big gulp.
lovely half-birthday gift from sweet s....
13 July 2008
happy half-birthday
today i am 32 and a half. halfway to 33. 33. 3...3....
big gulp.
lovely half-birthday gift from sweet s....
big gulp.
lovely half-birthday gift from sweet s....
07 July 2008
july 7
Fireflies
At Blackwater
fireflies
are not even a dime a dozen--
they are free,
and each floats and turns
among the branches of the oaks
and the swamp azaleas
looking for another
as, who doesn't?
Oh, blessings
on the intimacy
inside fruition,
be it foxes
or the fireflies
or the dampness inside the petals
of a thousand flowers.
Though Eden is lost
its loveliness
remains in the heart
and the imagination;
he would take her
in a boat
over the dark water;
she would take him
to an island she knows
where the blue flag grows wild
and the grass is deep,
where the birds
perch together,
feather to feather,
on the bough.
And the fireflies,
blinking their little lights,
hurry toward one another.
And the world continues,
God willing.
~Mary Oliver
At Blackwater
fireflies
are not even a dime a dozen--
they are free,
and each floats and turns
among the branches of the oaks
and the swamp azaleas
looking for another
as, who doesn't?
Oh, blessings
on the intimacy
inside fruition,
be it foxes
or the fireflies
or the dampness inside the petals
of a thousand flowers.
Though Eden is lost
its loveliness
remains in the heart
and the imagination;
he would take her
in a boat
over the dark water;
she would take him
to an island she knows
where the blue flag grows wild
and the grass is deep,
where the birds
perch together,
feather to feather,
on the bough.
And the fireflies,
blinking their little lights,
hurry toward one another.
And the world continues,
God willing.
~Mary Oliver
05 July 2008
it's officially summer to me when...
...i see the first fireflies blinking for mates at night
...i hear cicadas ringing for mates during the day
...i can buy all the local produce we eat at the farmer's market
...i hear countrytime lemonade commercials on the radio
...we can see the fruits of our labor, growing day-by-day
...my babies get all the quasi-outdoor time they wish for
...a "babing" suit is the best thing to wear
...i hear cicadas ringing for mates during the day
...i can buy all the local produce we eat at the farmer's market
...i hear countrytime lemonade commercials on the radio
...we can see the fruits of our labor, growing day-by-day
...my babies get all the quasi-outdoor time they wish for
...a "babing" suit is the best thing to wear
gratitude, july 4th
1. sleeping in!!!!
2. new t-shirt from target
3. bbq party with my sister, brother-in-law, nieces, & husband
4. blongoball!!!
5. watching fireworks randomly pepper the sky on our drive home
2. new t-shirt from target
3. bbq party with my sister, brother-in-law, nieces, & husband
4. blongoball!!!
5. watching fireworks randomly pepper the sky on our drive home
03 July 2008
here and now, july 3
my mother was lamenting about summer today. that it was fleeting and pretty soon it would be august, then september, then christmas. christmas, ma? you jumped all the way there? so, i tried to drag her back to the here and now, the only real moment we have on earth, while eating our summery grilled chicken, corn-on-the-cob, and baked beans. i told her that i have done three things in the last week that i have never done before during summer....
1. bought an ice cream and strolled, i did not walk, but strolled around our neighborhood, licking hungrily, smelling the sweetness of the late june air, taking in the nature around me.
2. dragged a blanket over to a large grassy area next to our apartment where we live, spread it out under some trees, and stretched out with a good book.
3. drove to the beach by myself to soak in the beautiful day.
i understand what she means, though....it was the basis of my post the other day...carpe diem. seize the day. she just loves the summer, increasingly hates the long, dark, cold winters holed up in the house alone, and sees each passing day as one day closer to a snowflake falling out of the sky.
it wasn't all bad...we ended the conversation with the decision to run out for ice cream for dessert. this month's flavor....peach, with homemade granola mixed in and fresh whipped cream on top...little bit of a dream this july 3rd.
1. bought an ice cream and strolled, i did not walk, but strolled around our neighborhood, licking hungrily, smelling the sweetness of the late june air, taking in the nature around me.
2. dragged a blanket over to a large grassy area next to our apartment where we live, spread it out under some trees, and stretched out with a good book.
