woodsy

 

desert dog and i went for a long hike in the woods, to the Devil's Punchbowl near the border of Oregon....the hike was hard, but seeing the ravaged and naked pine trees along the trail, with piles of bark littered with bore holes at the base, the effects of the  pine beetle--that was more difficult.

the agreeable weather made me home sick...not for any specific place, but for every night spent sitting outdoors with a cool drink listening to the sounds....maybe i am warming up to the pioneer California...death valley?...the rustic dreams of early settlers...tough women trying to make their way in the WEST...

...since those days are long gone (and i doubt i would survive...although desert dog would), i am thinking of picking up this classic book by Helen Hunt Jackson instead or the movie in Technicolor!

donation doshamshion

I made this here belt for a Western-themed auction to benefit a new hospital here in Humboldt County. I put a vintage buckle on it and carved a little poppy, the state flower of California, into the belt. It has just been reported to me that the new owner wears it all the time!

 

The classic lettered belts are really simple to make. Most leather shops sell veg-tanned belt blanks, and the lettering stamp kits are pretty inexpensive. Make sure you wet the leather before you pound down on the stamp! 

The letting stamp kit I used...

This little donation will help me with my tax effort this year, to donate, or "redirect," a percentage of my tax dollars to a Federally recognized organization, probably to woman's health and education, rather than to military war funding. Care to join?

National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC)

 

War Tax Boycott and How To...