Mysterious gift; revealed.

Susan, my mother, has been dangling a carrot-of-a-gift in front of my nose for the past few weeks in an attempt to get me to visit. Lately I've been staying home to work when Eric heads upstate to collect soap. I get more done alone. I get more time to watch things like this:

After a rowdy visit from some dark and mysterious guests last night I was not feeling up to the trip this morning. But here I am, writing yous from the mossy banks of Mohegan Lake. And in my hot little hands is the amazingly smarmy Mr. Monsieur by the gifted Sandra Juto! Eric stood in the corner mumbling something about how the blog is convenient way of getting stuff. Let me tell you Eric, if you're reading this, jealousy will get you nowhere. (Dirk Diggler's words, not mine.)

1. Flowers on the way to a restaurant. Iris, cone flowers...


2. Snack at Red's Grocery a new joint at the tail end of Columbia Street. A great snack place. This was a yellowfin-tuna-stuffed red pepper. (Mousey, they have real good olives too)


3. Muscari (Grape hyacinth) bulbs!


4. Dublab radio. Why, why, why did it take me so long to listen to this.
5. Arrested Development. Aaron may not always bring home the best when it comes to DVD's (St. Elsewhere, Dynasty) but this recent addition to his collection has restored my faith in our friendship...not that it was ever really in jeopardy.

redemption.

Eric has many excellences - air swimming being one of them. Another is details...Turns out the orchid I showed you Friday is actually mine. Well, was mine until Eric "rescued it" by taking it back to his workspace, thus "liberating it" from my negligent plant care regime. I promised him that I wouldn't use him as humorous fodder for the blog, and so to make it up to him I bring you some pictures of Eric's impeccably maintained house plants.


Exhibit A: Aloe


Exhibit B: Thriving Scented Geranium with Doughboy.


Exhibit C: Jade


Exhibit D: Some type of succulent. When the jar of pencils appeared here, I joked that he should go work for Real Simple.

spring fever and a much anticipated package

I've spent most of Wednesday waiting patiently for the USPS to deliver a box of rare potted orchids from Barbara and Terry at Pine Ridge Orchids. When the postman arrived I ran out from the back with my big knife we use to open boxes. In my excitement I must have looked crazy; he walked out backwards with a strange look.

[Paph Bel Royal]

Anyway, the orchids inside are incredible. I've been learning a lot about the Glancy's farm through email corespondence with Barbara over the past month or so. When you love plants and flowers but live in a city that resembles a rat hole (my father's words, not mine) nature becomes a somewhat mystical process; one constantly mediated by the artificial, concrete landscape of the city. Successfully growing plants and incorporating green space into our lives here is so tricky. I've been working very hard over the past few years to green my thumb. It's getting better. [My plants look better than Eric's]

[Eric's dead orchid...he says it's "coming back"]

So naturally curious about running an orchid farm, I've scoured the Pine Ridge website and learned tons from them about orchids and the incredible ecosystem in Miami-Dade county. When I think of Miami I think instantly of three things: Miami Art Basel, The Golden Girls and most unfortunately...2 Live Crew.

Miami-Dade county is really is an naturally biodiverse area which is being swept away by what is now the largest building boom in the US. Qualified as one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, Miami rock pinelands are situated on highlands that do not flood; and are therefor ideal parcels for developers. The Glancy's 20 acres is one fourth farm (orchids, bamboo, palms, fruit trees) and three fourths rock pineland forest which they have been restoring to its natural state since purchasing the land in 1976. At one point in our correspondence Barbara compared the detail of biodiversity to a Persian carpet - an analogy I find so fitting...

I will post more on these topics of orchids, plants, ecosystems etc. on and off over the next few weeks as I gear up for planting, composting, asparagus and all things spring.

[Paph Vanguard]

enter the dragon.

My coffee was so good, and I was feeling so free like I could do anything this morning. Then it got cold, I realized I forgot to pay bills this month, and a telemarketer called.

I'm showing you my desk in all its cluttered glory this morning. You know how people love to take photos of their work spaces all primped and proper with matching sherbert colors and the latest screen-printed calender hanging next to their inspiration board? Yeah well that doesn't happen here.

Margot at the Wedding was the movie I didn't fall asleep to last night. So so funny and good. Nicole Kidman's character Margot says to her 13 year old son "You used to be charming."

back from the front line. (+tacos!)

If you spend time drooling and clipping from foodie mags like I do, then you might imagine how thrilling it was for me to make flowers for a christmas shoot today in Soho for a well know mag that lets just say focuses on food and wine.


It was a tricky Christmas palette to work in March. [White, silver and crimson.] By now Ilex berries have all been eaten by the birds and the holly berry I sourced from Oregon looked like it had been buried in the basement of US Evergreen since last December. But we made it work. We also made a lot of things silver with a can of spray paint, including my [oh SH**] new frye boots. Remember how enthusiastic I was about spray paint at christmas this past year? It's over friends. Not because of my boots, but because each time I sprayed a little silver over my eucalyptus garland in the back yard yesterday I heard a little animal cry out and then perish. No sparkly garland is worth a little animal now is it?


No, it isn't. Now I'm faced with cleaning up this place and getting to work relaxing tonight for the first time in days. Aaron is back from Blacksburg so I should go home to see him and hear about who had a kid, who's still drinking at The Cellar, and who's kid is now old enough to be drinking at The Cellar.

Good nite.


ps; 6 more years: Thou shalt not take awayeth ye old ballfield tacos.

procrastination.

Everything becomes more interesting when your procrastinating. I can't stop thinking about cornichons, what to make for dinner next sunday, the concept of fault, where I could treat myself to a new blouse, and, if forced to eat cat food, whether I would prefer wet or dry. [dry]

In the fourth grade I realized my extraordinary ability to procrastinate. It was the night before the science fair and I was categorically f*@#ed. I had signed up for the INVENTIONS section, excluding the ever-popular pepsi-or-coke-taste-test project which saved the lives of many middle school procrastinators. What resulted after a day of wandering around the house tormenting the cats [an my little sister] was a spaghetti twirling fork involving and electric screw driver. Admittedly, some of my finest work has been done in the 11th hour.

Today, once again, I find myself honing this talent. We're making flowers [and a xmas tree] for a photo shoot tomorrow morning. I have yards of eucalyptus garland to spray paint (let along make) and many flowers to fix up. Eric sits here diligently wrapping soap while I search the internet for how to make an exploding volcano with baking soda. The cool kids always made volcanoes.


[Delivery from yesterday with guinea hens, fringed tulips, ranunculus, and some seeded euc.]