Very Goodly

I'm always inspired by the HULASEVENTY blog and I'm officially signing on for Andrea's color week challenge. She's so ding dangety good at projects and photographing..her world seems especially vibrant and filled with groovy fun found objects or murals and everything cool. It seems like a nice extra thing to add to my daily life.
So, the premise is- each day (mon-fri) is assigned a color and the objective you set out for yourself is to actively photograph that color. Preferably in interesting ways.
green-Monday
yellow-Tuesday
orange-Wednesday
red/pink-Thursday
blue-Friday
It's a great reason to observe the world around you more closely and celebrate the little things you come across each day. And a good reason to move about a bit. We all could use that.
But, the question is, should I jump in with both feet mid week? Or wait til Monday? eh- maybe both. I'm more of an 'and' type than an 'or'...

The Porkchop

My friend Wendy calls Archie, our cat, Porkchop. "Hiya Porkchop!" she says when she stops by. I have my own pet names for him, but it really suits him because of his meaty drumsticks. Being a bob tail, they are a bit more substantial than most cats. He's a good old gentleman.He's been struggling with a series of really horrid 'colds' lately. Three since Lukey died. The vet has had him on three courses of antibiotics but a little over a week passes once he is well and he gets the same thing again. I'm really stressed out. He gets good vitamins and stuff. I'm all for holistic treatments and boosting the immune system and I know antibiotics aren't a good idea for an extended period of time. But it's really difficult when his nose is blocked and he can't really breathe or smell. Anyone out there in webland have any similar stories? The vets tests have all come back 'negative' for any of the feline illnesses. I've used naturm muraticum 6c and goldensea. But even that has brought us no real improvement. Dedicated cat parents...have you any advice?

Fleurotica

I volunteered last Friday Night with Kristina at Fleurotica, the 100th Birthday Party Event for the Garfield Park Conservatory. It was a fashion show where all of the models wore clothing created out of flowers and plant material. It was pretty interesting to see the behind the scenes of a fashion show with models being made up, poked, prodded, designed upon, draped and decorated. I'm sure it's not much different at a show where the clothing is made out of...well, clothes. Haute Couture doesn't really look like the most comfortable of things to wear.
We were photographed a bunch of times, due to my Swamp Think shawl and Kris' forsythia boa. I crocheted a fuzzy green netlike scarf thingie and draped a fern garland from JoAnn fabrics in it. I'll have to get a better photo of it here at home, but go here to see us and others snapped by this Image website for nightlifey people.
www.imageworldwide.com ( I tried to make a link...I swear. But no luck.) Here are the photos I grabbed. I think credit goes to Dave Sheppard as the photog.

Didn't get many other shots. All of the good seats near the Runway were taken by ticket holders who shelled out the big bucks. We volunteers did get to see the show fro the general seating area. We chatted with some of the millinery models. This was one of my fave hats.
A close up of my scarf turned out to be a closeup of my necklace...




The Conservatory is beautiful in the evening. I wish I could have a sleep over in there and sleep with the crickets. They were really chirping.

Lookathis!

http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Trixie-Jill-Thompson/dp/0061170453
Magic Trixie is available in July. Look! She's all up on Amazon.com! That's satisfying. Now all I need is a book tour.

Granada means Pomegranate

So everywhere we went in Granada, we say all of these architectural details that looked like pomegranates. On fountains, on signs,as guide posts. Brian whacked his shinbone really hard while walking through a plaza one afternoon. As it turns out the city is named for the Pomegranate. So, ya learn something new every day. But what I want to know is, where were all the pomegrantate trees? We saw lots of oranges growing everywhere...I only saw one pomegrante branch with a fruit still attached hanging over a garden wall. I thought for something to be named after something it was supposed to be ubiquitous.
On Sunday we all made our way to the Alhambra. I can understand how this castle inspired many a writer to pen fables and fairy tales. Spring was well underway and those of us from midwestern climes were thankful to carry our sweaters and jackets and feel the sun for a day.Each room sported intricate carvings that covered nearly all available surfaces. Arches had arches and those arches had arches. It was difficult for the camera to find what I was trying to focus on. And then, there was the view past the intricate interiors. It was wild. I can't begin to fathom how one designs that or plans for it's construction. I wanted to touch everything as well, because it is all so old but created by artisans...can't do that though. It's against the rules. The oils in our hands and the lotions and creams and sweat and stuff must be destructive (or attract destructive organisms) to the stone and wood.

I could have stayed up there all day with a picnic lunch and a book. Or my sketchbook and paints. I would love to sleep in one of the rooms and see what it looked like in the morning sun! Or lit up by candles or oil lamps. Or a fireplace. I'll have to add some of these elements of the architecture or courtyards to some part of Magic Trixie. I think the Luna Theatre has many Moorish influences in the lobby as well as in the theater. I don't think we actually make our way inside in the bok I'm working on...or number 4. Oh well. I'll still design it for some future story.
The gate to the court of Lions was guarded by that amazing fellow. He was black in the shade and chestnut in the sun. He gave the squinty eye to the loud tourists. But as you can tell, he's seen it all, and he probably takes no guff.

best poker face

So, I'm pencilling a page of Magic Trixie and the Dragon (#3-only 90 pages to go) and watching Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmer on the Travel Channel and it occurs to me that you never want to play poker against this guy. Sure, maybe if you are on a team and he's your partner...but if you have to determine whether or not this guy is bluffing and you are going all in or not?
I mean he has eaten the testicles of every male animal known to man and never made a yucky face. His eyebrow does not even twitch. Sometimes he does not even wash it down with a swig of beer! He must have a trophy or a plaque on his wall proclaiming his superiority at this. Who wants to topple him from his Number One Perch?
He's eaten giant creepy larvae that did not have the benefit of being tossed in the deep fryer (I'm sure most things are easier to eat once they are deep fried...) bats, frogs, snakes, eels, rotting what have you... he's like the Tasmaninan Devil in the Bugs Bunny Cartoons...when that growly tornado starts zigzagging through the forest and all the other animals go stampeding off in the opposite direction to avoid being eaten- that must be what it's like when this guy goes to the zoo- or the park or what have you. The local fauna must send their version of Paul Revere out to warn critters to head for the hills.
He'll try anything that grows, too. A human plague of locusts grazing his way through the landscape. Glasses of green spirulina? Glug. Natto? Down the hatch. Durian, the custardlike, disturbing smelling Asian fruit is the only thing I think I've ever seen cause him to ... back down.
Here he is staring down a frog. Then downing said frog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvmOsGkXRH4&feature=related
All in? I fold.

granada part one

We did get to Granada without a hitch in our plans. And was it a wonderfulconvention- famous guests, great fans, fantastic art vibe, hot cosplay, a beautiful venue and all of it sponsored by the city... some selected scenes ( the in focus ones..I am ditching my broken camera this weekend. drat that thang)
Brian and Kiki Dennis happily figuring out where we were and where we want to go.We were treated to an amazing feast of Octopus and wine. All of the convention coordinators and guests and volunteers attended. At first we were suspicious of the gymnasium like setting--harkening back to grade school potluck PTA meetings and all the rewarmed casserole offerings. But on the plywood and sawhorse tables we feasted like kings on cheeses, olives, jamon and sausage...boiled octopus with potatoes and olive oil and crusty bread. Add bottles of local white wine and cans and cans of Alhambra beer then top it all off with whatever that local homemade liquer is called and sweet almond cake dusted in powdered sugar and voila-"Night of the Kraken!"