Happy Birthday, Larry!

 

We sent Wally (aka) Larry some Heidi’s raspberry jam. This is actually Barbara’s creation made of toast with almond butter, the raspberry jam, and almond slices for eyes.

 

Don's New Book

Our next door neighbor, Don, gave a reading from his brand new book this evening. This was at Beastly Books in Santa Fe. The book is about Mary Shelley (she wrote Frankenstein when she was 18!) and her friends Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and…I haven’t read the whole thing yet–but the book begins in their childhood, which I love, and there’s lots of dialogue.

Funny

I found this painting online yesterday afternoon. I loved it so much that I googled Fred Fowler right away. Later in the evening I shot a picture of our sidewalk. Today I realized how similar they are.

Fred Fowler

Our Sidewalk

Facebook's 58 Genders

According to the introduction for Ezra Klein’s podcast last week, in 2014 Facebook offered its users at least 58 genders to choose from. WHAT??! Fascinating! Ezra’s show was good, but the 58 genders weren’t mentioned in the interview. I had to look them up.

 
 

We only had two genders to choose from when I was in kindergarten, and apparently I wasn’t sure which to pick.

  • Agender

  • Androgyne

  • Androgynous

  • Bigender

  • Cis

  • Cisgender

  • Cis Female

  • Cis Male

  • Cis Man

  • Cis Woman

  • Cisgender Female

  • Cisgender Male

  • Cisgender Man

  • Cisgender Woman

  • Female to Male

  • FTM

  • Gender Fluid

  • Gender Nonconforming

  • Gender Questioning

  • Gender Variant

  • Genderqueer

  • Intersex

  • Male to Female

  • MTF

  • Neither

  • Neutrois

  • Non-binary

  • Other


  • Trans

  • Pangender

  • Trans*

  • Trans Female

  • Trans* Female

  • Trans Male

  • Trans* MaleTrans* Man

  • Trans Man

  • Trans Person

  • Trans* Person

  • Trans Woman

  • Trans* Woman

  • Transfeminine

  • Transgender

  • Transgender Female

  • Transgender Man

  • Transgender Male

  • Transgender Person

  • Transgender Woman

  • Transmasculine

  • Transsexual

  • Transsexual Female

  • Transsexual Male

  • Transsexual Man

  • Transsexual Person

  • Transsexual Woman

  • Two-Spirit

That’s Izzy on Doreen’s lap, and Junie B. Jones on Don’s lap.

Tom had taken a bag of peaches from the farmers’ market over to Dorene and Don. Last night they invited us over for peach pie, with a gluten-free crust.

They didn’t use a frozen crust from the co-op, like we do when we make a pie. The crust was made by Don himself. It was incredible! Crisp and buttery and sweet and salty. We took home 2 gigantic pieces of pie and ate them for breakfast.

That’s Dorene’s college roommate from Boston, Beth, standing behind Dorene and Don. When I asked Beth what she was into, she said, “Well, I tot ought.” Tom had to ask her to repeat herself several times until he realized she had “taught art.” Now she decorates cakes in her daughter’s fancy bakery, and paints seascapes.

 

That’s Linda in the center, who owns and runs Jumpstart Farms. We had her over for dinner a few weeks ago, and she must have noticed that we didn’t have any cheese knives—only paring knives and steak knives with which to stab the cheese.

This gives you one tiny example of what a fun person she is: We met at Los Poblanos last night for drinks, and she brought one of those flannel Crown Royal bags full of cheese knives. She said we could choose our favorites.

When our cheese plate was delivered, I decided I wanted to use my new cheese knife. When we got home I was horrified to discover I had left mine at the bar. I had to call Los Poblanos late last night and ask them to please look for it.

This morning they called to say they had found it! (Mine was the 3rd from the left and is now safe in its new home.)

Around the house today

We are lusting after this countertop material.

I remember now one reason we decided to order the paper version of the NYT on Sundays: the fantastic kids’ section!

This painting is getting ready to be shipped to Holly & Bill for their new house.

Mike, our grading contractor found this ammonite fossil in the desert and gave it to us. The animal itself died out 66 million years ago. The fossil is about five inches across.

New Book!

Proofs for Mem Fox’s and my book

Chicken drives the tractor

We’re having our front area re-graded. Chicken has everything under control.

Below: Taking a break with Nugget

Amy

 

Amy cannot go anywhere without stopping in at a bookstore. And whenever we go to lunch, she drags me along with her. Her favorite four ABQ bookstores in order of preference are: Organic Books, Under Charlie’s Covers, Downtown Books, and Bookworks.

Today we happened to pass Downtown Books, and she grabbed the steering wheel and we swerved across two lanes of traffic into the parking lot. She ended up scoring a signed book of Tony Hoagland’s poetry, and a book by Janwillem van de Wetering.

I bought the two books on the right. I don’t even read books! (I have to read on my iPad so I can make the type 48 pt.) One book looks perfect for Aggle's and my Christmas reading ritual, where every year one of us chooses a book to read together. The other is written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans. You know. The guy who wrote the Madeline books and drew all over the walls of Bemelmans Bar, where Katy took me for cocktails that time in NY.

 

 

Linda visits us.

 

Margy's Show

The show was held at the ABQ Open Space Gallery across the river. We had never been! A swell time was had by all.

Margy lives across Candelaria from me, and her show opened this afternoon. Behind us is one of my favorite pieces, called A Dress for All Seasons. Margy found the “hanger” in the woods, and decided to make a dress for it. The dress folds up into a book, and there’s another tiny book in its pocket.