New digs

You're looking at the swatch of space where Mile's crib once lived. It's now the awesomest room ever (aka, my new studio). It's a room with nothing but a desk, some equipment, and a whole lot of happy. I'm still not in there as much as I'd like to be, but I smile every single time I pass by.  I need to futz with the light a bit...maybe add an external flash, but everything else is perfect.  Perfect, I tell you.

And I couldn't be happier about my first shoot in the space with my dear friends, Papis, Vic, and baby Boobakar. We met Papis and Vic a bunch of years ago.  I thought they were great, but Ferris had an immediate 'Dream Weaver' reaction to Papis, like long lost soul mates.  Papis is from Senegal, Vic is from Michigan, and Boobakar was born here in Maine.  Needless to say, we've all fallen in love with them and will miss them desperately when they move back to Senegal in a few weeks.

It's devastation central...the kind of devastation that can only be fixed by saving our pennies for a trip across the Atlantic.

Can 'Greeniness' Count As A Real Word?

There are 12 big strong Mainer men with thick Mainer accents working on my house right now.  We're converting from an archaic oil heating system to natural gas.  It costs a small fortune, but the benefits are pretty sweet...efficiency, eventual cost benefits, 'greeniness', etc. We had no choice, really, because they converted our entire street and threatened to take Miles if we didn't join them. We only thought about it for a minute or two, though.

The garden is coming along quite nicely as well.  We've got some adolescent tomatoes,  gorgeous hydrangeas, and pea vines trying to make a break for it.

Anatomy of a Garden

We've got some time before we see baby veggies, but we're well on our way.

Tomato plant

Broccoli plant

My absolute favorite part is the climbing pea plants.  We staked some tall pea netting around the plants and watch them shoot their wiry tendrils up as they grow.  So sweet.

Auntie Boo's Garden

We call my little sister Auntie Boo.  Come to think of it, all of us call her Boo. Anyhooters, she's totally into the gardening scene and schooled me in all her ways during her visit a few weeks ago. She's going to be so proud that not only have I not killed the lovely garden, in fact, it is growing beautifully. The ability to quickly run into the backyard for fresh dinner is totally radical.

Auntie Boo, this one's for you.

Week of The Mama, Taking Homemaker Very Seriously

You guys, I totally planted a garden. Ok, I may not have planted a garden as much as I bossed my family around until they planted a garden. We bought this house knowing 90% of the work needed to happen on the outside (see the pile of asphalt in the left corner?) Last summer, Ferris and his buds put in the grass and the fence.  This spring has been all about the garden and filling in the perimeter with all sorts of pretty things.  Basically, My Mother the Prude (who grew up on a farm) bosses me about what and where to plant, and then I boss the minions. Everybody wins.

And, yes, Eva is totally rocking the tights and rain boots.