Sand Globes

I've been fascinated by Sand Globes ever since I saw them on a Facebook land art page. I looked into it and they appear to have been developed in 2000 by Zack Pine, you can find him here.

I had been unable to make a sand globe in Llano, TX and was getting pretty frustrated. Even at a very small size, they fell apart, perhaps because our soil is decomposed granite. I looked around and found a washed area from the local flooding that appeared to be clay or perhaps some algae. The weather has been very wet lately. I stopped at 4" in diameter-didn't want to press my luck.

With great care and some time I was able to build one. It may be the first one in Grenwelge Park in Llano, home of the Llano Earth Art fest and the World Rockstacking Championship. http://www.llanoearthartfest.org/ I was happy with 4" in diameter-didn't want to press my luck.

Update; January 7, 2019 The Sentinels

Update; January 10, 2019 My little family

Salad Days

On fairly regular occasions my friend Elizabeth invites me to lunch and we build incredible salads. Art you can eat! What's better than that?

Pen and Pencil

All I accomplished today was a little bit of art. That makes me the winner!

Pigma Micron pen and graphite pencil. 4x4"

Happy New Year 2019!

From Don;

We went grocery shopping a few days after Christmas and Lisa adamantly protested when I threw a package of dried peas in the shopping cart but I assured her that I'd be cooking them for me and wouldn't insist she eat any of them.

Today I picked through them (like you're supposed to do), rinsed them in a colander and put them on the stove, in some ham bone stock, to cook. Then I saw a photo on facebook of a pot of beans or peas (there wasn't a caption on the photo) with some sausage slices in it and that looked real good. We had some fancy (Pederson's Natural Farms) Jalapeño Smoked (pork) Sausage in the freezer. I thawed out the sausage in the microwave and cut a few ounces of it into thin slices. By this time the house was beginning to smell pretty good and Lisa suggested I put an onion in the pot. I told her I'd chop an onion if she'd get me some fresh onion tops out of her garden patch (the only edible crops she grows are onions and garlic because they're the only things the deer won't destroy). A short time later the peas were ready and Lisa's objections to them seem to have evaporated so we both dug in.

They started out, in my mind at least, as a nice side dish but they wound up making a great supper and we even have enough left to eat tomorrow. Might even be a new tradition.

Volunteer Deputy Registrar

One of the most important things we can do to help assure fairness and honesty in the political process is to encourage everyone to vote. When large numbers of qualified voters turn out, we get a much better representation of how the American public wants this country governed.

Last week I took Volunteer Deputy Registrar training at the Llano County Elections office. To find your local Elections Office, you can search with the term "(your county) election administrator".

 A VDR can give anyone in any county in Texas a postage-paid mail-in registration form. If assistance in filling out the form is requested, the VDR is responsible for getting the form to the County Election office within five days. You take an oath not to advocate for any political party while registering people. If you want to register voters in another county, you don't have to take the training again, but you must request a certificate for that county from its elections administrator. 

The forms are very simple and the training is designed to make sure you treat every potential voter fairly in a non-partisan way. The Texas Volunteer Deputy Registrar Guide, Training Materials (pdf) and Exam (pdf) are online to study in advance. The class and exam take about an hour, in person, at which you receive forms and your certification. Typically in Llano County, classes are given once a month, but by request the Election Administrator may be able to schedule classes to suit the needs of groups or individuals. 

This weekend I participated in a community event, the 2018 Kingsland Aquaboom as a Llano County Democrat with no partisan signage. It was a great day and I feel I've contributed my little bit to the political process.

Paula D'Orsogna, Lisa Miller

Impromptu Art Class

Once a month, as an Active Member, I work at the Llano Art Guild and Gallery. Today these talented artists came in with their mom. As I had already brought paints and sticks to teach a neighbor how to do Dot Painting, I asked if they'd like a lesson. Well, it didn't take long for them to get the hang of it. They were dotting away in no time.

I have the best adventures!

Juice Mammas

Juice Mammas is a new juice and smoothie bar in Llano. As a Private Member Association, they serve up the most healthful, nutritious fresh organic juices, smoothies, bone broth, home-made soups, crackers and cookies. Their Lunch Specials offer a vegan and non-vegan choice at a competitive price. 

The shop is an amazing calming, inviting and invigorating space with hand crafted items, food items, supplements and spices, healing and restorative services. If this sounds like a review, I guess it is. I think a place like this is essential to a community that prides itself on caring for its people.

Today I visited and helped out, learning the ropes just in case an emergency arises and they are short an extra person in the shop. I juiced for the first time and it's fun! I settled into a Zen state making Fiber Crackers, made from the juice pulp and flax meal. Then they're dehydrated to get extra-crispy without being baked or fried. I love them!

  

Collecting Leaves

I love leaves as a mulch and decomposed leaves (leaf mold) as a soil amendment. Unfortunately I have only one oak tree on my property and the flowerbed under it gets all its leaves. 

I wanted to collect leaves from my friends, but was dreading raking and finding some way to haul and mulch them to get them started decomposing. Then I found out about leaf blower/mulching vacuums. I ordered this model and this accessory that allows you to deposit  the chopped leaves right into a container. The product works as promised.

My friend Paula messaged me this morning and asked if I still wanted leaves, she was getting ready to mow hers. I said, why yes, yes I do. We put the new toy together and cleaned up her yard. Went home with three huge bags of chopped oak leaves.

This guy made a collector system way cheaper than the store-bought attachment. Gotta give credit to the handy-people! 

Going Greener

We've been looking for ways to go a little greener in our everyday lives. Here's one way. I was looking for 100% recycled bathroom tissue and found the Marcal brand. It uses only recycled paper, no new wood pulp and non-chlorine bleach. It's indistinguishable from the 2-ply HEB brand we use so I got a case of 48 rolls.

If you get some be sure to check the packaging, they have one-ply (which I don't care for) and 2-ply (sometimes called Small Steps). Available at Amazon, ebay and Office Depot that I know of, probably many other places. 

Now, to cut down a little on the plastic packaging we still use...

Bubble Wrap Insulation

We're getting the first serious wintery blast here in Central Texas, and the heat sources we count on were running continuously. We have an oil-filled radiator heater and a small space heater for our 420 square foot efficiency apartment. 

I suddenly realized that we hadn't insulated the windows like we have in the past, so I got out some bubble wrap and insulated the 3 generous windows we have. Within 30 minutes the space heater was cycling off and we were toasty warm. 

Years ago, we lived in Don's mom's old house, approximately 2000 sq. ft., with leaky floors, walls and windows--single pane windows. One winter, in desperation, I insulated the windows with bubble wrap. The next month, a colder month, our electric bill went down over $70. It worked so well we left it up for the next 3 years, then peeled it off and replaced it. It works well for cooling, too.

It's easy to do. Just cut out bubble wrap to the size of the window-you can patch. Spray the window with water and press the bubble side to the glass. It will adhere on its own. If it comes loose, spray a little more water and stick it back up. Step two? There is no step two, that's it. 

Now compare the cold radiating into the room from another window to that one, then go scrambling for some more bubble wrap.