Poor Boo Boo

No dignity, no dignity at all.

then you shoulda put a ring on it

I've been obsessed with Beyonce's Single Ladies video for a while. And then I found this:

Gunter and Dieter Friends Forever

Dieter is 3 weeks old! And walking well, but no solid food yet. He's quite a little chunky monkey. Can't wait until he is big enough to squeeze!

And a video of Gunter of course!

Poetry Friday!

I Knew a Woman

I knew a woman, lovely in her bones,
When small birds sighed, she would sigh back at them;
Ah, when she moved, she moved more ways than one:
The shapes a bright container can contain!
Of her choice virtues only gods should speak,
Or English poets who grew up on Greek
(I’d have them sing in chorus, cheek to cheek.)

How well her wishes went! She stroked my chin,
She taught me Turn, and Counter-turn, and stand;
She taught me Touch, that undulant white skin:
I nibbled meekly from her proffered hand;
She was the sickle; I, poor I, the rake,
Coming behind her for her pretty sake
(But what prodigious mowing did we make.)

Love likes a gander, and adores a goose:
Her full lips pursed, the errant note to seize;
She played it quick, she played it light and loose;
My eyes, they dazzled at her flowing knees;
Her several parts could keep a pure repose,
Or one hip quiver with a mobile nose
(She moved in circles, and those circles moved.)

Let seed be grass, and grass turn into hay:
I’m martyr to a motion not my own;
What’s freedom for? To know eternity.
I swear she cast a shadow white as stone.
But who would count eternity in days?
These old bones live to learn her wanton ways:
(I measure time by how a body sways.)

Theodore Roethke

I'm a Bat, I'm a Pug!

IF Illustration

Theme: Contagious

I want this!

I want to buy this house and move to Nashville. Should I?


I don't really like brick, but this is priced so good, three bedroom, finished basement and work room which would be perfect for my studio workshop. It would be awesome!

Daddy Jack

This, dear readers, is my father. He sent me this photographic portrait of himself today via a text message. Since he specifically suggested that I not post it on my blog, here it is.

Poetry Friday!

Bone

1.

Understand, I am always trying to figure out
what the soul is,
and where hidden,
and what shape –

and so, last week,
when I found on the beach
the ear bone
of a pilot whale that may have died

hundreds of years ago, I thought
maybe I was close
to discovering something –
for the ear bone

2.

is the portion that lasts longest
in any of us, man or whale; shaped
like a squat spoon
with a pink scoop where

once, in the lively swimmer's head,
it joined its two sisters
in the house of hearing,
it was only

two inches long –
and thought: the soul
might be like this –
so hard, so necessary –

3.

yet almost nothing.
Beside me
the gray sea
was opening and shutting its wave-doors,

unfolding over and over
its time-ridiculing roar;
I looked but I couldn't see anything
through its dark-knit glare;

yet don't we all know, the golden sand
is there at the bottom,
though our eyes have never seen it,
nor can our hands ever catch it

4.

lest we would sift it down
into fractions, and facts –
certainties –
and what the soul is, also

I believe I will never quite know.
Though I play at the edges of knowing,
truly I know
our part is not knowing,

but looking, and touching, and loving,
which is the way I walked on,
softly,
through the pale-pink morning light.

Dieter Tries to Escape

So the lady who I'm getting Dieter Pug from sends me picts of him every week and this is by far my favorite of the last batch. There were a bunch of these with a head on view, and in this one it's obvious that he's had just about enough of being photographed and is ready to move on. Cute! His eyes are just opened, so he's still really, really young. He's the smallest of the litter, which I like since Gunter was also the runt and he turned out perfect.

On a slightly related note, Andreas and I have started kayaking lately and we've come up with a new name for otters: Sea-Pugs!

Gunter the Great Striped Hunter

A Tardy Illustration Friday

Theme: Hierarchy

Poetry Friday!

The brain is wider than the sky,
For, put them side by side,
The one the other will include
With ease and you beside..

The brain is deeper than the sea,
For, hold them, blue to blue,
The one the other will absorb,
As sponges, buckets do.

The brain is just the weight of God,
For, lift them, pound for pound,
And they will differ, if they do,
As syllable from sound.

Guess What That Little Black Goblin Is!

That, gentle readers, is Dieter Pug (Deeter). He was born last Wednesday in Oregon, and he will be joining our family in June. He is a dark brindle color that I'm sure will look good with Gunter Pug. A matched set of brindle pugs! It will be like Christmas every day!

More Garden Antics

Gunter in the Garden of Good and Evil

Gunter and the Bright Stripe

A Little Slice of Pug Heaven

Day of the New Fridge Happiness

As those of you who know me, or have lived with me (or both), you are aware that I love to cook. I love it! I love chopping up salads, braising cabbage into a buttery delicious side dish, baking breads, scones, pies, tarts, cookies, concocting sauces to drizzle over fresh handmade pasta, sizzling up some hot italian sausage, roasting potatoes/beets/garlic/cauliflower, mixing up a hot curry, whipping up a delicious dinner of home made pizza and salad.... But how can a person do these things when their fridge is the size of a 1930's icebox?

