wishes for the new year

Let's try to savor the quiet time in December 

between the end of the old year and the beginning of a new one. 

May the coming year be filled 

with creativity, love, peace, prosperity and possibility!

xoxo,

Petunia

cue the mariachis!

We want to wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of our hearts!

beagle in the house!

 

 Our little Beagle friend Arrow has made himself at home

 for another two week visit.

Wish us luck. I think we'll need it.

another camp cactus tradition

Here at Camp Cactus, all kinds of random events become traditions at the drop of a cowboy hat...like Tostada Tuesdays for instance. Years ago, Matt and Caitie invited a few friends over for a tostada dinner on a Tuesday night, and before I knew it, our Tuesday nights were filled with cauldrons of refried beans, whole heads of shredded lettuce, and enough grated cheese to cause cholesterol levels to rise for blocks around. The smell of frying tortillas permeated the house for days afterwards. Also, I learned to never underestimate the appetites of teenage boys.

So this last Tuesday, when one of Matt's old buddies was in town, we revived the long dormant Tostada Tuesday Tradition...

Caitie fried up a bunch of chips...

Check out the elbow action...frying foods in cute but skimpy outfits requires a special stance.

Mmmm...crunchy goodness!

You gotta love Matt's knife skills.

Fresh guacamole - another tradition.

Greg supervised the preparations, then chipped in by grating a mountain of cheese.

The old gang gathered around the table, and we had ourselves a feast.

Mr. Chubbs is a connoisseur of home made tortilla chips.

Cheers!

before and after

The old homestead here at Camp Cactus turns 100 this year, and to honor the occasion, we're making an effort to get the old gal looking a little less like a rundown boarding house and a little more like a well preserved gem. Looking back over old photos, I realized we've actually tackled some pretty big jobs over the years.

The little bathroom off the kitchen is one project I'm really glad we did.

the bathroom before

It was funky. A little 4 foot by 4 foot space on an open back porch. You had to go out the back door from the kitchen to get to it. There was no sink, the walls were open to the studs, and the floor was covered with cheap, stick on vinyl tiles that were peeling up at the edges. The tiny room was heated by a giant 220 volt electric heater next to the toilet that would have heated a space four times the size. Despite its obvious shortcomings, we were grateful for the extra toilet in a one-bathroom house. A year or two after we moved in, however, we discovered the floor had a severe case of dry rot, and we had to pull out the floor and the toilet before someone sat down and went through the rotten floor with their pants down.

We kind of lost our momentum after that, and went about two years with a gaping hole where the floor had been before we acknowledged that the job was now more than we could handle ourselves, and were able to afford to hire someone to finish the job. He closed in the back porch, eliminating the back door and stairs, leveled the sloping floor, and lovingly stripped all the paint off the funky old narrow fir door and frame. Then we ran out of money, and decided to finish it ourselves. We insulated and drywalled it, textured the walls, repaired the original old double hung window, installed a new toilet and tiny corner sink we found after an exhaustive search for one small enough to fit in the space.

the bathroom after

I papered the ceiling with pages from an old atlas. But the best part? We replaced the humongous old heater with a smaller, more efficient one.

Now it's the toastiest seat in the house.

a snowy wordless wednesday (no. 18)

not exactly wordless wednesday: green

Jodi over at the Women's Colony has issued a photo challenge featuring the color green. Here are a few of mine...

Can you tell that green is my favorite color?

(It's a good thing I live in Oregon)

Now head on over and check out more

verdurous leafiness at the Colony!

flower power!

My weekend's been full of flowers.  On Friday, I drove our van loaded with flower arrangements out to our friends Melissa and Doug at Brick House Vineyards, for their Memorial Day Open House. You can see more photos here.

On Saturday morning, I went with my friend Suzie 

and her granddaughter Daphne to a magical place called Lonesomeville.

