It's coming...

the balloons are in the air, pears are hanging from the tree, tonight the Saints are opening the season (and will be kicking booty for those keeping score) and when I looked to my patch of aspens on the mountain top this morning...the blush of yellow was there. I'm thrilled. And by checking the date for last year's aspen change, well, we're a couple weeks ahead of schedule. Lovely. Now if I could just get my fall postcards ready for the swap, that would be an accomplishment. At least I've got ideas. You can always count on me for that.

These socks are now happily living with my mama. I was very proud when she told me how much she loved them and how they were even better than the ones that her grandma had knit for her. And speaking of that grandma, here are her knitting needles that have been in my possession for a few years now. I think they must be size 0, so tiny.

Not sure what one knits with such tiny needles except some exceptionally fine socks. Time to start looking for a pattern.

5 Things Friday

It's been a while since I've relied on this old chestnut. And 5 hours of sleep make for scattered thoughts...

1--Reading. For school: The Day of the Locust by Nathaniel West
For bedtime: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

2--Eating. Snacks galore when my mama and I watch the University of Nebraska beat the University of Nevada. I've got some mixed loyalties but I was born and raised a Cornhusker.

3--Inhaling. The scent of rain. It rained yesterday for the first time in months. Here at work, the rain came down like it used to in New Orleans. The skies opened up and water spilled out.

4--Debating. Hair, to chop off entirely or just a little? My eternal quandary.

5--Knitting. I'm going to start Secret Project Number Two this weekend because I can't just have only two projects going at one time (Secret Project Number 1 and this poor neglected Daisy scarf). This weekend, I will post a photo of the socks I finished last week.

Have a splendid extended dance remix weekend!

Goodnight, Sweetheart

The world is a'spinning and we're hanging on for dear life. Hubby is up at the crack of dawn and gone before I wake up only to return after I get home. I hope these first few weeks of teaching don't treat him too harshly. I bet it gets easier, Sweetie, really...I bet it does. Despite the fact hubby has every evening off, he is so drained by the end of the day he is in bed as soon as the kid goes to sleep. It's strange being the last one to bed at night. Kidlet is worn out by her own school day so it only takes a half hour to get her to sleep (as opposed to the hour it has been taking the past few weeks). Me, I'm just trying to cobble the remnants together the best I can...household chores, food, yard...I'm sure you know the drill. Add my own scholarly pursuits and work to the mix and wow, no wonder we are exhausted.

I couldn't really tell you how hubby's first days of teaching are going except 'damn, those teachers work hard and deserve waaaaaay more money than they receive.' Kidlet is back at her school and now that it's the actual school, I think it's going really well. As iffy as I was feeling about their 'summer day camp', I'm glad she participated because it gave her a (somewhat) gentle introduction, meeting several of the children in her class as well as her teacher ahead of time. There hasn't been a tear (at least while I've been there) at drop off. There was even a day when she got mad when Nonna came to collect her because she was busy with a friend. I know it's only the first week, but I'm finally feeling positive about the experience (and I'm going to hold it close to my heart, damn it).

Autumn is feeling closer despite the fact it is still a billion degrees during the day and not even cooling down at night like it was a few weeks ago. One of the trees in our neighbor's yard (seen above) changed to yellow overnight and lost most of its leaves. Kidlet gave me one of the dried up leaves and said "Isn't it beautiful? It's for you, Mama." Yes, yes it is. It sits on my desk in front of me, a talisman to bring the new season closer. It's been a hell of a summer.

It's a cloudy morning and I'm loving it. Just had to tell you.

Vacation-Go-Round

Well folks, I'm back. I had a mini-vacation. Six days! Can you believe it? Amazingly, I feel somewhat refreshed despite the fact that everything is ramped up to DEFCON 2 stress levels. Hubby starts his very first day of teaching sophmores today (woo hoo)! Kidlet goes back to school! Somehow I missed the line in the school paperwork that stated she only has a half day today so today is a big race from home to school to work to school to home to Nonna to work again. Oh joy! But that's today. I've got other stuff to relate.

I discovered that if I didn't work, I wouldn't blog or flickr. I don't know if blogging/flickring is a way to remind me that "yes, I can be creative" with the very limited amount of time I have when I'm working, but I had little desire to do either during the past week and it was wonderful. Since I had time, I wanted to do more 'real life' projects like actually print my photos to put around the house (except for the fact I lost the battle with my printer). I went to the state fair and saw the 'creative living' competitions and thought, "i need to enter some stuff. i can do this." I finished the purple socks and started on another (super secret) project. I've got a billion ideas swimming around in my head. I'm mentally prepared for the fall postcard swap. I love recharging the creative batteries.

I got a ton of schoolwork done too, in between trips to the mountain lake, the fair, and eating ice cream. However, last night I had the dreadful realization that instead of the 8 classes I thought I had left for my BA, I have more like 13 classes. That was a big blow. At the rate I'm going, I'll be done in 7 years. Yeah. And that doesn't even include the master's degree I have planned for myself. I'll keep plugging away for now since I only have about a month left with this class and then I won't need to do anything but create(!) until January. Maybe I need to rethink all this and go with plan B or C. Then again, if I quit school then I definitely will never finish. Better to keep on keeping on and finish someday in the distant future, right? Right? I still don't regret dropping out and living the wild life in New Orleans when I was 21. But it sure was easier to take 4 and 5 classes at a time when I was a kid instead of now when I have a kid and work full time.

Ok, that was a big ramble. But that's what you come here for, right? Right? Big hugs to you all and now it's off to catch up with you here in Virtual Land.

Just a moment

Gliding down the freeway: windows open, cool breeze. Mind riding with Brubeck's piano. Taking stock of my New Year's resolutions and I sit up straighter. I simplify where I can. Dreaming of next week, only one day of work. Old fashioned chocolate cake to make, lakes to visit, cotton candy hands. I take pictures with my mind. Wondering if I'll be able to come back and actually use my camera. Nope. The moment is fleeting.

Just pretend

By not blogging, I think I'm somehow pretending I'm away on an extended vacation spending lots of time sitting next to a sparkling body of water, digging my toes into the sand while working on a happy crafty project, eating yummy food while having a glass of wine, and reading good books. In Realityland, I will be taking a few days off next week to watch Kidlet before her two week school break ends, but any travel will be daytrippish. The state fair will be starting and I will take the opportunity of being able to go in the daytime, before all the questionable crowds come out for the rides at night. A trip to mountain lake. A trip to desert lake. And a bunch of schoolwork. No, we cannot write a post without mentioning my arch nemesis, schoolwork. But I'm looking forward to it (minus the schoolwork), as short as that time off may be.

