monday music: 'it's really time for you to be in bed'

"I could have danced all night"

This was running through my head last night, as I was facing an all-nighter. And, anyhow, I can always go for some Audrey. (Even though it's not her voice, it's still her and I'll be happy about that.)

Anyhow, I got sleep. Ready to face this week. Yep. Enter Determination, stage right.

cat tales

Once, a few years ago, I walked into a professor's office and he asked me, "What happened to your face?"

"Oh, my cat attacked me."

"That's funny," he said, "I wouldn't keep a pet who attacks me."

Well, Kitsy, as we so often call him, is still here. While I get what Dr Chair was saying, I also love my cat. He's a member of the family, and we accept him despite his occasional testiness.



He (the cat, not the professor) came into our lives in 2004. Cardo decided he wanted to get me a cat (a decision I think he still regrets sometimes) for Valentine's Day. In true us fashion, we didn't get a cat until March. We adopted Snuggles from the SPCA. He was already named and I had this weird notion that it wouldn't be right to change his name. He was absolutely tiny, and he was rather snuggly then.

Shortly after we adopted Snuggles, I got pregnant with Pic. I was sick almost all of the time during months two through four (into my second trimester, which I didn't think was the way it was supposed to go), so I wasn't up and around a lot. Snuggles would sit on my chest and tuck his head under my chin when I was sitting down. Eventually, I also napped a lot during my pregnancy. Snuggles was only too happy to join me for a nap. He still looks at me when the day has gone on long enough expecting me to go take a nap so he can settle in too.

For a while, he had a brother. This was 2007 to 2009. We had Lucky (also adopted and also already named) for a little less than two years. Snuggles, being a spry four years old, loved playing with his brother. Lucky, who had been found in a field with crates full of kittens, was probably older than the ten years the Human Society employees guessed him to be, and he wasn't always as enthusiastic about Snuggles's playfulness. However, Lucky tolerated it well.



Snuggles himself has shown great patience with the young 'uns. When Pic was but a wee bairn, she would grab his fur, delighting in how soft he was. Snuggles waited until she had been up and running for several months before he started defending himself from Pic's often overzealous advances. He's the same way with our dearly beloved friends' little one now.

With the rest of us, though? Well, he gets in his moods. He'll lure you in as he sprawls out, tempting us to pet him or rub his tummy. And, I still fall for it, even though I know he seems to detest having his tummy rubbed. It's a trick. He only wants to grab your hand and latch on with his claws and teeth.

My dad still laughs when I mention Snuggles by name because he, too, knows the dangers of trusting the cat too easily.

Although I'm wary of being too attached to animals because I know they'll inevitably die (as will we all), Snuggles is firmly tucked away in my heart.* I love that he still awaits a daily nap, as if those still happen on a regular basis (we both wish). I love that he plays fetch. I love that he purrs loudly to himself as he's getting ready to go to bed, even though no one is petting him. I love that he looks black in most light, but when the sun shines on him, he's the color of some fabulous deep dark chocolate. I love that he snores.



When we were deciding on a new pet recently, I was so hoping to adopt another cat. I was overruled, two to one, though, and we got a dog. More on her next week.

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* Aren't you glad I didn't say "literally"? Because that would be gross.

happy (belated) equinox!

Okay, so we're not at all big on celebrating stuff 'round La Casa B. I would actually kind of like to celebrate more than we do, but I set about creating such big fantasies of what our celebrations could be that I never actually get around to anything. (Hey, there, that describes so much of my life. Oh, to live in the moment! Someone get that through to me already!)

This year, though, we had a built-in celebration set for autumnal equinox: camping! For one reason or another, we didn't make it out camping at any other point this summer, although we did talk about it a lot (hey, it's not just me, apparently!).

Autumn is my absolute favorite season. I love the late light of summer and the reawakening of spring (and there's probably a lot of awesomeness associated with winter, I'm sure -- oh, like moonglow reflecting off hills covered in freshly-falled snow), but autumn? O, loverly, beautiful autumn. I marvel almost daily that, "Wow, it's not even seven and it's getting dark!" and "Oh, look at that tree! Look at that tree! Look at THAT TREE!" Halloween and harvest decorations make me happy.* There's the food, too, certo: apples, pumpkins, roasted vegetables for breakfast or lunch or dinner. What's not to celebrate about autumn?

