Jarring Prettiness

Canning season will soon be upon us. Hip! Hip!
This lady is the 2008 canning champion. You are so cool lady.
Yes, canning is a competitive sport. But as the intimidating USDA rules currently stand my made- up method of using agave nectar in my syrups disqualify me. This competition is about much more than food safety. And I am not that precise. I am crying into my yerba maté. I am not actually crying.

Ah well. I will watch and cheer from the bleachers.

Bonus: Canning anecdotes by funny man Robert Kirby. (Made me laugh into my first cup of yerba maté. I am now on my third cup and ready to go!)

*photos from the Salt Lake Tribune.

This Just In: Provo City Hall's Urban Garden

Dear Reader,

Did you just feel your rib cage compress? Yes? That was me hugging the whole world. I am so happy to know about Provo City's Urban Garden and will visit it soon. Many thanks to Helen of the Mayor's Office, for e-mailing me the youtube link. And Helen? Have I thanked you for having an original Brian Kershisnik painting hanging in your office? No? Well, thank you very very much.

xo!

Dear Reader (especially if you live in Provo),

Two questions: Are you sitting down? and were you taught to share?

Yes?

Then prepare to be FLOORED and prepare to share the GLORY!!

Provo's own Brad Barber has been nominated for an EMMY!!! for this documentary:
An EMMY!!

Do you want to watch it? Someone needs to set up a Provo screening of Resolved soon.

signed,
clapping with gusto

Just Tell Your Hoodlum Friends Outside...

...you ain't got time to take a ride!

But also tell them that:

Provo's Farmers Market is manana from 11-2. (and then whisper to them hoodlums that there will be Belgian Waffles and if there aren't no belgian waffles then pappa's gonna buy them a...

golden ring, or something.)


Also coming up...there's a very worthwhile doula training (June 4-6) taught by this fantastic lady:
Melissa is a Birth Doula trainer with DONA International. For details and registration e-mail rawmelissaatgmaildotcom. Oh yeah, she also caters the training. YUM! I took the doula training earlier this year and can vouch that it was LIFE- CHANGING.

Got that, hoodlums?

Another thing!

Melissa has put together a film festival. Click on the photo to check it out!
And that scrumptious baby in the above photo? He's called Lolo and he belongs to my good friend Edie (whose hilarious kids are all hoodlums that can match your hoodlumishness and raise the roof.)

And then there are these hoodlums...
Right now Tam's finishing up her second year in med school and working at an HIV Clinic giving pelvic exams. And most importantly, TamTam is expecting her second baby in August!!! Because of Raw Melissa and the doula training, I am going to be ready to be Tam's doula.

And from one hoodlum to another, being at a birth is the best thing EVER.

xoxoxoxo,
GP




*Have you ever wanted to feel useful while your loved one is in child labor? A doula's primary focus is the laboring woman. The doula supports, massages, performs acupressure, makes sure the mother-to-be knows her options and stands up for what the mother wants. A doula is a woman in service of another woman.

Two Yays!

Firstly, as of last night Provo City does indeed allow urban hens! YAY! There was a revote and all but one council member voted for a revised ordinance. To celebrate Oliver is planning a Tour De Coops. There are some very lovely hens living in clever and charming hen homes out there in P-town...more about the tour later.

Secondly, one of my top favorite private blogs went public! I went to art school with Pamo and am so inspired to see how art not only remains a part of her life but how it forms the adventures they have as a family. (WOW.) She throws birthday parties for dead artists plus other art themed elaborate projects. Her three children are so lucky! And her blog readers are lucky!
Cake for Picasso.
Even the littlest Greta has her art displayed at a family art show.

So go check out Pamo's In My Shoes and add the feed to your google reader!

You're very welcome,
GP

Since the news that the hen ordinance had been VETOED...