So I think I may continue this blogging vacation for now. Maybe I'll feel refreshed if I stay away. Maybe I'll shut off my computer (except for schoolwork) next week when I'm off. Ha ha ha! Good one. I'm such an addict to the internet but one can dream, eh?

The cool of the morning

I was instantly transported when I poked my head out the back door this morning. There was a certain amount of dampness in the air.* I remembered being in Omaha and going on a field trip with my school to see...a train? I remember the train depot, but I don't know if that was what we were really going to see. But the air. It smelled exactly the same as it did that morning 30 years ago. Fresh. Slightly chilled. And I could even feel the electricity of being away from school with all my classmates. Wonderful.

*Ummm, said dampness would not be caused by me leaving the soaker hose on ALL DAY. Yeah.

The last of the summer swap...

From Ali. Yes, I've had this lovely all to myself for about a month. I guess I didn't want the swap to end and I knew that as soon as I posted the last card it would be over. Thank you, Ali, for such a gorgeous card! Each one she made was so unique and full of care.

I hemmed and hawed and then happily said "yes!" I've joined the fall swap! I don't think I could do the more complicated knitty-sewing-megagoodie bag swaps because, well, it takes me at least 6 months to knit a pair of socks. But this, it is small and can be as complicated or as simple as one chooses to make it. I've got ideas a'brewin' in my head already. What makes you think of fall? Or are you not ready for fall yet?

And back to our regularly scheduled program of kvetching and dreaming of finding enough time in the day to finish knitting a pair of socks

Something has been bugging me hence, an apology

I had a sudden realization the other day and I hope I haven't inadvertently offended anyone. I realized I've been lax about giving credit where credit is due. I can blame it on my hazy state of morning blogging, I can blame it on the state of my overworked brain, but I wanted to say I am sorry if I haven't been making it crystal clear if a photo was not mine. Photos that show up when you come to the blog are mine, taken by my camera (of which I'm not really fond...shhh...don't tell). Links may take you to flickr where it usually will be someone else's photo (and you would be able to see that from the account icon in the upper right hand corner of the page). No one has contacted me stating that I was not making this clear but I realized I had a couple of recent posts that may have been construed as "attribution hazy" as some links were to photos I took and some were not. I have since edited these posts.

Again, terribly sorry. Let's make tea and cookies.

Inspired...

Madre Adoptiva just recently came back from a Sun Dance in Oregon. Reading her blog, talking to her, as well as reading Fools Crow has been getting me thinking about my own (tiny, but hopefully growing) spiritual life, nature, and people in 'civilization'. These things have been stewing for quite a while but have really come to a head for me in the past week. I don't want to leave people with a rant about civilization so I'll just say I think the time has finally come for me to start a meditation practice, renew my efforts to be more kind and understanding, and hopefully get out in nature more often. Sadly, my weekend is already lining up to be full of 'civilzation'. Bleh. I hope yours is filled with juicy, red tomatoes, blazingly bright sunflowers, and dips in cold lakes.

And what's sitting next to your bed?

Since Bekka inquired via comments a few posts ago and since it's been a while since I've written about books, I thought I'd share a smattering of what I am reading/might pick up and browse/have recently finished.

Now: Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Was going to ready Harry Potter 5 (yes, I'm only on 5) but didn't want to spend any cash right now for books. This was sitting about and hubby said it was a fun read, so I'm halfway through. It is fun. Very much like reading one of his comics.

Also reading right now but not pictured: Fools Crow by James Welch. For school. Pretty interesting and I'd probably really dig it if I wasn't having to really think about the questions I need to answer for my assignment ("How many treaties does so-and-so say they signed with the white man?").

And courtesy of the lovely Project Guttenberg, More Translations from the Chinese by Arthur Waley. Chinese poetry? I'm obsessed.

Finished: All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this book. I shed tears when I finished it because I enjoyed it so dang much. Ummm, you probably won't have that reaction if you read this, but this novel really moved me and I'm still not sure why. His writing style suits me perfectly. That's really about all I can say.

The Selected Poems of T'ao Ch'ien. This is another one of my fave books of all time now. Beautiful, beautiful. Can't really say 'finished' because I keep returning to it.

Upcoming: what do you suggest?

The tale of the garden that went kaput and its (awaited) rebirth

My yard is in a mixed state. Usually the backyard is tolerably pleasing with an array of flowers across our hill that starts with irises in the spring, to coreopsis and cosmos, to white onions at the tail end of summer. Then the virginia creeper officially takes over and we end the growing season with a week of blazing red. Then the rest of the year, it officially looks like crap. This year, erosion finally won out. The cosmos and coreopsis didn't happen. The onions are an inch high, if they exist at all. We'll still have the creeper, because...well...it's creeper and invasive. Over the past couple years, I've tried reseeding the hill with drought tolerant wildflower mixes, planting assorted xeric plants and...nothing. My hill is officially dust, not an ounce of organic matter in it.

So I've been planning, gathering inspiration, and trying to figure out how to amend my hill with out it blowing away with the strong evening winds that tear across the yard and how to dig a hole deep enough for a tree that doesn't require a jackhammer.

Here's what I'm thinking: on the hill, try to get some sumac in as it is invasive so maybe I'll get something out of it. Add a couple of aspens. Some sort of hardscaping to help it out during the winter months. Grasses look good year round. Fill in the spaces with wildflowers for summer. I'm going to make a sunflower patch where the vegetable patch is supposed to be (but always gets nibbled away by Nora). I'm also going to make an evening garden that is full of white flowers by the patio (which I want to expand) .

And the inspiration:

white (via gardenhoe/sara) and here (from me)
sumac and here too (both from me)
aspen (via knitting iris...the butterfly dress doesn't hurt either...maybe if I grow a grove, I can knit one to hang in the trees. a girl can dream, eh?)
sunflower (via nessie) and here (this one from me)

Wish me luck, I'm going to need it. Or wish me superhuman strength so I can dig a hole through the boulder that comprises the base layer of our hill.

