an interview with joanna jenkins of the fifty factor

i bring you the whimsical answers of joanna jenkins of the ever-entertaining blog with a large following - the fifty factor. i defy you go there and not learn something or be amused or touched. but first, read her answers to my questions.


1. why blog?

I blog because it's fun--plain and simple.

2. if you could do something all over again, what would it be?

When I used to travel extensively on business I didn't take advantage of extending trips with personal time so I could actually explore the countries I was in-- France and Italy especially. It was such a missed opportunity that I blame partly on my youth and mostly on trying to race up the corporate ladder.

3. when you go antiquing or to flea markets, what do you look for every time?

My dream is a big farm house with lots of land. That's never going to happen so instead I look for architectural fragments to introduce elements of rural living into my contemporary home. I figure eventually I'll get that farm house one fragment at a time.

4. coffee or tea?

Definitely tea-- Iced tea with lemon.

5. meat or veggies?

My perfect meal is a juicy steak, baked potato and a salad loaded with vegetables and blue cheese dressing.

6. is fifty the new forty?

As my blog profile says, not one single person mentioned "40-anything" on my 50th birthday but I'm clinging to the hope that it's true.

7. if you were a car, what would you be?

I'd like to think I'd be a well maintained and much loved, red, Ford Mustang convertible. In reality-- I'm probably a very reliable Volvo.

8. what's your ultimate comfort food?

Warm chocolate chips cookies and a big glass of ice cold milk. That or anything with gravy on it.

9. when nobody's looking, i....

...Eat the last of the above mentioned cookies.

10. what would you grab if there was a fire?

Laptop, wallet, husband and my grandparent's silver candlesticks-- Not necessarily in that order.

* * *

thank you, joanna, for playing along. if it's any consolation, i can totally see you as that mustang convertible - but definitely one of the classy, vintage ones with their beautiful lines, not one of those big, beefy clunky ones they make today.

an interview with magpie of magpie musing

next up...the inimitable magpie of the witty and clever magpie musing. she's one of the bloggers i feel like i've known from the beginning and every year on her birthday blog post, i am amazed that she's like at least ten years older than she looks and than i think she is. and i forget every year. and how can you not love someone who uses words like filch and acrophobic and assumes her readers use them too. i probably leaned a little too heavily on the silly side of my questions to her...


1. which Wii game is the best?

I was going to say whichever one we're playing, but I think the real answer is whichever one the six year old can win, because she has not learned how to lose with grace. Just tonight, she howled when I made better blueberry pancakes in Cook Wars.

2. have you ever been tempted to call in sick due to a Wii-related injury?

No. First, I don't think I've ever incurred a Wii-related injury, and second, I'm too honest and responsible - I hardly call in sick when I'm actually sick.

3. do you ever worry about the world you're leaving to your child? in what way?

I worry about the climate conditions that people seem to be too short-sighted and politically hamstrung to address; I hope the world is still habitable in her lifetime.

4. nature or nurture?


Yes. Nature plays a huge role, but without nurture, nature is fragile.

5.  what do you order at starbucks? 

I hardly ever go to Starbucks. Really - maybe three times a year. When I go, I'll get a small skim latte - small because I have no truck with that Italianate sizing they use, and skim because it's less cloying than whole milk. I almost never drink coffee outside my house - two cups, freshly ground, freshly brewed, black, every morning, and that's it.

6. iPhone or Blackberry?

iPhone.

7. is BlogHer really all it's cracked up to be?

What's it cracked up to be? It's fun. It's a way to meet a lot of people with whom you have something in common - kind of like going to a college reunion.

8. what parenting ideas did you have before you became a parent that you abandoned almost immediately upon actually being confronted with your child?

I thought my little girl would wear little smocked dresses until I realized how ridiculous dresses on a crawling baby are.

* * *

despite my deep and abiding love for starbucks, i love that you hardly ever go there. as for parenting, i had firm ideas about how much candy the child would be allowed..sigh. thank you, magpie, for playing along with the interview game.

an interview with kim of *numinosity*

now it's time to meet my friend kim from *numinosity* - she lives in arizona in the cold months and alaska when it's "warm," she makes amazing ATCs and even cooler jewelry.  since i lived in arizona myself once upon a time, i had to ask her about that.


1. so, alaska and arizona - do you just like places that start with "a" or is there deeper meaning (or is that actually the deeper meaning)?

No, I just like places that end with "a". Seriously though, I followed my older siblings to Alaska back in the 70's and have made it my home since. I'm not sure if I would have chosen it on my own. The Tuscon Gem and Mineral show initially brought me to Arizona which was a nice winter getaway in early February where I would get my supplies for my jewelry business.

