Taos Fall Arts Festival

This is a big weekend in Taos. The annual Fall Arts Festival kicks off with more festivities than Christmas. Tonight is the Taos Open and Taos Invites Taos. There's a craft fair in the park all weekend, gallery events all over town, the Quick Draw on Sunday, and a truckload of other things all around the area. I guess I won't get a lot of work done for a few days. I have to go see all this!
I'm not participating as an Artist/Beadist because I'm not represented by any of the local galleries. I just love going out there to see all that art and all my friends. Maybe next year I'll be more involved. My friend Nancy Racine is a killer jewelry designer, who also happens to love my beads. She's going to start using them in some of her pieces for Art Divas Gallery. This is fun for me because I was one of the original Divas when the gallery opened, shortly after we moved here. I left when my website started keeping me too busy to keep up, so now it will be nice to have some of my work out there again. I live in a town full of artists, but nobody here ever heard of me... actually, that kind of invisibility can be a good thing!
Over and out for now. Beads on Monday, but maybe not very many... you understand! I need to refuel!

My New Website!!!

I did it! My new website is live and in person at kimmiles.com. It turned out to be a lot more work than I'd anticipated, but now that it's done, it was a piece 'o cake. I like cake. Think I'll go have some to celebrate... won't you join me? While you're at it, have a look around the site, and please let me know if you spot any typos or problems with links and things. It's a mighty tangled web behind the scenes... My next project is to come up with a Hidden Treasure someplace on the site next week. You'll only know about it if you read my blog, so check back before Monday. I know... I said I wanted a more grown-up format... maybe I lied... Maybe I just wanted to shake things up. We all need a little more fun, don't we?
Carry on!

hearts everywhere...

It seems to have started a few weeks ago, when I needed to make heart beads. I still need to make them. I still love to make them. Next, the heart became an important part of the Beadist Emblem... And now the heart theme is showing up in the oddest places. Look at this picture! Doesn't it look like the Beadist Emblem??? My friend Karena sent this to me. A bird flew down her chimney the other day, and was trapped in the woodstove. The only way to set it free was to open the door and let it into the house. It slammed into her big living room windows several times before finding the front door and flying outside. And because it was covered with ash, it left this beautiful bird print on the window. Amazing! And just yesterday I was sorting out some things on my website, and came across this picture of a handful of beads. I hadn't noticed before that my hands form the shape of a heart... Now I'm really going to be watching for these things. The more we pay attention to the little notes sent by the universe, the more it sends them!One other thing for you this morning. It seems unrelated at the moment, but I could be wrong...
I've really been enjoying listening to Pandora Internet Radio while I'm here in the office. Try it out! It's free, and it's very smart. You tell it the name of an artist or song you like, and it creates a personal radio station just for you. You listen to it right through your computer. You can create as many stations as you want, with different types of music for all your musical moods. You can even tell it if you love or hate any particular song it plays, and it will pay attention! I love this because it plays music I'd never even know about otherwise. It's expanding my musical world!
Carry on!

the Official Beadist Emblem

I thought you might like to know what's going on behind the scenes. So much secrecy! Well, here's part of what I've been working on. At first I thought it was going to be my personal logo, but as it went along, it became more and more something to share. As the word Beadist clarified itself to me, it became apparent that this was indeed the Beadist Emblem! It started with a photo of a lotus bead, which I traced and simplified and placed in the center of the heart. Notice how your eyes can make it look like either a bead on the heart, or a little fire within the heart? Totally accidental. I wanted wings that weren't too "biker". These seem strong enough to carry the heart, while still being gentle and sweet and playful. And then there's the flame/hand at the top. It's borrowed from the Sacred Heart we see so much of here in New Mexico, (I have a collection of them on my kitchen wall!) but is, of course, more creative and artistic than religious. To be clear... Beadism is NOT a religion. Oh no. For me it's a way of life, but for most folks, it's really just about beads, beads, beautiful beads! I have plans for some wonderful Beadist Gear in the near future... buttons, stickers, t-shirts, mugs..... the possibilities are endless!
I'm posting beads on my streamlined website today. The new site will be up in a few days!

I'm wondering...

