October Night Walk

The Machine

So, I know the picture quality isn't great..
but my mom caught this image last night while the girls stayed over at Grandma's House(a point of increasing anticipation and excitement all week long as Friday approached).
Mom got this old typewriter recently..totally functional..an old beast of a thing.
Remember that wonderful sliding 'kuh-CHING' noise?
It only took Willow moments to zero in on it..a few more seconds to fall in love with it..and several minutes to figure out how to use it independantly.
Grandma says that all morning she's heard things like, "I'll just be in with the Machine.", and, "I need more paper."
Willow seems to have an uncanny ability to look at things and very quickly understand how they could be taken apart and put back together. Her mind, like the typewriter, works like a beautiful and timeless machine.

How many days?

"What I am against is quotas. I am against hard quotas. Quotas, theybasically delineate based upon whatever. However they delineate; quotas, Ithink, vulcanize society. So, I don't know how that fits into what everybody else is saying---their relative positions---but that's my position."

George W. Bush
January 21, 2000
Quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Shakespearean Insults

(One of my favorite homepage gadgets. Here's why:)

You starvelling, you eel-skin, you dried neat's-tongue, you bull's-pizzle, you stock-fish--O for breath to utter what is like thee!-you tailor's-yard, you sheath, you bow-case, you vile standing tuck!
-Taken from: Henry IV, part I

My first go-at-it with a teleprompter..

I'll get better at it - I promise. But I think it's not too bad for a first try..

I miss this woman.

In the center of this picture is my cousin Kelly on her June wedding day..

Angela and I felt lucky to be at her side, as you can see in our faces.

Now the people of Connecticut are so lucky, because she lives there..and Michigan definitely feels the absense.

And she's not just beautiful - but strong, kind, wickedly funny, intelligent, resiliant...

Thanks to Ang for the picture...

Believe it(or not)

Our goldfish friends Tolstoy and Nemo regularly lose patience with me if I let their bowl go an extra day(or three) between cleanings. They're metro sexual goldfish.
Lately I think they've even been swearing at me.
Possibly issuing tiny pursed-lipped threats.

The other day after cleaning their bowl, I asked them to forgive me. Sorry guys, I said. I've been kind of insensitive about the whole algae-poop water thing..I'll try to do better. Thanks for not dying.

Looking at them swimming in the crystal clear habitat I had provided, it seemed clear that for the time being all was well in the area of fish-human relations....

So imagine my surprise the following morning when I was greeted by a murky, mucky mess. So cloudy that I could hardly see the(no doubt cursing) fish. How on earth?!, I thought...I just cleaned the damn thing yesterday! Didn't I? ...

Then another element of the odd scene before me crept into my awareness: the water was teal. Murky, mucky, cloudy...teal.

Kind of like the color....I turned slowly to look at the remnants of last night's play dough session on the kitchen table.

Yup. a match. I peered into the water and was able to just make out the lethargic fish and a dissolving ball of teal..

Immediately I had that sinking feeling - you know - when your child is possibly, for the first time, responsible for the death of a pet(two pets)..

After talking with the daughter who was responsible(and who just wanted the bowl to be prettier for the fish), I turned my attention to the plan: what would I do in the very likely event that these fish died?

I cleaned the bowl and changed their water before placing them back in their home. I swear they were sort of green-tinged, but otherwise, none the worse for the wear(so far).

The daughters are relieved(as am I. Not just relieved that the fish are ok, but that for the near future, it seems their profane rants will be deflected away from me and all insults hurled in the general direction of their almost-killers..)

As for our toilet, it's the place that I dump the algae-poop water when cleaning the bowl. Just seems like the obvious thing to do..
this time I accidentally poured without caution, sending a stone(a beautiful stone from my friend Jen) straight into the jaws of the porcelain god.
So the next time you come over and need a little inspiration..you could spend some time talking with the Fish of Miraculous Fortitude, or standing over my toilet looking at a stone marked with one word: Believe.

A perfect fall, made better if only..

This fall is about the most perfect one I've ever known. Not much could make it better..except maybe..

...................................
The smell of cabin woods.
The bump-tilt-bump of the two track leading there.
Old metal and vinyl chairs on the patio, odoul's on the rusty table.
Trying to avoid getting roped into yet another singing circle, secretly happy every time you're caught up in it.
................or..............
Waking up to the sound of guitar strings and a steady tapping foot in the other room.
Incense and chai tea with soy and honey, wind through the orchard.
Late night talks, reclined on couches, music on the record player.
Starlit walks down dirt roads, voices loud against the night air.
Bonfires.
Strong unhurried hugs, breathed deeply.
.................................


Either place, either way, it's been too long. Hope to get there soon.
:)

Willow and Ginger (please stay just the way you are tonight)

They got dancing dresses from Grandma. It has been a sepia toned evening, with Pandora radio as our backdrop, and our floor transformed into a ballroom.

I want to hold this moment, be present here, never forget the way light plays around the curves of their faces(cheeks still so round)..the way energy seems to blur and hover around the edges of their spinning skirts. Whirling, spinning, so graceful, so silly..

It has been a beautiful life lately..I find myself breathing deeply in the richness of it. So grateful to be present. Here.