Exhibit A:


Dearest Peeps, please note that the entire upper right quadrant of this fridge is devoted entirely to cheese and deli meat. The lower back of the bottom shelf is taken up entirely by jarred sauces and chutneys of suspect origin that are at least a decade old. The bottom drawers are about the size of shoeboxes (and that is being generous).

Exhibit B:

This miniscule freezer was entirely taken up by frozen vegetable medlies (ick), and ice packs. I swear to you, at least half of this freezer was chock full of icepacks. Until I my foot down, that is. Now it's crammed with bread (to go with all the cheese) and bagels.

Exhibit C:


For size reference I include Gunter in the right hand corner of this photo. Please note that this little fridge is in the space that would normally be occupied by a normal size fridge. See where the counter and cabinets are? See all that space to the left of the fridge and the microwave on top of the fridge? That is all the space I will have with the new fridge!

Why do I blog about the miseries of a tiny fridge? Why do I go on about the hours spent putting groceries into that fridge as though it were a game of tetris? Why do I take pictures of my shamefully cramped and unorganized fridge and post them for the whole world to see?

Because today is the Day of New Fridge Happiness! As I type this a shiny new LG fridge with ample shelf space is on a truck on it's way to me...ETA 4-6pm.

Glory, Glory, Hallelujah! I have been freed from the chains of tiny fridge slavery. Rejoice! Rejoice!

Let the real cooking begin.

The Pug Lurks in the Tall Grasses

Yesterday was beautiful, so Andreas and I took a little car drive through the hills and found a lovely spot to do a little light hiking with the Pug.

Tiny Bathroom Makeover

I was tired of living with a bathroom that appeared to be located in a university frat house.

Witness the (slight) transformation:


Before
After

And we even have new hand towels to match the new rug. I like it! I think the main transformation is due to the shower curtain. I finally convinced the German to get a cloth one, instead of just having a plain clear plastic one (covered in mold).

Thank you, Target!

Gunter and the White Tag

Beans and Tomatoes-the perfect meal

When I was in college and shortly thereafter, I didn't enjoy anything more for dinner than a giant bowl of refried beans and sliced tomatoes. Preferably topped with a giant dollop of Daisy brand sour cream (the only real sour cream).

These days you'll find me eating pretty much the same thing. Except when I'm eating bread and cheese, which, seeing as I live with a man who thinks that cheese is the only food group (I'm not kidding, it's like a speciality cheese shop german cheese case in our fridge, jarlsburgh...ick), is just about every other day for dinner.

Quick and tasty snack:

refried or whole black beans, heated
grated zucchini
salsa
grated cheddar (missing from this photo...I'm lazy)
sour cream
handful of chips

Delish! And healthy.

Breakfast of Champions!

Last week I had a big day of work ahead of me, and I thought: "What would be the best, most nutritious, most healthynessfull, best breakfast I could feed myself in order to make it through a grueling day of designing and metal working?" And what did I come up with!?

This:
This, gentle readers, is a Dutch Baby* pancake. Delicious eggy goodness that is baked into a crispy, chewy delight at a high heat in the oven.

Serve it with some lemon or lime juice, some butter, and a bit of powdered sugar and you are set for a lovely dessert...I mean breakfast.


How To Make:


What you will need:

3 eggs
vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
pinch of cinnamon


What is indispensable in this recipe is a well seasoned cast iron pan, which is pictured below. This particular pan was purchased at an antique stone on the Oregon coast while I was on a camping trip with my Mimsy.



Heat oven to 450. Place cast iron pan in oven to heat. While pan heats, make coffee or beg for treats (all treats hidden behind that door):



When coffee is prepared, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Open oven, remove pan and add a generous pat of butter and swirl around until melted. Pour in batter and return to oven. Bake until puffed and golden, about 12-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

*Dutch baby is also the name my Dad called me when I was little. Sweet, yes? We are dutch on my paternal grandpa's mother's side. Last name Jackman, perhaps we are cousins, Hugh, what do you think?

A Random Sampling of Gunter's Day

Sick Day Fun

I was sick on Wednesday, so Gunter and I decided to take to our bed early in the evening to read and relax. Of course, as soon as we were in bed, Gunter had different plans.



(A note to Kel, you should watch this with the sound on. Gunter makes some fun sounds.)

I'm sick and Gunter knows it

Poor pug, doesn't want to get kisses from a sicky.   I have a raging sore throat!  Woke me up in the night because it hurt so bad.  Things are better this afternoon, but I still feel icky.  That's why I plan to go get pho after I finish my work.  Mmmmm, warm fragrant beefy pho!

Now you see where I get my good looks.

The Return of the Bryan

Friday Drawing

Theme: Breezy

I didn't have a chance to finish this one, and I don't think I ever will, but I thought I would put it up anyway.