We started looking for a house in California before our Mass house was even on the market. We though it was going to be similar to when we moved to Boston from Virginia, fairly easy, and wrapped up long before we even finish packing our last box…

It was not… “Available now” and/or “no dogs” seemed to be the name of the game. We knew the perfect place would be ready when we needed it, we just had to be patient, and it was… It was the first place we looked at when we got to California, that happens to us a lot.

When we started looking back in late winter-ish, I had a checklist of all the things I wanted in a home: window above the kitchen sink, gas stove, big enough for a king sized bed, room for a little garden (even a few containers), lots of windows, good wall space for art, walking or biking distance to J’s school, DOG FRIENDLY… The more we looked the more uneasy I got, I started to cross things off my list… In the end, I just wanted a place that would take Wynn. I don’t need a bathtub, (or even a shower, we can just spray each other down with a hose) just allow my dog, and cost less than 2000…

We stayed positive, we knew the decision to move was the right one, so all the other pieces would fall into place, that’s how it works…

I am a very “things happen for a reason” and “it will all work out the way it’s supposed to” person. I trust in the universe (as I like to call it) and God (as my mom likes to call it) actually we just named it the Universal God when we talk to each other; I’m pretty sure they are the same thing. Anyway, I trusted we were headed down the our chosen path, but, I never expected this: I get a little freaked out by just how perfect things are working out; “freaked’ may be the wrong word, but I can’t find the right word.

It started with the house: everything that was on my original list of wants, was in the house… and it seemed to be waiting for just us. The ad was a bit deceiving, and the one picture (a crappy one) was of the front of the commercial space attached to our apartment. I don’t think anyone bothered to look at it. I wouldn’t have, my husband was the one pushing it…

So, here it is…

The table will go outside when we come across the perfect second-hand table to replace it.

Haven’t found a couch yet, the original plan was to go “Japanese style” but, that is not going so well… I guess the Japanese don’t like to lounge…

The sliding door leads out to a little patio, that leads out to the “backyard”. The door that leads from the patio out to the “backyard” (you will see why backyard is in quotes) has a little Wynn sized hole cut in it so I don’t have to unlock it every time she needs to go to the bathroom. The house even has things I never even knew I wanted.

Love the tile! And the shower/tub has a frosted window, so even the bathroom is nice and bright. Kari, remember the shower in Seattle? From then on, I wanted a window in my shower. That was on my list of wants, but at the very bottom, because how is that ever gonna happen…?

Big enough for a king sized bed! And then some… Bed frame is out there with the dining room table and couch. Floor is fine for now, Wynn loves being able to jump on there without help. The closet is huge! it holds all our clothes, shoes and Christmas stuff, and it’s wide enough to hang hangers! I wouldn’t have thought that was an issue before I living in Boston.

The back yard: holy shit… It resembles the rougher parts of Camden, NJ, but it’s space, and it will be beautiful someday… Enough room for me to garden and J to have an outside dojo of his very own. It’s also completely fenced in for Wynn. The sun position for gardening is perfect; all the wood I need to build beds is already back there (once I get the landlords to ok that I can use it).

I already planted a few things in containers: peas, cilantro, thyme, basil… I needed to, I was going nuts!

I will write more about the neighborhood soon, the neighborhood that is just as perfect as the house. Right now I have to finish this so we can walk a block to a bad-ass street fair that is going on… like I said, perfect.

Happy Sunday Funday!!

 

Greetings from California…  Albany, to be exact, our new home for the next four (plus?) years.

First thoughts: love the neighborhood, love our little apartment, love the laid back, friendly vibe that seems to settle all around here, love that gardening seems to be the norm,  love the new spot for my disco ball that sends little beams of light all over the apartment everyday between 2:30 and 6-ish…

I have a serious back-log of images, I’ve decided to split them into three blogs; writing posts that span too much time, make me feel scattered. And, I know I’ve said this before, but one of the things I am going to try to be better at with this new life, regular posts. It helps me stay grounded and up-to-date. My hope is, now that J has a regular schedule, I will too, easier to fall into a rhythm with all aspects of our life… One more thing I love: our regular schedule (it may vary a bit, but compared to the last seven years, it’ll feel like “9 to 5”) we have a grocery shopping day, and a laundry day, and they are mostly always (so far) on the same day (but, not as each other)… I’m so happy!

