A buncha stuff!

I just finished up a quilt, but it is for a challenge, and I can't show it quite yet, I think. I'll check and let you know.

Dead flowers are pretty too! Oh yes they are! Finally found some marigolds which are blooming away, gotta keep them pinched back, I sprinkle the deadheads around in my pots for extra color. This is a columbine plant in this pot by the way, done flowering for the season of course.

A rather hefty Garlic braid, part of our last basket of the year from Camp Joy. Good thing we love our garlic around here! I'm going to miss all that fabulous, fresh, organic produce every week. Especially the tomatoes and the grapes.

Peak of the roof is on now. Starting to look like a house again! My studio is almost emptied out into the storage unit we rented. I feel really silly carrying my boxes of fabric out to the car, driving 12 miles, transferring the boxes into the storage unit, and driving back. And then I'll have to do it in reverse. Whine, whinge! At least I HAVE fabric to drive around in this silly fashion, oh and a car, and gas money.

Are you voting? Are you registered? If not, why not?!

Walking up and down my street

I've been parking a ways up the street so that the contractor's and their giant trucks can use the driveway. Of course it is the steepest part of the road, makes for good exercise, and Zelda the wonderdog likes the extra walks. Of course I had to take my camera along since it sees so differently than I do!

A nice view. BUT See that red? It's poison oak! Aieeee!

The red berries of autumn, don't they look yummy? Not sure if they are edible. Wonder if they would dye something red??

What's this? The new kitty, Spike is following us up the road, meowing rather pitifully. He doesn't know any better.I scooped him up and loaded him in the car to drive back to the house. He wasn't happy about that at all!

Zelda sniffing her way down the road.

Not scared of my own shadow! Nope not me! doesn't this shape look like one of those clay Chinese warrior statues?

Early fruits of fall. Don't eat them even though they look like pears.

First view of the new roof as you come down the road. Framed by the dark shade of the redwoods that surround the road that I'm standing on.

Here's how it is looking from the driveway. Wow, a high peak!

Zelda in the construction zone. No she isn't helping with the digging of the the new patio site. Lazy dog!
She is also "helping" the workers as they move all the materials around. Helping meaning tripping or bumping into them. Helpful isn't a well-defined word for a labrador I guess! Luckily they all love her and great her every morning.

House Progress!

House Progress is happening! Here is the framing of the part being added over the garage. It is soooo fun to see where the new room are, and if they are as we imagined them. We picked out windows too. I'm most excited about the garden window over the new bathtub in the "master bath".
The roof for this part is going on this week, it will reach over the current peak of the house. Then, we'll be busting out the existing walls of the upstairs. Which means boyz room and my stooodio are getting packed up in the next week. Wish me lots of unflagging energy please, I'll need it!

West Coast Pyramid

Poetry Thursday on Friday

Picture of newspaper bales to be recycled from Murfy Recycling in Australia. Isn't this a beautiful picture? I went looking for something to illustrate this post, but this one stopped me in my tracks. I love the colors, but the lines, horizontal across the bale and the ceiling too are really striking. This reminds me of just how much we recycle now. Our recycling bin is twice the size of our garbage bin. The recycling bin is always, every week without fail overflowing. Usually the garbage is maybe 2/3 full. We are really into this recycling this now. It has become a habit, not a problem anymore to do it.

Yes, I'm a day late, but anyways. For Poetry Thursday, here is a poem inspired by the headlines in the newspaper I read today, the San Jose Mercury News of Friday, 10/13/06.

I Read the News Today, Oh Boy

by Julie Zaccone Stiller

Shock, Sadness, Despair

Emotion packs the headlines

Warning, Pervade, Balk

Action words carry the mood

Mystery, Crash, Waste

Solid yet slippery concepts confuse

Political, Bigger, New

Describing our world in easy terms

Murder, Arson, Poisoning

Destroying life and property

New, Testing, Matters

Questioning what comes next and why

All in one page

worries of the society

on center stage

keeping us entertained

as we obsess

who can we trust with our future?

Do you Nanowrimo?

It is almost that time again.
I'm going to try one more time.
This is it.
The last time for me.
And I fully intend to finish 50,000 words in one month.
Even with all the construction craziness happening, I'm going to do it anyways.
I won't be able to quilt really, so this will be my creative outlet for the month of November!
If you want to add me as a writing buddy, let me know...

Self Portrait Tuesday: Mustache Confidential

Self Portrait Challenge is all about the flaws this month. So, Gulp, here it is: the only thing I obsess about.