...why is it that most people do not sign their names in emails? Hmmm??? I know this is true because today I sorted through 310 emails to update my mailing list, and most didn't have a name anywhere on them. How bizarre. Would we send a letter to someone and leave it unsigned? I think not. I'd like to gently suggest to the entire world that we be sure our full names are somehow included in every email we send. It could be in the "from" line of the address, or as a nice signature at the end of the note. I'm on a mission. Help me out here.
Sincerely,
Kim Miles

first day of autumn...

I guess summer really is over... not only is today the equinox, there's snow on Taos Mountain, and it's cold and poopy down here in the valley.
Of course, living at an elevation of 7,000 feet, I guess we have to expect extremes. Still.... what happened to summer this year? I'm pretty sure I missed it. OK, OK... no more whining. I'll just go make some beads.

I'm also making a lot of progress on my website changes. It's going to be fun. You'll see!

Stay warm. I'll be back.

Beads Of Courage

One of my customers sent me the following article today. I'm new to Beads Of Courage, and now I'm even more inspired to make these beads and send them off. The first thing I do each day in the studio is make two beads for Beads Of Courage, and two for the HOPE Bracelet Project. They add up quickly! Time to send some in! This is a good example of Beads For A Better World!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Alyssa Miller's Beads of Courage, awarded after each procedure or accomplishment in her cancer treatment, are threaded on a strand nearly 30 feet long. Alyssa's parents, Marv and Maude, say her beads are precious to her.

Little bits of bravery

"Beads of Courage" recognize the painful battles fought by the youngest cancer patients

By Katherine Nichols
knichols@starbulletin.com

Seven-year-old Alyssa Miller already has endured more than most people do in a lifetime. Diagnosed with a Wilms' tumor in 2004, she has survived 12 surgeries -- including the removal of both kidneys, a liver resection and open heart surgery -- three rounds of chemotherapy and dialysis three times a week. Medications have caused a hearing impairment, and there's an incision that still hasn't healed five months after surgery. Following her latest health crisis, which included 11 weeks in intensive care, she lacks the strength and energy to walk, and allows her parents to transport her to and from the hospital in an oversize stroller.

Editor's note Alyssa Miller died on Thursday, just after this article was completed. Her parents asked that it run in its original form, to recognize the courage she showed in her short life and to acknowledge the hope that Beads of Courage can offer to other children with cancer.

"We've taken a very active part in her treatment," said her father, Marv Miller. "Part of that is because you feel so helpless. You try to find ways to bring a smile to her face, but some days, you just can't."

What always seems to bring a smile to Alyssa's face, however, is her bead collection. When the nurse presents a variety of beads for her to choose from, Alyssa's shoulders straighten, a grin emerges, her eyes sparkle and she breaks her silence with questions about how many she has earned this time.

Alyssa's mother, Maude Miller, said that Alyssa normally lays out all of the beads and narrows her selection to eight or 10. The process can take up to an hour, with mother and daughter conferring along the way.

It's all part of a program at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children called Beads of Courage, started in May for pediatric oncology patients, "to acknowledge and honor what they're going through," said nurse Pam Carey-Goo, the pediatric clinical coordinator. The 50 to 60 participants range from babies to age 22. Initiated by Jean Baruch, a nurse in Arizona, Beads of Courage is used in 10 hospitals nationwide, but Kapiolani is the first in Hawaii.

The first thing young patients do is spell out their names with lettered beads. Then they choose a small, round glass bead for each procedure, special accomplishment or event. If they receive chemotherapy, they earn a certain color bead. For radiation they get a glow-in-the-dark bead. There's a different one for staying in the hospital, and especially difficult events, such as losing one's hair, call for a custom-crafted bead in the shape of a head -- with hair.

On the last day of therapy, they select a handmade purple heart of courage bead. To accommodate youngsters who had begun their regimen before the program started, nurses sat down with parents and added up the procedures, so each patient could create a strand that accurately depicted his or her course of treatment.

"This is something that has helped Alyssa," said Carey-Goo. "It's important to her."

Kids string their beads on a black silk cord, to use as a necklace if they wish. But for most the collections are far too long to wear. Some teenage boys have glued theirs to a basketball or a train set, or placed them on wire to create a sculpture. No matter how they are exhibited, the beads become tangible displays of their owners' harrowing journeys.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Cheye Mokuhalii, 11, holds two beads he earned after undergoing treatment for Stage 4 Ewing's carcinoma. Cheye has collected more than 200 beads through the Beads of Courage program and says he will keep them even after he gets well.

