Look! Pretty!
Yesterday was a lovely gorgeous sunny day--and my head was so stuffed up that I could barely enjoy it. I dragged myself out to show a knitting pal how to pick up, knit, and decrease a sock gusset and I meant to make some lentil soup for this week's lunches but I wimped out and just stopped at Copps for some lunchmeat for sandwiches. I did fire up the grill for the first time in 2014 so we could have charcoal grilled chicken thighs for supper. I could barely taste them since all my olfactory & taste organs are busy being sick but the merest hint of grilled meat, green beans, and rice cooked in broth with tiny carrot slices made it through. This sickness needs to leave--today. I don't have patience for all this stuffiness and puffy eyes and blocked ears. I'm supposed to be the healthy one.
After supper I finished the second Design-A-Thon mitt. Yay! I got all the tails woven in and this morning put it in to soak in Eucalan wool wash so that before I leave for work I can press out the water and pat them into place to dry. Blocking settles the stitches and finishes a knitted or crocheted piece, plus it's been dragged all over in the making and can't help but be dirty, it's totally worth the extra time and effort. Last night before bed I made the final edit of the pattern and got it all shipshape and ready to send to Andy for the pattern booklet. Now all that's left to do is make a snack because it's my turn to bring one. I have a plan so I'm good.
April 7--Walker Evans, Portrait of a Cat.
How'd he get it to pose?
The little lion poised
surveying his apartment
domain,
ready to pounce
on mouse or roach
that dared to invade his
realm,
disdain writ large
on the furred face,
tail crooked
in a question mark
uncaring of the answer.
A chance flick of the shutter
caught our regal feline
slumming in
the kitchen sink.
~~~~~
My pal Lala's counting down to getting on a plane for Ireland on Thursday afternoon. She's dithering, I'm jealous--it's a set. I'll be here blowing my nose while she's there kissing the Blarney Stone and patting leprechauns. Doesn't seem fair, does it? Does to her, of that I am certain. I'll just be over here in the reluctant Spring of the upper Midwest watching the black snow melt. (pathetic enough? I'll stop now) I'm off to shower, etc. because I get to go to work, it's Payday! Yay!
--Barbara
Whatever. Two of them are out there just blooming away, a purple one and a yellow one. Thank goodness. I was afraid for a while there that we were doomed to have winter all year, especially Friday when it was trying to be warmish but snow kept falling, but it seems now as if the warming sun is winning. Inch by inch, but winning. I think today I'll drag the dead birdie trees out to the curb and shovel up the branches and needles that the bunnies have gnawed off of the one tree, or maybe I'll wait until next weekend. The birdies need someplace to hide when they get out of the birdbath.
I've been so focused on my BLKG Design-A-Thon entry that I've got a sore left forearm muscle (too much purling) and I haven't knitted on my sock for a long time so I tucked it into my purse when Durwood and I went to breakfast yesterday. He met with his Census 2000 pals and after I finished my omelet I excused myself to knit with a couple people from the guild and some of their friends. I knew they'd be there so I came prepared, besides a sock is an easy "purse" project. I'm trying out a new heel, a Strong heel, named for a person not an attribute. It's kind of freaky, there's no heel flap or heel turn or gusset, you just knit back and forth increasing at the ends every other row until you've nearly doubled the stitches, then you start decreasing, which is the Strong heel turn, until you're back to the original number of stitches, and then finish the sock foot and toe as usual. I'm nearly at the decreasing/heel turn spot and I will say it's been a lot simpler. Now whether it's as durable as a flap heel remains to be seen... I probably should have knitted in some nylon to toughen up the stitches but only time will tell. I wish I could remember who told me about this heel... it was someone at knitting guild, for sure.
When I opened the patio curtains this morning I was smacked in the eye by orange light reflecting off an office building window down the block. It was bright and vivid but when I turned to look at the sky it was all pale and soft, but these were taken one after the other, really, cross my heart.
April 6--Courtois Freres, Cornet a Pistons in B-flat.
Cold twisted brass
parts wedged in a fitted
box latched tight
Freed in the smoky dark
of a juke joint
to wail
Limber fingers,
pursed lips,
hot breath,
jazz
~~~~~
Okay, it's almost time for CBS Sunday Morning, that's the only TV show I really don't want to miss, all of the rest I could skip, but not my Sunday dose of art and culture, moment of nature, and Charles Osgood. Exit, stage right.
