these days

making moves

i will be spending time over here if anybody wants to take a peek at what's happening on the farm.  brian has just invited me to contribute to the farm blog, and i have a sneaking suspicion it will be the source of much of my inspiration for a good long while.

y'all may not see many postings for the next little while, but know that i am thinking often and at length about this space and those of you who grace it with your presences.

heart

until we meet again, here's a little note for you...

where do i begin?

here?

the first babies have been planted.

(with humidity)

perhaps here?

the first beds have been prepared.

or maybe?

sunny days are on the way.

nah. 

let's stick to what's important:

the babies.

big day

wednesday was a big day on the farm.  brian and i laid and leveled 7 tons of gravel in the greenhouse, finished my work table, installed one very heavy old sink, and prepared seed trays for the tiny seeds to grow in.  wednesday also marked my first day with pipes and plumbing.  

this little, big life has been beyond, (and more fulfilling), than my wildest imaginings.  my decision to join forces with brian has already proven to be one of the best decisions i've made in my life.  i look as forward to what is coming, as i do to what is now.

portraits of new love

everyday my love grows.

farm days

this is the greenhouse we, (mostly brian), are building.  

paulina lake

brian and i spent the weekend at paulina lake, pictured in the background from the top of paulina peak.

meet brian

he's the bee's knees.

portraits of my space

indiana winter

is there anything better than family?

will durant, philosopher and historian, once wrote: "family is the nucleus of civilization."

this quote has traveled with me for most of my adult life, birthed on the wall of my first bedroom away from my parents' home. my ideas of home have changed in the decade since, but this adage has remained with me as a constant reminder of home, and the inextricable link between family and home.
during the last few years especially, my ideas of family have grown to encompass the given and the chosen, and have begun to blend seamlessly into one loving, enriching, challenging, and vital family.

so many of us are orphans in one way or another, often times far away from our given families.
this idea of the given and the chosen family becomes the foundation from which we launch ourselves into the world.
in western society, our concepts of family are too often limited to the nuclear. the extended family becomes ancillary, and loses its inherent value as a core part of each person's foundation.
we lose out on so much when we isolate ourselves from our family of aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, children, siblings, mentors, and friends.

this is the second year i've made new years resolutions, and the second year that i will state my desire to further strengthen the bond of my given and chosen family.
i hope keep with me all the lessons i've learned from my family, and i hope to one day be able to give even a fraction of the love i receive.

pictory

i just submitted my first picture and story to pictory, a new online photo magazine, and an offshoot of JPG magazine.
the theme is 'the one who got away'



when i met him, i knew we had been inextricably linked for lifetimes. our magnetism was a force beyond our control. he was my best friend, my lover, and my mirror. when i left, i did so because i let my light go out. and because he was my mirror, i could no longer see his light. each subsequent trial of the heart has been a reminder to me to keep my light shining bright, for if the light goes out, the magic melts away.

what inspires me today

andy paiko and ethan rose at museum of contemporary craft


brian ferry


carnelian ring by kenneth jay lane


arctic sea by erte


agathe mougin

oaxaca

hierva el agua


exposición corpus aeternum


mary in a gas mask


ubiquitous street art


el zocalo

los amantes

where i discovered my love for mezcal (thank you, ryan).

i am 31 now.

and this is what i have decided to do this year...

cultivate the enjoyment of moments. (be present)

don't be afraid to fall. (don't be afraid to fail)

breathe deeply. (slow down)

laugh loud. (show the world that i am a damn fine human being)

blush often. (humility)

help. (contribute to the greater good)

thank you friends and family for inspiring me to be a good person.

ramblings from a moleskin in mexico

'mexico is catharsis.
the humid and tropical climate has resurrected me.
my fragile skeleton has become a solid foundation once more.
my breath and my lifeblood is love
with the death of love i die.
here i have been reborn.
without knowing why... here i am home.' 28.10.09



'through the jungle
through the mountains of oaxaca
a sweaty and dirty second-class bus
from puerto escondido
via acapulco-- dirty dirty smoggy
ugly acapulco whose salvation
came in the form of pozole verde and waitress 'mi amor'
via zihuatanejo-- mexico of my heart.' 30.10.09



'oaxaca of my heart...' 06.11.09

part 2