Back to June…

This summer just flew by… life is flying by. I loved being near my family for an extended period of time, it made me a little sad though. I was happy to be around, but I still wish I could do more for them… help them more, love them more, have more patience. I felt more helpless sitting in the same room, than I did living 2000 miles away. I don’t know if I thought I’d be in Montana for two months and magically “fix” everything needed, but I left feeling a bit worthless.

This stuff… I used to walk on it when I was little, I loved the sound it made; It was like walking on glass (which I have done). Never a day goes by when I haven’t wondered how I lived to adulthood.

Pancakes and sausage in a Cook Car during Pioneer Days… brings me back to my childhood. When I was little I used to wash dishes out back of the Cook Cars, dressed as a prairie girl, bonnet and all… My sisters and cousins dressed in said prairie garb (pre-me). I loved this time of year, it was magical.

I used to hang out here a lot, my gramps was the blacksmith… I will never forget the smell.

Off to North Dakota to spend time with my bestie… She’s a good shit. I find great comfort in my 25+ year relationships, I never feel misunderstood, a feeling I seem to have a lot.

Yup, we all knew that was gonna be a mistake, but if he wouldn’t have ordered it, I would have…

We drove from ND back to Montana for King’s 20 year class reunion. We decided 20 years ago that I’d be her date. Twas glorious running into people I used to be young  with. I spent much more time with her class than I did my own, I looked at it as my reunion, I won’t go to mine… meh.

I love Dawnie Darling! She has always been such a cool lady… She let us stay in her camper the night of the reunion, we knew we would be too drunk to drive out to Luther… We are such adults now.

King and I in front of our old high school work place… It still remains both our favorite job.

Dawn’s house, our welcome beacon. If only we didn’t have to wake her up in the middle of the night because we were too uncoordinated/drunk to open the camper door…

I worked on the Fourth with this crew, Conrad and Deb’s final year of running the stand at the rodeo. Sigh… Alanna will just have to find another occasion for her yearly Sunkist…

I always feel summer goes downhill after the Fourth, plenty of hot weather and activities still going on, however, it just feels different from then on…

Now, I live in California, will the Fourth “feel” the same? Will I “feel” the seasons change, probably not in the way I’m hoping, but I’m looking forward to new feelings…

I’ll see you real soon, Loves… I’m going to try to post pictures of our apartment tonight or tomorrow, and then the other two posts…

Love and miss you all…

 

 

Greetings from Montana… and Wyoming, and North Dakota.

Our life, it is a changing…

We finally got our house on the market mid April… I was beginning to think it was never going to happen, but it did.

Here is the link to our listing, just in case you wanna see it.

Living in a house that was for sale was not something I was looking forward to, who would? But, we had several offers the day after it went on the market, we got off easy… I got off easy, my poor husband had to stay and deal with the specifics, while I went off to Montana to garden and play with my friends and family, for three months.

My last garden club meeting…  I’ve already been looking up new clubs in Berkeley.

I needed to get rid of the majority of my house plants, where else better than a room full of plant lovers…

I know you can’t see this very well, it’s a shopping cart welded on top of a car…

Luckily we had the chance to pop down to Jersey to visit J’s family before I headed out.

Flea marketing, and afternoon walks are always on the schedule.

Ahhh, such a good Nana…

I had my first ever garage sale (and last). It was a necessary evil, we needed to get rid of almost everything we owned…

I could never have done it without Andee and Becca’s help, and I don’t say that to be nice, I would literally not have made it through, I would still be lying in my driveway sobbing.

We have planned our move very carefully, very adult-like. Our once huge and overwhelming nut is down to a small streamlined one. Our debt is paid down. Our belongings are down to the irreplaceable, and can fit in two cars. J has talked about going back to school for as long as I’ve known him, it’s finally happening this fall. I’m even more happy that his job, that we have both grown to despise, will be a thing of the past in 10 short days. I’m so proud of him, instead of just quitting and relying on loans to go back to school, he used this job as a stepping stone that will leave us in a far better place when he’s done. Mom and Dad C, you raised a badass…

FYI: it takes four college graduates well over 30 minutes to figure out the perfect order for seven layer dip…

Our last hurrah at the house…

Why I ever decided to do it on the same day as our garage sale, I will never know. I think it may have been the only day, it still seems crazy. When you have good friends, no one cares that your house is full of boxes and chaos.

