New pages, testing out my new doodle journal, Christmas gift to myself, December 26, 2009, images © 2009 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.

 
 
 
 
Today is all mine. It’s almost two and still I’m dressed in my light blue, light flannel pajamas. They’re old-fashioned, the kind of button-down-top and pants that Ricky Ricardo and Lucy used to wear. As Jim said, “Now if someone comes over early on a weekend, you won’t have to scramble to get dressed.”

No scramblin’ today.
 
 
 
 

my three cranes

 
 
This was the view from my kitchen window yesterday morning. The three cranes who’ve been hanging out here for over a month had meandered up to the spot where the pasture meets the patio—the closest point to the house without actually being on the patio.

One crane stands sentinel while the other two eat or preen. If they catch us in the window watching them, they sometimes stop what they’re doing and stare back. Us watching cranes watching us watching them.

It’s reminiscent of that spring when we had nearly two dozen turkeys lounging on the patio furniture, including the farm table that’s pushed up against the exterior wall of the kitchen. Turkeys looking in on us, and now cranes. Birds, Big Birds, are social animals. Either that or curious ones.
 
When I crept out the sliding glass door over to the low wall that separates patio from pasture, the cranes booked on out. They didn’t take flight, but they wandered away on their incredibly long and skinny legs to a more comfortable gazing distance.
 
 
 

December Cranes, cranes in the pasture on December 28, 2009, photos © 2009 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.

November Cranes, same cranes, November 28, 2009,
photo © 2009 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.

changing tradition

 
 
My sister Patty and Mom made Christmas tamales this year. It’s a tradition in our family. Patty suggested that Mom try adding red chile to her masa this time around. Mom had never done that before. Normally the masa is made straight up—corn mixture and water or broth. Not being the most traditional of women, however, Mom agreed to the change.

Turned out be a good idea. This year’s Christmas tamales were the best ever. I’m not kidding. Chile in the masa made for an interior sort of heat, the kind that comes from deep inside. And tastyyyy?! The kind of taste that you crave days after Christmas has ended and you wonder if anyone has Christmas tamales still tucked away in the freezer.
 
 
 
 

Tamales for Christmas, Mom’s tamales stacking up for the big holiday,
photo © 2009 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.

tart and sweet

 
 
One of my favorite gifts for Christmas was a package of Sharpies in Caribbean colors. They remind me of tropical Jelly Bellies or Skittles. The kind of bright colors that people in island cultures use to paint their homes, although you never can tell since the sun fades the colors over time to a sort of Easter egg pastel palette.
 
 
I bought myself a new doodle journal, on sale at Anthropoligie. I love that store; the buyers there have the best taste for eclectic and gorgeous furniture, bedding, clothing, shoes, kitchenware.

This journal has a full year’s worth of pages, each month a different color. The months aren’t labeled but the dates are—1 through 31, or however many days there are in that particular month. January is salmon, February creme, March red, April green, May yellow, June blue. The paper has little specs in it, like sun spots on skin. The freckles come out when you apply a marker to the surface.

A doodle a day, starting January 1. I can’t wait. In fact, I didn’t wait. For the first two blank pages, I already doodled. Real doodles, not the fancier drawings I tend to call doodles. I’ll still do those, but sometimes my own complexity—my desire to outdo myself—gets the better of me. Back to basics. (With a mango twist, of course!)
 
 

retreat, retreats, re-treaty

 

I recently became a member of Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe. I received the 2010 Catalog of Offerings and have decided to take two classes in 2010.

One I want to take with Jim. One of my intentions for 2010 is to share my passions with him. I seem to spend a lot of time in my own world, and while I’ve always appreciated the latitude my husband gives me, I also realize he’s open to exploring new things.

We had a couple’s massage on his birthday, and I’m always surprised by how willing he is to do things I might otherwise assume he wouldn’t want to do. Don’t make assumptions, one of The Four Agreements®.

1. Be impeccable with your word
2. Don’t take anything personally
3. Don’t make assumptions
4. Always do your best

 
Read The Four Agreements® again. Live by them all year long.


This wasn’t meant to be a post about new intentions. Remember, I’m sitting in pajamas, chillin’. I guess the reflecting and looking forward are percolating, even as I cling to lazy days spent in coffee shops or movie theaters or my writing room.

The waning days of 2009. Another year. Another decade.