Kapiolani hopes to start a pilot project with siblings, giving them beads to "symbolize how they're helping and what they're going through," said Carey-Goo. Brothers and sisters would collect their own, plus get an additional bead to give to the sibling with cancer, so they have matching sets. A red heart bead starts the set for people who do not have cancer but are involved. This includes professionals at the hospital.

"Nurses and other staff members are going through a lot, also," said Carey-Goo. "They fall in love with these kids. And I feel they need to be acknowledged for what they do and what they're feeling."

Beads of Courage was a success from the start. "Usually we present staff with new things, like computerized charting," said Carey-Goo. "But this program they embraced right away, and they're very busy." Physical therapists -- whose sessions can be especially difficult for kids suffering from serious illness -- have found the beads to be an extremely helpful source of motivation.

"I was thinking, 'This is kind of nice for the kids, and they'll have fun with it,'" recalled Larry Taff, who donated funds to start Beads of Courage with his wife, physician Kheng See Ang. "But it was so touching. We were all choked up. It's much more significant than we thought it would be in terms of how the kids and the nurses feel about it."

Carey-Goo agreed. "It's like, 'Look what I've been through.' It's very visual."

One glance at Alyssa's strand, which stretches nearly 30 feet, makes that clear. Actually, it should be longer because she has more than 2,600 beads for dialysis (depicted with 26 beads representing 100 each). "Her strand is beautiful, and it really symbolizes her fight against cancer," her mother wrote in an e-mail. "The great thing about this program is that every child who takes on this fight is able to see a physical representation of all that they have been through."

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Pam Carey-Goo, pediatric clinical coordinator at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, says the beads symbolize what each child has gone through during treatment.

Cheye Mokuhalii, 11, lives on the Big Island but travels to Oahu regularly with his grandmother June Kropfelder to treat a Stage 4 Ewing's carcinoma that began in his lower back.

"I used to be in a lot of pain, but chemo has been helping," he said from the lounge in Kapiolani's Pediatric Ambulatory Unit. "I couldn't sit down. I had to stand up all day at school, and I couldn't go in the car."

Most of his beads remained at home on the Big Island with his family, but he was happy to share details. Mokuhalii said he'd earned one for losing his hair and eyebrows. And tube insertions? "I got a lot of those," he said. "(The strand) helps me remember the hard times. It helps me be proud of myself because I did something I never wanted to do."

On a particularly difficult occasion -- when doctors told him the chemotherapy wasn't working after his first round -- he earned a bead with bumps on it, representing an unusually bumpy time.

"We try not to use it as a reward system, but rather as a recognition system," said Brenda Maglasang, a nurse who has worked with pediatric oncology patients for 12 years. "But the beads are more than a diversion. It's also a way for kids to really communicate what they've been through," especially to those who don't understand why patients can't come to school, play outside or be around anyone with a cold.

Did he plan to keep the strand of beads forever? "Yeah," said Mokuhalii. "In the future, I can look back and say, 'Wow, look what I've done.' It means a lot."

"You can actually see that you were brave," his grandmother added.

Maude Miller concurred. One day, she said, this strand "is going to mean a lot to Alyssa." To her parents, it already does.

© Honolulu Star-Bulletin -- http://starbulletin.com

big changes...

First, I want to thank all of you who so generously donated to Laura Brito's community workshop! Together we raised over $1000! She's just thrilled, and sends her thanks and hugs to all of you! If you'd like to make a donation, I'll continue the "10% off your beads" offer until the end of the month. Every dollar helps!

Now for my news...
October will mark my 10 year anniversary as a beadmaker. Amazing. And I think it's time for some changes in my website to commemorate the landmark, and to reflect more who I am and what I'm doing NOW. I'm changing the look, paring down the clutter, and even designing a new logo with the help of a couple Design Goddess friends. It's going to be cool!