3. drove to the beach by myself to soak in the beautiful day.
i understand what she means, though....it was the basis of my post the other day...carpe diem. seize the day. she just loves the summer, increasingly hates the long, dark, cold winters holed up in the house alone, and sees each passing day as one day closer to a snowflake falling out of the sky.
it wasn't all bad...we ended the conversation with the decision to run out for ice cream for dessert. this month's flavor....peach, with homemade granola mixed in and fresh whipped cream on top...little bit of a dream this july 3rd.
02 July 2008
pondering, july 2
"i'd like to repeat the advice i gave you before, in that i think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. so many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. the very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. the joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."~ letter from christopher mccandless to his friend ron, shared by jon krakauer in his incredible book, into the wild. both book and movie are worthwhile.
01 July 2008
july 1, 2008
there is nothing like waking up in the morning, looking out your window at blue skies and plenty of sunshine, and know you just have to hit the road.
so i put on my bathing suit, grabbed some towels and snacks, packed the car, and headed as far west as my little car could take me until a big lake and a cool town got in my way.
once in town, i followed the signs to my favorite oval beach, turned left on the forested winding road, a road that does not seem to open up into an oasis of sand and water once at the top.
but it does. my face was in full beam mode once i saw the glittering water. hello, dear friend. it was a long winter. so glad to see you came out still shining.
i camped out all day right on the shore...watched families come and go. i finished one book, started and read most of another, took a dip, ate some chips and twizzlers, and basked in the sunlight...spritzed with spf 30, thank you very much.
i needed to get out of dodge. today was the perfect day. there is nothing like the sound of surf to drown out the noise in your head. the sound of children's laughter and glee running up and down the beach, trying to outrun the waves and tide, while protective mothers look on, calling out their names if they wander out too far. there is nothing like the smell of your skin after a day at the beach....all soaked with sunshine, wind, sand, water, and the obligatory sunscreen.
i left while the sun was making its sojourn westward. it was time for me to head home...call it a day. we need these days, you know? days where you just head out and spend quality time with you. recharge. refuel. sing on the top of your lungs in the car with all the windows down and the wind blowing in your hair.
it's july people. if you are like me and live in a northern climate, it is carpe diem time....time to get out there and soak in all the natural vitamin d you can get...because in a few short months, we'll all be under grey skies and a blanket of snow. so....get that ice cream cone, double scoop in a waffle cone, take a walk in the gloaming of the evening, jump through the sprinkler with your kids, turn off the tv and watch the blinking of the fireflies, and go on a road trip when the moment strikes...and don't hesitate a minute.
summer's fleeting....taste it, touch it, smell it, hear it while you can.
so i put on my bathing suit, grabbed some towels and snacks, packed the car, and headed as far west as my little car could take me until a big lake and a cool town got in my way.
once in town, i followed the signs to my favorite oval beach, turned left on the forested winding road, a road that does not seem to open up into an oasis of sand and water once at the top.
but it does. my face was in full beam mode once i saw the glittering water. hello, dear friend. it was a long winter. so glad to see you came out still shining.
i camped out all day right on the shore...watched families come and go. i finished one book, started and read most of another, took a dip, ate some chips and twizzlers, and basked in the sunlight...spritzed with spf 30, thank you very much.
i needed to get out of dodge. today was the perfect day. there is nothing like the sound of surf to drown out the noise in your head. the sound of children's laughter and glee running up and down the beach, trying to outrun the waves and tide, while protective mothers look on, calling out their names if they wander out too far. there is nothing like the smell of your skin after a day at the beach....all soaked with sunshine, wind, sand, water, and the obligatory sunscreen.
i left while the sun was making its sojourn westward. it was time for me to head home...call it a day. we need these days, you know? days where you just head out and spend quality time with you. recharge. refuel. sing on the top of your lungs in the car with all the windows down and the wind blowing in your hair.
it's july people. if you are like me and live in a northern climate, it is carpe diem time....time to get out there and soak in all the natural vitamin d you can get...because in a few short months, we'll all be under grey skies and a blanket of snow. so....get that ice cream cone, double scoop in a waffle cone, take a walk in the gloaming of the evening, jump through the sprinkler with your kids, turn off the tv and watch the blinking of the fireflies, and go on a road trip when the moment strikes...and don't hesitate a minute.
summer's fleeting....taste it, touch it, smell it, hear it while you can.
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