before and after digging in the garden

getting my first vegetable garden dug up and ready.  Henry was a big, erm, help...

happy earth day

mixtape tuesday - give 8 women 88 keys

Mad, mad week, friends.  But exciting.  Today's mix is a tribute to girls and their pianos.  It's a list not the list.  I can already think off a boatload of piano-playing songstresses that are not included.  But the ones that are, are pretty darn good.  Enjoy!

you interested in a big time caper?

So I'm back to the blog a little earlier than expected but I just finished watching Audrey and Peter O'Toole romp it up in Paris in How to Steal a Million and I had to gush about what a delicious little picture it is and how I honestly cannot believe it's taken me this long to see it. 

I won't give away the plot.  And anyway it's secondary to the clothes (Givenchy, of course!), the chemistry and the City of Lights.

(More eye candy after the jump!)

zzzz...

Have spent most of the weekend recuperating from last week's perfect storm of madness at work plus spring allergies plus looming flu bug.  On the mend and will return to regularly scheduled Glad-ness tomorrow!
xo

singable songs

My friend Luke owns a great toy store.  Since it shares the same space as an art supply store, there's a pretty diverse clientele. This weekend he asked for suggestions for a new music play list that would be fun for kids but not cause adults to want to stuff cotton batting in their ears.  His list included lots of TV theme songs, Motown and British invasion tunes.

I suggested absolutely anything from Free to Be...You and Me (Much of what you need to know about why I am the way I am can be found on this album...)



and lots of They Might Be Giants, either old school or new:



And my friend Kel lobbied for this classic from Moxy Fruvous:



Dear readers, what would make your list of songs the whole family can enjoy?

playing chicken

Everywhere I look lately people are talking about chickens. Author Susan Orlean took hers to Martha Stewart's show and the lovely Ashley English (check out her blog "Small Measure") just released her first book Keeping Chickens. Apparently chicken-keeping is a no-go in my town so I'll just have to content myself with these cute Etsy finds. (Seriously, how much do I want to make that frilly chicken apron?)

Boy and his Chicken - Vintage 1920's Ephemera Pendant - Nakisha; Free Range Chicken Map Bird Gocco Print - inkmeup; .Vintage Wire Chicken Egg Basket - recycledwares; Vintage Green Glass Chicken - FishboneDeco; Scandinavian style screen printed Spring Chicken cushion cover - Janefoster; Chicken Apron Pattern Tags - sassysadielee

mixtape tuesday: one of "my desert-island, all-time, top five most memorable" mixtapes

The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up is hard to do. It takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick it off with a killer to grab attention. Then you gotta take it up a notch. But you don't want to blow your wad. So then you gotta cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules.

When I was a freshman in college, I met a boy who wore a leather jacket and waxed sardonic.  The next time I saw him he brought me a mix tape worthy of a Nick Hornby character.  For the first time I heard the Cure, Roxy Music and Julian Cope.  It was a critical moment in my musical education.

Half a lifetime later he still waxes sardonic.  He still wears that leather jacket.  And occasionally he still sends me great mixes... except now he sends them down the hall or through interoffice mail (Yup, that's right. We ended up working at the same place.)

His birthday is coming up so in honour of the occasion, highlights from one of "my desert-island, all-time, top five most memorable" mixtapes can be found here  (grooveshark's widget maker was acting up this week.)

a granddaughter remembers...

My grandmother Edith (pictured below holding a python because, really, why wouldn't she be?) would have turned 91 today. 

The following excerpts are from the eulogy  I gave at her funeral in 2006 which will shed a little light on a rather remarkable individual...

“If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,

And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,

Sell one, and with the dole

Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.”

Somewhere along the way, my great-grandmother Agnes McLaughlin came across this poem and whispered the phrase “hyacinths for the soul” to her daughter, Edith, as a gentle reminder of the soul-restoring power of simple beauties.

With her artistic eye and seemingly limitless creativity, my grandmother delighted in finding beauty everywhere. There was no ordinary event that with her planning and creativity could not be turned into an extraordinary occasion.

