Dr. Pancake and the Seedlings

"If I Were a Gypsy"

I finished this painting yesterday for a silent auction at Lohin Geduld to raise money for a Haiti relief fund.  I recently learned about an amazing band called Gogol Bordello.  They are a Gypsy punk band from the Lower East Side (I'm not sure how that makes them a Gypsy band... but whatever) and their energy is infectious!  They ooze freedom and authentic full self expression.  For this painting, I looked at a photo I took last Thanksgiving at the parade.  This one was from a Sesame Street float but it's totally not important that you can see it now. I was inspired by the energy of Gogol Bordello and decided I would paint as if I was a wanderlust queen (not too far off, eh?)

Ok, I swear I'm not a crazy cat lady.  I SWEAR.  Weird stuff just happens to me.  In fact, I like to think of these happenings as auspicious, not weird.  

Anyway, this morning I woke up to do my morning sit and I realized that Calliope was under the covers between us.  I thought, "Oh, how cute."  I sat down, lit a candle, decided to dedicate my sit this morning to wishing peace for everyone in the Universe (nothing big, really-- I just learned that it's common to dedicate a practice to something so that's what my sleepy mind picked today) and I suddenly heard Mikel go "Oh my gosh!" (or something like that) and I heard some very tiny and cute squeaking.  I turned around and into my life entered:

Dr. Pancake:  

the new orange addition to our little apartment.  I guess I should have dedicated my practice to a healthy birth or something like that but truthfully, we were so shocked because we didn't know Calliope was preggers!  I'm hoping this is the only new one.  It isn't rare for a young momma to have only one and since we weren't sure about keeping Calliope, even Dr. Pancake is a stretch, but more doable than if he had siblings.  Anyway, Calliope and Dr. P are snuggled in a box now nursing and snoozing away.  

Other new little additions to our apartment is our garden-in-the-making:

This is a view of our compost bin and purple cat bed on the fire escape which will be the new site for our garden.  I ordered seeds from Hudson Valley Seed Library (which now I realize I could have bought a the Co-op we newly joined, but anyway, both good businesses to support!) and yesterday I planted interesting things like "Prudens Purple Tomato" and "Dinosaur Kale" in little containers with organic soil (which, by the way, I'm very bummed about because I had no choice but to buy the Miracle Grow kind which has chicken waste in it from factory farms, I think, and smells like a turtle and it says on the package to wear gloves when planting which is totally gross)  Anyway, I hope I didn't ruin our future harvest!

There are all the little containers, mainly tofu containers, in our "greenhouse" which is really the large window sill in my studio.  I put plastic bags with holes on top of them so they are like terrariums, keeping in heat, allowing for oxygen exchange, and self watering for a while.  I'm very excited!

Finally, I just had a very inspiring conversation with my sister about marketing myself so I am off to get on that ASAPple.  Hope you all are having a great week!  I have some new blog transformation ideas of my thinking sleeve (which is like a thinking cap, but a place where I keep ideas rather than make them)  which I may write about tomorrow, but until then may you be peaceful!