best great find in a long time

i'd say i'm a collector of many things. some would call me pack rat. some would say it's an inherited family trait. it's probably all of the above. whatever the cause or reason behind my obsessive desire to acquire cool shit, i have to divulge in the here and now that i haven't done any buying of such items in a very, very, long time. since before last christmas, which puts me at about one year. with all the moving around i've been doing, usually at last minute, putting delicate things wrapped in pillow cases and stuffed in milk crates is the last thing i need to spend time on when time is always strained.

there is but one...ONE...thrift(y) kind of store in the next town over. i choke on prices every time i go in there, but i make myself swallow real hard when i remind myself that all proceeds go to the battered women's shelter. ok, so i can spend $5 on a tattered laundry basket even though i know it should be $0.99. but i discovered a beautiful thing when i was there last. though prices are excessive, regardless of good cause, it's only on those items they think are most desirable to the public. a mirror from Target, a lamp from IKEA, a pair of flip flops from Old Navy...priced almost as new. but find the things that are Truely valuable, there in lies the deals!

a long time collected item of mine is Diner Ware. it's not that hard to find, and not really all that expensive when found in antique stores. but a real treat when i find it and some one doesn't know what they've got hidden under that straw hat on the top shelf inside that glass display case.

a brief history lesson in Diner Ware:
the first to become popular was, and still is, called Buffalo China. so called because the Buffalo China Co. in Buffalo, New York manufactured it. founded in 1901, the Buffalo China didn't become popular until it made it's appearance in roadside diners along US highways during the 1940's, hence the generic name Diner Ware. the wares were sturdy, thick, plates and saucers made to withstand the tousled and busy work environment of such high volume restaurants. this style of dishes became so widespread that other china company's mimiced this design, but with different patterns. for instance, Syracuse China (also a New York state company) started it's business producing earthenware in the early 1870's and later transitioned over to fine china, which also made it's appearances in hotels, cruise ships and restaurants. interestingly enough, these china manufacturers produced designs specifically for hotel and cruise liners that would pay the price. so, if you ever find a china pattern that came from "such-n-such" hotel then it's a one of kind not to be found ANYWHERE else because it was only produced once. there are many, many other china brand names, but really the find is in the pattern. the typical design of Buffalo China that most other companies copied was the white with green stripe around the rim. it's hard not to buy it up when i see it, but if i have to hold out for a good find then it's one like the following.

two, Syracuse China tea cups at $0.45 each. the pattern is a plain burgandy red strip around the rim and little red dash along the handle.

three, Buffalo China tea cups also priced at $0.45 each. the pattern is also burgandy but a jagged kind of wave like stripe around the rim. no design on the handle, but it is a squared edge to the top of the handle, reflective of the pattern itself.

a freshly sage-smudged room and afternoon sunshine. i had nothing to do with this. ruby just sat there.

new lyrics to Julie Andrew's "my favorite things"

white toenails sticking from ruby's back feet,
i love the gap between shawn's two front teeth,
arm pitts smells musky'
and cheap dry red wine,
these are a few of my favorite things.

my bedroom walls painted sunshiney orange,
art deco 1950's bedside tables,
hand - me - down clothes
and a sewing machine,
these are a few of my favorite things.

elinor's head rubs and cakes made of carob,
sea salted vegetables drowning in lemon,
dad's down home grits ooozing over with lard,
these are a few of my favorite things.

when the temps drop, when the grass dies,
when i'm feeling cold,
i simply remember my favorite things,
and then i feel much more bold.




polaroid's rebirth and junk store postcards,
no cell phone service and blue sky for miles,
photos of flapper girls kicking their heels,
these are a few of my favorite things.

dresses in summer and sunday noon naps,
fresh french pressed coffee and jersey cow cream,
memories of georgia and gangly oak trees,
these are a few of my favorite things.

humorous stories of accidents past,
circuses, dime museums, old carnie shows,
lovers and operas and improv dancers,
these are a few of my favorite things.

