thankful.

once again john, you're a "damn fine" cook xo

our pie list this year:
pumpkin x 2
chocolate pecan
banana pumpkin
rustic apple
brown sugar cranberry

weekend to do

claire vivier monogramming at nathan taylor pop-up at the village
mockingjay!
violin recital (gavotte in g minor :: j.s. bach)

around the house
move more mulch!

...

I just can't get Paris off my mind. and I keep revisiting images from our last trip there (now 4 years ago).



it also has me thinking about the world our girls navigate. post-9/11 children, coupled with their access to media, terrorist attacks are part of their vernacular in a way they've never been part of mine. K seemed completely uninterested. E - who has a great affinity for Paris, and since a little girl, has talked of living there one day - retreated to her room and turned on Edith Piaf's La Vie En Rose*. how does this shape them? how will their generation deal with the mess that's been made? will they find the solution?



may Peace be the victor

*this song was not anticipated to be a hit for Piaf - but, released 1947, in the wake of WWII, it resonated with a population looking for a rosy view...

weekend to do

fight a cold

around the house
spread mulch (do you know about www.chipdrop.in ?)

::16::

I'm not sure who took this snap at our wedding 16 years ago. but I've held onto it. I love it. the smiles.  the glimpse of sunset. the way d's brother is looking at my parents. it was such a night about family. still tugs at my heart.

happy anniversary, cowboy. xo

"innate proclivities"

i've been thinking a lot lately about why we do, what we do. why we love, what we love. why we fight for, what we fight for.

is there a correlation between my "crazy" over public eduction and the fact that my mom and grandma were both school teachers? (and my mom has gone on to write policy for the government?) my grandfather started a rural school to ensure the children growing up on farms were getting the education they needed.

i have an overwhelming need for open space. prairie sky. but ocean works as well. the horizon in view.

E wants to be a photographer. she has always had a good eye, and paid careful attention to composition and detail.

K wants to work with horses. oh horses...

this horse love that has become part of our lives.

i was going through one of my paternal grandmother's photo albums this week and came across pages and pages of horses. on the backs of some, the horses names. "Pride". "Jumper". "Kate". so much part of my parents' lives. not though, of mine. (remember when it started...)










"Pride - the horse favorite of Bartley farm"

what genes trickled through us all to take us where we are?



read: Genius, Genes and Gusto: How Passions Find You

my mom's family, farm-life and horses remembered in part, here

weekend to do

more el nino prep at the barn
equine center celebration at pierce college (including our favorite - the parade of breeds)

around the house
clean outdoor furniture to store for cold weather (could it finally be here?!)
pick-up trim paint

post-hallowe'en bake

our street is usually hopping hallowe'en - but this year, with the holiday on a saturday, many of our neighbors went to parties and left dark doorways that didn't draw the trick-or-treaters down to us. and so we were left with a bag of mini reese's peanut butter cups. we usually donate candy to the operation gratitude halloween program, but they don't take chocolate. what's a mom to do? ;)

of course I turned to google. and found this. (and this. and this. and this.)

with a bunch of very ripe bananas in the fruit bowl, and feeling that this was at least kind of healthy, I went with the banana bread...





it smelled amazing. looked great. but ended up with mixed reviews. d liked. k didn't. e kinda. they all said they prefer my traditional banana bread. (I'm on a restricted diet right now, so didn't get a chance to try it.) in the end, I was just glad to get the candy out of the house.

ambitious kitchen - peanut butter cup banana bread

Hallowe'en 2015

we had a jam-packed holiday weekend, working the ranch's Haunted "Down the Rabbit Hole" House on Friday...

preparation for Queen of Hearts


Cheshire Cats



and Trick-or-Treating and a big neighborhood party last night!

skeleton


Rainbow Dash


Yabba-Dabba-Boo!