Pancakemama proud of Pancakepapa

Last night...hubby's last night of school. He is now on the road to teacher-dom. Over the next month, he will be making the transition from waiter to teacher. This also means we get to make the transition from seeing each other two nights a week to ALL OF THEM. WE HAVE NEVER, EVER HAD NORMAL NIGHTS TOGETHER IN THE ENTIRE SPAN OF THIS RELATIONSHIP, WHICH IS 16+ YEARS. Wow. I'll get to see how the other half lives.

Boo, I'm proud of you. I'll be jealous when it's you and Kidlet traipsing about the desert all next summer, all day, every day.

Oy vey, this means it will soon be my turn to attempt to finish this school thing. Lessee...my goal is to be done by the time I'm 45, so I've got mmm...6 years to go. Wish me luck.

I need a vacation

Random thoughts of the morning or tell me how you really feel

--I hate feeling Kidlet getting stressed about going to school because I'm the one who said 'oh yes, I think she's going to love this' and now she tells me 'I don't like school' and holds back her tears to put on a brave face when I drop her off. I can't wait for this 'summer day camp' to end and have the real school start. Ok, just had to get that off my chest.

--Had to take an exam this morning. It was like pulling teeth to get me there to take it. I had planned on taking this thing way back at the end of May. Well, I didn't find out until I was there, taking the test, that I had studied for this thing totally wrong. I have taken this instructor before and he usually wants the grandiose theme-and-scheme of things. Well, today it was all nit picky stuff like "what's Alexander Hamilton's mother's maiden name?". A full 20% of my grade, right there...down the drain. At least I have a very solid 'A' on my written assignments to balance it out (a little).

--On the way back to my car post-exam, I walked through a neighborhood in which I would love to live (except for the fact every third house is a rental for partying college folks). Sitting under a huge pine tree next to one of these charming houses, there was a lovely elderly woman. Something about her really struck me...don't know if it was her friendliness, her beauty or her bright pink lipstick. Felt like I just wanted to invite her out to a cup of tea.

--Now I'm totally wiped out from the test taking. Looking forward to a quiet evening with my tiny family. Usually, we are only able to all get together twice a week since hubby has been "all school, all the time" for the past year. But next week, that will change. I can hardly believe it. Tonight: glass(es) of wine and knitting. Tomorrow: back to the writing assignments for school.

The Bonus Round...Seven Random Things About Me

A few months back I answered this question but I'm pretty weird and random so answering this is like selling lamb tickets at a wolf carnival. So Emily, I'm more than happy to come up with another set!

1--My not-so-guilty pleasure in music is uber-cheesey 70's soft rock. Think "Evil Woman" by E.L.O. , "Sister Golden Hair" by America, "More than a Feeling" by Boston. Oh yes. I revel in this stuff. I grew up listening to AM radio where these were the staples.

2--Somewhat related...my first LP was John Denver's Greatest Hits, my first 45 was "Le Freak" by Chic and my first tape was Golden Years by David Bowie.

3--I've met Charo. On several occasions. She is the sweetest, tiniest, bustiest woman you could ever hope to meet.

4--Somewhat related--I have a small reputation for refusing famous people. I've (tried) to kick out Jimmy Buffet from a high-falutin' cocktail lounge for violating the dress code (but the manager didn't have my back, he let him stay). I refused to serve Sting at the restaurant I worked at because we were closed and I had had a bad day. ("Not even a bowl of soup?" he asked plaintively.) Must have been a bad day because I do love The Police. Lastly, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top asked if my friend Mikey and I wanted to go bar hopping but again, I was tired and cranky from a long night at work and said no. Gotta say, Billy Gibbons is one very nice, cool cat.

5--When I get dressed, I have a theme in mind. It could be "summer in Stockholm" or "Amelie", but I'm positive my end result looks nothing like my inspiration.

6--If I could live in any other time, it would be in a 1930s screwball comedy ala The Thin Man or My Man Godfrey. I wouldn't want to live in the actual 1930s (you know, the Great Depression, between World Wars, all that biz), but the sparkling drinking and dancing at supper clubs with gobs of money...that, I like.

7--I currently don't have a favorite color. This month I just really love them all. Last month, it was pink. (via gardenhoe/sara)

Sorry I'm so wiki-happy today. I got a little out of hand. I'm not sure if anyone really reads this poor little blog much anymore, so I'll just assume if you are reading this...consider yourself tagged!

Have a lovely weekend, all. I'll give it my best shot but I'm going to be studying for an exam on Monday (bleh!), but at least I'll study with a glass of wine in my hand (yay!).

Papa

I was going to write a post yesterday in honor of my Dad's birthday but it seemed like everything I wanted to do was too emotional, too over the top. He's been gone now for...what...2 years now? Crazy. I still can't believe it.

I just got an email today from the New Orleans Saints organization (yes, I'm a football fan despite how sexist and evil the culture surrounding it can be) reminding me that training camp time is here. It got me thinking about how excited I get for football season and how my Dad and I used to compare notes. He'd bet on college football. Me, I'd bet on the pros. We'd discuss our 'systems'. He'd do something crazy with percentages and I'd do research on wins/losses and how particular teams would come out post win/loss on home or away turf. Neither of us won much with football. There was one year when I was very very close to winning $35,000 in the big 'pick your pros' contest but alas, I dropped the ball...no win. Papa would occasionally win a hundred bucks playing the poker machines (when he, ahem, wasn't supposed to be playing the poker machines. Ha ha! A secret revealed, Mama!). But no big wins, no early retirement.

Let it suffice to say, I miss him and love him dearly, kooky fella.

It was a very good day...

Being in the mix of one of the more stressful summers on record, I'm trying to take my vacations where I can. Whether it be 15 minutes in my book before I fall asleep at night or 3 hours at my Mom's house on a late Sunday afternoon, taking a break from all the pressures that are crowding in on me is a necessity.

Last night, Kidlet and I went to my Mom's house. She bought the grooviest kid's pool that looked like a crab, had a tiny BBall hoop and sprinkler fountains. We all splashed around, drying our feet on towels and blankets that I hadn't seen about 20 years. We opened one of my Dad's good wines (a 1997 red from Spring Mountain...amazing, I tell you). We ate shrimp, fishstix, salad and bread. I baked a berry pie. I forgot all my troubles for three hours. I call that a very good day.

92.31% of the way there...

From Dominique up in Canada. Love love love these colors. Also I like how one can interpret the shape in many different ways...sun, beach ball, swirl of a soft serve ice cream cone...
She wrote me a very sweet note on the reverse about my photos and knitting. :)

From Sanne in England. This one is amazing. The fabric on the card is an apron that she has cut up and made into a skirt. It reminds me of the song "Cactus" by The Pixies (one of my fave songs ever).