2. how are alaska and arizona the same? and could they be any more opposite?

Winters in Arizona are the most like Alaskan summers with dry heat and big sky and expansive vistas. There's also a funkiness in the town we've chosen to live in (Bisbee) that reminds me of Alaskan funkiness and it's also an art community. Both places were built on mining dreams and have a bit of wild frontier feel to them. Both are land of extremes with climate and elements. Both places seem to attract more adventurous tourist types, not your typical resort seeking types.

Both Delta Jct. Alaska and the area around Cochise County in Arizona are some of the richest archaeological corridors in the US. Both border other countries.

As for opposites of course Alaska gets so damn cold and dark but it also seems to be a more prosperous place to live. The economy is better in most cases and I find it a much easier place to sell my art. The population base is so small for a state it's size with only a bit over 600,000 people with half of those people living in the city of Anchorage.

3. when you sit down to play with pretty paper, describe what happens. can you control where the inspiration comes from? can you make it come?

When I sit with paper I start arranging images that have a juxtaposition that might make me smile or are enigmatic as you commented in one of my posts about my ATC's Sometimes it takes me a very long time to get started when I'm piling through my stashes of snippets of images. Most times I'm not concentrating on making something pretty but I do focus on composition and color so that in the end it will be a pleasing combination along with either the whimsy or depth of my piece. My pieces that focus on beauty seem to be more when I'm working with the hot glass in my lampwork and jewelry designing and then it's all about color, texture and composition without trying to evoke meaning.

4. what's your favorite place in arizona?

My favorite place in Arizona is where I live, the town of Bisbee and surroundings. We have a view of a mountain in Mexico and I can walk around the small town for errands which I haven't been able to do since I left New England. There are always things going on but it's very low key and artsy. It's easy to drive or walk somewhere for amazing hikes. The thrift shops antique shops and estate sales are the best for a collector like me. Then we're near the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show that is the most amazing array of materials for my craft available in one place, part of what drew me to Arizona in the first place.

5. black tea or green tea?

Black tea for me, I just got some English Typhoo tea this week and am really fond of Oolong. When I'm in Arizona, Trader Joe's has a bottled ice tea called Tejava which I'm rather addicted to. I have to make my own sun tea in Alaska though.

6. if you could choose an era in which to live, when would it be?

I think I would have had a fine heyday in the Bohemian Era.

7. what's your guilty pleasure?

Spending too much time on the computer with facebook and blogger!

8. where do you do when you need an escape?

Walking is the best thing for me when I need an escape, It grounds me and slows me down in my mind and body. I have nice woods and trails and a field nearby our home in Alaska and in Arizona it's a short walk to an ocotillo filled desert walk.

9.  how about a whimsical random fact?

The piece of plexiglass that I use on my workbench to collage on is actually a piece that was from the construction of the Bee Gees stage used in their 1979 tour.  Remember the stage that would light up different colors when they stepped on them? My boyfriend back then worked on the stage construction crew and brought a piece back to me to use for a cutting board which is now relegated for a crafting surface.

* * *

thank you kim! that seals it, i must visit bisbee next time i'm in arizona!

an interview with char of ramblins...

one of char's gorgeous shots

i feel like i've known char since the beginning of my bloggy life and i was so happy when she was the very first one to say she'd like to be interviewed. i thought maybe it would just be her and couple of others and that would be that. instead, it's a whole month's worth of goodness and inspiration (and not having to listen too much to my drivel.) so without further ado, here's char's interview:

1.  when you're feeling out of sorts, what do you do to cheer yourself up?  


If it’s just regular out of sorts, then usually it can be cured with a couple of different tricks. The first is treat myself to some small, small indulgence – like a coffee, a manicure, a new magazine.  I know that sounds a bit indulgent – but it’s amazing how just a little treat can fix up things.  Then to balance that – I try doing something to help someone else or treat them – this week was a coffee for me and then I went and ran an errand for my brother that he had been putting off because it just wasn’t “fun.”

2.  your summer drink of choice?  


Half & half iced tea (half-sweet and half-unsweet)

3. your one very best piece of advice for taking great pictures?  


Keep it simple

4.  "i really love it when..." 


my nieces or nephew spontaneously hug me and say “I love you”

5.  "i really hate it when..." 


I get in a rush because I always make stupid mistakes like spilling water all over the kitchen floor or break a dozen eggs when I drop the carton”

6.  fashion pet peeves?  


Leggings, muffin tops, guys in jeans that fall off their butts, dressing little girls like hookers, uni-boobs

7.  favorite nail polish color? 


