Feline Frenzy

Cat love is everywhere these days! Now these are not the hamming-for-the-camera, LOLz style kittehs. Bloganista cats have style and dignity. Meow!

*Have a wonderful weekend*

{we three ginger cats}

{Color Me Katie's clever little Moo}

{from The Catorialist via for me for you}

{gatopoder}

{dreamcats}

Portland kittehs

{the awesome summer journal}

... and you are probably familiar with my darling dearest girl

dirty dozen

{*}

I know its hard to spend the bucks on organic produce, but more research has come to light, demonstrating that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can cause lasting damage to human health.

Fortunately, many sites are educating the masses on which produce you should attempt to by organic, and which ones can get by without.

{download here!}

Alternatively, spend $3 on a bell pepper start from your farmer's market, stick it in a bucket of dirt, and you'll reap the rewards all summer!

humus

hu·mus (n) In soil science, humus refers to any organic matter that has reached a point of stability, where it will break down no further. In agriculture, humus is the organic component of soil, formed by the decomposition of leaves and other plant and vegetable material by soil microorganisms.

We are a veritable worm factory these days! As Travis and I worked the compost pile, we found a stash of old straw from the chicken coop that was a mad house of red wiggler worms. I squatted low for a moment, and observed the silent, pervasive movement in every direction.

Apartment living was tough right after moving out of my parent's house, we have been composting for so long, it feel downright wrong to throw vegetable scraps into the garbage. I hear rumblings of testing compost collection in the city, hopefully that becomes available for people who don't have the space for a big pile of dirt.

Portland also provides many community gardens for apartment dwellers to get out and garden in the city. I recently read about some studies confirming the endorhpin boosting chemicals in dirt. Pretty much exactly what my mother has been saying for years... The article on Huffington Post puts it perfectly: "Have you ever seen an unhappy earthworm?"



We have found many a gigantic grandaddy worm,  which we should probably leave in the yard to propagate. But with the plethora of wormy friends, we can't help but indulge our hungry hens.



With all this dirt piling up, we decided to dig in and turn a couple mud pits into garden beds. The apple tree provides alot of shade in the backyard, which is perfect for an herb garden.


Planted: oregano, thyme, cilantro, dill, basil, wildflowers, cuban oregano, nasturtium. After the wildflowers come up I plant to transplant them into blank spots in the yard, and plant more herbs! Any favorites??

fabric of friendship

Brae Howard is one talented lady! A friend is a wonderful thing to promote in a skill set, at least in my opinion.

Her work is fun & colorful. She travels,  blogs and lives in Philly.

I love finding people connected to people. I am a big fan of Elenor Grosh, of pushmepullyou design, and Brae shot some promotional portraits for her.

{source}

This post title makes me want to go drool over some fabric... now I will have to think of another witty post title for an actual fabric post!

berries are coming!

I have waited many many months for this strawberry. For some reason I cannot indulge in a strawberry from California. The berries are so fantastic from the Willamette Valley, and I love attempting a seasonal local, local diet. The rewards are so sweet! Soon I'll have hand picked berries from my own fertile garden...

Lovely flowers from Portland Farmer's Market

blueberries from my yard


our strawberries are making their flowers!

images link to my {flickr}

texas bliss

One of my dearest friend from Texas gave me a fantastic reason to fly back home this spring a lovely Austin style wedding!
The preview from her photographer's blog {Leigh Miller Photography} are so special. She captured the energy, beauty and magic of the whole event so well.

All images © Leigh Miller Photography

28 years young

The peony my mom sent me for my birthday last year is growing fast this spring, but sure isn't going to have any blooms like this one in time for my bday!



This year I requested some home video DVDs from Dad. Ever the techie man in the family, always fixing grandma's VCR, he hauled around the massive video camera for family beach trips, holidays, birthdays, and regular ol' backyard shenanigans. Watching old home videos is one of my sister's and my favorite things to do when we all get together over the holidays.

 Dad's Pentax was a beaut... I love the rounded edges from the photographs, and the vintage colors. There is something lacking with the digital life of our photos... I suppose with technology such as iPads and iPhones making photos available at all times, digital photos are more accessible these days. But something about received a fat package of printed memories is so unique.

Oh and did you know I love skirts? Yup. Still do.

