at night, the still meat packing district becomes a blank canvas for the renegade street artist. i love discovering new art each morning on my way to the bus stop.

The east wall of the Meadow Brook Egg Co. West Loop, Chicago.

The child alters among my internal folk are divided into three main groups– Little Littles, Littles, and Middle Littles.  The smallest of all are, appropriately, Little Littles.  They are very new discoveries, and the oldest is two at best.  They’re structured a bit strangely, and they don’t communicate often.  Littles and Middle Littles, however, *do* communicate often, both inside and to my best friend on the outside.

Today Littles and Middle Littles were working on something.  Mairead was helping.  For all of her attitude and general teenage rebellion, she is *excellent* with the kids.  Kathy and I are both thankful for that.

Mairead announced to me that Littles and Middle Littles had something to say to my best friend.  Willow, one of the Middle Littles, acted as spokesperson for their little group and sent my best friend this text message:

We, Lily Timmy Lucy and Willow, want to say the you are the best outside person we know.  You love us and don’t hurt us and you tell us about outside stuff.  That is why we want to tell you that you are our best friend too!  We love you! 

I am so proud of them for saying all of that.  It’s a leap of faith on their part to trust someone that much, and it’s further tribute to how wonderful my best friend is that they were able to trust him.  Things just work out so perfectly sometimes.

]]> http://appellationmountain.net/2009/11/30/name-of-the-day-lark/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:34:55 +0000 appellationmountain http://appellationmountain.net/2009/11/30/name-of-the-day-lark/

There’s Robin, Wren and Dove.  We’ve all heard about a boy called Falcon.  Would this borrowing from the world of birds wear well on a daughter?

With a Happy Birthday to my sister, today’s Name of the Day is Lark.

There are dozens of larks – the white-winged, the short-toed, the roufus-rumped and even the spike-heeled.  But that’s amongst the avian population.  As a given name, Lark has only darted into the US Top 1000 once in the 1880s – for boys.  I suspect the nineteenth century Lark sighting was related to Larkin, an old school diminutive and a surname derived from the then-popular Laurence and Lawrence.

Lark comes to us from the Germanic lerche – songbird.  The verb lark – as in frolic – probably traces back to the Old Norse leika – to play.  There’s more to the verb’s story, and you might argue that the irreverent undertones cancel out her nature name potential.

There’s a literary angle to this choice.  In Romeo and Juliet, the ill-fated couple awakens the morning after their wedding night to birdsong.  Juliet tries to convince her groom that he can stay a little longer:  “It was the nightingale, and not the lark, that pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear.”

You’ll sometimes see lark listed as the opposite of night owl – another term for a morning person.

Parents today might think of actress Lark Voorhies.  As Lisa on ear;u 90s teen comedy Saved by the Bell, she was a rich girl and aspiring fashion designer.  The actress is still working, but her star has fallen since the original cast graduated.

Lark has been in use in the twentieth century – but mostly as a product name:

• Copper brought nineteenth century miners to Utah.  One of the communities they established was called Lark – but in the 1970s, the mines closed and today it is considered a ghost town;
• Gospel Music Hall of Fame member Thurman Ruth was a member of The Larks, a vocal group from the early 1950s;
• In the 1960s, Lark was a brand of cigarette – and still is in Japan;
• Studebaker once built a Lark;
• During the 1940s through the 60s, passengers could travel from San Fransisco to Los Angeles on the Southern Pacific Railroad’s Lark.

All of this doesn’t make much of a case for using Lark as a girl’s name.  And yet, the US Top 1000 is littered with nature names, including:

• Florals like Lily (#24), Daisy (#161) and Violet (#184);
• Seasons Autumn (#89) and Summer (#171).

All of this has prompted parents to reconsider less familiar botanicals like Ivy, Iris and Willow.  Lark shares the final -k sound with #52 Brooke – again, a relatively recent entry into use as a given name, but a widely accepted one.

If you’re seeking an unexpected nature name and prefer a frills-free choice for your daughter, Lark could fit the bill.  Or if you love Lauren but don’t care for the nickname Laurie, Lark might be a nice alternative.

I went to my brother’s in Eureka for Thanksgiving and took a few pictures of his daughter Leanna out in their front yard. She just loves the camera and is so easy to work with, and the fall leaves went perfectly with her dress! I would have loved to get some of my other nieces and nephew, but the weather turned bad and we had to go inside. I did get to take a few of them inside though, so I’ll add them at the bottom.

-Katie

These next few were taken around the house during the couple days I was visiting with my family. Sadly, I didn’t find the time to set up the lights again until just before I had to come back home, and even then I only got a few (which will be up in the next post, so check back!)

(lily drinking her “hot totoa” with a spoon)

bought a fresh cut fraser fir christmas tree and decorated it with lights! my apartment smells like orange peel!

West Loop, Chicago.

