Calder

I got a book about Alexander Calder when I was in middle school. Delving into the book gave me my first glimmer of what it might be like to actually be an artist. The book pictured his Connecticut farmhouse and studio. Art was everywhere and, from then on, that was the image I held of how I wanted to live when I grew up.

One of the things that charmed me the most about him was how, in addition to great art, he made things for daily use around the house. He made jewelry for his wife from copper pieces and wire (how romantic!); knives, forks and spoons for the table from bits of metal scraps. It was as though his life and work were all of a piece, art and life weren't separated into compartments, creativity flowed through everything he did.Louisa Calder's dressing table

I was entranced with his childhood; his parents were both artists and he always had a studio space for himself in the various homes where they lived. I was envious of of his adult life too; he lived in Paris and was friends with Miro, Arp, and Marcel Duchamp. He worked with Martha Graham. The woman he later married was related to Henry James and philosopher William James. I vaguely remember that Calder had a dust-up with the actor, Burgess Meredith, about a film project and money shenanigans. It was all so exotic and fascinating.Furthermore, I loved (and love) his work.

The wire sculptures.The circus.

The mobiles. The stabiles.
All of it!

Foraging

Chanterelles

We are intent on foraging, gathering, and growing most of our food this year. So far, we have clams, mussels, huckleberries, blackberries, apples, pears, and grapes.

Hazelnuts, more mushrooms and truffles to come. Maybe crawdads and crab.Jewel-like grapes

Steaming to extract the grape juice

It tastes good mixed with sparkling water, homemade Italian sodas, mmmmm...

Plus, we have all the regular garden vegetables (broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, etc.). Cherry tomatoes

We bought the freshest salmon ever on Saturday ($8.00/lb!) at the Portland Farmer's Market, from a Native American man who had caught it in the Columbia River the night before. Luckily, the Pacific Northwest is a pretty good area to live in if you want to eat locally all year long. In the past, I have kept the garden going all winter with cold hardy vegetables and a plastic cloche.

I just bought a shiitake mushroom block. It is supposed to yield three pounds of mushrooms, and can keep going for a long time. It is not an aesthetically pleasing addition to the kitchen, but I need to tend it (keeping it moist*, mainly). Shiitakes are very flavorful and are good immune-system boosters.

looks like meatloaf, sprouting chopsticks

not attractive

*I was listening to Roy Blount Jr. on the radio yesterday, talking about his book, Alphabet Juice. Apparently, the word "moist" is one that many people cannot stand to hear. The kids and I used to keep a running list of what we called "forbidden words". We agreed to avoid them in conversation, not because they were obscene, but because they create an unpleasant visceral response. Mr. Cranky can't stand to hear people say "absolutely" and "kinda", but that is because they are misused and over-used, not because they make him feel creepy inside. I wish I could find that list, I do remember someone hating the word "vile".Here's a quote from the book:
"I do hope you realize that every time you use disinterested to mean uninterested, an angel dies, and every time you write very unique, or 'We will hire whomever is more qualified,' thousands of literate people lose yet another little smidgen of hope."
I love words.

Tales, more cast members

Digging further under the seat of my car, I found a few more characters to add to the 'Tales' series.

Boise (skunk)
Boise is not always willing to do what others ask, he can be difficult and contrary and only cooperates when bribed with mochi. He possesses the power of camouflage and loves a good game of hide and seek, but will never come out when called. He would live outdoors if allowed, yet will only ride in taxis and eat in restaurants. Known to occasionally feign a French accent when he wants to feel fancy; he reads books by Bukowski while smoking hookah. He wouldn't hurt a fly and is extremely honest, friendly, and open. He will sit in your lap if you don't stop him.
*He would like see himself as ferocious, but generally succeeds in looking annoyed at best.
Yeti (yeti)
Well known to be a loner, Yeti is not so much shy as he is outraged. Extremely sensitive to injustice and inequality, Yeti separates himself from others to shield his tender heart from the pain of living in the world. He may appear to be unfriendly, even rude, but those brave enough to engage with him will be rewarded with a deep friendship. Yeti is very articulate and loves to expound when given an audience. He enjoys gourmet food, classical music, and local micro-brews. He makes sculptures from found objects, and if you look carefully when walking in the forest, you might find one of them.

Malone (panda)
Malone is suave and sophisticated; charm oozes from every follicle. He is saved from his unctous good looks by his acerbic wit; a kind of oil and vinegar effect. He was chubby as a child and played the tuba in a marching band, an experience that scarred him for life. Now an urbane world traveller, he crashed last year's WTO conference in Davos just for the swag (free ipods!) and the thrill. He is a voracious and catholic reader whose South African accent keeps everyone off-balance (nobody really knows where he's from). He is obsessed with tea; his favorite being vanila rooibos with a side of steamed soy milk and honey, stirred with a special antique spoon that he carries with him at all times.

