trip and drive to visit my brother and his family in Marquette, Michigan. My family and I were raised in the suburbs of Detroit and all migrated away from the Midwest, except my brother, Tim, who put down roots in the U.P. I had been there once before in about 1978 but had very little memory of the town of Marquette. I had never seen his house, except in photos. It is sad, but my family is large, we all wander a bit, and we don't really stick close (geographically) although we are all pretty close emotionally.

Anyway, It was great to go there and to spend time with them doing the kinds of things they do in their small Northern, Midwestern town. They had a garage full of old bikes and we all hopped on and rode all over the place. We hiked up a steep trail to this vista overlooking Lake Superior. The view was awesome and when I scanned in close, I saw this magical bit of lichen and star moss:

We rode bikes out onto Presque Isle (almost an island but connected by a small strip of land big enough for cars and bikes). After a hot bike ride, we were brave enough to jump into the chilly water of the greatest of the Great Lakes. It was glorious!

The town was also very well suited to community and culture. There were great shops, cafes, and parks. The library was world class, and the university had an amazing art gallery.

It was such a pleasure to spend time with my brother and his family. He and his wife and 2 daughters are all such easy-going, creative, health-concsious people. We got exercise, ate really healthfully, listened to them play their Irish music (they are all accomplished musicians), and had fun political discussions!

I wish the world weren't so big and we didn't have to be so far away from the ones we love, but at least we get to travel and see so many wonderful places. They visited us in Arizona and I hope they will come to see us in Sydney!

Life in a Southwestern Mountain Town #9 The Internet

Living in a small out of the way town requires many adjustments. When we first moved here, if I wanted organic veggies, I had to buy frozen. We try to shop locally, but many things just aren't available, and sometimes I just don't have the time to drive all over. I would prefer to walk or ride my bike all over, but the weather, hills, sprawl, and lack of bike lanes makes it pretty hard.

Also, there are fewer job opportunities, especially if you are raising a family and want flexibility.

So, I have to say, I am thankful for the internet. It connects me with the rest of the world, sometimes far away, and sometimes just on the other side of town. I can do research, shop, make and maintain social contacts, and even sell my work!

Because I sew and do textile design for my own small business, I live a somewhat solitary existence. But I know that there are loads of other people living somewhat parallel lives. Through blogging, Facebook, email, and Etsy, I have gotten to know many of them (without ever having actually met!) It makes me feel good to share experiences inspiration and ideas; support each other's work; and get a glimpse of the variety of lives around the world. It also makes me feel compassion, concern, and sadness when I hear of other people's struggles and suffering. Even though we aren't related by blood or proximity, we somehow are connected and we feel we know each other quite well in some way. It is a puzzle to me but it is true.

Maybe it is a normal phenomenon for young people who are raised with "social networking." For me, I am in a generation watching this science-fiction fantasy become real, watching but participating. I am not ready for alien take overs but I am not fearful of "the net." I know that it can give "creepers" (as my daughter would say) the chance to exploit the innocent. But I also know that, just like in the world at large, there are many many more good people.

The photos at the top are an example of a feature on Etsy called "treasury". Sellers make a mix of items that they think fit a theme or look great together. It is kind of like a display window where samples of items are featured and the overall effect is enticing. Sometimes friends, sometimes strangers, put me into these treasuries. I am always flattered and excited - like being invited to a party! It is also a great way to find new stores and beautiful things!

Thanks to Tiki and Sharon for putting me in these two lovelies!

Sunday - Funday! Puricute!

This is a website of cuteness and silliness! I haven't researched it thoroughly but I have played around on it with my daughters and we just copy our creations to our desktop rather than save them on the site. If you are into Japanese cuteness, check it out: Puricute.com. Click on "make a puricute pic."

You can see that my cat has not signed off on these pictures, as she would no doubt be humiliated. But she would like the idea of being queen!

Saturday Socializing - "The English Kitchen"

This is where I share a blog or website that I love. Today I want to tell you about a foodie blog that my daughter found when she was looking for a recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding. It is called "The English Kitchen". (click on the name to connect to her blog).

Like the author, Marie Rayner, says, she is "debunking the myth" that English food is tasteless and unhealthy. She has a great site with yummy recipes, fun commentary, and beautiful photos.

The photo at the top is from her site and features her Plum and Almond Crumble Cake!

We lived in London for a year and I never saw such variety of foods in grocery stores, markets, restaurants, dinner parties and television cooking shows. My favorite thing was the column by Nigel Slater in the Sunday paper. I knew I loved him when I got his cookbook called "Appetite"

and there was a photo of him wearing a dirty apron. A true cook, in my opinion, gets their apron dirty.

After mulling over this website, my daughter found this Sticky Toffee Cake (in the bottom 2 photos above). She made it and it was delicious. She also made the fish cobbler (which sounds bizarre but tasted like the perfect yummy comfort food for a cold spring night).

You need a kitchen scale or the ability to wing it because the recipes are written in grams etc. But it is worth trying because the food is genuinely the best of what you might see in a creative British kitchen or cafe. Scroll through the photos and the side bar to see past recipes. Enjoy the music while you do so!

Bon Apetit! (Where can I get my hands on some plums??)

Skirts on Friday: What Season Is It?

Just when the daffodils are nodding their pretty heads and i am thinking of new ways to freshen up my 4skirts, the sky gets dark and it starts hailing and snowing. I went out in a sweater yesterday as a form of resistance but I put my coat in the trunk of my car incase I got stranded in the white out! Most of it didn't stick but it is still cold and dreary and frustrating to all of us who have already had a long, cold winter.

I have an idea! or I had one and it worked!

My parents raised me to be thrifty, self-reliant, and creative when it came to problem-solving. Whether they meant to or not, this led to a sort of "eco" consciousness. Things like starting from scratch with whatever was on hand, re-using, and using till it's worn out were common messages that we got. My mom and dad seemed to be able to make or fix just about anything.

Nowadays, I don't seem to always have the courage or the necessity to tackle every problem, but I think most of their cleverness wore off on me, and I am usually pretty good at solving things when I decide to try. I painted bathroom, I knew to remove a broken lightbulb with modeling clay, I made roman blinds for our living room, and I knew to throw baking soda into the oven when dripping oil caught on fire. (yes, I did try to cook a whole egg in the microwave once causing it to explode - horrific smell and mess! - but that was an anomaly!

Anyway, I had the idea to get my showers/tubs super, super clean. We have not-so-nice fiberglass molded shower/tubs and the soap and mineral deposit build up can be a real pain to clean, so I rarely try to get it thoroughly spotless. We also have a ledge for the soap and it melts and runs down the shower wall leaving a thick trail of film.

I was feeling lazy and bought nasty, toxic "no scrub" spray. It did not work and it did give me a headache and stunk up my house. So, today I got my rubber gloves, a jar of white vinegar, and some Bon Ami. I wiped down everything with vinegar, rubbed it with the BonAmi, and rinsed. I had to apply a little "elbow grease" but it worked wonderfully and everything looks really clean and shiny!

I think the smell of the vinegar was actually invigorating! Happy Earth Day!