Candy

Cassiopee

Sibylle

Selma

Babs

Alix

Lily

Beverly
Styles from Stephane Kelian’s 2009 Fall Collection. The Inspiration for the Fall comes from Buenos Aires, Argentina due to the use of woven materials, riding boot embellishments  and cone heels used for tango dancing.  More styles can be seen at www.stephane-kelian.com.

Aunque han pasado algunos episodios entre medias desde el último trailer que os deje, aquí os pongo la promo del siguiente episodio de Gossip Girl que se emitirá el día 30 de noviembre. Corresponde al episodio 11 de tercera temporada y lleva por título “The treasure of  the Serena Madre“.

Sinopsis: Blair sospecha que su madre le ha estado ocultando un gran secreto, que resulta ser algo trascendental. Vanessa tiene planeado pasar Acción De Gracias con su familia, pero tiene una pelea con su madre, y aparece en el portal de la casa de Dan. Rufus descubre que Lily le ha estado mintiendo sobre su madre, Cece. Chuck le cuenta a Nate  que tiene información ampliamente perjudicial sobre uno de sus amigos. Jenny descubre que Eric estaba detrás del bochorno público que le hicieron pasar en el Cotillón, y no deja pasar la oportunidad de vengarse. Serena es sometida a una situación embarazosa cuando Trip y Maureen se unen a ellos en la cena de Acción de Gracias.

RELEVANT QUESTIONS–DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW!!!

Question: Two weeks without any tips for my favorite show is way too long for me. What can you tell me that I don’t know about the remaining Gossip Girl episodes before the super-long three-month hiatus. And I already know Bart is coming back, so give me something new. —Sylvie
Ausiello: In next week’s eppy, it’s Thanksgiving Day! If you’re Serena, you’re especially thankful this year because you’ve had two not-so-bad-looking dudes pining after you. This Monday, she makes her choice and leaves her reject by the curb, literally.

Question: You’ve been really slacking on the Gossip Girl scoop, any exciting news? – JLa
Ausiello: Also in next Monday’s episode, someone finds out they’re pregnant. That’s considered “exciting news,” right?

Question: I need Gossip Girl info. —Jude
Ausiello: Hey, Jude, here’s what I got: You know the letter from Serena’s dad that Lily has been hiding? It’s going to fall into the wrong hands. (Hint: Said wrong hands belong to *a****n.)

Credit: EW.com

VH1’s Lily Megan Hauserman’s debut video (featuring 50 cent and Ne-yo), back-up signing by Cecille Gahr. Lily busts out on the music scene with her hit single “Baby By Me”. She was quoted saying “I want to be Fiddy Cent’s #1 Bitch.”

I like to take photos of my paintings as I’m in the process of my work, to be able to look back once they’re all done, and also to evaluate them & plan my next steps. It’s really helpful to also chart your progress as an artist.  So, here are the pics of my current pieces, which are pretty self-explanatory if you missed the last post:

I think I’m ready to begin reading for the public, and charging for my readings, but I’m not sure.  So I decided to ask the cards.

Question: Am I ready to read for the public and charge for my readings?

I drew 3 cards for my answer.

Anchor + Cross + Clouds

Well, I guess the message is pretty clear that I’m ready yet.  Anchor represents my confidence, and Cross represents my faith, and Clouds shows that both are uncertain.  I don’t have enough confidence and faith in myself yet, so I’m not ready.

Next I asked the card if I will ever be ready to read professionally, and here’s what I got:

Whips + Lily + Clouds

Ugh!  Clouds again!  That means my answer is ‘doubtful.’  Whips + Lily represents active experience, and Clouds shows that my experience is shaky.  I’ll take that to mean I need more practice reading for friends and family in order to acquire the necessary active experience before I’ll be ready to go pro.

That’s not what I was hoping to see, but it’s good advice and it makes sense.

sixties! french! Playboy! for full spread…

look for miss dollface in upcoming The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus

i’m getting a lot better!

West Loop, Chicago.

Rose still felt the loss of her soulmate, but she had learned to take an interest in life around her. One of her great pleasures that also proved very therapeutic was gardening. She imagined her mother and her grandmother working the same soil before her, coaxing the seedlings up into the sunlight and helping them grow to bear fruit.

She also enjoyed playing with little Blossom, her niece. It was a blessing to have new life in the house.

Blossom’s Aunt Poppy also enjoyed time with the little cutie. She sometimes wondered what it would have been like to follow the motherhood path in life, but she was happy with her art and music. Her legacy would be in the family paintings hanging in the house.

Blossom knew who her mommy was, though. Lily showered her daughter with love every chance she got.

Iris showed an interest in her little cousin, and Lily let her help out in the nursery sometimes. It didn’t seem long ago that Iris herself was sleeping in a crib.

