The SUN! For one day anyway.

We have finally named the trailer....The Peanut. There are a few reasons for this. #1. It is suggestively reminiscent of a peanut-y type shape. #2. Our bank rep who handled the loan on the trailer was named Ms. Pino but we came to (secretly) call her Peanut before the close of the deal. It is a sort of a tribut to Ms. Pino (Peanut) as well as an appropriate feeling term for our little home inside an aluminum shell. In less than a week now we will be rolling that Peanut down the highway headed South.

We spent some time out in the Peanut today and Billy performed a nap simulation...to see how it worked out for him. He seemed quite content with the results even though it was only 35 degrees.



The weather is supposed to go to Hell again as of tomorrow so the party is over for now. I think it is supposed to remain in SUCK (sleet, wind, freezing rain and snow) mode right up until the day we leave. I cannot drive away from Winter soon enough or fast enough.

Chocolate. Snow. California Dreamin'.

Things are lookin' up a bit here in the heart of Winter. Can't really say why...but I feel like we have made the final turn in the curvy road we have been struggling on to a more straight pathway as of today. Of course it could all be an ILLUSION a la Doug Henning, but I am goin' with the vibe for now.

We started the day off with my Mom cheerfully crafting these sweet treats in celebration of V.D.





We have had our share of exercise keeping the driveway passable this week. Hopefully enough to even out the caloric score against the chocolate cupcakes. Billy McLane "Master Shoveler" was able to keep a bright attitude while laboring through the drifts. That's why we love him.





Billy has also been peeling off some pretty fine paintings this past week. He has done a really great series of the farmland and creek out back of my parents house. This new addition to that series is probably one the best he has done. I love the drifting snow done with the palette knife.



And another piece from when we were out in Big Sur, California. It is no small feat to capture this landscape successfully on canvas. If you have ever driven that coast line you know the saying 'larger than life' does not even come close to describing it. I love seeing it in paint...it's really better than a photo for me, much more atmospheric. This piece will be up on eBay as of tonight for auction. The snow piece above will go into the store.







I completed three jewelry pieces today which I have not had a chance to shoot pics of yet. It felt really good to be working with those materials again. I plan to stock my shop on etsy.com with some of my new work starting this week. I will post here once I get it rolling.

Winter Storm Warning. Choke. Cough. Give Up.

I sit here writing to the background noise of snow blowers and plows scraping and huffing out on the frosty streets of the hood. I am constantly reminded of why I have so enjoyed being AWAY from Illinois for the past 7 winters. I have lost the ability to enjoy any aspect of Winter's "beauty" at this point. I am bedraggled and a real sourpuss.

So. Referring to the last post... I gave in and both chicken rugs were purchased. It's like getting kittens, you want them to have company and never feel lonely. Two chicken rugs are definitely better than one. I feel good knowing that I will soon be able to dig my bare toes into the plushy surface of my hen rugs. As soon as we reach Georgia. Georgia. Georgia. Georgia. It has become Shangri La in our minds. I don't care if it is laden with mosquitos and pig roasts in Georgia. For me it will be a heady paradise rife with laughter, tears of joy and hopefully huge slices of homemade peach pie.

I have been tinkering in the kitchen this past week or so out of boredom and deep, lustful feelings toward chocolate. The best result were these...



from a recipe found in Vegetarian Times Magazine.

DARK CHOCOLATE NUGGETS

2 oz. coarsely chopped pistachios or hazelnuts (about 1/2 cup)
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
1 cup puffed whole grain cereal ( I used Kashi Honey Wheat)
1/2 cup dried apricots, cranberries or cherries ( I used apricots)
1 tsp. orange zest, plus julienned zest for garnish

Line a couple of baking sheets with waxed paper.
Toast the nuts in a dry skillet over medium low heat until lightly browned and fragrant. Let them cool.
Melt 9 oz. of chocolate in a double boiler then stir in the remaining 3 oz. Stir in your dry ingredients.
Drop chocolate mixture in tablespoon sized clumps onto your baking sheets and then garnish with the orange zest.
Pop these in the fridge uncovered for 15 minutes to set. They store great in a container, chilled for up to a month. The magazine also suggests putting these in paper candy cups which would indeed be cute and a great way to display them for a party table.

We Tried.

Well...we made an attempt at hanging out in the trailer today and had big plans to move some stuff into it and see how everything will fit and all that. Yah. For the record, 9 degrees is still not quite where it needs to be for leisurely trailer set up. We were in there just long enough to slop the new quilt on the bed and snap a pic or two before we peeled out. The inside of an aluminum tube is very cold in 9 degree weather. It has now officially been confirmed in case there was ever any question there.
It is looking more and more like set up will have to wait until we can reach greener, warmer pastures...or until we stop being big pussies about the cold. I think the green and warm will come much sooner than the cessation of pussy-ness.

