I'll Be The Judge of That!

I serve on the board of Main Street Concord, Inc., a non-profit committed to economic development through historic preservation. It is a program started by the National Historic Trust a few decades ago and it is still going strong. This long winded explanation is a way to account for being roped into a fashion makeover at our large annual downtown festival called Market Days.

I was not asked to be a participant, which is gratifying to know they didn't think I needed fixing, but to be a judge. I was concerned that I don't have any qualifications. I am not big on makeup. I don't own a comb or brush. My clothing veers towards the comfortable with a few forays into the outlandish (I love high heels!) But then I saw the line up of other judges and knew I would fit right in.

The six contestants were 5 females and one male. The majority were single moms or stay at homes that had neither the money or inclination to look their snazziest every morning. The gentleman, who was roped in, is running for state senate and is better known for riding his bike to work and promoting clothes lines to save electricity- which is to say that his looks fell to the bottom of his priority list. Six foot tall "before" pictures were displayed and each contestant with their team of hair stylists, aestheticians & clothiers were brought on stage to much applause. The transformations were amazing and each contestant was thrilled with their new look. One single mom of three won. It was really quite moving to be a part of this contest.

I took home a goody bag of gift certificates and oodles of samples as a thank you for being a judge. It was amazing how many things were stuffed into such a small bag! This evening, after a day of gardening, I decided to try a few of the products.

IN THE SHOWER: I used Alterna Hemp Shampoo & Conditioner. I don't normally use conditioner as my hair is short, wiry and I like it to stick up at unexpected angles- so natural is better. My hair didn't seem any different from when I use my cheapo Pantene shampoo. I used some Dermalogica body scrub to get the filth off of my legs and feet. It worked well- but so does my scrub brush. I used proprietary buffing granules from Breathe Spa- except it didn't say what I should be buffing. I took a chance and buffed my face, which normally reacts to anything too rough. This seemed very mild though- so I think I picked the right part to buff. I will have to try it a few times to see if my skin reacts.

OUT OF THE SHOWER: I opened up a sample of Dermologica Map-15 Regenerator. Because the printing was so small on the side of the little test tube I decided to wing it. I figured anything that small must be really precious and intended for the eye area. I was a little shocked to pour out a very fine powder. What the hell do you do with powder? I must say it applied rather nicely- practically melded with my skin instead of falling off my cheeks into the sink. It felt good but I didn't notice anything different and my boyfriend didn't think I looked any younger. I then applied some L'Occitane skin cream. I am afraid that I am a "if some is good, more is better" kind of person. I put a generous teaspoon into my hand and applied it to my face. It felt like shortening going on, but in a good kind of way. My skin is quite dry so it appreciates a good slathering up. After a while it soaked in and left my skin quite soft.

I want to laugh at the lengths and expense women will go to maintain their youth and beauty. On the other hand- I would love to maintain my youth and beauty. I may go so far as to buy the buffing granules and L'Occitane face cream- although I might get a shock when I discover how much youth & beauty costs!

Ain't Nothing But A Hound Dog

Either you love the sound of a hound dog or you don't. I wasn't told that Henry was part hound....but there it is. I was raised with a Beagle as the family dog. The sound is pure joy.....very loud and insistent pure joy.

Even as I watch other people cringe or scowl it makes me smile.

Bananarama

So I think there is a story in this somewhere.

Since I got my dog Henry and started walking a paved route I have noticed that there is a serial banana peel thrower who lives on our road. There are peels thrown hither and yon. Sometimes on the roadside, sometimes in the grass, sometimes fresh, sometimes wizened and decayed.I don't see them everyday.... but that could be the scavenging of the local fauna thwarting my daily banana peel viewing.

It makes me laugh to find these peels- not sure why. I can imagine someone climbing into their car every morning, gripping their breakfast on the go. They seem regular enough to always grab a banana but not so OCD that they begin and end their eating habit at the exact same time- thus throwing the peel in the same spot every day. Perhaps they have a potassium deficiency and the doctor ordered a banana a day? Perhaps they are a creature of habit and can't start a morning without the pleasant and vaguely sexual defilement of a piece of fruit?

It has long occurred to me that I should be cataloguing these peels. My lack of camera hinders the archiving so I may have to break down and purchase a camera- a process I have recently started. Because I suffer from something vaguely similar to OCD it may take me a while. I am only in the fact gathering stage. In the meantime I continue to borrow the camera from work. And here you have the output of one day's walk....four different banana peels. These are all pretty old, but they seem to add to the story.

One of these days I will actually witness the serial banana peel thrower in action. In the meantime I will put these up for the amusement of my readers.

Day In The Life of My Garden, June 2, 2010

Things are looking mighty fine at Chez Chaffee. Behold those poppies- every time they bloom they surprise me with their beauty. The Snow in Summer is a billowing mass of white loveliness.

My peonies are perfect. I suspect the rose chafers are on their way to wreck their beauty, but sigh.... enjoy them while I can




I am smitten with my new planter. I have been coveting these echeveria for years and finally splurged. The pink blush on those chubby leaves make me want to pinch them. But like one of little nieces I just reach down to plant a little smooch on them to express my admiration.

