See the Difference

Our friend Holly asked us to make a change so her photo opps were up to her standards. What did we do? 

The quick change we made caused the entire property to sigh with relief. 

Photo Credit: Riley Johndonnel, who is currently sparking a project called Makehappyspots.com, an ambitious, making-people-happy community collaboration starting in New York City. 

More photos from Riley and Holly soon! 

Facing East

Our classroom, facing east:

We have a lot of work to do. We feel so lucky to have the space we do. I am excited to find some yoga partners! 

One of the images I posted this morning to our new Airbnb.com page: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3857454

Please feel free to share the Airbnb page on Facebook, or with anyone you consider to be any mix of bright, happy, creative, motivated and that you think would vibe with our North Star world. Thank you! 

Random North Star Hall Update

The bugs love the huge barn light at the south end of the building, over the double doors. We have a 200w bulb that blazes the entire yard. I looked for the name of this large moth to no avail. If anyone knows the name or wants to look it up, I'd love to know. Being a tour guide and introducing folks to the area is much more enjoyable when I don't have to make stuff up. 

Another zinnia photo. Every zinnia I see lights me up. What darkens my flowery outlook is the obliterated zinnias that were growing perfectly at the classroom door. Every morning this week I've woken to find some malicious critter has snapped a new plant off at it's base. I seeded, nurtured and enjoyed watching these plants grow and bloom. Then blammo. Gone. Like they never happened. Thankfully the other zinnia's remain thus far untouched. Devoured bedding plants further encourages us to go with natural, locally occurring plants. I'd love to know more plants that are repugnant to deer and rabbits. 

This tomato came to us via the plants that Darren and Lisa dropped off earlier in the summer. How awesome is that?! Our first beefsteak tomato! This evening we used the basil they also gave us and made a delicious caprese salad drizzled with avocado oil and a sweet and thick balsamic glaze. A yummy vinegar glaze that incidentally, Darren recommended. Tasty treats gratis' Darren and Lisa! Thank you! 

We'd love some advice on the cracking tomato part. Did we simply leave it on the vine too long? 

Yum Caprese!

Last night we sliced our first squash, sliced and toasted with oil, a touch of that balsamic vinegar glaze and pink himalayan salt. We all know that organically grown garden fresh tomatoes taste better than store bought. We were delighted to discover that our garden squash tasted amazing! Full of flavor and nuance. Now we love squash! 

Abundance

Mostly we intend to focus on perennials. But who can resist zinnia's? They are starting to bloom and they are beautiful. We'll keep the zinnia's around. For whatever reason, they feel era appropriate, like they belong here.

We enjoyed our first sit-down, candle-lit, home-cooked dinner with special guests last night in the classroom! Cloth napkins, parmesan grater, toasted bread topped with mozzarella and fresh picked basil and drizzled with a summery balsamic vinegar gaze accompanied our three cheese stuffed tortellini drenched in a roasted garlic tomato sauce. We served a simple salad picked from our garden. Before dinner we raised our glasses to our collective victories,  with a special nod to Chad's mother Lauretta for helping to make our meal even more enjoyable by providing tables, chairs, glasses and cutlery. Thank you Lauretta!

In many ways, last night represented many dreams coming true. We are blessed with wonderful support from family and friends across the world.

Thank you!

What Makes a Weed?

This is the head of a wavy leaf thistle I pulled out of the canyon last year and planted at the cabin. I find many of the naturally occurring plants in this part of the world to be very attractive. Why not make the most of them? 

When first transplanted, the thistle didn't do that great. I overwatered it, trying to give it an edge over it's thistle brethren left back in the canyon. Once I figured out these thistles really are a desert plant, preferring drought, I backed off watering and it seemed to slowly recover.

This year, our special thistle sprang forth! It's huge! In my opinion, it's also beautiful and definitely loaded with giant pink'ish flower heads bees and butterflies adore. I love the spiky dusty green color of the leaves.

Yep, It's a thistle. I've gotten teased and queried several times. Why are you planting weeds?! It's a weed! You planted a thistle...? Don't you know that's a weed? It's going to spread everywhere....

What makes this beautiful thistle a weed and other plants not a weed, exactly? Because it's now beautiful is it no longer a weed? Is it still just a beautiful weed? Or at some point does the quality of the experience tip the scale into a garden quality "plant"? I find the architecture, scale, size and color of this thistle PLANT to be stunning and interesting. Definitely in the top 5 of anything I've planted, ever. This thistle has singlehandedly created it's own bouquet of bees, butterflies, moths and small sunflowers which are protected from voracious deer within the boundaries of it's thorny self.

      

It's curious this epic piece of greenery could still be viewed as a weed and therefore undesirable. It hardly takes any water. It's local and adapted perfectly well to it's environment. If you live in Eastern Washington, I recommend this particular variation of thistle. It's a dramatic addition and more readily available than say, an ornamental artichoke. (Which are also beautiful, like Jurassic-sized thistles). 

In the world of "weed control" I'm collecting the seed pods before they bust open and make a mess for the neighbors. So relax.

With all that said...

These horrid scotch thistles are taking over our garden! And, guess what? I hate them! For all my high minded ideas about beautiful weed/plants, I feel cursed by these obnoxious, irrepressible little weeds. Payback for purposely planting that other thistle. These green demons erupt over night, and seem not to care when you grab them by the root and throw them in a heap. It's as though they crawl back to their original hole and root themselves back into place! Add water and they multiply like Gremlins. We could spend hours picking them. They aren't pretty. To date, I've been trying to kill them with my bare hands, gloves would help. They hurt my feet when I step on them. 

