wonder day

Today, I was busy practicing taking close up photos of little things for my photography class. Fun.

Sway

Words flow, reaching

into crevices I’ll never know.

Words twist, trickle, thrive.

Words bring facts alive.

Words come, days pass.

Words alone last.

Words stand, pounding chest.

Words proclaim, words press.

Words dance, birthing light.

Words spin into might.

Do words make things,

or things words? What’s

the brightest ever heard?

Where did it go,

did it die, did it bleed,

where did the word lead?

Who can say what’s in a star,

where we were, or who we are?

Come, let’s make art

from letters. Come,

let’s make our world better.

Let’s climb the endless stair.

Let’s tarry into air.

Let’s free our spirits to rise.

Let’s purchase the skies.

Come, let’s have our say.

Come, join hands in sway.

                   -Kimberly Laustsen

.

world's easiest tote, sandwich, movies

Hello, Friend. I missed you over the weekend. Okay, yeah, maybe that sounds a bit creepy, but I'm sentimental like that. I even find myself apologizing to the doorknobs I bump into, so make that sentimental and klutzy. Anyhow, I am sending you all my best happiness vibes right now.

QG and I had a super-fun weekend hanging out with one lovely lady: our first-born, Lauren. She is my idol. And, we went to the wedding of an adorable young couple the same ages as our kids. So sweet. Ain't love grand? Oh, oh oh...I have some good movies to tell you about. But first, a craft and a sammie recipe.

Here's how to make the easiest tote in the history of mankind. You can use it for groceries, or to take when you go clothes shopping. Both of my daughters are fanatically green, and have inspired me to take sacks not just to the grocery store, but also to clothes stores, etc. I'm a bit lame about remembering this, so my scheme is to keep this tote beside the driver's seat of my car to remind me.

You will need a tank top, two neckties and thread. I used an old tank top that had gotten stretched out. If you use a thin tank, you may want to double it for more stability. You can keep it super simple and skip the ties if you want to, though without the ties your tote will only be a tote and not a groovy tote.

Step 1: Take the bottom hemmed edge of the tank and stack one on top of the other, folding the corners in a mitered fashion. Zigzag these edges together along both sides of the seam, catching both layers in each seam. Use a fairly tight and wide zigzag stitch. If the hem is narrow, then one seam across should be sufficient. Now, you have the basic tote. If you are feeling lazy: stop here. Or you can grab a cup of strong coffee and proceed.

Step 2: Take one of the neckties. Pin the narrowest portion to the shoulder section on one side of the tote. You will be sewing this on to loop around the whole bag and meet up with the other end. Pin the tie to the shoulder going down a few inches. Now, start at the top of the shoulder, and run a zigzag(same stitch setting as above) down the center of the tie attaching it to the tote, but starting on the side with the shorter (skinny) end. Do the same with the other (wide end of the tie) side, looping it around the bottom to meet up with (and perhaps overlap) the other end of the tie.

Step 3: Adjust the zigzag to be a bit less dense, and narrower. Now run that along each side of the wide tie edge working from the tip down the tote to the bottom of the bag, stopping at the bottom. This will prevent it from being too floppy. You are done.

Next: sammie.Here's a delectable sandwich idea from the other day: Pork Salad Deluxe. Take some slow-cooked pork. I used leftovers from crock pot pork and sauerkraut. Chop the meat well, and mix with equal parts low fat mayo and yellow mustard, then mix in some salt or truffle salt. Toast a piece of whole-grain bread. Plop the mixture onto the toast, then top with thin sliced sweet onions, bread and butter pickle slices, and white American cheese slices. Slide into toaster oven to toast till cheese melted. Enjoy with tomatoes, if you like tomatoes that is.

Lastly, two movie recommendations:

The Intouchables is a touching true French movie. It has sub-titles, but who cares. You want to run out and see this movie. It is about a paralyzed man and another man who comes into his life and changes it completely and forever. This movie just goes to show what one person can up and do for another. Also, this movie is funny, which is always a good thing. Lastly, this movie features a  mesmerizing dance to September, by E,W,& F. Baadeeaah... say that you remember... See this movie if you can.