The Lovely Bones

By Alice Sebold

A good friend of mine has been talking to me about this book for quite some time, but I never really gave much thought to reading it.  She often talked about wanting to see the movie, and I did as well after seeing the preview last week on t.v., which also gave me the urge to read the book before seeing the movie, but that urge briefly passed, as I always considered this book to be the type that Oprah would fawn over, or that would not interest me on any sort of intellectual level ( I have been reading almost exclusively non-fiction books for about a year now). Then, over the Christmas holiday, I was browsing the shelves of a small second hand book store and saw a copy of the book.  I thought about it, saw that it was only seven dollars, considered that I had nothing else to do but visit with family in a small, out of the way suburb of Atlanta, and decided to give it a shot.  Worst case scenario, I thought, I could give it to my mother.   I spent much of the car ride to Atlanta (16 hours from my home) and the week prior reading Pigmy, the new novel by Chuck Palanhuik, rather unsuccessfully.  I always look forward to a new novel by Chuck because he makes his characters so interesting and the plots so bizarre that I find myself instantly engrossed in the book, usually finishing it in one or two sittings.  But that did not happen with Pigmy, for reasons I will get into in a review dedicated solely to it, so I was looking forward to trying something new.

I began reading the book immediately, as I was not looking forward to conversing with my brother on the car ride back to his house, and was immediately interested.  I was sucked in after the first 2 sentences.  “My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie.  I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973″.  I was told by my friend what this book was about, I knew it was the story of the aftermath of a girl’s murder, from her point of view.  I knew that she watched her family from heaven, and from the short t.v. preview, I was under the impression that it was a story about her father’s quest for vengeance.

The reason I was so immediately engrossed in this book, and the reason I brought up Pigmy, is that the narrative voice of Susie, the narrator, was perfectly executed and very realistic.  I had no problem believing that I was being spoken to by a girl who had been murdered at the age of fourteen in 1973.  Because the entire narration is in past tense, I know that Susie is supposed to be older as she she tells me her story, throughout the novel, she remembers things from her life as a child with an adult understanding.  Hearing a first hand account of Susie’s murder within the first few chapters sucked me into the story on a plot level.  Thought I was already interested in the narrator, I also became intensely interested in the plot of her murder and the resulting criminal investigation.  Because Susie tells me about the murder, first hand, and knows her assailant, we are also privy to this information.  This does not detract from intensity of the investigation, however, but rather adds to it.  Because I know who the murderer is, and know of everyone’s suspicions and the police investigation, I can watch along, with Susie, and wonder if and when her murderer will be captured.

This book takes an interesting turn, however, which I was not expecting.  I was expecting a murder mystery told from the point of view of the victim, and the first half(or so) of this book is definitely that, but the latter half is much more interesting.  Susie watches her family deal with the aftermath of her murder, both as a unit and as individuals.  She watches her mother, unable to move on, run away from her father, her sister grow into the woman she always wanted to be, her brother develop emotional problems, and her grandmother finally have a role besides alcoholic.  While the first half of this book is definitely plot driven, the characters are so well developed that it seems natural when the book shifts to the character driven second half.

The only qualms I have with this book are a few scenes in towards the end, but the are inconsequential by the time you get that far.  You no longer care what happens to her murderer, because you are more focused on her family and few friends.  Overall, this was one of the most enjoyable books I have read in quite some time.  I actually sat up all night finishing it because I could not put it down towards the end.  Alice Sebold does a wonderful job of creating Susie and all of the other characters, so much so that I felt as if they were living down the street from me.

Deborah Labriola Monterrosa, A.K.A. Dirty Deborah Harry of the OC Roller Girls sat down with Derby Girls to discuss derby, derby, and, you guessed it, more derby.  This brilliant roller girl waxes poetic about her teammates, the courage and heart of the new skater, and the joy of finding a sport she can embrace.

1. How long have you been playing derby? 3 ½ years.

2. How did you first get involved with roller derby? I saw a trailer for a reality show called, Roller Girls. I had been a figure skater, on roller skates, growing up, so I knew how to skate, but I just hadn’t skated in 15 years. I saw the trailer and thought, “oh my god, roller derby’s back”. Then I did a search on the Internet and found a team in my area, I live in long beach.