With so many family members around to help with Blossom, Lily and Monty had time to have a quiet dinner alone sometimes. The birth of their daughter had brought them closer together than ever, as each of them saw a little bit of the other in their baby. Every time they looked into each other’s eyes, it was love all over again.

The sisters were all spending more time together these days, too, since they had either achieved or were close to achieving their hard-fought goals in life. They sensed time was passing, and they made the effort to find time to watch a movie together, discuss a painting or a novel or a newly discovered star, or just share a light moment.

………But the family didn’t just hang out around the house. They went to work and study and explore, too. Monty was enjoying his work at the bistro, and had been promoted to vegetable slicer.

Reed enjoyed the freedom of being a teen. He went to tour city hall and take a charisma class, then visited the park. He found himself in a swarm of butterflies, and that sparked an interest in collecting. That day, he got a good start with five different kinds of insects.

Afterward he spent some time hanging out in the park. His Aunt Daisy was there, too, chatting with some older folks. Reed didn’t quite catch what they were saying, but he thought they might be talking about the latest gangster movie or maybe the new end-of-the-world flick.

Daisy said she was going to a game later, and something about checking the entrances and exits. Funny, Reed had never known she was that safety conscious.

Iris liked riding the schoolbus with her big brother Reed. She was also excited about taking a fishing class with him, although his first catch was way bigger than hers.

One event that happened in town was not nearly so nice. Just as the family was growing beyond their grief over Cedrick’s death, Lily got a call to rush to the bistro. The paramedics were doing their best when she got there, but it was too late. Monty was gone.

This was not long before Blossom’s birthday, so the family planned to have a quiet little cake ceremony at home. Everybody tried to put a brave face on it, but Iris couldn’t help but feel for her cousin, who might not even remember her daddy when she got older.

Blossom turned out to be a cheerful little toddler with fair hair and laughing eyes. Much as Lily’s heart ached, when she held her little darling she knew that part of Monty lived on in her arms. Her sisters were amazed at her resilience.

Except for Daisy, that is. Daisy had run off somewhere on the other side of town. What was she up to? And who had seen her?

—-

Previous Chapter

The weather is changing.  Daytimes are bright, sunny and hot out of the wind.  But dusk comes early to our valley at this time of year; the sun starts to disappear behind the hill to the west of us not long after 3pm.  The temperature falls quickly once the sun has gone but the house, with its half metre thick walls still retains the heat well.

In the garden the citrus fruits continue to ripen.  In England all our fruit came from the supermarket so it is still strange to us to see the different stages the fruits, particularly the small satsuma/clementine/tangerine goes through.  Right now we have plenty of green fruit alongside those that are both pale yellow and weak orange in hue.  We think it will be a least a couple more weeks before the first of them are fully ripen.

Meanwhile the lemons continue to ripen and plump up.  Surprisingly, it is our first full year of owning a lemon tree, we have a small second blossom and therefore some new lemons setting just as the early crop is finishing its ripening process.

Elsewhere the pomegranates are ripe to the point of splitting.  The 20 foot high yucca has decided that outward, rather than upward, expansion is the best course of action and is producing offsets at an alarming rate.  These need to be broken off and potted up for friends.   While we had our backs turned clusters of bulbs have woken up; best guess is that they are some sort of narcissi.  From last year we know that they are similar to paperwhites but rather smaller and without such a pronounced fragrance.

Finally Mands efforts earlier this year to dig up the arum lily at the base of the large pithari appear not to have been entirely successful; the lilies are back again.  The flowers, and foliage, are wonderful but their position right at the bottom of the staircase is dangerous.

Assorted photos below.  Click on any picture for an enlarged version.

Whole Foods only has non-dairy ice cream sandwiches… so we decided to bake oatmeal raisin cookies (with walnuts) instead.

West Loop, Chicago.

To end my weekend…I am a wee bit pissed, and blogging. Quite possibly not a good combination. I cannot help but feel a bit weak, a lot sad and extremely lost. I wish that R and I could stop fighting…it seems that everytime I call, or he calls me, we end up arguing. How depressing. It is hard, becuase we aren’t communicating anymore. He even says that he can’t tell what I am thinking anymore…Am I really beginning to shut myself off from him? I just cannot bear the thought of bringing him down…I cannot bring myself to share how I am really, truly feeling. I just can’t. I know I SHOULD, but something stops me every single damned time…

I feel sad. Speck should have still been nestled away, safe inside of me…12 weeks I should have been, just beginning to tell people. Speck wouldn’t have been a Speck…Speck would have been a proper little human, with eyes, legs, nails and a little tiny beating heart….You would be smiling my little angel…SMILING!!! I am so sorry that my body let you down, let your big sister down…I can only wish, pray, that this does not strike me again…2 miscarriages are enough…I don’t know what I will do if it happens again…

Deepdreamer

I pulled my remaining wisdom tooth out today. It would not stop bleeding.

Ford City, Chicago.