I asked K over the weekend if she ever wished our house around halloween was a little calmer, and we just went out and bought costumes. i got a resounding "no!". so glad they both share my love for this holiday. they helped design and prepare the ranch, and last night's costumes. K was very particular about her costume and how she put it together. (shout out to D for his skills with fabric paint and a glue gun!) and E did all her own make-up both nights.


hope all had a safe - and fun! - Hallowe'en. and hello November!

this just makes me happy.

us. together.


happy monday. xo

Field Trip :: GCM & the broad

we finally had a sunday where our schedule and availability aligned and were able to plan a morning at the new "The Broad", downtown. i had visited Eli Broad's collection in the old space, in Santa Monica, and am very fortunate to be very familiar with a few pieces in his collection due to contract work I did for MoCA many moons ago. i have been curious to visit this new space, and while i don't agree with the man, i must say the collection in this space is wonderful to see.

we started the day at the Grand Central Market and breakfast(s) from EggSlut, Wexler's Deli, and Valerie.





then walked up bunker hill, passed Disney Concert Hall, to The Broad. it was a grey day. and i was concerned the building wouldn't play well off the dull sky. but in fact i really loved the monochrome feel. and the light was wonderful. it is so rare for a day like this in L.A., and everything felt a little softer.







the first floor is mainly drawings (some of my favorites by Ed Ruscha) and photographs, more sensitive to light exposure, as well as a fantastic video installation - The Visitors - by Ragnar Kjartansson, and Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room.



the second floor has all natural light. lots of sculpture and bold paintings. it is lovely to walk through. and sit in.





there is a small public space outside, and a restaurant to come.



it was a great day. unfortunately we decided the wait for the kusama was too long.

but an excuse to return.

weekend to do

around the house
more el niño yard prep
kitchen drawers


passport application
banking
visit to the broad
hallowe'en costumes - final touches

Field Trip :: Charles Garabedian

I've had the pleasure of spending time with Charles "Chas" Garabedian in his studio, and was thrilled when his new exhibition - Sacrifice for the Fleet - opened a couple of weeks back. a very well received opening, it was hard to get near the work, and I returned today for a closer look.

if you believe in the power of art to tell stories, this is an exhibition for you.










Charles Garabedian: Sacrifice for the Fleet
L.A. Louver 8 October - 7 November 2015







(aside - as I drove from the gallery at Venice Beach to the barn in Chatsworth I was reminded why I love this city so.)

weekend to do

around the house
clean out veggie beds
plant winter seeds
clean eaves
steam clean floors (new oreck steam-mop love)

alarmed

we still haven't set on a security system for the house, but this one is definitely the prettiest I've found. and it seems to do all the things we are looking for. plus, it can connect with the nest whole house system, which we've been eyeing as well. right now, it's the front-runner.



1
2
3

scout alarm

weekend to do

around the house
research alarm systems (anyone familiar with this?)
new pool pump (great rebates right now!)


homecoming (whose house? t house!)
birthday party
prep horse stalls for el niño
see a movie

dream of fall!

Grand Slam with the Barn Girls xo

this event is spectacular. last year was the first in Los Angeles, and this year was even better.










Patrice Delaveau and Carinjo HDC won the Gucci Gold Cup! I swear the horse knew when La Marseillaise began to play.

and these girls. (and their mamas.) love.

weekend to do

clear out bathroom cabinets & drawers
granola
soup stock
cookie dough

longines grandslam!

8:27 PM

weekend to do

clean backyard turtle pond
sweep studio
meal planning & prep (gotta get this going again!)

instagram garage sale? (do you think these things work?)

ease into ::45::

::45::

marking milestones always makes me nostalgic. and I'm feeling remiss that I haven't recorded a bunch of going-ons here. for me, this space is really my visual and written diary. so in celebration of another year older, i'll list a few ...

- the sunsets lately have been spectacular. late summer. hot nights. but when I realize it is the end of september I begin to get antsy for cooler weather. we're ready. (even if the predicted "h-el-l nino" arrives.)

