Prescience?

This painting, a print of a painting by Wesley Dennis, hung in my
bedroom when I was a child. I loved dogs and horses. I read every
dog, horse and animal story I could find. Later, I went on to do my
Master's thesis research on free-ranging horses out in Idaho in an
area that looked similar to this. I also learned that horses rarely
rear up for any reason other than two stallions fighting over mares,
and that doesn't happen that often. I still have the print in my
bedroom today, but it is not on the wall. LOL!

a bit of trauma

Piano Boy had 4 teeth extracted this morning. He's still kind of out
of it. It was a bit traumatic for both of us, though more so, I am
sure, for him. I may write more about it later.

One upsetting thing was this: They made us wait in the "operating
room" a very long time. Piano Boy, who hadn't been too nervous before
this, got more and more nervous waiting. It didn't help that the
instruments of torture were laid out there for him to see. It also
didn't help that we had been reading The Eye, the Ear and The Arm, by
Nancy Farmer, and a boy his age was strapped to a chair and
instruments of torture were arranged on a tray for him to see.

This was not the worst of it, but it is all I feel up to writing about
right now.

Wordless Wednesday

(click image to view larger)
See Becca's photo and all photos on Wordless Wednesday.

T is for Toe

T is for Toe by Mary Stebbins Taitt

Hey, this is cool, I am catching 3 birds with one stone.

1)This is for ABC Wednesdays, which is on the letter T. See also "T
is for Tree."

2)I'm still slowly working on my meme of things I like with letters of
the alphabet. I love Sophia's toes. What could be cuter than a
baby's fingers and toes? I did the standard thing when my babies were
born, I checked their fingers and toes--yup ten fingers and ten toes and so
tiny and perfect. And I love trees. Whenever I do gratefulness
lists, trees are right up their near the top. They are SO beautiful
and peaceful and serene--fractals they are, the organization of chaos.
The marriage of Goddess and Nature.

3)I am working on an Alphabet book for my grandchildren (but at the
rate I am going, I won't get it done on time, WAHN!) I am including
THEM as parts of the book.

Yesterday, I wasted almost the entire DAY trying to order a single
Christmas gift--and FAILED. I was so angry and frustrated, because I
needed to get it done AND I had other stuff to do too. But I started
over this morning and succeeded in ordering that gift and three
others. Phew. So, I have the right to take a short break by working
on another git--THIS ONE! LOL!

Click image to view larger.

Why the Dinosaurs became Extinct

Click image to view larger. (Cranbrook)

Electrical storm, May 8, 1961

It begins with utter stillness, cold oppressing air. Lightning flashes across the sky. And then, stillness again.

Silence

Then wind, howling its fury, rages across the land. Lashing trees bend over, the small ones almost double, screaming in torment, cracking in agony. Rain pours down. Another flash of lightning illuminates the scene. A roar of thunder like a giant's bowling alley.

I feel small, but it pulsates through me, making me larger inside. I love a storm.

But Mrs. Austin is scared stiff.


(lol! I liked my power words at 14 almost 15!

More diary entries: on May 13th, 1961, I rode a power lawnmower and a motor scooter. Sometime between May 13 and May 18, I got a Siamese kitten from my English teacher. She was a purebred with a kink in her tail, so she couldn't be used for breeding. I named her Aphrodite and called her Taffy. On May 21st, I took a ride in a glider. 1300 feet up for a stupendous view. And so silent. On June 15, I received a certificate of service and bronze medal, but I don't tell what it was for. These were the exciting events in my life around the time I turned 15. )

carving

I didn't set this up, I saw it as I was doing something else and shot it as is--I didn't even touch it. If I'd have set it up, I'd have used more care. But it shows my workspace--the dining room table, LOL! (Click image to see larger.)

rain snow and fog

It snowed last night, but it rained today, and the snow was shedding
fog. We took a walk at Cranbrook. It was cold and wet but really
pretty.

Pomegranate Snowfall

Outside the windows in the dark, snow is falling, steady and fast.  It piles on the lawns, cars and streets, falls through the lamplight.  Inside, we finally open the pomegranate  we bought well before Thanksgiving.  The blood red jewels shine in the incandescent light, garnets and rubies arranged is a perfect pattern.  It tastes so good.  In spite of being well aged, it is sweet, tart and delicious. I think of my grandmother Nicolina, my father's mother, who lived in a stable as a young woman and rode horses along the rocky coast of Italy collecting pomegranates.  It was she who taught me to eat them.  I think of course of Persephone down in the underworld by the firelight with Hades and Demeter, missing her above.  I think of my poet friend Linda who writes so deliciously of Persephone.  And I smile at Biker Buddy across the table from me. We ask each other why we haven't eaten this fabulous fruit before now.  Because, we decide, it takes leisure to open and eat a pomegranate, and leisure seems to be in short supply, especially leisure together.  But tonight, we pried open a little hole in our frenzy big enough to enjoy a pomegranate together.  Then rushed off again on our various tasks.  Biker Buddy is writing checks, Piano Boy playing the piano and I was carving on the polar bear block again.  Later, Biker Buddy will read aloud to Piano Boy and me, my favorite part of the day.  We'll be cuddled together on the love seat in the study.  And the snow?  It's still falling.

1961 again

I am working on a block cut for Christmas and I had gone down in the basement to look for my brayers (rubber rollers). I didn't find them, but I did find my diary from 1961 and am allowing myself to read one or two segments a day (I have too much to do to sit and read it).

Here's some of what I wrote on Friday, August 18, 1961(9:41 PM):

It seems as if my wonderful peaceful world has exploded. Dorothy, my best (and only) pal for over 12 years just left for camp. Although this doesn't seem that serious, in eight days they will return and move to Delaware for a year and i won't be here to say goodbye. Burnt Hills will be a different, sadder place without the many Sheffers.

What I didn't know when I wrote that was that in November of 1962, I would move away, just after the Sheffers' return from Deleware. Dorothy was not my only friend, but she was a very important friend. That day, August 18, 1961 was pivotal day in my young life.

Monday August 21, 1961, 9:56 PM

Today was another one of those dreary days since Dorothy left. It rained all day. I worked on my aquariums. After lunch, we played "Pit" and "I doubt it." Then I baked some yummy carob brownies {that was the year I gave up chocolate for a year in hopes it would help my complexion. it did.} Aunty Ann came out. We had a big dinner. Then I washed the dishes. It is good for Aunty Ann to get out of her shell once in a while. Too bad it doesn't happen often. {This was right after my grandmother died. My aunt lived with her until my grandmother died.} I hope she recovers soon. When she left, she took Tom {my brother} with her. Of course I didn't get to talk to Dorothy once all day.

PS: Mick Mather, Syracuse artist, invited me to contribute to his "Outer Dust Rings" Project (blog). I was very honored and we did a collaborative piece, Redhead Tern Festival in 101st Year, Migration. I'm pleased because it is humorous, though the humor will be much more obvious to those who live in Syracuse, NY. (I do not, but am stepped in Syracuse lore.)