From Marieke in the Netherlands. Daisies hold a very special place in my heart; daisies are my mom's favorite and she carried them in her wedding. So there you have it. I love this.

From Diana at popcorn and sushi. The papers on here are beautiful and I LOVE the 'ideal girl'...I keep trying to figure out where she came from.

From our lovely swap mistress, Andrea. I can't believe she made 77 cards. Because I've seen them floating around flickr and you can tell how much care she put into these. The note on the back was so thoughtful and lovely and in the coolest handwriting ever. Can't believe it. Beautiful.

So I thought I had received them all but it turns out there's one lone card still wandering the summersphere. And that's just fine with me. It gives me hope that my mailbox will not just be full of bills and coupon mailers until the end of time.

Sit down, I'll get you a cold beverage of your choice.

Sorry I haven't been the good blogger lately. You know, things have been so busy. Work is kookoo. I'm dealing with the stresses of the tot going to her new school. (Oh, it's actually getting much better, thank you.) I miss my husband desperately as we see each other only on Saturdays and Monday nights. I need to get my sweet dog Nora to a vet to...sigh...get another lump looked at (and probably taken off for $500). But I still consider us lucky. Nora has had the cancer for a year now and seems to be doing really well. She spent all last night in the backyard chasing from one leafy nook to another, hunting birds. Speaking of the yard, it is a shambles. Dry, dusty and crispy. Our hill is eroding away and turning to a pile of crusty, desert dirt (very light on the organic matter) at the bottom of the hill. Can't decide if I just want to let it ride til next year or attempt to fix it during the hottest days of summer. And me? Let's see...I'm still dawdling over taking my exam for school (big surprise). I think I'll just make an appointment today, you know, just to have a deadline. I work better with those (sometimes). I started doing a little sewing. Yeah, crazy, eh? I started hand sewing a sock kitty from this book. Cute book. If only I had more time. Haven't knit a stitch in over a week. Very sad as I'm just a few inches away from finishing the socks.

Oh yeah, you might want to stay your distance. I'm sick. Sick in 100 degree weather with no air conditioner. Awesome!

-------

Last order of business...

I received the last of my postcards from the swap. Sigh. I'm going to miss the race to mailbox to see what treats are ensconced within. I've been feeling completely beat up so I haven't managed to scan the cards yet, but hopefully in the next day or two. If you are wondering about your cards, YES! They have arrived and they are all beautiful.

Imagine this...a crafty post

We went to a little tie-dying party last week and while my creations did not come out as proper tie-dye (more Jackson Pollock, as Kidlet might say), it still added some color to some plain white stuff. When I saw the end result of Kidlet's tank top, it had a big white spot on the chest. It was crying out for adornment. I decided an applique was in order. Kidlet picked the fabric and shape, and I got to sewing. Granted, my work is simple but it really felt good to sew. I can definitely see doing more of this in my future. It was quite nice to start and finish a project within a half hour. If you are wanting any applique inspiration, try and get the book Applique Stitchery by Jean Ray Laury on ebay or at the library. It's awesome. I first heard about it here.

Even the back came out somewhat tidy. Success? We'll see how it comes out in the wash.

Thanks for the memories...

I've got more than my fair share of good 4th of July experiences. Here's a smattering...

--my dad, back in the 70's, wearing his British flag shorts. They were covered in itsy bitsy Union Jacks. I knew this was scandalous, but being 5 years old, I wasn't sure why.

--shopping for fireworks with my dad. Sure, there were the roadside stands by the grocery store, but we'd go to the bricks-n-mortar real-deal firework store.

--going to the 4th of July parade in 1976. My mom made a red, white and blue quilt that year (that is now a very very very shred-y affair and rides in my car for impromptu picnics). I think that's the year we all got sunburned feet because we were all wearing sandals. We put our feet in my kiddie pool for relief and ate hot dogs.

--watching fireworks go off over Dillon Reservoir. They filled the valley perfectly and were reflected in the lake. The sound would reverberate against the mountains, making it seem like four times as many had gone off. And we'd always smirk at the day tourists who didn't realize that, yes, a wool sweater was de rigueur for the evening as it would be about 40 degrees.

So, go eat your hot dogs (or Smart Dogs, in our case), drink a beer, and don't start any fires.

Three posts in one day. Have I lost my mind?

A.M. Fireworks

There's always the first firework where you aren't sure if it was the crazy kids down the street lighting off their own, or if it was an official firework but a bit of a dud.

Ooooo...

Ahhhh...

Then the overblown finale. It's always too much. Kind of ridiculous, really. They could have spread them out for about 5 minutes and I would have been happy.

My favorites are the sparklers.

The past couple of days, I have been in super-stress mode.

Kidlet. Started. School.

Day One--the drop off went surprisingly well.

Day Two--the drop off went perhaps-not-so-surprisingly bad.

Day Three--today. No school. Thank goodness for small things.

I'm not sure what to think of it all. The first day we picked her up, they were watching a movie which surprised the hell out of us as it was stated in their handbook that they were anti-TV. Not that we're anti-TV, we just were surprised. The morning teacher hasn't been there when I've picked up so I haven't been able to ask how it's going. I have to get my accounts of the day from a rambling 3-year old. I have to remind myself that this is their 'daycare/summer camp' session and that it's not officially school. The 'real' teacher comes in next week and they'll start steps toward the Montessori materials. It also makes me feel a little better that another mom that I ended up talking to on day one said that her daughter was having some issues with coming back on day two. As my very wise Grandmother says "Wait two weeks. It will be fine." And so the wait begins. Sigh. I'll be happy when my insides start to unknot.

The Postcard Swap--Round 2

How can you not smile when there's a recipe for play dough included? Leonie thoughtfully supplied one for me, knowing I have a tot. The tot also really like the sparkly flowers (as do I...mmmm....shiny!).

This collage is so beautiful and if you didn't know, we're all about the birds in this household this summer. This is from Rebecca.

This scan in no way can convey the delicateness of the drawing. It's a pair of peaches rendered on a page from The Joy of Cooking (jams and jellies section, of course). The reverse can be seen here. From Stephanie at ruby crowned kinglette.

I just received a couple more cards but I will wait just a tiny bit longer before I just go ahead and post them. I have to say, I'm happy that some of the cards are taking longer to get to me to stretch out the fun just a little longer. Then it will just be stinkin' old bills after that. Sigh.

