Shady B Ranch

Time goes by

2012-02-16T14:47:00.000-08:00

OK, so I know. It's February already. And I've not been here since October. It's just like that when you are in the gift business. Not that we're making much money at it, but it keeps me running. This year I vowed to take it easier. Work on my home a little more. Practice my fiddle each day. Plant my garden early. Finish some projects I've started. Start some new ones. And paint. None of those things make a living, but who knows, they might someday.

I have paintings in my head, sitting on my heart, ready to get on paper and canvas. Every day, since the decorations went to the garage, I've thought I'd get started. But seems something else always calls me to do that thing, whatever it is. As my mother once said to me. You stay busy Rachel, but all of it is elective. Yes, I elect (or choose) to do everything, from playing the fiddle, to traveling, to emptying the dishwasher, though that is one of those things that eventually has to be done by somebody.
Any volunteers?

Right now, yes I know it is february, the lawn needs to be mowed, there are four loads of laundry to do, my early planted garden needs attention, my studio needs cleaning, my fiddle needs playing, my new project needs a few hours attention, the RV needs cleaning for the weekend trip planned, I have errands in town to do, a dog that needs a game of ball, and dishes in the sink. I don't think I'll paint today, or tomorrow. But I will paint that painting in my head. Eventually.

And it will be a good one.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE!www.ShadybRanch.netwww.tilesmile.etsy.comwww.tilesmile.artfire.com

It's been a crazy few weeks!

2011-10-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

Wow, since I returned from Italy, we've been blowin and gowin' here at the Shady B Ranch.
The band played a gig two days after I got home, and even though I was still jet lagged, it was good
to be back onstage playing music again. Three weeks without my fiddle or guitar was not easy.
Music has become such an integral part of my life, it is difficult to imagine a day without it.
The very next weekend, the band played again in Corsicana at an old music hall - what fun that was.

And then I went to Coffee Creek for a bluegrass festival and met the nicest folks in the jams. So now I'm officially bluegrassed - hooked on it, so to speak. And you can go somewhere every single weekend and get in a jam somewhere. These gracious folks are always ready to help teach a new song, or a new chord, or a new lick. We play till we can't play anymore - sometimes into the wee hours of the morning.
Fortunately Coffee Creek was about 12 miles from the house, so I could come home each evening. But other events and jams are farther away, and so I found the CUTEST little RV, and purchased it the same day!

And I took it to Pearl.
Pearl Texas that is. First saturday of every month, for 20 years or so, the MOST amazing bunch of folks I've ever met in my life. If it can be helped, I won't miss Pearl.
Ever.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE!
www.ShadybRanch.net
www.tilesmile.etsy.com
www.tilesmile.artfire.com

Venice, Murano, Burano

2011-09-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

Because of weird internet service, my blogging has gone out the window, but I'll try to catch up when I get home. Just a few photos now......Walked around Venice......

Sat in St. Marks Square.
And fed the pigeons.....

Went to the opera......

Went to Murano......

and to Burano......
my favorite:).....

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

foto fantasma (photo ghost)

2011-09-06T00:11:00.000-07:00

This is a photo that Linda took of me in the restaurant the other day. It is an amazing photograph - I think I will try to paint it......

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

photos

2011-09-05T01:30:00.000-07:00

a view from the trail to the cemetery in Vernazza

another view from the cemetery in Vernazza

a sunset view from our room in Vernazza

a traditional wedding in Vernazza - The bride and groom throw candy from the balcony.

The trail from Manarola to Rio Maggiore is called the trail of love

the beach in Monterosso

the trail to Rio Maggiore is covered with locks and momentos from lovers that have promised their love to one another on this beautiful trail

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

Lunch in Manarola

2011-09-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

We decide to hold out for a good lunch in the quiet city of Manarola, and after a train ride from Corniglia, we begin the hike up, searching for the jewel of a restaurant.
Who would know that the Trattoria Billy would be it.

With a view of the sea, five tables max, we sit and begin the feast. I am enamored with the bottle of balsamic vinegar they place before me. It is like syrup, and the sweetest I've ever tasted.....

Weirdly, I am attracted to the item on the menu that says fried fish.
I order this with french fries and a salad. It is all very expensive, but
Oh my. SO good! Fresh sardines, shrimp and octopus. Except for Nona Tatas in Fort Worth, this is the best octopi I have ever had! And the italian fries are yummy, crisp and delicious.

Kim and Don share two lobsters with spaghetti. Afterwards we all need to be hosed down.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

The trail to Corniglia

2011-09-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

Since it is so hot, we decided to try the trail very early on friday morning. So at 7 am, we took off for Corniglia. I thought I dressed right, but within a half hour, my pants legs were zipped off. Thankfully too - since we needed something to wipe the sweat out of our eyes. It was SOOOOOOO hot and humid I don't think I've ever been that sweaty. The trail is a difficult one, two hours of steps up and then about aa million steps down. I'm not sure which is more difficult. But by the time we arrived at the town, we were out of calories and water.

One thing I realize is this......

I am such a dork.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

first morning in Vernazza.....Due Cappucini por favore

2011-09-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

I have to have at least due cappucini each day....that is two a day.....I LOVE italian coffee.

The barista was laughing at me because I was scooping every last bit of foam out of the cup. So when she made the second one for me, she happily piled it high.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

Dinner with Giuliano

2011-09-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

Giauliano works very hard. Not only does he take care of the lovely apartments he has lovingly made, and rents to tourists, he also works in a restaurant on the piazza at the la spiaggia (beach). Since it is the last evening he is working, we decide to dine with him and we make a reservation. Lovely meal. But I am so sleepy I am like a child falling asleep in my spaghetti.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

Cinque Giornati nel Vernazza (five days in Vernazza)

2011-09-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Vernazza on wednesday afternoon after a fabulous morning in Lucca. The train trip was NOT uneventful, like everything we do here. Each day has been a fun filled trip of stories.

I SO hope I can remember them all to share, since we have not been on the internet since wednesday. It has been nice to be so disconnected, but I want to share this trip with you all, and I want to be able to revisit it again when I am home. Italy is amazing.

So, the first story, on el treno, hauling our luggage (I thought I packed light). Kim and Don step onto the train and Kim can't get the door to the car open. So Don, looks up and points to this handle and says to Lucy(Kimy) - "Pull that"......

SCARED me to death (Scaramuccio)(that is another story) I was JUST about to step onto the train with my luggage when the AIR swooshed out like an explosive gust and my heart skipped a beat. Of course, Kim and Don opened the door and made a clean getaway, when a man came from the other car and, shaking his head, pulled the handle back into place. When we finally got on the train, we laughed until we cried.

We arrive in Vernazza after two train changes, and haul our luggage down the steps of the train station to the common area and enlist Kimy to call Giuliano. But he is still on his way from Lucca to get his daughter Sophia, so we head up the hill since I know where to go.
OH MY GOD it is hot.

This is the view from our room......

We stow our luggage and go directly to the beach for lunch.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

Bon Giorno Bicicletta

2011-08-31T02:47:00.000-07:00

The bicycle rental opened at 9am, so we were first in line this morning. The air was cool and breezy. The sounds of the city had begun hours before and we had already consumed due cappucini and some frutta. We were off to ride the circle around the city, on top of the wall around Lucca.

So about halfway around, I bravely take my phone and begin to video.......

We check out of Lucca in just a half hour and take a taxi to the train station. About an hour or less on el treno, we will be in Vernazza, calling Giuliano to check in at the beautiful place we will reside for the next week.

No internet there, so blogging will be sparse, unless we can figure out something - likely we will, if we have to find an internet cafe.
But for now, arivaderci, a domani a presto. (Goodbye, see you soon:)

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

Day One in Lucca Italia

2011-08-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

Today was a one in a million days. A dream of a day. Due cappucini in a local bar with Kim and Don, 3.20 euros, a bit of fruita at the apartamente (79 steps up) and then we rent a bicycle built for four and begin to pedal around the top of the wall.

I check my phone. It is a God thing no doubt, because Raluca has called - she is at our apartment door.....so we turn the contraption around and run back to meet her. This is the first time she and I have seen each other in two years, since we met at the Eurhotel in Firenze. That is another story for another day:) She and I were instant friends. A very brave girl, to come meet strangers in Lucca for the day. SHE IS a darling. Our Raluca. We all decided we want to take her home with us.

While we spent the next 40 minutes bicycling, Raluca went to find just the perfect photo op....And Kim was at the wheel of this bicycle thing, complete with a BELL (she rang it at every SINGLE PERSON that we passed) Kimy Ringy Dingy. We pumped our glutes into shape and it was up hill both ways, as everything in Italy IS.

So, then. Off to lunch. You gotta think like this in Italia. Because if you wait too long, the Italians close everything down and go take a nap somewhere. And we aren't into naps on this day. We want FOOD - Italian FOOD and Italian WINE and Italian BEER.

So about two hours later, we walk. Searching for a garden that Linda saw when we were bicycling on the wall. Always, a quest is SO much fun. We went the same circle around and around, each time seeing something different, wonderful having Raluca ask for directions when we got sort of lost. And finale, we find the palace and the garden and we walk into another sort of paradise.

Later, we return to the apartment to freshen up a little. Drink a toast of Prosecco to our friendship and to the day, and await a call from Kims friend Anna, who has invited us to dinner in her home with her fiance Fiorenzo. He is a photographer, like Raluca, and I am so happy for them to meet, for Anna to meet our Raluca, for Raluca to meet our Anna, to celebrate their coming wedding, to have a REAL italian dining experience in a REAL italian kitchen.

And OH my, we weren't disappointed. I knew it would be good, but I had no idea it would be CRAVEABLE. What Fiorenzo called a lasagna, like no lasagna I've ever tasted. I mean, NOTHING like I've ever tasted.....And he told us how he made it.....I don't know if we can even come close to matching it. Amazing, thin as paper pasta sheets, light, beautiful cheese, lightest meat sauce, italian cheese, the real thing. Then a nice rare beef roast, sliced so thin and lovely, with oven roasted potatoes, then a beautiful clean and fresh, crisp green salad. Grappa. Finito. Fiorenzo says the only thing that would have made it better was if he could speak english, he would have made us laugh. Because, in his own words - he is very funny:)

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

Planes trains and automobiles

2011-08-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

Finally after two years of plans and a long day of traveling, we're here! In Italia! Mangia! (Let's EAT!)
One car, three planes, a bus, then another bus, a train, and a taxi, and 79 steps. UP. We are finally here.

