Sunday

Savoring solitude,
Of Sunday,
Silent sunrise.

Stillness.

Something spectacular,
Scented with gutter-leaves,
Scattering under sneaker soles.

Sacred.

Shhh'ed still sleepers snore,
Senseless,
To swish-leaf scrunching.

Silent.

Splintering, stirring, squelching,
Subduing silence singly,
By squished-leaf statements.

Shhh.

D Day

Today:

donuts

dark chocolate

dots

diet coke

delightful, delicious, devilish, delectable

...and an apple

Ironrite

When I was a kid, we ironed things. My sister used our Ironrite to iron the more complicated items. I did the pillowcases. This thing scared the b-geebers out of me. It would make a loud BANG noise and release the roller that pressed against the hot metal plate if it got hung up on something - like your ARM. I'm pretty sure the warning labels on appliances today would warn against use by children, but then we were a might tough group.

Are We Close?

When someone really could use a helpful hint, do you give it? or not? I find myself wondering.....

*Would I want to know?

*Will it embarass him/her?

*Will it impact our relationship?

*May their ego be harmed?

*Will they wonder how long they might have gone along blind to their flaw?

*Will it show that I have not heard a word they just said?

*Might they be able to remedy the problem without drawing attention?

*When they make the discovery on their own, will they hate me for not telling them?

*Am I being too personal in pointing it out?

*Do we know each other well enough?

...It is a definite conundrum when trying to figure out when to give the flippy nostril obstruction alert....

Music

At work my students play music in lab. This is fine by me unless they argue about what's playing or have it too loud. My family can vouch for the fact that I never hear the words. At the high school, this has had embarassing results as I hum along with some $%#!!#@*. You get the picture.

At my present place of employment, a large stack of unlabeled CDs have accumulated. After awhile, it all sounds the same. During our culinary exploration of South American cooking, some distinctive Latino tunes wove their way amidst the scents of garlic, onions, and cumin. I commented to my TA, Cameron, how fitting it was to hear something so appropriate for the day. Obviously more attuned to our regular genre of music that had been assaulting his ears, he claimed the CD as his and commented, "It beats those sissy cowboy songs you're always playing."

Made me laugh out loud! I love my job!

What Happened to Hats?

There once was an era of hats. Men wore them to the movies, fishing, and when they went "out." Women wore fancy dress hats, adorned with netting and fruit salads. My mom kept her fair-skinned children shaded from the cancer-inducing rays of the sun, stylishly I might add.

The merits of wearing hats include: hiding bad hair, spicing up an otherwise boring outfit, covering baldness, or being able to transform your younger brother into a sister (see photo). We called "her" Suzy Belle.


In celebration of Election Day, I vote we bring hats back.

Socks and Snow

Back in the day when I had a house full of laundry, springtime meant boxing up the socks and requiring all to wear sandals and filp-flops for the summer. The relief felt by the sock sorter was immense and life became suddenly simpler.

Extending the sockless season until the first snowfall, this year October 20, is still habit. The appearance of turtlenecks, winter footwear, and mittens somehow whispers permission to throw out all the orphaned socks from springtime and embrace this first indication of winter.

Ol' man Winter - Bring it on!