tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65943208185603189072024-03-13T22:35:06.129-08:00The Porch PostscriptWyoming girl, living in Interior Alaska talking about food and gardening, sharing recipes and snippets of life, creating art in the cracks.
Live life, enjoy food, make art, travel, journal, photograph it all.SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-12039896902073902182024-01-31T05:23:00.003-09:002024-02-28T05:29:37.278-09:00Reconnecting to My Joy of Knitting Knitting is very cathartic, meditative, and soul-soothing. When I put it down for long periods of time I often forget that. I walk away from projects and leave them in a WIP (work in progress) state, often for years. Knitting projects often get finished, but on occasion, they get frogged (torn out). A couple of weeks ago I picked up one of the WIPs in my knitting basket. I finally SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-31882933883262937812024-01-28T07:00:00.001-09:002024-02-28T05:14:49.223-09:00Improvise, Adapt, OvercomeThis morning I was thinking about this as we ate breakfast. Our oven igniter went out two weeks ago and we’re waiting on the part, translation I’m unable to bake our weekly loaf of bread. Instead of a loaf this week we’ll be eating flatbread and pita pockets, both of which could be made on the stovetop. I kind of smiled to myself, we’ve been overcoming cooking challenges our entire SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-48547339686680227372024-01-10T19:31:00.002-09:002024-01-11T16:10:48.108-09:00Drawing and Painting HomeHome is and always will be Wyoming. Home is not really about the town I was born in, but more about the state where I spent the first nearly three decades of my life. I'll always be a Wyoming girl no matter where I live. At this point in my life when I talk about going home, I'm referring to my brother's ranch, that's home. My heart is there, my family is there.I've alwaysSLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-56254930575000635952024-01-10T05:00:00.002-09:002024-01-10T05:00:00.247-09:00This is 46Yesterday was my 46th Birthday. This year I embraced my birthday and went on with my day. I honestly think 46 looks pretty damn good on me!I spent many years as a child sharing birthday celebrations with my brother, who was born two days and 19 years before me. Lots of years not enjoying my birthday as a kid, because it was never just my birthday. I have one fond memory of a SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-75603481335044445202024-01-09T05:00:00.001-09:002024-01-09T05:00:00.139-09:002024 - The Year of ReleaseI've been selecting a word since at least 2019, with the exception of last year. The month leading up to 2023 made for a lost year, but more on that another day. The word I've chosen for 2024 is release. I don't have clarity yet on why I chose this word, or perhaps it has chosen me; the year will tell. In the days leading up to the new year, I reread past journals, SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-81344621699543379882023-09-14T06:30:00.005-08:002024-01-08T18:19:03.907-09:00Drawing the Red-Winged BlackbirdIt's been a while since I busted out the colored pencils and created a bird. In 2017, I had a little venture into drawing birds. I drew a cardinal, a blue jay, and a mountain bluebird. After drawing three birds, I ventured on to the next thing. Then a few weeks ago I dusted off my bird art and created stickers to sell at the local gift shop. Kind of unexpectedly, this inspired meSLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-30443775212740487892022-07-08T05:00:00.003-08:002022-07-08T05:00:00.159-08:00Book Review: Food - A Love StoryTitle: Food - A Love StoryAuthor: Jim GaffiganType: MemoirFor starters, I cheated and listened to the audiobook, but a book is a book, right? My only mistake with this decision was that I made it while traveling on an airplane so I couldn't laugh out loud as much as I would have had I listened to it at home.Jim Gaffigan narrates the book himself, which I'm sure adds SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-4695373752166974012022-07-01T05:00:00.004-08:002022-07-01T05:00:00.160-08:00Book Review: Eat the CityEat The City by Robin ShulmanTitle: Eat the CityAuthor: Robin ShulmanType: Regional FoodFrom the back of the book: Food, of course, is about hunger - but it's also about community. With humor and insight, Eat the City shows how, in places like New York, people have found ways to use their collective hunger to build their own kind of city.Why I SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-4213883112331941612022-06-28T05:00:00.004-08:002022-06-28T05:00:00.168-08:00Am I His Garden Legacy?I have faint childhood memories of my grandfather’s garden. Climbing the steps to the upper yard adjacent to the sprawling garden, the pride, and joy of my grandfather’s summers. 