Spider VS Ladybug

LADY BUG in the right corner.....

SPIDER in the left corner....
My first inclination is always to save the suffering one... i think poor little ladybug is about to get eaten. But then i think about the spider, if he doesnt get food then he'll be starving to death and suffering too. So making a choice to save one and interfere with another is kind of a judgment based on personal preference more then the natural processes of life.
So shit - which would you choose? I chose to watch.
The spider moved down to the ladybug, who would periodically spread her wings in defense. A defense that seemed to work pretty good. That is unless the spider is jus' totally tired of eating ladybugs all winter...
Several times the spider came down and touched her, but never attacked. He went back to his corner to hide motionless for more victims.
Eventually the ladybug must have shaken herself free cause when i looked back, she was gone. Or maybe.........

XoXo

Get the 4-1-1

Retail is Change. I say it all the time.

And oh MY is change upon us, my friends...

Check out what the NY Times is reporting now, 

and get yourselves dialed in.

Oh Deer! Part 2

Here is a lil' story...
I was standing in my room with Bort when he says "Look out the window, quick quick, look!"
I lean over to see a gray furry kitty cat running outside - it ran right up onto the porch and then straight up the pathway towards the silo (uphill). When I looked upward to it's destination I saw something else move, something large but like a brown shadow. I told Bort "something else is up there I saw something move behind the weeds..." Right then the gray kitty freaks out, hauls ass back down the hill, making one stop from the bottom to look back to see if the shadow was chasing it, then disappeared into the bamboo forest. Me and Bort went outside to look around from the porch, to find the shadow animal but nothing was moving around... and the chance that it was a coyote was enough to keep either of us from going up there to find out. But a few minutes later the shadow appeared in the shape of 3 deer grazing in the open pasture.
I like these deer pictures even though they are blurry, it reminds me of those 3-d pics you have to stare at forever to see what shape it takes... also, it reminds me of the reality of when our eyes are moving and everything kinda blends together. That is how deers camouflage themselves in the forest... mostly by our lack of noticing them. It's the way nature planned it.
After the deers left, I went in the setting sun, semi-dark to find some tracks where they'd been standing.
There were some muddy hoof prints, mostly sketchy dents in the ground, not completely distinct.
Also, the sign of a hoof freshly slipping in the wet mud while going uphill.
Pretty freaking cool, huh!?!!
PS ---> in the very top pic, can ya see all 3 deer? Two of them are hiding. :)
XoXo

All The Therapy You Need

There are so many things in nature which have saved my life, physically and emotionally. Nature doesn't choose by personal preferance, it chooses by survival. And while this may seem cruel at one turn, there is nothing cruel about it, it is simply part of the natural process of life on earth.
I suppose at one time I used to watch nature do it's thing and just be amazed by the beauty, then as I submerged myself into it 24/7 I saw that there was as much destruction as there was creation, there was value in every living and dieing thing - and most of all there were these simple therapeutic messages in the way eco systems function. Messages so simple and strong, they changed my life to one that was more tolerable inside my chattering mind, a life more accepting and at peace. No, I didn't get totally buddha and enlightened... just less miserable with better skills of coping.

While society teaches us to take everything personally, nature says don't sweat it... it wasn't thinking of you when it made that hurricane, tsunami, earthquake, thunderstorm, or big wind come your way.
Basically if you have a question about your life, take a moment to go outside and watch how things function outside the modern human realm, and there is an solution. One so simple, usually we don't like it.

Watch dis' video below... cause the ants say it betta' ...



XoXo

Turkey Vulture In The Grey Sky

Every time i see one of these big turkey vultures I usually mistake it for a hawk. And for all I know, I may be now mistaking a hawk for a turkey vulture... but i don't think so. As much as people don't like vultures close up (people don't seem to think they are as beautiful a bird as they really are), from a distance these large birds have as much intense graceful presence as other birds of prey. Turkey vultures carry a huge windspan, as wide as an eagle!
This turkey vulture pictured here- let's call him Larry, was swooping really low to the ground above my head, which is highly unusual. I usually see these birds in groups of 2 to 4, swaying, gliding, and circling overhead. Larry though was all alone, and I almost could swear once he saw me taking pictures he began showing off... you know in a really dark, goth kind of way (as not to totally ruin his Edgar Allen Poe style reputation.)

