No Onion No Cry.

A life without work on the side is splendid, invigorating and always entertaining.

Cicada! y TARANTULA!

INSECTS: Meet "Buzzer"

As I understand.. these newborn nymphs burrow in the ground for 2-5 years (some up to 15 or 17 years) and feed on root juice. The strong front legs allow for digging in and back out of the ground. They attach to something (our backdoor frame) after the emerge and molt.

I watched it as it was perpendicular to this skin and it then clung on to its old skin's back... Whoah (Joey Lawrence "whoa!") Took about 50 photos as its wings were dropped

and we realized it had a monkey face. hahaha.

poor guy. getting flashed at like it was a celebrity after years of being in the dark.
So then after it sat there all night it goes on and finds a mate by buzzing with its "timbals" on its abdominal area. Up to 120 decibels "at close range", among the loudest of all insect-produced sound... and it happens all day long. Then the women lay the eggs and they die. What a life cycle?!!?

SPIDERS: Meet "Harry". not to be confused with our sunflower.

I skerd it. HA.

Dogs are unlikely entertained and not the typical evening "bite each other chase" in the living room while I am doing the dishes... then I see it... the largest spider crawling... not in my shoe, not behind glass in a museum or at a zoo. Ummmm. Crap. uhhh. Shit. What can I put it in??? Will it jump? Does it climb vertically? How did it get in? Through a window? Images of it in my bed, or in my room or climbing on me... ugggghhhh. shudder. Ok. Big box can keep it for the time till Abby gets home to see our second "national geographic" episode. Shudder.

Book #2 DONE.
I have to say when you find a good book and it gets you laughing and turning pages faster than you ever thought you could read... IS REALLY entertaining. Not like I have spent the last 7 years only reading educational, wait, Architecture related readings, so I am excited to keep my leisure reading at a good pace.

A little jungle up in here.
We went consumer shopping for plants on sat. and we are now in the green. We also went to check out the Habitat for Humanity ReSale store, intentions for an old door to make into a desk... SCORE! a narrow solid oak door $20. Pretty perfecto! I found Abby smiling in a green wheely chair that looked like a mushroom and almost consumed her totally. I sat in the one next to her and asked, "want to get em?" We had a mini bumper car episode and we found a lllllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaady (ha! my keyboard just went psycho) to claim them ours. We got our kicks out of the drive home; "it will fit, trust me."

We now have a talk show set up and it is going over well with our visitors.

The DINNER BELL.
My new fav. weekend breakfast grub ritual I will have to keep up with Abby. It does not compare to the experience or talents of Al's but it is breakfast and it always tastes better when you order it from a local family owned business.

Belay ON!

WATSON LAKE

When Abby's good friend Dan (BELOW, BELAYING)
comes back into town they go climbing; they know the ropes, they have the gear, they kick ass.

I got to go with on Sunday morning at Watson lake; a place I loved to go to back when (in '05). From climbing the fake walls at Dakotah! or at ELC when I was in the 6th grade to now facing a large wall with all natur-ale nubs that I will soon act like Spiderman and scurry up it like it ain't no thing is.. FINALLY! Dan gives me the low down, Abby shows me the safety figure-eight knot...I have on a mean pair of 9.5 mens climbing shoes and no sock stuffing needed... given a few terms and I got it.. here I go, Belay ON! climbing!

Me doing my thing thinking and then just lean into it. Go. Trust that your little bit of fingers on the tiny ass ledge or stub will support as you somehow defy gravity and move upward.

My eye is on the large quartz nobber.

A sweet photomerge idea gone AMAZING_ all up on the climb at once!

A few runs up each and we are all thinking the same thing... icecream!

Back-to-Baking! and Grilling!
Monday was a solid night of good people and good food. The itch to bake my grandmothers Finnish Flat bread is now scratched. I started it at 7ish when the grill was a grillin our mushroom n' veggies to make the best and only mushroom, eggplant, zucchini and bbq sauce "burger" I ... mm mmmmm. I did not know that this craving would be such a long process; when I thought back to the memories of my mother making the bread; I remember kneeding and sitting by the fire as it took a while to rise. And the process I found out goes... mix dry, stir wet, add bacon grease, flour, flour, more flour, flour, flour, more flour, still more flour, still sticky, more flour, lil more, lil more flour, ok ball it up, let it rise, punch it down, let it rise, roll it out, let it rise, flip it, fork it and put it in the oven. wait one loaf, wait loaf two. wheeew. its now 1230 and mmmm. nibble nibble, go to bed. I now remember the part where my mom started this at 10 in the morning so by late afternoon we had fresh bread to munch on and share when we were all... awake. Looks and tastes like I remember. Crunchy toasted crust with light and fluffy buttery _ ahhhhhh satisfied.

mmm. Cookie monster. Oatmeal, raisin, choc-a-latte. easy process throw it all in (melting the butter with some chocolate). add some icecream for sandwhich style. OMG! YUM.

