Eggs. Eggs. Eggs.

We have been getting eggs from our friend Terri Hall for quite a while now. Always exciting to have food that someone you know grew, raised, gathered, whatever. Trying to eat local foods more and more. Never know what kind of mix of colors to expect, some of the chickens are those ones that Martha Stewart did the paint line from...Aracauna? I think that’s the way it’s spelled. (Hard to tell from this photo...some of them are a really beautiful pale green)

It’s a good thing.

Lexie went all Martha Stewart on me the other day...came in and she had dried these little violets from our yard (some of which we had on our salad tonight with dinner), then she was brushing egg white and sugar on them with a little watercolor brush to make candied violets, apparently for dessert-making and such...curious, Captain...

The key to making good art...

...as all of the gen-u-wine artists amongst you already know...the key is holding your tongue just right. Picture by Lexie.

Icon if youcon.

Lexie did an icon painting workshop/retreat in New Harmony last week with Peter Pearson, a lovely man from New Hope PA (near Pittsburgh—also home to George Nakashima, the exquisite Japanese-American woodworker, architect, furniture builder from the 40s til his death in 1990). A wonderful time was had by all. Very involved, meditative application of LOTS of layers of glazing, gold-leaf and symbolic typography. She made a very beautiful, finely crafted image of Jesus, that looks like the real thing, except for lacking that smoky patinated quality that age gives the old ones. More about Peter here. More about George Nakashima here. And more about Lexie here!

Good golly Ma, it’s an earthquake!

Experienced my first earthquake tremors this morning between 4.30 and 5.00. According to the government earthquake site, it was a 5.2 (I’m assuming this is the Richter Scale you always hear about) in the “Illinois area” (see from the map how close to us!). Lexie was a little more rattled than she remembered being in California as a kid.