I find bank statements to be a perfect fire starter…

HA! Count Jerry…

I have no idea what Andee is holding…

Best photo bomb ever!

I was only going do a one day garage sale, I really had no idea how much stuff we had until it was all in the driveway, I about had a panic attack. How does it get to that point? Who could possibly need that much stuff?

My very entertaining husband joined me for day two…

J and I went to a class on medicinal herbs, I figured it was time for him to start switching gears… And they had tiny pencils, which are among my most favorite things.

Three years and a month worth of change…

First batch of Sangria of the summer…

We headed to New Hampshire to stay with some of our favorite peeps, Mike and Kristy (J’s cousin and his lady). We got to try out our new tent/hammocks… I’m so so ready for some real camping this summer, like not in a campground.

Bittersweet seems to be the theme for this move.

We are both beyond ready to get to CA, but it broke our hearts to leave Boston, and all our friends.

Happy late Mother’s Day to all the above average mothers in our life…

Simplify is the other theme for the move… and our life for that matter.

I like simple.

I had a very hard time getting rid of my “stuff”,  the majority just wasn’t necessary, but I still had an attachment to it.

My mom said to take a picture, throw it away, and move on… so thats what I did. Now mother, you need to take your own advice.

This is my first camera… it doesn’t work because I dropped it in the creek. It’s gone… along with my baby blankets that lived in a box. I have no guilt about the stuff I tossed, amazing enough.

We already decided to sell the house and get rid of our stuff before J got his acceptance letter. Sometimes you just have to go for it.

I knew he would get in (how could they not want him, he’s amazing) but until you have that piece of paper in your hand…

And of course, he got in…

I got a job as a receptionist in a salon to live out the rest of our time in Boston, Dan restored my faith in bosses.

Sushi hardly seems adequate for all he did…

His fortune cookie…

Sign on the way out to Andee and Rudy’s… My 15 year old self would have stolen it.

Dinner with friends to welcome Casey Jane to Boston…

She only wanted to see the ocean and Salem, so that’s what we did.

Tiny door, tiny person… big head, thankfully it’s not that big in real life.

I hated to leave my garden… just when it was really getting going.

My favorite house in Lynn…

Goodbye house…

This freaking guy… we were blessed with his obnoxiousness for about 75 miles.

I look like Voldemort.

Casey sniffed out a rock shop, she has skills.

My family was kind enough to let me take over their gardens while I was home…

J’s sister and brother-in-law live in the same town in Wy as my sister and her family… Lucky me!

Hi bee…!

Gardening surrounded by puppies, life does not get much better…

I love gardening with my mom.

My talented niece…

I lived in Mass for five years, I still like Bridge Creek’s (in Red Lodge, MT) chowder the best.

Happy seventh birthday to my favorite companion…

My grandma Natalie’s irises… Maybe when I live somewhere longer than 20 minutes, I’ll get some for my yard.

I went to beauty school (and worked my first hairdressing job) with Mandee, we kinda lost touch a couple years ago. I found her again at my niece’s dance recital, her son is actually dating my niece.

Another garden project… I will post a finished picture next blog, it turned out so great.

Bug hotel…

In two days these cute kids will celebrate their 50th anniversary… Kudos! mom and dad.

Can’t wait for the party…

Friend time with one of my longest running friends. One of the best things about this trip is being able to spent more than a day with all the important people in my life.

My parents neighbor has a beautiful garden, he lets me come out and play.

Movie date with my favorite lady…

WOW! Finally…. With a post this long, I find proofreading more than once to be exhausting, you get what you get, sorry mom.

Next time we meet, we’ll be living in California (fingers crossed it will be in an apartment, not a hotel).

To all my Boston loves…

Hi Loves! It’s been awhile…

I think we chatted just after Christmas…

If you’re thinking because it’s been awhile, this will be a fabulous blog, and I’ll have tons of great pictures, you are wrong. In reality, it was a looooong winter… I took very few pictures. It really wasn’t that long of a winter, it just felt that way.

Long ago Christmas date in New Hampshire…

New Years Day with friends… and Pants (the cat).

