Open Studios *:-)

Our Artist In Residence has been accepted into Open Studios for this fall *:-)


Visit the progress at http://www.saorisantacruz.com


Read the blog at centeringwithfiber.blogspot.com


Have fun *:-)

Summer ends

Summer has ended, although many believe the "best is yet to come". Paying attention to nature tells a different tale. Perhaps we need a new seasonal calendar now that the earth is experiencing warmer cycles. Yeah, I believe we do. Somebody do that, k?

Hot, Humid, and echoes downstairs

Magical change is afoot.  My wife's studio is coming along very nicely, despite the tendency of the various contractors we are using to flake.  True change is underway, at least in how our home will be used. Formerly, little corners or temporary spaces were utilized as needed when a "project" was underway to manifest creativity or to host get-togethers.  Now, dedicated open space, quickly filling up with teaching tools of the fiber arts variety, is providing new experiences when moving through our home space.  Feels good, healthy, and appropriate.  We are grateful.

First kill of 2010; won't be the last.

Four-pawed, fluffy-tailed, disease-carrying, territory-challenging, apple-thieving, orchard menace just put into the ground. Failed to sort them out last year, lost many bushels of apples with just one bite out of them *:L-( Took five pellets to bring it down, but done! This will be repeated from now until November. First kill of 2010.

iPad ... woot! ... for reasons not all agree upon

I want to change elements of my lifestyle, such as un-tethering from a pre-defined physical work space, beginning to use cloud tools more, changing my mental approach to “work”, relaxing my wrists, hands and fingers more, lightening the load made up of the tools of my trade, and exploring unknown territory along with challenging myself to alter my approach to productivity and accomplishment. I trust the iPad to be a suitable platform for beginning the process. I don’t have an iPhone or iTouch, and won’t get one, but the iPad is what I consider the first “adult” mobility tool that Apple has made available to me. I’m gonna get one and check it out *:L-)

Back in the saddle for 2010

Ok then *:L-) I believe enough "quiet time" has occurred for me to liven up the blogosphere again with my postings. Will stay positive in outlook, straight-forward in opinion, and keep fun in mind. Cheers, peace, and Namaste to all *:L-)

The Sound Of Silence

My wife has complained that what I write here is not fit for public consumption, & also hurts people, so the end has come.

Hot House; Relaxed Woman; Avatar Meditation

At the request of my wife, I cranked up the output of heat from the wood stove today, all day, & wow are we cookin' *:-) She is very relaxed, her joint & muscle pain is reduced, & the healing that only wood heat can bring has come our way, & we are grateful *:-)

I hung out in 2nd Life again today for awhile, & my avatar actually found a place with zafus that have pose-balls built in, that when sat upon, immediately put the avatar into a meditative posture. Very cool. I want one of those pose balls, but I don't really understand how to use them yet, so I will do the research.

WoodMan; ChiliMan; WarMan; GarbageMan

Well, at least I am a man *:-)

Woodman: I brought wood to the near-the-front-door wood pile today, replenishing the stock that we used up last week keeping the place warm. Some of it is perfectly dry & perfectly split madrone, & it is beautiful, not just because it will warm us well, but because of its visual beauty also. We are grateful for it.

ChiliMan: I got to eat some more of my wife's chili today, & I love it. I added a little Jarlsburg cheese as nibbles with each bite of chili, & that is awesomely good *:-)

WarMan: We have been watching Ken Burn's The War, & it is very powerful for me, because I was born just as the USA entered the war, & also because I am also a veteran, so I believe I have a keen & deep understanding of what I am seeing.

GarbageMan: Yes, today I took out the garbage & placed clean containers in the house where we stow our trash until the weekend. Not a big deal, I know, but I am happy to be able to do it *:-)

Weakies; Maddies; Quitties; Kiddies

Slaka (South Swamp) overflows with weak ones, including some of the "space invaders" who are renting space from us. I am finding that state employment attracts such folks, & it frightens me that I might end up as one of them...kinda like an alien biting me & injecting alien crap into my blood *:-(

Some of the weakies are also maddies, & are looking for any excuse or slight failing of others to down the organization, & they don't realize they are destroying their own opportunity for employment at the same time, instead believing in an arbitrary goodness that is some sort of golden rule. It doesn't exist mate.

Fortunately, rumors are beginning to rise that some of the weakie/maddie crowd are going to leave of their own volition sometime soon, which would be quite cool. Let's accept that if it happens.

Many others in Slaka are just kids who do not know how to grow up, nor have they been shown what it is to be a grown up. Not that any of us has mastered adulthood, but some of us at least are aware that we aren't doing all that we could & continue to move in the "more adult" rather than "less adult" direction.

Firewood; Good DVDs; Good Food; Good Day

A Sunday in the mountains that followed a pattern that we are comfortable with, & used to. We like it here where we live, & also were fortunate enough to have a couple good meals today & some very good entertainment. We appreciate it *:-)

Aprons; Rain; Success

Today was Apron day. The Apron Lady (my wife), set up her sales booth at a local Waldorf Holiday Fair today, & took a large number of very cool aprons to sell, along with a few other things. People loved her work & bought a lot of aprons, & asked a lot of intelligent questions, & gave her lots of compliments, so her day was a success. I helped set up & tear down *:-)

A brief but heavy (at least up here in the mountains) rain fell today, but didn't cause the cancellation of the holiday fair because apparently the rain did not fall as heavily at the fair location.

Any day that is a success for my wife is a success for me *:-)

Ima Learner; Slaka Staff Depressed; Clear Heart

I am experiencing a steep & also exhilarating learning curve at the moment, & I love it. Feels very good & very natural, & my boss is happy with what I am doing.