So, this year, a small group of the homeschoolers went camping, beginning on Equinox. Some of the group are regular campers (I wouldn't call us that for several more years) and one family was embarking on their first camping adventure. We had about an equal amount of adults, children and pets. (We even camped with a cat -- not ours -- who did fabulously.)

The trip was everything camping should be as far as I'm concerned: setting up/taking down, cooking/eating, hiking, talking, laughing. Also, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've camped as an adult and have not taken my work with me. I refused to this year.

I hope this becomes a regular event. If not a yearly camping trip with the homeschoolers, though, we have plenty of other camping friends. And, yes, we could always try camping on our own again (we haven't done this since Pic was a about a year-and-a-half).

But, camping to celebrate autumnal equinox? It seemed so perfect. It was.

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* For the most part. There's a house we sometimes walk past that has an array of variously, and freakily, painted mannequin heads hanging from the the tree in the front yard. This tree does not make me happy.

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P.S. I just ate a lot of ice cream. That might just explain the strangely hyper tone here. Perhaps.

happiness is...

A la Poke:

1. date night: g'bye Harry, Ron, Hermione, et al (I not-so-secretly still prefer the books, but I'm glad we got out to see the movie)
2. (other people's) babies
3. briefly seeing dearly beloved friends and their family
4. fabulous homeschool park day
5. Will Smith

musical monday (a day late): for indie

"Hanson - Thinking 'Bout Somethin' (EXCLUSIVE LIVE!)"

o, happy day

My list of things that have brought me a bit of joy in the last week (or more):

* podcasts
* PBS Kids Go (Pic's has been totally into the Webonauts game for the past day-and-a-half)
* dancing (looking forward to seeing some tonight)
* cool showers (my, is it hot in here!)
* a freshly-scrubbed kitchen
* goggles
* finishing Goblet of Fire and moving on to Order of the Phoenix (Cardo and I should be moving on today, tomorrow at the latest)
* reading the Harry Potter series with Cardo so we can chat about them
* dreaming up crafty plans that will most likely be realized in the the coming weeks

one up and one down

Yesterday, in the midst of me floundering around, trying to function like a "normal" human (whatever that means), Pic is having a great time. While I'm having a quiet, but scary, breakdown, she is soaking in the good times. How can I make sure she holds onto that? How do I attain that for myself?

Anyhow, we were settling down last night, Pic told me, "This was a great day! I got to see the fireworks, I got a pocsicle, I gotted to play. And, did you see me do the monkey bars? I did them all by myself!" (No, those weren't typos. I was transcribing Pic-speak.)

Looking at it through her eyes, it's all crayon scribbles and sparklies. We should bottle that up!

musical monday: take a look

Twenty-eight years ago, PBS's Reading Rainbow debuted. Okay, so the actual date was July 1, so I'm a bit late, but I wanted to save the song for today.


"Old School Reading Rainbow Theme"

Ah, LeVar, how in love I was.

I know that I have posted on this before, but here it is again. The love runs deep here. This and Mister Roger's Neighborhood were my two favorite PBS shows when I was growing up. I always wanted to be one of those kids at the end who got to introduce the books they were currently into.

in this moment: treasure-making

{concept from the fabulous SouleMama: a picture that represents the week}

accentuate the positive

(I've been thinking about a lot of topics for a long time and have procrastinated posting them. This is one of them.)

All too often I let myself wallow in the deep darkness. I focus on all the things I haven't accomplished, all the ways in which I don't measure up to my impossibly high standards for myself. I've been thinking for a good long time that I need to change this and see how it affects me. I'd rather focus on all that I do accomplish day-to-day, even if most everything I accomplish isn't really all that much (and, really, all that we will ever do amounts to less-than-bittiness in the whole cosmic scheme, no?). I'd also like to focus on the little bits of life that bring me moments of joy.

So, at least for this first post, I'd like to go in a few different directions:

Inspiration for this sort of thing abounds in my real life and here on the interweb.

