Afloat

English 

“Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidst the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O, hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!”


Noah was surely contemplating the ark last night.  Solid rain, solidly coming down through to this morning. So much so, the creeks, rivers and lakes have risen to make the roads scary so school was cancelled today throughout Central New York. Any opportunity to reference Noah is my idea of heaven.

I participated in Benjamin Britton’s Noye’s Fludde in Middle School—and loved the music, and the whole medieval quality of this operetta. So, when things get soggy, I find myself humming the small snippet of Noah talking to his wife about getting their act together because he could feel the structure move. So beautiful and singable….and so Churgh of Englandy…with recorders and handbells, soaring voices and crazy simple props and scenes.

Erich was busy bailing water but Rob got off to sunnier climes at 5 a.m. So, we have boys playing drums and music…a bit of clatter. I hope to heaven no one calls to hear this crap of high hat and drums that is soooo marching band. A bit tedious.

I am doing surgery via the phone on the tower….which is not bad…but the paperwork is certainly not as good or descriptive as that of IKEA. Maybe today I can either have the computer work or wipe the whole magilla and get going. I am tired of the lack of productivity I am experiencing. I just want my big employee that plugs in—back. It’s looking like this machine could sign up for unemployment if it doesn’t start up any sooner. Please,no more wasted days.

I am tired and cranky. I feel like we have been going solid…and I would love a chance to have a break. No weekends for two weekends…

 

Harumph.

Ithaca Grafitti, Q. Cassetti, 2011First day of Yearbook today. Nice crew of kids. Mainly girls, but some old friends from last year have signed on again—which is terrific. There are some chatty girls with ideas—so that should be good if we can harness them. I have hope that this year may not be the hump that it was last year to make the book happen. 

Today is one of those rainy days that begs for stock making…and so I am with lovely celery from Sweet Land CSA that I got yesterday. My, when you don’t buy celery, elegant grocery store green stalks, but get it new from the farm, it has all the parts that I love—all the loveagy leaves to roast with the parts, the carrots, onions and leek parts my mother in law leaves for me (she only uses the tip/ the white part). I will take any part of any leek and save it for my roasty stock. Bring on more turnips and carrots for my soup. And, inspired by the amazing Anna Root, stockmaker to the stars, all the greens and ends I should gather and combine to enrich the whole thing. Now that I am in my tower, shivering with wool on—the stock season is at hand.

My computer is acting up again. Making me crazy. However, now that I have my friends at Baka, I can call and they can confirm that no, I am not crazy, and yes, we will have to wipe the darned hard-drive. Jeez. Its never easy. I just hate loading new software, finding old software, the fonts the fonts the fonts….and then all the add-ons that I have in symbols and brush libraries. Oh, how I hate it. And it seems like this is my only option. Tedious, tedious, tedious.

I took a brief tutorial on Lynda.com on how to make fancy swirls using the swirl shape—and how to manipulate the tool to make it do more than it appears to be able to do. Love Deke McClellan and how clear he made the process. I just wish the computer would work so I could try all this stuff out. Yes, I have the miraculous powerbook—but its not the same as the big operation.

Rob leaves us tomorrow for Miami. Lucky duck. Alex and I will have some nice bro time together.

little chrysalis

Kitty and Robbie at the Haunt, July, 2011, Q. CassettiWell, the new year according to the Empire of Q. started this morning with a Shaggin’ Wagon dead battery—key in, no results. But, Alex got to school on time, empty bookbag, gym clothes, a check for lunch and his favorite greasy breakfast (at school). Mr. K from AAA came before 9. to give me a jump and I did a bit of driving over to Peach Orchard on Seneca Lake to get some peaches to peel and freeze, to make a cobbler, and to make more peach/ginger jam (freezer jam).

We got off around noon on Sunday to get to Amherst around 6. We stopped at Kitty’s new abode and ran into a bunch of her friends. So, we left her to catch up and did a little tootling around with Alex to see what was new and where we might have dinner (Mission Cantina, a new Mexican place on West Street—just steps from Hampshire). We then got Kitty and a friend and had a nice dinner watching Alex reel from the great music they were playing on the overhead combined with a double love of fresh fish tacos that he consumed happily (in hindsight, we should have ordered him two plates…he loved them soooo much). Then, off to the hotel for sleeping before a big day on Sunday of moving Kitty in, going to Target to get stuff to make her life a bit more liveable and then back home in the afternoon.