OPI Romeo and Joliet (Polar Bare is a close second)

8.  your dream camera (if money were no object)?  


Hasselblad … I think.  Or…a Leica…or an SX70 with unlimited, magical supply of film.  I dream about cameras all the time.

9.  the lens you wouldn't want to be without. 


50mm f/1.8 – it’s a brilliant workhorse

10.  your favorite meal when you're in need of comfort food. 


Anything southern or soulfood.  Or…ice cream.  (a dream meal is always fried chicken with mashed potatoes/gravy, along with fried okra, corn on the cob, yellow squash along with a relish tray of homemade pickles and sliced cucumber.  Add my friend Lisa's cornbread and I'm in heaven.)

oh man, i want some milk bottles like that...

* * *

thank you char, for playing along. and the rest of you, do go and visit char's gorgeous and thoughtful blog, ramblins...and be sure to check out her flickr photostream for more of her beautiful photos, you will be so glad you did.

an interview with sandra of world's end farm

i hereby give you my interview with sandra of this and that. i recently visited her beautiful home and saw her gorgeous horses and we had an afternoon blog camp of sorts that you can read about here if you haven't already. here are her answers to my questions...

1.  the very best horse you ever had...

I have several favorites, but other than the first I had as a child, I have to say the gray Arabian gelding, Shaka. He was a willful, prideful animal who taught me I am in charge only if I am respectful and if I ask politely. And then I am granted an equal partnership at best. A little humility is good for a person. I think more people would benefit from a Shaka in their lives!

2.  you must share the recipe for your fabulous white sangria.

If I must! I like to use citrus, but apples, cherries, etc.

can be used as well.

cut into thin slices and place in 4 qt pitcher:

3 oranges

3 lemons

3 limes

Add to pitcher:

Peel and quarter 4-5 peaches or nectarines

Dice about 1 cup of fresh pineapple

About 1 pint of strawberries

Fold in about 1/2 cup of sugar (to your taste) and allow to macerate for an hour or so.

Pour 3 bottles of chilled dry white wine and about a half cup of brandy or cognac.

Cover and chill for at least 3-4 hours. I let it sit overnight. 


The sangria in the photo was made with cherries. I don't like it as well.

3.  if you could never watch t.v. ever again, would you miss it? and what would you miss?

Initially, yes. But I don't watch a lot of TV as it is. I would miss the noise in the background I think. The idea of it bothers me more than the actual doing of it would. I believe that is so.

4.  what is the most outlandish thing someone requested in your horse business? (if you can tell without naming names.)

Oh you know the business! Mostly it's just been a series of egocentric requests from boarders. Everyone always thinks they are the only person with a horse. It was interesting to consider this while I cared for 36 horses and someone would want me to spend the time grazing their horse for 15 minutes, with incremental increases each day to ease the beast onto pasture. I had nothing else to do.

I had someone rewrite my boarding contract to suit her wishes. Ya, that will work.

I was asked by someone I know to allow a stranger to me (and a relatively inexperienced person) to come out and ride my Lipizzan crosses so this person could experience baroque horses. Put your dime in the slot and ride the pony. I had to give her credit for the chutzpah. I said 'no'.

My breeding clients were mostly reasonable people and buyers are what they are. But boarders are a whole different breed of cat. Something happens within the brain when a person (woman) gets a horse. This is a broad brush statement and doesn't apply across the board, but I'm telling you.... After twenty years in the business I have probably heard and seen it. I will say the trend that has come up in recent years to take a horse off the farm on trial is something I consider a bold request. But it has become commonplace.

5.  if you could be a presidential advisor, what would you advise?

Get a spine. Or at least a set of principles. People who straddle the fence end up with a sore groin and little else.

6.  the best thing about living in the country?

No close neighbors.

7.  the worst thing about living in the country?

No close neighbors!

I live in a politically conservative part of the state. It can be tough to be surrounded by Tea Party types. So I guess my answer is, I am somewhat isolated. I guess this is why I started reading blogs.

8.  what do you do about the flies? (we have a serious fly problem around here and i had totally forgotten about that.)

I hate to say this, but I have never found a good solution. It is part of the bargain. Some years are worse than others and this has been an awful year for the buggers. In the barn I am very low tech:  fly strips! I do put fly masks on the horses. It is not much, but it does keep them out of their eyes. I shy away from chemicals, so the only other thing I can suggest is a good fly swatter.

9.  if you could travel anywhere (and not worry about the horses), where would you go?