And the best part of it all, besides the fact that we are in the heart of Italy, in Lucca, is that our friends, Kim and Don have been here long enough to get settled into our apartment, buy some food and wine, and greet us with all of the above, on the rooftop terrace overlooking the mountains of Tuscany.

After a few minutes of freshening up - a quick shower, plug in the phone and computer, we sit in the Tuscan sunshine and laugh about the adventures of travelling such a distance. Our only snafu in the entire day and night was the train trip. We purchased our train tickets to Lucca from Florence. And with minutes to spare, found the exact train, (miraculously) and hopped aboard. After making sure we were on the right train with some kind Italians, we settled in for the short trip. About a half hour into our trip, the ticket puncher dude came by to punch our ticket. Well, Linda and I are pie eyed after so many hours travelling and we look at him like he is from Mars. I dig through my papers and stubs and tickets from the day and keep handing him items - finally finding just what he is looking for. He looks at me and ticks, like only an Italian can. Not good, he says, shaking his head and looking in my direction. We look at each other and panic. We think we might be headed in the wrong direction.

But no. Nothing so terrible. He ticks again. And shakes his head. Like we've done some horrendous wrong. WHAT? I'm tired and ready to just be there, and need some grace and kindness right then.
He says we FORGOT to validate our ticket. And we look at each other like he just spoke in Martian. Forgot? Evidently there is some machine that you have to put your ticket into before you board. He says, "It a says a it a right a here a in a english a".

But he is going to give us a break. Instead of taking us to jail, he will only charge us a fine of five euros, but don't a let it a happen again a. Not to worry. We've learned our lesson.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

Travel Dreams and Nightmares

2011-08-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

My travel companion Linda has nice digs. I decided to stay at her place last night so we could travel to the aeroporto together today. As comfy cozy and beautiful the guest room is here, I still had those weird travel dreams, or what I would call nightmares. You know they ones where you run as fast as you can and don't get anywhere, and you really need to get where you are going. In my dream, at the last minute before the plane boarded, we go to the bathroom, and upon return to the gate, I find that I have left my backpack in the stall. So I RUN back, and of course it takes me for EVER to get there, and when I do, the bathroom isn't there anymore. After some searching, I find that it wasn't a bathroom at all, but an employee lounge. I find my backpack, but upon return to the gate again, I realize my glasses aren't anywhere on my head, so I RUN again, which takes forever again, all the while, realizing we never checked in at the gate, so when I finally DO make it back to the gate, with my glasses, they have given our seats to a couple of stand by travelers, and we miss our flight. UG-G-G-H-H!

But, it's only a dream. I'm sure all will go well today, without a hitch. We'll check our bags, breeze through security, find a place to buy a few euros, and a good place for lunch, and we'll walk on the plane and find our seats have been upgraded to first class......

OK, well, maybe not, but it's a good dream anyway:)......

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

Almost Italy!

2011-08-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for a trip of such magnitude is a feat within itself. Especially with animals to care for. It is SUCH a relief to know that my critters will be well cared for while I am away. Gracie is staying with her aunt Lean, who will spoil her rotten. No doubt. I am grateful that I have no worries but that one:) We have a marvelous house sitter that will care for the chickens and the barn cats, as well as my rose bushes. She'll reap the bounty from the garden and the hen house each day. And we will have peace of mind knowing everything is watched over while we are gone.
Making lists, checking them twice, crossing all items off, last minute things squashed into the suitcase. It is a great relief not to be rushing all over finishing up on things.
So, tomorrow! I'm off on an adventure in Italy! Stay tuned for two weeks of fun!
And follow one of my travel buddies blogs too.....ciaotexas.....It's a beautiful blog - they've already started the journey and are in London now!

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

Italia Vincolato!

2011-08-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

Just 7 days. I'll be setting foot in Italy again. The sounds. The colors. The trains. The history. The art. The people. The language. The gelato. The markets. The wine. OH! And the food! There isn't another place like it anywhere.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

tea parties and extra sensory perception

2011-05-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

My husband says I have esp. And I think he might be right. I dream about things that happen within a few days, and have little glimpses of things that come true. It isn't profound always, but happens nontheless. And I think the difference is, that I NOTICE them. It makes me happy knowing that I am tuned in to it, aware that I'm open to possibilities.

But this isn't about that. Not really anyway. The other day I was working in my garden. In that "zone" that goes away the second you realize you are in it. It happens when I paint, when I garden, and occasionally, dangerously, when I drive. While I was happily enthralled with pruning my roses, my friend Patty popped into my mind. She was one of those gals in my life that I sort of lost when I moved to the country. I hadn't see her for at least seven years, and wondered how she was, and what she was doing.

The very next day, I got a voice mail message from her! I told Larry about thinking of her the day before, and he said again, "you've got esp". It has happened quite frequently lately. And I like to tell him my dreams, because he is a witness to the weird and wonderful reality of them.

I called her back and she invited me to tea! Along with another gal that was one of the first friends I made when I moved to Fort Worth over 20 years ago.

Patty was one of my clients at first, and then, like a few others in the bunch of customers I had in those days, fast became my friend. I remember that I was engaged to be married to Mr. Wonderful, ecstatic with life and love and all the possibilities of our future together, and she was a new client. No doubt enjoying my enthusiasm - it was absolutely contagious and I caught a lot of people up in the wave of happiness. I remember being overwhelmed by the generous gift she gave us for our wedding, an entire set of our chosen dishes. I mean, we hadn't been friends for long - maybe a month or so.

That was almost exactly 17 years ago. As Kermit says, "Time's fun when you are having flies." It is astounding to me when I think of the time that has passed since then. She was my client for 8 years after that, until I quit doing nails in 2002 and graduated from college.

I love this photo of me and my dad-e-o when I graduated, so I had to share it........

Tea at Patty's house is an event. She spares no expense when it comes to entertaining. THE consumate hostess with the mostess. REALLY. (insert OMG) I always remembered the parties she put together - we went to quite a few of her gala events, birthday parties, Christmas parties, grand openings, always fabulous food and beautiful surroundings. I knew it would be a fantastic event, so when she invited, I made arrangements in my schedule to take the day, drive to Fort Worth, and join in the fun.

It was so wonderful to see Patty! And Mary Evelyn again! And I was just sure I had met her friend Jana at some time - though neither one of us could remember. I just felt like I knew her. She is a lifetime friend of Patty's and a hairdresser - so we had lots in common. Mary Evelyn and I met 20 years ago when we worked at Mona's Nail Salon - one of those huge 80's salons with 36 manicurists lined up row after row. We wore uniforms to work. Seems a lifetime ago.

We ate and ate, and drank tea with our pinkies up, and ate some more, and laughed and laughed and remembered those days, and laughed some more. It was a three and a half hour tea party. I didn't want it to end.

So,
We're doing it again. Life is too short to wait another seven years. Live. Laugh. Love.

and whether I have esp or not, que sera sera, what will be will be.....

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

Our very own Roadrunner no coyote

2011-05-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

We have a roadrunner that lives in our front yard. Well, we think he lives in a tree near the driveway. He works hard running back and forth from my garden with delectable, very large items in his beak to feed his brood. I say he. I have no idea if he is a he, or if there are two of them working the field. I know very little about roadrunners. But likely there are two of them brooding some chicks nearby. They are very fun to watch.

I know my grandson thought it was just the coolest thing EVER to see one run across the road in front of our car when he was here visiting a few years ago. Ever since, every time he is here, he looks for a roadrunner. And every time, he sees one, or two, and he is absolutely delighted. I suppose he is looking for Wily Coyote to be ambling along after the funny bird with his tail on fire or something equally drastic.

I looked up Roadrunners and found some interesting information. I mean, I wondered just exactly what he was foraging for in my precious vegetable garden. Turns out, they are great bug hunters, scorpion killers, small rodent eaters, and snake lovers, even will pair up and go for the big snakes, as their favorite delectable. A part of the cuckoo family - I love the fact that I have a family of cuckoos living in my yard. Perfect.

They can run at speeds of up to 26 miles per hour! Even my dog doesn't bother them when they are tearing across the yard with their booty in beak, often stopping to check out their surroundings, coming ever closer to the door and my front porch.

A cache of 3-6 eggs take twenty days to hatch, and then fledge the nest in another 18 days. So I figure this batch of babies will be running around the yard in another week or so. I wonder if they will follow their parents up to my garden for dinnertime, or if they are on their own once they take their first trot out and get up to speed.

The Hopi Indians believed the roadrunner provided protection against evil spirits. Some frontier folks believed roadrunners led lost people to trails. Makes sense. They probably made those trails.
I'm enamored with my yard cuckoo bird. I can't wait to see the babies run.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

Happy Easter from my garden

2011-04-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

          Happy Easter everyone!
                    He is Risen!

Easter Sunday was a day FULL of wonderful things. Saturday afternoon the band was supposed to play a gig in Mineral Wells at the Cowboy Poetry Reading, but it was canceled due to inclement weather.    We watched as it boiled up all around us, but little more than a drop came down at the Shady B.

We had lots of great company saturday night too - band members that have to drive a good distance to church each sunday, so they wanted to be close by for that sunrise service we were performing. We had a good jam session around the kitchen table, practicing our tunes for the next day.

My alarm went off at 3:30 am - seven people had to make it through the bathroom in time to leave by 5:30, so Larry and I went first. We were all coffeed up by 5:00 and ready to go. The first easter sunrise service at the Brazos Trails Cowboy Church was a beautiful success, despite the clouds and the cool wind. The band played acoustically, which I always love best. Two fiddles, two guitars, one washboard, and six practiced voices. The preacher stood on the buckboard wagon in the parking lot and told us the story about easter morning. How when they went to the tomb, they found the stone rolled back and nothing inside but the linens and blood stains.