From Enature.com:::
"Soaring for hours over woodland and nearby open country, the Turkey Vulture searches for carcasses, locating them at least partly by means of its acute sense of smell. As they soar, these "buzzards" ride on rising columns of warm air called thermals to save energy as they cover miles of territory. The importance of this energy saving is clear from the fact that we seldom see a Turkey Vulture on a windless day, when thermals do not form. Turkey Vultures are valuable for their removal of garbage and disease-causing carrion.
Nesting: 2 whitish eggs, heavily marked with dark brown, placed without nest or lining in a crevice in rocks, in a hollow tree, or in a fallen hollow log."
XoXo

Over a lengthy period

The Bull

Today I got a warning from Bort...
"Hey Leslie, don't go into Aubry's field, the bull is out."
Being the sassy trespasser that I am I was like "How do ya know?"
Bort: "He's got a huge ring in his nose with a chain hanging from it."
Me: "Oh, shit."

So, of course I had to go look! No way am I crazy enough to go into the field but I walked down the road along the fence line, to where the cattle's pile of hay usually sits, and found the ring nosed beast right away.
That jewelry makes him look fierce, and not in the hawt mess kind of way, but in the stampeding, kill you kind of way. Bort told me the chain was to keep the Bull from attacking you and that if it decided to plow down the fence and trample me, to grab onto the chain and keep walking it in circles. Luckily this Bull was feeling mellow, cool, and shy. He not only didn't come towards me, but he tried to avoid me - hiding behind his ladies. Then slipped off over the hill.
How emo...
XOXoxoxo

Rug Love

I have been obsessed with this Matthew Williamson rug from The Rug Company for a little while. I would love one of these for our new house but I think it will definitely be way out of our price range. The colours used are divine and I just love the pattern. Doesn't it look beautiful with that pink sofa and I especially like it placed on the white painted timber floors!

StoryTelling

Just shy of a year ago, I wrote a guest post for design*sponge. 

As part of their BizWomen series, my article offered advice on building your brand image to maximize your visual impact. Since I am preparing to speak about this subject in a few short weeks, I thought I'd share the information again. Here's a taste {and you can read the whole post on design*sponge here}

‘Tell Your Own Story’ in all visual communications.

Make your brand an expression of your business’ individual mission, purpose, style, and products or services – and then leverage that brand by using it in every visual medium at your disposal. This is the main opportunity for you to show your potential customers why YOU are different than others - be proud of your individuality and build on it.

1. Be Consistent

Plan the components of your design and utilize them across all mediums. From your business card to your web site to your store or office, the same visual elements should appear - color, logos, fonts, taglines, etc. should all flow seamlessly. There should be no question that they all reflect the best things about your business.

Think of it this way: When a potential customer sees your ad, finds your blog online, or is handed your business card, what is the next step for them? Probably to check out your web site and get more info on you. Then they’ll come to your place of business. Will they see the same business image in all of those mediums? Does your image engender confidence?

When I work with clients to build their brand image visually, I help them choose elements that can be used in many mediums and materials to express a consistent image. We create a ‘brand palette’ that incorporates all of those elements to use in their brand expression. From the paint on the walls to the fixtures holding merchandise to the sign outside, it all plays off of their logo and business attributes. It’s experiential marketing because it immerses the customer into the brand – quite literally: When they walk into your place of business, your brand image surrounds them.

To read the other four things you can do, go here...

content of this post copyright DWK 2009; all rights reserved

no reproduction permitted - used by permision on design*sponge March 2009

{'Tell Your Own Story' is a DWK tagline}

image credit: www.bmpl.lib.me.us

Did I tell Ya'll I'm Moving?