- we're leasing a third horse. Cisco. I'm a sucker for old animals in need of rescue, and he fit the bill. he is sweet and slow, and perfect for me to join in riding with the girls on Sunday. love.

- a close friend recently lost her mom after a short and aggressive bout with cancer. seeing her grieve, I was reminded of the complexity of loss, and death, and what it has brought to my life. on the other side, to know joy. true joy. there is so much space between the two. where i usually sit. i need to appreciate that space more.

- d ran a 1/2 marathon! we are extremely proud of him. he worked hard. trained hard. and set a personal record. he inspires us all...

- with that e has joined me spinning. while I enjoyed running, I had started to get bored and wasn't motivated to run when the weather was hot. riding has been great for my core, but i needed some cardio. I did some cross-training which I enjoyed, but then friends put me on to their studio, which I fell in love with. I'm going 3 times / week. and happy to have e peddling at my side at an early weekend class.

- I experienced my first american high school football game. albeit working the "snack shack". it felt like some kind of initiation. perhaps not that different than the wheat king games of my youth. I am excited for e - and her HS experience. she loves her school - and I am extremely grateful for that.

- k has also settled in nicely to school as well. I recall the transition a little more difficult for e. I'm sure seeing it first, has helped k a lot. she is familiar with the school, and the principal is actually someone we've known for a long time. (she is amazing!) while I've had my hesitations, she seems to be confident with the choices made and happy to be there. I am known to ramble on school choice here, the girls own academic pathways are something I keep to us. our public school system affords many levels of learning in an effort to differentiate. while in theory I might be attracted to this idea, the segregation that seems to be a result troubles me. i try and hold onto words my mom said to me a long time ago - you don't need the best for your child, you need what's best for your child. (thanks mom xo)

- we're going out tonight to celebrate 45 - and a friend's 44 at the six in calabasas. love the spots that have started to pop up in the west valley. hope the drift continues.

- our neighborhood has changed quite a bit this year. death. divorce. job loss. moving. and kids that at one point so easily played all together are growing up and with that new interests and a little drifting apart. it is great to see that when social occasions bring them all together, they fall back easily, like family. and I am still so constantly grateful for the friendships I've formed here. I don't know what I'd do without them.

- with new families in the neighborhood, and little kids too (yay!) a couple of young moms started "wine wednesday". described as "bookclub without the book" we gather the first wednesday of the month to nosh, sip wine, and talk mom-stuff. it is really great. and a treat to sit with these moms as they weave through motherhood, work, graduate school and so on from my vantage point, with older kids.

- trying to make this space more than just about my list making affinity! though re-reading this made me remember the importance in our house of getting things done on the weekend in order to enjoy our busy week. working in horse chores has been tough. but worth it. our groove feels close. and writing here feels good.

i think that's it. though i feel i'm forgetting something (memory, with eyesight perhaps? did I mention I finally chose reading glasses?)

with my birthday here, I have to say (again) I love my 40s. and am confident this mid-point will be a good one. hello 45 :)

weekend to do

*

early saturday spin class with e (our new routine)
iel meeting
haunted ranch meeting

around the house
rearrange artwork in k's room
what next to order for the bathroom?



* visited a beautiful new exhibition at the getty center with my mom this past week. Louis Style: French Frames 1610-1792 (which D worked on) is up until January 3, 2016. so add it to your to do list ;)

::14::

12:33 pm she turned 14. strong, smart, beautiful. she has taught me so much, about so much.



happy birthday, dear e. xo

weekend to do

around the house
trim backyard plants
sweep decking
clean bbq

post expedit on craigslist
prep for gramma's arrival!




a 4 day weekend =
extra riding
reading poolside
trying a new (favorite?) drink
sister corita kent at the pasadena museum of art

sketch-ed

spent a day this week reviewing 40 years of one artist's sketchbooks. mainly life drawing, but also portraits of family, and simple still life drawings capturing the day-to-day. so good.