Ranger (mouse)
Nervous, twitchy, neurotic, adorable...creativity flows through this little guy like a river and he talks non-stop. Charmed by everything he sees, he has an infectious laugh and would literally give you the shirt off his back. It makes me want to buy him a pony. In his quest to live lightly on the planet, he eats raw food exclusively, walks everywhere, and lives in a corner of his friend's living room. He can name the president on any denomination of U.S. currency. He sings, composes, plays guitar, writes futuristic poetry, and needs very little sleep. Did I mention that he is cute as a bug? Because he is...

Ruby (daschund)

Ruby is in the background of Ranger's picture. Her profile isn't finished yet. She and Jam will be along shortly...

Russian Cream

*little owl bowl, devoid of Russian Cream

The following dessert is commonly known as Swedish Cream, but I first came across it as Russian Cream and so, with utter disregard toward my Nordic heritage, that's what I call it too.
It is fantastically easy to make and just the thing to showcase perfect summer berries. (Um, or late fall fruit? I can't really picture this with apples or pears though...) Since I've waited so long to post this recipe, perhaps you'll just have to rely on all that frozen summery goodness you've stashed away.

Russian Cream

Combine in a saucepan & let stand to soften:
3/4 C. sugar
1 Tb. gelatin
1/2 C. water
Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
Slowly add:
1 C. Cream
Followed by:
1 1/2 C. sour cream (or yogurt)
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix well and pour into six of your most charming small bowls,
leaving lots of room for fruit later, and chill for three hours or more.

To serve, top with fruit of your choice such as:
huckleberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.
My standard treatment for the fruit is:
sprinkle with sugar, add a splash of triple sec (or Grand Marnier if you are feeling fancy), stir gently and let macerate for a bit. However, if you have any fruit syrup (like from the blackberries), use that too. *For blueberries, I would cook the berries with sugar, thicken with cornstarch, then add the liqueur.

I think the blackberries contrasting with the white cream is the most visually stunning combination, but you really can't miss with any berry. I have heard of this being done with cranberries too, but I haven't tried it.
One of the beauties of this recipe is how easy it is to multiply; I took thirty-five of these sweeties to a potluck one summer during raspberry season. Easy-peasy, as long as you have enough bowls (you could use mugs or cups too).

*mug, also devoid of Russian Cream

*cup, ditto on the Russian Cream

Blackberries

People from other areas of the world find it scandalous that Oregonians take blackberries so for granted. They are practically considered weeds here, what with their impenetrable spiky vines encroaching on roads and taking over any empty field. Very pricey in stores elsewhere, people have to treat them like precious gems. Around here, we are simply greedy blackberry gluttons.The logging road where we take our daily walk has a veritable wall of blackberries. The road is not used, so there are no impossibly dusty berries here. We picked about three gallons in a couple of hours. Yes, the dog got to come.We are not fond of the seeds so, once home, we put them through a sieve.Then, the remaining seedy pulp was put through the juicer to extract all the dark deliciousness.I add a bit (okay, a lot) of sugar and then freeze the blackberry syrup for use throughout the year.

I save the biggest, most perfect berries and freeze them on a cookie sheet. Later on, I bag them up to use in desserts along with the syrup.

I was debating whether to give you a recipe for Russian Cream (the premier use of blackberries, in my opinion) or showing you some cool blackberry art-for-daily-life. Maybe later on the dessert...
Irresistibly adorable baby slippers from Ailcia of Willo in the U.K. Awww...

Tales; Free Box Day Outing

Little lives in S.E. Portland, sometimes people in the neighborhood leave unwanted items out on the sidewalk for anyone to take. That's free box day; it's fun.

Do you see what I mean about Little being accident-prone? I omitted the cast on her leg in this drawing, but the wheelchair tells it all. She broke her ankle while she was still wearing a cast from breaking her wrist (also a bike accident).
I rest my case.

Oh, and lest you think I meant to imply that Bear has no sense of humor, he did send me a joke once:
"A shoelace for a shoelace makes the whole world untied"
Isn't that just so hilarious and adorable! I especially loved it because he texted it to me and I am constantly sending out oddball facts and dumb jokes and he never responds. Hmpfh.

I have four more characters that will be joining the 'Tales' series; Ranger (mouse), Malone (panda), Boise (ferocious skunk), and Yeti (yeti). To debut next week...

Oh, and in case you need a straw hat of your own and your neighborhood doesn't have a free box day; check out Tonya Gross Millinery. Cute, no?

I heart Banksy

One of my favorite quotes from Banksy; on the contemporary art scene:

“I don’t know how the art world gets away with it, it’s not like you hear songs on the radio that are just a mess of noise and then the d.j. says, ‘If you read the thesis that comes with this, it would make more sense.’ ” ~Banksy

And his 'manifesto':

When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised God doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness.
		- Emo Philips

I love him for so many things; his irreverence, his skill, his sense of humor, his anonymity/flair for publicity, his conscience, his politics, his social commentary, and his rats.

Art for daily life at it's finest, for sure.

He has a show in New York called the Village Petstore and Charcoal Grill:


More Banksy here (flickr).

Sorry to have such a link-happy post, but there is just so much to look at with this guy.

*thanks to lil bee for reminding me about him