My flaw, my stache, my mark of aging.

My old-lady Sicilian mustache is showing right on schedule. I'll be 42 in December. I remember petting my great-grandma's mustache (a little bent-over Sicilian lady). She was called Mama Nono by the way. I asked her about it, in that innocent way that oblivious children have and she responded with an unsatisfying answer about that is what happens when you get older. So I put that aside as just one of those weird things grownups say. Then I got older myself. And lo and behold there it is, just as she said.
I've tried just about everything to get rid of it:
- bleaching (works, but the hair is still there, just less noticeable),
- waxing(lips swollen,cracked, and numb, a bad reaction),
- depilatory(lips numb for a week!)
- tweezing (ouch).
I refuse to even try shaving. Oh well, guess I'm stuck with it and shall try to wear it proudly as a mark of my Sicilian heritage! And as a badge of achievement for making it to this advanced age! Woohoo me!

I know I'm not quite a bearded lady yet...but who knows! I may eventually have great-grandchildren to terrorize with my excessive facial hair.

Well, if I have to have a mustache, perhaps I will grow one like Salvador Dali's!

Meme Catch-up

Time for some meme (or MeMe) action.

DebR wants to know: And the rules are, I have to answer JUST yes or no. No elaborating or explaining or equivocating. Sheesh. So to leave you wondering the sordid or boring details, here are my answers.

Have you ever:
1. Taken a picture completely naked? yes
2. Danced in front of a mirror naked? yes
3. Told a lie? yes
4. Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back? yes
5. Been arrested? no
6. Seen someone die? no
7. Kissed a picture? yes
8. Slept in until 5pm? no
9. Had sex at work (on the clock)? no
10. Fallen asleep at work/school? yes
11. Held a snake? yes
12. Ran a red light? yes
13. Been suspended from school? no
14. Pole danced? no
15. Been fired from a job? yes
16. Sang karaoke? no
17. Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? yes
18. Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? yes
19. Laughed until you peed? yes
20. Caught a snowflake on your tongue? yes
21. Kissed in the rain? yes
22. Had sex in the rain? yes
23. Sang in the shower? yes
24. Gave your private parts a nickname? no
25. Ever gone to school/work without underwear? yes
26. Sat on a roof top? yes
27. Played chicken? no
28. Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? yes
29. Broken a bone? yes
30. Flashed someone? yes
31. Mooned someone? yes
32. Shaved your head? no
33. Slept naked? yes
34. Blacked out from drinking? yes
35. Played a prank on someone? yes
36. Had a gym membership? yes
37. Felt like killing someone? yes
38. Cried over someone you were in love with? yes
39. Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? yes
40. Been in a band? yes
41. Shot a gun? yes
42. Shot a bow and arrow? yes
43. Played strip poker? yes
44. Donated Blood? yes
45. Ever jump out of an airplane? no
46. Been to more than 10 countries? yes

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~**~**~*~*~**~*~
Several others on the blog ring have done the 5 weird things about me meme. This is an intriguing one, and I started to do it right away and then I had to think it over. Is it things I think are weird about me? Or things that I think *other* people would think are weird about me? A shift in perspective, eh?

So 5 things I know you'll think are weird about me:

1. I am entirely proud of my belly stretchmarks from having my kids. They are a beautiful, now silvery smooth reminder of that extremely special time. And they remind me also that my body is very powerful and flexible, sometimes I need that visual, visceral reminder when I'm down about how I'm feeling.

2. I love to eat dried seaweed. Seaweed crunchies are my favorite. I can't eat too many because of the saltiness. Better than eating chocolate all day long. My acupuncturist suggested them last year, and I get some whenever I go to the health food grocery store.

3. I sleep with my baby blanket under my pillow. It is pink crocheted cotton, and the cool texture helps me go to sleep superfast. It has one hole which I tried to repair when I was learning to crochet (around age 10), the yarn I used for the repair is bright green. As I recall, my great-grandma made it for me, and it has always been on my bed.

4. I wear my hair up all the time, yet I have long hair. It just makes me hot or cranky or fussy when it is on my neck. It gets in the way when I am gardening or painting or sewing. Why not just cut it short? Gooood question! Don't expect an answer though, I haven't figured this one out.

5. I have about 30 bottles of nail polish and hardly ever polish my nails. I keep buying it though. An old habit? Wishful thinking? Delusions of grandeur? Yup, all of the above.

So there, many tidbits so you'll know just how weird I am....