...to this tiny cabin in Hot Springs, NC (in the pic below). During my time spent in Western North Carolina (almost 9 years) I have moved over 12 times - which is why I tend to be called a gypsy, someone who can't settle down, someone who can't commit, but also someone who likes adventure and can make a home where ever I end up. Out of those 12 moves, only two were close into a small town, the other ten were always at the end of some rural road, in the middle of nowhere... all by chance, and a little choice.
Once again I am summoning my inner gypsy to make another move, and at the same time giving her a re-assignment to stop the physical moving, and just keep that shit spiritual... ya know?

Big thanks to my Mom & Dad who are helping me make this happen!

PS - I won't be leaving Big Sandy Mush for a few weeks... I sure will miss it.




XoXo

Animal Tracking: Wild Turkeys In The Snow

Look at the size of those feet!!! I know my hand might be a little bit small (and all gnarly cajun looking) but I had no idea a turkey track would be so huge and when I first walked upon this big foot, it stopped me dead in my own tracks... while I mouthed out "who in the hell?"
When I looked ahead further I saw a few more, and thought about the wild turkeys, while still considering other large birds of prey. (This is my first encounter with a large bird print.)
But as I made it over the small hill to see tons of intersecting prints and remembered hearing the turkeys earlier in the morning I knew it had to be them. (I am actually hearing them again right now as I write this post!)
EVEN more..... a whole section of the hill was just solid tracks. One of the coolest things I have ever seen. So many patterns, so much energy, frenzy, evidence, stories untold.
The proof is in the pudding though... and when I found a track with poop (scat) in it, I knew it was a group of turkeys for sure. :)
PS - you can learn about animal tracks in your own zip code on Enature.com's mammal tracking guide. It's way awesome and easier to use then most guides!

XoXo

Set of Vintage Plates

A pretty set of plates are available on Vintage by Lou Lou's Ebay store as above. Don't they look wonderful hung on that aqua wall?!

I See Dead Things

It's not everyday I walk into something like this in the woods, but there was obviously a frenzy of activity up there beneath the trees ... tracks everywhere, holes dug, scat and then I walked almost right on top this fresh skull and jaw bone. Still partly red with blood, still pink flesh hanging off the bone, preserved in the icy snow.
My guess is it's a opossum or raccoon skull. Maybe groundhog or feline too?
Made me think I should stop making those jokes about a coyote possibly eating my face off... which I jest about after hearing them howl nearly 5 night a week now.
XoXo

Composting Toilet: Potty Assist

Imagine this: Two men hanging up a grey sheet and placing a small square box underneath, then lifting a composting toilet in a big hug to place it up on the grey pedestal created and shooting some hawt photos of it.

Ya'll know how I love the humanure toilet system (simple potty in a bucket & cover with leaves and compost it), so much more then the mass scale sewage treatment plants and soil wrecking septic systems in rural areas.
In general the reason I love humanure toilets the most is you can build one for under $25 (we built one for $7 here in Big Sandy Mush) - while most other systems will cost you gobs more. In reality though many people just can't get into "roughing" it with such a homemade toilet system, and this is where the fancy composting toilet steps in. I have done quite a bit of searching, reading and observing of composting toilets that are manufactured over the years - I am the kind of nerd who would drool over the SunMar Compost toilets in the Real Goods Catalogue then look at the prices and wipe away my drool, shuffling over to my regular ole' septic toilet. I actually listened to neighborhood composting toilet gossip too "you know my friend so-n-so, he has a wife and three kids and he said the compost toilet stops working in the winter cause it gets too cold, the microbes don't work" or "you have to aim your pee cause you can't pee in the poop hole" ect...
And to be honest all this talk of having to add microbes you had to buy in a jug, and aiming pee was a big turn off for me - I just rathered the simplicity of Humanure via leaves.
Till i found this baby pictured above ::: The Nature's Head Composting Toilet.
Humanure simplicity meets composting toilet design. Yeah, I know it looks like something built for the nursing home, like some kind of potty assist chair, but in the world of composting toilets this one is looking like the freaking Taj Mahal - with it's fancy stainless steal parts meant to not rust in a wet environment, and it's almost regular toilet shape.
So here's some things I like about the Nature's Head composter...

