OUR COMMON HOURS

Kelli Ann Wilson August 13, 2014

garden 2014 // weeks 8, 9, & 10

I’m so far behind on my blogging, and especially on my garden update posts. This will be a whirlwind tour of the garden over the past three weeks. We’ve had downy mildew, hail stones, and rodents munching on unripened squashes. But, we’ve also had delicious zucchinis, cucumbers, and even some ripe red tomatoes! In fact, we had enough tomatoes to make some delicious roasted tomato sauce for our pizza last night. We would have had more if the hail hadn’t taken out at least half of them while they were still green. The only thing we haven’t tried yet are the lemon cucumbers that I had completely forgotten about. I kept thinking, what’s wrong with these cucumbers? why aren’t they turning green? I’ve decided just to be cool and enjoy what time I have left with my little plants before autumn arrives. I’m still pruning out the bad leaves but I’m not going to obsess, especially since everything still seems to be producing vegetables just fine.

One thing I have learned from this gardening experience is that we moderns have it good. I know that there are people who homestead and provide all of their own food — good for them! But, even people who are providing all of their own food are doing it by and large by choice, at least here in the United States. If they absolutely had to, they could go to a supermarket somewhere (even if it was a long drive) and get some food. Our forebears didn’t have supermarkets. If blight took all their tomatoes, they had no tomatoes. Despite its many faults, I am very, very thankful for modern agriculture. I never have to worry that there won’t be any food available (of course, paying for it is an entirely separate issue), and that is something I think we all take for granted.

Zucchini Fritters, adapted from Damn Delicious

1 large zucchini, grated, strained, and dried as much as possible
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 tsp minced garlic (you could use less or more depending on your taste)
1 large egg, beaten
salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Grate the zucchini and dry it out as much as possible. I put it in a colander (as the recipe recommended) and patted/smashed it with paper towels until it seemed dry. I probably could have done it more, as my fritters took a really long time to cook through. In a bowl combine zucchini, flour, parmesan cheese, garlic and egg; add seasonings to taste.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. The original recipe states, “Scoop tablespoons of batter for each fritter, flattening with a spatula, and cook until the underside is nicely golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, about 1-2 minutes longer.” I apparently missed this step and scooped mine by the 1/4 cup! They took a long time to cook, but they were so good.

Kelli Ann Wilson August 12, 2014

32 // 52

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: This week you have expressed a strong desire to go back to school. For you, I think it’s mostly social. You haven’t seen a lot of your friends this summer, and I know you are really missing them. You really prefer to have one or two close friends, but I think you genuinely miss being in the classroom and having people to chat with about kid stuff. Luckily for you, the wait is almost over. Big changes are ahead — are you ready??? I feel excited for you, and I know you’re going to have a great year! [P.S. You really enjoyed that crazy hail storm we had. You even gathered up some hail and put it in the freezer for posterity. I think it’s still in there!]

Zane: This week you endured more than your fair share of riding in the car. The whole thing started out rather simply: we drove to the Manchester airport to drop Daddy off so he could fly to California for a wedding. However, after three or four delays, they cancelled his flight. He was able to arrange a new flight, but it was leaving out of Boston at 6am the next morning — quite the quandary. We ended up driving back to Manchester to pick up Daddy, then to Boston to stay overnight in a hotel, then up at 4am to drive Daddy to the airport, and then home again (your sister got to skip this part and stayed at Nanny and Papa’s house). You were an angelic traveler, which made the whole thing a lot easier than it could have been.

Kelli Ann Wilson August 11, 2014

10 on 10 // august

Kelli Ann Wilson August 11, 2014

31 // 52

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: This week you made a beautiful drawing of fireflies alighting from the ground against a midnight blue background and titled it “Little Souls”. You have really moved into a new artistic phase where you are spending more time conceptualizing and trying out different styles. I think this is a sign of a maturing artist, as you move away from emulation toward something more uniquely your own. Your work is beautiful. I am so proud of you.

Zane: This week you discovered that you can draw things that actually look like, well, things! First you drew a “kayak” and then a human-like figure. After you were finished you exclaimed, “I made a person, it’s called a baby!” You seem to be really interested in representational art. It’s funny how much you and your sister have in common, despite the fact that you are two very different people. I am so happy that you both love to create and express yourselves through art.

Kelli Ann Wilson July 30, 2014

artist // phoebe wahl

It has always been my intention to feature my favorite artists on my blog, because art is an incredibly important part of my life and I want to share the artwork that inspires me. But, it seems like something I keep filing away in my mental “to do” folder and it never actually gets done. This morning I woke up determined to make a go of it, so I’m going to get started with the Portland-based artist and illustrator Phoebe Wahl. I’m not sure when I first encountered her work, but I do know that the first time I contacted Phoebe and asked to feature her on my blog she was still a student at RISD (it was 2012). While I never got around to writing that post, I continued to read her blog and it’s been so interesting to watch her career really take off. Phoebe’s work has been featured in several places, including Taproot Magazine, and she is now working on writing and illustrating a book of her own for Tundra Books.

What first attracted me to Phoebe’s work was its themes of home and family life. Her work really conveys a sense of nurturing and safety that appeals to what I would call my “inner hobbit.” Her characters inhabit simple lives, in slightly disheveled yet welcoming abodes, moving through the seasons organically as they engage in everyday tasks like cooking, caring for littles, and reading. Her environments are richly colored and textured. She often dabbles in the world of fairies and whimsy. I have a visceral longing to be one of her little creations. Beyond the fact that I am drawn to Phoebe’s work aesthetically, I also find her little vignettes very inspiring and hope that I can create, to whatever degree such a thing is possible, the same loving, nurturing environment for my own family.

In Phoebe’s own words:

I find that when I create, more often that not it is inspired by something from my childhood. I make images I would have want to have seen when I was a kid, or objects I would have wanted to have, or stories I would have wanted to read. My content, both in 2D, 3D and writing is largely rooted in that nostalgia for childhood, as well as in dreams for my own future. I’m drawn to create safe spaces in my work, images that foster closeness and comfort and celebrate nature. Creating has always been my sanctuary. A comfortable place to play and dream and think. And I hope that comes across in my work, I hope my work provides that for others.

If her intention is, as she says, to provide a safe and inspiring haven for others, she has certainly succeeded in doing so for me. I’ve selected only a few of my favorite pieces for this post, but you really should spend some time browsing her blog, tumblr, and etsy shop to get a sense of the true scope of her work. Phoebe’s website also features images from her sketchbooks, as well as her amazing sculptures and other three dimensional designs.