Poetry Thursday

For Poetry Thursday today, a body related poem. Thanks to Dover and DaVinci for the illustration.

Body As Temple
By Julie Zaccone Stiller

I am more than my body
My visible parts claim only the physical space
I am in here, inside this soul-temple
My container, receptacle, pod, vessel
I am seeing out through its' windows
My eyes have seen many glories
I am holding this pen with its' crabbed digits
My fingers do the walking
I am hearing the world with its' receivers
My ears hear more than is said
I am moving over the surfaces
My moveable temple always ready for the feast

Pets Hanging Out

Zelda the wonder dog, waiting, oh so patiently for the boys after school.

Spike is very relaxed now. I've never had a cat that lays down like this. Funny beasts they are!

Self Portrait Challenge - Imperfection of Me

For the Self Portrait Challenge this week.

Imperfect me, imperfect rose. Still beauty-full though! Celebrating imperfection. That is what makes me (and you too by the way!) *interesting*. And I mean interesting in a GOOD way.
What is imperfect about this part of me? The bad skin, even on my hands these days. Every little cat scratch or bug bite turns into a big deal.
What is imperfect about this rose? Well it is not supposed to be a triple, only a single, variety is Mt. Hood by the way.

I still love my hands, and my roses, imperfections and all. Obsessing about what isn't perfect is perhaps for the young, I know I vaguely remember doing it a whole lot, way back when. Maybe now I've realized that life is too damn short to spend worrying about every little thing. Work with what you've got, move on, enjoy your life, now!

California, Early Autumn

Here it is, fnished, and sent on its way, "California, Early Autumn", which turned out to be 44"high x 37"wide.

Giving Thanks

Altar making is one of my favorite spiritual pursuits, so I wanted to share this with you.
This is one that I made for the recent holiday of Mabon, or fall equinox.
The flowers are from my garden, the produce is from the farm we get our weekly basket. Giving thanks for the bounty of the harvest, what you've grown all summer and are taking in to the darker time of the year to sustain you, til the light returns once more.

And for Poetry Thursday, I'm sharing a favorite poem that suits this season, from the fabulous and treasured (by me!), poetry and prose collection "Sisters of the Earth".

Meadow Turf
by Janet Lewis

Goldenrod, strawberry leaf, small
bristling aster, all,
Loosestrife, knife-bladed grasses,
lacing their roots, lacing
The life of the meadow into a deep embrace
Far underground, and all their shoots,
wet at the base
With shining dew, dry-crested with sun,
Springing out of a mould years old;
Leaves, living and dead, whose stealing
Odors on the cold bright air shed healing---
Oh, heart, here is your healing, here among
The fragrant living and dead.

Porta-Potty Pride

I've always wanted a porta-potty in my front yard...The building continues!

Banned Books

Hey! Did you know it is Banned Books week?? Go to the ALA website and check it out. This is the 25th anniversary of this celebration.

Here is the information about the most challenged books of 2005 from the ALA.
"The following books were the most frequently challenged in 2005:
The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received a total of 405 challenges last year.
A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. According to Judith F. Krug, director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom, the number of challenges reflects only incidents reported, and for each reported, four or five remain unreported.

The “10 Most Challenged Books of 2005” reflect a range of themes.
The books are:
“It's Perfectly Normal” for homosexuality, nudity, sex education, religious viewpoint, abortion and being unsuited to age group;
“Forever” by Judy Blume for sexual content and offensive language;
“The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger for sexual content, offensive language and being unsuited to age group;
“The Chocolate War” by Robert Cormier for sexual content and offensive language;
“Whale Talk” by Chris Crutcher for racism and offensive language;
“Detour for Emmy” by Marilyn Reynolds for sexual content;
“What My Mother Doesn't Know” by Sonya Sones for sexual content and being unsuited to age group;
Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey for anti-family content, being unsuited to age group and violence;
“Crazy Lady!” by Jane Leslie Conly for offensive language; and
“It's So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families” by Robie H. Harris for sex education and sexual content.

Off the list this year, but on for several years past, are the Alice series of books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain."

I think I will go put in requests at my library for ALL of these banned books, they must be great if "they" don't want me to read them.... As soon as I finish 1984, which is usually on this list too.
Our high school library just had a fire (a malicious arson kinda fire), maybe I ought to donate all these to the library??? I hope that they put an Amazon wish list up so that people can help restock the library. Especially since Dear Son#1 is going to be a freshman there next year!!
My feeling is that libraries are precious and a foundation of our liberty.