Cowboy Chuckwagon breakfast - yum - served hot by hard working members that arrived earlier than we did. It was nice to walk in and find people happily busy, each serving an integral part in the success of the day. After a nice break, in which most of us would have taken a nap:) if there'd been a sofa anywhere, we had our regular service. 180 people in attendance and a lot of them stayed for lunch too. Yet another chuckwagon barbeque dinner. Fabulous brisquit and lots of deviled eggs. I brought about four dozen, and there were three or four times that. I think they were all gobbled up by hungry easter egg hunters, because that is what was next - out in the front pasture of the church, hundreds of colored eggs were gathered by booted, bowed and be-ribonned cowkids of all sizes. Then more festivities in the arena. We didn't stay for that. We were beat. We came home and did what we had to - attended to our animals, changed into comfy clothes and sat on the sofa all afternoon. We were stuffed full of good food, and great memories of the day. Watched a Hallmark movie that made us feel good. Slept like babies.

We've been busy busy busy here at the ranch, building our new raised beds, my fabulous Christmas present from Larry this year. Lots of work building and filling them with good soil, but we finally got the last wheelbarrow load shoveled in with the help of friends:) If you come to the Shady B, likely we'll hand you some gloves and put you to work:)

Seems there is always something. Everywhere I look, I see things that need finishing, painting, cleaning, arranging. And all the while, my head is designing more gardens, and creating lovely spaces. All it takes is time and money - we've all heard that before haven't we?

But I am trying to simplify some things so we don't have so much to weedeat. I can hardly start the dumb thing and I love nice edgings. So we have pulled out some of the more troublesome beds and have put in grass, taking away those bothersome edges, planted some of the marvelous double knock out roses, and generally cleaned up the look of the place.

Every spring, I want to surround myself with color and beauty. I want to eat the bounty that the earth gives forth, and smell the greenness of it all. I want to mow, and plant, and shovel dirt. I want to dig my bare hands into the ground and come up with a worm. I want to sit and watch my garden grow as it changes each day.

Last night we had one of those storms that you lay awake and wonder about. I worried over my new plants, the tender new growth of my peas and tomatoes. The giant leaves of my squash. The tender newness of my lettuce. I worried if the studio was flooding, which it often does when we have a downpour after such a drought. And then, living out here in the country, how would we know when it was time to get in the basement or otherwise? But I finally melted into my safe and warm, dry, cozy pillows and relaxed in the knowledge that it is what it is, and the storm cloaked me with the comforting patter on our tin roof, and the wetness soaking into the ground outside - it all put me to sleep. Even the hail didn't loosen the safety I felt next to my snoring husband and the dog in the hallway.
So this morning all is well. No damage to my garden. All is washed new. The air is fresh and clean, the wind is gusty, and my garden is growing.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.ShadybRanch.net www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

Buy One GIVE ONE

2011-04-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

I SO love this BOGO. Buy One GIVE One. I think my work should reflect THAT in all I do. Since tilesmile IS Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE, I think we should all START thinking about making people SMILE a TILE at a time.

SO, this is what I propose to DO.
I make these marvelous 2 inch tiles with small itty BITTY words on them. THO they are small,
they are POWERFUL. Words can have such power, and they are FREE.

So with every tilesmile you purchase, I will send you a FREE POWER word to GIVE.
You MUST give the power WORD to someone within the month. Carry it with you, and wait
for the opportune time to GIVE it. This is my way of Paying IT forward, one tileSMILE at a time.

Each month will be a new word.
and the month of MAY starts with JOY.
JOY.
Give JOY.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com

John 3:16 March 3/16

2011-03-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

For God So Loved the World, that He Gave His Only Begotten Son, that Whosoever Believed
in Him should Have Everlasting Life. John 3:16.
Today is 3/16 and I'm spreading the word. The word of God, that is.

What a statement that verse is - how Great it is to believe in the Son of God, and to be a part of a family of followers of Jesus Christ. I don't get to spend time with all of my family and friends as much as I would like, but one day, in Heaven, there'll be this big PARTY! With a host of angels.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com

Thanksgiving in March

2011-03-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

We can always say thanks. It is one of my favorite things about thanksgiving. Well, besides the great food. But now I'm giving thanks to a bunch of folks that helped to provide over 1,000,000 meals for our hungry neighbors. The hungry folks in our own town. It's hard to believe, when we spend so much time watching our calories and fat grams, that there are folks close by that don't have enough to eat.

The post before this one was about the empty bowls event that happened a few weeks ago in Fort Worth. Wow. I just got a little thank you flyer in the mail that said the event raised over $263,618 dollars for the Tarrant Area Food Bank. A quarter of a million dollars in a day! That's impressive!

But it wouldn't be so without all the hard work of a great committee. Donna Anderson, Amie Brock, Janet Cunningham, Robert Dillon, Lisa Fuld, Lesha Hampton, Amy Helling, Glenda Endres, Dewayne Hines, Rhonda Hines, Charlotte Jones, Holly Mack, Ken Orr, Rita Robbins, Janet Rodriguez, and David Sieja were the committee that brought this whole thing together, amongst a whole crew of volunteers.

Without all of them, nothing would be possible without the food vendors that provide the food. Bailey's Prime Plus, Blue Bonnet Bakery, Bob's Steak & Chop House, Bonnell's, Cast Iron at the Omni Fort Worth, City Kitchen Catering, Coca-Cola, Eddie V's Prime Seafood, Freebird World Burrito, Houlihan's, La Familia, Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Mac's on 7th Street, McKinley's Bakery and Catering, Ruffino's Ristorante Italiano, Starbucks, Tarrant Area Food Bank Community Kitchen, Tarrant County College South East Campus Culinary Arts Program, The Culinary School of Fort Worth, Tillman's Roadhouse, Tom Thumb, Ultimate Cuisine and Events, and Vidalia's at the Worthington.

But who really started it all?
A bunch of potters got together and decided to make a difference.

favorite quote: "If you think you are too small to be effective, you've never been in bed with a mosquito." -Betty Reese

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com

in the news!

2011-02-24T22:06:00.000-08:00

I was mentioned in the Springtown AND the Azle News today!
Here is the link to the Azle paper....
http://www.azlenews.net/news.asp?Story=18727
and here is the link the the Springtown paper.
http://www.springtown-epigraph.net/news/get-news.asp?id=10686&catid=3&cpg=get-news.asp
They are, for the most part, the same article, but it is cool to see my name in print.

Last friday was the empty bowls event. They made almost a quarter of a million dollars from donations of local potters and restaurants. Said the first event was in 2003, but I think it was earlier than that - the one I remember helping to organize was much smaller - we rented a small gallery in downtown Fort Worth and I helped make the salad. We served soup and salad and I think the price was $20. We spent many many hours decorating bowls that were fired at a local ceramic shop.
Now, the event has grown into two venues - one in Fort Worth and one in Dallas. $40 a bowl now. The food has gotten much more glamorous too. It is all for a good cause.

I have donated bowls every year for the Fort Worth benefit. I make bowls for my students to finish, and some for my neices and nephew to decorate each year. They like the fact that they are doing something to help feed people too.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com

my shady B

2011-02-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

If you haven't read my about page on my website, now is a good time to do it....
http://www.shadybranch.net/about/about2.html

While winter is still lingering, and the days are still short, a good story of promise gives us new energy, and hope for the spring. While we are still working on this old place, it is always good to go back and see how far we've come in a seemingly short period of time.

We had company this past weekend that hadn't been here in a while. They were noticing all the things we had done since their last visit. I suppose it's been longer than we realized since they stayed over, but there were quite a lot of additions over the past half a year or so.

We installed a beautiful new handrail for the stairwell. The wood is from the same post oak tree that we used in our bathroom. Beautiful rich and interesting burly wood, lovingly planed, dried and stored until we came along wanting to make something out of it. Our carpenter and my husband are geniuses when it comes to bringing my visions to life. They take an idea and fly with it, making it even better in reality.

We poured the concrete for our porches and walkway to the house. This was a major expense, and my savings account still has not recovered from it. But it made an incredible difference in the look of the house, not to mention keeping the dirt from entering the doorway. Now, if I can keep the two little bull calves off of it and out of my flower garden......another small problem with the pasture fence that needs repair......

We finished (or almost finished) the tile on the counter tops of the bathroom.

We installed glass in the shower.

We had our carpenter make this incredible wood chopping block for my kitchen island. It was a gift from our friends Kim and Don, who love to come cook with us and stay the weekend.

We installed the three Aspens my brother brought from Colorado in my living room. Yes, they go floor to ceiling in the corner, reminding me of the mountains I love so much. Now, when they visit, they don't ask me what I want them to bring from Colorado........:)

We got my piano back from my other brother Guy, and music is a big part of our lives again. So now, that is in my living room instead of the buffet.

Anyway, there's still lots to do,
painting
rock work
the garage made into studio space, windows put in, ceiling, a bathroom
cabin built
deck built
barn door and concrete
and maybe another barn for Larry
fencing improvements
a loafing shed

I'm just putting it out there......a vision, so to speak.......where I envision us being in another seven years.......it is all coming together.........

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com

Sunshine in Texas

2011-01-28T16:45:00.000-08:00

The weather in Texas is so wonderfully weird. Freezing nights, warm sunny days. Though I suppose Colorado gets weather like that too. It's one of the things I love about the place. So I suppose it is one of the things I love about Texas too. Today is upward of 60 degrees, warm and sunny, no wind - a good day to start the garden, till the earth, plant something and then lay down in the sunshine and watch it grow.

Up north it is snowing like crazy. Our relatives in Kansas have been under a white blanket for weeks now. Temperatures dip into the teens at night and don't climb too much higher during the day. We were there for a few days a week ago. The weather took a nice turn for the better while we were there, but got cold and icky again once we had left again. We must carry Texas warmth and sunshine with us - even the snow began to melt.

