My friend Brian sent this

What is up with us redheads?




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Wonder Drug

I am pretty sure the vitamin D therapy is working. I took 50,000IU twice a week for 4 weeks and while I hate to go all religious on y'all I truly feel like something vaguely miraculous has occurred. My low level gnawing depression seems to be subsiding.

I joked about this last week but perhaps there is some truth to it. I am descendant from Northern people, people who have suffered since time immemorial from a lack of light. When I was a kid living in Northern B.C. winter days were pretty short, we spent a lot of time looking forward to spring break-up. A month ago I considered taking anti-depressants almost as a last resort. I am a really positive person but my ass was seriously dragging no matter what uplifting messages I gave myself.

Last summer when I needed my D July was shit. We had 21 days without sun. That's not summer that's some sort of climate change apocalypse. The depression took hold then and has remained, ebbing and flowing until a few days ago when I realized the tide was receding on the grayness I was feeling. I actually feel good despite the cool and crappy weather we have been having. So needless to say I am going to be eating vitamin D like Hot Tamales, and enjoying my fabulous life as much as is legally possible.

Sort of Kinky

This came to me today. Sounds pretty hedonistic, an interesting approach to going green.

Whether you’re new to the field or a seasoned “green professional,” now is the time to learn and network with your peers. Come join us poolside at the Flamingo Resort in California Wine Country as we discover how saving the planet is the greatest business opportunity an idealistic entrepeneur (their typo not mine) will ever have. Check out more at www.prospercorporation.com.

Yowser right? Am I right?








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Living With Dial-Up

The book is finished, for now. I had to FTP the three fairly huge PDF files to the client today. As the internet knows (because it sees my computer like an x-ray machine) I am on dial-up here at Rowanville. This is a topic of great discussion for me and anybody I encounter who has any understanding of what I do for a living, or anyone who lives near me and suffers the same digital disadvantage. Living with dial-up is like living with impotence, only they have Viagra. I have nothing, no options, just resignation that anytime I need to send a few large files or receive the same, I have to pack up my laptop and hit the road. I can handle things under about 10megs but it still takes forever. If the files are under 50megs I go to Pearl's school and sit in the library on small chairs. If the files are larger like 100megs, I have discovered the library in my town of Everson is best.

So off I went to the library after dropping Pearl at school. I arrived at 9:07am to discover that the library didn't open until 10:00. I sent a few emails from the car and then went over to the coffee place which is owned by one of the moms from school. While I was inside I ran into a woman who used to babysit Pearl now and then. She works in one of the local bank branches, the same one that DoubleMRanch did work for a few years back. We had an enlightening discussion, it was good to see her looking so well. I got my Tea and headed back to the library. I let the dog out for a quick pee in the empty lot next to the library. Two dogs barked at us while Luna sniffed at their fence, hackles up. I strolled around the lot a bit and looked at the bushes by the library. There was some sweet looking rhody I might have to ask my friend Binda about.

At 10:00am they opened the library doors and in I went along with several other people who had been slowly gathering in the parking lot. I picked my spot, back of the library but facing forward, enabling me to key an eye on everything. Happily I had conversations with several people I know from my community. My neighbor who is a retired art teacher and I discussed the problems we have on the road with unlicensed 4 wheelers ridden by high school boys, and... wait for it...dial-up!. I also spoke to a couple of the women who work at the library, both artists. Another photographer friend stopped over and told me about a show of his work in Bellingham. I spoke with 3 strangers briefly. I ended up working for about 3 hours on the final section of the book while the first two sent. I downloaded some other job materials and finally sent the last book files.

To some the inconvenience of not having hi-speed is daunting, an annoyance, something that must be fixed. It is almost a point of shame and embarrassment to me at times. But today, it felt like an irresistible opportunity for enrichment and connection with my community.

Rainy Monday

Well the weekend was reasonably dry but today the deluge returned. After a good day of work in the office we are all (me, Eddy, Mark, Pearl, Iggy, Luna) hunkered down in the house. Mark has lit the fire and we are about to eat some pork burritos with strawberry rhubarb crumble for dessert. Then we are going to curl up in a ball en mass and hope that tomorrow is a better day.

One of the Things I Designed this Week

This is for Sustainable Connections Home and Landscape Tour later this month.

The Week That Was

The juggle is not over yet. I am halfway through the book I am toiling over. It is coming together but with all activities that involve organizing information in a visual framework, anomalies arise and have to be dealt with. Blocks that must be stumbled over and righted. Thank heaven for these long days on my own when I can focus on little else than the project at hand.

Have not been to the farm for days, have not spoken to Nancy. Will try and get down there over the weekend to finish what I started in the greenhouse. All the starts need to be planted out in the field, the pumpkins, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, the kale. God save the kale. At least all this shitty rain we have been having is good for my beet seeds because that watering by hand was really sucking. I have a whole new respect for CSA programs at the moment.

Had to light the wood stove tonight, the house was freezing. I refuse to burn anymore propane in there, it's June for pete's sake. The sun did come out late in the afternoon and I went out and let it shine right on me. Mike and Val stopped by with the kids and I gave them some of the surplus eggs. Ever since they moved off the property I have really had to work to give all the eggs away. My new tenant is allergic, dang!


Look at the time, it's time to lay this redhead down. Have a good sleep internet, oh right, you never sleep. Poor thing.

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Bloggy Hell

I want to blog. I should blog but I have 2 major projects I am working on, and several more in the wings. I must be attentive to my process because it is during this time of total work detail saturation that many problems get solved. I am not the type who can sit down and force myself to solve a problem, solutions for me drop from trees somewhere in my creative brain. I don't know why and I never know when it will happen. So for now there will be no blogging.