3. If you had to choose one thing about roller derby that makes it all worth it, what would it be? Probably the relationships you develop with your teammates. You get a really great sense of commodore, because after college there really is no team sports for woman and I didn’t want to play soccer  or play soft ball, I didn’t want to knit..I had been searching for a sport for a really long time. There are so many trials and tribulations. Your bonded with them [the team], you feel like for life. Your teammates become your family for sure.

4. What’s the worst injury you have gotten? I don’t get injured! Knock on wood! Other people do. I have a pretty sturdy physique, remember I grew up skating. For newbies focus on proper skating first to avoid injuries. The better skater you are the less injuries you will have. Just practice every single day. Put on your skates and skate around the house. I think skating outdoors is the best practice.

5. How do you stay in shape during the off-season? Well, I’m too old to have an off- season. I work out all year long because if I take a couple of weeks off, I feel like it will take me too long to get back. Besides from skating I cycle. I don’t have a car anymore. I ride my bike everywhere.

6. What’s one highlight of derby that you will always remember? My first bout because the day before the first bout was when we learned the rules of the game. We had a ref come down and teach us the rules. Our first bout was actually really competitive. There were at least 8 girls between the two teams who could really skate and the rest were like train wrecks. The audience loved it! I remember skating off  at the end of it and thinking, “this is the most awesome sport ever”. My team won, which was great! So, yeah, That first bout and knowing that we had really latched on to something that was great.

7. What’s the craziest thing you have ever done with your team? Probably played teams that were beyond better than us. Yeah, I mean, were not known as huge party-ers, were not big pranksters, but we have taken on the challenge of playing teams that are much better than us.  Just showing up half the time is the craziest thing you can do.

8. What’s the best piece of advice you can offer to a new skater, joining derby for the first time? Ok, best piece of advice: go take lessons at a local roller rink from a figure skating teacher. Tell them you want to learn how to skate properly, that would be my best advice or call me and I’ll teach you. Go take private lessons, learn how to skate properly, and then spend as much time as you can skating outdoors because you encounter a lot more obstacles outdoors that you need to overcome; jump over gravel, avoid people, cars , bikes..what ever. And put your skates on every single day, even if you only put them on for ten minutes, even if you’re just walking around your apartment or your house. The more comfortable you are when you put them on the better, but that takes time, so you have to put them on every single day.

9. What kind of skates do you wear and what kind of wheels do you use? Um, I wear Riedell 595 boots with some Snyder Advantage figure skating plates. They are set differently than speed skating plates. The one piece of advice I give people about skates, Is to get the heel of their boot built up higher. I took my boots to a shoemaker to build up the heel. For girls that wear a lot of high heels, you might consider building up the heel to put you more on the ball of your foot.  Right now I’ve got some promo wheels from Bones, there not out yet, I’ve got some tester wheels. I’ve previously skated on Sure Grip Fugitives.

10. Roller derby can be all consuming, how do you balance derby with just regular life stuff? I don’t! I don’t! I just let it take over. It’s a disease you can’t stop, I mean seriously. I have people called N.D.F.’s, non-derby friends. All my derby friends are super fun. I have no balance; I told work they have to work around my derby schedule. I will skate above all other things, it s a total sickness!

11. What is the best tip you were ever given on technique?  Learn how to work together as a team. That’s been something that I’ve had real struggles with because I’ve always skated by myself. I think it was Coach Pauly who told me that. He said, “you’re a really good skater, but you don’t know how to skate with anyone else, your like a lone ranger out there, you need to learn how to skate with your teammates”. So I’ve had to learn how to skate with other people.

12. Who is a skater that you admire? There are so many. There’s this girl that skates with Gothem Girls Roller Derby, Beyonslay, she was an ice skater, I love the way she skates, amazing! Estro Jen from Angel City Derby Girls: fast, agile, and fun with the crowd. And, you know who else I admire? Every totally new girl that has never skated before and has the balls to get out on the track, that’s crazy. So every time I see a new girl come out, I am floored by the balls they have to even try it. I totally admire those skaters. I think they have the biggest heart. Those are the people that I’m totally inspired by.

13. Where do you buy your gear? A couple of different places: Sin City Skates online. If I’m gonna go local: Moxi Roller Skates in Long Beach and Estro Jen from ACDG owns that. Then I go to my uncles roller skating rink and I get stuff there.. Fountain Valley Skating Center.

