Life in the Universe: preparation (day five)

Transformation is happening swiftly.

Life in the Universe: preparation (day four)

things are becoming magical now...

Life in the Universe: preparation (day three)

Life in the Universe: preparation (day two)

Yesterday we strung bamboo mobiles and painted them neon blue and stark white. We also had a phenomenal brainstorming session, alone and with several guests throughout the day. I LOVE drinking coffee and chatting about facepaint and blacklights and white strips of fabric that shall make us all appear to be glowy blacklight butterfly/jellyfish creatures. We'll be a tribe for a night...

Life in the Universe: preparation (day one)

 Dearest interweb friends,

This week, in preparation for a Life in the Universe, I will be posting photos of the process involved in setting the atmosphere for the night. This is day one of documentation. Here we are cutting bamboo for a geodesic dome lounge. This week, Oliver and Abrahams will serve as a place to get excited for Saturday! We'll be driving to and from Baltimore more than ever... hanging branches and twinkling lights and bamboo mobiles from the ceiling. We'll be placing art on the walls and making terrariums and pouring as much positive energy into the Whole Gallery as possible. 

I'll document our process throughout the week, so keep checking! 

And make sure to join us on Saturday, 7-3am.

Love,

McKenzie

p.s. I know there are others involved in making this event a success, so feel free to send me your photos and I'll post them as well.

Our old neighbor Ted's grandpa was a grade school biology teacher. I made out like a bandit last night! He was so generous. I even have his collection of butterflies that were found in Pennsylvania in 1947. It was like I was inside one of my dreams. (Some of the best ones involve finding incredible treasure like antique laces and dress patterns that might crumble apart with too hefty an outward breath.)

This dollhouse is going to be beautiful. And Life in the Universe will be an incredible experience. I just know it.

Watch The Horse Boy. Touching and thought provoking. Tears involved.

Oh, summer. Cucumber salad, Orzo Salad, hamburgers with bacon and blue cheese, grilled zucchini, hard boiled eggs, and my favorite, tomato and basil sandwiches on white bread. All of this is local, by the way. On Wednesdays, Jamie brings home about $40 worth of locally raised, pasture-fed, antibiotic free meat and the occasional bar of handmade sheep's milk soap (raised 10 minutes away). On Thursdays he brings home about 15 or 20 pounds of vegetables and locally baked bread (made from locally milled flour). The bounty varies week to week. Oh! And locally raised/made ice cream too! THE best ice cream in the world. Oh. My. God. Amazing. SO creamy. Breezy Willow Farm is the best.

And...everything is framed now!!! Rebecca from Still Life Gallery did an incredible job. In only one night! If you live around here and need anything framed, go to her. 

p.s. I harvested our first tomatoes, five squashes, some carrots and as always, a ton of basil. Yum.

epistemology: fraternity

the far right is a cousin of mine .

know your roots.

how do contexts, personal histories, blood ties, etc define relationships?

Sincerely Yours,

laura

Sorry Earth, some humans are big losers...

I caught a fish the other day and it rained the next. Right now I'm sitting in the loft and I can hear the droplets coming down upon the roof. It sounds like tap dancing birds up there. I'm trying (really hard) to distract myself from the intensity of this disaster. I wonder how true this might be. I can't do anything and feel absolutely helpless. Don't you? Do you realize this is the worst thing that has ever been done to our planet? It's BLEEDING OIL. Does it not make you furious that America thinks it's okay to enforce a complete media blackout and to approve seafood caught near the gulf for human consumption?! That's downright unbelievable. I'm really starting to think this is all intentional.

If it is the end of life as we know it, or even the end of the entire human experiment, I'm going to make it a fulfilling one. Now if only I had an electric car and some solar panels. Hmm... I think I'm going to invest my money in survival equipment. There's no use saving it anymore. Solar panels, seeds, food and water, maybe even a gas mask or two. A lot of "conspiracy theorists" are saying that the levels of toxic gasses being emitted(like Hydrogen Sulfide and Benzene) are increasing dramatically. And then there's the highly toxic Corexit dispersant. WHY?! It's a good thing Jamie added six cans of beans, six cans of potatoes, and a bunch of raspberry preserves to our pantry. At least they're not poisonous! Enough sadness. I'm done venting. Maybe with a stroke of luck some advanced, ethical alien race will help us out.

On a lighter note, I finally scheduled our field trips at school. We'll visit the local retirement home and make crafts with the elderly this month. Next month, we'll take a hike through the forest with a naturalist specializing in amphibians and then do yoga in a YURT!  

I've also been preparing for a collaborative art show called Life in the Universe. (What an appropriate name for the time in which we dwell.) Tomorrow I'm having my drawings framed and I'm planning to make that green dollhouse into a blacklight haven! On Sunday, some friends will come help Jamie make his bamboo geodesic dome and we'll also get started on some tiered bamboo mobiles to house fans. They'll sway around during the show, keeping everyone cool. I want to make lots of miniature terrariums inside larger terrariums with little paper drawn creatures inside each one . "just a speck of dust inside a giant's eye." She said that in the song I LIKE GIANTS. So true. Everything.

Grandpa, if you're reading this, I hope you are feeling better. I've been sending my wishes and love your way. I'm looking forward to seeing you and Eva soon.  

p.s. Laura, your posts are wonderful. The last one was such a great surprise.