I'd like to live someplace snowy - just once - maybe a year - to get it out of my system. I realize that shoveling would get old, and when it all starts to melt, it gets gray and ugly, but I've always loved the comfort of it. When it snows in Texas, we close businesses, schools, it's almost like Christmas used to be - where there was MAYBE one store open. You have to stay all cozied up, and hope there is enough stuff in the frig to make a pot of soup. I always have a couple of good books on my nightstand waiting to read. No fireplace, but we've got one on the TV that we can turn on in a pinch:)
But
For now, I'm going to buy my onion sets and put them in the ground. But then, it could snow tomorrow. We are in Texas after all.:)

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com

Merry Christmas Ya'll!

2010-12-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas is all about food, family, gifts, snow, glitter, music, evergreens, holly, cinnamon, apples, bells, bows and boxes. We get so caught up in all of that, making sure that all the gifts are ready to go by the eve of Christmas day, when the whole world shuts down, and rips into the work of the shopping season. On the big day, we eat, drink, travel, hug, and sometimes try to find a store open to find the half and half that we need to go in the sweet potatoes, since we used it all in our coffee that morning.
I like to stay in my pajamas for as long as I can, woobied up with a cup of something warm and wonderful, and a pile of wrapping paper crumpled around me from all the flotsam of the tearing open of boxes and bags full of goodies.
A ginormous cinnamon bun with real butter for breakfast and now I feel ready for a nap:)
Soon, it will be time to start cooking. Or watching the various cooks do their enormous task of putting together a gargantuan feast. We each have a contribution to the kitchen. Turkey, ham, gravy, taters of two kinds, a half a dozen various vegetable casseroles, pies, cakes, salads, fresh breads, the list goes on. Lots of butter and sugar. My contribution to the meal is the deviled eggs. It's my job. Well, and my chickens. Other than the eating part.
I'll go on a diet after New Years - I mean - why not just enjoy it all NOW?

But we all know that the real reason for the season is Jesus. The celebration of His birth, on earth, to Mary and Joseph, in a stable, in Bethlehem. Last night our church had our first candlelight service in our beautiful church building. Actually, it is a big barn:) Pastor Dave read the scripture of the story and in between, our band Branded by Grace, played songs like Mary did you Know, There's a new Kid in Town, Born in a Barn, and Away in a Manger. It was magical and beautiful. I felt honored to be a part of it.
The story grounds me. Calms me. Centers me. Makes me feel like I'm in this world to reflect the light. That whatever I forgot to do for Christmas Day doesn't matter as long as I remember the story. The real story of why we celebrate Christmas.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com

Wink or you'll miss it

2010-12-10T17:25:00.000-08:00

So, that's supposed to be "blink".
But "Wink" is the name of the restaurant that Brad said was his favorite.
We'll plan another trip, stay at a groovy hotel and make dinner the highlight of our trip.
Well,
that,
and spending time with friends.
Which is always the best part.

I wanted to share a little about the dinner Brad prepared for us when we were in Austin.
He's a big foodie - a lot of my friends are these days it seems.
Anyway - even though it was HIS birthday, and he was beginning a huge project with his firm,
I asked him to cook for us. I know, I'm ROTTEN! But the man needed a little R & R,
and cooking is just the thing for a foodie to relax a little. Especially when he's got appreciative
EATERS on hand. And I am that, if nothing else, a really good eater.

We gave him carte blanche. I suppose that put a french spin on things, because he came up with a menu that included Coq au vin. The dish that the french usually prepared when they had an old rooster on hand that was acting unruly. Instead, he used some nice chicken thighs he found at the famous Austin Central Market that very afternoon. He paired it with a bunch of brussels sprouts, and a fabulous salad made with this spinach from Poteet Texas of all places. It was divine.

The chicken was tender and savory. The vegetables were perfectly cooked - sort of like a chicken stew. He chose a white wine to flavor the pot, which added a nice and fresh, very clean lightness to an otherwise heavy winter dish. I loved it. I had two thighs, hopefully a right one, and a left one - to stay balanced.

I have to say, the Brussels sprouts were my favorite. Larry likes them, so I cook them occasionally, but these were cut in half and allowed to caramelize in the pan on the flat side before they were turned, and then a bit of balsalmic reduction added to flavor. I could eat a ton of them, and in fact, did, finish off the healthy portion he prepared for us. No leftovers there. Sorry Barb:)

The salad was another thing of beauty and culinary delight. Evidently, this Poteet spinach has quite a reputation. It is sweet and tender, triple washed, fresh with goodness and nutty flavor. Barb had this great salad dressing with blue cheese made by Martinique brand that added a pungent savory-ness to the greens. I can't for the life of me remember what else was in that salad, but I had two helpings. I'm telling you, I'm an eater:) Normally I don't eat bottled dressing, but this stuff was great, and has good ingredients - well, except for the soy oil, which I understand is not great for the thyroid, but all the other stuff was good stuff - and NO SUGAR, which is pretty remarkable. I found some today to put in my pantry. I'm thrilled to have found it in Weatherford!

Great wine, great friends, great food, great fellowship, lots of laughter, stories well told, and best of all, the gift of time, given without hesitation.
This.
Is the stuff that makes memories shared.
Thanks Brad,
for cooking for us for your birthday.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

Food in Austin

2010-12-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

Yum.
Spent a few days in Austin and wanted to make the most of the calories spent there. Three of us took a few days after all the shows were finished with for a food and friends extravaganza. It was Brads birthday, so we asked what his favorite restaraunt was. I can't remember the name of the place he said without hesitation - more on that one later, cuz we're planning another trip. We started searching online for a restaraunt we used to haunt in the old days in Austin. Miraculously, it was still in business. I mean, food comes and goes in Austin, and the fact that this one has been an institution in a trendy city is a testament to its goodness.

Kyoto. You take your shoes off when you enter. Sit on the floor. Beautiful ladies in Kimonos serve you fabulous food. I couldn't wait.

But it was sunday, and I suppose we all have to have a day to rest. This was theirs. So, we started over, searching. And found this gem called Uchiko. It has a higher end restaurant in town called Uchi, but we are on a budget, so we chose this and made a reservation. It was an experience. Let me tell you. I wish I had written down the food we were all able to taste and sample a bit of. Beautiful food - fresh sushi mostly - a few cooked dishes - incredible from the fresh fish to the fresh vegetables to the beautiful presentations. All served by a most delightful waitress, each time telling us passionately and patiently what we were eating, and how wonderful she thought it all was too. I love it when a wait person is passionate about the food they are serving. It is absolutely one of the things I search for when I am looking for a food experience. I wish her good fortune in her future, but I also hope that every time I visit, I find her in exactly the same spot, at the same table, with the same sushi chef (which by the way, is a woman). I loved every minute of it.

The next day started out wonderful - we had breakfast from Barbs own kitchen - a savory and yummy dish of fresh eggs and sausage, orange juice, about three pots of coffee with half and half, and a catch up get to know ya better visit in her very comfy living room. A GREAT morning relaxing with friends.

We decided we wanted to spend a few hours on Congress Ave shopping, so about noon, we headed out. Christy was looking for some neato cowgirl boots. Kim isn't ever really looking for anything, but we have SO much fun dressing her that she can't help buying something along the way. And me, well, I can almost always find something. I'm not just a good eater, I'm also a good hunter, and an even better finder.

After a few hours, we were famished again and fell into a really cool looking lunch spot called Snack Time. It has so much potential. I mean, the place is really groovy inside and out. Our waitress was sweet and if not passionate about the food, she was smiling and available. We ordered some items that sounded really interesting, like veggie straws, and roasted beet salad with goat cheese, and sweet potato soup, and hummus, and something I can't pronounce with leeks and cabbage and aoili. The soup was so thick you could cut it -tasted like it came out of a can and more like a pumpkin than a sweet potato (we're foodies here, so we know). The veggie straws were from a bag - I mean, a little bowl of colored chip things that tasted like those Munchos you used to get when you were on the road. I don't do that anymore FYI. The hummus tasted like it was soured - we sent that one back. And the beet salad was straight from a can - not roasted beets - they were vinegared. The only redeeming part was the thing I can't pronounce or remember what it was - the leek and cabbage thing - it was delicious, and no doubt freshly prepared, presented well, and I wanted to order another one. But I didn't push my luck - we paid our overpriced bill and went on our way, already thinking about the next meal........

More on that one in the next blog. Brad cooked, so stay tuned.......

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com

First Christmas Tree

2010-11-21T13:53:00.000-08:00

I was just thinking of a story my mother shared with me a few years ago and it paints such a portrait of them both. I wanted to share it while I was thinking of it -even though Christmas is not for a few weeks yet. But this is a thanksgiving story I suppose. For I am grateful for my parents and for what they taught me. How to dream, how to be creative, how to leap before I look, and how to look before I leap. Sometimes you need both skills. I'm happy to say that I am both spontaneous and thoughtful.

My parents were married in the early fifties - likely the tinsel that we decorated the Christmas tree with was made with lead - I remember the feel and weight of it before it was plasticized. Anyway, my mom tells this great story of their first Christmas tree. I guess while they were putting up the tree, dad left the room for a minute and when he came back, she had all the tinsel on the tree. In her fashion, she just threw it at the tree in giant clumps and let it land where it would - that is sort of the way she does everything, with joy and gusto. My dad came back into the room and blew a gasket. No, no, no! That's not the way you do it! He took every single cotton pickin strand off that tree and put them back on, one by one, exactly the same distance apart. Perfectly. I'm sure it took him forever to finish. He has always been that way.

So I grew up in a home with a mother that just threw herself at everything she did with wild abandon, and a father that was calculated and systematic and orderly at everything. This story paints a colorful portrait of the two of them. And now, fifty some years later, they are still driving each other completely nuts - still decorating the tree the same way.
Only now,
mom leaves the room.
:)

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com

rainy days and fridays

2010-11-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

Ah, a rainy day at last. Seems I'm always hoping for rain. I think since I moved to the country and I can see things growing around the vast countryside without the aid of a sprinkler system. I realize how dependent we are as humans on the rain and the sun for our health, for our food, for our daily nourishment.

I've spent the last two weeks cleaning out the garage and the studio and still haven't finished, but there is light at the end of the tunnel for sure. Weekend before last, a poorly attended garage sale despite great weather and good advertisement, but we got rid of a few sundry items and took the rest of it to Goodwill. There is still more to go, but it will have to wait now. The Christmas season, the holiday season has quickly encroached on my social and home life and needs all of my attention.