Wanna rock it like Dirty Deborah Harry? Check out these cool links!

http://www.skates.com/Powell-rollerbones-skate-wheels-p/prb62.htm

http://www.roller.riedellskates.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductName=Model%20595

http://www.suregrip.com/wheels/fugitive.html

http://www.snyderskates.com/products_advantage.htm

http://moxirollerskates.blogspot.com/

http://www.fountainvalleyskatingcenter.com/

http://www.sincityskates.com/

http://www.coachpauly.com/

     With the New Year fast approaching, I thought I’d write down 10 New Year resolutions I intend to keep.

1. When Dear Hubby is having a bad day I will try harder to make things more comfortable for him
2. I will tell my loved ones ‘I love you’ often
3. I will remember to seize the joy in life
4. I will forget resentments, anger, and hard feelings and release them to the winds
5. I will walk more
6. I will take time to smell the roses even though they make me sneeze
7. When the neighbors get on my last nerve, I will find something constructive to do rather than b**ch about it.
8. I will eat more veggies and fruit
9. I will speak my mind
10.  I will take time for me and write more

     What are your New Year’s resolutions?

As shows take their winter hiatus and/or fall finale, you may wonder when your favorite shows are returning. Keep in mind that some shows may take a mini-break for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Check out the dates below to find out when your favorite show returns:

Source: Entertainment Weekly

2010 Winter Olympics from Vancouver, Canada, Feb. 12-28

Monday, Jan. 4
Make It or Break It (ABC Family)

Wednesday, Jan. 6
Modern Family (ABC)
Ugly Betty (ABC)

Saturday, Jan. 9
Legend of the Seeker (Syndicated)

Sunday, Jan. 10
Season Premiere of Chuck (NBC)

Monday, Jan. 11
Chuck Regular Time slot
How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Castle (ABC)

Tuesday, Jan. 12
American Idol premieres (FOX)

Thursday, Jan. 14
Bones (FOX)
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
Private Practice (ABC)

Thursday, Jan. 21
The Vampire Diaries (The CW)
Supernatural (The CW)
The Office (NBC)

Friday, Jan. 22
Smallville (The CW)

Monday, Jan. 25
House (FOX)
Greek (ABC Family)

Tuesday, Feb. 2
Final season of Lost premieres (ABC)

Thursday, March 4
FlashForward (ABC)

Tuesday, March 30
V (ABC)

Monday, April 12
Final season of The Tudors premieres (Showtime)

Tuesday, April 13
Glee (FOX)

Find more 2010 TV Show Return and Premiere Dates on Entertainment Weekly.

     It is still raining and our yard is soggy.  After my last trip out there with Gavin so am I.  I do mean trip.  Gavin was wandering along the fence line and I walked back toward the shed.  The wind we had last night knocked a small branch or two off the magnolia, I didn’t see the one that sent me flying until after I’d landed splat in the deepest puddle out there.

     Gavin is always ready to play and when he saw me hit the ground, he thought PLAY TIME!  Sixty five pounds of wet dog landed on me.  I started laughing, I was laughing so hard I couldn’t get up.  Well, let’s say that the laughing and the extra sixty five pounds didn’t help my efforts.  Never laugh at or with a Bull Terrier, it makes them sillier.

     By the time we made it back inside, I was soaked, muddy, and cold.  Gavin was muddy, wet, and full of himself.  Furthermore, he had the nerve to beg for a cookie. 

     I was about to remove my muddy coat when Patty rang the bells—she wanted her turn out.  She had a quick trip.

     My coat and jeans went into the washer.  After a hot shower and a cup of Bengal Spice tea, I was feeling warmer.

Recent events mandate that I state the following to you, the U.S. Government, and the entire nation:

It is beyond my ability and wishes to comprehend the unprecedented madness taking place in the Senate. Not the least of which was the recent vote to table the Nelson/Hatch amendment. The amendment sought to make absolutely certain that NO taxpayer dollars would be used to fund the murders of innocent children in their mother’s womb (the exact same place you once were some years ago!).

The fact that our nation even has to debate whether or not to use taxpayer dollars to fund the murders of children in their mother’s womb bears witness to the pure evil, sickness, corruption, and the deep level of depravity that America now finds itself buried in, and consistently seems to be descending deeper into with each passing day.

As history verifies is the same case with the guy occupying the White House, 54 Senators voted against prohibiting taxpayer dollars from being used to fund child-murder in the womb, which shows that they have absolutely no concern whatsoever for the unborn and that our U.S. Government is completely devoid of ethics, morals, decency, and compassion. Conversely, the U.S. Government seems as if it is being consumed with practicing evil, and will eventually destroy itself if left unhindered.