--Barbara
It snowed most of yesterday (if you squint you can see flakes in the picture), just a bit stuck last night, a dusting even, but today's supposed to warm up. The sun's out and there isn't a cloud in the sky so maybe we'll have a fighting chance of Spring, for a day or two anyway. It's got to start warming up a little more. Everyone's staggering around shell-shocked at the weather. I went to Woodman's and Home Depot yesterday and neither place was remotely crowded--and it was Friday. I didn't have to jockey for a parking place at HD or dodge manic grannies (older than me) in the produce department at Woodman's AND I walked straight into a checkout line, no waiting. I almost enjoyed being there.
While eating my lunch I glanced out to see some goldfinches at the feeder, goldfinches molting, goldfinches turning yellow like they believe that Spring might be on the way, so even though there was a junco out there right under them I'm believing the goldfinches. Spring. Is. On. The. Way.
As I said, Durwood's got a bad backache so I got to pick a recipe and make supper last night. I'm more adventurous than he is so I picked out Chicken Bouillabaisse (but it didn't have any fish--why'd they call it that? I don't know) with Pimento-Garlic Sauce out of a WW cookbook. It was basically chicken thighs in diced tomatoes with bay leaves, thyme, orange zest, and a teeny bit of Sriracha (hot pepper catsup) that I put over rice, with a dollop (our new favorite cooking term, not sure why) of the sauce which is pimento (or roasted red pepper), garlic, salt, 1/8 tsp. Sriracha whirred in the food processor til smooth and then 1/4 cup fat-free mayo whirred in too. Deeeelicious. The pimento sauce was too hot/spicy for Durwood but he gamely scraped it off and kept eating. The cookbook's called Turn Up the Flavor so all of the recipes have strong flavors (duh) and bright colors which I'm all in favor of, he's more of a traditionalist, liking separate meat, potatoes, and veg or an old stand-by like shepherd's pie or meatloaf, and nothing hot/spicy, except Penzeys Sweet Curry which is more flavorful than spicy. I'm not complaining, no sirree, I like coming home from work to find supper on the stove or in the oven, I just like stepping out of the norm every once in a while.
April 5--Courtois Freres, Cornet a Pistons in B-flat.
Croon to me
in brass
tubes of notes twisted
into curlicues of jazz.
Press your lips
to mine, touch my ivory
keys to change the tune.
Winding breath,
syncopated pulse,
tapping toes...
take me, Louis,
I'm all yours.
~~~~~
It's about time to get all togged up to go meet Durwood's Census 2000 pals for breakfast so I'd better close this out and get a move on. I feel an omelet in my future. Hasta la vista, babies.
--Barbara
As yesterday wore on the sky got grayer and in the afternoon rain and snow and sleet fell, just a little. It stopped in the evening but now it's raining and sleeting. See the pretty drips on the bare maple tree? See the sleet on Beverly's windshield? Gak. I might go out later, well, I'll definitely go out to knitting unless the roads are too icy and treacherous but I might run an errand since we're out of fresh veggies (gasp!) except carrots which seem to be our fallback veggie. I don't know why, I really like carrots and so does Durwood.
The weather system that crept in yesterday made my sinuses wake up and start production. Just when I'd stopped taking Zycam for a cold the snot returns, but I'm not going to let it get me down. I've Cheerio-ed, prune-d, banana-ed, and coffee-ed. I've taken all my vitamins and pills plus an Aleve for my sore knitting arm. I've stripped the bed, carried some frozen stuff down to the basement freezer, and brought the fresh sheets up. Now as soon as I hit "publish" I'm off to Home Depot for some charcoal (which I will get help to lift into the cart, cross my heart) and to Festival for fresh veggies. Or maybe I'll go to Woodman's, whichever. Sound good? I think so. Durwood's got a bad backache so he's not coming along, he'll hold down the fort here and warm up some homemade asparagus soup he made for lunch, for me too. Hmm, maybe I'll snag some crusty bread to dip in it...
April 4--India, Standing Buddha offering Protection.
He stands, hands outstretched,
I will protect you.
Serenity lives in his eyes
beaming out to encompass all.
Soft smiling lips
forgive Man's transgressions.
Red sandstone crumbled
at a touch,
no one protected
the Protector.
Here I go! Vroom, vroom!
--Barbara
When I went out to top up the birdbath this is what I saw--green leaves poking through the remaining snow behind the house. Tender green leaves, not the sturdy ones that bulbs shoot out. I know I planted this but I no longer remember what it is and it isn't in my planting notebook so *shrugs* your guess is as good as mine. It does this every year. I should look it up. I know it likes shade and its leaves grow out in a circle from the center of the roots and it sends up a flower stalk kind of reminiscent of a hosta but it's not a hosta, I do know that. As you can see if you look closely the local rabbits have been nibbling on it. I don't begrudge them that first taste of green but they'd just better leave my ferns alone when they are finally snow-free and sending up their little curly fronds. (yeah, like that'll happen) The crocuses in front are still furled, maybe they'll open up this weekend when it's supposed to be sunny and warmish. Today it's heavy overcast with a chilly wind and the promise of rain/snow. Only an inch or so of the white stuff for us, they say, but in the UP they're looking at 12-18 inches of it. I'd be hiding under the bed.
