Cate Anevski

A great way to start the day

I have a goal to purchase a home by the end of the 2013 tax season. In line with this goal, I moved this year into a very modest apartment. Not only am I low on square footage; my apartment is in an attic, making the cubic footage in short supply as well.

However, a wonderful thing about my home is a small front porch with a tremendous view. With a sky like that, who cares about a low ceiling?

I hope to share some photos of my teeny home soon, but I'm still working out quite a few kinks related to having a living space and an office/studio in such a small space. Once I'm happy with the look of things here, I'll be sure to share.

Neighborhood Kitties

I love spying on all the sweet kitties that meander the streets of Portland. My little lady is a strictly indoor cat (I've never had an outdoor cat come to anything other than an untimely end), but I always enjoy taking a gander and other people's feline friends.

Edible landscaping at Portland's City Hall

Check out that amazing rainbow chard!

The little white flowers in the background are strawberry blossoms. I never knew they make such a lovely groundcover. Who needs lawns when there are fresh berries to be had?

The Best Yarnbomb Ever

Found on Hawthorne Boulevard, not too far from SE 50th Avenue.

I love having a dog in my life.

Success!

Every spring, I get the itch to start gardening, which can be tricky when you live in a small, dimly lit apartment. I always try container gardening, but there is a lot to learn about growing food in a small container, and I tend not to have a very large harvest from my efforts. Of course, the real goal is an excuse to play in the dirt, so in that respect, I'm always successful.

It's nice to be able to really reap the rewards from gardening, and this year I'm well on my way. I planted radish seeds in a window box on my porch before it even stopped snowing out here, and I already have delicious vegetables to show for it. I'm trying a few lettuces and herbs and even a tomato plant as well, so I'm excited to see how things go.

On a side note, does anyone know a good use for radish greens and the spindly roots? I'm not so sure I like the way they taste plain, but I'd love to find a way to utilize every part of my harvest.

Relaxation

As I mentioned before, I spent some time out on the coast last week, which was just wonderful. So wonderful, in fact, that I'm doing it again next week. Have I mentioned recently how much I love living near the ocean?

Herman Creek

In a failed attempt to get to the not-at-all-forebodingly-named Starvation Creek Falls, Tony and I stumbled upon this little gem in the Gorge. It didn't seem to have a proper name, but the closest sign read Herman Creek, so that's what I will call it. Despite a brief run-in with a horde of deer ticks, this is perhaps one of the most idyllic spots I've visited in Oregon. It required a bit of a climb to get to the most beautiful spots, but once we made it to the top, everything around us was covered with soft, spongy moss and volcanic rock. The wildlife was incredible and included a community of swallows that put on an airshow for us at the edge of a cliff.

The Earth Laughs in Flowers

I got a sunburn and two beestings yesterday. It was glorious!

Spring has sprung!

Or, you know, not...

Something is wrong with my next door neighbor, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

A Gray Day Adventure

Today, to take a break from tax season desk work, my friend and classmate Rhonda and I decided to hike Multnomah Falls. It started out magical, as always, and just got better and better.

Despite the relatively warm weather of the Portland area, and its almost complete lack of snow, as we climbed in elevation, I started seeing white sprinkles here and there.

Rhonda assured me these first inklings were just a preview of coming attractions, but, snow starved as I am living in this part of the country, I was slow to believe her. Of course, she was right.

The further we ascended, the winter-wonderland-y-er the world became. In fact, we even saw one of these (an elusive beast in my neck of the woods)!

And our trek included snowflakes that fell on my nose and eyelashes. How splendid!

Of course, all good things must come to an end, and eventually we had to leave the enchanted forest to face the real world... but only until the next hike.

In which Cate rambles aimlessly about her aims

I accidentally snapped this picture of myself a couple of days ago while trying to adjust my camera settings, and I feel it sums up my recent life quite well. I mentioned previously that I'm moving soon (next week, to be exact), and I have quite a few other changes going on, too.

I realized that I never shared one of those changes with my blog readers, and in the interest of sharing some of my artistic motivation, perhaps I should. Two years ago, I decided I no longer wanted art to be my profession. While I dearly love creating, creating for the sake of feeding myself and keeping a roof over my head is not fun for me. I've spent a lot of time since graduating college trying to find a way to make a solid career out of creative work, and at every turn, I enjoyed the process less and less.

So, as I mentioned, I made a change two years ago. I decided one day, while bored and unhappy at my day job, that I wanted to be an accountant. A week later, I was registered for the coursework that would start me on a journey to become a CPA.

I bring this up now because I realize how much that journey has taken me away from my artwork. Trying to put myself through school (with the support of my amazing family) while avoiding destitution and creating regularly has proven to be extremely difficult. However, I am practically at my destination, now. This past week I started working as a tax accountant, and I absolutely love it.

It will probably be another year or so before my life gains some stability, but I am so happy with my current trajectory. I've managed to situate myself at the bottom of a ladder I will enjoy climbing rather than desperately hanging on at the middle of one that doesn't make me happy. Within a few months, I will have finished my coursework, and then I can begin the CPA exam. After that, I'll be able to simply focus on building my career.

My ultimate goal is to combine my love of art with my love of taxes. (No, seriously, I love them!) I want to work with artists and other sole proprietors and small businesses doing consulting and tax work. The best part of all: I can do the bulk of my work from January to April (when art sales tend to be abysmal anyways), leaving the rest of my year free to enjoy life and create.

And so there you have it—the real reason I tend to leave this blog unattended so often. For whatever reason, "I was too busy embroidering to finish my paper" just doesn't seem to fly with my professors. And so, my wonderful readers, as long as you can forgive me for leaving you hanging from time to time, I look forward to sharing with you all those things I make just for the sheer joy of it.

Get Back to Work!

The little taskmistress who keeps me motivated. Or else!

New Year's Eve Day

I hope that everyone had a beautiful and safe New Year's Eve this year. I decided I needed to get some sort of exercise after all the delectable holiday goodies I've devoured over the past few weeks, so my boyfriend, Tony, and I hiked the Eagle's Creek trail in the Columbia Gorge.

I'd never hiked the gorge this time of year before, so I was in for a real treat. The trail was full of waterfalls and rushing rivers from the melting snow on the mountains above, and everything that stood still for more than a minute was covered with moss and mushrooms. I can't express how much I love living in the Pacific Northwest.

The last picture here show's Tony's dog, Roofus. Try as I might to get a real photo of him, he was just too excited to sit still. I suppose he didn't want to collect any moss.

Happy Holidays

I hope that everyone is enjoying a wonderful holiday season this year. One of the things I did to celebrate this year was visit Peacock Lane here in Portland.

For the uninitiated, Peacock Lane is a neighborhood block in town where every house is required to decorate for the season. There are so many wonderful displays, and it's fun to see how everyone gets into the spirit using their own personal style.

Many of the displays are handmade, like this hand-painted Muppets cutout. (As a side note, I saw the new Muppet movie, and this is my new favorite thing.)

No holiday is complete without flamingos!

May your days be as merry and bright as this home, and your success as large as its electric bill!