last day

Yesterday morning. Stormy skies.

Today was the last day of school at McCoy, where I am a crossing guard. I must admit that such an occasion fills me with nostalgia. When my girls were in school, last days were special. Traditionally, we spent them going to the library to sign up for summer reading club, and staying up till all hours of the night enjoying our freedom together.

     For me, those days are gone, but if you still have kids at home, let me just say to you: enjoy it. Do not ever wish to speed up the clock. The clock will toll soon enough. For now, open your arms and hug those miracles still abiding with you. I am not trying to be maudlin. In fact, I am trying not to be, as I recognize that all good things must come to an end. And my girls were good things. The best things, in fact. But alas, time moves on. We grow. We breathe. We shuffle along.

     To celebrate the last day, I went to a special place. Goodwill, of course. I snagged a schweet bag for Agnes, my camera for $1.99, and a Kate Spade bag (authentic, I think)

 for $1.99, a vintage tie, a block print for six bucks, and three bumpety avocado green drinking glasses, which I am drawn to for some unknown reason, for 99 cents each. Not bad.

     Also, I bought a bingo scratch-off, in honor of Kelly, as that is our tradition. I have not scratched it off yet, but if I send tomorrow's post from some distillery in Scotland, then you will know that I hit it big, and caught the red eye for the peat bogs where I long to roam one day.

     Next, I stopped at a nearby library, which has a much better DVD collection than my own town's library has, as well as several Great Courses offerings. I got  a BBC DVD, and the Great Courses CD: Natural Law and Human Nature Part One, which I plan to start tomorrow. Wish me luck.

     Ooh. Ooh, ooh. One more thing. I have been driving around for about nine months with a Best Buy ten buck GC in my purse. Today I stopped in. Here's what my GC got me:

                                   I'm lovin' it. Lovin' it, people.

     On a last, random note, I wanted to recommend two movies. One is Bernie, with Jack Black, currently showing in selected theaters. It is stellar. Jack and Shirley MacLaine, and Matthew McConaughey are perfect in it, but the true stars of the show are the local citizens of Carthage, Texas who give candid interviews, woven throughout the film, on the events featured in the movie. A priceless and wildly entertaining film. Secondly, Mao's Last Dancer: a masterpiece. Stunning dancing. Intriguing story. Based on true events. See it, Buddy.

unfurling the blanket

On Monday, Quiet Guy and I decided to dig up a local adventure. It is amazing what you can find  nearby if you're skilled at nosiness. We ventured to the Farmers Branch Historical Park.

     Here's the cool thing: I heard about the park from one of my little friends at the school where I work. She's in third grade, and all of the third graders went there for a field trip a few weeks ago. I've known this little gal since before she was even one. When I worked at the library, I did the mother goose storytime for babies and her grandma would bring her every week. Now, here she is informing me of local attractions.

     Don't cha just love life?  And exploring? Especially if you're not in a hurry. Especially if you can amble with no agenda. I know life is busy. But sometimes you need to chuck it all: enjoy a slow day unfurling the blanket of this old world to gather up its pleasures.

     I'm a sucker for historical villages, and this place was a real find. We completely scored, as the buildings are usually closed on Mondays, but the kindly maintenance man, being caught up on his duties, offered us a comprehensive personal tour of all of the buildings, with a heaping helping of trivial factoids thrown in on the side. One does not refuse such an offer. It was fantastic. We all but had the entire park to ourselves, and spent a couple of hours drinking it in. Here are some highlights:



forge

Gilbert Home built in 1856

girl meets camera: a love story, plus beef jerkey recipe

When I started this blog, I thought it would be all about the words, as I am a word lover. But then, into my life came a camera: an average Joe. He gave way to a better camera. Her name is Agnes. It is now official: Agnes and I are are in love. We progressed quickly through crush and "in like" to the real deal: l-o-v-e.

Here's what I've discovered: photography and poetry are two sides of the same coin. In both, you are trying to capture a moment; a transcendent moment. In both, it is you and a concept, or idea that you are reaching for. The reach is interesting. Also, let it here be said that one is never too old to learn. I am learning about photography. That, too, is exciting in its own right.

So, yesterday, I took 747 pictures. The hard part is choosing which to put up here. First, I'll start with beef jerky. QG bought a dehydrator in order to make foodstuff for his Appalachian Trail hike last month. He made most of his own food, including dried spaghetti sauce and beef jerky. This got me interested in making various kinds of beef jerky, as heretofore, I thought such a thing was difficult. It is not. I made some yesterday. Here's what you do. Get some London Broil beef.


Slice it 1/4 inch thick, or slightly thinner. Marinade it in Allegro Marinade, Original for a day or so. Pat dry. Sprinkle with McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak, or Grill Mates Mesquite seasoning. Put onto the dehydrator rack. Dehydrate for about six hours.

Enjoy the delish beef jerky. Tomorrow, I will tell you about yesterday's adventures. Thank you for reading this blog. You are awesome. I appreciate your light in this world.

picture day

Ain't no tellin' why picture taking makes me so happy. It just does. Go ye therefore and do likewise, making merriment in thy heart, wheresoever it may be found.

Mister Friendly Moth

Mister Friendly Moth in sunlight

Ten-hut!

At ease.

the flower gossips

Just a little bit higher.

What?

Whatever.

Yeah. We cool.

Am I blending in?

Buttery McButterfield

there

here

Orangey McOranegster

waiting

All the ties in all the world, but never enough for me.

The Leatherers

the true confessions of a fabriholic