I've been referring to the ladies as political refugees. I know, so dramatic, but they are an integral part of our homestead and the thought of turning them over to willing friends' who live in a different city was...NO CAN DO. Fortunately, after speaking to Helen of the Mayor's Office, I've learned the hens are safe, for now, and hopefully forever. There's some ordinance tweaking going on and Provo may yet end up with a great urban hen ordinance.

Meanwhile the ladies continue to eat our kitchen scraps, our neighbors' kitchen scraps and even the Campus Plaza Apartments' kitchen scraps that Janise (pictured below) collects and regularly delivers on her bike. The never ending task of weeding continues ever so much more satisfactorily when you know the hens will be thrilled to feast on the greens. Spreading the chicken manure in our garden beds is a joy when you know you're using the best soil amendment for Utah's high ph.

and even though we have plenty of eggs we still buy eggs from Provo's Farmers Market as a novelty because check out Honey's good sized brown egg compared to a giant goose egg from Ralph Steele's booth.


Brings new meaning to a one-egg omelet.

Signed with a prayer,
May concerns about ordinance details be ironed out promptly

For the Love of the Ladies

Introducing Beverly Simone...

isn't she cute? And despite her looking forward, she was very aware that I was taking her picture. Beverly Simone is our sweet hen...who didn't get her fair share of press recently when the Deseret News and Daily Herald came to snap photos of the ladies. photo of Bridget and me by Stuart Johnson, Deseret News

photo by ASHLEY FRANSCELL/Daily Herald

Honey and I were front page news.

Many thanks to the municipal council members who voted in favor of urban hens.

Did you know that you're very own...

gritty pretty is famous?!

Firstly, Luscious Cass of the velvety voice wrote about me on Churnings and Burnings here and here!

Secondly, I was the apple of your eye (most mistook me for a tomato) at Gallery Stroll to promote Provo's Farmers Market.

And thirdly Travis Pitcher interviewed me and Mayor Billings (among many of our favorite gallery stroll lovies) about the local art scene. Usually I am embarrassingly mute around the Mayor due to my incessant swooning a persistent crush so I hope he watches it and realizes that I doth talketh.

The Grand Dame, Mr Purdie, and Invisible People

Firstly, O'lover usually feeds the Kombucha Mother agave nectar. He is thrilled that the Mother is thriving on our sweet homemade grape juice (made from the Slade's grapes). Psst....The Mother of which i speak is that happy mushroom in the spoon. Secondly, there were 30 Chris Purdies at the art opening. It was fun to talk to all of them but you can't beat the real Chris Purdie, he's great.
Thirdly, dozens of invisible homeless people fashioned from packing tape lined the route between galleries and ultimately led to the Soup & Bowl Fundraiser at the Covey Center for the Arts. Thanks to Georgiana Deming and others for creating such provocative work.Lastly, three years ago Tami Rodeback and I organized the first Soup and Bowl/ Art Show Fundraiser at Gallery OneTen. It has become a wonderful tradition and Brent Crane, from the Food and Care Coalition, calls it their main annual event.
Sabrina Squires, Nancy, Me, and Tami the lifesaver Rodeback.

Susan Krueger Barber

Sus is my neighbor, my favorite 4 -year-old's mother, her ward's primary song leader, an activist, and my best friend. I am always amazed by her.

Susan tackles the complexity of motherhood in her art with soul, intelligence, and wit.

Here are some of her recent works:

Engorgement

Breast Feeding Advent Calendar

Inversion

Suckle ShowNight WakingJungle Gymnurstics

Postpartum ProvocationCheck out her website here.

This weekend Sus flew to her art opening in NYC. Back at home, her 4-year-old and I were at the Downtown Provo Gallery Stroll. We practiced donating money to the galleries. Our mantra was "no donation is too small (or too large)!" and "You're never too young (or too old) to donate!"

Notice that Mr. Generous never touches the money but tips my hand to donate. He reminded me that his mama taught him money is too dirty for little kids. He is an ace rememberer and budding art patron!

Besos!

Are you going to this?

