Things I do not love about wordpress

I have maintained a blog for over 10 years. In the last few years, my posts have dwindled. In part, I’ve reconsidered sharing my personal information online for general consumption. I spent and still spend time on the concept of how my posts look from the perspective of  marketers.

Primarily, my posts have dwindled because wordpress is a hack festival. My professional blog is gone and has been, despite money and effort all around to get it live. I am not advanced enough to stay ahead of wordpress hackers.

WordPress doesn’t let you remove, delete, end your relationship with them. Easy in, no way out – like Suze Orman describes poverty. Easy in, no way out. It’s frustrating to think that an email account that I use frequently is hostage to a service that has eliminated my professional online presence and dropped the pleasure of my blogging significantly. Given my audience, I’m guessing no big loss as is. Maybe as I develop as a writer, this will be more of an issue.

WordPress, I won’t use your services as I can afford them. And really, you should let people delete their accounts. Seriously.

and now, Fall

Cat + Cookbook, a photo by Lilbenne on Flickr.

I have had a very good summer. Included in that are plenty of good recipes, great times with great friends and diligent work.

As the very short summer subsides & the chill of the air is predominant, I want to make a bid for a good fall.

I love spring

Sauerkraut, don’t skimp on the salt

I’m a big fan of probiotics. In our house, that means we’ve gone beyond yogurt, which is a solid source of those healthy bacteria that improve your digestion. We’ve been (well, I’ve been) making sauerkraut and kefir – kefir is a more liquid version of yogurt and then some – for a year now.

This year, I’ve got a hold of some water kefir, which gets fizzy like soda. I’m trying to figure out a recipe for ginger beer. We have friends who make a really good stout & delicious plum wine, so it’d be ideal to be able to share out a crisp soda that coincidentally is better for you than the sugary stuff.

Along with grinding enough ginger to flavor the water kefir, I made two bottles of sauerkraut tonight. these two bottles are my fourth round. The second lasted 6 months before the flavor went off. The third didn’t turn into sauerkraut at all, because I tried to make a low-salt version. Crap. I’m optimistic about this sauerkraut. I’m in my studio tonight, an always dreamy time. Next week, I give away a bunch of printing paper to my alma mater. I am excited to see what happens with my studio with the extra room, once all of that paper is gone.

Cool Hand Luke and good news

First and foremost, I’m grateful, after a quick call with my mom, that she is feeling well after surgery. Without going into too much detail, my mom is 80 and my wish for her is a life surrounded by the maximum quantity of love – and minimal surgical intervention.

I’ve been digging into sketch books again. Such a joy to paint, to draw. I’ve felt so titchy about showing, sharing & even doing my art when so much else seems to demand my attention. Tonight, it seems nothing but right to take pencil to the page.

Cool Hand Luke is streaming. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it & I can’t remember the ending. I’m getting a One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest vibe from it as Paul Newman wanders into an empty parish.

I’m so excited for the future. It seems a crazy time to be alive, in this world full of change and nerve-wracking shifts. I’m curious and determined to see what comes next. Scared too, and hopefully I can stay human enough to admit it.

Back to the sketchbook, on this lucky night.

Lullaby Moon

Great show last night – great for kids and families! A celebration of the new moon, with costumed cats, clocks and floating beds. There was music and dancing and the kids loved it, from what I could tell…

For us, it was a dreamy night of dreamy sights. Such a lovely evening.

Tonight, I was happy to discover a photo of mine in Tumblr:

Not exactly gardening…

Yesterday, or Sunday, rather – I didn’t end up gardening. I’ve kept the potted plants watered, that’ll have to do for a bit.

Tonight, I put together a dinner with mostly vegetables from the garden. I saw that the brussels sprouts were trudging along, despite blooming a month or so ago. We’re getting closer to harvesting a bunch more stuff. Still the garden is a mania of weeds, all happily growing along with the food.

Instead of gardening, I was organizing. Cleaning out the pantry, mostly. There were some expired items to toss, instant space! Tomorrow evening, someone’s coming over to help me organize.

Today, the handyman took on the kitchen lights and porch lights. We’re halfway there. J came home tonight & mentioned something needs fixing on the car. I feel like a fountain of money. Wonder if I can dilute money with water to the same effect…?

Oh, I had to give up the Murakami – the library will need it back soon and J wants to read it. I missed the finale by 150 pages or so. I’ll give it another go when it comes up in the library again.

Late night musings

1st, happy birthday to my brother – and hopes for a great year!

Second, I’m up late – just turned off the water for the kitchen flower bed. Just finished cleaning up the kitchen. More to do tomorrow…

The cat is curled up in a ball on the sofa. She’s been battling the bell & collar I put on her tonight, but is sleeping peacefully now. Last week, we paid a pretty penny to have someone find & retrieve the rat she killed, that was stinking up the house. She used to be harmless. We’re hoping the bell helps.

Things have slowed down around the house, in spite of all that we’re trying to accomplish. Kind of nice that we’re giving each other space for a bit.

Picked Jason up tonight at a bar – or outside of a bar – in Lynnwood. He had just finished a 65 mile ride hoping to get to Arlington. I can’t remember all of the details of the ride, but do recall he mentioned that we should picnic where he rode, that it was beautiful and worth revisiting.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow – to borrow a phrase – I am planning to garden a bit, cook a bit, talk with my mom a bit and get ready for the week. Tonight, as long as I cannot sleep, I’ll watch the treacly and fun Sweet Home Alabama. Good times

Ian McKellen in that play

Ian McKellen in a cheerier, or um, more sarcastic role

Crazy awesome sale!

Picked up a dinner plate dahlia, a huge one, for under $10! Bought heaps of perennials for less than a dollar a pop! What a great day for the garden.

Next, I need someone to work in the food rows, getting them in shape – and someone to help me build out two new beds.

I’m really excited about this!!

That was before I got rid of my Maryland accent

Jason is really enjoying this …