Phoebe's Homecoming

There was a time when she would pick up a nail or screw every few days and one time the air had been let out of the spare. I took to parking her near an apartment house I had lived at where folks often had out-of-town visitors. It wasn't uncommon for vehicles to be parked on the street in front for several weeks or longer.

I made it a point to move her frequently, but the past few weeks I've not been able to get out and about as much. Still, it was a shock when the notice arrived that she'd been towed.

At the towing yard I discovered her front passenger window down a bit, the doors closed, but not tight, and everything inside jumbled. The small ammo can  toolbox had been dumped in the driver's footwell. The headphones, sunglasses, binocs and visor mirror were gone. The wine cellar and library had been plundered. Fortunately, I'd taken most of the valuables out. 

There was still hay scattered about from fetching the archery targets from the feed store so we went to a carwash to vacuum it out. She got her annual bath and within a couple of hours we were rewarded with a splendid downpour. 

She'll have pride-of-place closest to the video camera for awhile. We're hoping whoever had the nails and screws has moved on.

Though I've adapted to driving the Honda FITs, neither is as comfortable as Phoebe's more upright seating. Plus, there's something reassuring about knowing I can drive over a median or sidewalk anytime I get the urge, or feel the need.

A Good Day To Pie!

For the Love of Pie got me going.

I used the recipe for Blackberry Rhubarb with toasted almond cobbler.

Hit whar a touré d'force!

Flour littered every flat surface; crumbs of sugar are still, an hour afterward, falling from my hair.

Thank god I didn't make plum pie. We'd have never gotten any sleep. I had two and two peaches while contemplating the job and have had to visit the ceramic defecatorium four times.

As luck abounds, I discovered a can of rhubarb and a can of tart cherries in the cupboard. With the addition of a can of recently purchased whole cranberries (Trader Joe's only carries 'em on holidayz!), I had four cups of fruit. 

I halved it and made two sortof galettés.

Re-arranging The Art

It was time to move things around. This is the new configuration.

In addition, we put up this photo of me with one of Michelle's serigraphs. It was taken by Alexandria Kene, the photographer for the Albuquerque Journal. The first show at my gallery was a national exhibit of feminist art. The Journal gave us nearly a full page of coverage plus this picture.

Angela Gonzalez

One of the people included in the book Project 562, See her blog, Athabascan Woman, and in the list at right.

Ms. Gonzalez produced the videos below.

Grand Opening of

Alaska Native Heritage Center 2024

Alaska Native Fashion Show 

The Peyote Lorax

Please Donate.

Several months ago, I've since forgotten how, Leonardo Mercado appeared on my radar. His presentation, part of the Toward Right Relationship With Native Peoples program sponsored by The Friends Peace Teams, was informative and encouraging.

Logo of Seedling Sanctuary Project

In these times there seems to be alot of talk but relatively little action. For many people, as for me, it feels as if there's no way to make a difference. It's nice to hear of someone doing something!

Seedling Sanctuary art for sale.

Curve-billed Thrasher

Native to the Southwest, related to mockingbirds and a distant cousin of the nightingale, they perch atop cactus and have, for several decades, added a strong measure of enjoyment to the urban bungalow known as Squidgewood Manor.

Couples stay together for life and may have two broods over a summer.

Aggressively territorial, they have, over time, managed to tolerate the four roadrunners with whom they reluctantly share the postage-stamp "wilds" of this oasis.

The Gimlet Eye

Skeptical of photographers.

A noble bird

MAPS' Psychedelic Science Conference 2025

MAPS (the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) will hold its annual conference June 16-20, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.

https://psychedelicscience.org/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=maps.org&utm_content=Aug-FDA-update&utm_campaign=aug09

Image unattributed - borrowed from etsy site

Two Happy Campers

Today I purchased Two Happy Campers' pdf book: What A Day: A Baja California Road Trip Journal for $14.99.