Last week and weekend was spent readying and working a show in Fort Worth. Again, poorly attended despite the good weather, but I made some great contacts and created new friendships. It always amazes me the graciousness of people I hardly know. Maybe it is because my work touches people in so many ways. Words reaching out to bring encouragement, or joy, or just a laugh out loud. I heard many of those while I was attending my booth this past weekend. But the most gracious of them all this weekend, was the woman that told me about a rock she had one of her tilesmiles displayed in. It had a perfectly squared hollow in it that a tilesmile fit into like a glove. Me, being the rock hound that I am, loved hearing that, and we shared many stories of picking up rocks in foreign places to bring home as souvenirs. It is ridiculous how many rocks I have hauled around the country. My husband just tolerates it and lifts the heavy ones for me. ( If you haven't seen the movie, The Long Long Trailer, I highly recommend it:)

Anyway, the next day, she shows up at my booth again, with the rock IN TOW! Once I figure out how to put a photo on here from my phone, I'll share it with you. I mean, she wrapped up that ROCK and brought it to me to show it to me! Not a photo - but the whole cotton pickin ROCK! I almost cried. I mean, she went out of her way to share something wonderful with me. Ok, maybe not wonderful to anyone else but a rock hound, but I was just thrilled with her thoughtfulness and grace.

Not to mention all the people that shared with me how they had used my tilesmiles in their kitchens or bathrooms, or given them to people that were overcome with grief, or a health issue. And the one lady that knew all about this blog, and apologized for knowing so much about my work and me, thinking I would think her a stalker or something. I mean, this is sort of so you can know me just a little bit? To know where all this stuff comes from, that it actually means something to me. No, I'm grateful, and honored to be read at all.

So, today, after two weeks of hard work, I am still in bed at 11am, reading, writing, listening to the wind, and before that, the rain, and thankful for the people in my life, the house over my head, the art within me, for my Lord Jesus Christ, my music, my family, my wonderful husband, and my dog, Gracie.
Life is good. Especially when it rains.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com

autumn stuff

2010-10-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

The windows are open once again. Ahhhhh, a breath of fresh air cools my home and clears the air. As the weather begins to cool, and the leaves begin to turn, we can be outdoors a little more, work in the garden, tend to things that have been put off for the burning days of the summer. We can breathe again. Summer in Texas is an endurance test for people like me. Everything is hotter in Texas. Or so the T shirt says.

So NOW, we are inspired by the junk in our closets and the stuff we have collected over a lifetime, to CLEAN HOUSE. And by that, I mean, REALLY clean the clutter. Supposedly you are supposed to be inspired to do that in the spring, but in Texas, we have been indoors all summer, and the fall comes, even a hint of it, and we are ready to go to work. OUTSIDE. You see those shows on television about the folks that hoard stuff. While I don't think we fall into that category, there are those that might argue the point if they looked in our garage. It is one of the things that Larry and I would fight over at the drop of a hat - that is, cleaning out the garage. We have to be very careful when we attempt that task. May actually be the very reason we don't, very often. But it is time. And the weather is perfect.

So, we have set a date. An entire week in fact, to clear out the closets, so to speak. We are having a garage sale in three weeks, selling the stuff we don't use, the stuff we don't need, the stuff we have been storing and forgot we had. It is just too much to live around anymore.

Seems funny, but the larger your purse, the more you put in it. The larger your closet, the more clothes and shoes and purses you find to store there. The larger your junk drawer, the more junk you collect. What do we really need? When we lived in the RV, we found that we really needed very little to live day to day.
Although, I did find that I missed some of my stuff after living in that confined space for a year and a half.
But really, I don't need 24 tea cups, do I? AND their saucers?

We used to live in a really tiny house. One of those old houses in Fort Worth with tiny rooms, tiny closets (if there even WERE closets) and no storage at all in the kitchen, no garage. We managed to cram the space with stuff, despite the lack of storage spaces. The attic held our Christmas decorations and our luggage, thankfully.

When we moved out here, the 9 acre place was full of stuff, left from another lifetime of collecting. We spent the first couple of years clearing off piles of bits of stuff - throwing most of it in the dumpster, which was emptied every week. And now we have our own piles of stuff. Stuff from the house as we remodeled it, like old cabinets and porcelain fixtures from the bathroom, lumber that is still useable, and roofing material that we had left over. Fencing, wire, panels, trailers, even an old truck that doesn't run any more. We've managed to replace the piles with our own lifetime of stuff. And now we are feeling overwhelmed by it all again.
It's movin on outa here. I reckon.

Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com

Chow Town Chicks at home in Kimy's back yard

2010-05-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

I've realized over the past couple of weeks that I don't like to write about food I don't like, so the last two places the chicks have been weren't anything to write home about. Bummer, cuz they had such potential. So many places do. But that is exactly why we decided to start writing about our food experiences - because we are definately passionate about it, AND we want to change what people seem to be accepting as GOOD. We're definately in the minority here, realizing that not everyone has the same taste buds that we three chicks have, NOR the expectations when it comes to good food, service, cleanliness, and just plain ole' hospitality.

So after one really great start to this endeavor and two really bummer ones, we decided to take the bull by the horns and just go to Kimy's house. Sit in her absolutely breathtaking back yard, and eat food that only an artist could create. It was picture perfect.

I suppose everyone has a favorite memory of a meal - the one that always comes to mind when someone asks you what your favorite food memory is. Mine was at a restaraunt in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. A tuna steak, about two inches thick, seared on both sides for about two minutes each, served with a reduced soy sauce and drizzle of spicy green wasabi. I can't even remember what else came with it. But it was SO good, I wanted to order it again. Next time I have a meal like that, I WILL order it again. I've done it since, and have learned my lesson. Life is too short to go wanting at the table of a great chef.

So at Kimy's house, she served my favorite. I'm not sure if she knew it really was my favorite food. I have lots of favorites. She DOES know, however, that I am an eater, and to make sure there is plenty in the kitchen. There are rarely leftovers when I am served. Much to her husbands regret for not being there to share in the feast. I even ate what was left on Christy's plate when she got too full to finish. :)

Two salads. That opposing sweet salty thing that Kimy does so well. Arugula with chunks of cool seedless watermelon, drizzled with balsalmic reduction, and scattered with home made nearby local feta cheese. Oh my.

Cool refreshing Pellegrino in a big round wine glass.

THEN, on the BIG plate. This shell thing that she made out of parmesan cheese. Made extra open so all the salad could fit inside - knowing how I love a gargantuan salad. Feild greens, red onion, crisp corn cut from the milky cob, craisins, and her own luscious homemade garlicy balsalmic vinaigrette.
The tuna was bought fresh, that morning, all pink and thick and wonderful. Salted and peppered and coated wtih black and white sesame seeds, and seared on both sides for no more than two minutes, served rare, the way God intended it, sliced thin and served with a drizzle of aioli and horseradish sauce. Absolute heaven.

Well, if that's not enough. Dessert was another delectable delight. Not too sweet, but wonderfully chocolatey, these 70% pure cocoa muffins, made with real cream and my own backyard Shady B Ranch happy hen chicken eggs. She was whipping them up when I got there. When she took 'em out of the oven, timed perfectly for the end of our main meal, she poked a chunk of that immensely rich chocolate down inside the middle of the muffin, served it on top of some yummy homemade whipped cream with real vanilla bean flecks in it, and topped it all off with little rubies of strawberries, coated with more of that reduced balsalmic vinegar. Coffee with real half and half. More blissful heaven. Nobody puts chocolate and strawberries together like Kimy does. It is one of her specialties.

I wish I could recommend to you, a reservation at the restaraunt Kimy. The first time I had dinner there, I asked her husband, sort of jokingly, if he ate that way every night. And his answer to me was,

"Yea, actually we DO."

Good food is not fattening.
Eat real. Cook more. Find joy in the food you eat. Share it with others. Shop for it often. Eat at home. Buy fresh. Buy local. Eat organic. Eat slowly. Say "mmmmmm" throughout your meal. Rub your belly. Relax in the moment. Take photos of your plate. Eat more vegetables. Arrange your plate for color. Eat a salad every day. A good one. And always say thanks.

Eating good food and making good food choices is the best thing you can do for yourself.

Mangia!

love, rachel

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a Challenge

2010-03-09T16:47:00.000-08:00

Today I was on my way to Yoga class and a little bitty bit hungry. Everywhere, there were signs, signs, signs, on all the food joints, in the windows, on the marquis, even staked in the ground out front. Donut shops - I counted two within one block. Lots of sandwich shops, hamburgar joints, quick drive thru mexican food, taco stands, pizza joints, drive-ins, drive-thrus, quick stops, on every block, everywhere you look - signs with these huge VALUES. You can get a LOT of food for your money these days! But what are you really getting? The signs advertise FREE tots with a supersized burger meal, FREE biggie drink with sandwich, $2.99 delux valu meals, FREE frosty wtih combo meal, etc. etc. etc. Oh what to do? What to do?

Easy.

Starve.

No, not really - I almost never starve. I'm almost always hungry! And I eat a lot for my 120 pounds. But I can easily pass these offerings of value right on by. I can wait until I get finished with my yoga class and go home and fix something really special for my lunch. And I can even do it fast if I need to. Something that I'll feel good to eat and will make my body feel good to eat. Something that won't break my pocketbook either.

I used to eat all that stuff. Thirty pounds ago. I used to feel crummy too. Two years ago. I hurt all over and walked like I was 90 years old. I didn't sleep well and even my fat hurt. I was on all sorts of pills. Pills for pain, pills to sleep, pills for anxiety. My doctor put me on a diet. I started reading about food. I went to a B.E.S.T. doctor and he told me to start eating one extra vegetable a day. I didn't even know how to do that. So I drank a V8 juice. Which, by the way, was a really good idea.

So this is your challenge. Start the same way I did. Eat one extra vegetable a day. Maybe you don't eat any vegetables in a day. So adding one will be a huge improvement in your diet. Just do that one thing.
And we'll take it slow from there.