I am off to purchase a much needed chicken rug for the wee bit of kitchen floor area we have from fabulous wrapables.com. I still have not decided between the black chicken or the orange one. I really, truly feel I need BOTH chickens...but I must control and resist the urge to go down that road. There are not enough funds in the poultry rug kitty to maintain such a rich style of living.

I swear on my mittens and chapstick... the first day we hit 30 degrees I am in there for some serious set up. Until then, we remain somewhat defeated in the brutal grip of February 2007.

We Got It!

Greetings from the coldest place on Planet Earth, Illinois. I say that with little or no enthusiasm...it's hard to be cheerful when it has been below zero for over a week unless you are an Eskimo born and bred for the frozen tundra lifestyle. Perhaps people living in this area of the country should consider cross breeding with penguins to ensure a more comfortable future. Anyway (drumroll please....) We bought our trailer! On the coldest day of the year (a wind chill factor of more than 30 below was kicking through the Mid West) we drove up into Wisconsin and picked it up. It is now firmly planted in a giant snow bank here in Illinois awaiting our departure. We had more snow today so I am quite sure the Airstream is probably more like an iceberg at this point than anything else. Al Gore has a lot of 'splainin' to do here man.

The trailer is killer and we can't wait to head to Georgia at the the end of the month. We have been holed up here painting and letting the boob tube suck on on brains for almost two months now...so we are ready to hit the trail. I will post some pics once we hit temps in the teens and it is fit for humans to venture outside again.

Billy has been rocking his paintings since we arrived here...who knew he would be so inspired by barren, frozen corn fields and tree skeletons? He's amazing. I am trying to peddle the last of my vintage and get organized for our upcoming journey.

I'll be back soon with pictures and more of our upcoming plans. Until then be sure to check out Billy's new listings via the link to our store on the right here >>>>>>>>>>>

The End is NEAR.

The title of this post has multiple meanings. Meaning #1. We are indeed leaving Santa Fe in three short weeks. #2. The whole world seems to have been turned upside down and everyone in America is about to consume enough food tomorrow to feed half of Africa for a week. So...the way I see it, the humble turkey has been elected mascot for the end of the world, or at least the end to what was left of human sanity. I am sure it is a job in which he would rather not be employed. I mean...the local grocery stores have manned their parking lots with police officers just to get past the onslaught of shoppers hellbent on purchasing cranberries in a can and other sage-y extras. It's just plain weird people. Why do we feel that the date tomorow somehow empowers us to consume three times the amount we would on any other day? Or that the date tomorrow somehow creates a mystical circle of warmth and happiness around our families, relatives and friends that we do not acknowledge on barely any other day of the year? I find these things puzzling..do you? It IS nice to get together and break bread with folks we care about...but it is weird to ONLY do it because you have been told it is the date to do so and then to stuff yourself blind in the process. We will be consuming our polyester tofu turkey tomorrow. Don't get me wrong...I have nostalgic Thanksgiving Day memories from childhood and I enjoy the concept of peeps stopping for a moment to dwell on the good things in their life. But still, there is something there that smacks of bizarre overindulgent brainwashing. This blog seems to be turning into my soap box for holiday bashing. As Popeye so eloquently said..."I yam what I yam." Yes Popeye...me too.


SO! Now that I have spewed forth with my Thanksgiving Day bashing... the other topic at hand is our impending move from Santa Fe. The yard sale went off without a hitch. Well... a slight hitch does exsist in that we did not sell every single item we had to offer. But these things are being dealt with in a somewhat inefficient and last minute manner. "Everythig must go" is still our standing motto. Included in that everythig is Dolly...our VW camper. Asking someone to buy Dolly is like asking someone to give you money to watch your sick dog that will pee on their carpet and steal their money in the night. So...any takers on that proposition? Yah...I didn't think so.

We are still painting...right up until the end. I am working on a 30 x 90 commission piece and Billy is currently obsessed with mastering "values." He wanders around the house and yard with a little view finder type gadget peeping through at things to see what their values are. Not to be confused with their morals or ideals...just where they fall on the color charts...thats all. I'll post pictures of the results of both occupations once they have come to a fruitful end. Until then...

Halloween in Fanta Se...and a Halloween rant in general.

