Spirit Animals

So, this weekend my family did what every other normal family in America would do...we took an online test to determine our spirit animal. Colin was the one who instigated this little journey into our inner beings having already taken the test while he was at college. Caitlin took the test on Friday and then Mom, Dad, Brendan, and I all took it today. I must say there were some surprising and not so surprising results.

Pat-Owl

Steve- Crow

Brendan-Owl

Caitlin-Swan

Maura-Cougar

Colin-Crow

Find your spirit animal here

http://www.jerismithready.com/quiz/

The Near Future

Pretty soon I will be heading down south again to do another work/study program at Arrowmont (yup, it's a craft school nestled in the hills of Tennessee...do you sense a theme here?). Well, I'm pretty dang excited get back into the swing of things...working for a week, crafting for a week, working for a week, and so on. Ah, my heart is palpating with excitement just thinking about it.
But
until then I have lots to do around here, including the opening of the Urban Handmade Store in downtown Yellow Springs. They are actually going to sell my stuff there, like for real. I think that's kind of cool. Not that I don't like the craft fairs, I do, but it's pretty neat to have someone else thinking your stuff is good enough to sell in their store.
And then
right before I head down to Tennessee I will be in Chicago celebrating with the family, watching some soccer, gettin' cultured at the art museum. Hooray!

For All You Science Folks

Saving Our Hemlock TreesThe Folk School is partnering with Young Harris College to begin a program of biological control for the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, an invasive insect that has been devastating hemlock trees throughout the Appalachian region. The Folk School's hemlocks are no exception, and have been infested with the adelgid.Under direction of Dr. Paul Arnold, head of the YHC Predatory Beetle Lab, two types of beetles have been released on the Folk School's hemlock trees to combat the adelgid(an alternative to using insecticides). The Folk School will track the results as part of the region-wide efforts to determine the most effective control strategies in the attempt to save our native hemlocks.Our thanks go to all those who have expressed concern about protecting our hemlocks and especially to Patrick Horan and Noel Thurner whose gift made this project financially possible.

This is from the Folk School E- Mail News Letter I got today. I took part in this and went to the Beetle Lab at Young Harris to help collect the Predatory Beetles...in ten years there may be results.

Destiny

I was checking out one of my favorite websites, Marriedtothesea.com, and reading the daily comic when I noticed a feature called "Random Comic". Curious, I clicked on the link only to discover this gem of a comic.

Also, if you are not already familiar with Toothpastefordinner.com (by the same guy) you should do yourself a favor and check it out.

Unusual Breakfast Guest

This morning I was sitting on the deck enjoying the weather and eating my breakfast of peanut butter and toast which is pretty much the best thing ever. I was chilling out when all of a sudden I felt my toast vibrate. Peanut butter and toast is amazing, but not that kind of amazing. So I look down and see that a bee is caught in the sticky grasp of the peanut butter. It started crawling around and then I think it started to panic a little because it was trying really hard to fly away but could not because it was stuck. I felt really bad for the little guy. I wanted to pluck him out of his sticky situation, but also wasn't really looking to get stung. So, eventually I gently wiped my toast on the arm of my chair and the bee came off, still covered in peanut butter. Bowie was there too and then he tried to go after the bee but I distracted him with my toast instead.

Some Visual Poems

John, Me, and Liz at Maintenance

I helped build these picnic tables made out of wood from the old blacksmith shop...mostly I just put sealer on them

Some of the office ladies

Getting ready for the Zombie Apocalypse

Make Your Mother Cry

Here's a professional photo of my newest tattoo...I can post this picture because my parents know about it now so it's cool. The picture was taken by Bob, one of the photo instructors at the Folk School. He's into collecting images of body art. I think it's a great hobby!

By the way here is the original drawing that my tattoo came from...it goes with the square chicken that I have on my left wrist.

Riddle

What is greater than God
But worse than the Devil
The poor have it
The rich need it
and if you eat it
You die

I was told this riddle a couple of days ago and have sort of been thinking about it, but not really putting a lot of effort in to it. I thought I would share it with y'all. I'll be thinking about it on my road trip home.

Kiwi, this one goes out to you...hope it's one you haven't heard before

No Longer Forward nor Behind

We have a saying here at the Folk School...Out with the old and in with the old. But not this week. Yesterday was my last day here as a work-study and on Sunday a whole new group of (young, mostly) folks will come to pick up where we left off. From the five original lady-girls that were in my group only three were able to make it to the end...Super Hardcore don't Farb out. I think they have seven new work-studies coming in to replace us.

Also...