And here is the new arbor- installed! My Henry Kelsey roses need to get to work now.

Flowers!

One of my artists is an elderly gentleman who lives in Canada. I have spoken to him once and met him once, but we email every so often. He is an absolutely charming and delightful correspondent. As he slows down his physical world becomes smaller but I suspect he reaches out to more people, like myself, to stay engaged and pertinent in the world of the mind.

Also like myself, he is a gardener and enjoys watching his plants and flowers move through their cycles. Yesterday he wrote to me that "despite being a potter who should enjoy bringing in flowers to fill my vases I prefer to enjoy them outside. The only culture that knows how to bring flowers inside are the Japanese."

I have always been miserly about bringing flowers into my house so this statement made a lot of sense. My boyfriend is a bit of a bouquet fiend. I always claim to not have enough to share with his vases. I realize that my artist/correspondent has hit upon the true reason. Flowers are never as alluring as when found in their native habitat- springing naturally from their clumps, stems, whorls, branches & vines. In nature they are spaced ever so perfectly, whether that is symmetrically or randomly. They face in the appropriate direction- out, so as to catch the most light or the attentions of a pollinator. There is a balance of foliage to blossom that seems right.

I have also worked hard in my garden to position them next to the perfect backdrop or complimentary plant- orange poppies next to a blue spruce, exuberant Rudibeckia next to severely upright Karl Forester Miscanthus, silver Lamb's Ear interspersed with the dainty blossoms of Grape Hyacinth. How could a bouquet compete with that?

THAT being said, I have always felt the most successful bouquets were mostly fillers and greens to set off a few blossoms. Or- the exquisite placement of a single flower in an Ikebana vase.

Household Addition

Being in "the business" I occasionally receive gifts from artists. It isn't expected. I assume my role as a supporter of the arts is to purchase artwork like everyone else, but it is always a delightful surprise to receive a gift- especially the gift of art from an artist I respect.

This past week Fred Lynch gave me a small painting from his Division Series. This series is currently featured at the Portland Museum of Art in Maine. While my boyfriend is as big a fan of Fred as I am he was a little leery of squeezing one more piece into our home. Like two little old ladies we fussed with items, moved them two inches, changed plants, considered moving furniture and finally came to a conclusion.

The small painting came to rest on a trunk underneath a large painting by Fred of a pink rectangle. The new painting contains a little of the same pink making a connection to it. The new painting also has a some ruby color which related directly to the Gerry Williams to the left. And to top it off we moved a beautiful fine line porcelain plate by Rebecca Lucerio next to the whole lot.

The placement of all of these pieces gives me an overwhelming feeling of pleasure and rightness with the world. The exquisite rendering of the plate is similar but different from the nervous line of Fred's painting. The low-res images, unfortunately, don't give you a sense of their delicate precision. The grouping's colors relate but aren't so matchy-matchy that you think you walked into a Pottery Barn display. And there is a sense of historicity- a connection from past to future of this particular aesthetic trajectory.

Finding these connections is one of the most enjoyable parts of owning an art collection.

A Day In The Life Of My Garden, May 9, 2010

It has been a while since I have posted about my garden so this is just a little catch-me-up for those of you who care. Things are just beginning to take shape. We have a couple of below freezing nights predicted so the boyfriend is a mite afeared for the fruit trees which are in blossom right now. He also went out to pick all the asparagus that had poked its head through- better eaten than frozen.

There is a whole flock of pure purple Johnny-Jump-Up which is blooming its little fool heads off right now. As always it is a fabuloso contrast with the golden cypress. You might notice one stray sedum that ducked my hell bent for eradication trowel of death last summer- I just got sick of the cheap sedums from the grocery store showing up every spring full of promise - that only delivered a summer of heartbreak and mushy, withered stems.

Not too far from this complimentary color scheme are some last minute daffodils that are enhanced by the broad green back drop of rhubarb. Sometimes I think I like rhubarb more as a plantable than an edible. mmm, mm good no matter how you dish it up!

My purple smoke bush is just starting to show its colors- hope it doesn't get bitten by the frost the way it did last year. It is a particularly girly combination with the pink azalea and the fluffy ruffliness of the white iris in the foreground. Be still my fluttering heart!

And just because I have a camera in hand and this blog belongs to me I will inflict yet another season of Bleeding Heart on you! I love the bleeding heart but I am muy impressio'd by my Ladies Mantle. I dug up a plant that was swallowing a low slung sculpture and must have flung its seeds hither and yon. Now I have little plantlets everywhere- much to my avaricious delight. Nothing like too many plants to move and hoard.
Another shot of my Jane Kaufmann orb surrounded by pulmonaria and hostas getting ready to spread their wings. Right now they look like Piroulle cookies standing on end. Soon I will have to move the orb as the hosta are space hogs.

And here is what left of my disaster of a rose arbor. The wind finally did it in. The boyfriend bought me a new cedar one- but I need to make some concrete anchors so the wind doesn't do the same thing to it..... may find it a bit northeast of me in Goshen if it isn't properly battened down.
Enjoy!