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bull riding event

2010-03-08T14:57:00.000-08:00

Saturday night was a date night. Larry and I met our friends Kim and Don at the Railhead in Forth Worth for Barbeque. The best barbeque I have ever put in my mouth is served at the Railhead. But we've actually found another Railhead location- a newer version of our beloved Railhead in Fort Worth near our old house. This one is in Hudson Oaks - and a LOT closer to us in Weatherford. On tuesdays and saturdays you can get a half a roasted barbequed chicken and this incredible salad that is NOT on the menu in Fort Worth.

Me, I 'm not much on potato salad or cole slaw - unless I'm the one what made it, so this salad is right up my food combining alley. And it has all my favorite stuff in it. I mean, meat and potatos are just about the worst thing you can eat at the same time, but we Texans seem to eat a lot of things that way. Steak and potatos, chicken fried steak and mashed potatos, fried chicken and potatos, hamburgars and french fries.
Yikes!

The other choice at the Railhead, of course, is their unbelievable barbeque pork ribs. Fall off the bone tender - you really don't ever want to get full - they are craveable, so since we discovered this new Railhead near our own neighborhood, we frequent there as often as we can. Unless it is a tuesday or a saturday, I order a large salad with toasted pecans, feta cheese, and balsalmic dressing, with a pound of ribs and a Blue Moon. Coldest beer anywhere, and they serve this new wheat beer my neice turned me on to - the Blue Moon - maybe it isn't new, but it is new to me - served with orange slices - my new favorite. It's just not as good at home - I tried it, and it needs to be served to me by a nice smiling waitress in that cold frozen scooner that's almost too big for my hands. I pick it up with two.

So we had tickets to the Bull Riding event at the Will Rogers Coliseum. Smelled just like you would expect a Bull Riding event to smell. Like dirt and pee, sawdust and poop, beer and cinnamon rolls, all rolled up together to make a big ole' Bull Pie odorific one of a kind memorable you'd know exactly where you were if you had a blindfold on kind of experience.

We found our seats and they were good ones - right near the action. Just in time, the announcer started talking though we couldn't understand a word through the speaker system in the arena. His words were garbled and loud - every once in a while we could make one of them out. So we just watched as each contestant tried to stay on the backs of those crotchety old bulls for the precious desired eight seconds so they could be scored. These cowboys were named Austin and Justin, and Rigger and Roper and Tuffy and Roughy and the last names were about the same. I mean, do you think their parents named them those perfect bull rider names or are those nicknames? They were like movie star names or something. And crazy. I don't know who is crazier. A Bull Rider, or the clowns that help refocus a furious bucking bull.

Talk about a score! When it was over and the winner had recieved his belt buckle and his brand new saddle (Larry suggested it was weird for a bull rider to get a saddle for a prize and we all agreed) Anyway, Don had scored these precious "back stage" upstairs coveted go up the elevator to the famous bar for important people tickets, so we went, finding the elevator finally, past the guards that were carefully screening people that tried to go up, turning people away right and left, past these folks that were envying us for that coveted ticket Don held in his hands. We were feeling somewhat superior having these important tickets and excited to have this "experience" and go up to the famous upstairs bar and viewing area. I can't really describe what we found there. Kim and I went to the bathroom and when she opened the door to go inside, there was a brick wall. Huh, is it a practical joke or something? We opened the door next to it and found the real bathroom. OK, so THAT was weird.

Then the bar had these plywood covered tables with folding chairs around them - they sort of needed tablecloths or something - like they had just cleaned up after a wedding and it was time to go home sort of feeling. The bar had lots of people all bunched up in line to order and this most peculiar painting behind it. I mean, tell me what you think this is? There just has to be a good backstory here. Once I find out what it is, I'll be sure to share it with you.

But this is weird don't you think? Like outer space weird.

Huh?

So,

there's no music playing, no sound at all, but there are all the superior people around us that had the same superior special upstairs passes. There was a concert going on below, we could see it through the glass windows, but we were behind it - we could see the back of the band, and it was silent. We could watch the people down below enjoying themselves packed up in front of the elevated stage in the middle of the arena, watching the concert. I never did find out who was playing.

So, we drank our fancy drink in our fancy plastic cups and with a bewildered look at each other and a few photos taken to commemorate the moment, we left, onward home to the real world and art that makes sense.

BTW, a kinda cool thing - When we got off the elevator, there was a young couple that were being turned away because they didn't have the coveted special ticket. So, when they turned away all dejected, Don went over to them and handed them his pass upstairs and then walked away. Hopefully they found it a stimulating experience and knew exactly why there was a painting of a two legged horse butt with an eyeball on the wall behind the bar.
Anyway, I thought it was a nice gesture. Don't you? We should pay it forward whenever we can.

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2010-03-08T13:49:00.000-08:00

So, My girlfriend Kim came out here sunday afternoon with her cool husband Don and their two kids, Dharma and Zoe.

Don bought a new/old tractor that he and Larry wanted to do some tinkering on, so they spent the day in the garage contemplating parts and pieces, wishing for the owners manual, and for a warmer drier day so they could go dig something. I sort of wanted to get on that old rusty back hoe and do some digging too, but the weather was too cold and wet and icky to do anything but stay inside with my girlfriend and cook something delectable.

So that is what we did.

We spent the day working on our evening meal, and then spent an hour and a half sitting at the table enjoying the fruits of our labor, along with a fabulous bottle of cabernet sauvignon called Jade Mountain. I'll buy that again if I can find it again!

We drank champagne while we cooked. It's always a time for celebration when Kim and I are together. This day, we celebrated our good health and happiness. We took a break and put on our chicken boots and went out to the coop to feed the chickens some veggie scraps, and collected a few green eggs for the dessert, which called for a half dozen egg whites.

We listened to old albums on my old record player. We wore our houseshoes. We laughed a lot and drank more champagne. We roasted spice nuts and every twenty minutes, we stirred the nuts. The beeper would beep and we'd say "Time to stir the nuts". I guess you had to be there, cuz it was funny. We played with my new Jack LaLane juicer and tried all sorts of juices. We juiced everything! We compared the Jack LaLane juicer with the Dr. Weil juicer - more on that later.

We made the beds with fresh sheets still warm from the dryer. We watched Public Television - a show on Italy. We drank more champagne.

And that's how we spent our day - doesn't it sound like the best sunday afternoon ever?

SO, here is our menu. Just get a load of this.

Sockeye Salmon with spiced nuts served
on top of
slow cooked carmelized onions with
red cabbage, apples,
flaked coconut and craisins.

Aside some 'roasted just long enough' asparagus
with fresh garlic and some of that unbelievable olive oil I brought back from San Gimignano, Italy.

And some very large, very beautiful scallops that we soaked in a mixture of balsalmic vinegar, ginger and garlic, then wrapped in bacon with water chestnut slices and baked until they were crispy on the outside and tender juicy on the inside?

And what dessert took six egg whites to prepare?.....
a drum roll please,

Kimy's Ghirardeli chocolate mousse with fresh,
only slightly sweetened whipped cream,
strawberries,
and
chocolate covered
espresso beans.

Oh
My
Gosh
You can't believe how good it was.

Heaven.
Really,
really a taste of Heaven.
I love pretty food.

chow, ciao for now

rachel

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Rachel the Roofer

2010-03-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

I posted this photo on my facebook and one of my galfriends said this.
"Rosie the Riveter has nothing on this gal - Rachel the Roofer - you GO girl!"
Isn't that funny? I laughed out loud at that comment.

Lots of work still to do on the old Shady B Ranch, and a sunny day is too good to pass up. So saturday afternoon Larry and I went to work on one of our many projects - the roof of the garage. It took me a while to get my "roof legs", but eventually I forgot I was walking around on a slanted surface high off the ground, until Larry said to me - "Hey, you're walking instead of scooting on your butt." And at that minute, I had to start scooting again. It's like awareness hit me and the fear set in all over again and I lost my balance - feeling magnetized, drawn to the edge where I will fall off head first. I'm not very good at heights. But man, give me that nail gun. HOOO-AHHHH - I'm a nailgun kinda gal.

Lately our projects have been indoors as the rain has been steady around here, so it was oh so good to get outside and feel the sun on our backs. Our ponds are full, the bar ditches flowing, the pastures are soggy, and the horses stay covered in mud. I stopped worrying over my floors indoors - it is pointless until the weather turns. But it promises to be a lush and wonderful spring, and for me and most of the folks I know around here, it can't come soon enough.

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2010-03-05T17:04:00.000-08:00

Oh, how wonderful it is to have girlfriends.

My friend Christy came up with this fabulous idea to start blogging our lunch experiences.

She and Kim and I love food. Good food. And the BEST food, we find, comes from our own kitchens. But so many times, we just want to meet somewhere and be fed, served, taken care of, while we laugh and enjoy something scrumptious.

So, this blog Christy is writing, and the name of our trio, is chow town chicks and you can follow what we’re up to on this site. go to Chow Town Chicks here on blogger.

Each of us has a bit of a different spin on what we want to write about and search for in our quest. Christy is looking for value, for the economy conscious women out there, wanting the same things we all want, but wanting a good price to get it.
Kim, I would say is our veggie head. While she likes a good steak as much as any Texas gal, she prefers the lighter fare with good color and lots of well prepared veggies. As for me, I would say by far, am the biggest eater of our trio. I can really put it away. While Christy and Kim are brilliant chefs in their kitchens, I can put together a pretty good plate myself, but enjoy more than anything just EATING good pretty food. And I eat a lot of it.

A few years ago, when I wanted to shed a few pounds and was feeling well, basically, crummy, I started really thinking about WHAT I was eating, and educating myself on how food works in my body and what was IN the food I eat. I’ve learned a lot over the past few years and now I’m pretty particular about what I put in my mouth. So I plan to share some of what has worked for me, in terms of good food. Both in restaraunts and in the food we choose to serve in our homes.

So, yesterday was the first Chow Town Chicks luncheon. Christy found this place online, in Fort Worth on Magnolia Street, called Lily's Bistro on Magnolia. We were greeted by a smiling face and directed to a table we had already spotted in a sunny window, sort of private and special. Our hostess overheard our glee (yes, it was glee:), and accommodated our wishes immediately. It was noon too, and the restaraunt was busy, which is a really good sign of a well run establishment. Cha ching, one glass toasted already! Within minutes we had another smiling face at our side, taking drink orders and brought us a wine menu to peruse.