Here is a picture of me and my portrait painting class that my instructor just emailed me

The Last Biscuit Day

Every day of the week has its own breakfast menu and it never changes. Monday is pancakes and sausage, Tuesday is toast and potatoes and so on. Wednesday is the best breakfast day by far because it's biscuit day. You can eat them with butter or gravy or apple butter, but I prefer them in all their natural glory and have them plain.
Another thing you can count on here is that the work-studies will spend the majority of the day working in the garden.
We did have a nice treat today at lunch, although it was bittersweet. The housekeeping staff took the work-studies out to lunch. It was actually a week ago today that one of the housekeeping staff was killed in a car crash on his way to work. Since they were down one staff member and had to deal with this tragic loss, the work study crew stepped up and helped out housekeeping with their duties. To show their appreciation they took us out to lunch, but it was also to honor the memory of Jess. It was nice all around.

Oh my there is a lot of stuff to do here before I heading out on Saturday. Which reminds me, I want to thank everyone who's been reading this blog and also to thank everyone who's been sending me mail I really appreciate it. All the ladies in the office are amazed at the amount of mail I get.

Blueberries for Sal

Today we planted blueberry bushes and then took the rest of the afternoon to write and illustrate a childrens book about them...oh wait, no we swept walkways for the rest of the afternoon.

Angry Bird

Is there such a thing as folk computer art?

What else is growing in the Garden

Also, as a gardener-in-training-but-not-by-choice-but-kind-of-enjoying-it (does that make sense?) I spend a lot of time really close to the ground digging in there, mostly with my hands, sometimes with a tool. There is a lot of stuff going on down there. Seriously I have seen all kinds of bugs and spiders and grubs and voles and things with multiple legs that I don't even know what to call them and more worms than you can shake a tomato steak at.

So, while working in the garden you get exposed to a lot of garden talk, right. Things like hoop bed, companion plant, or lettuce harvesting and of course the Three Sisters style of growing things. Because I am now sort of a gardener I can tell you what that is. It is when you have a bed that grows corn, beans, and squash. Each crop gives and takes things from each other in a helpful way…I guess you could call is a symbiotic relationship…anyways, if it’s going really well you can get the beans to grow up the corn stalks instead of hammering steaks into the ground! That equals zero smashed fingers. My point is that it’s like a rotation of things… a cycle if you will, and that got me thinking about the “Three Sisters” in my life…Arrested Development, 30 Rock, and Reno 911. I watch them in cycles and they all compliment each other very nicely. Wow, I suddenly feel really lame talking about TV when there’s all this cool stuff going on around me that I could be talking about. Don’t worry, I actually haven’t watched any real TV while I’ve been here (and I really don’t miss it) and I’ve only watched a few things on DVD…gah, I have to defend my own honor.
Here are some pictures of Three Sister things for you to enjoy!

Late Nights Early Mornings

So this morning at about exactly 6am I woke up (sort of) and went with my lovely roommate to the Tuesday morning Flea Market that they have in Murphy (the next town over from Brasstown). It was cool. They had everything from baby ducks to Nazi paraphernalia. I didn't buy either. I did however buy a ball peen hammer and a cork screw. Both items were gifts for other people and cost me a grand total of $4. The hammer was for Kisha who works in the office and the cork screw was for one of the student hosts. I found out that it works in your favor to do nice things for people in "high" places. I mean I would also do these things just to be nice.
Then off to breakfast.
Then off to work.
It was sweet, this morning we went on a field trip to Lowes. Awesome! and we got a pick up load of hay. Afterwards we went and got some coffee, however we only had $5 for four people. It's cool it all worked out in the end.
In the afternoon we planted more things including Pumpkins or if your name begins with Pat and ends with Heffron-Cartwright we planted Punkies!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think it's time for more coffee and then an early bed time tonight.

Past My Bedtime

I've been having some trouble sleeping recently so I've been hanging out in our lounge watching episodes of Reno! 911...not very folksy or crafty but it makes me laugh so darn much. While hanging out in the lounge at these late hours I've also been reading the brochures that we have lying around. They're pretty much just touristy things, but some of them talk about the hiking trails around here which I would like to try out before I leave. I also learned in one brochure called Mountain Review that the mountains that the Folk School is nestled are called the Tusquittee Mountains which according to one of our knowledgeable student hosts the Tusquittees are just one the southern border of the Smokies. Well, there's your geography lesson for the day.

Would you frame this and hang it in your house?

It's been a while since I've actually painted. This is what happened when I tried it out again last weekend.

May Day (Yesterday)

Here's a nice mountain ballad...or the beginning of it anyway

Twas in the merry month of May
when all gay flowers were a bloomin'
Sweet William on his death bed lay
for the love of Barbara Allen

It's a great song. Listen to Emmylou Harris' version if you ever get a chance.