Friday, August 16, 2013

Wonder

Clackamas County Fair...  instilling wonder since 1906


 Note the "Milk a Cow" station behind them in the video!
Shhhhh!  Babies sleeping!



 This mama pig had adopted the two little brown piglets from another mama who couldn't feed them.  
So sweet!
 This horse's coloring was so different!  He looked like a paint-by-number.



It's tradition to end the day on the fair train.  What a happy lot we are!  

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Light

Amazing pre-sunset...and the accompaniment was also amazing.  The church doors were open wide and William Byrd music was spilling into the evening.  Such a perfect moment.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Summer Staple

Homemade pizza!  Granted, I have to turn on the oven, but this has been an almost weekly treat all summer!  Pillsbury thin crust, Newman's marinara, broccoli and cheese for Jack; arti hearts for Lily, various veggies for the grown-up end.  Yum and yummer!

Dark

A Hair (almost) Haiku

Dark was my mood.

The worst haircut ever.

Stupid Bishops.

Sunday's Theme

This was an odd one for a Sunday, but I'm plowing on.

Sunday:  The last thing I bought was...

The perfect summer hat!  
This hat had it's inaugural wearing at Por Que No, which seemed appropriate.  

It's second outing will be to the county fair on Thursday.  That aughta break it in just right!


Monday, August 12, 2013

Lily's New Dress

Just finished up a new dress for Lily.  I'm making a dress for me from the same fabric. And one for Pup, because of course Pup needs one, too!

Friday, August 9, 2013

Thursday's word: Joy

I just have a picture.  This is Lily in her element:  surrounded by friends, being silly.
JOY!

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Wednesday - I'm Passionate About...

hmm... another tough one for me.

I'm passionate about... whatever is in front of me at the moment.  Seriously.  I'm just about that fickle.  I dive in to things head first, then love them like crazy for a while, then see something shiny and dive in to THAT.  I don't stop loving the first thing, I just don't spend as much time with whatever it is.

I think I'm part magpie.  But i don't collect shiny objects to attract a mate.  Part of the beauty of this guy is that he loves me DESPITE the fact that I collect shiny objects.  And maybe a little bit because of that (at least, that's what I tell me).

I can't choose one thing that I'm passionate about, so I'm going to kind of wimp out on this one.

On to Thursday.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Wild

Today's word was wild.  I've gotta say, there was nothing from dawn 'til dusk that was even remotely wild in my day (except the trail of ants in my kitchen).  I gave up and thought I'd maybe double up on something tomorrow or make something up.  So I settled in to my Netflix that's been waiting a few days...

oh. my. lord.  I watched it alone.  I need a hug.



wild?  primal is more like it.  Ballad of the Sad Cafe, oddly enough, is a Merchant Ivory production.  You'd never guess it except perhaps by the music; there is no tea and definitely no rolling hills of grass with ladies in gowns.

Now, I love Carson McCullers' writing, (author of the book that inspired the movie), which is why I put this movie in my queue in the first place.  I could taste the grit of this movie from the first frame.  Filmed in 1991, setting:  rural dustbowl south, 1930's ish? early 20th century, anyway. Starring Vanessa Redgrave (whom, I never noticed before, most certainly must have sired Tilda Swinton) and Keith Carradine.  Odd movie.  The wildest of the wild was the "sleeves up, weapons down, gather the town, and fisticuffs" between man and wife.  Crazy.  Base.  Shocking.  Heartbreaking.  I won't tell the story, it's easily googled.  But I'll just say, it definitely fits today's word.

The town pastor's speech broke my heart.  I'll post it below if you're interested.  but first one other quote from the book that wasn't in the movie.