A one-acre garden in the middle of the city, Lonesomeville is a 20 year labor of love that belongs to two talented people, artist Danny Hills and partner Wayne Hughes. Danny and Wayne brought a decrepit old condemned farmhouse and overgrown grounds back to life, infusing it with art and flowers and magic. They also produce stunning pottery in a studio on the grounds.

These amazing tulips were practically the first thing I saw as we entered the garden.

Followed by this incredible blue Iris.

Then I came across this cute little Daphne in a sunny clearing...


The bees were also enjoying the flowers and the warm spring weather.

And Daphne was enjoying the hidden parts of the garden and all its winding paths.

Daphne and her grandma, Suzie.

There were birdhouses and birds everywhere.

And here's my favorite rose in the garden at Camp Cactus.

 It's a crazy climber called Talisman.

Mmmm. Can you smell it? Heavenly!

excuses, excuses...

I haven't been able to write much the last couple of weeks. I have lots of posts started, but I seem unable somehow, to find the time or mental energy to expend on finishing anything. In fact, I've started a lot of things lately, and it seems everywhere I look there's an unfinished project or chore, or a thing that needs doing. 

It's not just me. Dave's got a lot of projects piling up, too. His way of dealing with it is to write notes and put them up in places he'll see them and be reminded. It makes me a little crazy sometimes, because it's not just a note or two here and there for a few days...the notes themselves pile up. (But that's a whole future post, right there...)

On top of all these unfinished projects, I've been trying desperately to keep from being cast as a player in someone else's drama. And (to continue with the theatrical metaphors) yesterday afternoon you could say I cancelled my audition for that particular production, so I suddenly feel a great relief that I won't be embroiled in what looks like a tragicomedy-in-the-making all summer long.

I'll try to get back in the swing of things soon, but meanwhile, here's photographic proof of just a few of the projects piling up around Camp Cactus:

Project No. 1: The Fireplace

(bricks primed back in October, still awaiting a faux finish)

Project No.2 : The Basement Stairs

(read this post for the reason I'm not exactly anxious to repaint)

Project No. 3: The Stairs

(18 years of traffic takes its toll)

Project No. 4: The Kitchen Trim

(eclectically unmatched)

Project No. 5 : The Extreme Studio Makeover

(If I'd hired snails to do it, it would have been done weeks ago)

So there you have it, the excuses reasons I haven't had time to post. Which reminds me, I have a project or five I must go deal with immediately. 

reality is highly overrated

Every morning and afternoon I take the pups on long walks around the neighborhood. We all need the exercise...It keeps Abbie and Cooper from chewing things up and causing mischief, and it's probably the only thing that keeps me from turning into a total slug. 


Yesterday I collected a bunch of stuff on our morning walk. It seems I can't go out anymore without filling my pockets up with leaves, twigs, pebbles, nuts and bark. Want to see what I've been doing with all these bits and pieces?

Follow me over to Camp Cactus Studio, where magic happens on a regular basis.

reality check

Dang! It's two days after a beautiful white Christmas, and the harsh reality of winter is setting in.

The temperature's hovering around 45 degrees and side streets which were practically impassable three days ago have transformed into a nasty slushy mess. The freeways are clear, but are now studded with giant potholes, littered with broken tire chains and lined with dirty, coal-colored snowbanks. Ick.

The snow-bound masses are inundating the malls looking for post-holiday bargains, attempting to cure a case of cabin fever with a spending spree. Or maybe it's a heroic attempt to bolster our faltering economy...

I could go on and on in this vein, but that wouldn't do a thing to prolong the Christmas magic. I'd much rather snuggle into a cozy chair with an Irish Coffee and a cat on my lap and watch Miracle on 34th Street. Before settling in, I thought I'd share a few highlights of the season at Camp Cactus.

We had family and friends over on Christmas Eve for a traditional potluck buffet.
There was eating, and drinking and laughing

reindeer antlers and Santa hats,

moments of wonder,

tree decorating,

explaining just who's portrait is on the star at the top of the tree, (Joe Cocker)
some more drinking, wishes made on a yule log and after that,

some family portraits,

followed by a nap before gift wrapping at midnight.