Bluff...... whimper

Her work just makes me wanna cry.....You said it all Tina:

Technical excellence, design excellence, originality, and such colors!

Stephanie

Holy Crap! Unbelievably beautiful. She just rocks like no one else!

cheryl

Oooh, Tina.

They break my heart too, especially those batik pillows.

Superb. And well done to her for gettting so many wonderful bids!

-Su

Tina,

Glad to see you here aga> Usually I can hang back and admire Kim Neely without it breaking my heart,

Amazing how quickly they shot up in price!!

Barbara

They are stunning. I can't believe the bids on them.

Becki

Yes - these beads made me want to cry, they are so beautiful. Like the deepest tropical lagoon.

Hi Maren,

We've had some windy days and been unable to burn, so I'm finally getting caught up a little on the group here.

This burning has just absolutely been a priority for me, and I'm just burnt myself! But in another week or so, I'll no longer be able to burn. Today I was at it for 5 hours, then wet down the perimeter and let the heap of coals smolder down. Tomorrow I'll have help dragging wood from the same area for a fourth day, and then I'll burn about 20 feet further along the section line right of way. I just hope I can get another 10 fires done.

The cool thing though is that I'm spending a lot of time in the yard and get to see everything coming up. Last week it was the birch, which are now filling out. This morning I saw the leaves of the "high bush cranberry", which is actually in the honeysuckle family and is also called cramp bark for its medicinal properties. I also see the wild roses getting ready to unfurl their leaves, and discovered a new patch of wild red currants.

Memorial Day weekend is the traditional week for putting in gardens here. All danger of frost is usually over then. But for me it will have to wait until after I finish burning. Then I'll put some heavy rough cut lumber along my few garden rows. I have a large sheet of pure ice under my house, called an ice lens, so I want to raise a few beds.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. This week we expect a visit from a fascinating women from one of the Yupiq villages (she won't be staying here) who used to be a tramp. What a lifestyle -- so free that it demands great attention and responsibility. And next week, an old friend returns from 2 years in Mexico. We'll get her at the airport in the morning and put her to bed. I imagine her flight leaves the previous afternoon. Sleeping guests are easy!

Sounds like you've been having adventures too.

And oh yes, Phase I of the gov't grant for my friend's engine is finished at the end of May. I think we find out about Phase II in June.

And somewhere in there I'm going to try to get my house back in order, my beads back under control (imagine me with whip and chair like the Barnum and Bailey lion tamer), and doing something creative again.

Tina