And now for something completely different.

Getting ready for the 4th of July?

At least a half dozen times a day, Kidlet's new question is "what is freedom?"

No, not for the holiday. We are reading Disney's The Little Mermaid, over and over (and over) again. Ursula the Sea Witch takes away King Triton's freedom in exchange for Ariel's. Kind of a tough one to answer, eh? Or is it just me tying freedom up (ha ha) with other concepts? Funny how a 3-year-old can make you think about things.

Oh. Didn't I mention I was crazy? Well, now you know for certain.

Whew. Thanks, Dominque, for letting me know at least one of the cards made it! Hopefully, it made it in one piece. If I do this again, I'll put it in an envelope (or make them more durable) so that I don't question it all to the end.

Lately, I've been having a good number of anxiety attack flare-ups. Nothing too unusual there...every few months I seem to get several bouts of the wooziness, the falling sensation, the pounding heart. I feel pretty confident I'm having a hard go of it right now because we are just about to (slow down, pounding heart) start a new school for Kidlet next week. We adore our current situation and we really lucked into it. It makes me wonder "Am I really this crazy? Why do I want to change up a good thing, especially when we had such an awful experience in the daycare previous to our current one?" Right now, Kidlet tickles the babies' toes and has booty-shaking parties with her buddy. What will she be doing next week? Gardening, doing schoolwork, wading in kiddie pools and making new friends? Crying for eight hours a day? Oh dear. I keep hoping Kidlet's claims of "I love my new school" aren't just idle chitchat.

Ok, now that I've got myself worked up into a frenzy, let me tell you something kinda cool. Yesterday as I was driving to work (after I dropped off a happy Kidlet at her current daycare), I was overcome with a feeling of absolute calm and contentment. It was strange as it was sort of what one might expect before they die (little life scenes passing before one's eyes) but it was good. I felt like I had done life right. I had an overwhelming gratefulness for this life that I have. I tell you, if you can wrangle up that feeling, I highly recommend it. I really have no idea what brought this about; I was driving, thinking about nothing in particular and then bam! It wasn't something that I carried throughout the day, but I could recall it.

Wow, now that I've revealed my absolute craziness to the rest of the world...ummm...have a great day, eh?

Just an ounce of stress...ok, more than an ounce

So, I'm seeing mentions of folks receiving postcards from the summer swap in their mailbox. The thing that's starting to freak me out is that I'm starting to think mine got lost in the mail. I sent them out from work in a batch on the first day of summer and usually that's a very safe option but I haven't seen any mention of anyone receiving my cards. Oh dear. If I could hear a shout out from someone that they received a card, I'd feel oh-so-much better. Thank you.

Back to your regularly scheduled program.

The Postcard Swap--Round 1

Can I start to tell you how fun this all is? All I can say is I hope Andrea does another one of these. I love mail.

In order of receipt...

Love the yucca-like yellow side parts (I'm so descriptive, eh?). This is from Kristen from Sticking to the Point.

This is from longtime bloggy pal, Nina. I'd show you the back too but you know, there's the whole address thing. She's got the cutest writing and she drew the best little squigglys. On the back, she listed some of her summer faves (see the rest in this post):

1. Glasses of wine after the kids go to bed

2. Bathing suit wedgies on my girl

3. The sound of the ice cream truck

4. Triming the hedges

5. The smell of tomato plants on my fingers

Emily from Shining Egg must be on my wavelength...she digs Mary Oliver too and she put in a quote from this poem. The title of this collage is...you guessed it, right? Watermelon!

And this is too dang cool. Cathy is from right here in my town and she sent this amazing card. On the verso: "Summer Checklist: walk on the beach, watch the stars, eat a peach, swim, have a drink at sunset, picnic, lay in a hammock, campfire."

I'll post the next 3 rounds as they come in. {heart, heart}

The Days of Wine and Roses

Yesterday...a day full of non-working technology. The end of the working day rushes up to greet me and I'm running late to pick up Kidlet.

I walk outside. Warm breeze, golden sun. A butterfly twirls about me. First Day of Summer.
I catch my breath for a moment. My race to the car slows a little.

I'd like to say I was able to continue with that feeling that started to melt my tensions away but after I picked up Kidlet, there was still a lot of the hustle 'n bustle left in me. But I was able to recapture it in tiny moments: sipping (gulping, just kidding) down rose at dinner while I watched Kidlet play with the bearded babies (since she ate so much bread in the car on the way home from the store, she couldn't eat dinner, just a popsicle...but I digress), deadheading the roses, crawling into bed earlier than I should (as I should be studying for my test) just to read my book. There was one other little bit of summer too...my first summer swap postcard! I'll post it in a separate post, after I get to scan it.

Here's to hoping all of our summers are less about the hustle 'n bustle and more about the butterfly.

More from the land of Random

I can't focus on anything lately. There's just too much stress in our little family's life right now and it's starting to take its toll on me. But here's a few things I've had in my head that want to come out so here they are...

1. Karis. Such a lovely pattern and I had fun starting it but I took it off the needles. I had about 12" of the neck portion knitted and I am so proud of the work I did on it that I bound it off and now it's draped about the base of my monitor at work. I felt like I needed a reminder that I am a creative person at my not-at-all creative job.

2. Socks. Still coming along, just starting the gusset. I'll be very happy when they are done because I have the idea that I'm going to try Jaywalkers with some Lorna's Laces I picked up a while ago. I finally picked a practical color scheme instead of the deep, rich jewel-toned yarns by which I seem to be constantly seduced.

3. Eeep! I gotta get started on my Xmas knitting. Now.

1/2/3 Yes, I know I'm the slowest knitter in all the land. Do I win a prize?

4. I finished my postcards for the swap, even addressed 'em. I'm now wishing I had spent more time making the artwork more different for each card. But I guess I know myself well enough to know that I just don't have much time and that to get them done in time should be high on my list. The part that was unexpectedly wonderful was writing the messages on the cards. I had a few themes..."A few of my summertime faves", "A Summer To Do List" and "A Summer Memory". Writing these made me dig deep and really think about what it is about Summer that I love. It was a lesson in gratitude for the small stuff. The cards all have something different written on them. After I wrote them out, I then tried to match the card to the person. I don't think I was 100% successful on this, but I did try.