Neither of the two choices of appetizers were appealing to us – the Gorgonzola Fries or the Fried Dill spears. Hmmmm, what’s that about? Fried appetizers? So our very accommodating waitress suggested we try this Tzatziki Medley. And what a GREAT suggestion this was. It was a ginormous plate of two different kinds of tabouleh, which is a bulghar wheat salad. One with fresh veggies (Kim loved this one best) and a lemon vinaigrette. The OTHER one, (my favorite) was called Bulgher and Berries. Oh my, it had cherries, and cranberries, and banana chips, and pistachios and cilantro, with a citrus vinaigrette. All was served very appetizingly on a plate with crisp lettuce, and a fabulous chunky cucumber sauce. Oh yea, and triangles of fried pita bread, which was wonderful, but weird - I mean, yet another fried thing?(NOT Christy’s favorite) BUT when we asked about it – whether it was baked or fried (there was some question) – our waitress offered to bring us some plain pita instead and brought a generous portion of that for us to nibble. Christy is happy.

I could have stopped there.

I asked for the waitresses favorites and the good news is that she had a lot of them. I always like a wait –person that is familiar with the food they are serving. I think it is important for restaurants to have their employees taste everything they prepare so they are well informed about the menu. I mean, this is what they DO – the restaurant, I mean – and their employees need to know what it tastes like!

I went with the salmon. Served with their signature “Lily’s Rice”. Now, here is where my food choices come in. Often I will choose something based on what it comes WITH. I spent quite a long time studying the menu – I always do. And nothing on it had any accompaniments that weren’t a starch – as a matter of fact – they were either gorgonzola waffle fries or rice. Neither has any appeal to me. Now if it was sweet potato fries even (which would certainly have been more appealing even though it is still a starch), brown rice or even wild rice, but it was white rice, with a veggie here and there and pretty bland. The salmon I ordered was glazed, which would have deterred me from ordering it had the menu reflected this very important detail. It was very very sweet and overwhelmed the flavor of the nice pink salmon on my very prettily plated dish.
I usually don't order anything with sugar, and NEVER eat high fructose corn syrup if I can help it. Usually I can. Help it, I mean.

Christy’s burger won the taste test. It was a piled high hamburger with gorgonzola cheese exploding out of it. But the meat part was not as savory as I would have liked even though it was generous, and the bun, while being beautiful and very very fresh, was sweet, sort of like a waffle is sweet, or a pancake with maple syrup. One or two bites and that was enough of that - it just didn't marry well with the rest of the flavors - not for long anyway. It was too overpowering. You would think the gorgonzola would be the dominant flavor, but it was very mild cheese, even though it LOOKED right.

So then, for the veggie sandwich. Kim’s sandwich was just dull. It was beautiful and big and the price was right, but the fries it came with were warm, not hot, soft, not crunchy, and the cheese, which was generous, was that same mild gorgonzola. Again, weird. Plus an overabundance of some pepper mixture. VERY spicy, which is OK for me, but again, it was too overpowering. The bread was fabulous though. A very flavorful, fresh rosemary flavored bread. Just right. Carmelized onions or maybe some warm roasted red peppers would have made this sandwich a hit with all of us. Either of these sandwiches could have been split easily - they were very very large for lunch specialties.

OK, so the food was actually good enough to try again. I will ask more questions next time. Everything was served beautifully - with thought and care - attention to detail - which is important to me. The service was impeccable and actually quite delightful. The waitress was engaged in what she was doing - looked us in the eyes and appeared at all the right moments. The hostess even came to check on us from time to time and made us feel at home and we were never rushed. And the appetizer was what I call “crave-able”. We’ll be back for more of that. I even took the leftovers home and we had that marvelous salad with our eggs this morning. Scrumptious.

Next time,

Nona Tata’s – just down the street.

I can hardly wait.

chow, ciao for now
rachel

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2010 A brand New Year

2010-01-05T12:07:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Obviously I'm not a very good blogger, since the last entry here was a year ago, with much the same entry as above.

Well, except for the tractor.

That's my tractor, "Bruiser".

I must get inspired each year at this time to get caught up on things and then it just gets away from me all over again. I had at first thought I would use this blog to create a journal of the progress we have made out here at the Shady B Ranch. But that turned into a HUGE and OVERWHELMING task that I just didn't find the time for, so I'm rethinking that. I'll post photos of our past work from time to time because it truly is a remarkable thing we have done out here. There is still much to do, but every now and then, I like to look back at those old photos of what we tore up and what we rebuilt, and think about how dreams can become reality.

Living in the house of our own creation makes us forget the endurances we came through.

Living in the RV with only 6 gallons of hot water for a year and a half was the biggest complaint I had. It was hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but we survived, and it strengthened our relationship living eyeball to eyeball with each other. We spent a great deal of time outdoors.

I sort of miss that now. That outdoors thing. Even though our house sits in the lovely middle of the same outdoors, I find myself content to spend each day in my roomy studio and each night comfortably cloistered in my climate controlled gigantic hot water heater almost finished home.

The year 2009 was a sensational year. I reconnected with a lot of old friends on facebook. I turned fifty in November and my brother Glenn and I went to Italy to celebrate. It was bene!

The year started with a trip to Breckenridge with my other brother Russell and my sis o bliss in law Becky (two of my favorite people) to celebrate HER birthday, and here it is time to celebrate her again! We skiied and had a most marvelous time.

On the way home we stopped at the Cadillac Ranch to put our mark on the art. What an amazing thing to witness. We've driven by it a number of times, but finally took the time to stop. Some people were leaving as we arrived, and handed us a bag of spray paint. This is the thing you do. You put your mark on the art. There are so many layers on those cars in places it has fallen off in three inch thick chunks of spray paint. You can see the striational colored layers. In the middle of a cow pasture. If you look closely in that one photo, you can see a herd through the window.....

Then three weeks later another trip to Taos with Larry's cuz David and skiied again. Taos is a little trickier to ski and I loved it, but on the very last run, I twisted my knee and that was all for me. I didn't know if I could make it back to the bottom. So that's all for me in the ski department unless I can get my knee looked at. I've been too busy this year to bother with it. And the only thing it can't do, is ski.

So, onward.

In April, I had an opportunity with the airfares being so low to go to London with my sis o bliss in law Becky so I took it and went for four funfilled shop till you drop days.

She was going out to pick up her daughters wedding dress, which cost almost as much to MAIL as it did to go and GET it herself!

I mean airfares were incredibly low. We were also on a mission to find her something fabulous for her mother of the bride outfit. And we did, at a most amazing place in London. Another story, another blog post (maybe:) It was fast and furious and oh so wonderful. My favorite town was Rye on the coast. I loved Canterbury and the little village that Becky grew up in - Charing. We had lunch there. And we shopped till we dropped. But we didn't. Drop that is. :)

Somewhere during this summer - can't remember when it was, Larry and I went on a trailride with our cowboy church. To make a long story short, we were riding two very inexperienced horses. One, spoiled, and the other, young. Although she has been ridden many times by our neices and nephews and even our grandchildren, she chose this day to chunk me off. I landed on that same old knee, and when it went out from under me, so did my ankle. What is it they always say? You gotta get back ON that horse and ride! So I did. Thinking it was just a fluke - she had never done that before and wouldn't do it again.

Of course you can guess what happend next.

From a complete stand still position, she jumped all four feet off the ground and chunked me off in one ploop. I sat there stunned for a minute or two and this time, I learned my lesson. I got on my galfriends horse with her and rode back that way. Haven't been on a horse since. And my knee, well, its even more unskii-able now.

This is how Dreamer cools herself off in the summer. What a smart horse. She's the one that chunked me.

Around April or May, Larry and I went to Fredricksburg Texas withour friends Kim and Don and their kids, and rented a farmhouse on the river. We had a great time together eating German food, and meeting new friends.

This is Kimy with the kids.

In June, we went on yet another trip to Colorado for my neice Georgina's wedding. What a grand event that was! We drove my parents out there and they got to see Russ and Becky's mountain treehouse for the first time. It is my favorite home away from home.

I usually pick up a rock from the places I go. Larry wouldn't let me take this one. I thought it would look GREAT in my garden!

Then in July, I went with my two galfriends, Kim and Beth, to Arrowmont School in Gatlinburg Tennessee. We spent the fourth of July there and saw THE most spectacular fireworks show I have ever witnessed. It was heart pounding and absolutely brilliant, right over our heads from the grounds at Arrowmont, a most beautiful place and dear to my heart. There, you can sit on the grass without fear of fireants. We took our blankets out on the lawn and watched the most amazing show, almost wishing it would end because I thought my heart would stop.

My friends took a two week clay class, and I took one week of weaving, and the next week in bowl turning. I learned how to warp the loom I've had stored in my garage for - ever and made some pretty cool little wooden bowls on a mini lathe. The bowl turning part was fascinating, however scary weilding those sharp tools, but not something I want to persue. Weaving on the other hand, is mesmerizing and I am enjoying using my loom immensely. Right now I am weaving rag rugs with many bits of fabric I have collected over the years. My grandmother made mens silk ties and I have all the silk scraps from her. I plan to weave them into a silk rag rug. We shall see. I can't throw anything away.......

The next trip I took was with my dad. When I was returning from my trip to London, I had a layover in Charlotte NC. I spoke to my dad on the phone while I was there and he said it was a place he had always wanted to go to because the Billy Graham museum was there.

Hmmmm, I thought. Maybe I should just haul him out there sometime. So, I got my brothers together and we bought him a ticket. I bought ME a ticket, and made reservations for a wonderful lunch somewhere closeby, mapped out a wonderful day, and surprised him with it for fathers day. It was a GRAND day in October. The weather was perfect and the angels were watching over us as we flew out and back in one day.

Everything went perfectly synchronized.

