On Bravery

Time to share the silly little pieces of art that I draw at my desk, even if they are really not a whole lot of good. After all, what is a blog for?

Good morning

It's Christmas at work today--little packages on my desk from coworkers, peppermint coffee from the cafe, Christmas music piped in over the intercom system (seriously....), and the annual Christmas "open house." I just finished up my shift as barista at the "DayBucks" coffee stand, and was feeling uncharacteristically holidayish when I saw this image pop up in my blog reader:



Posted by Wide Open Spaces: a scan from the book Biggest, Best Snowman.

Gol-ly. I love children's books with fantastic illustrations. Especially at Christmas time. Especially with loads of those giant colored lights, kinda falling off a big tumble-down house. Especially with delicate pencil linework and soft watercolors. Especially with warm light in windows and a fir grove in the back yard and a dusting of snow....

Wow. Vahalla Studios, in the Crossroads Art District of Kansas City. Gorgeous letterpress work, fantastic designs.

I've really been hibernating this winter. Sherpa hoodie, flannel sheets with red starflakes, cozy blankets, knitting. Who says Ugg boots are out of style? Bears have boots that look like Uggs. Bears hibernate. Beatrice looks like a bear. I wear Uggs, but only when I tromp around my apartment.

Good hibernation music: Fleet Foxes, eponymous album.

He Doesn't Know Why - Fleet Fo...

Also good music for working when you have fifty billion cards to finish before you leave for Christmas vacation.
(sorry for the lala link--my itunes isn't working at the moment to download the actual song)

beautiful.

I cooked a chicken last night. Yep, I did.

Just thought you should all know.

All of you whom I called last night, frantic with questions on cooking a chicken and WHAT ARE THOSE LITTLE THINGS INSIDE OF IT?!

A whole chicken, I should add. Yeah, the little sucker came with a NECK and some other internal organs. I wasn't exactly expecting that. Thank goodness they weren't attached. I dug them out with a spoon and quickly threw them into the garbage. Chicken necks have always freaked me out a bit--ever since I was a child and my parents decided that we would have a family (plus the Koops) chicken butchering party. I'm pretty sure that each of us kids were scarred in some way from that day....

But this chicken safely made it into the pan, rubbed with butter, salt, and pepper, and baked into something that even I, a self-professed chicken-hater, could enjoy!

Yummm.

chicken-cooking credits: Lindsey and Rach. i owe you each at least a drumstick.

i'd close my eyes and wish... once a year... for puppies or monies or supergirl powers. now i'd hunt down dandelions and first stars and stray lashes. no more black cats or sidewalk cracks. salt flies over my shoulder, and i close my eyes and wish at 12:34... twice each day...

loveliness from the sweeterie