Moonrise Kingdom is a quirky, interesting film which is almost like a storybook. This Wes Anderson movie is set in 1965. The sets are quaint and kitschy; the characters are lovable and flawed; the story is buoyant with a touch of dour. Go see it. You will like.

Friday delight day

Something delightful is about to happen in a few hours. Eeek. Can't wait. QG and I will head to the airport to retrieve an offspring. Lauren is coming home for the weekend! What could be better than that? Woot hoot!  She's flying all the way from Californey to see little old us. In honor of my gal, here are a few other delightful things.

  

Perfume, perfume, perfume. Can't get me enough of that perfume. As a fragrance lover, I have evolved. Before the accident, I was a one-bottle-at-a-time girl. That was practical. That was sane. But, now I have gone crazy. It all started with that second bottle. This was in the days of post-accident daily pain. It cheered me up to focus on which scent I would wear the next day. Then, I came upon a sale, and thought - wow- it would be even more fun to have three to choose from. With three, I could pick according to my mood, as each scent is distinct. Things snowballed from there, and  the result is above. Don't panic. At this point, I am no longer adding, only enjoying. An addiction? Maybe. But a delightful one which isn't hurting anyone.

Fruit. You've gotta love fruit, especially in summer. These pears are growing on Mumsey's tree next door. Aren't they pretty? 

The flower of the day from Bill and Harriet's yard, one street over. A feast for the eyes. 



Granted this picture isn't delightful, but laughter is. Every time I walk past this yard (which is at least once a day), it cracks me up. The photo's a bit blurry (sorry, my photography class only started yesterday), but, yeah, that's a keep off the grass sign. Aah, really? Come on, people... reality check. Your grass is dead.



the sanctity of the handmade

Last Friday, my friend Michelle and I stopped at a few garage sales before going out for her birthday lunch. At one, I got this needlepoint. It is meticulously done. The frame is tasteful. I love it.

The woman running the sale, the very one now selling this needlepoint for five bucks, told me that her deceased mother had made it for her as a gift. I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shout, "For the love of God, woman, why are you selling  this fine piece of art lovingly made by your own mother?" But I didn't. I bought it without even trying to haggle. It came with a few tufts of love, or their ghosts at least, still lingering.

As I was paying, the woman said," I can tell that you're a good person, and you will give it a good home." She could already see me appreciating the piece, now tucked in the crook of my arm. "Got that right, Sister!" I said. Only not out loud.

As I examined the picture, once home, my mind wandered back to the fall of my tenth-grade year. It's strange how a few seemingly insignificant events get replayed again and again, as if they hold a secret. I've been toting a certain green sweater around for years, but it hasn't told me everything yet.

In high school I had a friend, Lisa, who rode my bus. Her mom was a combination of Betty Crocker and Betsy Ross.  Her mom was perfect. One fall morning, Lisa bounded up the steps and plopped down beside me. I glanced over surveying her sea-glass-green sweater. It was the exact shade of her eyes, with three matching glass buttons across the shoulder. "Nice sweater," I said.

"Thanks. Mom just finished it last night."

I scooted down, propping my knees on the seat ahead, and sighed, thinking oh my gosh- this girl has no idea. She thinks this is how life is: you have a mom who knits you sweater after sweater and then sits and talks with you after school while you eat the snack she's made. 

Lisa thought the sweater was just a sweater, but I knew it was evidence. Evidence that Lisa had occupied her mom's mind during each moment it was being knit. Those thoughts were the sweater's true value. On one hand I longed for such a treasure. But on the other I kind of felt sorry for Lisa, thinking, this poor girl has a lot to learn about how life really is. In the end, of course, it turned out that I was the one with a lot to learn. Isn't that always the way?

Which just serves to prove one of my top five mantras: Live and Learn. To do that we've got to struggle sometimes and to make mistakes. We must attempt too-difficult feats. With  any luck, the tasks that defeat us will be larger and larger, leading to our growth.