The all-staff Slaka staff meeting today left many people depressed because of the infantile approach to work that some inexperienced folks take. I was ok though, mostly due to the workout this morning that cleared out my heart.

I will make a good effort to workout tomorrow morning too.

Shakespeare!; Lights! Camera! Action!

It was fun *:-) I hosted a pretty famous Shakespearean actor/artistic director/producer today because Slaka hired him to do voice overs for our new phone system, & I was in charge of the recording process. His voice was excellent & just right for us. I enjoyed the 2.5 hours we spent together, and everyone is happy with voice overs *:-)

First Comic Turns Out Pretty Good; White Man

I am moving toward using comic books to get learning objects across to learners, & so I practiced by making a comic today, & it turned out pretty good. It has images of my grandchildren, & other stuff, & my wife is going to take a copy with her when she watches the grandkids tomorrow, & she can see if they, or the adults around, like it at all.

Yesterday my boss asked me to wear a white shirt to work at Slaka for today, & so I did. I nearly always wear black, & for some reason he wanted to see a change, so no worries, I did it. Then of course as soon as he saw me, he said, loudly, "hey, its a white man!" *:-) Ha Ha, not.

Slaka; Guacamole Tostada; Sick Colleague; Thank You Son

Slaka continues to be the place where I earn my living, & today was no different. Usual stuff.

For our ET group lunch, we chose our standby Mexican restaurant, & I ordered my standby guacamole tostada, hold the sour cream (sin crema), along with rice & beans. It was especially fresh, & quite good, & my tummy liked it too *:-)

Our IT Manager when home sick today, after 8 days of sinus pain & a strep condition. I am hopeful that I was not exposed to the strep while she was contagious.

My son's referral to the right person at the world's second largest Internet search company has paid off, because we have been contacted & they want to partner with us. Thank you, son *:-)

Return To Slaka; Wood Heat; Flying Rug; Mo 2Life

Ok then, it's back to Slaka on the 'morrow. I have no idea what the condition of my returning colleagues will be. I shall try to be fit and to wear my shiny black shoes proudly *:-)

My wife is happy. She is so happy that she is in our 3rd level sleeping room, laying in bed, uncovered, unclothed, & happily remarking on the fact that she is just a bit too hot *:-) Ah yes, heat does rise, doesn't it *:-) She has been lightly pestering me to start the winter's slog with our first fire in the wood stove, & I have been resisting it valiantly, but lost the battle today, when I had to admit that the low temperatures in all but 2 of the rooms of the house had gotten out of hand. Suffice it to say, that situation has changed dramatically, & I am actually breaking a sweat up here in my third floor office nook, writing this. The net of it all: My wife is happy *:-)

A large, quite beautiful, quite dutiful, quite suitable, hand-woven classic colorful rug has flown away from our grasp tonight. During a recent bout of my wife being bitten by spiders while she slept, she reacted by cleaning the hell out of the sleeping room, & one casualty was the long-serving rug on the floor of the sleeping room, because of possible tiny spider habitats. It is a very good, & quite valuable rug, & a friend of my wife's came up & took up my wife on the offer of giving it a new home. Tra-la *:-)

I have been given sustenance, assistance, & a personal tour in 2Life today, which helped me a great deal. I was also visited, without asking, by a very high personage in the Mentor clan, who gave me many things, asked me just one question, & after listening to my answer assured me that I will do very well in 2Life *:-) That is the second time I have been told that. Additional advice came in the form of a wise foretelling of how I shall proceed, which is "Let 2Life come to you". Ok then, I will *:-)

Wood; More Wood; Shoes Polished; More 2Life

Lots of rearranging of the wood piles & the wood processing area today. Cold weather is definitely here.

As a good bureaucrat, I made sure I polished both pairs of my bureaucratic black shoes today *:-)

I worked in 2ndLife again today, & can't figure out how to put on the new Italian shoes I bought. I ended up naked in a shopping mall for a little while, but I don't think anybody noticed *:-)

Happy Birthday; Flaky, Eurotrash Kite-Surfer?; 2nd Life

A very happy 2nd birthday to our granddaughter, & I saw some of the pictures (although I could not be there in person), & she looks happy & as though she had a good time. She is a sweetie, & I hope she did have fun.

I will soon get more information about my son-in-law, the one who threw me out of his home. The birth of his first child with my daughter as the mom is coming up, & I am interested to see which side of the scale he tips: On the one side, the label of "flaky, Eurotrash kite-surfer" would be accurate, & on the other side, the label of "loving father & loving husband" would be accurate. I know which one I am hoping for, but I will accept him whichever way he goes. The birthday party for my granddaughter was hosted at his house today, which is why I could not attend. I'll give it a year, & if things have improved, then I will consider entering his home again.

I got my avatar movin' today in 2nd life, in preparation for attending some webinars that I need to attend for the job I have. They only host them in 2nd life, which I think is cool. I learned a lot today moving the AV around & learning this and that.

Federal Penitentiary Loses Inmate; Ready For Winter; Excellent Chili; RTF Run

My wife's nephew has been released from the Federal Penitentiary where he had been sent up by the ATF. Details sketchy, but at least he is out *:-)

Today I completed the tarping, wood-burning stove prep, room safety set up, & related tasks, so that we can stay warm this winter. We have an excellent home for keeping cold out & warm in, & we have enough wood, for which we are grateful.

I had asked my wife to make some of her famous chili, & she did, & today I consumed 2 huge bowls all at one sitting, along with a little Jarlsburg cheese. Oh Yeah *:-) Excellent. Full. Will have some more tomorrow *:-)

Also made a dump run (the county calls the place the "Refuse Transfer Facility"), & because I made my run fairly early in the day, I did not have to wait in the long lines that sometimes happen before a holiday, because the place is closed on holidays.