My husband knows what I like…

I have been trying to perfect sourdough bread, real sourdough, made with homemade starter and all… First try: tasted fantastic, very dense. I read a bunch of tips online, so my second time I was expecting perfection, no go, dense again… Third, the same…. Fourth time, I realized that the gods don’t want me to make bread. I have decided to wait until I move closer to San Francisco (where sourdough is happiest) that is the final piece…

Every once in a while J and I feel the need to watch sports, it usually has more to do with where we are watching the game, and what kind of food they serve.

It seems like forever since we’ve been to the beach… I miss it. Another product of this winter…

I didn’t really photograph the snow that much, the novelty of it all wore off quick.

Birthday dinner out with Michelle and Dante. Oysters and bowling… Happy Birthday to me!

Crap-ton of snow doesn’t stop the Wags’ from throwing an outside Super Bowl party…

Locals take their sports very serious…

Happy Day of Love… two months late.

Our house was supposed to go on the market March 1… Then it snowed six feet, so we postponed it. Then the snow and ice did a number on our roof and gutters so we decided to replace them, and we postponed again… Now that the snow is over, the rain has started, putting a roof on in the rain is no biggie… It has been frustrating to say the least, it is taking so much longer than we wanted.

I’m kind of a control freak, having too much out of my control, makes me crazy. I am there.

It will all work out in the end, I trust that.

J removing ice damns (no that isn’t spelled wrong).

We went to the symphony!!! It was soooo amazing, I had an absolute blast!

Friend time up north… It’s starting to make me very sad that my east coast friend visits are numbered. I am beyond excited to move, but I have made some really good friends out here that I don’t want leave.

Well Loves, our time is over, as exciting as its been…

Next time we meet: our house will be officially on the market (hopefully sold), I will be heading to Montana for two months, and the thing I’m most excited about… J will be so much closer to being done with his job (that I hate almost as much as he does).

It’s going to be a great summer!

Love to you all!

 

I’m in a mood… I must have called 30 things assholes by 9am: our fried eggs, my sourdough starter (with a capitol A), the wind, the sun (yesterday it was the lack of sun), the moon, my guts…

My dog is in a mood also, she follows my mood, poor thing… Inside, outside, front porch, I want to go for a walk; there is too much salt on the road, I want to go home… I want on your lap, why is that fricking computer there??

I’ve actually been doing better, the bad days are few and far between (my husband may disagree with me). I’m not unhappy, I’m just not vibrating at a higher level, like I’ve grown accustomed.

Have I said all this before? I feel I’ve said this before…

My moods happen to land on blog days, makes me seem like a real cow.

I make this promise: my next blog will be written when I’m as happy as a clam (are clams really happy, or do they just put on a good show), bad comparison… I will write when I’m happy, period.

Right now there is a rainbow on my keyboard, that makes me smile… Like the universe is saying, “Stop being such a turd, life is beautiful, and simple, just the way you like it.”

Enough of my ramblings…

We didn’t put our tree up the year (gasp). We are going through a major downsize, I am so tired of stuff, and cleaning that stuff. Our tree is too big for this house, and because I leave it up for like three months, it’s dusty.

I really love whats on the tree: lights, garland, ornaments… So, I just hung that stuff and skipped the tree. The lights I leave up year round because I can’t handle my living space without that warm glow. The garland is hanging everywhere, and the ornaments I strung on ribbon and hung in the windows, or put in pretty bowls. Didn’t miss the tree a bit! Its like eating all the good stuff on a pizza and throwing away the crust…

We may get a tree next year, a tiny tree to go in our tiny future apartment.

My bestest girl Andee is in a choir that performs a concert at Christmas time. Last year we missed it because of a storm. This year we made it, it was delightful!  And, there was a bell choir!!!  Bell choirs are one of my most favorite things, I’ve never actually seen one in person, until this year.

Last year we decided to have a party on the Winter Solstice, it was so much fun we made it a thing…

This year, brunch and bowling… Beautiful!

Letter to Santa…

Mike getting his bowling face on… I’m glad I wasn’t the only one with their own ball and shoes.

Chill baby…

Kristy, here’s your proof…

“White Trash Christmas Parade” as my neighbor calls it. I love this parade and the part it played in our Christmas tradition while here… I myself am a little bit white trash.

2015 is underway… I love the path.