Note the following:

Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,
And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters…Psalm 106:37-38a:

The Word of the Living God makes a plea to all those who will hear:
Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin…Ezekiel 18:30b.
The Son of the Living God, Yahushua HaMaschiach, suffered the judgment that rightly belongs to you, to me, and to each and every one of us all. By doing so, His precious blood that He shed on the Cross provides atonement for everyone who, out of a contrite heart, repents of their sins and puts their faith and trust in HIM alone.

THERE IS NO OTHER WAY FOR FORGIVENESS BUT THROUGH YAHUSHUA!

Unless Yahushua is sought through true repentance, I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that this nation, the United States of America, is finished.

I urge you and all of us as a nation to seek Him NOW!
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon…Isaiah 55:6-7.

Thank you for your time and may you take heed for the sake of our nation and for your very soul.

He That Has Ears To Hear, Let Him Hear….

It seems like she only eats very little at a time perhaps 39 bites of kibble that I put in her 3 water bottles(13 per bottle)to snack on and as for actually how many kibbles she takes in per day I have no idea to be honest.Right now we have got 3 bags of 4 pounds dry dog food waiting at home to be eaten and as little as she has been eating that is not enough for her nutritional needs so I have decided to give her people food at the same amount of dry food I would give her which is up to half cup per day.I make her recipes about once a week,freeze it,refrigerate it and give it to her in amounts she’d get of dog food.Lacey gets some meat,fruits,veggies and things such as yogurt.She’s also got bones/rawhides and treats available to chew and eat through the day.After she does finish one bag of kibble I plan to switch it out to another good brand of organic dog food.I simply can’t force her to eat her kibble and she does have to eat.But I do what I have to do to get her to eat.I always weigh her so she doesn’t get overweight.We’ll see how she does.She seems to be doing ok so far..

It honestly doesn’t feel like it! Even yesterday I didn’t even feel Christmassy AT ALL. I got some good stuff though:

Bones Seasons 1-4 on DVD
A chocolate brown velour tracksuit
A Hello Kitty Beanie Baby
Hello Kitty slipper socks
Loose slipper socks
Super soft socks
Underwear
Posh Ferrero Rocher things from Christina next door
Nail manicure kit
Christian Lacroix Absynthe perfume and make-up bag
A tin of Mingles
Red SkullCandy Ink’D earphones (Charlie broke my previous ones)

I had asked for Bones, Absynthe and the earphones. Everything else was a surprise So I woke up at seven and waited for someone to come to wake us up. After half an hour, no one did so I went to go and wake Daniel and Charlie up. Made our way downstairs and then opened the presents. At about 12, we went to Nan and Grandad’s and had a sing song until about 2. Then we went to the pub where the wine tasted like metal and the lime, lemonade and vodka tasted like lime and sugar and the actual pub in which was full of losers and weirdos from the Stanhope days (not including Malcolm, Henry and Ian). We left there at about 3 and come home. Waited for a bit for dinner (we didn’t bother with roast turkey – no one eats it). We put on mum’s new Willl Young greatest hits CD/DVD (I’m going to steal it mwahahaha) whilst dinner was being eaten then after dinner, I cleared the table and went to Chris’s where we watched Doctor Who (I miss him already and he hasn’t even gone yet ) and then I watched Corrie (I fell asleep at the beginning and woke up at the end) then Eastenders then The Royle Family (which was hilarious in parts because some of it rang so true) then watched Catherine Tate and fell asleep again. All in all, it was a quiet day. Interesting to see some old faces from the past but it wasn’t a Christmas that’ll particularly stand out

Today, we went to Croydon and then Sutton (which was more or less closed when we got there). I just know that I’ve eaten waaaaaaaaaay too much. I dunno what else to say now lol.

Tippy x

     Outside, rain, wind, and cold.

     Stay in.

     A warm, snug house.

     A well fed and happy Hubby.

     Having no stress is good for him.

     Two cuddly dogs piled in my chair.

     They are happy too.

     A tall glass of fine wine.

     Movie marathon—a combination of action and comedy films.

     What more could a person want?

     I told him no gifts and this time he listened.

     Color me happy.

     I look around and smile.

     I have all I need.

god. we all hate them. you know you do, dont deny it.

the food.

the family.

the people.

the FAT.

