PESTO ANYONE?

This little box is going to save me a lot of money. Have you priced basil lately? It seems so silly to buy it when it's so easy to grow. Now accepting basil recipes...

SEEDS UP, HOES DOWN

Monday was the first official day in the garden (the day spent measuring and gridding was only a warm-up). Growing my own food has been an important part of the (almost) nothing new lifestyle and since Wisconsin only offers a brief window of opportunity, I revel in this time of year. This year I'm working in Paradigm's garden, which will supply local organic produce to the cafe all summer long. In exchange, I get a ton of produce for my own pantry. The seeds are in the ground...now we add water and wait.

QUOTES FOR A THURSDAY

"Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like" -Will Rogers

"People wish to be settled. Only as far as they are unsettled is there any hope for them." -Emerson

"It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly." -Bertrand Russell

"Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life." -Herbert Otto

"The truth of Zen, just a little bit of it, is what turns one's hum drum life, a life of monotonous, uninspiring commonplaceness, into one of art, full of genuine inner creativity." -D.T. Suzuki

{Gathered from Zen and the Art of Making a Living, Laurence G. Boldt}

OLD BRASS BED

When I found the parts to an old brass bed at the thrift store for $12 I couldn't resist, even though they were missing the connector pieces. So I designed a way to connect an exposed box spring to the pieces using nuts and bolts. After an evening of struggling to make that work, a cinder block and zip tie solution finally did the trick.

MONDAY EP

For their Monday EP, Brianna Lane and Cahalen David Morrison (together, Harbor Collective) deconstructed an old atlas to create unique, handmade CD sleeves. A customized name stamp adds the finishing touch. Get your own at CD Baby.

SUITCASE STORAGE

I'm using old suitcases as storage containers. They look better than those big, plastic totes you see at box stores and when I'm ready to move (which seems to happen pretty frequently), I can just grab the handle and go.

ROAD TRIP READY

Stopped by the library this afternoon to pick up a couple books on tape and some fresh music for my weekend road trip to West Virginia. Amy introduced me to the magnificence of driving to books on tape when she rescued me from New York.

RECENT FINDS

I recently picked up this vintage Wisconsin sweatshirt, as well as the clothing stand which I'll be utilizing for upcoming clothing alteration projects.

LETS

Local Exchange Trading Systems. Most of my graphic design services are offered on a bartering basis, so I'm very interested in LETS. Anyone have any additional info?

GO OUTSIDE. NOW.

It's finally warming up here in Wisconsin and there's nothing like emerging from a long winter to make you appreciate the great outdoors. If I ever find myself feeling anxious, worrisome, etc, my coping mechanism is to simply spend some time outside. Photo taken atop Parnell Tower in Kettle Moraine.