I'm emotionally drained.  Brushing my teeth and going to bed.  All my best to you!  ~ v

“A most mediocre person can be the object of a love which is wild, extravagant, and beautiful as the poison lillies of the swamp.” 
― Carson McCullersThe Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories

“First of all, love is a joint experience between two persons — but the fact that it is a joint experience does not mean that it is a similar experience to the two people involved. There are the lover and the beloved, but these two come from different countries. Often the beloved is only a stimulus for all the stored-up love which had lain quiet within the lover for a long time hitherto. And somehow every lover knows this. He feels in his soul that his love is a solitary thing. He comes to know a new, strange loneliness and it is this knowledge which makes him suffer. So there is only one thing for the lover to do. He must house his love within himself as best he can; he must create for himself a whole new inward world — a world intense and strange, complete in himself. Let it be added here that this lover about whom we speak need not necessarily be a young man saving for a wedding ring — this lover can be man, woman, child, or indeed any human creature on this earth.

Now, the beloved can also be of any description. The most outlandish people can be the stimulus for love. A man may be a doddering great-grandfather and still love only a strange girl he saw in the streets of Cheehaw one afternoon two decades past. The preacher may love a fallen woman. The beloved may be treacherous, greasy-headed, and given to evil habits. Yes, and the lover may see this as clearly as anyone else — but that does not affect the evolution of his love one whit. A most mediocre person can be the object of a love which is wild, extravagant, and beautiful as the poison lilies of the swamp. A good man may be the stimulus for a love both violent and debased, or a jabbering madman may bring about in the soul of someone a tender and simple idyll. Therefore, the value and quality of any love is determined solely by the lover himself.

It is for this reason that most of us would rather love than be loved. Almost everyone wants to be the lover. And the curt truth is that, in a deep secret way, the state of being beloved is intolerable to many. The beloved fears and hates the lover, and with the best of reasons. For the lover is forever trying to strip bare his beloved. The lover craves any possible relation with the beloved, even if this experience can cause him only pain.” 
― Carson McCullersThe Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories

Monday, August 5, 2013

The Happiest Color

If seaglass was a color, I'd pick that.  But aqua blues and turquoise are my favorites by far.  Blue in general.  From the deep grayblue of Jack's eyes all the way to the candy aqua of Lily's tutu swimsuit.

Sunday's Word was VIBRANT



I Love Paris in the Springtime...

Weekend Inspiration

Saturday was "I'm grateful for..."

I asked the kids at breakfast to think about it thru the day and report back to me at dinner.  What are you grateful for?

Jack, of course, said plainly and simply:  Daddy.

Lily - her jury is still out.  I think we're related.  I'm grateful for so many things!  How can I possibly choose just one thing?


  • flowers in my garden
  • a dishwasher 
  • beautiful family
  • sweet friends
  • blueberries
  • comfy couches
  • sunshine after rainy days
  • rain after sunshiny days
  • deodorant.  Not just mine.  Yours, too.
  • good summer reads
  • fun, pulpy summer reads
  • cheery, painted toenails
  • Beverly Cleary
  • a healthy body with muscles and joints that don't ache
  • reasonably good eyesight
  • Dan
  • sweet in-laws.  All of 'em.  I lucked out!
  • tutus on Lilys
  • the sweetest kids ever (mine!)
  • the best parents.  seriously.
  • Bishops.
  • the gift of music.  from hillbilly to jazz.  Love it.
  • Color!
  • and.... decaf coffee that doesn't completely suck.  (Thank you, New Seasons, for your walk-up window that's open from 7 to 2 every day of the week.  and my puppy thanks you for her cookies, too.)
Now - I just wish I had photos to go with all of this!  Wouldn't that be fun?  

Friday, August 2, 2013

Solitude

Sometimes we can have solitude together.

I lost a post...

Somehow, my Patterned post from yesterday just plopped off the planet.  No clue what happened, but I apologize.

I was just saying that Ez at Creature Comfort made a creativity/instagram inspiration list for August and I was going to play along.  Yesterday's word of the day was Patterned.  I made a bracelet with a repetitive and reflective pattern and that's all I have to say.  Cuz I'm lazy and don't want to rebuild the entire blog.  bye!