-
Paper sculptures
Allow me to introduce you to three pieces of art that I have worked on recently. “Love Letter” is an assemblage made with hand-formed paper, milled card stock, copper wire, cotton thread, wood beads, cedar board, red iron oxide, watercolor, and ink. I immediately recognised the initial form of the handmade paper as an envelope…
-
Band-aiding over minor problems
Sometimes life throws stuff my way that’s not a major issue, but still irritates my mind, aggravates my body, or troubles my soul. I used to let these problems build up until I was overwhelmed but I am learning to take action sooner, in smaller ways. Solutions don’t have to be perfect to be effective.…
-
Green melon salsa
Summer fruits make good toppings for savory meals when you turn them into salsa. My basic recipe pairs sweet fruit with sour, salt, and spicy elements and a kick of herbs. I make variations of it with whatever fruits and herbs we have through the season; I adore mango salsa but mangos are rare. This…
-
New Crone’s Complete-It Club
[TLDR: I’m starting a club for older women to support one another through completing their projects and dreams.] A lot of my online friends are business women with grand ideas, big ambitions, and lots of energy for their careers and families. They are leaders, entrepreneurs, coaches, and generally amazing people who walk the talk. I…
-
Thai-style Yoga Spa
Once a month in our morning Satoyama Yoga class, we do a “Yoga Spa” session where we focus on massage and relaxation. I have a few different version of these spa sessions, but recently have been interested in traditional Thai self-massage techniques, the Reusi Dat Ton. There is a lot of correspondence between yoga asanas…
-
Kaizen on signage
Kaizen is Japanese for “incremental improvement” and that’s what I accomplished yesterday with the bulletin boards outside the Tanada Club. Nobody really had time for them. Posters were faded, curling, and falling. Visitors weren’t getting the information they wanted. Most of the stuff was old and not relevant. The giant poster drew the eye but…
-
Camera Roll
Some snaps capturing the past ten days or so. Summer is heavy upon us now and my energy is flagging, but I’m still trying to enjoy every moment.
-
The silent quack
Ducks are resilient and this story has a happy ending. This morning around 5:45, Maura suddenly sprung off my lap, alerted by a heavy double thump. Beryl had come through the cat door but not alone. Before I could get downstairs to stop her, she was trundling some rather large prey up into the studio.…
-
Saving the orchids
Well, the black pine that roasted in the fire in 2021 finally fell over in a storm a couple weeks back. And with it went the lovely orchids, dendrobium moniliforme (in Japanese they are called setsukoku), that one of the Kawasaki ancestors had planted on it. Though the tree’s a goner, I wanted to save…
-
Fanciful Toolshed
Standing at the turn of the driveway is what I call the “fishing shed.” When we first got 555, it was full of fishing nets and floats among many other random things. It wasn’t in great shape and heavy winds made it worse and worse, so last year I pulled it down to the concrete…
Archives