It sure felt like the brave new world. Kitty was ready to shoo us out the door when we  started getting in her space trying to help but making her crazy. I am the queen of noodlers, so I fear I made her the craziest. So, going to the store to buy olive oil, honey and peaches, fresh tomatoes and bread got me out of her space but alllowing me to show the love as the pseudo italian housewife I am. She is in an onward and upward mode versus the poor little lonely girl we left—a girl filled with fear and trepidation. We left  a far more confident young women this year with more of a grasp on what she is about, what she loves, where she is pointed. Her work this summer along with living in the house of the Lost Boys give her a boost that was happily unexpected—along with the mental and emotional sorting that coming home often initiates. After she showed us all around to the wonderful round room in the center of her Greenwich mod to the other mod with the cutest little student run library—I feel that this year our little chrysalis  may begin to notice her wings this year with new friends and acquaintances, new opportunities and studies, new learning around how to live on your own and with friends, and the raft of other things that just happen in college. I am not sulking and mooning over my little girl albeit she is on my mind as we had such a treasured time this summer. She is back with her tribe—with a desire to learn more about fashion, clothing, sewing, decorative arts and fashion.

So, it really wasnt much of a weekend….but the beginning of the new year for all. Rob is off to Miami later this week/ back Saturday—so I will be handling the XC breakfast solo. which is no biggie. I will be making little Granola/yogurt and fruit parfaits (so peeling and prepping the fruit will happen Friday night (more peach use). I am going to do a Tuesday pick up at the CSA now that school is back in session. Oh my.

Alex is back to running full time. We have so much to do with him!

 

new year blessings

Yesterday for me was a full study hall. I completed a publication layout that was kind of fun, taking all the parts and trying to fit it all together, while adding some design editorial by blowing up some images, laying somethings behind the text, modifying some of the typography (sounds only a dog can hear…) but neatly wrapped up as closed to finished as I can do so now. I also took the opportunity to read the image requirements for both the Society of Illustrators NY and the Society of Illustrators LA annual shows. I made a list of the images I plan to submit and quickly went through and saved the files out (different requirements per show) to separate folders. So, now I am ready to do the electronic paperwork to make that happen. I can stage it all by the end of September, and be efficient at posting all the above. It did make me relook at last week’s portrait and decide to modify it…just so slightly… and maybe to shake the copy off the Tim Pinckney poster for the Hangar—to see if the crew would like a really graphic illustration.

Interestingly, this review was a great thing to do. I really hadn’t critically looked at the body of work from the past year— kind of afraid that there wasn’t much there. There have been so many little random projects from the Farmers Market, Advent Calendar 2010, india inspired work, portraits, logotypes with illustration, that there hasn’t been much cohesiveness to the work—and thus, I sold myself short. Honestly, it isn’t that the work has been skimpy—just slightly more untraditional explorations into style/ styling/ line and topics derivative of the content (india, russian dolls, leaves, vegetables). I guess as the topics have not cleanly flowed from one to the next, it turned out be little plates of dim sum and not a sumptuous feast. Lesson learned: keep going….most important thing is not to put the pen down. Just stay on it…even when it might be a bit boring because when it gets boring, sometimes that the moment when something interesting happens. You know, the unexpected…the ringer.

Kitty is packed. The wonder bus is packed. Alex’s paper is written and printed. Litter box is clean. Rob is listening to the radio and getting ready to finish cutting the lawn. So we go off with neatness and planning. A beautiful thing.

Time to wrangle the cats.
Time to move to the next chapter…I hope I can be ready for all it entails.

ps. if I were to rule the universe, the Empire of Q., I would make the first day of school, the first day of the new year. So much hope. So much anticipation. So much fear and expectation. So much promise.

To quote Alex, “Peace Out”.

 

Laboring Days

Owl Study, Q. Cassetti, 2011Last day before we load up the wonderbus and take Kitty back to the Pioneer Valley and happiness amongst her friends, her soon to be new friends, contradancing and new studies and focus.

Its all ramping up for the schoolyear here. Yearbook has been scheduled. Alex’s classes are good. Rob has been remarkable, coaching Alex to be a better and more focused writing. This writing process has been quite remarkable to watch. Cross Country is in full bore with breakfast for 30 for next Saturday. I think I will make yogurt and granola and fruit sundaes with bagels and juice.  Sounds like granola batching this week. Then the next due date is my Sagamore presentation that I need to get charged about. We are having a group here this Wednesday for a project we are calling the Tripych.