Now where did I put that awesome straw hat?

love is in the earth

This year we found one lovely tulip in the garden bed. Next fall I will plant more so she can have some friends for 2011!

The iris are growing tall all around, ready to take over as stars of the backyard. Only one bud has emerged, just as this tulip begins to bow. The seasonality of the garden is like a small gift, every month a new flower to say good morning. My wildflower seeds are all sprouting... and I even bought more seeds yesterday! Living in a house with a fertile backyard really suits me.

My flower post is in honor of Abby's unofficial flower week! Check out her new stickers :)

rethink

Recycling and reusing are integral parts of creating a better tomorrow, but its not until we begin to reThink, reFeel, and reLearn how to better support our roots that real change will occur.

Anodea Judith writes in her novel, Waking the Global Heart,
"In preparing for a cultural rebirth,  it is essential to understand the archetypal dynamics of our original birth... To live in the severity of Ice Age conditions, and hunt dangerious animals, was to understand the unequivocal power of Mother Nature. She was the Mother that provided everything - but Her rules were not to be trifled with. Breaking the rules could threaten a tribe's magical relationship with its surroundings, hence its survival. She was All."

Humanity evolved from dependent infants to curious toddlers, then independent children playing king of the hill. We find ourselves insecure yet willfully independent adolescents, self sufficient, yet haven't progressed beyond the self-absorption which is blind to the detriment of those affected by one's own actions.

In 2008 over half of America voted for Change. A charismatic man swept up in the bold energy of this country promised to embody this principle. The problem is not with the characters of the drama but the screenplay. We need to empower ourselves with the knowledge that a broken system must evolve. We cannot subsist through hate and dissent. America is not a two party political game, but a vibrant, diverse community.

So today, look around you. On the bus, in the park, in line at the grocery store. Honor the people that share your life. Find yourself interested in their path, how many steps it took for them to be in this very moment, now sharing their energy with you. What kind of energy are you sharing? All your life has prepared you for right now, and you are perfect.

Happy Earth Day!

{gertrude k}

flower power

An old dress that always makes me feel happy. A new raincoat makes rain fashionable. A downtown park to hang with my best buddy, swap cookies, and admire flowers. Pretty sure this is the first day I bared these white stems of mine. Swaddled in tights, legging and pants all winter, they are quite blinding with their ivory hue. Travis told me he was adjusting the exposure to reduce their glare.

The Wednesday downtown farmer's market is only a couple weeks away! They are even adding a new one on Mondays... I'll be there before they ring the bell, picking up my weekly office munchies. When I first moved here and started working in the office, farmer market Wednesdays were, and still are, my favorite day of the week! I was amazed to discover no one else really thought much about it. World Class Farmer Market people!

There's nothing better than crates of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries awaiting you for a respite from the computer. Oh wait, picking them yourself! That's better.

enamored

for her

for him

{sarah perlis}

this reminds me of my grandmother's vintage deco-style wedding ring. with a bit of a modern interpretation. not really my style, but it caught my eye. would you wear it for a lifetime?

{bario-neal}

unconventional and stunning

{etsy - kateszabone }

bling.

romance.

{twist}

Just dreaming out loud :)

sprouted

The beds are all tilled and planted. The apple blossom petals shower the yard with love.

Arugula, Dill, Cilantro, Turnips, Carrots, Lettuce, Wildflowers, Radishes, Beets, Chard, Tomatillos, Ancho Chile, Cucumbers, and Peas!

Starts soak up the sun, and the sprouts grow larger every day!
I've spotted some digging holes in the squash bed... pesky vermin!




We have several plants coming in from behind the fences, the euphorbia and this lovely purple tree flower. I keep calling it a lilac, however it doesn't smell. Any guesses about its true nature?
These migrating plants must want some of the good life in our fun little backyard! Or just they just want their picture to make it onto the internets, so I oblige them.

images link to my {flickr}

indoor/outdoor

I have several old wooden pieces of furniture that would love a makeover! Thrift and garage sale finds, nice construction but no colorful love. Although the drawers by the front door do have some paint drippings splattered about. I start getting creative urgings when the sun stays out all day, weekends just scream "Spring is here! Lets get outside and sandblast some shn!t!"

image from decor8 via griege