5. Photos. I'm really frustrated. I just can't bring myself to buy a monitor, but at the same time I'm having a hell of a time processing photos to make them look right. On my lappy, they are bright and crisp. When I see them at work...dark and muddy. I know I'm trying to do this on a lappy and that throws a bit of a wrench in the works but even when I try to fix them in comparison to 'known good photos' (a serious pain in the ass, let me tell you), I still can't get anything to look good. I know every monitor across the world is different but I just want it to be a little more middle of the road as far as brightness is concerned. It doesn't help that I've found a couple of photographers on flickr that take my breath away. They've got it going on. I just feel like a hack. Le sigh.

6. I'm reading the most awesome book. All the King's Men. Love it. Completely. I tried to read The Invisible Man, but the violence was too much for me. I had to stop around page 70.

Ok, that's enough randomness for today. Go back to your regularly scheduled late afternoon activities.

Three things that amaze...well, at least they amaze me

1. Butterflies. We've been reading a book from the library and while I knew the basics, man, there was still stuff I did not know. It looks like this book didn't get the best reviews but it works fine for a 3 year-old (and a 38 year-old).

2. Giraffes. So improbable. Why are the way they are? I don't even really want to know; I just want to think of their long, lanky bodies and their gentle eyes. Seeing them at the zoo last week reminded me how weird and wonderful this world can be.

3. These cupcakes (thanks, bekka!).

Late afternoon editor's note: I think this is the weakest post EVER. But really, I was amazed.

Lazy Daisy

Everything is going like it's on frame-by-frame slow-motion right now. I've been feeling a little off physically. Creativity is adrift. Knitting requires frogging. Projects appear like mist and then just sort of fade away. Schoolwork has lost its urgency.

Maybe it's Summer. Or maybe I've finally caved in to the fact that yes, there is too much in my life right now.

About the only thing I'm managing to do with any consistency is daydream. Is this summer too early to start dreaming of a vacation next summer to Disneyland? Not according to my little head. Try and figure out what to buy at the grocery store for the next week? Nope. Let's see if would be better to fly to the Magic Kingdom or drive. Watching Kidlet at Fairytale Town last week, flitting about from one attraction to another like a honeybee, just put me in the mood for an escape to a place of limited reality. I've got to ground myself. Or maybe I should learn to make some kick-ass sangria and sit in the garden. If I take a break, perhaps I can jump back into my crazy go-go-go ways and be here now, not living in Tomorrowland. I'll keep you posted.

Didja miss me? Don't answer that.

This was the highlight of my time off. We did Fairytale Town, the Sacramento Zoo and Pancake Circus in fine style. I took a billion photos of a blurry little kid running from one groovy '60s-styled attraction to another. Big smiles all around. A lovely day was had by all and the obligatory meltdown didn't occur until we were back home. Kidlet's sugar crash made her a bit of a cranky little pill for the rest of the evening but it was all well worth it.


I wish I could say with my time off I took care of every household thing that I'd been putting off for months, that I finished my class, knitted four pairs of socks or wrote and illustrated a children's book. No. I spent a lot of time running around thinking, "hmmm, maybe thrifting would be good?" Thrift for an hour and then say to myself "hmmm, now I remember why I like to only go thrifting on a quarterly basis." Then I'd try to get some errands run and I'd end up like a puppy chasing her tail. Useless. I wish I could have taken off a full week. I think that would have helped. Or else maybe I should have just planned my time better. Or maybe taken a real vacation where I left for several days and all the mundane stuff would just be there when I got back, just like it always is. A lesson learned, yet again.


Oh yes, the dance class was cute enough to give you a mouthful of cavities, it was so sugary sweet. Little tots running, jumping and twirling about. What's not to love? Well, perhaps the price tag. By the time I paid for the registration, the class, the leotard, tights, tap shoes and ballet shoes...150 bux. Yikes. And I complain about how I can't do yoga because of its $12/class fee. Well, that and the fact that if I'm not at work, I generally have a three-year old at my side. Kidlet better be digging this class for at least as long as the dance clothes fit her.


As a last note for today, I decided to change the look of this ride. If I'm going to keep doing it, I may as well do it in style, eh? And I gave myself a pro account on flickr too. Oh, Ani, you're just digging your hole a little deeper. Yo ho ho, it's the online life for me.

Editor's Note

I wrote a post about how my quest to simplify was going, but I just felt like I was rehashing stuff that I've said over and over again. Deleted!

So, they are going to give belly dancing classes during lunchtime, at work. I signed up. Quit your laughing.

Have a loverly weekend and week, as I am going to take a week off this ride and just try to soak up the sun, watch the Kidlet go to her first dance class ( :D !), eat pancakes, maybe get some plants, go to Pancake Circus and Fairytale Town for the day, knit, make a bunch of postcards, take photos, thrift...oh yeah, maybe do some schoolwork. No, I don't plan to do this all on the weekend. I'm taking a few extra days off next week. Pancake dreams and snowcone wishes to y'all...

Merry

Can I tell you how good this long weekend was? It would take a long time to list all the goodness that the weekend brought but I'll try to hit at least some of the high points...

--Fancy-pants dinner with hubby. The first real "date" we've had in a year. Yeah, I know...crazy, eh? I'll be happy when he's done with school and we have a real life together again.

--Hanging out with Mama. I'm am so lucky to have a friend like her.

--Log flume ride at the park, followed by snow cones. 'Nuff said.

--Bird watching in the backyard

--Taking fifty photos and having...mmmm...maybe 6 come out nicely. At least I'm learning about this damn camera (finally).

--Merry-go-rounds, mini-trains, sitting on burlap sacks while going down the Super Slide

--BBQ in the backyard with lots of potato salad and smores

I wished I could have done some more knitting as well as work on my postcards for the swap. But hey, I'm taking a few days off next week to continue this lovely, lovely vacation feeling. There will be time for that goodness then.

And as for schoolwork? Schoolwork? Schmoolwork. Ummm, just not feeling it. Think I'm going to try to finish up the next lesson the best I can and then take a mini-break before the test. I was going to try to wait until after I took the exam (as that makes much more sense), but my momentum has gone with the gentle breezes and sunny skies.

Together, We All Go Out Under the Cypress Trees in the Chou Family Burial-Grounds

Today's skies are perfect for a clear
flute and singing koto. And touched

this deeply by those laid under these
cypress trees, how could we neglect joy?

Clear songs drift away anew. Emerald wine
starts pious faces smiling. Not knowing

what tomorrow brings, it's exquisite
exhausting whatever I feel here and now.