Click/tap image to goto book

The hardcover is $60.00 and based on the pdf, totally worth it!

https://twohappycampers.com/

E. Musk's Lawsuit Against GARM

Elon Musk has filed a lawsuit (link is to BBC article by Daniel Thomas & Michelle Fleury) against Unilever and Mars, alleging an advertising boycott against X (formerly Twitter).

Herrish Patel

(link is to Linkedin profile)

You do not have to have a Linkedin account to view Mr. Patel's profile. Simply click the X in the upper right of the box that overlays the text.

In this Statement Before the House Judiciary Committee (a pdf) on July 10, 2024, Herrish Patel, President of Unilever, describes the structure of GARM, a consortium, that included X, created to help advertisers decide where to advertise.

It is heartening to read -- starting on p. 4 of Mr. Patel's statement -- of the guidelines that reject purchasing advertising in proximity to advertising that promotes rape, domestic violence, hate speech, child sexual abuse and a number of other polarizing forms of expression.

One of Unilever's main products is Dove soap. (The following two paragraphs were AI generated & copied from the web.)

Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty, launched in 2004, was a groundbreaking marketing campaign that challenged traditional beauty standards and promoted self-acceptance.

The campaign featured real women of different ages, shapes, sizes, and ethnicities in its ads instead of models, breaking with convention and resonating with audiences worldwide. Dove also used authentic stories such as the viral "Real Sketches" video, to promote body positivity and connect with a broad demographic.

In his statement to the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Patel speaks of the importance of maintaining Dove's advertising integrity; he acknowledges the challenges of finding and retaining customers and clearly states that they, Unilever, are in no way obligated to advertise with anyone. Thus, boycott or no, the free enterprise system, Mr. Musk, is in effect.

Cooper's Hawk

Since letting the grass grow, we've had a herd of Reboks, several tortoises, a couple pythons and now this.

Feathers...it maybe has a dove.

The BEST @ Re-growing Ears

Flu-flus

Browsing an archery forum wherein the topic was what kind of arrows were best, a poster suggested that rather than trying to figure it, contact Elite Arrows. So I did.

I requested flu-flus. Not readily available at the compound-centric, big-game/big-truck hunting- oriented emporiums, I hoped to get an arrow that sortof drifted to the target.

Traditionally used for hunting birds and/or small game, their large fletches keep them from traveling far & make them easier to find if the target manages to avoid being hit.

Paul's email:   jalonboomer@sbcglobal.net

As the Wiki article describes: arrows are disposed to an inordinate level of sneakiness and are quite capable of disappearing into grass a mere inch and a half tall.

Lady Constance Stewart-Richardson

On p.38 in Memoirs of a Minotaur, Robin Magowan mentions Lady Constance Saint. Searching for further information, I came across this lovely woman.

3:30 a.m. - The exertion of attending "The Shoot" yesterday laid me low. After sleeping most of the day, I'm grateful for the infinite encyclopedia of the internet as, unable to sleep now, I lie here reading and enjoying the relative quiet.

No sooner did I write that than the blatting roar of some vehicle going through the gears sounds loud and clear. Thankfully, the swamp-cooler came on.

Albert's Turkey...armpit of the Southwest.

Nice Shot Archery

Tohajiilee is a Native-American community about 20 minutes west of Albuquerque and north of Interstate 40.

Directions were a bit vague but I eventually found it. It's BLM so can be a future redoubt.

About 60 people showed up, nearly all Natives. I fell in with the Anderson Lee group which included his wife and a youngish couple Evan and Meg.

Anderson's only 68 so my three-year venerability gave me pride-of-place.

The two women saw a large lizard over a foot long and several inches around. I speculated it might've made a nice snack. Anderson told how the grand-children had visited for a month and had gone prairie dog hunting. I'd heard prairie dog is good eating and though Anderson said they hadn't cooked 'em up, he described how to prepare them. 

 Meg has a bow taller than she is and Anderson has several bows made by Harold Groves including a "Prestige" model.

It was a nice get-together. Targets varied in size and were about 12-15 meters from shooting point.

I stayed about an hour. Pretty much my limit for anything these days.