Keep Breathing. (work and business).
Getting in to the groove of the 9-5, or not at all. I get antsy. I get bored. I wait for autocad to spit out some error message at me and shut down. I wish it would at least pick a few funny jokes to place on the screen while I am going cross eye'd. ... breathe. I feel the tension and the stresses of a non-profit and sit in the middle "behind the scenes" of budgeting, finances and enrollment of and preparation for eager students.

WHIP IT! WHIP IT GOOD!

OH and did I mention the weekend festivals... all summer long.
This past weekend events...

National Day of the AMERICAN COWBOY, yes ladies!, get your cowboys right here in Prescott.
Front line news reads: MAN CRACKS THE WHIP ON HARMLESS CELERY!



and what true American cowboy would be without their Shady Ladies.

When life can't get any better.

SO a couple of life lessons; When life gives you lemons... fuck lemonade, I'll make lemon tea and add some honey. I felt this way recently and I don't remember why? I also went from an emotional high that all started back when I gave my presentation... (wait when my lil' ArMY helped me finish my models at 3am, hours before I had to present) to finishing my THESIS book, to graduating to going on the best trip and seeing amazing friends -2- going home -2- (wait a few days of anxiety and tossing my life around in my hands (huge downer) -2- moving (again the thought of it alone was a rollercoaster of good and bad) -tooo- actually moving- 2- seeing friends in Phoenix -2- getting an awesome house with a sweet roomy + two dogs - 2- amazing neighbors that offer me their truck for going places (furnishing my room with a cali king bed and a 70s rocker chair with big blue velvet flowers (which I would of HATED all my life till I was mmmmm 18 or so) all for 40$! -to- a Low... the 4th, friends and family and bbq = all of which are back home. I got homesick for the first time, had my tears but then realized why I am here, to learn and learn a lot. So suck it up and get on that roof and watch those fireworks! I could only see half of them in the distance. the good half of the really big ones... some where high enough to see all of it! yippeee! OOHHHH ahhhhhhhh! ok, i am done. lesson learned. enjoy life for what it is today, not yesterday or tomorrow.

My bungalow home in the desert.




next #2. my bike ride yesterday was a complete wreck from the start but I kept giving all I got. my wheel is slightly bent from shipping. I go anyways. up the first hill my handlebars are too loose and start rotating (my strength for tightening was not enough) up the next hill and my chain almost falls off. i keep going. the hill keeps going. I keep going. nice curves, nice scenery, ohhhh an old truck for sale... the hill wont stop. I keep going. I keep going. I keep going. I have to stop. the rain cloud I was leaving behind catches up. thumb butte mountain is too far for my breathe and still up the hill... I listen to my stomach to go eat and climb this hill and the mountain another day. I give 1$ to the boyscouts for a hotdog in the town square and I window shop the artsy farty tents lined up for the weekend extravaganza. I buy earings.. had too. try some sample soup (cheddar asparagus.. yum but not 6$ + just add water yum : P ) I go grocery shopping for dinner and get more than my bike and I can handle but I am hungry and thats how it goes. I get up the hill with my handle bars almost upside down and my backpack stuffed full with all the "heavy" items. I get to our hill from the side street so it wont be so big.. then it happens... IT DOWNPOURS! I have a raincoat but I think is it worth it. Well then I think it will take some weight out of the bag fixed on the funked handlebars. So I put it on. gear it home and let it rain. I am soaked and I am happy.



short #3. i have been itching to use our fire barrel (not a pit) slash grill ever since I set eyes on it and today with my fresh pre-made shish-kabobs (2 for one, shwing!) I set out to find free wood in the 'woods' down the gravel road out our back yard with Abby. Success and armfuls of branches we start the fire. With caution we talk about the fires here and in California. We get fire! whoooo! then we get smoke. take out the logs that cause the smoke and we need more lil ones. (branches not kids) soon fire again! then smoke, then fire! good fire. stay fire. I get the kabobs. Abby throws in two potatoes in foil and then... "life cant get any better": we are sitting in our recently acquired wicker rockers (our neighbor was teased for them being too girly) eating beef kabobs, a fresh garden salad (mmm. love those radishes) and hot potatoes with butter. stars are out and the big dipper is saying HI.

I am sick, a consta-cough, dry and no flem wads or snotty nose... so a week and a half into this thing and I am getting curious. I am also SO hydrated from drinking my fav. 'science experiment' _ ginger and honey tea, that I am pissing clear and for the first time it's not from beer. Ha, thats a lyric.

and lastly, we planted SUNFLOWERS in the front of the house... guessing they will bloom at the end of summer?? most are from seed. I will post photos when I name them all. We already have Harry and Sally.

Mmm. baking. I am thinking and drooling over this concockshun: (?sp, but i like how i spelled it) ok, ready??? ... mmmmm. (homer style, mmmmm) ready.??? trailmix cookies. oatmeal, raisin, craisin, nuts, and choco/peanut butter chips... whoaaa! YUM! ; P soon. and I want to bake banana bread, my moms finish flat bread, and no knead bread.... oh I want to bake for days.

For this year and learning: guitar, learn sign lang. (big group here that gets together weekly) and keep my hands moving with brushes and paints!