1519 B Street taken in 1998 when my grandmother sold the houseTheir home that once stood at 1519 B Street in Omaha, Nebraska, was built in kind of a hillside with an exterior staircase leading to the SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-44864776182939581922022-06-27T05:00:00.001-08:002022-06-27T05:00:00.174-08:00On FaithI'm going to venture into an area we're all told not to discuss. Many of us were raised not to discuss money, faith, or politics, especially in mixed company. What the hell does that even mean - mixed company? Anywho...Faith, this is a slippery slope in any conversation. I'm guaranteed to upset someone in this post. I was raised in the Lutheran Church. We went nearly every Sunday and by we SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-78899502143435728992022-06-24T05:00:00.004-08:002022-06-24T05:00:00.170-08:00Book Review: Notes From a Blue BikeTitle: Notes From a Blue Bike
Author: Tsh Oxenreider
Type: Spiritual Growth
I wanted to like this book. I really did, but it wasn't meant to be. The subtitle " The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World" made me think this would be a bit of a how-to with tips and advice on small things to work toward living a more intentional life. Nope, not really.&SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-69474904467874351222022-06-23T07:04:00.000-08:002022-06-23T08:46:39.340-08:00The Station on Old Highway 13The Station On Old Highway 13July 2008“Fill ‘er up Joe” echoes in my ears, as I pass by on my bike. I wonder was it really full service back in its glory days? Would “Joe” really have pumped gas, checked the oil, and washed the windows, all while spouting town gossip?Mismatched boards cover the windows of the little white service station on Old Highway 13. There’s a for sale sign in front and SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-8597943499257791552022-06-21T05:00:00.003-08:002022-06-23T08:45:47.743-08:00Wanderlust wan·der·lustˈwändərˌləst/nouna strong desire to travel.Lake Marie - Snowy Range, WyomingThis article from She Explores made me homesick for Wyoming, the state where I spent the first 29 years of my life. I miss the varied landscape, from the mountains to the prairie to the plains to the desert. I miss the clear lakes, streams, and rivers. I miss the openness of it all. SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-78353850461253753292022-06-06T06:22:00.003-08:002022-06-23T08:44:46.343-08:00Planting HopeI’ve been spending my time in the Alaska sunshine. The winter here was long and snowy. I won’t lie, when the first snow falls in mid-September and it keeps snowing all winter long it gets pretty damn depressing. Break up began in late March, but as I write this post there are still a few traces of the large pile of snow we pushed up with a loader over the course of the winter. &SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-17731091747255759732021-02-01T05:00:00.001-09:002023-07-25T20:13:48.223-08:00My First Pair of SocksWhen I say my first pair of socks, I'm not talking about fancy knitting on double-pointed needles. There is no toe or heel to construct with this pattern. It's an easy pattern that creates a basic tube sock. The pattern comes from Teach Yourself to Knit the Easy Columbia-Minerva Way publication from 1967. My mom has made this style of sock for us over the years, SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-75556259304764012372021-01-28T05:30:00.001-09:002023-07-25T20:13:50.603-08:00Pattern Review: Stripy Spring ShawlAt the beginning of January, I picked up my knitting needles after a crazy long hiatus. I finished the project that had been on the needles for literally years and fell back in love with knitting. Knitting is a very relaxing creative outlet for me and I enjoy easy patterns that finish in small amounts of time, excluding the times when I put them down for ages. The Stripy SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-42050128575965427962020-06-12T06:00:00.002-08:002023-07-25T20:13:49.718-08:00On BlameThe world isn’t going to become a better place by blaming others. Change won't happen by screaming at others and making them apologize for being. Nor will it happen by tearing down neighborhoods, destroying businesses, and placing blame. Nothing in life is free. Nothing in life is owed to any of us. We must go out and earn it, honestly. Not by beating down others to our level. Not by SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-55693034202399137402020-06-03T06:00:00.000-08:002023-07-25T20:13:50.118-08:00Why I Use Unstyled PhotosThe world we currently live in is filled with a lot of highlight reels. We see the perfect food, the perfect outfit, and the house that looks perfect. The reality is that life isn't perfect and I feel like we need more real than highlight in our lives.