when the temps rise, when the grass grows,
when i'm feeling clad,
i simply rehash all my favorite things,
and then i can feel real rad.

today described in phonograph

guided

content

paced

bright

focused

together

plans

el peppercorn cafe makeover

good morning Marathon!



after having a rough round-about for a few months of coffee shop ownership and a very dry summer, i stepped out of the coffee shop for a few months. now i'm back and with the help of my business partner and one loyal, go-get-'er employee, El Peppercorn is introducing her new look. a new bakery case with down home pastries like pound cake, sugar cookies, bite size cupcakes, and mini cheesecakes. also, My scones are back!! after weeks of little hints that turned into begging i'm baking scones again; lemon blueberry, blackberry walnut, chocolate chip, raspberry orange. AND, (my favorite part) gluten free stuff too! i won't be bringing back the gluten free stuff until traffic picks up, maybe for a short stint during the holidays, but definitely by spring break. this will give me time to experiment a little more. and i'll definitely bring back the zuchinni raisin muffins.

eventually our hot breakfast menu will fizzle out along with the panini lunch menu, and it will be replaced with a braoder bagel menu, oatmeal, and yogurt parfaits. lunch will be to-go style, but adaptable to a sit down meal, with things like ham/cheese or spinach/tomato/mozz on a croissant with either pasta or potato salad on the side. so, get your bellies ready as we make all our goods from scratch.

lastly, i'm hiring seasonal employees for SPRING BREAK !! beginning March 1st through the end of May, and maybe a little bit in early June, i will need counter people who can do most of the following: baristas, sandwich makers, food prep, line cooks, dish washers, orders, cash register. it's important that your customer service skills and food service knowledge are top notch. i can train but honestly will not have time to teach you all the ins and outs if you've never done this before. spring break is EXTREMELY HIGH VOLUME and non stop all day long, 7 days a week.

mmm, scones !


cozier main dining area


beautiful, glass bakery case


Rancillio has it's own little counter. and we're replacing the tired Bigelow tea with
Organic Stash teas


mama mixer, baby mixer


donate your action figures to our herb and flower garden. right now it looks like they didn't survive that last snow storm.


more outdoor seating


art for sale, greeting cards by James Evans


also for sale: vintage boots, antiques, paintings by Emily of Texas

Food Inc.

if you haven't watched the movie, you must. before you even finish the movie i'm sure many different things will be rolling around in your brain. as usual, when i watch videos on mass food production, the meat industry, industrial agriculture, i get really freaked out, cry, and get proactive. i've always been proactive with these issues, but i keep learning more and finding grassroots ways to improve my lifestyle.
Food Incis part of a social action website called take part. on this site you'll find a link called 'issues'. pick a subtitle that interests you and get proactive! i picked Animal Welfare and found a link to the honey bee disappearance. the [take part] link on each issue will direct you another site that gives you the opportunity to take part in an action to help that cause. by joining the great sunflower projecti get free sunflower seeds in the mail in time to plant for spring. my job is to identify my longitude/latitude and notice if my sunflowers attract honey bees. if so, when? how many? how long did they stay? did the count increase or decrease? did they leave? if so, what time of year? and so forth. and then email that info back to the group. it's as easy as that. this is the kind of information that is vital to research. if you want to be lazy but still support the cause you can buy one of these really cool calendars for 2010.
[click on image for purchase info]

what's a bird without a nest

am i going overboard with my daily posts? i'm sure that i'm not. i'm sure that there are some people who obsessively post EVERYTHING about their lives. i'm not here to do that. i mean, if you're documenting, then you're excused. but i think i've figured out why i've wanted a blog for so long even though blogging, like i've made a point to state in my very first post, it ain't really my thang. there are some who know me well enough to know that i talk to myself, a lot. and if you are one of those people it's probably because you're a family member and you've had the chance to walk in on me talking to myself, or you're a life long friend who has also had the opportunity to eaves drop on me. it really is an unintentional action. i honestly don't even know that i'm doing it. and sometimes i even catch myself and think "was i talking out loud or just thinking loud?" and it's no exaggeration to say that i do it a lot. at work, taking a bath, feeding the cats, rotating laundry, picking my nose. it doesn't matter. so i think that subconsciously i want someone to listen. actually, no, on second thought that's not it because in real life i really don't want someone around as often as i talk to myself. so maybe it's because i just need the words to go somewhere else besides floating around space. they want a home. yeah. i like that reason.