I AM CHRIS PURDIE
Performance Art from Chris Purdie

169 N. University Ave. Provo UT segoarts.org

Being surrounded by lots of "Chris Purdies" (impersonators) will be a very good thing, I promise. He's a talented sweetheart.

Remember the Downtown Provo Gallery Stroll is tomorrow night!

fullness of times

our cottage is right off the parade route and the freedom festival. Every year we feel like we're living in the quiet eye of the storm that is called the fourth of July in downtown Provo.

WE LOVE IT! Party On Provo!

Its kinda cool hearing the dull roar of the festivities outside while enjoying the privacy of our home, if only for a few minutes before heading back out.

for the last four years my friend Kena and I have been in charge of the free activities at the Tabernacle Park. It's nice to be able to tell visiting families that all of the activities are FREE.

We have so many pictures of kids rock climbing and doing arts and crafts but wouldn't you rather see the reptiles?
Here Shane just wrapped a snake around two kids who were standing back to back.
nerves of steel, i say.

Saturday was the farmers market. the highlight was when Suzy Gallup sang with our resident band, the Utah Ramblers. Suzy has the most beautiful voice!

with the farmers market, the freedom village, the parade, the gallery stroll, with several friends visiting from out-of-town, a birthday party, and biking uphill to the best view of the fireworks, this has been a "face plant weekend".

As in now that the fun is on pause, please-let-me-plant-my-face-in-that-pillow.

they were so ap"peel"ing

old news: Tom and Faye Parker asked me to run Provo's Farmers Market this year.

And what better way to promote the market and see almost everyone in the valley than to be in the 4th of July Parade?

We were the third entry, I hope you got to see it.
The loverly unruly produce: Caleb, Ryan, Chris, Ingrid, and Zina with Tom Parker as the farmer who tried to keep everyone in line. Wait where is Zina?

Ok, here's that carrot:

Our very social dog Farmer LOVED being in the parade because so many kids gave him attention. Isn't he the cutest hot dog?
Our wonderful friend Barbara, who comes to the farmers market every week riding her three-wheeler named "Cruisella", rode along. Thanks Barbara!
James and O'lover pulled the awesome rickshaws lent to us from Ollie's friend who used to run a rickshaw taxi service. Sami has a whole fleet.

my supportive husband.

p.s. Thanks to Chris for all the puns you kept shouting at the crowd. Hilarious. And i can still hear the crowd chanting "GO GRAPES" as Caleb grooved.

Here's a clip of Chris going bananas, you can see Ryan and Caleb shimmying in the background:

House Concert

pics from the colby stead house concert a while back:
thoughtful group.
Many thanks to beautiful Colby, Amy, and Steven for their incredible original music.

dear reader,

It's at times like this that i wish i could write like her because then i'd aptly describe the effects of colby's music on my heart. and you'd understand.

but instead i'll write like me and just thank James T. Russell, the inventor of CDs. Because of him i can listen and listen and listen to Colby's music any time i want!

thumping the hive

i love where i live. i love my cordial neighbors, the mountains, the tree-lined streets, the river and lake. sometimes i want to gather up all the provo goodness and give it a thankful squeeze. and when people say "crap" about Provo i used to want to put up my "tiny ineffectual fists" and defend it. But not anymore! Provo can steady its own ark (i can be so old testament).

my fling with provo is ongoing despite A WHOLE LOTTA THINGS which have been coming to a head recently. i hate the culture of obedience. wait. before this is a full blown vent...really all my fuming botherdness about provo comes down to...

...the small-minded contingency of elected leaders (one in particular) at some of our reVISIONing downtown meetings that can't stand the "artist-types". but of course these sorry citizens of whom i speak tell me this while saying, "except for you raquel" and I'm thinking "I'm so embarrassed to NOT be included with the artist-types whom you show such great disdain." and i'm also thinking, "Uh, VISIONS are artists' specialty. LISTEN to the artists!!"

signed,
O- that i could be considered a dangerous, subversive artist-type!