husker land

today i am in the great state of nebraska, visiting jeni and doing some giggling. more soon...

puggles!

baby echidnas (known as puggles) are apparently very difficult to breed, but these two were just born in perth, austrailia. don't they look like little pokey potatoes?
(go here for more about the two in these photos)

lake wingra walk

(a little lakeside hike with billy)

a silly time to learn to swim

i've been doing thanksgiving stuff and have missed a few days of posting, but i'm going to make it up to you, blogfriends. to start, here is a fantastic song for a saturday morning:



Showers pounding out a new beat
I trade my old shoes for new feet
I grab a new seat
I don't like the one I got
The fabric's wearing through
And it's wearing me out
You're wearing me down
Watching old baseball games
And low budget telethons
Ain't like watching you yourself
When you yourself is on
Got time to wander to waste and to whine
But when it comes to you
It seems like I just can't find the time
So watch your head and then watch the ground
It's a silly time to learn to swim
When you start to drown
It's a silly time to learn to swim
On the way down
If I gave you my number
Would it still be the same
If I saved you from drowning
Promise me you'll never go away
Promise me you'll always stay
Closed down the last local zoo
I'm gonna win the endless war
Over who kills the last koala bear
And who in death will love him more and I
He grabs me by the hand
Drags me to the shore and says
Maybe you don't love me
But you'll grow to love me even more
And I well I'm not surprised

rainbow rings

look at these playful and beautiful rings (made out of colored pencils!) by jeweler Maria Cristina Bellucci.

soaking up

i'm starting thanksgiving holiday a couple days early and am heading home to wisconsin tomorrow to be with the family. so i'm soaking up these last moments of quiet alone time before all the holiday eating and shopping and gathering and chaos begin (all of which i am totally excited about, by the way). what does "quiet alone time" consist of? today it is working on another knitted hat, leisurely packing, and watching tv from the chair that gets the best sun (i have to soak that up too).

now i must go watch as 90210 season 7 continues it's manipulative attempts to convince me that kelly and brandon belong together.

more to adore

i may have shared some images from louise bourgeois fabric books, but they are just so great - here's a few more to adore. also, here is an article from the new york times about one of her fabric books.

words fail

today my sister and i got to have brunch with our auntie mary and uncle dean-o, who were in town celebrating mary's birthday. they are wonderous human beings. really. there are no words. they are the definition of unconditional love.

now is the winter of our discontent

the other night some girlfriends and i went to see the chicago shakespeare company's production of Richard III -- partly because we like plays, but mostly because the earl of richmond was played by our friend brendan, who is basically the awesomest actor (and also singer, why isn't there more singing in shakespeare?).

also, this is the opening line of the play - i hadn't known that the phrase "winter of our discontent" originated from this play (but no, i didn't think it originated with ethan hawke):

"Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this son of York;
And all the clouds that low'r'd upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried."

oh, shakespeare, you kind of give me chills.

on a much more inappropriate note, can i just say OMG men in TIGHTS. did men really wear tights like this, or is dressing men in TIGHTS just some sort of secret/brilliant shakespearean marketing maneuver?

making it work, gladly

i just read an article from the LA times about a family of 3 (actually 4 if you count the dog, which i think you should) who live in a 380 square foot house. i've never measured it myself, but when i moved into my studio apartment i was told it was 370 square feet. while i think that's plenty of space for one, i can confidently say that if i added two people and a dog to this mix i would be a total crazy person. clearly, though, these folks are making it work and wouldn't have it any other way -- here are some photos of their cozy space...

you&me&us&we&love

being that i am drawn to embroidered works and art that utilizes text, i guess it's no surprise that i'm so drawn to these pieces by artist and textile designer rachel castle. i am so predictable.