• You can use peat moss or leaves just like in a humanure toilet (your not forced to buy microbes)
• You can add a solar vent to it and have it utterly off grid, or vent it with a fan
• It separates your solids and liquids, meaning no need to aim your pee (I know cause i wrote them and asked!)
• It's made totally in the USA
• It only needs to be bolted down, AKA you need no plumbing skills to install it
• The whole unit costs $850, which is about 1/4 of what you pay to put a septic on your land (not to mention you can put this thing in an RV, boat, or wherever you want to go from then on. Your own to-go toilet.)

Do any of ya'll have a composting toilet, and if so can your share your gossip - the design perks and flaws?!

XoXOoo

Via the Backroads - On the Open Road... Again

Five good friends from Cape Town travel the back roads of South Africa's southern coast in a 1982 model Mercedes Benz unveiling new skateboarding spots, embracing the countryside and having fun as friends. Hot days, countless beers, beautiful sceneries, endless jokes, late night camp fires and loud music in the car contributed as the foundations for another Via the Backroads trip. Presented by: Via the Backroads Song by: New Holland - Hurricane.



Here is the latest web edit of a trip we did in December. Look out for the new Session Magazine for the full length article.

Christie Brinkley's Dining Room

I adore this image {above} of Christie Brinkley's dining room as styled by Kim Ficaro. In particular I am in-love with the April Gornik painting hanging in the background with those gorgeous silver vases filled with peonies on the dining table. Such a beautiful composition!

Love the fabric on her sofa too!!

Black Jumping Spider On Bay Leaf

From far away, jumping spiders don't look like much, but close up like this it's a freaking tarantula! Hairy. Beast. Iridescent toothed. Quick. Monster.
And he told me a little secret... he said spring is coming early jus' like the farmers almanac said, so get ready for all the insects to come out! Yay!
XoXo

Reading is a solitary pastime...

I just want to say that I hate it when people interrupt me when I'm reading. I am obviously doing something, so anything more than a comment or two is rude. Part of the fun of reading is getting imersed in the story and I can't do that if people keep interrupting me.

For example, I sit around a lot at my part-time job so I get to read when we're not busy. On one such non-busy day, I was reading in the seclusion of the gift shop when one of my coworkers kept coming in and talking to me. I don't mean to be rude, but why is it that some people cannot pick up on social cues? If I talk to someone and all they respond with is "uh huhs" and "yeahs" I just leave them alone. However, this chick did not bring her own book to read, so she preceded to walk through our book section commenting on all the ones she wanted to buy.

I try not to be too curmudgeony, but when I'm doing solitary activities, I like to be left alone. I come from a family of loners so I suppose I inherited it from my parents. Don't get me wrong, we are very chatty and social most of the time, and my family will attest to the fact that I talk a lot, but we all enjoy our alone time.


So, if you ever see me reading, and I don't respond to your comments with much enthusiasm, take that as a gentle social cue that I want to be left alone.

Hooray for Sunny Winters!

It is 65 and sunny today, and I am in a great mood. I have a thesis to worry about, and the prospect of graduation and job hunting before me, but I feel great. And I think part of that is due to the spectacular weather.

I went to a hockey game last night with some friends. It was cold outside, but not cold cold. It was the nippy cold that you get living in the south, minus the snow. I told one of my classmates who is from Pennsylvania that our long walk from the car to the arena would have been utterly miserable if we had to trudge through snow and slush. She just laughed and said "Oh, Kate." But I'm seriously reconsidering my vow to apply to jobs "anywhere" because after looking at the mountains of snow people in northern regions have to deal with, I'm not so sure I could make it.

This would not be okay with me.