I've thought a lot about the photos I take and use here on the blog, as well as on Instagram. I've also thought a lot about SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-84419695003949298002020-05-13T06:00:00.003-08:002023-07-25T20:13:51.353-08:00Kitchen Library - Reference BooksI started building a kitchen library when we got married, nearly 13 years ago. Before that, I had a handful of cookbooks and a recipe box. I know what you're thinking - "well isn't that a kitchen library?" The short answer is yes, but I'm talking about something that's a little more in-depth, something with a little more meat on the shelves so to speak.
So what's in my SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-53154880192943045642020-05-07T06:00:00.000-08:002023-07-25T20:13:50.079-08:00Reflecting & Counting BlessingsSitting here this morning, sipping coffee, with my feet up, watching the geese and swans fly by my studio window. I may not be making art right now, but this is still my studio. My happy place, the place where I write, make art, create cards, sew, knit, and daydream about my next creative endeavor. This is the same desk I surf social media from and where I seem to be SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-23383007301640436172020-05-01T06:00:00.001-08:002023-07-25T20:13:48.426-08:00On Eating LocalLet's start this article with honestly. I've never been one to research where the things I buy come from. I do buy locally in terms of supporting local businesses, but I've never really paid attention to things like country of origin when it comes to food. I've blindly trusted the system. Fast forward to today, where farmers and ranchers are plowing crops under, washing SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-37848839407891727052020-03-23T09:29:00.003-08:002023-07-25T20:13:49.555-08:00Currently March 2020It all seems like it started with daylights savings time, a full moon and Friday the 13th. Then came COVID-19 (aka Carona Virus) and now it's been snowing on and off for three days in Interior Alaska.
Meme from Facebook
Our world is shutting down one piece at a time. First the public schools. Then went the bars, restaurants, gyms and even churches. There are SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-75124779952990929032019-09-23T06:00:00.000-08:002023-07-25T20:13:50.564-08:00Top 5 Be's - How Will You Be?Be... Finish that statement. How will you "Be"? Go ahead. I'll wait (insert Jeopardy music here). In all seriousness when was the last time, you thought about that? How do you want to be?
How we act, react and treat our family, friends and those around us is always changing and growing. Especially as we ourselves change and grow through our experiences.&SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-9361709047948274492019-09-06T06:00:00.000-08:002023-07-25T20:13:47.947-08:00Lived in or Messy?Housekeeping is such a relative perspective, isn't it? No really. Think about that one person's hot mess is a lived in house. One person's clean house is another person's worst nightmare. I'm the lived in house that finds overly clean houses to be a nightmare. There is nothing that makes me more self-conscious than visiting someone who has one of those "everything inSLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594320818560318907.post-8984137142543299892019-09-02T06:00:00.000-08:002023-07-25T20:13:47.908-08:00Let's Be Candid Shall We?
can·did
ˈkandəd/
adjective
1.
truthful and straightforward; frank.
synonyms: frank, outspoken, forthright, blunt, open, honest, truthful, sincere, direct, plain-spoken, straightforward, ingenious, bluff;
Being brave. Following my path. Following my calling. Following my detour. Whatever you want to call it. I'm doing it one step at a time.&SLMPetersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238728005511643751noreply@blogger.com0