And... the Secret Bead Club is going to close up the clubhouse. It's been wonderful fun, but I think we've outgrown it as a group. We need something that's still fun, but a little more grown up. Just a little! SBC will soon stand for "Southwest Beadist Colony"! Basically, a Beadist is anyone who loves beads. No guilt, no rules, no public nudity, no dogma, no ritual, no weird food. Just beads and whatever else makes your heart sing. For me it's even more than that, because beads are my life. I make my living with them. They're part of almost everything I do. While it's not a religion, it sure is a lifestyle! You can start to ponder what beadism means to you, and feel free to add your thoughts here.

I'll be sending out an email soon, explaining what we're up to, and asking you to simply reply to the email if you want to stay on my mailing list. With almost 1,000 names on my current list, it's a good idea to find out who really wants to be there. Everyone is welcome, but no one is held hostage!

There you go. I'll keep you posted as I get things sorted out. The new website will be ready in October. Stay tuned!

skunked

We have a major skunk problem in the neighborhood this year. Every night they come into the yard and stink us out. Last night Lucy (our dog) got sprayed in the face at bedtime. Hideous! Poor girl had to sleep in the studio, which really annoyed the cats. Rick went out first thing this morning for tomato juice. I mixed it with hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and shampoo. Then we both suited up in old clothes and gave her a bath. She hates baths. It was not pleasant for anyone involved... The good news - there was ice on the bird bath this morning, which means that the little stinkers will go into hibernation soon... hopefully not under our porch...

I'm quite sure we deserve some delicious vodka cream pasta for dinner tonight. It's a Rachel Ray recipe. I saw her make it on Oprah the other day, and have been dreaming of it ever since.
Maybe you need some too. If you can't come over, here's the recipe:

"You Won't Be Single for Long" Vodka Cream Pasta

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

From The Best Burger in America Discovered!

Serves 4

Printer-Friendly Version Review This Recipe

It's Rachael Ray's most romantic dish!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 cup vodka
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
• Coarse salt and pepper
• 16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

Serve with:

• Crusty bread, for passing

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic and shallots. Gently sauté shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan (3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup). Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Pass pasta with crusty bread.

* For more information about Rachael Ray, visit www.rachaelrayshow.com.

so far, so good

As of first email check-in this morning, we have 6 generous donations to the studio project. (Read the entry just below this one to find out more.) It's a good start, but come on, we need more help! I thought I'd introduce you to some of the folks who will so hugely benefit from this community workshop. Tavo is 15 years old, and is learning his way around a torch in Laura's small studio. Once the large space is built, many others in the village will be able to participate and become self-supporting. This will be a dream come true for so many lovely people who are struggling to make ends meet in a difficult part of the world. As you can see, the studio has a long way to go. I think there's one wall now, but the weeds will have to go, and a ceiling would be ever so nice. Please please please send a donation right now! Anything will help.

Besos (kisses) on your furry little heads! Again, here's the link to Laura's site. There's a PayPal donation button there, easy as pie! Laura Brito's Cuauchichinola Community Workshop Project

Hey SBC! Want 10%off???

I got an email from a customer this morning, pointing me to Laura Brito's website. I've heard of Laura, and know that she's well known, liked, and respected in the bead world. But we've never met, and I sure didn't know about the wonderful project she's working on! She lives in Mexico, and is in the process of building a community beadmaking studio for the residents of the village she lives in. The foundation of the building is done, and one wall is up. The next phase will need some cash, so she's put the word out for help and is getting a terrific response. The studio is going to happen. The people who use it will be able to make a living selling beads to the tourists who visit the area. And I want to help! All the information about the project is on Laura's link above. There's also a thread on Lampwork Etc., so you can find out more, se photos, and ask any questions you might have.

Now here's my plan. I'll be sending Laura a donation in the morning. Then I'm going to get to the studio and make lots more beads to post on Monday. I'll have florals, hearts, lotus beads, donuts... maybe more! I want all of my SBC members to make a donation to Laura's Community Workshop - at least $5, but more would be fine, thank you! Then send me a copy of your PayPal receipt so I can add your name to my list. When I post the beads on Monday, all SBC members who've made a donation will get a two hour jump on everyone else, plus I'll take 10% off your bead total! Easy and efficient. That's what I like.

If you're not an SBC member, you can still make a donation and do a very Good Deed.
If you're in the SBC, but make your donation later than Sunday evening, your 10% discount will be good through the end of September. Same goes for those who don't get the beads you want on Monday. You have until the end of the month to use your discount.
Clear? Here's the rundown one more time...