I look back on previous posts from time to time… I like hearing what past me has to say, sometimes its gibberish, sometimes she makes me think, again.

This year I don’t have goals for the year, I have goals for the next four months… Get the house ready to put on the market by April. Downsize our belongings to fit in a 5×8 trailer, and move those belongings cross country to California, in May. Sounds simple enough… So much is still up in the air, the biggies are figured out though.

As for me… It’s all about the art. By April I will have my new website up. I will finally be focusing on  alternative processes.

I like the old, I thrive in the old. The new leaves me feeling panicky and behind. I will never be in league with those who feel about the new, the way I feel about the old. The way old photographs and processes make me feel when I look at them, makes it clear, I belong there…  I used to think being successful in photography meant making money, or the number of Facebook likes; weird, that is not the way I think, but there I was. Portraiture is a struggle for me; I feel if you truly love something with all your heart, it’s never a struggle, hard work yes, but not a struggle. I should not be out there with those who breath portraiture, I will never measure up, and that is ok. That is them, I am me.

I almost cried the first time I held a glass negative in my hand, it was the most beautiful, simple, complex, thing I’d ever seen.

I took an alternative process class in college (twice) I loved it so much the first time, I took it again. It was like two weeks of feeling like a kid a Christmas. Every time I opened a new box of negatives, my heart would stop. I love that feeling, I want it back.

I am going to hold myself accountable… By the next post, I will have a shiny new Cyanotype or Vandyke to show you.

Happy Bird Day, Loves… Amazingly, I did not know it was Bird Day when I named this post. What does one do to celebrate Bird Day…?

So, our journey begins the day after Halloween…

We drove to the Cape in the pouring rain…

I still got chowder and a bloody mary, and there wasn’t any traffic, that is a win.

Ground cherry jam. If you like jam, you’d like this. It is unique.

I loosely followed this recipe. I also added cinnamon, and vanilla, and used part honey, part maple syrup. I added hot peppers to a couple…

I’m in love with the color, so early fall.

First snow…

I still think of Josh O’shea, every first snow day… For years we’d go out to celebrate, in a rather large way, the first snow of the year.

My in-law’s neighborhood is my new favorite place, early November.

Can you spot the Liberty Bell??

We got there, saw the line, said F that, and went on our way…

The line is in the front, the bell is around back, but it’s in front of a big window.

I did see it, that’s enough for me, I’m simple.

Independence Hall…

Bloody’s and grilled cheese, best lunch!

Ha! Anthony…

I never got a cheesesteak, that made me sad, like this blob of putty.

Murder capitol of the country… sweet.

The Columbus flea market, my favorite…

You wan my chicken say “cheese”!?

(Don’t worry, that wasn’t suppose to make sense.)

Pure class…

Huge, HUGE Thank You! to our Thanksgiving Day hosts… The food was fantastic, and so was the company.

The End.

Happy International Mountain Day, Loves!

I’m not feeling all that talkative, the pictures will just have to do.

This only happened once, for about two minutes, by the next day the sun’s position had shifted just enough.

Whole lotta love in that frame.

More raspberries… everyday, more raspberries. Not that I’m complaining.

On to our anniversary weekend! It was fantastic, just like my groom.

Fish and chips – a good way to start.

We decided on Portland (Maine) to celebrate #4.

View from the top of our hotel…

I’ll say it again… I’m a lucky girl.

Ahhh, so thoughtful of them.

The Westin in Portland actually makes corned beef hash that doesn’t look like cat food. Kudos to them!

Hi!

If you have never had poutine, you NEED to at some point in your life. Fries cooked in duck fat, topped with cheese curds and gravy.

The way to my heart is through gravy… Happy anniversary to me!

Instead of staying in Maine the whole weekend, we came back to town to celebrate The Wagner’s tomato harvest.

Friends are always worth a change in plans.

Lola came for a nice long visit while her mom was out West…

Lola digging her bed…

Pretty girl…

Apple picking with the sisters… Uneventful, I think not.

While we were picking apples, the bouncy house took flight… with children in it.  We then sat for a good long time because there were six cop cars, two ambulance and a fire truck blocking our car.

Thank you Hot Fireman for giving us something to look at…

Love my girl… Intenso, that’s her

Fall garden…

I heart fresh garden carrots…

Frank, the Halloween cat.

