Still My Magical Plant

The hoya in my dining room is blooming like crazy! Seven of the eight blooming spurs have buds in various stages of bloom. Two of them have fully opened flower clusters and a third will pop open in a few days. The four that look like tiny fireworks bursting will follow after the rest have faded and dropped. It smells like honeysuckle in here! So lovely! Now, please excuse me while I put on my plumber hat. Both of the toilets in the house are having issues. File this under one of the greatest joys of home ownership.

Happy Birthday, Pearl!

Today is the fourteenth anniversary of buying my Subaru Outback and bringing her home. We have driven nearly 122,000 miles together and in those miles have enjoyed many adventures. Pearl* needs new tires and recently had some maintenance to bring her up to standards. She once again purrs like she just left the showroom for the first time. This will be the third set of tires to go along with her second battery and second windshield. We're good to go for the next 100,000 miles!

*Named for her paint color, Newport Blue Pearl.

Poetry Month Offering #5

 Competition

Musical chairs

Is a cruel little game

So deliberate and concise

How each round

Eliminates one player

There just isn't room enough

Go directly to jail

Do not pass Go

Do not collect two hundred dollars

Like the new favorite dress

Which is chosen for the evening

While last year's go-to frock

Is pushed toward the back of the closet

Designation: Consignment shop status

Similarly

I'm carried forward

On the crest of this wave

Of chilly determination

Make no mistake

I don't think for a moment

That I'm better than you

I'm simply next

We're wired in series, not parallel

So unfair

The strongest don't survive

Not even the most worthy

The most wily do

Who are quickest to adapt

There's only so much

To go around

Seriously Weird Cat Food Choice

Here we see Newton breakfasting on some bits of a powered sugar coated donut. I cannot explain his odd food preferences. He also enjoys mashed potatoes, guacamole, and mushrooms. I think he secretly watches food shows on YouTube and Netflix. I can't wait until he gets all snooty about the olive oil I use.  

Wish Me Luck

Old dead light fixture.

 

New fancy LED fixture.

Poetry Month Offering #4

 Full Moon Fantasy

Look for me

In the moment, in that pause

In the space between the seconds

Bordering effect and cause

Attend to what you see revealed

Shining ever as it was

I see you

In the persistence of the moonlight

In the shadows of the trees

Dependent on my inner sight

There is no room for doubt

Visions lit by lightening in the night

We belong

Illuminated by the stars

Phosphorescent glowing in the water

Reflecting Venus, Luna, Mars

Our very souls will join together

Bound by forces from afar

Hello, Hulu

 I know where I'll be April 28. Do you?

Thanks, Newt

My cat Newton assisting me with changing the sheets on my bed. Just kidding! This is my cat Newton earlier today. Doing a little thing called doing whatever he can to impede the process of me putting clean sheets on my bed. So I took a lunch break and watched two episodes of Designing Women. He got bored staking his claim. I finished the job. Score, Human - 1, Feline - 0. I win!

Poetry Month Offering #3

Night School

There was this boy

Who got me stoned

And tried

To turn me on to Nietzche

This lesson you’ll enjoy

He said, nihilism you’ll employ

He said

In his sincere attempt to reach me

As I explored

Convoluted words

Upon the page

Teacher won’t you teach me

In confusion I implored

My feeble brain less than restored

If this

Was whale philosophy it would beach me

A Salute to Audrey Hepburn

I adore Audrey Hepburn. A couple of weeks ago I watched the documentary about her life on Netflix. She was a remarkably talented actress as well as a wonderful human. My favorite movies that she starred in are Breakfast at Tiffany's* and Two for the Road. She was luminous and the camera loved her. I was somewhat aware of her difficult youth but had no idea how much heartbreak she endured in her personal life and marriages. She did eventually find a good match as a life partner in Robert Wolders that lasted until her death in 1993. She was a devoted mother and sidelined her acting career to care for her new babies. What astonished me was that she was only 63 when she died. My current age! Sometimes I think we know on some level how long we will be here, and when that time is unnecessarily short we pack as much into that time as possible. Miss Audrey certainly did. There will never be another quite like her. Watch the documentary.   