Essentially, the Triptych project is going to be a topic we as a group will pick (the group is comprised of writers, visual artists, musicians)…and brainstorm. The next time we meet, we will all have 3 “takes” on the topic using the same media or different, same channel or mixing writing and drawing or writing and photography, photography and drawing….you get the idea. This is a group of great people who have a high quality level, and thinkers. Should be fun doing the work and getting to know the group. If we all agree, we will post a “carnival”(according to Amelia) which is that each of us post a list of links of all the respective participants.

I am chugging away on a publications project that is a stopper in the works. I figured if I would free up the space, things will flow more smoothly….next week—the short week. So onward from dawdling with you.

More finish.

Finished, I think, Q. Cassetti, 2011, Adobe Illustrator CS5So, First portrait is done. Need to chip away at the publication for now…and then back at the other portrait. The process was pretty fun yesterday—and as you can see, the work tighened up and was a bit more designed from the show and tell last night with the client.  The image came together pretty quickly (considering other images I have done)—so the quickies earlier this summer had some value in getting my “eye in”. Then, it gets married to some type.

It was announced that Steuben Glass, a former client of mine, is closing it’s doors, it’s factory—and letting it’s employees go.

Ben Dobbin, an AP Reporter says:

Luxury crystal maker Steuben closes NY factory

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — The Ohio owner of Steuben Glass, the company still making luxury lead crystal by hand in the United States, said Wednesday that it plans to end production after 108 years.

Schottenstein Stores Corp. of Columbus, Ohio, which bought the business from longtime owner Corning Inc. in 2008, said declining sales in the choppy economy have been eroding Steuben Glass’ profitability.

Steuben’s sole factory, which employs 60 people making everything from wine glasses to art objects in the small city of Corning in western New York, is set to close Nov. 29.

When the factory opened in 1903, founder and designer Frederick Carder’s richly hued creations turned him into a giant of the glass arts scene alongside Louis Comfort Tiffany and Rene Lalique.

The Steuben Glass store in New York City will remain open until its inventory sells, while the shop at the Corning Museum of Glass will close in November, Schottenstein spokesman Ron Sykes said.

Before its sale to Schottenstein, the crystal maker had been unprofitable for a decade. It had lost $30 million over the previous five years, and its sales had shrunk to $25 million a year, company officials at Corning said.

Steuben Glass artwork can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Its wine glasses start at $75 apiece. For more of this article>>

The Elmira Star Gazette reports.

Crystal Biscuit, Steuben GlassHow sad this all is. Steuben Glass has been part of my history and that of my husband and his family. This American Tradition of giving and receiving the finest crystal in the world we share the love of with our friends who are designers, craftsmen and top managment of this concern with threads of knowledge and design reaching down to the former generations of designers and craftsmen. This remarkable company provided gifts of state and gifts to friends for 108 years presenting bowls for Buckingham Palace to candlesticks for the dining room table from grandmother, to mother to daughter. This is a company we all talked about, stretched to understand, reached to grow, and lean into to showcase the best of the best. (the example to the right is an example of where they have gone….a personalized glass dog biscuit…from the pinnacle that created and produced many magical pieces from James Houston (to name one), creating and producing Sydney Waugh’s Gazelle Bowl (1935) in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (see the bowl)

Steuben was the pride of the Corning valley. It embraced families of glassmakers, copper wheel engravers, design cutters, glass cleaners, glass craftsmen, gaffers, gatherers, and teams. Everyone had even a small piece in the requisite knick knack cabinet, a “dust collector” (as I called them)—with company gifts, personal gifts, momentos given and displayed. It is a sad day for the valley…and a sad day for the company. I have many happy memories of the company with the grey linen box.

Today is my dear son’s birthday. Happy Day to Alex. Speaking as someone who was at the original Birthday, he is as adorable as the small Alexander Commander who arrived on the scene on time, as predicted—sweet and burrowing into our hearts. We will have dinner out at a splashy restaurant tonight. I bought him a used electric guitar which is his present from me. Gotta go.