They are even more irritating because I am now aware "weed" only exists in the eye of the beholder. Given my heavenly and peaceful wavyleaf thistle experience, I know I am hating these scotch thistles by choice, which is further irritating. 

I must start carrying my regular camera around with me! I love this image of the bees on the head of our beautiful thistle blossom. When I whipped out the iPhone to snap a pic there were only two bees. At the moment I pushed the button a third bee photobombed us. Which brings me to...wow, the power of embracing process! An element of photography that often blows me away has to do with the process and timing of things. Synchronicity and Delightful Surprises. Plant thistle year one. Year two, thistle explodes with drama and color and right when you take a photo three bees collect to pose for one, unpredictable and precious moment that is forever captured. These beautiful, synchronistic and precious moments expand to the degree the images/moments shared.

Our coach, Caron, is fond of saying "Where focus goes, energy flows and results show". For example, focus on ugly and you get more ugly. Focus on beauty, and you get more beautiful. This concept of focus expanding results points to why I believe art can change the world. Three bees, one thistle, inquiry, process, being with, snap photo and now, untold numbers of people can reexamine, even if for a nanosecond, their automatic judgements about how life is supposed to work. Also they are free to contemplate and enjoy the pretty colors and the inherent wonder of nature. Focus on Beauty, Beauty expands.  

We would love to hear your xeriscaping successes and see your favorite images of ugly weeds. 

Sand Flat School

So much going on! so much we could blog about!

We ordered a couple prints from the Lincoln County Museum (please like them on Facebook). This is an iPhone snap of a long horizontal print at the museum dated 1920. 

Yay! 

We *love* this stuff! 

We are still in the process of nailing down the specifics, but the paperwork says this building was erected in 1900. Ostensibly for the school...? 

I love knowing that this fellow shared our space a century ago. Later he became a charter member of the North Star Grange! 

Lang, Herbert R.,  Jan 3, 1974

"Services were held in CA last week for Herbert R. Lang, who died in Cambria Dec 24. Born in Keller in 1907, Lang later attended Sand Flat and Davenport schools when his parents, Frank and Caroline Lang, farmed north of Davenport. A charter member of North Star Grange, he later owned and operated the Gerome ferry, store and post office and then the Gifford ferry, which he built. Survivors include three daughters, 5 grandchildren and two sisters, Margaretta Adams, Davenport, and Frances Duckey, Mercer Island." (Dav. Times: 1-03-1974)

More info and details to come, consider this a teaser. The friendly folks at the museum are looking for more tidbits, old ads and what not generated from this building. It's very exciting! 

If YOU know anything about Sand Flat School or the North Star Grange, or anything else about this building, please contact us! 

Where the Green Citronella Grows

Sadly, Bowie did not make it. Losing her was a difficult transition for us both. Bowie taught us a lot. Among other things, how to love more sweetly, with less attachment.

We would have preferred to learn our lessons with a living, purring Bowie still around for us to hug and tend.

Thank you, Bowie.

Yoga

This morning I finally got around to doing my first iPhone led yoga session in our classroom in front of the huge, old-school chalkboard. First, I scratched this message, borrowed from our only fridge magnet, author unknown.

Given our current circumstances I find the above quote especially meaningful. Let go and be present seems to be the message. This IS it, right now. Be. Chad and I have at least a million things that could use our attention at any given moment. We've a lot of moving parts to consider: work, businesses, remodeling, clean up, gardening, 5 animals we live with and the occasional rescue animal, belongings scattered between 4 different properties in 2 different states, aging parent concerns. It's a lot and the work can be taxing. Heck, at points the whole thing has been a total drag. 

"Life Does Not Have To Be Perfect to Be Wonderful" How perfect is that?! Especially in this historic old building, especially doing yoga in a beautiful sunlit room with huge windows and the odd bit of bat poop or cobweb yet to be cleaned off the walls. There's an old tree fallen down in the garden behind the classroom, crushing the fence. The hummingbirds love the feeders we've placed in it's branches. I'm stiff as a board and my feet hurt as I move into downward dog. 

This hall teaches us many lessons. 

In related news, Chad got the ancient wood furnace in the basement running today. Now when we stand over the large, iron grate in the classroom warm air rises up to envelop us. This gives us much more confidence regarding our winter experience! Further, we think it's going to be amazing heat to do even more yoga in. 

Thank you.

Welcome!

This mat newly beckons welcome at the front door of our classroom. I don't exactly remember when my grandmother gave it to me, perhaps I was gifted it after she died. At any rate, it's been my welcome mat at every place I've lived since it first came into my hands. Apparently the marbles were stomped into place by my Uncle Bobby when he was 8 or 9 years old. I think it's missing some marbles. I remember exactly how this looked, along with the ambient sounds and quiet sounds at the back door to my grandparent's place outside of Goldendale, Washington.

It's even more special knowing this welcome mat graces the entry to our home in this historic building that used to be a Grange Hall for the local farmers and residents. I like to believe Grandma and Grandpa would be extra proud knowing Chad and I were inspired to restore and breathe new life into this beautiful place. Inez and Howard Bratton were Grange members for many years.

I've been thinking about my Grandmother quite a bit lately. Like last night when the full moon shone brightly in the clear country air. Or when we work in the garden, I can see Grandma in her flowered dress, walking behind her old, single-wheeled garden hoe. I've often dreamt of a quiet rural life with my happy family. It seems as though Chad and I have a real chance at creating a viable, productive and prosperous life in a special place. I'm glad for many of the sensibilities I learned being a part of the life my grandparents built together. 

I think I'll go listen to the The Entertainer, a popular piece for our family to play on Grandma's piano.