tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76025828608250309672024-03-18T20:45:13.620-06:00Audrey FinchJennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.comBlogger227125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-31555833480391458302013-04-26T08:57:00.002-06:002013-04-26T08:59:16.888-06:00for now<script type="text/javascript">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have suddenly decided to embark on a blogging hiatus of an unknown length of time. New adventures, unforeseen shifts, change in focus — life is like that, isn't it? An ebb and flow of season, a constant turning toward and away from the sun. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My heartfelt thanks to you for reading, commenting and following my often silly ramblings. I hope to see you all in cyberspace, or in person, if I'm so lucky.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Kindly,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Jenny</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Why I Wake Early</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hello, sun in my face.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hello, you who made the morning</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and spread it over the fields</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and into the faces of the tulips</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and the nodding morning glories,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and into the windows of, even, the</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">miserable and the crotchety – </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">best preacher that ever was,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">dear star, that just happens</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">to be where you are in the universe</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">to keep us from ever-darkness,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">to ease us with warm touching,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">to hold us in the great hands of light –</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">good morning, good morning, good morning.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Watch, now, how I start the day</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">in happiness, in kindness.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">~ Mary Oliver </span></span><br />
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Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-44173020630086838072013-04-22T16:52:00.001-06:002013-04-22T16:52:10.181-06:00A Three-dog life . . . <script type="text/javascript">
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(My three dogs — and my dear daughters)<br />
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While it's true that I do, in fact, have a "three-dog life" my post title is actually referring to the beautifully-written memoir. <br />
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In my last post I mentioned I was reading <i>A Three-Dog Life</i> by Abigail Thomas. Well, I finished it in a day and I have to tell you — it was wonderful. A touching, heartbreaking, and honest memoir. <br />
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Here's the synopsis:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When Abigail Thomas’s husband, Rich, was hit by a car, his skull was
shattered, his brain severely damaged. Subject to rages, terrors, and
hallucinations—and with no memory of what he did the hour, the day, the
year before—he was sent to live in a nursing facility that specializes
in treating traumatic brain injuries. This tragedy is the ground on
which Abigail had to build a new life. How she built that life is a
story of great courage and change, of moving to a small country town, of
a new family composed of three dogs, knitting, and friendship, of
facing down guilt and discovering gratitude. It is also about her
relationship with Rich, a man who lived in the eternal present, and the
eerie poetry of his often uncanny perceptions. Hailed by Stephen King as
"the best memoir I have ever read," this wise, plainspoken, beautiful
book enacts the truth Abigail has discovered since the accident: You
might not find meaning in disaster, but you might, with effort, make
something useful of it. ~ from Amazon</blockquote>
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I've logged this book into my Book Journal and starred the entry. <br />
<br />
~<br />
<br />
So, what should I read next? I have a few books in my pile but they all seem a little heavy. Anyone read a good book lately? Maybe something on the lighter side that I can read while I sit waiting at soccer practice or ballet class?<br />
<br />
<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-31453127874809903312013-04-17T17:58:00.004-06:002013-04-18T14:12:34.232-06:00Pieces of April<script type="text/javascript">
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<b>reading:</b> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Three-Dog-Life-Abigail-Thomas/dp/0156033232/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1366240677&sr=8-3&keywords=abigail+thomas"><i>A Three Dog Life</i></a>, a memoir by Abigail Thomas (sooo sooo good)<br />
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<b>listening to:</b> <i>Half Moon</i> by Portland band '<a href="http://www.blindpilot.com/#/video/">Blind Pilot</a>'. We saw them in concert here in Missoula last year. I love every single song of theirs. Pure musicalpoeticgenius.<br />
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<b>watching:</b> <a href="http://www.wimp.com/forensicartist/">this 3-minute video</a> - I want all of my girlfriends and my daughters to watch it. <br />
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<b>eating:</b> an entire half of our first watermelon of the year (store-bought)<br />
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<b>dreaming of:</b> visiting my newest nephew Noah, born a mere three days ago. I wish Texas wasn't so far away or that airplanes went super fast but never left the ground <br />
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<b>welcoming:</b> the goldfinch to the growing clientele at our bird feeder. On a side note, last year we had a yellow warbler couple decide to nest in the tree outside Emma's window. We had such fun watching them build their home, watch over their eggs and finally feed their three frail children. Emma even lucked into seeing the very moment one fledged (as a 12-day-old! oh how soon they leave!) I posted some photos and wrote a poem about it <a href="http://audreyfinch.blogspot.com/2012/06/bird-love-story.html"><i>here</i></a>.<br />
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<b>thinking about: </b>taking a sewing class, making a terrarium, taking Glucosamine to see if my hips and fingers feel better<br />
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<b>fretting:</b> that I may be developing rheumatoid arthritis at 43<br />
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<b>asking:</b> "what can I do to help?" after watching <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poor-kids/">this</a><br />
