Saturday, May 31, 2014

My Podcast Besties

A great accompaniment to crafting, cleaning, or simply sitting with a delicious cup of coffee; podcasts honestly make life better.  If you're needing some inspirational stories, and off the beaten path knowledge try out each and every one of these podcasts.

In no particular order 

1. This American Life: This is a no-duh.  This couldn't be a real podcast list without TAL.  Totally lives up to all of the hype.

2. The Memory Palace: Cold chill inducing stories.  Nate DiMeo takes slices of history and surrounds the listener completely with all of the sounds and feelings of the memory.

3. 99% Invisible: Roman Mars pulls apart aspects of every day life to find the ooey gooey center.  It's easy to miss the design, if you're not looking for it.  This podcast helps you see it everywhere.

4. Radio Lab:  Breaks complex scientific ideas into understandable morsels.  Radio Lab has made me question the way that I understand the world around me; and I like it!

5. Backstory: This podcast delves into history by tackling a theme, and investigating where American cultural traditions came from.  Looking at the past can certainly illuminate the presence.  This is definitely the podcast that I get most excited about.  You can take it with a grain of salt; after all, I did major in history.

6. State of the Reunion: Culture on a micro-scale.  This podcast identifies communities across the US, by finding surprising hidden aspects to cities and towns.  You know how it can feel like you barely scraped the surface when you visit a place, and you think, "it would take years to really understand this place and its citizens."  I'm not promising you complete insight in an hour, but you can get pretty close!


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Davey's Wild Ambition

Sometimes I look deep into my cat's eyes, and I can see that he doesn't know that he looks sweet and fluffy.  He sees himself as a wild cat!

Look Up Ahead

Little man, going for a walk...

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Sunglasses Flying Away

Crows are known to love anything shiny, and I imagine their close cousins blue jays feel the same way!  A week ago, someone came into my work to purchase sunglasses because his had been stolen by a bird.  This is how I imagine the scene.

My sunglasses here are made with my photo of the inside of a carrot, paired with sequins, and a Rorschach test.  I drew the little blue jay thief with colored pencils, and placed the entire piece over my photo of a beautiful spring day.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Moss Garden DIY

This weekend I made a little moss garden.  The best thing about it is it was it was TOTALLY free!  I used rocks from my driveway, and moss and other plants that I found in the woods around my house.


First, I put rocks in the bottom for drainage.

Then, I covered it with potting soil and put in my various finds.  I made sure to cover the entire surface with moss.











It's amazing how many beautiful types of moss there are.  I was only able to include a small selection of the many types that I found.

Since moss is found in damp conditions,  I've been spraying the mini garden with water twice a day.  The plants still look happy.






Now I have my own little forest living in my apartment!





Sunday, May 11, 2014

Happy Mother's Day

The lovely ladies who raised my mom, to make her the most excellent mother in the world!  

Mother's day is the perfect opportunity to recognize and appreciate our individual history and the history of the nation and the world.



Women throughout time have worked hard to make the lives of their families and the lives of strangers in the wider world better.