I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance;
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.
Dawna Markova
Tags: Quoting
I’ve got something brewing that kept me from getting quality sleep last night. I woke up probably a half a dozen times, got a drink of water, listened to the soft sighs of my dear husband, and eventually gathered up enough fatigue to return to slumber myself.
When I woke up this morning, still a bit tired, my mind wandered, like it always does. It went upstairs and looked at this painting in our TV room (by Gabriel Fernandez – a little overexposed but kind of dreamy and, thus, on order). Then a poem came. I scribbled it down while still in bed, cats grumbling at each other, competing for cuddle time with mama, feeling sleepy themselves. Anyway, I liked it; maybe you will too.
Lusting, longing
For pillow-topped voyages,
Sheets caressing the legs.
Further into the cocoon, she desires to be.
Everything is at hand,
Suitcase packed for the conceits of slumber.
She waits in anticipation before realizing
The train has left the station,
Leaving a wake of morning thoughts behind.
In dread, she waits once more for its arrival,
Clock ticking back the seconds.
Colleen Sohn
Tags: Poetry
A couple of weeks ago, I made my first trip to the Goodwill bins. For those of you who don’t know about “the bins,” it is pretty much the last stop before recycling or the dump for the Goodwill. I had wanted to go for a while, but was seriously turned off by a former neat-freak neighbor who made me think everything was covered in slime and dust, and I would be lucky to get out alive. Thankfully, my friend Maria had been many times and survived, and was happy to take me along on her last trip. I learned, quite thankfully, that it is neither slimy nor dusty, well, not that dusty, anyway, but a little cold.
It is a pretty well organized place considering the nature of it – and like your typical Goodwill store, has the usual hodge-podge of items – furniture, housewares, odds and ends, clothing, linens, fabric, etc. As the name infers, most of the items are in bins on wheeled tables. There is great excitement and crowding when a new set of bins makes its way to the floor – fresh goodies! Unlike a typical Goodwill store, with the exception of furniture and some housewares, items are purchased by the pound. $1.39 for up to 50 pounds, and $.89 a pound for purchases over 50 pounds (don’t quote me on the prices, I’m not positive).
Pooled together, Maria and I had over 50 pounds, so we paid the bargain price. It is astonishing how quickly it adds up! This is what I got:
the lamp above, with the shade ($3 + $10 at Home Depot for a repair kit)
a pair of perfect fitting black leather pants (is this a midlife crisis?)
a nightgown
two vintage sweaters (one fisherman knit, the other beautifully beaded)
an apron
a crazy flowered housecoat (Oy, definitely a midlife crisis)
a tablecloth
a nutcracker – like the ballet
a cache pot
a small silver tray
a piece of Hawaiian fabric
Not bad for $25, including fixing the lamp (thanks for that Buddy). The perfect adventure for tough economic times!
Stand in your own space and know you are there.
Anson Heigel
Golly, yesterday was a banner day! Not only was it a holiday (thank you Presidents), but a sunny and dry, perfect for being outdoors kind of day. Greg and I took full advantage and walked to our favorite Asian restaurant, Stickers, where we enjoyed our usual Scallion Pancake, Kung Pao Chicken, and Satay Sampler, before heading north to New Seasons for a slice of cake and coffee, and home again, collecting four varieties of pine cone, assorted plant life, groceries, and left-overs along the way .
For fun, Greg made a map of our journey – almost nine miles of beautiful Portland splendor!
Here is what we saw while we were out and about:
The lovely and rather idiosyncratic Reed College – a study in contrasts, yes indeed.
A fitting display of President’s Day patriotism on Milwaukie Avenue. I love America and this town.
This sight is always worth a chuckle while noshing at Stickers. I admire the owner’s fantastic sense of humor, but not nearly as much as the handsome man. I’m no fool.
The lovely old clock for William R. Johnson jewelers.
We don’t tend to enjoy walking on very busy streets, preferring the sound of birds and our own voices over the din of automobiles, but I was pleased as punch that Milwaukie was our only option after we stumbled upon this beauty. Oh my goodness! It is the finest example of a 1958 Thunderbird I have EVER seen. I was so excited that I got misty eyed. Silly girl.
Why yes, I am a tourist attraction – at least that’s what my hubby says!
Above my head was this perfect sky. Hello beautiful.
Heavens to mergatroid – a 1940’s Studebaker Champion with suicide doors!
But wait, there’s more! A gorgeous 1960 Corvette and a 1942 Chief Plymouth. Will you look at that hood ornament? How amazing is that? I thank my lucky stars for all the wonderful automobile sightings, and this isn’t even all of them. I gave the dear hubster a break and skipped snapping a photo of a rather fine example of a 1964 Ford pick-up. You’ll just have to take my word for it on that one.
After all the excitement of the cars, it was nice to come across this stand of bamboo. We stood for a few moments and enjoyed the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind. Ahh, bliss.
I think this is the cutest chicken coop I’ve ever seen.
Here are the occupants, happily pecking away…
We cast a long shadow.
