beetlegrass

Stimulating.

 
This is what I'm waiting on. You feel me?

The Altered Dictionary (kite & kitten & knit & knitting)

This time out, I challenged myself to use more words & color & to reveal a little story...

... Little Kitten uses his Mom's yarn to fly his kite @ nite, but his Mom doesn't get mad, she just uses another skein to knit him up some warm woolen mittens, cuz paws get chilly flying kites @ nite. Proven fact.

Click on the image to see it larger in a pop-up window.
Below, a close-up showing other words on the page -- kind-hearted and kindle -- good names for stars I think!

 This work is © Megan E. Jeffery. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

2 Planters. $3.

Today at the Seekonk (MA) Speedway Flea Market, I only had $3 on me, so guess what I spent?
That's right. 100% of it.

I've always liked planters from the '40s & '50s featuring baby animals, but I always tell myself "No".
But why should I? Especially when the price is right.
Furthering my decision to purchase this item:
I have Lambs on my mother's side of the family; Shepherds on my father's.
That's digging deep to justify spending money... but I do what I have to!
I can envision these things en masse in a bright spot in a nursery, potted with something other than cacti. Maybe ivy will go in this.

After all: little lambs eat ivy. A kid'll eat ivy too, wouldn't you?

I knew that the color of this planter would be right on the money for my dining room, thereby disproving my high school art teacher's contention that "No one can remember color intensities."

Ha! Take that, Mr. Carney! :-P

All images are © Megan E. Jeffery.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

IM coMIx (fun with oatmeal)

 

This work is © Megan E. Jeffery. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Gang, Gang, the Hail's All Here (& other dumb hail puns)

Chicken Little here, coming to you LIVE to fill you in on all the late-breakiest, up-to-date-iest weather conditions here in SouthEastern Massachusetts. Today, for the second Tuesday in a row, we had HAIL!

Here are some pix of the outcome, taken of Chicken Little's very own deck while the storm was in full throttle, hence the need to shoot through glass & screen doors. Not optimal photo-taking conditions, but Chicken Little gets all paranoid that the sky is going to fall on her head, so we humored her by staying indoors.

Not quite GOLF BALL size, but we've got big plans for expansion... maybe next Tuesday...

The Altered Dictionary (ruff & ruler)

Two more pages from the dictionary that I'm altering by highlighting a word per page.
I'm now challenging myself to make the opposing pages go together in some way.
So here on the left hand page is a Queen, wearing a ruff.

Here below on the right hand page is her King, emphasizing the word ruler, as in sovereign.
My grandfather's middle name was Sovern. I think that's an awesome name.

And here are the two pages as they appear side-by-side in the dictionary:

This work is © Megan E. Jeffery. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The Week In Review (6/15-20)

Not for me these political/financial weeks in review. They're way too global and way too complicated for me.
I prefer the silent contemplations that only my navel can provide.
I share these inward-gazings of my past week with you now.

This work is © Megan E. Jeffery. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The Altered Dictionary (fez)

I've started another altered book project, this time using my childhood dictionary.

How I play the game is this: I open the book randomly, then pick a word to emphasize. I've been drawing so far, but don't want to limit myself to that, so collage etc. may also be in this dictionary's future.

Don't think that I feel badly about using this keepsake from my youth. 
I have other dictionaries, and besides, many new words have come into being since I was a kid.

Words like "fire" and "wheel".

This work is © Megan E. Jeffery. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

IM coMIx (fun with fonzie)

 

This work is © Megan E. Jeffery. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

So I'm coloring up this little Instant Message conversation that includes HAIL as one of its subjects, right?
All of a sudden, the sky turns dark and it starts HAILING with a vengeance, so I took pix of the aftermath, above. The storm didn't last too long, but, boy, was it ferocious there for a little bit! My studio has a tin roof, so it sounded like the end of the world as we know it, but I feel fine.

Fresh From the Oven ... not this oven ...

Have been graciously invited over for dinner tonight at some friends', so made some nummy Peaches & Cream pie with a 3-grain pie crust, my fave crust of all time. That is if you don't count the Earth's crust. Cuz that's also high up there on my list.

Here's the recipe for the pie. The original is from an old copy of Betty Cooker's Crock Book, from a section entitled, "Pies HE'LL Love", which cracks me up. Yes, baking for guys who appreciate it is really satisfying, but you know what? If you're a woman, you'll want to put your hair in a ponytail and plunge your teeth into this too. Trust me. It's goooood!

PEACHES & CREAM PIE

For a 9" pie (if you want the amounts for an 8" pie, email me):

7 or 8 peach halves (peeled; ripe; juicy... or cheat like me & get canned; drain the syrup, yo)
2/3 c. sugar
4 TBSP. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. HEAVY cream (don't get a lighter version; pie will NOT set up correctly)

Arrange peach halves rounded-side-up in pastry-lined pan.
Pour cream mixture over them, and bake until crust is nicely browned & the filling is set.
Serve slightly warm.

TEMP: 400 degrees (moderately hot oven)
TIME: Bake 35 to 45 minutes

* This recipe is for 1 pie: if you's makin' 2 pies, ya gotsta double this!
(I help out with Math Dilemmas whenever there is a need. You let me know if I can help you with yours.)

And here's the recipe for the crust, which is has an almost nutty flavor. Aside from the great taste, it's so pretty! The sesame seeds stand out so nicely from the brownness of the baked dough. A taste treat for the eyes AND the mouth. Mouths are better at chewing, though.

3-GRAIN CRUST

1 c. unbleached flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. soy flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1 TBSP. wheat germ
2/3 c. oil (corn)
1/3 c. cold water (has to be cold -- I sometimes put an ice cube in the water, or put it in the freezer for a bit)

* This recipe makes two 9" crusts

You see the mandate to EAT on the wall, so do it! What're you waiting for?!?
(Hey, if you make this pie, let me know what you think! Thx!)

These images are © Megan E. Jeffery
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.