UGH!

so obviously. im on vacation. two weeks. two weeks without structure, school, and starvation. since im home so much i need to eat more to satisfy my family’s suspicions. it sucks. and now, im writting to you wonderful people who read my blog from my aunts house. there are TOO MANY PEOPLE HERE! its me, my sister, my brother, my mom, my dad, my grandma, aunt 1, uncle 1, aunt 2, uncle 2, cousin 1, cousin 1’s husband, and their kid (second cousin).yeah.

i managed not to eat too much for most of the day. and then desert came and aunt 2 brought a whole platter full of different types of cookies and there was aunt 1’s toffe brittle, and just so many delicious sugary things. i caved, i had to have eaten like 8 cookies and 3 square inches of toffee brittle. i feel FREAKING DISGUCTING. i want to go in the bathroom and cry my eyes out. i hate feeling this full. i hate it so much.

iv been trying to exercise by bouncing my legs and walking around, but im pretty sure its not working. i guess i just need a little support right now.

ALSO. i made a post on whyeat.net about how researchers believe that anorexia is linked to wanting to stay a child, and im starting to agree with that more and more. my seconds cousin got all these presents and everyone was paying attention to him and i felt jealous. of a freaking five year old! i wanted to be the center of everyones attention. i wanted everyone to be taking my picture. i wanted all the presents. these days everyone just gets me like 15 bucks and then theyre done with me. its not fair. either that or i want to fade away. disappear so im just a spectator. im free to leave whenever i want to but i can always come back and enjoy the company thats close by.

i just want this to end. i hate holidays.

Today just happens to be Christmas, and its just me and my husband. I put out a cheese ball and crackers but not much else. Christmas dinner was mostly heating up ready made dishes from the grocery. We’re not much into the Christmas thing, can you tell?

After dinner the puppies did get their Christmas gift- a bone. Here they are happily gnawing away.

The Dogs Chewing on their Christmas Gift

And i am getting some knitting done today. The ribbed socks for my husband got more than a couple of rounds worked today. Hopefully i will do more tonight.

Working on Two Socks on One Circular Needle

     Sometime around 11:00 tonight I’ll take the pups for a walk.  First I’ll walk one around the block to the east of us and then I’ll walk the other to the west.

     What makes these walks special?  The dogs will wear sleigh bells.  Any children still awake will have the thrill of hearing Santa pass by.  I do this every year.  In fact, I’ve done this for 36 years.

     It’s a hoot because I’ve heard about ‘Santa’s Bells’ for years from parents and kids.  They’ve yet to figure out where they come from. 

     Have a Merry and a Happy everyone!

     The two pups enjoyed their reindeer walk.  However, of the two I think Patty was the one who enjoyed it the most.  I’ve never seen her trot so happy or proud–she loves the bells.  She extended the walk by a couple of blocks.  Gavin had fun since he ran into a young woman who thought he was very clever to be wearing bells but he didn’t want to walk as far or as fast as his sister did.

Those stockings go. I want them. How cool is that shit? I wish I knew where she got em.

Btron R @ Lookbook

Watched by stars,
we lay reposed
upon the summer sod

with quiet breeze,
and clouds that grew,
a planet for a prod.

Now and then
a truck passed by,
unheard above our thoughts.

We lounged—absorbed,
pulled up, pressed down—
upon our star flight mats.

…The breeze touched
our toes.  An owl
consulted with the moon…

We pondered
our significance—
our breath and yawn—a while.

You thought aloud,
Is smallness good?
I nodded at your smile.

Specks of sand
burned blue and white.
They fit our bones with awe.

And I revived
a boy who played
in culvert holes, with frogs.

Ode To Joy & Christmas Eve, snapshot of my art studio desk, BlackBerry Shots, Minneapolis, Minnesota, December 2009, all photos © 2009 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.

savor the small things
the joy of writing haiku
in the dead of night;
the silence of snow falling,
calms the chatter in my mind

circumspect darkness
relative humidity
what matters to me?
seeing clearly with the heart
things invisible to the eye

Holiday blizzard
thank you for braving the storm
following footprints
of those who walked before us —
Joy hides in the strangest places

It’s the dead of night. I’m staring out the window at snow falling on cedars, oaks, and ash. A Holiday blizzard. I’ve always liked Christmas Eve almost better than Christmas. When I was growing up, I’d stay up way past the time when my five younger siblings were in bed, rocking in the leather recliner, bathed in the glow of firelight and candles. Some years the living room would be blue from head to toe, my mother’s favorite color, with a tree dressed in angel hair and the front door wrapped like a package with pine cones and ribbon. Do they still have contests for best door decorations?

