31

There’s fireworks and parades and red white and blue and I made cupcakes, pink ones, that don’t look so pink, but that taste of strawberries and summer, and I bought myself a kitchy vintage film camera for my birthday present.

We watched A Clockwork Orange the other night, so I can cross that off the list that apparently I never made. And I got over my fear of the library, started a giant tattoo, chopped my hair off and went on a road trip by my lonesome while I was 30 years old. So this time around, I’d like to make a list, my own list:

31 things to do before I turn 32

1. shoot with the K1000
2. go to Voodoo Doughnuts
3. drive from San Francisco to Seattle on the 101
4. sit by the ocean and marvel
5. make a dress and wear it in public
6. knit a pair of socks
7. organize my graphic design inspiration
8. hang art in the guest room
9. find the perfect pie crust
10. sleep on the beach
11. pierce my nose
12. finish the sea sock
13. sleep under a homemade quilt
14. make a new friend
15. camp in the wilderness
16. walk through the doors of an ad or design agency
17. eat at Harvest
18. collaborate
19. frolick in the rain
20. twirl
21. visit a friend who lives in a far off land
22. spend an afternoon at the union terrace
23. mend a relationship
24. watch Full Metal Jacket
25. acquire a pair of rubber rain boots
26. go night swinging at the park
27. make a difficult pastry that I’ve never attempted
28. show my art and/or photography in public
29. get some film cross processed
30. go to a parade
31. wear a skirt or dress without a special occasion

Seven.

Swimming. Cool water enveloping July, the rumble of boats in a slow-no-wake lake tickling my ears and my attention. Quiet, loons, wind. I’ll be offline for a week and a half. I’ll see you on the other side.

Strawberry Fields Forever

When I was little, my grandmother used to take me strawberry picking at Turner’s Farm, and then she would make freezer jam. I remember kind of hating the strawberry picking part, because inevitably it would always be hot and humid and buggy and I was a little kid who wasn’t real outdoorsy and got bored easily. It’s been a long time since those days, a long time since I’ve stepped foot in a strawberry field, but I was getting the urge this year.

I think it might just be more fun as an adult. We went out to the farm, Carandale Farm in Oregon, and it was a mild summer day with quite a hefty breeze. Not the hot and humid of my past. And it was super fun, Nate and I crouched over a row of berries, exclaiming here and there about this berry or that. We were like little kids, only instead of getting bored, we kind of couldn’t stop.

So we got home with a ton of strawberries. And then I opened the package of fruit pectin and realized that freezer jam uses about half the strawberries that real jam does, which of course was what I was gauging my volume on at first. Oh well. So I made two batches that are sitting on my counter right now, getting ready to go in the freezer, and froze a tray of berries for smoothies later. I picked up more pectin at the store for more jam, and I’m kind of thinking Pink Lady cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, because hey! My birthday is coming up! And what’s better than supplying everyone you know with pink cupcakes (and freezer jam) on your Independence Day birthday? Festive!

Actually, these jars of jam are looking pretty darn festive to my eyes. I called my grandma up before we went picking to ask her if she had some special jam recipe, which it turns out she does not, just so that I could be as informed as possible, and she was so excited that I was doing this. She’s not doing jam this year, but she’ll be getting a couple of jars of mine.

Six.

I’m glad breakfasts are back.

Film

I’ve been wanting to put film in the old nikon for awhile now, but for some reason fear (?) has been holding me back. I don’t know where that fear comes from with me, but anxiety tends to make me procrastinate on things. Afraid that I don’t know enough about photography to really get decent shots from film. Afraid that without that immediate ability to check the shot, that I’ll get it wrong.

But this week I did it. Put the film in, took a crash course on getting it set as close to what I’m used to shooting at on the digital so that I’m comfortable, since it’s an older camera, some of the settings are in different places, and just started shooting. I can’t wait to see what I get, and try some funky stuff.

Five.

Peonies are in season. The air feels heavy, as if there is a soaked washcloth draped over my mouth, hard to breathe. But there is still the need to porch sit, to stay slow. And strawberry ice cream.

Heat Effects

Oof. I think I’m having a weather related identity crisis. Something in me had the brilliant idea to make corn chowder with the corn that we stowed in the freezer last summer, since in a few weeks there will likely be more corn to be had at the farmer’s market. But then it got ungodly hot and humid this weekend, and soup isn’t really the most craved food item when it’s hot, now is it? But make it, I did, and it toasted up the kitchen something fierce and then we put it in the fridge for leftovers and made pasta and sugar snap peas instead because it seemed so much more appropriate for a warm summer night.

In addition, I got way too excited about some wool at the fabric store a couple of weeks ago, and am on my way toward making a simple wool blanket out of some of it. I remember seeing somewhere a year or two ago blankets made of squares of wool pieced together and used as one layer, with the raw edges on one side as a design element, and I’ve wanted one ever since. But again. It’s summer. Who makes wool blankets in the summer?

Cinnamon ice cream is the only thing that makes sense in times like these.

A study at my kitchen window

I brought home some ranunculus from the farmer’s market last weekend. Flowers always perk up the house a little bit extra. And, man, do I love ranunculus. Even the purple ones.

It’s a quiet week around here. Slowness has been the name of the game, and it feels so good. We have been making time for a porch sit every day as I’d hoped, at least a little bit. Keeping the foot up, enjoying the weather, easing out of a phase of my design life, and into some more work on another design project that’s been asleep for awhile. I’m looking forward to having a Friday at home for the first time in awhile.

Porch sitting and sewing

I spent alot of quality time porch sitting this weekend. And it was divine. Nate was out of town, camping in the Boundary Waters with his dad, so the house was quiet. Just me and the cats and dog. I went in for a few hours of tattooing on Saturday, adding the first splash of color to this foot and leg thing that I’ve started, and as a result I’ve been laid up with a swollen foot and ankle for the following days. That’s as good a reason as any to porch sit, I guess. I finished a book that I started only at the beginning of the week (I tore through that book! Ate it alive!), and made it halfway through a new one. I’m thinking of trying to implement a daily porch sit into my routine. It’s good for the soul out there, so much better than couch sitting.

I did get some sewing accomplished though, as well. I got Sarah’s quilting bee fabrics for May a few days ago, and had an idea right away for her block. She said any kind of block goes, but if I added my own fabric, that she wanted it to be yellow or white. I’ve got alot of yellow options kicking around in my stash, so I chose some wee play and some solids to tone down the prints. I hope that’s ok with her. I’ve had this type of block on my mind for a week or so, but hadn’t started anything big with it yet, so decided to test it out on Sarah.

The easist way that I felt to construct this ended up to be making two blocks. I can’t decide which one I like better, so if she wants both, she can have them. Do you, Sarah?

I also finally tackled Kathryn’s 9 patch block for April. I know, I’ve been holding on to this one for awhile, and I have no idea why. The fabrics she sent are beautiful, and a 9 patch is pretty simple to construct, except maybe for getting those corners to match up right, but it’s been idling away. It’s finished now, though, and I like it so much. For a long time I wasn’t a big fan of 9 patch quilts, but lately I’ve seen some really great ones, and I’m actually starting to think maybe I’d like to make one of my own.

In the street

Jane said to her friend across the street as she was describing me, “Tracy likes to laugh alot.” I don’t ever want to forget hearing her say that.