When I was in high school, I had a book called 10,000 Things To Be Happy About. (Actually, I believe I still have the book. I even think I might know where it is.) Shortly after that, I got a day-to-day calendar based on the book. The calendar listed five things that made the author happy for each day. I started my own little happiness list in my journal. I'm not sure why, but I stopped that practice years ago.

As for websites:

* Poke's Five Happy Thoughts

* Tara's Inspiration Monday posts (in which she posts things that inspire joy and thought)

* pretty much anything that Amanda posts, but I'm especially thinking her 10 Things posts

* really a lot more than this, but my connection here is a bit tenuous (my computer is trying to exit the highway), so I'll move on.

Things I accomplished today:

* swept the condo

* spot-mopped (good enough for me)

* co-made a crumble

* helped Pic to purge some of her excess belongings and get her room under control (more on that later?)

* finally returned some movies to the Blockbuster box at the grocery store (okay, so we only kept them for two nights, but it felt like a long time)

* had a much-needed phone call with Auntie L

* ate frozen yogurt

* other than the above, only ate what we had here at home

* pilates

Things that brought me moments of joy today:

* listening to the Thriller album (on vinyl!) and Pic's response ("How did you know I love this song?!")

* the crumble (really, I'll post more on that tomorrow)

* doing a bit of excess-stuff purging myself

* getting a much-anticipated package in the mail

So, it's time for me to disconnect from screens (I'm trying some new nightly routine ideas in hopes of being able to sleep at a somewhat decent hour), listen to podcasts and continue to dig my way through the den.

I hope you find many, many moments of joy and accomplishment throughout your days.

G'night,
v

a bit of lit

Pic and I have definitely been catching up on our reading lately. And, oh, children's books are often oh-so-fun...especially the older books and stories.

We are reading about things like luncheon and pick-a-back rides and tigers who run circles so quickly that they turn into butter. Seriously weird stuff sometimes lurks in those pages.

Take, for instance, "The Village of Cream Puffs," by -- wait for it -- Carl Sandburg. Oh, how lacking my education has been that I didn't know he wrote such weird kid's stories. Stories in which freckles are painted on to remind you whence you came. Actually, there is more to the story than we have in our anthology, which I only just found out in looking for the link I included here.

Then, there's "Little Red Riding Hood." The version we have has the wolf eating both Little Red and the grandma. A lumberjack comes along, cuts the sleeping wolf open with his ax and removes the people, filling the empty cavity with heavy stones. The wolf lives through this but falls down dead due to the weight of the stones in his stomach. Certo!

We also just started reading another Jack Prelutsky collection. Good times!

'pour myself a cup of ambition'

For the last three months, this has been my (somewhat sardonic) morning anthem. (Wasn't keen on the hours, wasn't sure about my own choices, but loved, loved what I was doing.)


"Dolly Parton - 9 to 5"

The version I have is part of my 9 to 5 soundtrack. I have to agree with the YouTube commenter who pointed out the weirdness of this video. What is going on here?

And, we really do listen to a lot of Dolly around these parts. Pic was singing Dolly songs the other day when all else was quiet around here. Yesterday, when Pic and I were singing along to "Coat of Many Colors," Cardo was just shaking his head, trying not to laugh and discourage any further sing-along fun.

musical monday: what if the beatles were irish?

"'What If the Beatles Were Irish?' by Roy Zimmerman"

O, mighty Interweb! How you lure me in with your wacky content. Seriously, how I ever sleep is beyond me. How anyone with quick internet access ever sleeps in beyond me.

sleep, and the lack thereof

Oh, I am right now thinking that if I could just stay awake every night, five nights in a row and then sleep some on weekends, that would be very nice. Actually, no, I need to be more specific: I still need to be able to function at a very high level. Okay, then, Universe, I've put it out there. So much more to do before I sleep. And, silly me, I tried to take a nap earlier, but my child (who is cozily tucked into bed, snoozing away right now) bounced off of the furniture and played with every noise-making device she could find earlier...for an hour. I really am feeling for my mom who used to work nights and had to try sleeping during the day while my sister and I tromped through our house.

I have five weeks of this very intense schedule left. Then... Cardo jokes that I'll be moaning about not contributing enough about five weeks after that. I'll try my best not to. O, Balance, why are you so elusive?

