memorial day

did you barbecue? we did. a last minute affair up at my dad's house (sans dad, actually, who has been in australia giving seminars - my brother was there caring for his plants), which made it feel like a real holiday, with the backyard and open pit grilling and larger kitchen. (no, my child is not standing in the fire.)



i even remembered to take out my camera for a few minutes, though i didn't wind up with any photos i liked all that well. even so, i bare my soul to share with you a bit of the evening, and my dad's hillside garden-in-progress.



if there were a way to include 'before' shots, you would be well impressed with the transformation. as is, appreciate the tons and tons of rock, and now picture them all with that lovely moss coating they will have in a few years.... and of course, the boy, who would never stand still, and is therefore somewhat soft around the edges in almost every frame i took of him. i'm very glad, in a non-photographic way.







perhaps i hear you say that i like overmuch the black and white. guilty as charged.

to buy a fat pig

the blogosphere is awash in posts stuffed to the hilt with vibrant rows of plump vegetables and value-added products. we too went to the farmer's market, and produce abounded. i took pictures of none of that; rather, we ate our Pine State biscuits and danced



Anatole made an instant friend



who drew him after her in a mesmerizing chase until he popped out of the bubble of my control altogether.



there were instantly too many people, and he was so much faster, and out of sight.



we found each other again, but not before he was in tears (fortunately, because his siren became an instant and solid locus point for his searching mama) and i was gripped by endless possibilities. and then we bought strawberries. but still tonight in poring through the pictures of the day i felt a petit frisson of that same fear and relief, so this market post is full of his vibrant self, not a veggie in sight.

moses supposes...

(by the way, i automatically love you if you get the title)





having a very under-motivated day here. i have a theory about solar-powered mojo (in the parlance of our times), and it's overcast today. but here are these, from our weekend and a boy who likes to wear 'just feet' and 'just head' in our newly-minted warm weather.

more mycelium, & dandies

the same mushroom group, a few days later...





and the very best dandelion in the yard (of thousands):

of fevers and fungi

the boy has had a fever and some sniffles. on thursday we stayed home together and sat on the couch, except for when we had to go outside to see what was growing.

one of the best

this lovely is one half of the dynamic duo that is Twisted. i'm not exaggerating when i say that i work for the best people, ever.



behind her you can see our incredible 'sock wall' -- these ladies love them some socks!

this boy is in sweaters

this one, by The Grandmother, just arrived. we love it. another one, by Omi, is awaiting another button before its official photoshoot. we love it, too. a third (!) is in the works, right now, by yours truly. just in time for the sun, three lovely handknit sweaters...fortunately, springtime is holding onto its cool for a while so they're getting a little wear, but it gives us something to look forward to at the end of the summer.



as long as were talking about post-processing, you can tell that i did a pretty quick-and-dirty job with these, they are all different and you can pretty well tell what i did. i'm okay with that, because they're not art shots. however, there used to be a bright blue recycling container in one of these photos that i just couldn't stand....creepy, the things you can do nowadays, non?