weekend poem

so quickly

if you would build with wood
a structure where we stood
a shelter with a rail
to hold us should we fail
to take into account
our lives are pouring out

I would bring a cake
for eating while we wait
and water maybe too
for the drinking that we do
then we'd hold onto the rail
until we softly fail
to take into account
this pouring that comes out

so quickly saw you should
put hammer to the wood
I will keep us fed
full of cake and bread
and cups I will bring too
for the pouring that we do

the land of the lazy blog

buckwheat hull pillow
Originally uploaded by betsy ply

Well, I like this picture, and I feel like writing but I don't feel like writing about this picture.
I should be putting stuff on etsy right now. But it's cold outside and I believe I am wearing my crabby pants. I'm still ruminating on the cough drop question. I'm also so very very close to buying a drum carder of my very own. Oh how I want my very own drum carder, let me count the ways. Well right now there is about 500 dollars of NO DRUMCARDER FOR YOU to be counted.
So this is the deal, I'm selling on etsy specifically to get this drum carder, and maybe a big marble slab to make cough drops on, or maybe fudge, or just cookies. Marble slabs are good for making pie too.
But wait... I have a marble slab. My painting table. Unfortunately it's not 'food friendly' any more.
But wait..... I want a drum carder anyway! All etsy proceeds will not go toward a marble slab, of this you can be sure.

cough drops

Jen and I have been 'facebooking' (is that a real word?) each other this afternoon about cough drops. We've both been stupid ill again. I bought myself an economy bag of halls, and an economy bag of ricola. I decided to not get the sugar free ones because 'sugar free' is a euphemism for 'really weird crap'.
Jen suggest I get sugar free, I demurred and we did a little back and forth about corn syrup -vs aspartame. Then I decided that what the hell, I don't have enough stuff to do. Jen and I should make our own. I just looked on line (for my preliminary research) and didn't see any inspiring recipes then I remembered this book I have.....

I bought this book for two whole dollars at a flea market in Mechanicsburg PA. Mostly because, well, I did Need To Know.
This book is one of the most amazing how to books I have ever seen. It was published in 1885. And copyrighted 1884 A. I.Burt.
One of the most fabulous things about this book is how it's organized. Everything, from 'Putting Out Fires' to 'Tea Cakes for Children' is listed alphabetically.
So for instance, 'how to make a hammock' is listed right next to 'ham, how to cook'. I am not kidding you.

But I digress.
Here's the recipe in this book for how to make cough drops.
Listed under-

Cough Candy (Medicated) ---To five pounds of candy just ready to pour on the slab, add the following mixture, and form it into sticks. Tincture squills, two ounces; camphorated tincture of opium and tincutre of tolu, of each one-half ounce; wine of ipecac, one-half ounce; oils of gaultheria, four drops; sassafras, three drops; and of anise seed oil, two drops, and use this freely in common coughs.

What do you think?

6 random things -belated yet not outdated

I'm so bad! I'm sorry Nicole. I'm sorry Rebecca.
I will be a good girl from now on.
I was tagged by both these lovely ladies and promptly did nothing about it. I'm fixing that alacrity of inaction right now. I'm taking it to the streets and stuff like that.
Yeah.
So here's the first part, some random things about me besides I don't always do things in a timely fashion. Rules and links follow below.


1. I used to have straight hair. No really. I did. My hair turned curly around the time I turned 14. No one knew what to do with that kind of craziness in suburban Pennsylvania. I had bangs when my hair went curly. This was a bad thing. This was a deep hair wrongness.
There should be a special place in the world that all curly haired people get an invited to on the investiture of their curliness. This invitation would be to a place where no humidity exists and 'blowout' is a 7 letter word never to be spoken out loud. Lessons will be given in hedge-cutting and alternative uses for mayonnaise. This is the world I want to live in.

2. I frequently mispronounce words. Why? Mostly because I've never actually said or heard the word used in polite conversation before. This can be an issue for some people, especially if the word happens to be 'tangential'.

3. I have a really vivid and startling dream life. My dream last night involved my close friend Ranu. She lives in San Fransisco with her darling triplets and her handsome husband. In this dream, a friend of hers gave her a pair of cowboy boots that they had custom made for her. They had a horizon line half way up each boot and when you stood in the boots, they made a complete picture of a sunset. all the way around. I remember that she was fascinated by the fact that each boot had 4 zippers in it and when the boots were unzipped they unfolded like flowers. They were pink on the inside. I believe I was just visiting in the dream, there was a weird segue where I spent a lot of time trying to meet someone under some scary underpasses. Then I was back at Ranu's house. She had this sentient piece of paper and we were trying to get it to answer questions about what I should do. But it would only write the answers while you weren't watching it. It was teasing us by writing everything backwards.
Because my dreams are so vivid, I always feel it's my responsibility to let people know they were in them. Or else I feel like I've been gossiping about them. I don't like to feel sly.

4. I'm fascinated by the idea of poetry but can't stand having it read aloud.
It's like having someone lick your face at a party. It's like announcing what kind of medication you're on at the company meeting. I'm so not kidding about this.

