March 2008 A Little Time Off

After blogging every day (nearly) for a year, I'm giving myself a little time off. Even while I'm recharging, have no doubt I won't be able to resist lurking around your blogs, saying hello now and then.

Like Spring, I'll be here again soon, fresh and renewed :)

Recalling Growing Up in Fisk, Texas

Recalling Growing up in Fisk, Texas

I spent all yesterday afternoon and into the evening with my dear friend Nelda. I had asked her if she would tell me about her growing up in a small farming community during the 40s and 50s. Her mother and daddy owned the country store in Fisk for more than twenty years. Sadly, family owned country stores that served the needs of rural communities are now mostly a thing of the nostalgic past.

I'll be working on an article about the memories she shared with me, but in the meantime here is a memento of that afternoon -- some treasured contents of an old shoe box.

Old Garden

Old Garden

This is my entry this week's Two Things Challenge for "Old / New." Not a great, or even good, piece of photography. However, I wanted to document how my neglected vegetable garden plot looked in its "old" (aka "before") state and there wasn't much I could do to make it look good.

(Yes, those are weeds, and some are as tall as me.)

This is what I'll be doing each afternoon for the next couple of weeks: Clearing out those weeds, recovering lost gloves, spades, and perhaps even my old wheelbarrow. Building new raised beds. Laying down hay, re-routing soaker hoses, and heaping on mulch. And I'll be dreaming.

I'll be dreaming of the sound of tapping new seed packets. Dreaming of new little lime green sprouts in April. Dreaming of the humid smell after a watering in June's hot summer days. Dreaming of tomatoes outgrowing their cages, zucchini outgrowing its beds, and the risk of losing gloves and spades in August's fecundity.

Hard to imagine that now. But that's the beauty of a garden, even an old neglected garden. The dream is always new.

February 2008

Corner of my home

Corner of my home

Just a little corner of my home, the top of my dresser, showing how cheaply I decorate. The pods are from a trumpet vine, in a vase that probably came with a bouquet I received long ago. The doves are from a thrift store, no more than $3, repainted with pearlized paint. And although you can't see it, the doves are sitting on top of my jewelry box that I bought with my first real paycheck in 1976 -- with FICA taken out and everything -- which holds mostly inexpensive but sentimental treasures.

Soon it will be time to think of some other little arrangement for this spot, and others, to celebrate warm weather and green things. What about you? Do you have a corner to share? A thrift store beauty that needs to be shown off? Or a little arrangement that soon will be replaced with a fresh nod to Spring?

Full Bloom

Full Bloom Valentine

This is a bit of a cheat -- a back dated post of a picture taken last week -- but I wanted to be reminded of this beautiful bouquet any time I look back at February 2008.

Song of the Day

Ain't Got No...I Got Life

I didn't realize I could rejoice because I got my boobies and my liver! Crazy. How did I completely miss the masterful Nina Simone (1933-2003) on my radar before now?

Thank you for turning me on to her, Mr. K.

And to GodInLA, I submit this as a long-distance dedication to you today.

The moments we were more

"More Moments"

Treat yourself to a listen to my son-in-law David's new song, "Yes yes" from his Cloud Factory EP.

face it i'm not coming home
no i could never be your man
but for the moments we were more
than anyone would know
and i always said i was just busy
you thought that pretty lame i'm sure
still wear the watch you gave to me
with hand made box and bow

and it was always yes. yes. to everything
but we're moving much too fast
and i couldn't hide the shame i felt
in what little light we had to lay by
but i'll never hurt you a third time
no i'm never gonna love you evaline
because you're never gonna love me all the time...