--From The Selected Poems of T'ao Ch'ien, translated by David Hinton

Wild Kingdom...in the comfort of my backyard

This is the time of year that dead birds show up in my yard. In the past week, I've had three birds turn up in my yard: a chick, a fledgling and an adult. Tonight, I'm on the phone with my mom. I see a mama bird fly by with something quite large in her beak. I hear her drop it off by a tree. It was a dead chick. Crazy, eh? I had no idea that they could carry anything so large. It was creepy, somewhat sad and most of all, I'm glad Kidlet didn't notice the Darwinian action going on in the vicinity of her tea party.

This all being said, I think I'm turning into a bird geek. Tonight, I i.d.'d a black throated sparrow. I always just thought they were chickadees. Nope.

A Moment

Just got home from work, fed the dogs. Kidlet is with her Daddy visiting her Great Grandma Angie for a few minutes. It rained hard for about ten minutes and now it's quiet. Fresh. Green. Birds chirping and Donald Byrd on my lappy. I'm alone in the house which happens....mmmm...maybe a few minutes a week. I'm going to type on my homework like mad but I've got a glass of wine and a few crackers adorned with muffaletta scrumptiousness to keep me grounded in this contented feeling.

Five Things...On My First Blogiversary

1. Camaraderie...I think this is the main reason why I started doing this. I saw the dialog between bloggers and while I was a commenter on several fave blogs, I felt like I was still missing out. To be honest, I really didn't expect anyone to read this thing, except maybe my family, but I've been pleasantly surprised by the connections I've made doing this. I give you all a big squeezey hug for making me a part of your reading.

2. Inspiration and Impetus...I've been deeply changed by looking into others' lives and finding out what inspires them. I like having a forum where I can share what is currently floating my boat. Blogging also gives me an invisible deadline. I feel a need to produce and share...a new photo, a few more stitches completed on a project.

3. Swapping...This was also a reason why I wanted to start this thing. I spent a lot of time on the crafty blogs and saw all the amazing goodies folks received via swaps. Many of the swaps I ran across required you have a blog. So I started one. And the only swap I've participated in was with sweet Nina (which didn't require a blog) and the current postcard swap with the amazing Andrea (which also does not require a blog). As much as I love receiving mail, I know I'd always be the late participant getting my stuff in the mail and I'd be too worried about disappointing folks by sending out a lackluster array of goodies.

4. Stop it already! Ok, I can't tell you how many times I've thought about throwing in the towel. I'm distancing myself from the real world by focusing on online life. This is just self-indulgent noodling. I often type before I think things through. I'm a dork. But oh well. I continue for now.

5. The Date I Started This Thing...I purposely waited until the 23rd of May when I started, because I didn't want to start this blog on the anniversary of my Dad's passing. It happened, most unexpectedly, two years ago as of yesterday. Here I am today, thinking about it and I feel I need to mention it now, even if it's only in a small way (since I still don't feel very ready to talk much about it). I'm still confused by his death and somehow expect him to walk through my Mom's door on a Sunday afternoon, ready for a glass or two of wine and to tell us of his adventures. I wonder what he would have thought about this blogging thing.

Wow, didn't mean to end this party on a melancholy note. Let's raise another glass of champagne, shall we? Kidlet will toot the party horn.

I Present...Donny Osmond

Ok, it's just the purple-y sock. No Donny to see here...move along. It's somewhat ill-fitting but I'm going to take notes for sock number two so that next time I do this, it'll be dreeeeeeeeamy.

I'm a machine

Happily the weekend was not as spew-full as expected, but the wee one's booty was kicked by the bug so there was lots of lounge-time for her. Me, I was a freakin' get-things-done-around-the-house machine. Remember the interminable purple sock? Done. Sure, I still have to make the second one, but first one is done. The front yard that has been languishing away for months and months? Still need to throw down new bark, but otherwise...done. I washed the covers to the cushions to the couch (well, that was partially spurred by the spew-fest), washed the dog bed cover (that was spurred by a filthy beast), and the comforters (spurred on by a blend of the previous two). I weeded the carrot patch. I baked buttermilk biscuits, made black bean soup and muffaletta mix. I gathered up goodies for the summer postcard swap and started cutting stuff up. And even a bit of schoolwork was done. Man, I need to stay home more often.


A few words on the sock...can't say I'm wild for it. I was hoping with all the ribbing, it would be a nice, snuggy sock but it's still baggy. I guess that's the trouble with having a insanely long and narrow foot. And the Donny Osmond color scheme leaves a little something to be desired, but I can't really complain. It's a handknit sock and I'll happily wear them. That is, once I get that second one knit. I'd say that'll happen in...oh....maybe November.


I'm so excited about the summer postcard swap I could just burst. I've got my basic idea rattling around in my head and now I just need to apply Mod Podge. As you can see in the photo above, I'm organized.


Ok, back to your regularly scheduled working week...

Poppy-less and Spew-full

The photo is from last summer. I wish the poppies were going to come back (I let them go to seed) but I'm seeing nothing in that patch. I even tried to help it out a bit, by throwing down new seed, but so far I've seen nothing.

I was going to write about how this was going to be gardening weekend, the first dance class for Kidlet, a possible muffaletta picnic....and the Kidlet just threw up, is going home from daycare and well, I'm hoping the weekend isn't all about spew.

Wish us luck.

Welcome to the Neighborhood

Ever since I read David Abram's Spell of the Sensuous earlier this year (read it! now!...ok, you can finish what you were reading first), I've been thinking about how removed we are from our local environment. This week, I came across an article that discusses how kids in school are learning about the destruction of rain forests and the melting of ice caps thousands of miles away and how it affects the creatures that live in those areas. But of their own environment? What do they know? They know how to get to the mall.


I want to be able to pass on a love and a comfortableness with being out in the wild to Kidlet. But first I need to get beyond this disconnect that has been growing between me and the outdoors and get back to my roots of running around the forests (except now it would be deserts). Abram suggests learning everything you can about your local environment, its birds, trees, and bugs. I recently received my Peterson's Bird Book and I'm hopefully on my way. This week I saw a barn swallow in my back yard (can I tell you how much I love this bird? So much...). I found out via Knitting Iris that we have Arrowleaf Balsam Root growing in the hills in the springtime. Time to pick up some more guides. Time to get outside and breathe it all in.