and the theme of home carries over to rationalizing why i talk out loud. have i've felt homeless for a while, or what?! not homeless in the sense that i'm without shelter. but homeless in the sense that i'm a bird without a nest. a bird can perch on any limb and rest there, take a nap even, or spend the night. but in the morning it flies away to do other things, only to perch on a different limb the next night. but with a nest, that little feathery one has a place to return to and the right the batter off anyone who dares disturb her privacy! or she can just hide :)


by Sage Vaughn

desertscape turned snowscape

an unsettled mind has reasons to stay

plagued by the fear of not having enough time to do it all, i jump from one thing to another, one place to the next. spontaneity is righteous. but not appreciating the worth of time is a curse. through the years i have gained a greater understanding for patience, and it has taught me to take spontaneity by the reigns. i am in control now. and fear cannot scare me into abandoning my challenges.

it was a fluke that i landed in this tiny desert town the first time around. the second time was two weeks later when i and former partner showed up with uhaul in tow. 10 months later, here i am, nothing as it first was, but yet opportunity abounds! with the weight of business responsibilities it is very easy to get discouraged and to convince myself that all things desired for the coming year will be put on hold, again. but i'll be damned if i let a little something, anything, anyone, get in the way of fullfilling my desires. it is the positive energy of endearing friends that is a constant reminder of all that is possible. if i choose to only let positive energy through my front door then i will have an army to defeat the negative.

i had, for the past several months, been making plans to leave Marathon next June apon entering a yoga program in Arizona. after yoga, i had no plans as to where i would go next. in a good way, that was scarey. it opened my eyes to the possibility of returning here. when i actually stopped to consider it, i had more reasons to stay than to leave. it wasn't even one week later that i met a kindred spirit, and together we created the most beautiful of Garden projects. i say we created, but she did more teaching and i did more learning. we have now drawn in 3 other women with the common interest of sustainability. each with our various levels of expertise and strengths, we make nothing less than a perfect combination of woman's work force. this project originated with the simple complaint, "when the local grocery store can't consistanly stock produce, and i can't just go out to my backyard and pick a squash, then something's wrong. all i wanted was a squash !!" from there we took the need to sustain and ran full force with the wind. we have almost 10 acres to play with, complete with well and windmill...the two most important factors...the where and how. in a matter of weeks we have devised detailed plans for community composting, farm to table strategies, public property beautification, and student involvement both on an elementary and university level. this is giant. and has potential to overwhelm. but when i break down the sub-projects it's nothing more than a novel with dozens of little chapters. you can't get to the next without finishing this one first. and this is what is bringing me back after Arizona. i gotta finish this book. it's too good to put down.

there are too many reasons why this project is dear to my heart. it pulls on my heart strings in so many places. for starters, it brings me closer to the earth and all her elements, a creature that i'm inherently connected to. it calls on community involvement, something that is also very important to me as power ladders really grind on my nerves, not to mention i don't work well under. it gives me the hands on experience i will need for future plans of off the grid retreat. i will gain a more in depth knowledge of medicinal herbs and plants, how to process the nut, grain and fruit baring plants and trees. it will give me something to look back on and be proud that i did something to give back to our earth, and the townspeople of Marathon, as this project is meant to flourish with little if any maintenance. this, is Permaculture.

today's tidbit:
a logo that reminded me of Ruby Petunia when she gets in the nip