5. I frequently call things that may be considered green -blue. but I'm not color blind. I think I just prefer that color that I'm calling blue that's actually green to be blue because I like that color better as blue, even if it is technically a green color. It would look blue if I put it next to a greener color, so why can't I call it blue if I want to. Most friends avoid this topic with me.

6. I saw a ghost when I was ten.

And now for the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

And now for the links:

linda of knit a bird snorkel
bev of square animals
our lady of the yarn snob
miss birney
andrea of badbirds
gooseflesh

recipe for betsy's mania soup

This soup is best prepared when you are doing laundry in the rain, also when you are preparing for a major event, oh lets say the 3rd ward holiday craft fair next sunday.
to make this soup you will need-

2 onions
oh, about a butt-load of garlic
your room-mate's carrots (you can ask her later)
2 turkey drumsticks, and/or some kind of leftover poultry item that is slowly drying out in your fridge
1 cup of rice (brown)
1 lemon
fresh herbs such as, savory, thyme, rosemary etc.
one vegan cube of bullion because it's been in the cupboard forever and it's lonely in it's little cardboard box.
one large pot
1 frozen pizza (just in case)

kay.
1. put your laundry in and then run to the grocery store.
2. overhear nice couple discuss what else they want to put in their soup.
3. decide you don't have time to make soup and buy a frozen pizza
4. check laundry on the way home. It will be way not done, but check anyway
5. begin soup

6. cut up the onions, garlic, and put them in the big pot with oh, a lot of really nice olive oil. If you want to get a mania gold star, use half butter half olive oil. I didn't. I used all the butter in the Irish Soda Bread that you make whilst Waiting for Guests. (recipe to follow)
7. while the onions and garlic are doing their thing (don't burn them unless you want to because then you end up with remorse soup instead of mania soup) cut up all the herbs and think about sad things because the onions are making you cry. At least you think it's the onions. You might just be tired and anxious because you decided to not make soup, yet here you are making soup.
8. Wipe your eyes with a 'clean' bathroom towel.
9. Zest lemon. Chop up the zest as fast as you can! Wow. I love to do that. Add to the pot. Juice the lemon and add the juice to the pot as well. Pick out the seeds you accidentally put in the soup.
9. turn off burner and go get laundry out of the washer. Put laundry in dryer.

10. Put 6 cups of water in the pot with both turkey legs. Yes, on the bone or else your soup will taste like ass. Does the liquid cover them? No? Crap.
So add 2 cups of water with the dissolved bullion.

11. Bring pot to a boil. Turn down heat and cover pot and let simmer.
12. Run downstairs to get laundry out of the dryer before someone steals your foundation garments. Can you remember if you turned the burner off? No. Crap. Go back and check.

13. pull turkey legs out of pot and put on a plate to cool.
14. put one cup of rice in the pot and bring back to a simmer and cover. Did you remember to rinse the brown rice? No? It's okay, at least you can blame your crappy soup on something now.
15. pour yourself a drink.

16. Try to do something productive while the rice cooks.

17. When the rice is cooked add the de-boned meat off the turkey legs back into the pot.
18. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with pickles.
or, put it in the freezer and eat the frozen pizza.

no one needs to eat this much chocolate

Feeling a little pukey right now. I ate too much chocolate whilst updating my etsy site. Generally today has been of the out of sorts persuasion. I woke up this morning and all this stuff from my bookshelf was on the floor. Salinger's Nine Stories leaping to it's death from the 3rd floor bookcase. I'm not sure how that happened, nor how I could have slept through it. I think it's safe to say I'm feeling generally out of sorts. I do have a show coming up in SF in December. I am beginning the rounds of craft apps for the holiday season. So one asks oneself. What is ones problem?
So, here's the drawing I made last night.

not according to plan

well, I'm too tired to take my shoes off. I've decided to drink a beer instead of a glass of water and I'm listening to Bon Iver way way too much.
Why the long face? Why the no talky? I haven't had so much good to say. I became a single person again after 7 years. He's gone off somewhere, to the land dudes go to figure shit out, I guess. I'm working on getting to the land where ladies go to get shit done.

I'm renaming The Chicago Renegade as 'the endurance craft fair of choice'. I'm lucky the Chicagians are super troopers. 48 hours of rainy rain rain. And they were there! These amazing people....Thank you Chicago but seriously, you need to put a dome over your city. Please.

I've just interviewed 5 people to be my possible roomate. Betsy tired.
But I'm in a show! Just to add to the mix of complete mania, chaos and pathos.
I'm very excited to announce that I will be in a show with two other fab artists in Long Island City. The opening will be the 27th. More to come. yep.
Maybe it's time to take my shoes off now....
I promise to write more if you promise to buy me socks.

going to california

But if you tried to put flowers in my freaking hair they would get lost immediately.

I'm almost ready for the renegade craft fair. I'm leaving tomorrow for some much needed r&r before the big weekend.
Of course I'm bringing a bunch of stuff to work on while I'm relaxing. yep.
I got a stupid huge suitcase and Beverly got the stuff I shipped yesterday.

Beverly posts the best posts. I think she writes better about me than I write about me.


