Beautiful Joyous Birthday Girl!!!

It's all true.

Grandchildren really are the coolest.

My own daughters are still and always will be the greatest possible humans.

But this generation they have begun are remarkable.

Happy First Birthday, Ellie!

Listen

Strange dream.  I invented a word: twinksies.  I have no idea what it means, nor what it meant in the dream.  It had something to do with Penni yelling at me for not showing up for our choir recital contest.  We were at some swanky hotel with many escalators.  I was carrying my white gown, like a graduation gown, but I was too terrified to go to the theatre where the competition was to be held.  We lost.  Penni said it was all my fault and I ruined it for her grandchildren.

We were never in a choir together and we were children in the dream.

Strange afternoon.  One of my favorite radio program has a repeat on Wednesday's daylight.  Quite different from the Thursday night hearing the show in a dark room with an almost silent outside.  Today it competed with auto and walking and bicycle traffic noises and the never ending generators growling.  The show was still just as good.

I also reorganized a large plastic container and found a ten year old journal.  Letters to and from some "ex-es" in many categories.  The first experiments where I first allowed myself to add collage and sketches.  Prior to this I felt like journals were only for writing.  And I was always afraid that someone would find it and laugh, criticise, or tease me about my writing.

And successfully made six copies.  I did not lose my temper and I did not break anything.  I listened to myself being patient.  Whoop De Do!

This is the third day I will try to call my friend for her wonderful present.  Seriously, a large cardboard box crammed with all the coolest stuff imaginable.  The perfect glitter rick rack I've been searching for and three skeins of exquisite yarn.  I feel like a princess.  But "the rule" is that one can't use a present until the giver has been thanked.  I've been thanking her verbally here but I'm not sure that counts.  But I don't think I can hold myself back much longer.

10-11-12 Plus One

Cool number from yesterday, yes?

I purposely avoided a specific blogity about the day itself.  Yet, there were several  successful moments for me.

But because of the crafty tricks my "hemorrhage' plays on me now, I cannot recall all the fun experiences right up to the front.  Sorry for  me, too.

Some I do remember:

 The bronze on Schemes and Themes.  And if you haven't started to listen to this program you owe it to yourself to do so  You often get to hear ME on the airwaves! Well, get to hear about me on the airwaves actually.  Since Ron and Wil will tell you they don't know how to get phone calls to play and they don't want to learn.  Which I love anyway!

Was able to regain single crochet steps.  Very beginning version, more than the none I could do for the past two months.  Have to replan the gift for Silas but I don't think he will mind.

Am finding the PBS "Call the Midwife" quite enjoyable.  Best watched with hot tea and shortbread cookies.

Received a great phone call from a dear, dear buddy who has just received 'almost' the job of her dreams.  And in this day and age and at the age we are both at 'almost' is pretty damn close!

And have contemplated just the perfect amount of my own mortality for all those so concerned for me.  Tee Hee.

The Day Silas Was Born

                                Astronomy Picture of the Day, NASA

Little Bitty Goody Goody

Yes, this was a cartoon from my childhood and consequently explains much.

The little goodies:

Simmering pot of oranges and cloves

Gold metallic rick rack

Completely unexpected floral arrangement from an amazingly thoughtful human

Stained glass

Very large rippled philodendron half price

Four new composition notebooks in four different colors
Palm cookies

Two more library books

Lee Krasner

Ice cubes

My black sweater

Voices from people I love

Snow Last Night

Chemex coffee carafe.  I wish I had mine back again.  This is an item I literally saved pennies to purchase.  (Embarrassed to admit that I first saw it on "Friends" long, long ago.)  It worked like a charm and I felt ever so sophisticated every time I used it.  I think I know where it is and if it is I will never see it again.  Alas.  For many reasons.

However recently I found some white plastic boxes in the trunk of Ancient Vehicle.  I have not removed them yet because planning how to get them out of the boot (always wanted to use that British vernacular...), into the rolling basket, up the ramp, through the ass killing entry door, and completely down the hallway without severe tears and injury... well, more than I can muster.  What I need are Old Testament slaves.

Anyway, there is a very, very slim chance my carafe is in one of those boxes.  I doubt it.  But if it is I will apologise on this spot.  And make an exquisite pot of coffee for myself and anyone interested.

And it really DID snow last night.  My photos suck as usual.  But the lilac leaves crumbled and the newly trimmed trees glowed.  The best part of the evening for me was Miss Ellie Bananas and her Mommy stopping by.  Ellie chomped on a cinnamon graham cracker and covered me with mushy crumbles.  I wouldn't accept that from almost everyone.  From that one, though, I relished it.

Maybe there is hope for October.

Goody Goody Happy Day!



One year ago...

The beautiful bride...

A beautiful bridesmaid...

Beautiful baby boy.

Each are all better today!

Have a great wedding, Juice, Juice's boys, and the other Juice!

Happiness and contentment forever!

xoxo, db

6:26 PM

Two perfect days here in the Midwest.

Both days had glorious special breezes (required for swell weather).  Leaf breezes.  Grass breezes.  Sifting evergreen into the windows breezes.  Even the ridiculous squirrels were stopping and popping on the sidewalk breezes.

The sky on both days were worth writing home about.  But, less admit it, sky blue in and of itself isn't something special.  There are a jillions blue shades that I prefer.  Cobalt.  Turquoise.  Cerulean.  Beany Malone bed room walls.  My grandchildren's eyes.
But when the sky has the cloudy condiments in the usual blue it is damn well acceptable.

Yesterday was a sweet shopping day.  Found each item:  wooden clothes pins, the blue toilet tank bowl freshener, hot Oke Doke cheese popcorn, votive candles, key lime yoghurt, and the giant coral cactus I've been scouting for two months.  Such a happy girl.