 

More miracles

Portrait in progress, step one, Q. Cassetti, 2011, Adobe Illustrator CS5

I have two portraits to do by the end of September. I got a crack at one of them yesterday and delighted in creating the silhouette and beginning to digitally cut the highlights out of that shape. I hope the mid tones and darks will go in today. I am always, without a doubt, nervous when I square up the paper and start these thing—asking myself if I can do it this time…as I rarely have much confidence in the reference combined with shaky personal confidence. Just picking up the pen, taking a deep breath and then the focused chipping away often checking every decision takes the time. When I have a half dozen highlights in, I know this is going to work or not….and my optimism can rise. Its a nice charge to drive the work forward. Then, I give myself a little permission to go a bit rogue with some manufactured highlights and shadows. I am optimistic I can give my client a pair of portraits that will work complete with working a hand with a smoking pipe into one of them as the pipe was so iconic with this particular artist.

Have you heard about Wacom’s newest offering, the Inkling? I discovered this wonder yesterday and currently I am transfixed and cannot wait until mid September. The Inkling is essentially, a ballpoint pen that records your hand drawing and transfers that work to digital. You use their pen, and your own notebook. I am wondering how it translates your drawing to make it better than a high res scan. Its too cool…but now that I think about it…unless it saves it to vectors or layers or provides me more than a scan, I am trying to figure out whether this is more of a toy than a real work tool. Maybe if there is a chance today, I will do a little reading on this.

From EverythingUSB.com:

“Finally this fantastic pen interface technology has made it to where it belongs, Wacom Inkling Smart Pen. The Inkling Smart Pen is a 2 part device that transfers handwriting strokes to a digital format. The technology is quite clever and extremely energy efficient which is what gives it such great potential. The base unit uses 2 microphones that give it the sound version of stereoscopic ‘vision’, allowing it to hear where the pen is moving.The pen emits a completely inaudible pulse helping the base unit track location and pen pressure. The datagrams on these coordinates are tiny allowing for cheap storage of many pages. The pen is normal sized thanks to only needing to make its silent ping while the base unit listens and records. Other competitors in the space require a hot-dog sized pen to hold all the electronics. Some of those require special paper as well, where none is needed by the Inkling.

The touch of a button on the base tells the device to start using storing the pen strokes in a different ‘page’ and it can store dozens if not hundreds of pages. An internal battery in the base is recharged by USB and the pen only needs inexpensive watch batteries. This technology has been hopping from company to company for some time now, A-open and IOGear to name a few. Both have products based on this technology but no one does pens like Wacom. We’re looking forward to see how much they’ve improved upon it while unfortunately upping the prior incarnation’s MSRP. Wacoms plan to release the Inkling Smart Pen at $199 later this year. Being able to import directly into Illustrator is probably worth double that for any serious artists.”

OH MY. v e c t o r

I wonder if one will be enough!

It was study hall yesterday at the office. It just dawned on Alex that maybe, just maybe he needed to get to work on the paper he has due next week for his environmental science class. This has a lot of research and processing of information which my son thought he could dash off….NOT. So, I made him sit with me all day to work on this paper. Unfortunately, he is busy counting words versus focusing on truly delivering on the paper’s content and requirements. I think I am going to throw the role of the heavy to Rob as I am making him sit and focus. I hope there is more we will learn about Alex from the testing we will be starting in a week or so. He just focuses on the oddest things and doesn’t really understand where he should be tracking. If I can talk him through, sometimes it hits. Sometimes he is there with me. More study hall today.

I have a meeting in a few and need to get the already foley-ed tomato sauce on the stove to simmer for a few hours to get the water out. I am a sauce making machine. I feel like there may be a few more pots out there. Loving it.

little note

Green Man 16, Q.Cassetti, 2011, pen and inkIt was a wild ride all weekend. We had guests from Friday evening through to today with a hurricane sandwiched into breakfast, lunch and dinner. All the people and food morphed into a wave of chopping and eating, talking and making….a wave of energy and people, stories and passion, laughs and quiet.

Every bed and cot were filled. It was not “no big deal” as it took some planning and energy to make this happen.

So the blur is over and now I am back into the week wondering why my head is spinning and feel a bit ragged.

More tomorrow.

Hootie

Green Man 19, Q. Cassetti 2011, pen and inkKitty got the pleasure of travelling to NYC with Rob today. They will have 2 days and an overnight which is very exciting for both of them. She was all decked in her new look complete with her new “vintage” Dooney and Burke black and brown bag, her new oxfords and black pants, and stripes to complement the whole thing.