Here's a pic of the eye pillows I've been making. They are microwavable! The buckwheat hull pillows aren't, but these ones are make with buckwheat seeds. They are much heavier. Someone told me they were called 'dream pillows'. I eschew this title rabidly.
And guess what, I'm going to tell you why. When I was turning 8 years old, my mother asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I was very clear with her. I wanted a brown bunny with no clothes on. I said, bunnies don't wear clothes. It would be a lie. There is a kernel of clarity here.
The clarity of an 8 year old who wants a stuffed animal, just a naked one.
I ended up with a pink bunny that had no clothes. I named him Buster. His huge size made up for the fact he was pink.
What I'm saying in my own special way is, I have never been a sentimental person. Giving a pillow the title of 'dream pillow' imbues this pillow with...
a) the concept that dreams are pink fluffy things that are good, kind and G rated. This is a simplistic view of the world I won't support.
b) It can do something it can't i.e. give you something you don't have and think you want. No, it's just an amazing pillow that feels really really really good when you put it on your eyes, or any other part of your body.



This is yarn. I have nothing ranty to say about it at all.
It'll be with me at the renegade craft fair.


This is Stella, she won't be coming to California. She eats flowers.

yep. drawings!

I'll be bringing these to the brooklyn flea this sunday. This happens to beMemorial day weekend and my birthday weekend, all at the same time. I usually like to have a 'birthday month' with a lot of party do-overs and such. I think this year I'll let the whole thing slide by in a more unremarked manner. I'll be making pillows for the flea on my actual birthday, only because I took a time out to go on a chocolate and sci-fi bender yesterday. This put me slightly behind my production schedule.
I just got another 18lbs of hulls, plus some microwavable seeds! Eye pillows people. This means eye pillows. Much better than some old birthday.
Anyhow.....
I obviously haven't gotten the scanner working yet.




More later, I'm all sleepy time right now.

good news!

I'm in the San Francisco renegade craft fair. I'm so freaking happy!
Here's a picture of robin who is describing my happy on the inside, on her outside.

drawings

More words, more drawings, less sleep! It's overrated anyway. Sleep is. Words are okay, I guess, but drawings are better. I'm not saying I'm a person who likes to create hierarchical systems or anything. My drawings have words. I frequently sleep. So there.
Okay. Done with that piece of semantic nonsense.
Tomorrow's task is to finally hook (after I find it) my scanner up. Taking flash pictures of flat artwork is not so much fun. Nor does it really work.
I'm thinking about bringing these to the flea. I'm waiting until I get a few more done.



And another thing! Nicole's bunny Uli won best softie in the pink and plaid category. dude. Your bunnies rock hard dude.

rainy heart yarn

I owe all my Sunday good will and happiness to all the amazing people I met this Sunday at brooklyn flea. And, of course, to the indomitable nicole She sat on a chair over a puddle the entire time. The entire time.
She's got an event coming up this Sunday. Selling her lovely softies......

The flea.
The rain started and ended early. The chill remained.
But the crowd was friendly, engaging, cute and most importantly warm.
Just so you know, my tent is the rockingest. Lots of yarn squishing. Lots. All the alpaca skeins went right away, but the good news is I think I've found a 'supplier' so I should be able to re-up soon. Yes. I just finished watching all five years of the wire in 3 months. That's a whole lot of Baltimore.

Couple things.
I meant to post this pictures from the first flea closer to the....err...first flea. That didn't happen.
Julie from etsy bought some of my yarn and she was knitting up this amazing blue blanket.


Okay.
more April 27 pics.
The table......
The very sad lady from slow loris waiting for her tent.

Nicole! Did I mention she sat over a puddle. The entire time. She gave me ginger candy. I heart her.

new drawings....

Well I'm all packed up and ready for tomorrow's flea adventure. Lots and lots of yarn. I'll have my spinning wheel tomorrow. Nicole will be hanging out with me and protecting me from frostbite and other people.
But I made some drawings!
'nuf said.

my first flea!

April 13th was my first go around at the brookyn flea
Dude. It was cold. I was wearing my 'sexy brown coat'.
the below picture was taken at 9am on saturday the 12th.
I was having some issues.

This is a picture of stella marking her pop-up tent. As she immediately claimed it and the surrounding kitchen area as hers. Ankle attacks ensued. We had to have a conversation about sharing.
After forcing my friend anthony to help at the unholy hour of 6am, we wrestled the 58 pound tent, (my wares becoming more secondary by the second as my brain kept cycling the weather report endlessly inside my hyper-yet-un-caffinated-mind) into the car service and began our journey into another and deeper part of brooklyn. As said friend was on a juice fast
and I was running on she-hulk stress, our lifting powers evened out nicely.

Did I mention how freaking cold it was?

Kay.
picture time.
super cold anthony being er....super cold?
yarn......I like it.

beverly's amazing amazingness!
okay I'm tired. I've got two canopy tents in my living room (don't ask). the birds are sleeping. And I'm so ready to be there as well. I've got lots more to say and post. But right now, I lack the will.
For my last pic for tonight. I'd like to show you what my dinner was tonight.
martini and quince pie......
(made by my finest jen)