Just promise me one thing. If someone makes you something by hand, something fine and lovely, please do not sell it in a yard sale for five bucks. When you die they can sell it, but until then keep it.  Cherish the item and the one who made it.

Cranberry Tomato Onion Dressing recipe

I've been thinking up a new salad dressing for awhile now, and finally got a chance to make it yesterday. Not bad, if I do say so myself. It's healthy, not too caloric, and easy to make. I hope you'll give it a try. Here's how to make my Cranberry Tomato Onion Dressing:

Chop up a medium onion. Saute it till translucent in a little oil. Add a 14.5 ounce can of no-salt-added diced tomatoes,
 and 1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1 teaspoon fresh chopped, or dried dill, 2 teaspoons yellow mustard, 1 Tablespoon molasses, 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 Tablespoons sugar, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, and 1Tablespoon distilled white vinegar.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for about fifteen minutes. Remove from heat, add 2 Tablespoons oil, then mix with an immersion blender (or in an upright blender) until fairly smooth. Put the dressing into a clean glass jar till cool, then you are ready to enjoy it on a salad.

on learning

Good day to you, beautiful people. I missed you over the weekend. Hope you had a good one. Lots of graduations went down around here. If you are a recent graduate, or the family member of a recent grad, then congratulations!

It has recently occurred to me how truly important a good early education is. Not that you can't try to catch up later, but if you can grasp basic science, literature, history, etc, early on, then, let's face it, your reach might extend a whole lot further.

When I was growing up, we moved often. That meant a lot of being the new kid. When you are the new kid, and you get dropped off at the school out in Podunk, USA, they stick you into any old class, like home decorating. You stare out the window a lot. You analyze everyone's outfits to the point where your speed in recognizing "Glamour Don'ts" is almost enough to qualify you for the Olympics. You discover fun new hobbies, like counting your freckles. You graduate never having gotten to dissect anything, or to learn calculus or physics. Who cares?, you think. That's how disengaged you become.

That was my story, though I did get to fall in love with calculus in college, as well as quantitative business analysis. But never the classics, literature, or history, as I majored in accounting because it was easy, and I wanted to be assured of finding a job. (Which I did, but guess what? I soon discovered accounting is boring. Worst of all, even the outfits are lackluster and not worthy of analysis.)

When my oldest daughter was in second grade, she started coming home crying day after day about being bored in school and not getting to learn. This was not whining. This was a frantic hunger for knowledge. I knew a little something about it. Unh un, I determined, picturing the many school years stretching out before her, this will not be happening.  My girl is going to get the chance to learn in school, and I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen. I became a berserko-fanatical tiger-mom when it came to securing the accelerated educational settings my kids needed. I was like a linebacker clearing the way for them to run full out for the touchdown. It was no easy task, but I believe that everyone has the right to run full out, no matter how fast or how slow that happens to be.

This brings me to my recent discoveries. Now that my kids are launched, I've started catching up on all that I missed.

My friend, Judy told me about the Great Courses: college courses to watch and/or listen to at home. Lots of libraries carry some of these. I'm, almost done with Books That Have Made History: Books That Can Change Your Life, by Professor J. Rufus Fears. I'm happy to report that not a single one of his lectures has been boring. Yea, Professor Fears! After tackling the classics, I might just decide to dissect something.

So, in conclusion, let us remember it is best to learn early, but better to learn later than never.

flower Friday

Just a quick post, as I am off to play bridge soon. Yeah!!! Bridge is the best game ever invented. I would be perfectly content to play every single day. Please, God, can you arrange that for me? If not, than I would be willing to alternate with Boggle and 42 in dominoes.

When QG and I went to the historical park on Monday, we also wandered into a park right beside it. This park has a rose walk, and a bazillion different kinds of daylilies, all of which were in full bloom. How does one get so lucky, as the roses of every hue were also in spectacular flower, and many were the old fashioned kind that actually have a scent. Heavenly.