I got Alex to his running this a.m. and then back for Jacob. I managed to send the cooked down tomatoes through the food mill and am allowing it to set up and settle before I put it in plastic bags for the freeze. The chicken for Saturday is thawing so I can marinate in advance. Tonight blueberry cakes to be baked. Tomorrow a.m.—flower picking and great bowls of cherry tomatoes for a salad to be made for the crew. I need to buy corn from Rick up the hill as well as cantaloupe and other melons.  Thank goodness for the bounty of the wonderful produce we have right now. Makes the entertaining so much more pleasant.

So the prep begins. Alex and I are going to buy nuts and chips, dips and dots, cream cheese and butter, vinegar and dishwashing powder.  Bagels will need to be purchased closer to Sunday. I can do a mess of cutting and prepping in advance.

It was a big light show last night waking me up before the thunderboomers rolled down the lake. Weather.com projected the storm to hit Sheldrake at exactly 3:24 a.m. and dang, it did. A bit torrential at times, but leaving us with a damp day. It’s a bit drizzly, so poor Alex may be running in the rain. He was so thoughtful about running in the rain, talking about how he settles into getting used to it and finding pleasure as you warm up in the cool rain. I love how Alex thinks—in a poetic, kind and very centered way. He and I had a nice chat together—and I must admit, I am looking forward to being a pair again with Kitty going back to school. I like us together when he doesn’t have to compete with the high jinx we gals get up to.

Today, I need to wrap up a few sketch projects, do a bit of image research and send some emails. The little Greek Owl to the left is some of the reference I am going to for my little Philomathic owl poster. I have always loved these little guys—their vacant look and all the tremendous detail in the wings and head. Yesterday’s image was the beginning of this little process—so you should see a few of these images before I settle on one. At least 8 of em just to get the look nailed…and giving me the lovely time of drawing with ink on my gorgeous new watercolor book.

I need to get going on making my virtual roladex to share at Sagamore and some writing (I was asked to help write as the requestor likes my “voice”). I cannot imagine anyone liking this shrill voice…but surprisingly, I am getting a handle on what I want to say—so it might not be as hard as I thought initially.

Shaking

Greek Owl, Q. Cassetti, 2011, pen and ink on watercolor moleskine notebookI got up early to get Alex to his preseason training at the Falls overlook this morning. There I was at 8 a.m. with a beautiful morning in front of me and a hour to do anything in the whole wide world I wanted to do. So, it dawned on me that I could go pick more roma tomatoes at Sweetland CSA and cook them down today/ tomorrow. Additionally, tomorrow is my in-laws’ 55th wedding anniversary, so I could get some zinnias to put in a Corning Studio Glass vase. And so, I did just that and was home before nine bells.  A bunch of gorgeous pink and pink/purple zinnias went into a Bill Gutenrath inspired clear vase with a cobalt lip wrap and a striped ribbon to sparkle up the mix. I washed the tomatoes and they are cooking down as we speak. I will need to remember my foley foodmill tomorrow to get the sauce to sauce—and separate all the skins and seeds for compost. What a wonderful, beautiful thing to do before work.

My thinking on the CSA has changed from just a pick up thing to my surrogate backyard for the you pick stuff when I want to pick it (in the morning when its cool and I am feeling in fine feather). I love being out with the bees, surrounded by color and nature, fruit and flowers. Being among the tomato vines this morning was a quiet whisper of the summer. A memorable time and a celebration of this robust time of the year. I think a winter share will be in order for soup and sides. Bring on the celeriac and leeks!

I am SOOOO happy. Baka Micro took the Tower of Power away and called yesterday with solutions—not problems! And, they have thinking and planning around protecting my data and really maximizing my computer with components that are part of the system that I havent put into action (mirroring program for one). So, I am getting my computer back, fixed and ready to roll along with new systems in place and someone at my back that I have never had as the princess of Luckystone—and it is something quite affirming and amazing to finally have.

Around lunch yesterday, I was at my desk when I was wondering why a big truck was outside my window I couldnt see…the windows shook, and shook. I looked out the window to see that it wasnt the weather. The trees were quiet. And then, to find out that indeed, it was the earthquake that was felt on the east coast. I wasnt afraid…it was just something I couldn’t figure out. Thanks to Twitter, I had it figured out in seconds.

Part of the summer tribe departs today. Sad….though we hadn’t planned on the tribe of men we had here since mid July, it has been energetic and active with lots of music, talk and opinions which was fun. Plus, as a person who likes to cook, a pleasure to deliver to a happy audience.

Onward.