*If only we could edit out the repulsive Mickey Rooney Asian slur character. He adds nothing to the story.

Poetry Month Offering #2

 At the Cafe Bitter

All the tables seat just one
Your bile and anger don't require a chair
Feel free to wallow
As long as you care
The wait staff so inattentive
Inclined to treat you
With sarcastic contempt
Tip them passive aggressively
At three or four percent
There are no appetizers
No foreplay for this repast
Go directly to your entree
Served with buttered
Shards of glass
Wash it down with primo vino
Pressed just for you
From sour grapes
If you long for something slightly sweet
End your meal with just desserts

A Bit of Silly for Today

 

Poetry Month Offering #1

Aurora Borealis

Collisions

That's all it is

The pragmatist would say

Between gaseous particles

In the upper atmosphere

With charged particles

From the sun

So spare and logical

This description

Preferring to watch

This hypnotic nebulous light show

A more mercurial elucidation

Seems fitting

I gather my shawl

Closer about my shoulders

Against the cool lake breeze

Gazing northward

The goddess Aurora

Paints the night sky canvas

With icy swans

A heavenly dance

To a silent song

Of the spirits of loved ones

Long since gone

Is That the Monty Python Foot of Doom and Destruction?

The latest in a series I like to call unfortunate graphic design.

She's Not Dead Yet

I have been sucked into a maelstrom on Hulu that is called Killing Eve. This is what happens when you spend all of a Saturday on the couch. Despite the graphic violence I am drawn into the whole psychology of the thing. Absolutely terrific performances by the cast. And the dark, dark, deep, dark humor. I would not make a good assassin. Or spy for that matter. I'll stick to blogging and baking pies. 

Dear Pfizer

You were correct about people who have had a full-blown case of Covid-19. That we would likely experience more and more severe side effects from the vaccine. And while the first dose totally annihilated me for nearly three days, this second dose hasn't been nearly so bad. Flattened for one day and I seem to be recovering nicely. Un petit covid, if you will. Yes, my left arm is sore and I do have some swelling in that armpit, but it's not nearly as ginormous or tender to the touch as the first time around. Little bit of a headache and some lingering joint pain, but that's about it. I feel as though I have performed a civic duty and that my pain will contribute to herd immunity and bring us a bit closer to pre-pandemic social contact. One other thing has come to mind. What if, what if all healthcare could be this easy. Make an appointment, show your card, be treated by skilled practitioners, and have the peace of mind that comes from knowing no scary bill will arrive in the mail.

Robert Redford's Unmentionables

I have just watched, for I think the third time, the installment of Inside the Actors Studio that features Robert Redford. And as much as I enjoy his recounting of his life in the world of film, I remain mildly annoyed the he did not mention three of my favorite films that he appears in. The Hot Rock, Sneakers, and Three Days of the Condor. I remember reading at one time that Mr. Redford didn't really care for his performance in The Hot Rock, that he felt it was not his best work and preferred to be known for his more serious dramatic roles. Here's the deal, Bob. I happen to love this movie! It has an amazing helicopter flight scene where we can see the World Trade Center under construction! Regular visitors here know that seeing the World Trade Center in a film is a thing for me. Plus the movie gives us the phrase "Afghanistan Bananastan". What's not to like here?!? Sneakers boasts a remarkable ensemble cast that includes Mary McDonnell, Sidney Poitier, River Phoenix, David Strathairn, and Dan Aykroyd! No mention! And despite the fact that he spoke of numerous collaborations with director Sydney Pollack, he failed to mention Three Days of the Condor. Pollack directed this terrific thriller that must be seen. Must. Be. Seen. Actress Carlin Glynn is sitting in the front row during the interview and somehow I want her to shout out, "Bob! Remember what a great time we had working together on Three Days of the Condor!" But she doesn't. I understand Mr. Redford avoiding any mention of Legal Eagles. I'm already sorry I brought it up. All I know is, the man is brilliant both in front of and behind the camera. He is a legend. And I shall adore him from afar as long as I draw breath.  