Hit the streets of Santa Fe on Halloween and what you will quickly realize is that you are not really too sure if people are wearing costumes...or just their regular every day clothing. We have cowboys, gypsies, gurus and the folks I like to call "The Health Nut Zombies" which are the people who are so freakin' healthy they actually look sickly and they sometimes wear 80's type work out clothing (complete with stretchy terry cloth sweatbands), if not that they are wrapped in what looks like 14 bed sheets made of hemp. So, as I was saying....real cowboy or costumed cowboy? Real white lady who is convinced she's an Indian Priestess or costumed Indian Priestess? This is why they call it "The City Different." We have a nice assortment of intense individuals here who are on full display like peacocks in Spring, all a-quiver with their colorful feathers blazing, literally. It makes for a fun atmosphere every day of the year...not just on Halloween.
I have never understood why any number of outfits or ideas are considered fair game for a Halloween costume. We have lost scope of what Halloween is truly supposed to be...a cheerleader, Barbie or Elmo really has nothing to to with anything. Not unless you spray fake blood all over the cheerleader's uniform and stick an axe in the middle of her forehead. Also...it is really bizarre that people dress their kids (or themselves for that matter) as Indians, Geisha's or any other ethnicity. As if that is a "pretend costume." Now...if you are going to be a vampire Geisha...I will give you leeway there... or a werewolf Indian guy. That works on some odd level of rationalization too. Because you have again entered the realm of all things Halloweenie. Monsters, zombies, black cats, witches, 14 eyed sea monsters and the like are all where it's at. I will admit though...it all depends on how you look at a thing. Barbie....is scarey, as well as Elmo and other random, modern children's idols. Actually in some ways Barbie is way creepier than any half rotten, green faced zombie could ever dream of being. The zombie may eat your physical brains out...but Barbie will leave a deep, charred black pit where a thing called "your soul" used to reside. On that note...I think I have said enough. Have a spooky Halloween and watch out for the horrible, hideous, prowling fairy princesses. They will blind you with their pink fluffiness and eat all your candy before you can say "Bibbity Babbety BOO."

Billy Pimps Our Ride...and this blog site cramps my style.

Ahhhhh....blogger.com, you cause me great pain on this day. I wrote out my whole "thing" and YOU LOST IT! Technical difficulties make me want to crack you one upside your bloggy head. Soooo.....here I go again.

Yesterday was the big day when our anxiously awaited package arrived...our brand new, special ordered airbrushed custom front truck tag. What? Yah...I hear ya....it's totally rad baby. It's got the big red puffy hearts for a background with "Billy & Juju" scrawled across the front. I now feel so a part of the world of silly truck accessories and the people who embrace them as a total neccesity. So now that our new accessory has been firmly bolted to Big Berta's face....we are ready for anything. Billy mentioned he was afraid that our new tag would qualify us for an ass whippin' in some areas of the country. To which I replied...Oh no! This will be just the thing that KEEPS us from getting an ass whippin' honey! Besides, who would want to beat up a couple of superfly geeks like us?

So now the question is...to carve or not to carve? I have this big ole punkin sittin' in the dining room in all it's lovily gourdiness waiting for me to hack into it with our one dull, crappy butcher knife. Tonight? Or wait til tomorrow? I am feeling sad and droopy due to the Daylight Savings Time torture device which has been applied to my brain today...so I may go ahead and wait until tomorrow to do the hacking.

I finished a new, small painting today which will be listed up on eBay tonight at around 8:30...it's a nice one if I do say so myself. Even though it looks a wee bit dullish in this photo here. I promise....it is ohhh so riveting in person.

Pre Hook Up...Everything must GO.

Welcome to our humble adobe abode. This will remain home for the next 7 weeks or so. Then we are outta here to head to Illinois for Christmas and into the new year. If it does not fit into the back of Big Berta (our truck) it does not get to come with.

So...It's not your typical household. It's just not. It's a custom built, order in chaos, lookie what I found! type of a situation in here. But it is soon to be disassembled, sold and will be just a memory. Onward and upward as they say! A few weeks from now we are hosting a yard sale...one of those "Everything MUST GO!" sales. Because truly...everything really MUST go. It should prove to be an interesting sale...tons of vintage clothes, weird craft shit and a smattering of furniture. I say a smattering because that is all we have to begin with. All of this will put us one step closer to our new Airstream Trailer...which is the real goal here.

This site will document the phases of getting oursleves into a trailer...and then once we hit the road it will chronicle the trip itself. A trip which may last as long as three years. We will be painting on the road and selling our artwork as a means for survival. All pickles, TP, Earl Grey tea and popsicles will be purchased with the proceeds from our art sales...not to mention paying our truck payment etc. This is serious stuff people.

To view our current art auctions on eBay...

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZbirdsongvintageQQhtZ-1

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZmclanefineartQQhtZ-1


Thanks for your mental, physical and metaphysical support.