 

Fall on the Horizon

GreenMan in Nature, Q. Cassetti, 2011, pen and inkWe have had guitars and drums early in the morning today that I had to squelch as my poor clients cannot operate with the crash bang noise in our background while we attempt to communicate with them. Then darn it, but Time Warner pulls the plug—so while I am midstream with a client on a topic…and there is silence with all the lights on the phone…on. So, I phoned on my cell and apologized for this tech wiggle. Must be in the air. But thankfully, Baka has the Tower of Power….so maybe that will be good/great by the end of the week. There is hope.

Its wool undershirt weather. It is chilly to say the least. Sweaters are in order and the green in the trees have changed to olive. Fall is on the horizon just as the big sculptural clouds we have on the horizon each night. I think it should be a pleasant weekend for our CMU guests though swimming might not be in the cards. I have got to get some things made and readied for the dinner on Saturday. Feels like we will have around 20 (plus or minus)—so I need to get the right amount of nice chicken out of the freeze to marinate in Cornell Chicken sauce. Two blueberry cakes. A salad, Rick’s Corn, and maybe some tabouli with feta. I have got to figure out what we are offering for breakfast (sounds like bagels with…cheese, cream cheese, freezer jam, and maybe some salmon?). I see a trip to Ithaca in the offing.

All the summer workers are migrating back to school. Lunch is no longer a competitive activity.

I have pubs to do. Portraits to do. Work to do. I was saddened that the two dual portraits (of a farmer and cow, boy and chicken) will not be used in packaging. That project was deep sixed. And that was really hard work (only 3 colors of grey and black to give a complete grey range that is believable). Tough going.

I am working on the Sagamore hour. I woke up this morning with a better grip on what I am going to do…show how good planning and great resources can create a leadership image for pennies using the farming work I have done for Wide Awake and Farmer Ground. I think I will talk about image programs and templates (designed well and easliy implementable by the client). I will give them my virtual rolladex (a backslash on my site) for all my great resources (to do soon). I am feeling like there is traction here. I love waking up with solutions left on my mental table, all figured out cleanly and focused. What a miracle our little chemical machine of a brain is….presenting us with gifts when we least expect it. I am so lucky!

Recycled soup awaits.

Running at it.

Green Man 18, Q. Cassetti, 2011, pen and inkIt is the beginning of week two—without the major computer in full function. So, I am making due with the powerbook and hoping after Baka picks up the tower of power, I can be fully operational by the end of the week. They are taking it off with them—to run diagnostics—but there might be some hard drive issues that the nice guy on the phone alluded to. Jeez. But, in the tradition of trying to make things work better, I am going to get into a quarterly review of our network, the cpus, back ups etc. with a professional (Baka) and see if we can smooth things out so the guano doesnt hit the fan as amazingly as it does when my system goes south. I find this all so tedious and tortured, I hope I can get into thinking more of my network and digital tools when they are happy and healthy, versus just on the verge of death on a regular basis. Why is it that the most obvious things never seem obvious to me?

We had a quiet day yesterday. I made some tomato sauce from scratch and a gigantic pot of Recycled soup. Bruce came over and we talked about the up and coming CMU Fest this coming weekend— trying to figure out who is coming and where we are going to put them to sleep. I put up a FB event just to plumb for engagement—and we will see if we can rouse the troops this way. We will see.

Kitty is off to her job. Alex is hanging out with Ellie. The boys are off the Unitarian Church $.10 sale. I have a publication to layout—and get some files going on some promotional materials. I am revelling in a new sketchbook (Moleskine A4 watercolor/bound on the top). The blacks are so darned luscious, I could lick the page. So so cool It could only be better if the paper was hotpress with no texture whatsoever. But, hey…its bound, and I cannot be that picky.

I really must go.

Stock lifestyle

Leftovers have been reconfigured into new. I plunked the pile of tomatoes into my huge pot and cooked them down last night with all the fresh basil in the house. This morning with coffee I sent the green and red through the foley food mill and ended up with a slightly watery, gorgeous pot of sauce. I am continuing to cook down inspired to pick more tomatoes as the abundance is there and another pot on the stove while I work is no biggie. A chicken breast, all the leftover sausage, all the leftover corn, some onions and garlic and a baseball bat sized zuchinni is in another pot with stock and gigantic couscous for a version of recycled soup. All the jam is in nice screwtop canisters in the freezer, ready to give away. Next batch, peach.