This is a tough question for me, as I have been so narrow in my scope for so long I hardly consider something like this anymore. A trip to Saint Paul has become an adventure for me. I would like to go to France for the food, Italy for the countryside. Ireland because my mother talks of it so much. I am no longer interested in far flung and exotic. Comfort. Food. Culture. I'd be pleased to go to Denmark. Truth be told, I'd be pleased to go to Des Moines! 

10. comfort food?

Yes, please. Fried chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy. Anything baked that contains butter and sugar. You cannot live in a cold climate and not appreciate the starch and fat of comfort food. It's just not sane.

* * *

sandra, thank you so much for sharing your answers, tho' frankly, i'm a little disappointed about the flies. they're really bad here this year and we have stocked up on fly swatters. one in every room...be sure to visit sandra's blog!

an interview with stephanie of concerning pancakes

you may remember stephanie, because she was one of my blog crushes. so, of course, i just had to ask her about pancakes. :-)

1. tell us your best and favorite pancake recipe.

I am kind of a pancake cheater. I keep pancake mix on hand at all times and make that most of the time. But my favorite thing to do to fancify them is place a few slices of banana into the batter right after i spoon it onto the griddle. Then when I flip them, the bananas get all caramelized and super yummy. (I don't like to mix bananas into the batter.) If I'm fixing pancakes from scratch I really like Andy's childhood recipe for German Pancakes. http://concerningpancakes.blogspot.com/2010/01/breaking-fast.html

2. if you could do whatever you wanted for a living, without regard for how much money it generated or where you had to live, what/where would it be?

Well, this one is a toughie for me. If I lived in the 60's, I would say I would want to be a librarian. I love books so much, but I feel like nowadays being a librarian isn't what it used to be. At least that's how it seems to me. But right now, in the era I live in, I think my dream job is to be a mom. It's the only thing I continually come back to as what I want to spend my time doing. The challenge, the reward, the experience...it just seems amazing to me. (Currently, no plans for this in the works...but maybe someday.)

3. camping or posh hotels? (explain.)

Camping. As much as I appreciate a posh hotel with a killer bed and fancy stuffs, I tend to get really nervous and feel out of place in posh settings. When I camp I can do all the things I really enjoy without worrying about my hair, my smell or what people might think of my general desire to drink Bud Light with a hot dog breakfast.

4. cat person or dog person? (explain.)

Well, if I said dog Chairman Meow might get a little miffed. But I love both animals. Cats are easier to take care of for the most part and since I am inherently lazy cats are a better fit for me. I'm about to be in the market for chickens though, so that might kick out the laziness with a quickness.

5. have you read the twilight books?

No, I have not. I watched 2 of the movies, didn't really get it, but plan on watching the rest to see if makes more sense.

6. which harry potter character are you?

I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books and I think I am the only person on the planet to have not read them. I do claim to know magic though (that's how I get my work done in my day job) so maybe I really am a wizard.

7. what's your guilty pleasure?

Hmmm....I do not know. I spend a lot of money on food...maybe that's it.

8. give us a photo tip...subject, setting, whatever. :-)

Best tip I have is to use different cameras if you feel like you're in a rut with one. I have about 7 cameras and find that they all bring something different to the table. When I'm tired of the free-wheeling nature of my Nikon, I use my Zero Image pinhole. It's harder to use, costs more to use and generally makes me slow down to really think about what I'm shooting. It makes taking photos a fun challenge, rather than a mindless exercise.

* * *

thank you, stephanie! now i feel quite justified in not having read twilight either and i want need a pinhole camera. and i'm thinking a hot dog sounds pretty good for breakfast...

i am, as ever, in awe....

cheers to all who wanted to be interviewed!!
i'm a little overwhelmed and surprised, but ecstatic at your response!

...of the goodness of the blogosphere. the response to my offer to interview has been fantastically, wonderfully overwhelming! and just as a study i read about in the july/august fast company suggested, the oxytocin my brain produced in response to your response gave me a very positive high of sorts. a high of the kind that you usually get from babies and adorable fuzzy small animals. proving once again that bloggy friends ARE indeed the best kind of friends. and that you don't need to run or smoke pot to get high.

i am overjoyed at the response (which i completely did not expect)! if you haven't received your questions yet, it's just because i haven't yet gotten to them, but they will be coming in the next few days (just email your answers to me). i will publish the answers, one (or possibly two) per day, as they come in. do send me pictures if you have pictures to accompany your answers.  and please be a little patient, as i am trying not to ask everyone the same questions (there are a few that are the same for several people (as you'll see), but it's because i really want answers to those particular questions).

and it's not too late, if you want to be interviewed too, just leave a comment on the previous post (it will help me keep track if they're all in one place).

stay tuned for the first responses, they're already coming in, even as the questions are still rolling out!

this is going to be so much fun!!