Snow is beautiful....for a couple of days. But to live in it for weeks and months at a time seems like such an inconvenience. I realize getting snow in the south is different because we are completely inept at driving in it, and everyone freaks out and buys up all the milk and bread. We only freak out because we are so not accustomed to being stuck in our homes for days without electricity and water.

We got exactly one night of beautiful snow a week ago, about 2 or 3 inches, and it was perfect. The bright, warm sun melted the snow away the next day and everyone was able to go about their business.

I know I'd probably get used to it if I lived in a snowy area for a couple of years, but I don't know if I want to. The Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is listed as a legitimate disorder on the Mayo Clinic's website.....no thank you! I'd miss my gorgeous sunny days and 65 degree weather too much.

Happenings

Life as I know it just doesn't seem to be getting any slower or less hectic. Sometimes I crave a more subdued life but I suppose that's just not me. I am one who loves things happening and if I wasn't complaining about how hectic everything is then I would be complaining about how boring and uninteresting everything is.

You see, I am juggling a few large balls in the air at the moment along with being pregnant with our second child, due to arrive early May {thought it was about time to disclose this information as clients have been looking at me in a strange way too scared to say "have you put on weight or are you pregnant?"}, we are renovating the shop which is very, very exciting. After being there for 10 years now, it is time for a freshen up and as the business has grown we are desperate for more space.

We have taken over more floor space in the upstairs section of our building which will accommodate a large client meeting room, my new office which I will share with Kelly who project manages all our work, and a large fabric sample room. This will enable the shop downstairs to extend through to the back of the building where my office and client meeting room is currently. With the arrival of our beautiful Stuart Membery pieces of furniture due late April/early May this extra shop space is going to be wonderful!

Here's a sneak peek above of upstairs. I took this photo on Friday. The painters are almost finished. The floors are still to be sanded and painted {white gloss} and lighting installed. We should be up-and-running upstairs sometime within the next month. I can't wait to have a special room to meet clients in. Downstairs has become so crazy and jam packed...an obvious sign that it was time to expand upstairs.

Not only are we renovating the shop, with the arrival of a newborn on the horizon, we have bought a new house which is larger than our current cottage with more land as well. Although I will be so sad to say good-bye to our little house {and the fact that I didn't really get to finish it off the way I wanted to} it just won't accommodate our needs with our growing family. The new house, which is actually a very old house and was built in 1887, is going to be a wonderful project which I will keep you all updated on as we move forward.

So, with all that is going on it was nice to spend some time pottering around the cottage this weekend. I was inspired by the vignette I posted on Friday to move a few of my things around. I purchased some orchids and clustered them on our entry table on a silver tray my mother gave me. Whilst I pottered around, Ned just couldn't help but bring lots of mud into the house on the white floors. So many people ask me how I feel about our white floors. I must say they are so hard to keep clean with a big Golden Retriever bouncing in and out of the house but I do love them and continue to put up with having to have them cleaned 3-4 times per week.

Anyway, that's it from me for now. There are a few more very exciting things in the pipeline but those things are for another day. I just thought I would bring you up-to-speed with what's been happening in my world lately.

xx

Anna

all images - anna spiro

Humor: Black Sheep

I found this ad below today in the local classifieds called iwanna.com , it made me laugh. :)

"Free black sheep to anyone who can catch. 828-626-XXXX."

XoXo

Pretty Table Vignette

I love a good table vignette and this one by Kim Ficaro certainly ticks all the boxes for me. So pretty! Have a great weekend. See you next week.

Image - Kim Ficaro Stylist via Aubrey Road

In the Pink

Are you new to blogging or have you been at it for awhile? 
Are you a blogger, a reader, or a lurker?
Are you just about ready to dip a toe into the water and try it yourself?
Or, are you still wondering why anyone has one?

No matter where you are with blogging, you'll find some great advice about using blogs to help promote your business in this article, from little pink book and pink magazine. {Make sure you sign up for their daily email newsletter - TONS of great advice, tips, & offers for women in business.}

Image Credit: little pink book