Soon....

This will be me in Vermont on Friday. 

I'm going to sit by the fire drinking wine/scotch with my parents, counting bats at dusk, and watching stars...

after a day of searching for rustic cutting boards at the thrift stores to bring home and replace the chipped plastic ones we've had for years.

I will snuggle with the kitties and walk with them in the woods ...

while I check on the band-saw sculptures I made two years ago and hung from the trees. 

Boots and sweaters are packed; envelopes ready to stuff with fall leaves; I'm ready to catch my red- eye tonight, and wake up in crisp fall.

Photos:
1.  by The Noisy Plume
2.  by Katie Pietrowski
3.  from Remodelista
4.  from beatle.blogg.no
5.  me

Moon sighting

The moon has been stunning lately, and I snapped this picture of it out my back door a few weeks ago, just as it was lining up with Venus.  The moment passed quickly, as I stepped out a few minutes later and both had shifted. 

This brooch is almost as beautiful as the real thing.

Dream truck

Hello, 1971 celadon Datsun. 

(via HandCrafted in Virginia via  its-the-little-things-that-count, via themessesofmen)

Worth coveting lately

 Horseshoe earrings by the Modernist, from Mille.  I can see myself wearing these non-stop this fall.

Sometimes there are things in life that don't make sense, until they just do.  These Saarinen tulip tables are like that for me -- I never grasped their perfection until now, and I want them desperately. 

 Erie Basin lapis beetle pendant.

I'm jumping on the bootie bandwagon.  I've wanted some Rachel Comeys for years, but can't afford them.  In the mean time, Madewell to the rescue.  (I may or may not have these already sitting in a box in my closet, waiting for cooler temps).

Lastly, how about these heavy duty clippers?  Similar to the vintage ones I already have, these look ready to do some serious work.  I'm not alone, as they're already sold out -- Japanese hand-forged clippers from Kaufman Mercantile.

Ficus

I normally rail against the ubiquitous ficus trees of L.A., but the branches of this one are exemplary.

Recent acquisitions

I've had some luck lately at the thrift store.  I think most people go for the shinier objects, but when I see brown, rusty metal or hand-knotted wire, I dive right in.  These three clippers have served me well this summer, and I recently found this denim jacket with generous pockets to wear while working.  I'm pretty sure these tools work better than any new ones, based solely on the amount of wear they've already seen.