AND... I got to drive myself home in my precious Ancient Vehicle with two new tires!

Today I replanted plants.  Met the PT chap.  Spoke to five (FIVE!) of my favorite peoples.  Watched the Children Parade which I've missed this summer.  Made an almost perfect tuna sandwich.  Realized how lucky I am to have the daughters, friends and grandchildren that I have.  Especially today I am grateful

Oh, it got dark at 6:26 pm.  If it stayed a bit lighter a bit longer....oh, yeah... I'm focusing on gratitude.

Humbled

Sometimes I think if I had to pick just one female singer to listen to forever it would be k d lang.

Some Things Are Just Too Beautiful For Words

Balanchine knew his stuff

My New Hero

Editta Sherman

Photographer

Crusader for Tenants' Rites

Founder of the Fashion Institute of Technology

Feisty Broad

Happy 100th Birthday!



Read This

This novel was not an actual recommendation.  Baby Sister mentioned it during a phone conversation about another topic.  I wrote down the title as I was trolling for new authors at the time.  And I liked the cover.  I'm old.  Trust me, the cover matters!

When Library Guy brought my last sack of books I shuffled this one to the bottom.  It was heavier than expected; so I didn't want it to be one I lugged to the laundry room.  My laundry is enough of a load. Yikes!  Puns this early in the day hurt my head.  And three of my reserved books were authors I love and they, of course, ranked higher on my list.

Well, I consumed this book in three marathon readings.  Broken only to visit my new grandson and renew prescriptions.  Yummy!  I will say I figured out some of the "punchlines" but I was thrilled when the plot twisted in ways I had not anticipated.  A wholehearted recommendation from yours truly.  Those of you who can read, understand, and spell words of more than two syllables, and I realize not all of you have those abilities, should hunt down a copy of this book.

 I am so sorry the author is dead.

Yippee!!

To Welcome

Silas Cooper Smith

Lessons For An Old Dog

Yesterday was nifty.

Eight people were kind to me for no apparent reason.  Eight!  Three of them total strangers.  First my across the hall neighbor put the cotter pin back in the axle of my push cart.  Bless him and his funny moustache.

The windows in Ancient Vehicle no longer roll up or down; and so at the mailbox I struggled to make sure the envelopes landed in the slot and not on the pavement.  A lady with very twinkly earrings reached over and guided my hand.  "These things get farther and shorter every time don't they?" she asked.  Laughing and thanking her at the same time I agreed.

And at the gas station a tiny lady shaped like a plastic bride doll helped me pump my gas.  She was so tan her skin resembled leather and she spoke with a sexy smoker's rasp.  Her fingernails looked like talons with a swipe of purple at the tips and a row of sparkles as highlights.  She risked that glamorous manicure because she then poured a quart of oil into my car.  She did that for me.

I felt so lucky.

I swear if I'm ever able to walk properly again I am going to shower this world with good deeds.

Work In Progress

I tried to paint on this photo of my daughter and some of her friends.  The paint part was all pink and squiggly.  Apparently it didn't work, or did not survive the copy and paste process.  Maybe the image is floating in the cyber ether someplace, wafting on the currents of the interwebs.

Never fear.  The important portion is there.

My beauteous Eldest Daughter "hugely pregnant" as she'd be the first to say.  I can't believe how gorgeous she is.  Well, actually I can.  I don't think she's ever taken a bad picture.  You know the kind.  One eye is squinted crookedly closed.  Or spinach flecks are clinging to front teeth.  Or, and I see these a lot lately, gang signs are inadvertently flashed with mouths open and tongues outstretched. Yuck.  But this girl has always photographed well.  Especially now.

In a few days she will deliver this new baby.  Her first child weighed over ten pounds.  This baby is also predicted to be big.  It is such a blessing that my Daughter will be spared the work of labor and delivery and the baby can join the world safely.  Sometimes technology is a beautiful thing.

I think it is so cool that babies can just join you, just fall into a family as it were, and they are instantly loved and cherished.  I can't wait to meet this new little person.

So Proud That Day

And lest you think I am always bleak.

Bleek?

My spell checker is not functioning.

Is this a blessing?

Uber People Watch

New fave on this do nothing day:  the Sartorialist.   MMMMmmmmm.  His blog archives to 2005 and every page is delish.  The above is, believe it or not, a street person in New York.  Style IS all around us.

This darling splash is from 2011, Paris.  Contrasting the two photos is amazing.  What an eye this guy has.  I admit, I was in the dark as to the photographer, and was hoping he was an unknown, undiscovered amateur.  This is not the case and I don't mind a bit.
Such an intriguing blend of so many elements.  The young and not so young.  Famous and not.  Some so colorful and some that actually look as if they existed in black and white.  One wonders how many beautiful people garbed so fetchingly can congregate in one place.  How the settings and backgrounds can be so magical and so appropriate.  I wonder what drew him in for the above shot?  The overwhelmingness of the jacket or the underwhelming starkness of the wall.


Enough gushing.  Make your favorite adult beverage and prepare to be dazzled.  I'll probably get killed here in cyber land for using these images without permission.  Ah well.  Go here:        http://www.thesartorialist.com/biography/  And hail Mr. Scott Schuman. 

Recycle/Upcycle

Dancing Daughter emailed this photo to me last week.

Little beauties in some of her old recital costumes.

They don't quite have the cleavage; but I spy a  Hollywood smile in there.

Let The Boys Have The Dance Floor

But Damn!

Those Girls can SANG!!!

And I Was Rewarded

http://video.pbs.org/program/craft-in-america/

At last!  PBS has added eight new episodes!

Meet my new favorite artist:

I am so happy right now!