As you know, with the weather turning—my passion for making roasted stock happens. I was at the CSA and had a very inspiring conversation with a new friend and her approach to stock. She was parsing the “tops’ bin—pulling out carrot and beet greens, stocking up on chard and other things to go into her stock. She loves cucumbers and zucchini in her stock but was effusive about all the veggies and the flavors they add. When I asked her about the flavors of some of the greens, she was cute in saying she wasn’t really sure about the flavor they added but it was full of minerals and chlorophyl, so why not add more nutrition to the soup. She makes soup for her family, for her friends. It seems that soup is her culinary embrace—warm and deep, satisfying and filled with contentment. She also has been the boneyard pioneer for me in buying the 40 lbs of fresh chicken backs and necks from the Regional (on my to do list)—and cranking out gallons of stock. The backs and necks word has are gorgeous (do I sound like a grandma or what?)—and cheap ($12 for 40 lbs). My friend was enthusiastic about that experience and couldnt be more positive about the quality of bones and how laden with meat they were. I think I will wait until the colder weather can support this activity by allowing me to put hot pots on the porch to cool and separate the fat out of the stock. Another reason why the change of weather can be tremendous.

It is computer study hall with the grey day. Kitty is partaking of fashion shows. Alex is doing music and Jacob is writing. Shady is fully asleep and twitching. Rob is power napping. Books await for me. I need to charge my iPad before the deep dive into fiction.

Later.

Simple gifts

Green Man 16, Q.Cassetti, 2011, pen and ink; manipulated in Adobe Photoshop CS5I am decamping to the inner recesses of the Luckystone as Sausage Fest 2011 is in full swing. Three coils of italian sausage almost toast. Two dozen ears of beautiful sweet corn, done. Salad is aplenty.  The boys created a phallic playlist for the event, so there is plenty to listen to in addition to eat. I hear a bunch of high pitched giggles and squeals. They all sit as proud as can be in their lilac Sausage Fest teeshirts, gloating in their brotherhood of cross country. This is a nice way to start the season and get the guys to talk to each other, and get them all in the same place. I hope my son can rise to the position of leadership that he could.

Hopefully there will be good leftovers to make more Recycled Soup from. Def corn and sausage. If we have that, we have the start to something good.  The hometeam would def dig it. And as you know, sausage is a key ingredient.

Another great thing about Sausage Fest is that it is in prep for the CMU (Carnegie Mellon)Fest we will have next weekend. We will have around 20(that is the thinking now)of our design classmates from school (thirty plus years later) to hang out and visit next weekend with many staying with us or our friend Bruce. Having the unconditional eaters here today for the s. fest gets me thinking more simply and more expansively of the weekend. A bit of planning and thinking needs to happen this week in order to make things flow simply and smoothly. What can I do in advance and freeze?

Today started early to get Alex and Jacob to Hector for their run through the National Forest. It was so beautiful with a clear blue sky, the promise of fall in front of us, and just cool enough to make the run pleasant. Then it was off to the store to stock up on sausage and bread. I took that home and Rob decided to accompany me to Sweetland to pick flowers and scarf up a pot’s worth of Roma tomatoes to cook down. Such fun. We picked an armful of sunflowers all yellow and deep deep red/brown. Then, we went to the roma tomato row and with very little effort, filled up a bag (which filled up a large pot) of tomatoes to. cook.  45 minutes, we were done and drove it all to the lake so as to be able to settle everything to make sauce and flower arrangements later. (Note Later: the tomatoes and basil are simmering; a pot of sweet cherry, blueberry, peach and lemon jam is done and the plans for ginger peach is on the horizon for tomorrow).

Rob and I surveyed the poison ivy that needs to be irradicated along with some discussion on “limbing up” and outright changes with a rototiller and time. Stone steps and patios are being planned. Best to plan and then when things free up, we forge ahead.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a time to reflect and relax. I do not know of any deadlines, so hopefully we can swim and smell the hosta, savor the end of this glorious season before we need to say goodbye for now. We can feel the breeze and take pleasure in being together.

IF: [Nature is my] Influence

Greenman, Q .Cassetti, 2011, pen and ink, manipulated in Adobe Photoshp CS5“I trust in Nature for the stable laws
Of beauty and utility. Spring shall plant
And Autumn garner to the end of time.
I trust in God,—the right shall be the right
And other than the wrong, while he endures.
I trust in my own soul, that can perceive
The outward and the inward,—Nature’s good
And God’s.”

Robert Browning