1. SBC members need to make a donation to Laura's studio by this Sunday evening.
2. Send me an email copy of your PayPal receipt.
3. You'll get a one time 10% discount on my beads, to use any time this month.
4. You'll also get a 2 hour head start on this Monday's beads.
5. I'll send an email to you on Sunday, letting you know what time I plan to post the beads.

That's it! Thank you in advance for your time and generousity. You've all shown me what splendid humans you are, so I know this will be a piece o' cake!

Muchos Gracias!
Kim

The blog connection...

You know, before the day I started this thing, I never once thought about blogging as something I wanted to do. That very day, my friend Sally (who really needs a web site so I can send business her way!) sent me a link to this fanciful blog, knowing my fondness for rhinos: Rhino Takes A Holiday. It got me thinking about rhinos and blogging and my own darling rhino who sits with me at the computer. Her name is Grace because I randomly set her on top of a little cutout from a box of Philosophy perfume, called Amazing Grace. I loved the words, saved the blurb, and named my rhino in the process. Then came the blog, and the rhino-blog-friend connection completes a circuit. Kind of like electricity. Well, maybe... As you can see here, I have a habit of gathering bits of stuff and pinning them up in my workspace. I like these things. They inspire and encourage me. They're little visual pep talks to myself.

The words on the Grace label go like this: "how you climb up the mountain is just as important as how you get down the mountain. and so it is with life, which for many of us become one big gigantic test followed by one big gigantic lesson, in the end, it all comes down to one word. grace. it's how you accept winning and losing, good luck and bad luck, the darkness and the light."

On my best days, all I'm really looking for is grace in a small life.

the best meal in a long time...

We went to Joseph's Table last night, to celebrate Rick's birthday. If you ever come to Taos, you really should plan to part with a few extra bucks and treat yourself to a truly fine meal in this beautiful place. We sat in one of these little draped booths, all lined with silk walls and pillows. So elegant, but not stuffy, as I'd feared. We had never been there before, and I knew it was super-nice, and thought that maybe they wouldn't even let me in if they knew the real me... I actually considered changing from by really beautiful, big turquoise purse to a small, respectable little black bag... So silly! This is Taos! I could have walked in in my work clothes and been treated wonderfully. Glad I took the turquoise purse - now I don't have to switch back today.

The food was every bit a delightful as we'd heard. And the courses meandered to our table with perfect timing, never leaving us waiting too long, and never rushing us to gobble up what was already in front of us. We had stuffed tempura squash blossoms, beautiful salads with light terragon vinaigrette, and a nice pinot noir to start. Rick had elk tenderloin with truffle reduction sauce, which he ooohed and aaahed over until the last bite. I'm a part-time-fish-eating vegetarian (a pescatarian?), so I ordered the goat cheese tartlet with artichoke and roasted fennel root. OhMyGoddess..... I can't even begin to describe the blend of flavors. Guess that's why I'm not a food critic. But, man was it good!

Dessert was warm chocolate cake, which we were required to eat because it was a birthday party. How nice of Rick to have a birthday just when I need a little pampering. We can't afford to do that very often, but we could go to the Butterfly Bar now and then for a tasty beverage and an appetizer. Life is good! See you at Joseph's!

Happy Birthday Rick!

Today is my sweetie-pie's birthday. I built him a blog site this morning.
He's a "Goatherd/Philosopher", so you know he'll have some interesting things to say...
as soon as I let him have a turn at the computer! Rick's Blog

My job today...

...is the same as it was 5 years ago on this date. I'm here to create as much beauty as I can. There's a line in an Amos Lee song that says, "Nothing is more powerful than beauty in a wicked world." Mmmm hmmm... I spent most of the day in the studio. It's how I add to the World Truth and Beauty Supply. I have to think it helps somehow. Hope you all had a good day. We have to remember where we've been, and we have to move forward. I don't want to sound like I'm making light of things, but all day I've been thinking of the Grinch story. I see us as the Whos, standing together even though so much has been taken from us, and holding hands and singing our beautiful song...

I've been published...