I can smell Amelia’s fruit cake and rocks, ladles of egg nog, cloves spiking the Christmas ham. It’s the time of year when I count my blessings. I’m grateful for family, friends, and lovers, for blog partners and red Ravine readers, for puffy orange coats and wet mittens. Thank you for walking with us through murky and uncertain waters. Thank you for running through rain. And pausing in the darkness of Winter. There is so much joy in the silence.

Happy Holidays from red Ravine, December 24th, 2009

-related to posts: haiku 2 (one-a-day), Poem For The Trees (Keepers Of The Light), A Few Of My Favorite Things, On Eating December Snowflakes, Tamales — A Christmas Tradition, Merry Merry, Happy Happy, A Partridge In A Pear Tree, A Christmas Gift From Dad, On Collecting Pigs Against Your Will

     I get to go out to dinner!  To everyone who helped, thank you!  A special thank you to Delaney for that 50,000^th hit.  I’ll think of all of you when we are sitting in a restaurant for the first time in a long time.  You all twisted Dear Hubby’s arm by helping me to win the bet. 

     Usually, if I don’t want to cook, he’ll order delivery food.  I mean that’s wonderful and I love him dearly for it but it also means I still have to do dishes afterwards.  At that rate, I might as well cook too.  For once, I just want to go out for dinner.  Let someone else cook our meal and clean up afterwards.  Let me relax and lounge over a cup of coffee without thinking about doing the dishes.

     I’m a cheap date.  To make me happy it doesn’t have to be fancy, expensive, or even come with drinks, though dessert is a necessary given.  What’s dinner out without a dessert too?  I’d be completely happy with one of several local diners that serve exceptional meals at a nominal price.  Four of which have the most wonderful cheesecakes.

     I’ll leave it up to him.

     Our dog Gavin has a problem.  He’s addicted to the Homedics back massager.  We can’t turn the thing on without him leaping to attention and begging us to use it on him.  I think he needs a support group.  Poor boy, I think I’ll send him to one tonight…

     “My name is Gavin and I’m an addict.”

     “Hello, Gavin.”

     “I’m addicted to the back massager.  It’s my humans’ fault.  They got me started.  I can’t hear that thing turn on without turning into a drooling, rolling on the floor, whore for it.  I must have it.  I insist my humans use it on me first.  Turn it on.  NOW.  I need it.  It is MINE.”

     “Whoa, whoa there boy.”

     “Sorry, I can’t help it.”

     “We understand.”

     “It started when my Dad human brought the thing home from the pharmacy.  He bought the wonderful thing for his back but then thought it would be funny to try it out on me.  Oh, it felt soooooooo good!  Later that night, I tried to turn it on myself, but couldn’t, and even if I could I have no thumbs and can’t hold it.”

     “You poor boy.”

     “Now they hide it behind the sofa where I can’t get at it.  It’s no fair.  I need it.  I WANT IT.”

     (Patty:  Geez, he’s such an idiot.)

(Keeping this moment short; the next three are going to be funnnnn)

Day 9 – Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 05

It’s sad, but some things just won’t sting until it’s right in your face, shouting besides your ear.

Mirai learned it the hard way.

Other than the superbly touching last episode (however contradicting it is with the anime’s theme of realism), this episode is the best one in TM8 for me. It is the first time Mirai and co witnesses the real damage the earthquake has wrought on humanity: not the mere destruction of a few structures, but the severing of numerous human lives. What made this even more powerful was the fact that it happened in Mirai’s school, and that it claimed one of her friend’s mother. In other words, this is no longer Somebody Else’s Problem, this is _serious business_.

In keeping with the cruel-reality spirit then, no doubt the situation now calls for a tragic story to spice it up even further. One of the most common banes with pulling such a trick though, is that studios tend to make it too overdramatic, turning what was supposed to be a heartbreaking scene into something you can’t help but chuckle at. BONES did a good job at avoiding this mistake here; rather than shoving a blatant you’re-supposed-to-cry-now scene at you, they managed to make an old man’s tale compelling because it was understated.

A good piece of dialogue and some appropriate music is sometimes all it really takes.

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