today, allyson and i watched 3 different types

of lemurs lounge in the sunday sunshine.
they stretched out on the grass and reached
their arms towards the sky in
#bliss

i used to dissect birds,

but now i liberate them

(from barn ceilings).

after 8 hours of work + 2 hours of PD,

i walked to my favorite ice cream store and...

stared at the "we are closed early" sign

taped to the door.

so, i did the most sensible thing:

picked flowers from a neighbor & baked a cake at 10pm.

i was late this morning because of my taking

a thousand pictures of the amazing GLOWING sunrise

and all the frosting/garnishing that had to be done.

but it was okay, because i brought a cake to work.

we ate brunch, then lunch
(shortly afterwards).

**poached eggs w/ crab,scallions,hollandaise + lettuce

**beef pho w/ herbs

today, thea and i watched cuttlefish +

itty bitty puffer-fish hover around and went to a

crystal + gem fair where we ended up purchasing

more rocks than we both initially anticipated..

"pick the one that calls to you"

we overheard a middle-aged woman say,

so we did.

~russian tea cookies~*

i spent a very long time hand-chopping pecans,

but it was worth it!

today, i found this amazing ukrainian cookbook

on mega sale; i can't wait to make

fermented & stuffed things!

i successfully bargained for an even greater discount

because 2 corners are slightly dented 
(thanks to my selective-consumerism OCD issue...)

on my day off, i made

blueberry banana cinnamon buckwheat pancakes!

the world breathes inspiration

>>window designed by Frank Lloyd Wright<<

>Feather Cape of Queen Lili'uokalani<

today, i restored native plants (coastal sagewort)

and weeded some invasive species (ice plant)

i planted each one with meticulous care, then stood back

to admire the landscape of all our efforts

first time i've picked up a stringed instrument

since elementary school. i can now play a song that
is starting to melodically resemble skinny love.

alot of wonderful people have
touched/played my ukulele, so it
is now covered in positive energy.

i named it "Liliuo" after Queen Lili'uokalani,
the last queen of the sovereign Hawaiian monarchy.

HOW WE ARE HUNGRY

i got to meet dave eggers today!!

he is soft spoken and has a gentle humor,

just like his books.

thank you for all the lovely handmade cards
throughout the years. this one took a journey
of it's own, but alas,
it has reached it's destination :)

~*~*~*~

this week has been filled with ambulances,
fainting coworkers, and a few sad and sudden departures.

but also ukuleles, teamwork, flow,

and hilarious interactions with tiny humans. 

~ 
before she left, G left us with some kind words:
"you all do such inspiring work and the staff has a
real energy and wonderful collaborative culture"

 TGIS(Saturday).

 i have been alive for 1/4 of a century!

"it looks like i don't

know how to use utensils"

-marie

wherever we go, kala and I always find

a way to rendezvous:

mini trip home for the holidays

highlights:

1. bought an excessive amount of xmas decor/lights

2. gave dog a 3 hour bath/haircut

3. ate kumquats from the yard