Hammie: Installed in Our Garden!

"We're the house on the corner with the giant purple and mirrored fish head on the lawn," as Tom likes to mention. Hammie is terribly fun and was a joy to create with Tom. Plus, it's nice to have him done. The yard is in process. We're looking to plant Blue Lobelia around the bottom of Hammie, as if he's coming out of the water, as suggested by a couple of friends. Tom just recently added the purple fountain grass in the back.

A lot of things are getting done. We're putting art up on walls, I'm working on finishing up decorating a lamp that I've had for years. It feels really good and kind of amazing: being so productive and creative. Our home is coming together… I enjoy the planning process. We stained an old mirror frame that I've had that works really well with our bedroom furniture. It's no longer "mine" anymore and the collaboration feels very fitting.

Online Training Recommendation + More

I've been hiding out a bit… from writing lately… working on developing a site design for Alameda Women Artists. It's funny how I've been working on this site development… I've worked on it, shown it, put it down, come back to it, shown it again, put it down, come back to it again and then it clicks. Just a friendly reminder that process takes time and other people's input can be very valuable, especially when it's a project for a group.

I'm on the board now for the AWA and am really enjoying them. I had suggested we listen to an interview by Alyson B. Stanfield of Peggy Klaus on her book Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It for our meeting last night. I have listened to it almost three times and what really stood out for me is how well Alyson B. Stanfield brags about herself in a natural, conversational manner. She mentions her own book and how it relates to the interview. It's of value to the conversation. I think when we don't share or brag about ourselves it's never known what impact there would have been. It reminds me of this quote from Martha Graham to Agnes de Mille which is also mentioned in Carol Lloyd's book Creating a Life Worth Living.

I'm having a fabulous time on www.lynda.com for $25 a month every chance I can get. Great creative inspiration and online training. I'm working through the coding movies now and am looking forward to their WordPress movie as well.

Thank you Tom for the prodding for me to post.

Trees and fish

Speaking of trees… Tom and I picked up our first tree to plant, a Bloodgood Japanese Maple… such emotion for me about planting a tree together… a marking of becoming an adult. Pretty cool. His name is Mo…short for momiji, how the trees are known in Japanese.

And we've been working on Hammie…



And I found a milk paint recipe that worked well. I'm working on painting a lamp so once I get that finished I'll post the photos here.

Trees in Oakland

Ever since we moved into our place I've been hoping to remove all of the extra concrete that surrounds us. I figure it'll happen eventually… but I found out that the City of Oakland has a tree planting program where they'll plant sidewalk trees for you and cut your concrete. Wow, who knew?

Here are more links: Jane Brunner and an article.

I Heart Oakland

Tom is guest blogging today. I love it. I haven't been wanting to blog, or do yoga or whatever… but I did make a little book this week and I have been working on putting together an artist business circle and I've been thinking about an art project around the theme 7. Tom, thanks for initiating. Here's Tom below.

Oakland, our 'hood, has a reputation as a crime-ridden and unattractive alternate to SF. Gertrude Stein famously said of Oakland, "There is no there, there." (And to apparently prove her wrong, in the last few years Oakland installed a large sculpture of "here" and "there" on MLK at Ashby).

Well, a couple weeks back our modern car died while on the freeway in the Montclair area of Oakland. We managed to coast to an off ramp but could not get past the initial intersection. Within two minutes, two blue collar immigrant types in a pickup (meaning accented English and tools in back of their truck) stopped and helped push the car to a safer spot on a street next to the off ramp. The street is undeveloped in that a park area is nearby, i.e., no houses in this section. While we waited for assistance from AAA, loads and loads of people offered to help. We did not keep count but we estimate at least 20 separate cars stopped to offer assistance. The occupants were young and old. Male and female. All sorts of races. The cars were fancy and crappy and everything in between. A real cross-section of Oakland stopped to offer help.

And this occurred whether Leah and I were both with the car or it was just her or I. Perhaps specific people were at times more drawn to Leah or I, but they kept offering help no matter who was the obvious stranded party.

A friend suggested we may have a good "aura" that influenced people to stop and help. Maybe. But what I take from this is that all of these people (maybe 50 persons all told) were ready and willing, and for that I am grateful.

Thanks Oakland!