Innocent-looking dogs

From nov30-2008

This is Jake (sniffing something magically delicious) and Lulu at Walnut Creek Park, our fave spot in Austin. You would hardly know by this photo how unpatriotic these pooches are. Yes, it's true, they shredded and ate my American flag while I was gone yesterday. Don't tell George Bush.

Thanksgiving!

Just a little reflection on Thanksgiving. So much to be grateful for! Today, I'm going to be picking up a pumpkin pie, painting in my studio, walking in the woods with dogs, thinking of my wonderful friends and family, going to a meeting at 8 pm with someone to get her 60-day chip, and then eating that pie (all of it? hmmm) with that new sober buddy! A perfect little day.

Because I like to anthropomorphize, I gave my dogs some yummy beef on top of their kibble this morning.

If I could be two places at once, I'd love to be in Auburn with Mom, Porter, Elsa, Chhanseda, John, Bentley, Davis and the rest of the crew there. Or in Palm Springs with Jan! Or in San Diego with Gardner and Joel with a visit to Stacey and her sis, or Jacksonville with Iris and Shirley, or the Bay Area with Tom and Laura with a skip over to Helga, Jane, Max and Sofia, or Boston with Fred and Susan and Rachel and Ian, or Oakland with Molly and Noreen or Napa with Molly and her kids and then over to see Scott and Kim then to Sonoma to see Nicole and her clan, or London with Jill and Claire or Petaluma with Nancy, Dave, Joe, Amy, Jazmyne, Kyle. I feel very rich just typing this list, and I'm sure I could go on and on.

Where's my time machine? :)

Grateful to be sober 20 years, to have a job with a boss I truly like and trust and learn from, to have Someone to pray to when the news gets really scary, to have dogs who force me to get outside and exercise, to have the support I needed to finally go vegan this year (after wanting to for a long time), for a supportive and inspiring art community here in Austin, a big cache of art supplies and books to get me through just about any recession, for the ability to keep seeing new connections, for high speed Internet, Taco Deli and the Furminator.

East Austin Studio Tour

Went around to some of the open studios today on the east side. Big turnout - tons of people at every location I visited. Happily, ran into Laurel Daniel from Plein Air Austin at the Pump Project, which was hosting about 15 or 20 artists. She is truly a lovely person, very warm and friendly. Always makes the effort to connect people, encourage people.

My favorite artists at this location were Matt Wester, who had beautifully crafted and thoughtful paintings based on photos he took as a journalist in the Middle East, and Mark Johnson, whose space was too crowded for me to stay as long as I really wanted to, but whose works fascinated me. There were several pieces that seemed to be about letters, words, codes. It's just totally coincidental (swear) that both of these artists were tall and handsome and articulate. Heh heh.

Also enjoyed the paintings of Doug Weber.

Was also quite intrigued by the paintings of Rebecca Bennett, who Laurel introduced me to. Her works look like landscapes but she said that was not her source. Her colors were very saturated and shiny. So I intend go read up on her on her web site.

Then moved on to Blue Genie, where I spotted this:

From nov22_2008

It is, of course, a white-spandex clad superhero dude riding a giant Jackelope.

Autumn in Texas

nov22_2008

Finally the cold weather has come to Austin and I'm loving it. I feel right with the world wearing a fleece and tromping about the woods with dogs. There was the smell of wood fires in the air this morning outside, and coffee and cinnamon oatmeal inside. Tonight I'm going to roast some veggies and that should also be a feast for the senses.

My dogs were a mirror for me this morning. I have one dog who I know won't harm other dogs, so she goes off-leash. The other is a big (giant) dog who occasionally (randomly) picks fights, so he stays on a leash. I feel so angsty about leashing him and yet observe that he seems totally happy. So it's about me. It's about how I fight the parts of my own life, my own nature, that need restriction. I have this childish willfulness to have no restraints. Still. At age (cough.) So I got to meditate on that while we walked.

I'm staying in Texas for the Thanksgiving holiday, which is a little sad but also a nice break from obligation (see above) and a great chance to unpack the garage some more and to make art and just read and chill. And walk in the woods, wearing a fleece, with dogs.

proud

God, I love democracy.

“At this defining moment, change has come to America.”

- President-Elect Barack Obama, November 4, 2008

I’m not a weepy person, but as Senator Obama took the stage with his family to make his acceptance speech, I completely lost it with big weepy snotty tears. I went in to look at my sleeping child, who will one day hear about this night and what it means to this great country, and said a little prayer of thanks.

bad aunt kate

OK, so Aunt Kate has been kind of a crappy communicator lately, so I thought I'd just give y'all a few newsy bits here and try to use that telephone thing over the weekend to chat with people in person too.

About 2 weeks ago - read a magazine article about autism and healing that brain injury with a gluten- and casein-free diet. Somehow this hit a nerve for me and I was motivated to get off wheat and dairy again, which, since I was already being vegetarian, just made me a wheat-free vegan, basically.

Ordered a couple of vegan cookbooks, because, hey, what's a new thing without books to go with it?! Have now read all of "Vegan Freak," "Vegan with a Vengeance", "Skinny Bitch", "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch" and "How it All Vegan." Very motivating!

Very soon started feeling much more clear, able to focus, out of 'the fog.' It's just amazing... and good.

Found a local Austin vegan group and will probably go to one of their potlucks soon.

Things are going well at work (got some higher-visibility projects), and I've found 2 program buddies at work too: one with just 30 days (who I actually brought to their first meeting, what an honor) and one with 26 years. So I'm bookended! Went with the new person to a meeting last night to celebrate and collect a chip for her.

Signed up to work at our client-facing conference so I can meet some of these customers myself, especially the ones for favorite organizations like Humane Society, PETA, and ASPCA.

Read a great book, "The White Tiger", which just won the Booker Mann prize. I highly recommend it for a fun but thought-provoking read.

It's finally cooler here, thank HEAVEN, although it's now dark when I have to get out of bed. Grumble.

Got a flu shot, which our work was nice enough to arrange for us to get from nurses who came right to the office.

Voted yesterday for THAT ONE at my local Randall's market, which is just the Texas version of Safeway. Saw several "red state" people in line, so worried that my vote was being canceled out repeatedly.

Tomorrow morning I'm going out painting with the Plein Air Austin group. One of the members actually owns a ranch where they raise Longhorn cattle and we get to go there! Can't wait to paint a real live Longhorn!!

Sunday, I'm hoping to work some more on the Dede portrait and then I just joined a book club that a coworker and her sister started and they meet up at 4 pm. The theme for the food is "Disney" (since the book was The Last Lecture) and I'm still not quite sure what my dish will be - probably a vegan cold salad from Whole Foods with a Tinkerbell decoration on top of it, knowing me and my schedule.

Well, that's it from the lone star state!

A New Birdfeeder

New Feeder for my Deck

The little song birds love my new feeder... it took them a day to figure it out and now I have all sorts of the smaller birds chowing down. I could not get a photo of the feeder with many birds on it all at once. I think my proximity kept them away. I love watching the action.

The Chickadees take one seed at a time and then fly into oak tree to eat it and then show up again for more. This makes for alot of action. I have also seen Titmice and Juncos enjoy the feeder. The pushy doves can not fit on the perches and so they go upstairs to my neighbors' deck that has a pan full of seeds, the blue jays also dine upstairs.

I love sitting in my bedroom chair in the early morning and watching my feathered friend outside my sliding glass doors.