Do you have your copy of The Flow magazine? Volume 3, Issue 4 - it's the 2nd Annual Women In Glass Issue. I'm in there on page 18.
Also, the October/November issue of Beadwork magazine had a terrific tutorial by my pal Jean Yates on page 80. The "Flower Of Bollywood" necklace uses one of my Lotus Beads. Jean really makes me look good!

And my friend Rae is in the Taos News this week. She even mentions me as part of an upcoming fundraiser. Cool!

Know Your Neighbor: Rae Domenico
Investing in the community

By Kathy Cordova For The Taos News Community activist Rae Domenico revealed several wishes for her area of resi-dence in a recent interview. “We live in such a special, beau-tiful area. Because it is so wonder-ful, we need to be careful how we treat and manage it,” commented Domenico, officer of the Ranchos de Taos Neighborhood Association. Family Domenico, born and raised in Denver, hails from immigrant ancestors who moved to the U.S. from Italy in 1880. Memories of Denver’s “Little Italy,” hard-working farmers and construction workers, and stories about travel in horse-drawn carts comprise her back-ground. Part of her family’s legacy includes holding on to 80 acres of farm land in Colorado, despite pressure to sell it to developers. This heritage greatly impressed Domenico, so much in fact that she transferred her ideas into action in her own life. Domenico listed family as “those people who are important to me, regardless of whether or not they are blood-related,” she explained. Therefore, family, to her, includes several people with whom she associated in Australia. Some of the residents of Northern New Mexico pueblos also comprise fam-ily to Domenico. Occupation Domenico is retired from multi-media production work. She start-ed the Games Department at Hanna-Barbera Studios in Los Angeles. For six years, she helped create computer and video games for children. Then, Domenico joined Saban Entertainment’s Game Department (home of the “Power Rangers”) as a senior pro-ducer. The desire for a new challenge sent Domenico to Sydney, Australia, to help start a media department for Beyond Productions. “One day, I looked around and noted that most of the employees in my department were in their early twenties. I felt it was time to go. I headed back to the states in 2000,” the media creator related. Domenico returned to Denver and considered living in Tucson, Ariz. However, she traveled while deciding where to live. With a book listing information about pueblo feast days in hand, the traveler moved around seeking the special events. Several years ago, she set-tled in Ranchos de Taos. Recently, she created a new business called Four Ravens Designs. Domenico creates man-dalas that reflect inspirations of cultures from around the world. Using these ideas, she created a line of cards that reflects Buddhism, Christianity, American Indian, St. Francis and Persian influences. Six themes include the following: beauty, radiance, peace, balance, truth and love. The busi-ness owner combines computer and art skills to create not only greeting cards, but wrapping paper, laminated bookmarks, mini gift cards and magnets, some with inspirational messages in addition to various mandalas. “I’m starting out slowly. I make and cut everything myself, so it’s time consuming,” she smiled Hobbies and interests “I think it’s important for peo-ple to grow their own food, espe-cially with all the chaos in the world,” stated Domenico. She experiments in a small greenhouse, observing what worked and what did not. Unfortunately, the grasshoppers ate her outside crops (except the corn). She hopes that the combina-tion of starting the plants in the greenhouse and moving them out-side may provide a longer growing season. The fledgling gardener credits neighbor Ray Madsen as an inspiration for the vegetable gar-den. Domenico listed sustainable technology as an ongoing interest. She currently researches how to retrofit her home into an efficient dwelling. “It’s not so easy. There are many decisions to make. In fact, I’ll have a little help soon. My situation will be a case study for the National Bioneers Conference in California in October. The three-day event will have a satellite feed to Taos,” she explained. Domenico still follows the pueblo feasts. In addition, she hosts feasts of her own. Domenico’s friends know she loves to cook and bake. In this past year alone, she baked 1,500 lavender biscottis for the Taos Garden Club tour. On occasion, she hosts “make your own ravioli” parties. She also likes to make red and green chile jelly cookies, cakes, other goodies and Italian food Community involvement All of Domenico’s community work focuses on neighborhood issues. She serves as secretary of the Ranchos de Taos Neighborhood Association, work-ing alongside board members Orlando Santistevan, Hank Saxe, Tanya Vigil, Phynix Carlson and Christine Santistevan. “We started our issues with the Wal-Mart situation and then moved on from there. Two groups joined forces and completed bylaws. The county approved our association in July 2004,” she related. The group works toward pre-serving acequias, agricultural land, language and culture of the com-munity. The board hopes to work on a zoning map for boundaries, and listing residential, open, green agricultural and traditionally used land and other categories. To raise funds for this endeavor, the associ-ation plans an art prize drawing in September with donations from Michael Vigil, Tessa Còrdova, Vicente Mart'nez, Tupper Hawley and Kim Miles. She belongs to two Taos County steering committees to update the current land-use regulations and to work on a Future Growth Plan. The work remains an outgrowth of the county’s Complete Comprehensive Plan and Subdivision Regulations begun last year Plans and goals “We want a strong relationship with all the residences in the Ranchos area, providing a voice for all different concerns and opinions. At the county level, we’d like to organize the neighborhood associ-ations, with each group eventually enjoying the same designations and goals. We have much to do, but hard work and cooperation is the answer,” she concluded.

