Just a Little Local Beauty

I saw this kale at the Farmers' Market last week and couldn't pass it up.

It's a little high contrast, but I really wanted to get the fantastic purple colour.

It was also mighty delicious!

Knitting Away

I'm in a moment of deep avoidance.  Home alone, I should be taking advantage of another hour or two of quiet to get some work done.
     But I'm just not feeling it.
     So now I'm fantasizing about starting a new knitting project, a project just for me.  Knitting is a real source of pleasure for me, and it also makes a statement.  It states that I have (or will take) the time and inclination to be creative, that I can actually engage in something so (relatively) slow, that I have allowed myself to engage in a tactile world.  Maybe it's because I haven't been engaged in a project recently that I'm feeling out-of-sorts.  Or maybe it's because I have a ton of marking to do.  That could be it as well.

Shoe of the Week: These Boots...

Wonky photo, I know, but I was wearing them as I snapped them.  These are my non-brand specified (but made in Texas) cowboy boots that I picked up at the Value Village in Calgary.  Somehow all those details work together.

Grammar and Politics

On my drive down to DC this weekend (to see my parents), I saw a billboard along the Pennsylvania Turnpike that read "Repeal the Marxist Occupation of Washington."  This is just one more sign that conservative Republicans/Tea Party members (yes, tea baggers!) are ill-informed*.  You don't repeal an occupation.  You repeal the law that set up the school that educated you.

Really now.

*Please note - unfortunately ill-informed often leads to dangerous.

Amazing!

It's so amazing and wonderful that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has finally been released from house arrest.  Let's hope that this moment leads to many more moments that affirm our basic human rights and our right to speak out against injustice.

A Challenge for You

Here's your challenge:  show up.  Just show up for someone or something.  It might mean going to an event, communicating, or putting yourself out there in another way, but it could make a difference to someone. 

Don't assume that everyone else in the audience will clap while you just sit there.

Better Late than Never?

Ever feel like you're late to the party?  Yesterday I discovered Wardrobe Re*Fashion, a site where people pledge (you know how much I love pledges, promises, & challenges) to abstain from buying any new clothing for a set period of time (2, 4, or 6 months or for life (!)) and instead refashion/recraft/recycle existing items (or used items in general).  It sounded perfect for a girl like me who is on a deep budget and has often turned to retail therapy for help. (Imagine if I'd been able to go shopping yesterday - that post would never have happened!)

Of course, it's all over now.  The blogmistress has ended it, which makes me sad.  I wasn't quite ready to bite the bullet (it is coming up on holiday party season after all), but I have my finger on the trigger (just to continue the gun metaphor).  For example, yesterday I put a couple of darts in the jacket/top of my father's old fatigues and am planning on doing a little beading on it as well.  I'm also considering all the alterations I can make to an oversized cashmere sweater from Value Village (my low-cost shrink) now that I'm rocking my serger.

Nonetheless, the blog will stay up, and you can see all the craftiness that is out there.  Anyone know of similar sites that are still operational?  Maybe I can just be fashionably late this time.

Letting It Go

So, it was the birthday of my blog this weekend, which happens to coincide with my own birthday (as well as Florence's birthday - happy, happy to you!).  I had a number of moments when I was going to post something, but I let it go.  I let it go because my posts would've been pretty negative/depressing.  It was a trying weekend...well, week actually, and while it ultimately turned out well, it was not before I had some incredible lows.

In the end, I had a good time with friends on Saturday evening (I actually cancelled plans for earlier that day) as well as on Sunday; however, I think I'm glad my birthday is over.

Shoe of the Week: Green in More Ways Than One

A friend of mine has fallen in love with El Naturalista shoes, and I saw another pair outside the yoga studio (yes, I picked up someone's shoes to see the brand - what?).  These boots are very cool, the company seems to have some ethics behind them, plus they provide narratives about the trips that inspired each model.   Seems like a lot of bang for you buck.

Kitchen Update

1.  The sauerkraut hasn't quite behaved as planned.  There's a bit of mold maintenance, but I am not discouraged or dissuaded.  I'll put it in the fridge in the next couple of days.

2.  Made my first batch of fruitcake (yes, fruitcake) Wednesday night; expecting to make another fruitcake (a light one this time) this weekend.

3.  Got kefir grains from someone at the yoga studio and made a little batch.  Pretty soon I'm going to turn into a 'dirty hippy' if I'm not careful.

Shoe of the Week: The One That Started It All

Oft imitated, but truly an original.  This is the shoe that got me back to wearing high heels.  I saw it in Vogue, in 1994 or 1995, and I knew they were something special.  Fifteen years later, they still are.   What I love about this photo is that you can see just a hint of the sunset reflected in the toe of the shoes.  Need I say more?