Poetry Thursday, plus Hollyhocks

Look! Rust-free hollyhocks this year! Wow! How did that happen? Thanks to my Grandma Zaccone for the seeds years ago, the gift that keeps on giving.

And now on to Poetry Thursday which asks us to consider posting a poem in our authentic voice.
Here's mine:

True Voice
by Julie Zaccone Stiller

I am more than one voice
From more than one experience

Playing fast & loose with what is "true"

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Well, so is truth

All is relative to everything else
says I with my own filters,
frame of reference,
and P.O.V.

When I say it is true
It is to me
But the final truth
is to remember yet again
that it ain't necessarily so for you

The real detail

Here is the detail, of Corpus #2.

Self Portrait Challenge

Self Portrait Challenge for the month is to show yourself with those who are meaningful in your life. So here I am with my two beautiful boys and Lady Liberty. I suppose eventually they will both be that much taller than me. So far, just #1 son is, by two inches! And the way he's been eating lately, #2 son is catching up quickly. I love to see how they grow.
(Please note that this picture is taken from below us, so that LL can fit in the pic, I'll admit that I have a double chin, but I'm not quite up to a triple chin, yet!)

Way More than you Ever Wanted to Know

1. FIRST NAME? Julie
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope. I thought I was named after Julie Andrews for a long time, then I asked my Mom!
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? When I was watching the tv show Angel on DVD
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No, I have trouble reading it!
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Olive Loaf, on white bread with mayo & mustard.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes, I think I would. But I would wonder why I didn't call very often. heh.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Yes, several. And a blog too.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Heck yes! Maybe it would fix my lower back problems??
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I'm Cuckoooo for Cocoa Puffs
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No, and then I ruin the heel cup when I put them back on. Whoops.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Physically, yes, though I've been much stronger back when I did weight lifting a lot. Mentally, yes definitely, although I do have my limits of course, at least I know that now!
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Berkeley Farms' Rocky Road, not the light version, the real deal please. And no syrup.
14. SHOE SIZE? 11 or 10.515 (I gained a shoe size with each kid, used to be size 9).
15. FAVORITE COLOR? Purple (NOT lavender)
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My tendency to laziness and sloth.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? I miss my Grandmothers, one who is alive yet no longer there, and one who has passed on.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Of course! Tell me in comments if you answer on your blog, or??
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Brown tie-dyed shorts and blue garden MuckBoot sandals.
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? An nice cold, crisp, green, organic pear from Camp Joy.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? the whine of my computer, my bird Merriweather singing to the birds outside, construction noises and Air America radio. Multi-tasking ears...
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Purple Mountains' Majesty, which was a color added in1993.
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? My garden and my husband. I used to say my kids, but they are now in smelly pre-teen-ville. Oy! Honestly, they smell good right after they've showered.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Lunaea
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Their eyes.
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Sure! I found it on Debra's blog.
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Fresh lemonade.
28. FAVORITE SPORT? To play myself? Frisbee. To watch? Football. To listen to? Baseball.
29. EYE COLOR? moo cow brown
30. HAT SIZE? Large to x-large, big hair, big brain.
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Sometimes
32. FAVORITE FOOD? lasagna or chocolate
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? scary movies with happy endings
34. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? white with a Far Side cartoon
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter. I can't take the heat anymore.Fall is actually my favorite season.36. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses. Hugs hurt too much now. :(
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Dining out: Chocolate mousse At home: Chocolate Cake
38. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? The Wild Mother by Elizabeth Cunningham and Armed Madhouse by Greg Palast
39. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? It is a heat sensitive pad that changes colour.
40. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? half each of Nip/Tuck and Law & Order Criminal Intent.
41. FAVORITE SOUNDS? my children laughing together, my cat purring next to me and my husband telling me he loves me.
42. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Definitely Beatles
43. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Mykonos, Greece
44. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Making something from nothing. Or if you've watched The Jerk lately, none of your beeswax!
45. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Mountain View, California
46. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Debra Sp. (I know a lot of Debra's and more than one Debra S.!)
47. NEWEST THING YOU'VE TRIED? Making mix cd's.
Old New Question
48. ONE THING YOU'D CHANGE ABOUT YOURSELF?: I would be healthy.
My New Question:
49. WHO DID YOU LAST SEND A LETTER OR CARD TO?: Adrienne

A new Corpus

Here's the latest in my Corpus series. Corpus #2. 48"h x 27"w.
Made out of recycled cotton/lycra (salvaged from a clothing company), discharged and then sewn together as is.

Tell me what you think....