But it didn’t always turn out as planned.

unpack your adjectives

Adjectives are words you use to really describe things,

Handy words to carry around.

Happy Monday!

Was looking for songs for kids that adults can enjoy too (more on that later) and came across this old School House Rock video.  I love it for it's retro graphics, the unmistakable voice of Blossom Dearie and, of course, its adjectives. :)

finds

After a successful afternoon of tutoring, I treated myself to a trip to the Owl's Nest to see what I could find in the way of used books.  I was rewarded with this copy of Modern Guide to Successful Gardening written in 1934 at a time when authours felt that it was as important to be charming as edifying.

Almost as satisfying as finding the book itself was finding numerous clippings from the home and garden sections of war-time newspapers tucked inside along with these colourful old brochures from a local nursery.

They'll look great framed on the wall of the new potting room!

how to spend a grey saturday morning

shirley temple.

Oh, to be eight again...

grow food

I was actually working on another post (to come later) and I came across Joe Wirtheim from Portland, OR.  His Victory Garden of Tomorrow project deserves its own post.  I want the whole set!

From his etsy shop description:

VGoT is an art project posing as a propaganda campaign for new, American homefront values. The style draws from American mid-century homefront propaganda, and the 21st century messages are inspired by the sustainability movement.

You can learn more about the whole project at http://victorygardenoftomorrow.com/

Now go get your hands dirty!

Beginner's Botany

mad about plaid

April 6 is Tartan Day, a celebration of Scottish heritage, but you don't need to be a MacLachlan, a Campbell or a Duncan to enjoy these pretty plaid items from Etsy.

from top: tartan flower brooch - prettystanley; Vintage Plaid Picnic Set - CampHobachee; Scotland Is for Me tartan ring - Tefi; Oh So Scottish pillow cover - EmmaDear; Jolly London Cashmere/Wool Dog Coat  - shopKCQ; Tartan Flannel Baby Boots - CraftsbyKrysta

mixtape tuesday - post-holiday-weekend pop

Don't know about you but I think that was just about the greatest Easter weekend ever.  Sunshine, sunshine and more sunshine just made everything seem like a great gift.  I've never trotted off to Easter dinner in a sundress and beachy braided hair.  It's back to work today so here are some bright and shiny tunes to perk up the routine...

lost things

love this imaginative and charming stop-motion video by Angela Kohler with music by A Fine Frenzy and starring the band's gorgeous singer Alison Sudol...

gone to the dogs

Despite my best attempts to ply him with organic dog treats or designer biscuits, Henry is unwaveringly loyal to his milkbones.  So attempting to make homemade dog treats was a bit of a gamble.  I chose a recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart. It's very simple and the wheat germ and brewer's yeast (NOT regular yeast!) make the treats very nutritious as well.

Here's what you need:
•2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
•1/2 cup wheat germ
•1/2 cup brewer's yeast (sometimes sold as "nutritional yeast")
•2 teaspoons salt
•3 tablespoons canola oil
•1 1/2 cups chicken stock

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.Combine flour, wheat germ, brewer's yeast, and salt in a large bowl.

Place canola oil in a larger bowl. Add flour mixture to oil in 3 additions, alternating with 1 cup stock; mix until combined.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 2 minutes (dough will be sticky). Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out rounds using a 2-inch fluted cutter (or champagne flute!)

Transfer to baking sheets.

Freeze for 15 minutes. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating sheets and brushing with remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock halfway through. Martha says brush "lightly", I say soak 'em in chickeny goodness. Turn oven off, and let stand in oven for 40 minutes.

Martha suggests making indentations with your thumb and finges to make paw imprints before baking but I found the imprints didn't take. After I cut the two-dozen circles I used the extra to make pretzel shapes. Next time I'd do the whole batch as pretzels. Easier for Henry to handle and they look cute!
 
Now the test...

SUCCESS!

 The treats will keep for up to a month in a sealed container.

Here's a little mood music... Enjoy!