It was pretty quiet at work yesterday so I made good progress on my Design-A-Thon mitt. The deadline's one week from today. Good thing I've been writing the pattern all along, now I just need to knit through it one more time (I pre-apologize for any errors) and then get DD to help me convert my Word document into a pdf for submission to the guild. She said she could guide me through it over the phone. Fingers crossed. I'm anxious to be finished and then see what the magic of blocking does for evening out my stitches and settling the cable into place. I can't wait to show you the FO (finished object).
April 3--Louis Comfort Tiffany, Bowl.
molten glass blown
whirled like Creation
colors collide in pools
iridescent
blue green red black
smooth rough glass
fragments like continents of slag
meld into softness
eroded worlds
fantastic shapes
art
Today LC is 3 months old--already. Yikes. I'll bet DS & DIL1 feel like they've been on this parenting treadmill for a lot longer. It's an adventure. I'm off to see about the newspaper and Cheerios and a shower, maybe even in that order. I decided not to put toe warmer packs in my shoes yesterday and I was sorry; I won't forget today. Fingers crossed we don't have to shovel today's weather.
--Barbara
Yesterday morning I got out an old spade and cleared the glacier ice, fallen seed, and rabbit raisins off the patio, well, most of it anyway so I can walk out to fill the birdbath without either slipping on the ice or walking through guck. It only took a few minutes and it makes me inordinately happy to gaze upon it.
Last night after yoga Mardi and I were talking about psychic mediums and she said she thinks they're a form of snake oil (I agree), and that she sometimes views yoga that way. That she'll lead a class like the yin one we'd just finished, feel like she hadn't done anything, but then have people say, as they'd done last night, "thanks, that was great" and she felt like she hadn't done anything. That is so wrong. She turns down the lights so over the class the sunlight dims, it's a time after work to decompress in a contemplative way, yin yoga is gentle stretching and holding poses so you ease your body into relaxation, we give our bodies slow careful stretching so we don't hurt ourselves which feels great, and (this might be the most important) she's serious about yoga but isn't too serious about the atmosphere, we laugh and joke at the beginning of class and sometimes throughout, laughing can be the best exercise of all in a day. It is great. Just accept it, Mardi, there's a real reason why we're all bereft that you're moving to Washington in a few months. We love you and your yoga classes.
It's sunny today. Sunny and clear. I don't know if that means it'll be cooler or if clouds will come later and rain or snow on us but I love the sunshine; I want to go out and bask.
April 2--Ilia Efimovich Repin, Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin.
Intense eyes burn
in a face
too smooth
to harbor thoughts
of revolution
and pogrom.
April is Poetry Month so I'll be poem-ing. I hope you can stand a month of it. I'm off to see what Durwood's up to. Toodles.
--Barbara
today and didn't get around to blogging until now. I crossed the bridge as the sun tried to pry its way between the horizon and the thick overcast this morning, and again this evening when the clouds had flown and the sun was turning the blue sky orange. In my perfect world I'll have a high perch so I can see the sun and the moon and stars without all the trees and houses and wires in my way. In my perfect world.
I got to spend a little time with LC this afternoon and picked up my knitting while she sat in her Kick & Play making sounds and lights go, but she caught sight of my hands doing the knitting dance and she was riveted. As soon as I can be pretty sure she won't poke a needle up her nose or in her eye I'll teach her how.
April 1--Papua New Guinea, Eharo Mask. Jacob wouldn't let her go, he would hold onto her. Rachel knew it, and he wouldn't go without her. Then he went. She found the note tacked to her screen the morning he left, "I had to go for the credits, for the experience. Jake" Not "love Jake" just "Jake" as if his parents or his guy friends would see it and tease him. Their parents said they were too young to be in love but it didn't matter what your age was, when it was right you knew it. Now Jacob was on his way to Papua New Guinea for the summer to work on an anthropology project and probably falling for some big-breasted native girl in a sarong. She would be stuck at home waiting tables at Better Than Mom's Diner in a pink and aqua polyester uniform with a lace apron.
Oh, and it snowed a bit today. NOT April Fool. God.
--Barbara