Sneaking on Summer

Last week was filled with me being grouchy and stressed so I figured that would make for poor blog fodder. The Kidlet has yet another sniffle so she would sniffle herself awake for a few minutes in the middle of the night, waking me up and then I would be awake for the next 2 to 3 hours stressing out about having to give notice at our beloved daycare to jump off into the great unknown of Montessori school and about how our one toilet in the house might fall through the floor (yes, I am crazy). The days following these sleepless nights consisted of me grumbling at my co-workers and spouse and drinking copious amounts of coffee. So there you have it. New week!

And the new project, my leave-behind fortunes...an assortment of fortunes with lucky color and lucky number to be left in various spots around town. Kind of fun, a little less personal than my drawings but much easier to deal with. I think these will be my summer project because in the summertime, the living is easy, right? And I also signed myself up for Andrea's summer postcard swap so I'll need to get cutting and pasting for that. I'm a little nervous as I've never really done anything like this before, but I made sure I had an idea for the cards before I signed up.

This weekend, I mowed my Mom's front yard. I've never mowed grass in my life. Yes, I'm in the tail end of my 30s and I have never mowed. In my defense, I've never had a lawn in my adult life. Kind of fun, really. Good exercise too. No, that photo of grass is not my Mom's lawn, but a professional job I saw while waiting for a stoplight so I took a photo.

And we are inching ever-so-closer toward vacation. It's looking like early June (can't be early enough for me). Kidlet already has her sandals and we are starting to stockpile toys for the long drive. I'm sure you'll be among the first to know when it is finalized.

Happy Mama's Day

For all you mamas out there...hope you have a lovely day filled with sun, warm smiles and laughs, wine (if you are so inclined), big hugs from your babes, and yummy yummy food. I would have made pancakes for all of you, if it was possible.

And if you aren't a mama, you still should have all that good stuff I listed.

Hugs to you all and I'll post a real 'un tomorrow.

And what did you do?

This weekend I...

--made three loaves of bread. I almost made a choco chip banana bread too, but maybe that will come tonight. Let me tell you, I'm so happy. I finally made my dream bread: not too dense, not too full of air pockets, perfectly salted, with a thick, chewy crust. It was the "No Knead Bread" that usually does it's work in 12 hours. Well, it went into experimental mode after it hadn't budged after about 20 hours of (non)-rising. I decided, what the heck, I'll let it go another day and voila. After 30 hours of waiting, a beautiful, oh-so-perfect, golden orb of bread happiness emerged from my oven and can I tell you something? I'm in love with a loaf.

--FINALLY worked on the new leave-behind project. I wouldn't call it 'guerilla art', but more like 'guerilla fun'. I made little fortunes that I'm going to roll up like little scrolls, tie with yarn, and leave around town.

--bought a sun hat that hopefully doesn't make me look too dorky. Kidlet was my only advisor and she didn't nix it like the other dozen hats I tried, so hopefully it isn't awful.

--didn't get any schoolwork done.

--didn't finish the front yard project that would take any regular person an afternoon to do. It's taken me at least a month to: stretch out the new soaker hose, dig the hole for the (hopefully) 'live' Xmas tree, cut out (most of) the dead juniper branches (hate hate hate junipers. Except in the gin form). I still have to plant the aforementioned tree, finish the junipers, put the soaker hose in a useful spot, buy and spread bark for the areas where it has deteriorated. Once this is done, however, the front yard can take care of itself for another couple years. It ain't the purdiest of front areas, but it is reasonably xeric (no grass, thank you very much) and carefree (except for the minor work I'm putting in this year).

--didn't finish that SAME DAMN SOCK THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON SINCE JANUARY. Ummm, I really want to finish it. And I really don't want to knit the second one. But I will twist my arm and tell myself I cannot cast on the other 3 projects that I want to start (and let languish in my projects box) until I am at least 2" into the 2nd sock.

The Ol' Five Things Trick

1. Awoke to snow. Hoping it doesn't kill the seedlings.

2. Listening to Feist's new one, The Reminder. I've only been through the album 1.5 times and it's everything I hoped it would be. It's soothing my firey, hormonal mood.

3. Pondering...to vacation or not to vacation. If you looked at my bank account, you'd say "Woman! What are you thinking?! You definitely can't afford it!" But ohhhhhh, I need it. San Francisco, anyone? Anyone? You know...the ocean, North Beach, Chinatown, Hello Kitty store for Kidlet, Golden Gate Park, the racetrack? Anyone?

4. Planning a new guerrilla art project. It's about time I got off my booty and pulled something together. I am also thinking my guerrilla gardening project isn't going to happen this year because I don't have the time to cart water to the site. Maybe when Kidlet is a little older, I can interest her and we can make it a fun, sneaky, "under the cover of darkness" project.

5. Thankful, oh so thankful, it's the weekend. I'll watch the Derby and maybe refill Hubby's bourbon supply so I can sneak a little to make a mint julep. Did I ever mention how much I love horse racing? Yeah, a few times.

Bad, Ani! Bad!

Darn those evil websites that make it so easy to order stuff. I just ordered:

"A Field Guide to Western Birds: A Completely New Guide to Field Marks of All Species Found in North America West of the 100th Meridian and North of Mexico (Peterson Field Guides(R))" Virginia Marie Peterson

"Invisible Man"Ralph Ellison

"The Selected Poems of T'ao Ch'ien" T'ao Chien

New books to come in the mail...I can hardly wait!

Earthy Update

I've done a heap of nothing (ha ha) as far as my compost heap is concerned. All I've done is wade through Rodale's composting handbook. It sounds so complicated: too much of this and you've got a stink-pit, too much of that and you've got critters, too little of this and it will take 42.3 years to compost. I've composted before and had the "42.3 years" problem, so I thought some research was in order. Now I'm just getting overwhelmed. Maybe I just need a bucket of worms. That'll be a roaring success with the tot who is scared of anything that is small, slithery or crawlie. But I have started another earthy project: working on my water consumption ("I'm drinking at least 64 oz a day!"). No, I mean that I've been trying to wash my dishes without the water running down the sink for a solid 5 minutes, and I'm starting to use veggie cooking water and Kidlet's bathwater to water the seeds.

Gotta start somewhere, right?

And if someone can tell me why the line spacing in my posts is giving me headaches, puh-leese let me know. Sometimes I can get it to work by copying it into Word, changing the spacing to 1.5 and pasting it into the post it will hold the spacing....and sometimes not. It used to default to the proper line spacing for easy readability, but not lately.