By: Alkelda,
on 8/11/2009
Q: What is the difference between a cat and a comma?A: One has claws at the ends of its paws. The other's a pause at the end of a clause.It was only one digit-joint that got squished in the car trunk door, yet the pain has sapped my energy and curtailed my sewing. Last Saturday was also the 6th anniversary of my youngest brother's death. I usually put some sort of marker in honor of him on this
By: Alkelda,
on 8/8/2008
This day has come around again. Thanks to Elaine Magliaro for introducing me to Sherman Alexie's Grief Calls Us to the Things Of This World, for that is the poem that comes to mind today on this breezy sunny day in Seattle. For the past three days, I have been reading aloud E. B. White's Charlotte's Web to Lucia. Thanks to both my husband and Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast for alerting
By: Alkelda,
on 8/8/2007
In memory of my brother Bartholomew, May 11, 1979 August 8, 2003:
Changes, by Phil Ochs
Sit by my side, come as close as the air,
Share in a memory of gray;
And wander in my words, dream about the pictures
That I play of changes.
Green leaves of summer turn red in the fall
To brown and to yellow they fade
And then they have to die, trapped within
the circle time parade of changes.
Scenes of my young years were warm in my mind,
Visions of shadows that shine
'Til one day I returned and found they were the
Victims of the vines of changes.
The world's spinning madly, it drifts in the dark
Swings through a hollow of haze,
A race around the stars, a journey through
The universe ablaze with changes.
Moments of magic will glow in the night
All fears of the forest are gone
But when the morning breaks they're swept away by
Golden drops of dawn, of changes.
Passions will part to a strange melody
As fires will sometimes burn cold
Like petals in the wind, we're puppets to the silver
strings of souls, of changes.
Your tears will be trembling, now we're somewhere else,
One last cup of wine we will pour
And I'll kiss you one more time, and leave you on
the rolling river shores of changes.
Sit by my side, come as close as the air,
Share in a memory of gray;
And wander in my words, dream about the pictures
That I play of changes.
Chords to the song courtesy of Heartwood Guitar Instruction. My guitar teacher taught me substitutes for F sharp Minor and B minor chords. If you want to know what they are, email me. (Trust me, they're not that bad.)
Here is a video clip of Phil Ochs himself playing the song.
By: Rebecca,
on 4/19/2007
I’ve been a vegetarian for over a decade and inevitably, when I meet someone new, they end up asking me questions. How and why did I stop eating meat? Do I miss it? Do I cheat? Long ago I stopped telling them the real story (which is dreadfully boring) and started recounting the scene below from The Simpsons.I imagine I’m not the only one out there that uses The Simpsons to prove a point. Well, our friends over at the DNB have created a very special happy birthday treat for The Simpsons fans. Keep reading!
By: April Henry,
on 2/15/2007
We have so much in common!
For example, today is his birthday and mine's only a couple of months away.
Plus, his cartoons first were shown on the Tracey Ullman show, and I have seen Tracey Ullman in person in a one-woman Broadway show where portrayed the mother of Errol Flynn's underage wife! (Full disclosure: I will admit it was kind of a weird show.)
Plus, Matt is from Portland, and so many references in the show are from Portland. We have streets here named Terwilliger, Flanders, Powell, Quimby, and Lovejoy - just like characters in The Simpsons. (Yet another connection: I once interviewed a woman who graduated from nursing school in 1918 and was taught by Nurse Lovejoy herself!) And then there's the power plant, just like Trojan, and a scenic Gorge, just like Columbia River Gorge.
I'm such a demented fan that I was saddened when he got divorced.
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Thinking of you with love.
Take care of your thumb and your heart, Farida.
My voice teacher always said to breathe through the pauses.
Breathe.
Excessive stress makes one more accident-prone. Some R&R is the best thing you could do for yourself, I think.
Thank you, all. Adrienne is dead-on about the stress levels. Right before I slammed my thumb, I was upset that Lucia had run out to the street-side of the car to avoid a dog on a leash. I know it's irrational on her part, but I need to figure out a way for her to deal with her fear of dogs.
I did tell her that if she could do her part to face her fear of dogs to the point where she practices safe behavior and can go to houses with dogs without freaking out, then Bede and I would do our part to get over our fear of Chuck E. Cheese or some other overstimulating venue that intrigues her!
Thinking of you. Hugs.
Funny bargain. Marigold started running for the street in fear of a dog this evening. He was barking fiercely and bounding at her, though, so I sort of understood, but he was chained and couldn't reach us. She's scared of dogs mostly but not all dogs - I can't predict which ones get exempt somehow.
The dog thing is hard. JR is scared of those damned pugs our neighbor has because they chased her. They're harmless things, but it's made her dog wary, even when they're on a leash.
On the other hand, our dear friends who we stayed with last week have a part beagle, part lord knows what that seems to think she's a cat. JR is shy of her, but still says "I LIKE Kiara!"
I too was terrified of dogs, but got over it thanks to my cousins LARGE, but utterly sweet German Shepard/Collie mix. Give her time. She has to work this out on her own.
Ice that thumb and let your brain rest for a bit. Inspiration will return when you least expect it. With me, it's usually when I'm in the shower or something....
Just rest. Rest your digit. And your soul.
Thank you all. The thumb seems to be on the mend finally (no waking up from the pain anymore) and I've started doing some sewing, though I'm still a little clumsy. It's been just Lucia and me these past few days while Bede is at GenCon, and it's a different pace as a result. One of the things I brought out that I had been saving was a Fairytale Spinner Game made by eeBoo (you can do an internet search for it if you're curious). It would be fairly simple for one to make a homemade version of the game with drawings or cut-out pictures. I bought it with book credit. :) It's helped to kick-start Lucia's storytelling in a different direction by spinning for a setting, main character, rival, mode of transportation, magical helper and magical talisman. We're pretty fluid about the rules, and it's enjoyable to hear her different versions of stories inspired by the visuals.
Regarding dogs, she stiffened and walked fast when she saw a dog on a leash today, but she didn't strain and bolt. I was proud of her, and told her so. Sometimes I wondered if things would be different if I loved dogs. Library Lady, you're right about Lucia ultimately having to work this out on her own. I just don't want to miss giving her a tool she needs.
sending you good thoughts from across the pond
xoxo
nancy