Mushrooms grow like crazy in my yard. I need a mushroom book…

Beach morning with Michelle, Dante and Lola…

Happy Birthday Andee! Thanks for the cake.

Autumn walk in the woods with my two favorites…

Happy Stress Awareness Day, Loves! I am aware of stress, how about you?

I miss and love all of you!

When I started this post, there were literally only a few hours left of summer. It is now the first day of autumn. I need to burn a candle. I decorated for fall last week, seemed early but didn’t feel early. Still not ready for Hocus Pocus or Practical Magic.

August was a blur, so was most of September for that matter. I feel like I now have my head above water, “my list” is  shrinking by the day. It is such a good feeling…

I was going to name this post, F You Aphids… All six of my beautiful brussels are covered with the little bastards.  How do you compete with something that sticks to the leaf, reproduces asexually and has a million babies…?

Other than that, things are good.

Wags, Mrs. Wags, Becca and Bove.

(My mother likes to know who’s in pictures…)

Pants and Frank.

Care package for some of my favorites…

I made concord grape jam! It was fantastic, it made me want to make sourdough bread. I sent the only jar to my pops. (Of course before I took a picture.)

The people who get my house are going to love it…. The grape vine will most likely collapse the garage in another five years, they will be able to make kickass jam until then.

I love pattypan squash, I will grow them always.

How did I ever not love onions…? Since the ones I grew this year are mostly the size of golf balls, I have been throwing them into whatever onion-loving dish whole. Pure heaven after two hours in a dutch oven.

I have made a root cellar out of a rubbermaid tote and four bags of sand.

Thank goodness, that’s a shit-ton of beets.

I learned this year that watermelon plants can not dry out, if they do, the flowers dry up and NEVER come back.

I got these two beauties though.

My favorite Mr. turned 40 since last we chatted. I had every intention of writing a post for him that day, we did this instead.

Good birthday party group…

Kristy, Andee and Melissa

Rudy, Mike (J’s cousin) Kristy (Mike).

Matt (legs), Becca, Michelle, J, Dante (Michelle).

I get a handful of these gems every morning. They are big and perfect and remind me of the ones we used to pick off Marie’s bushes on the way to and from the swimming pool when we were kids.

Good times…

Ha! My carrots might be a bit more on the less fruitful side. I didn’t thin them like I should have. They still taste like heaven.

These are my favorite tomatoes. I will always grow them. I say that every year.

Ground cherries are a hit! I’m going to make jam as soon as they all have fallen. They’re still going strong.

My habaneros are the most beautiful color this year. They are a deep, deep orange, almost red.

We tried to view the northern lights… no go.  The moon was too bright and the clouds rolled in.

Looks like the old westerns that were filmed during the day with a dark filter.

I learned an important zen lesson during this picture.

I have mastered blanching kale… I would have left it up since its fine in the cold but those aphids were traveling over from the brussels.

Throw a metal colander in a canning pot, strain the water off after two minutes in a salad spinner and freeze. wa la

Happy first day of Autumn, Loves!!

It’s going to be a great fall… New beginnings are so refreshing.

 

 

Three blogs in less than two weeks, madness!

I wanted you to see what my garden looks like now, not a month ago…

Date night out, courtesy of my photo lab. Thanks WHCC!

Two raspberries (from our bush), for our two magnificent hosts.

I get about two a day… That’s good in my book.

This is the most beautiful pepper I have ever seen, and my first purple. I hated to eat it.

Ground cherries.

Beans.

 

Red and yellow beets.

Pattypan squash.

Cucumber.

Spaghetti Squash.

Watermelon.

Grapes.

Raspberry bush.

Pumpkin.

And the flower waiting room.

Tomatoes.

Magic beans.

We have been slowly trying to make the yard a little more uhhhh, pretty… It has looked like a work in progress for two years. Here’s a before (it looks like shit so I hope it’s before) I’ll post an “after” very soon…

A little garden gnome came over to help remove grass.

Mint… And the second red tomato from my garden!

Happy horseradish month, Loves!

I married into a great family! I have the best time with them…

Every other year we meet in Ocean City NJ for a week by the water.

Orange/Vanilla custard right off the bat! Of course…

Challenge accepted!

The other cloud rainbow…

Photo albums of family past…

What a good uncle…

And home again… Out to sushi with friends/dog sitters.