I have big plans, though, for my post-packed-schedule time. Oh, yes. Our dearly beloved friends just welcomed their first child, Baby H, to the big, bright world on Saturday and we'll be visiting often. After Pic was born, I felt very isolated for about two years, almost entirely because of my own insecurities and inability to, well, invite people over or to actually go out with people, and I'm on a mission to make sure that Auntie C, who has been fabulous over the years, doesn't feel that way. (Not that she would, but it's a good excuse to hang out and enjoy other people's babies.)

Actually, if you're near, we'll be trying to visit many more people when our time is a lot more freed up. We have another set of friends who welcomed a new addition to their family about five weeks ago and we've been enjoying time with him. He and his siblings will be seeing much more of us in the somewhat near future, too, methinks. (You know who you are and I'm considering you sufficiently warned. Park days?)

Okay, so I have some work to do before I sleep, so I should probably get on that and stop rambling about taking up all the time of people who probably have plenty already to take up their time. Yeah.

'and this is my financier, elizabeth'

"Funniest movie line ever"

Oh, so goofy. I will need to be renting some movies il quest estate. I could definitely use some more Gene Wilder in my life.

on to bigger and better

This makes me happy for a number of reasons. Right now, the Coop (as it's referred to on Facebook, or least it was) is so small that I get a little panicky when I go in there. Also, while I love TJ's, I wish it offered more, especially items with less packaging and less processing. And, Whole Foods just makes me a little freaked out because of the prices. I'm more willing to pay more when I know I'm supporting locals. (Actually, I'm not that educated on WF practices. Do they buy from local farmers?)

musical monday: 'wherever i'm with you'

"Home - Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros Acoustic Cover (Jorge & Alexa Narvaez)"

the hills are alive...

...with the sound of...apples. Okay, so that doesn't really work.



To kick off an incredibly busy October (can I even remember all of our activities?), we made a quick trip over to Apple Hill with some homeschooling friends. Unlike on a previous trip, we were actually able to pick apples this time -- a whole big fat bunch of them. Mmm.



Other than apple picking, we also had lunch and checked out some craft booths. At one booth, the kids made their own candles. I can't remember the name of the booth, but the women there were fabulous! They were so great with the kids, being very helpful and not condescending. Pic kind of pulled the wick out of her candle (oops), but somehow some is left for us to burn.

Pic's candle is the one on the left in the glass with the flowers.

The kids chose a glass for the container and then filled it with little wax granules. They could also choose a scent for their candles and Pic chose a banana nut bread aroma that kind of makes me ill, but it's her candle.

We went through a very short corn maze (unlike the crazy one we tried later in the month) and the kids rolled down a grassy knoll. As our visit was winding down, we stopped for chilled apple cider and apple doughnuts. Again: mmm.

I forgot to pick up any apple butter or honey. I get a little overwhelmed by the whole Apple Hill experience and we went on a weekend so every place was pretty crowded, so I tend to forget things. This year, I am hoping we'll be able to go on a weekday. We'll see.

On the way out of Apple Hill, it started to rain and there was an incredible rainbow arching across the sky. I was hanging out the window trying to get a good picture of it. It was difficult with the curving road and the evergreens, but I did manage to get about six billion pictures of the rainbow. I'll only share one.



I'm thinking we'll need to go berry picking this summer.

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In the meantime, it's winter here, but you'd not know it. We went for a walk this morning and were shedding layers. I was tempted to shed my shirt, too. I was really longing for my sandals. It's strange the have temperatures in the sixties (and later in the seventies), but it was great to be able to get out for a walk.

heeere's tommy!

"Home for the Holidays: Tommy's Entrance"

One of the few end-of-the-year traditions I hold.

Another?


"Madeline Kahn Elevator Rap" [A bit of weird editing here, but, ah, Madeline Kahn.]

Have I mentioned that I'm so not a movie snob? (At this point, you're probably thinking something along the lines of, "Duh.")

strangers no more

This song plays a part in my parents' story:


"Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger"

They are now celebrating their 30th anniversary. Thank you Mom and Dad for setting the example of an incredibly loving and in-love couple, showing me what a truly happy, if not always smooth, union can be.

This Barry Mann song, here performed by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville, is their song:


"don't know muc by linda ronstadt and aaron neville"

Happy 30th!