Megan Bowers Rae Domenico’s cards are created from world-wide cultural inspirations. ‘I think it’s important for people to grow their own food, especially with all the chaos in the world.’ — RAE DOMENICO

I'm Big In Japan...

...it's a Tom Waits song - loud and obnoxious. I actually love it every now and then. But what's really going on here is this cool email I got from the Kobe Lampwork Glass Museum. I donated a bead back in Kansas City this summer, and now it's home in Japan, with the little etched glass note I sent along with it. Things like this just please me to no end.


"Dear Kim,
Thank you very much for donating your wonderful work to the Kobe Lampwork
Glass Museum.
I placed your work as you suggested in your attachment photo.
Please come by the museum and the bead shop when you visit Japan.
I look forward to seeing you again.

Thank you
Sincerely,

Naomi Murata
Kobe Lampwork Glass Museum
Deputy Director"

Meet Me at The Barn Dance

I'm not working this weekend... how odd. We decided to go to Michael Hearne's Big Barn Dance Weekend last night, and it was so much fun, we're going back today. Last night was Songwriter Night - with a barn full of songwriters you never heard of, singing the songs they'd written that you've heard plenty of. These are the guys (mostly guys) behind the hits. I'm not a big country music fan, but I am a huge fan of real people doing what they do and making us all happy in the process. If you live anywhere near Taos, come on up today and meet us there! If you live far, far away, plan to come next year. Bring your boots. Your feet will want to scoot, even if you're a rocker! This picture is at the end of the evening, when all the songwriters got on stage to sing Drift Away, with Mentor Williams (he wrote it), Lynne Anderson, and a bunch of others. Very cool. That particular song has been recorded over 200 times. Now that's impressive.

What does a Beadist Pirate do for fun...?

We all know what a pirate is... but a Beadist? I made it up, so I'm the only one who knows. I'm still working on a nice concise definition, but for now I'll just say that while a regular pirate would pillage and plunder and steal from your ship, a Beadist Pirate is likely to do just the opposite. Part of my gig as a family-supporting beadmaker is to keep track of who's looking, who's communicating, who's buying, and of course, who's not buying. To keep this ship afloat, I need all of you. And so... as a way of rewarding my regular fans and supporters, and also as enticement for the Hesitant Ones, I'm going to start hiding Buried Treasure within my blog. I'm thinking of discounts, freebies, even chocolate! So many possibilities for fun! Aaarrrr! A dirty trick? No! Sneaky? No no! Just a way of seeing who's paying attention... there are rewards everywhere in life for those who simply pay attention...
Keep watching - the first treasure will be here soon. And please take a moment to post a comment here, especially if you're one of the Hesitant Ones. xoxo!

Greetings From Taos

Here we go, here we go...
It just hit me this morning, that I really should be doing a real blog. If I work it right, you'll be able to easily get to it from my website, and there will be archives and all the bells and whistles that go with this official sort of bloggy software. Who knows!? Maybe some of my very own relatives will start to keep up on what I'm doing... probably not...
Anyway - this is the new and improved Greetings From Taos page. I'll post my daily, weekly adventures here, along with pictures of this fun and weird little life of mine. Bead things will be mostly on my website kimmiles.com, with cool news here too. I hope you'll wander in often, and do feel free to leave comments. This seems like a good idea!