We left at 6 am, found the airport, found our gate, parked the car, checked in, walked right on our flight, had a terrific flight, got off the plane, found a cab, took us straight to the restaraunt where I had made reservations, they knew our names, why we were there, gave us a lovely table outdoors and a free dessert. Called the same cab to pick us up, went to the museum, spent four lovely hours and shared a cab with a fella back to the airport, perfect timing all day. The museum is quite impressive and we could have spent even more time there! We were home by ten that evening and it was a great memory of me and my dad.

Which brings me to Italia. Two weeks in Italy. The first four days were spent at the Cinque Terre right on the Mediterranean Sea. Oh my - those were absolutely my favorite of all the days there.

Just me n Glenn.

Two days in Monterosso, and two days in Vernazza. I plan to return and spend even more time at Vernazza in the same little bungalow, take my paints, sit and watch everything, hike the trails, eat more seafood.

It was glorious.

Two more days in Florence, then a week in Tuscany at a nine bedroom farmhouse on an olive oil farm with 14 of my friends and relatives. One honeymoon, two anniversaries, two birthdays, an adoption, and lots of people to toast with.

Florence

My mom flew over to celebrate with us too. What a delight she is - never complaining about a thing - just happy to be wherever we took her. She became mom to my friends as they adopted her and took her along on daytrips here and there. A great memory with my mom and my brother.

One more day in Florence and then the journey home.

Ah Home. At last. I am content.

Until the next opportunity comes along! Wonder where I'll go next?

2009-01-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

Now, where was I?

We still had our house in town for sale, and were living in the RV in the front yard at the ranch. We decided to take the rebuilding in stages.

The first stage was to tear it up. It took a whole year, while we were waiting for our house in town to sell, to demolish the old and start rebuilding the new.

It was sort of satisfying, but really sad too - we knew that the first owners of this house had built it them selves, evenings and weekends, and here we were, tearing it down. But it had to be done. The walls were infested with termites and twice, someone fell through holes in the floor.

Happy New Year Y'all!

2008-12-31T10:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, so its been a wild and wonderful holiday season - We've been traveling and wassailing and eating and eating and I've gained a few of those old pounds back from the year of the "diet". They'll come off again in January. We still have a few Christmasses to go yet, so the stockings are still hung by the chimney with care, and the lights are still up on the front of the house, and the trees are still sparkly with ornaments and red glass balls and there are even still a few leftovers we haven't managed to polish off. I've been busy making tiles and sending them all over the world. I'm firing my last kiln load of the year today and will shut down the studio for two weeks. Etsy has been slowing down a lot with the merrymaking and it is a good time for us to go on holiday.

I'll be back in the swing of things soon, and will continue with posting our journey at the Shady B. Larry is working on the shower now and is making a lot of progress. I ordered the glass mosaic tile so I could get started on my part next week. I'm planning on finishing the tile for the kitchen while I am off too.
So stay tuned. There is SO much more to come.

And have a safe and Happy New Year - 2009 promises great and wonderful things - a year of PROSPERITY for all! Love and kisses, Rachel

check out my new shop!

2008-11-24T15:39:00.001-08:00

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The house in town

2008-11-13T16:23:00.000-08:00

We had a great little house in town. One of those dreamy little houses in a dreamy little neighborhood. We thought it would sell the first week. It took a year to sell it! Here are a few pictures of our first home together.

RV life

2008-10-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

Meanwhile we put an RV in the front yard and left our house in town all fixed up, ready to sell.

It took a year.

We lived in this RV for 18 months. Winters were very cold and summers were very hot. The front yard was our living room. We had a LOT of company! We cooked on the grill alot, even pancakes, and a picnic table served as our dining room. It was perfect. But I was ready to live in a house again. Six gallons of hot water just isn't enough. I guess I'm spoiled.

Demolition

2008-10-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

Demolition begins.

This is very satisfying. However, it DID go on for quite a long time.

While we were waiting to sell our house in town so we'd have the cash to get started, we tore this old place up. Threw it away a dumpster load at a time. For two years, we filled our dumpster with this old house. We burned what we could, but there was a lot of stuff that we couldn't burn. The first thing to go was the old roof off the studio. I had to have a place to work so I could close the studio in town, so we began with the worst of the worst and completely rebuilt it. More on that later. First, the demo pictures.

a treasure lost and found

2008-10-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

Oh, today is SUCH a great day.
Wonderful weather, cool and crisp this morning, the sun is shining.
And I found a treasure.

While cleaning out the garage, unpacking boxes that have been stored away for the past four years as we've worked on this old place, I found a box of my cookbooks. Amongst them, was a hand typed book, about 40 pages or so, compiled by my late Aunt Margy, of all her favorite recipes.

There are some great recipes in there, ones that I plan to use for sure - and she wrote funny little notes along with them about the people she got them from and how she might have changed them up a bit. But one of them is a recipe that I thought for sure lost and gone forever.

Pickled beets. The recipe was given to her by Aunt Eva, my pawpaw's sister, who is delightful and living still at 90 something in a wonderful old folks home in Denison Texas. When we visit her she asks the same questions over and over again, and tells the same stories too - about things that happened to her when she was a girl. She has the same sparkle in her eye that my pawpaw had in his. I kinda hope that I have it too.

Anyway, I'm sure it has to be the very same beet recipe that my meemaw used to make the most mouth watering sugar beets in the world. I've not had them since she died - I had one old jar of them that I kept in the frig and put canned beets in the juice for about a year after she died, until it just wasn't the same anymore.

Meemaw said that beets made your cheeks rosy, and I believe her.

The Inspection

2008-10-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

Lots of wood rot and termite damage here.

More termite evidence.

Mold growing under the house. Such pretty colors.

Yikes!

He fell through the floor here....

I wouldn't want his job,

nosirree.

2008-10-15T11:33:00.001-07:00

so bear with me here, ya'll. I'm trying to start at the beginning. We've worked so hard on this place and I'm having a great time going through all the pictures, remembering, and realizing how far we have come in just four years. Stay tuned - it is a truly amazing transformation.

the fireplace first sight

2008-10-09T09:27:00.001-07:00

This was the living room - you can sort of see the fireplace there on the left. I think I have another picture of it somewhere - I'll look - but it took up an entire wall. It is gone now! We had a couple of "get your frustrations out" parties and gave everyone a sledge hammer.......

the kitchen first sight

2008-10-09T09:25:00.001-07:00

Green green, everywhere green. and well, sort of yellow? The floors were yellow downstairs and green upstairs.....more to come....these cabinets were incredibly well built with a beautiful wood.....then covered with GREEN laminate. Oh my.

the studio first sight

2008-10-09T09:20:00.001-07:00

So now, the studio. Probably in the worst shape of all the property. Likely had been a carport and was converted in the seventies to a workshop. One side was his, and the other hers. I think someone fell through that hole in the ceiling.....not good. This was the first hing we demo'd.

These concrete block walls are underground. As a matter of fact, half the house is underground.

The roof was flat and leaked big time. We had to redesign it so it sloped. Wait till you see what we did!

outside first sight

2008-10-09T09:15:00.001-07:00

A view of the chicken coop and the barn

And this is the back of the house. Doesn't look so bad from here.....

upstairs first sight

2008-10-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

my my my my my my my.

oh my.

This was the upstairs.

A sad day at the Shady B

2008-10-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

Today is a very sad day at the Shady B. We lost our precious calf - Juney B - this morning at sunrise. She was just four months old.
The vet said she broke her pelvis. Can't imagine how she did that. But the weather has been cooler lately and everyone is in good spirits and running and jumping and we figure she must have just fallen while she was playing in the pasture.
Everyone is sad. Bessie, the momma cow is bawling, walking up and down the fence looking for her baby. Gracie is crying and nervous. The horses are at the fence watching - they seem to know there is sadness and death. Everyone is grieving for our loss.
We have to realize that this is part of life. That she had a good one while she was here, however short. That we provided a good home for her to live, and that Bessie was a terrific momma. Death comes to all of us at some time or another. Some sooner than others. Animal or human, we all have to die. So we will grieve for our little Juney B. And we'll continue to live too, blessed by all the creatures, great and small, that God gives us to love and care for.

downstairs first sight

2008-10-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

So, we went inside. It smelled funny, but hey, it was winter and all closed up and the lady that lived there smoked. alot. But we thought it was a VERY interesting house. It had been built by the very woman that was sitting in the dining room, along with her husband - gone about 10 years before - who was a very ingenious fella, we found out later. I think they had a contemporary side to them which was evident every now and then.....ahem....now and then.....

early 2004 looking for a place in the country

2008-10-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

2004. Larry took an early retirement. We started looking for a house in the country. This one was the first one we found.

We looked at a lot of others, but we kept coming back to this one. It had what we wanted.

The right amount of land, fence for horses, a good water well, some outbuildings, trees, a couple of ponds, and it was on a hill. Oh, and it came with a tractor. a blue one. very cool.

So this is a picture of what we saw when we first drove up the driveway, following the realtors car. Looked pretty good from here! Ok, so blue wouldn't be the color I would choosefor a house - a tractor maybe, but still, it looks good. A house on a hill - actually built INTO the hill - the back door upstairs goes out on the ground.
This used to be a little carport - but some years ago they turned it into a workshop - one side was for her and the other for him. I'm thinkin', hey, this could be my studio!
The front door and a nice little covered porch area.

Welcome to the Shady B Ranch!!!

2008-09-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

Howdy and Welcome!
I have a dream that this great old place will become an artist retreat that sustains itself through art processes and creativity in learning art and craft, old and new. A place that nurtures the artists soul with good food, fellowship and artistic endeavors with people seeking knowledge in areas of interest. We've been working on this place for four years now and have made significant progress on the house and grounds. But there is still more to do.
My plan is to build a barn that can house workshops of all kinds, a cabin for guest artists, a deck for outdoor demonstrations and parties, and eventually, cabins for guests wanting to stay for a weekend or a week workshop, when those are available. Workshops will begin in the year 2010 with a year in the RED. Our first guest artist is already booked - Ron Meyers - from Georgia - one of my all time favorite clay artists that works primarily on the potters wheel and decorates his utilitarian vessels with a wonderful sense of humor and play. More on him in the months to come.
So get excited with me, and I'll share our journey with you, past and present, as you get to know us and what we're doing at the Shady B.