Awwwwwww, Spring

So I've been doing a little spring decorating. Since the decommissioning of the guest room because I got rid of my old bed, that left the bedding I had been using down there available. Just yesterday I finished sewing the three pop-of-color square pillows and I am pleased with how they break up the sea of whiteness. The woven throw had been in my office and coordinates beautifully with the pillows! Now onto figuring out how to make a full size bedskirt work with a queen size bed. Which might be something like trying to squeeze yourself into a pair of jeans that are one size too small. I have experience with this so let's hope that translates into another medium. Wish me luck!  

Ah, Spring

The hoya in the dining room is fixin' to bloom! It looks like there are upwards of fifty buds that will pop starting later this week and probably continue for a month. The much larger main plant just around the corner in the sunroom has but a single blooming spur producing buds, making it tied with the tiny plant on the windowsill in the kitchen whose lone spur is also going to bloom. The main plant has at least a dozen spurs so I hope more buds appear. I really don't want to have to talk to it. All the significant conversations I have had with houseplants consist of pointing outside to the compost bin and informing the plant that this is where they will be residing if they don't shape up. I expect this makes me a terrible person. At least I don't point at the garden beds and tell the houseplants that I eat the ones that grow out there. 

Arrrrggggg, Matey!

In answer to yesterday's post depicting witch hats, my son has sketched up an assortment of pirate hats. Like the witch hats, these indicate the sort of pirate person you are based on your hat preference. Enjoy. 

I'm a Curly/Wavy

It goes with my naturally curly hair. I have the worst time trying to explain to people that yes, I am an introvert. But I'm not the least bit shy.

Next

It was a gray-scale, weary feeling day. Despite the fact that the sun was shining and she could feel the warmth from it on her shoulders through the window. For a year she had been constructing a plan for leaving this place and a countdown of the months remaining ticked down in her head. This had been a carefully crafted experiment in change where she was now. But it had failed to produce enough joy to entice her to stay. Yes, there was this quirky, charming house that she loved. And the view of the mountains when she drove just a mile or so west. She wondered if this would be the pattern of her life from now on. To move on until she found the balance of joy against pain just right enough to stay. Knowing full well that the balance of these two opposing forces had been achieved within herself, the need to find an external match grew stronger every day. 

The Magicians

How is it that I have already binged my way through Season 5? I love this series so much. They swear, they drink, they cast magical spells. Sadly, it seems there shall be no Season 6. At least I can always return to Fillory and Brakebills via the sixty-five existing episodes. Sigh. Whoever said that all good things must come to an end should be roundly slapped. I shall commiserate with myself by indulging in little cakes and experimental cocktails.

Carrots and Bunnies and Eggs, Oh My

Easter waits patiently on the dining room table to be put away. It's only Tuesday. Don't judge me.

Good Morning, Monday

I must put away the bunnies and the eggs today. And get out in the yard to turn the compost and repair the container. But for now I am on hold with Waste Management. Because they continue to insist that I owe them money and have engaged a collections agency to annoy me. I had nineteen months of garbage and recycling service with them, I paid for nineteen months. But they are using nasty tactics and continue to bill me with late charges that are adding up. In other news, I was finally able to get into my King Features account, even though technically I have no account with them, and cancel the recurring charge. Two years ago I signed up for a one week free trial and they immediately charged me for a year-long subscription. Then they did it again a year ago. Bastards. Both times I was successful in removing the charge from my credit card, but it was still aggravating to have to do it. A big shout out of appreciation to Capital One Visa for being so prompt to remove these bogus charges when I contacted them with a complaint. I also need to call my dentist about the unfortunate incident involving trail mix and the likelihood that I will be needing another crown. Now to wait for the horrible Waste Management people to return my call. Not holding my breath. Though considering that this call involves the stench of garbage and shitty collections tactics, perhaps I should.

Easter Satyr

 Edgar masquerading as the Easter Bunny.

This Will Do

 

Countdown

 

Chocolate Bunnies