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What's up in your neck of the woods? <br />
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<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-82197446504024842672013-04-17T13:20:00.000-06:002013-04-17T13:20:09.305-06:00feeling daffy<script type="text/javascript">
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent">Daffodowndilly<br /> <br /> She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,<br /> She wore her greenest gown;<br /> She turned to the south wind<br /><span class="text_exposed_show"> And curtsied up and down.<br /> She turned to the sunlight<br /> And shook her yellow head,<br /> And whispered to her neighbour:<br /> "Winter is dead." <br /> <br /> - by A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young</span></span></span></h5>
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Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-75048066399074805882013-04-12T08:26:00.000-06:002013-04-12T14:23:35.129-06:00The roaring '20s<script type="text/javascript">
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</script>{or How I Wish I Was a Flapper}<br />
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Click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF8iZWrOmb0" target="_blank">here</a> to listen to some quintessential 1920's music while you enjoy this post.<br />
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You know how <a href="http://audreyfinch.blogspot.com/2012/08/olympic-dreams.html">I wanted to be an Olympic gymnast</a> during the Olympics? And then how <a href="http://audreyfinch.blogspot.com/2012/11/colonial-times.html">I was dying to be an American colonist</a> and live in Williamsburg around Thanksgiving? Well, I recently watched the 1970's version of the movie <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby" target="_blank"><i>The Great Gatsby</i></a> and re-read the book in anticipation of the upcoming release of the movie remake, so (as one might expect) I am now wishing I lived in the 1920s. I've been oogling over the clothes, the hairstyles, the music (which I've always enjoyed anyway) and the trends of the era. What an interesting and crazy time in history.<br />
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Say, I'm due for a haircut and I always enjoy making it worth the money, maybe I'll go for a bobbed look. Did you know that the "bob" first made its appearance in the 1920s (it was quite controversial) and prompted the advent of the "bobby" pin?! Just a little tidbit I learned today.<br />
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The hats of the day were cloche hats. Gloves were popular, and the "character" shoe (a sturdy heeled dress shoe) became popular and is the shoe still worn by dancers today. We recently inherited a whole bunch of gloves that used to belong to Gary's grandmother. I should go through them and see if any would fit that era. I know some of them were made in France, so they certainly aren't cheap drugstore varieties.<br />
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I have sweet memories of my grandma singing "Bye Bye Blackbird" and dancing the Charleston for me once or twice when I was little. She would have been in elementary school in the 1920s but as the eleventh of twelve kids in her family I'm sure her older siblings were wearing the styles and listening to the music of the times. It's so fun for me to imagine what it was like in her little Pennsylvania town back then.<br />
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Speaking of the Charleston, here's a video of some '20s peeps shaking their groove thing.<br />
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The new <a href="http://thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com/" target="_blank"><i>Gatsby</i></a> movie opens in May 10th in the U.S. and it's going to be in 3D (which I am actually disappointed about because 3D movies kinda irritate me, but hey - maybe it'll be cool). Plus I'm thrilled with the casting of (the oh-so-dashing) Leo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and (the adorable) Carey Mulligan as Daisy. I loved her in <i><a href="http://www.sonyclassics.com/aneducation/" target="_blank">An Education</a></i>. <br />
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Last night I said to Gary "I wonder if they'll ever figure out how to time travel." He just shook his head slowly and rolled his eyes. He's known me long enough to just to smile and hope I never get too whacky. And I've known him long enough to say "Well, if they ever do I'm going off and leaving you here, <i>old sport</i>." ;)Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-8100820321485909282013-04-10T13:10:00.000-06:002013-04-10T13:15:36.730-06:00Bits of found things<script type="text/javascript">
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Our first daffodil of the year and a deer promptly trampled the poor little thing and bent the stem so it was left staring at ground rather than the sun. Happily I swooped in for the rescue and gave it a new home in living room where it gets lots of attention.<br />
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I heard <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4QLBsY6dpo" target="_blank">this song</a> on the radio yesterday afternoon as I sat parked outside the school waiting for the girls. "Me likey," I said to no one in particular and I wondered if it was Josh Ritter but the announcer didn't say. Found it online today and I was right — it's Josh, and I've been listening to it all day. Mighty fine tune.<br />
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I also found my favorite tea, <a href="http://www.celestialseasonings.com/products/red-teas/madagascar-vanilla-red" target="_blank">Madagascar Vanilla Rooibos</a> (red bush tea), after almost a year of looking. It was like the tea company quit making it for a while or maybe African red bushes had a year of terrible production. Who knows. But I was parched with thirst for it, living off the memory of that delicious brew . . . then I steering my cart around the <a href="http://www.goodfoodstore.com/" target="_blank">Good Food Store</a> and <i>viola!</i> there it was (and on sale no less). I snatched four boxes just to be safe, but now I'm thinking I should go back for a few more just in case it goes missing again. I started drinking it years ago when I was reading a lot of <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/features/mccallsmith/main.php" target="_blank">Alexander McCall Smith's</a> <i>The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency</i> books (his website - linked with his name here - is fun). I loved those books and the way Precious Ramotswe talked about her refreshing pots of red bush tea. All her yammering about it made me thirst to try it. So I did and I was hooked. It's naturally decaffeinated so you can drink it day and night, which I have pretty much been doing these last few days.<br />
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Just finished Margaret Atwood's <i>The Blind Assassin</i> and I really enjoyed it. I'd never read anything of hers before but I'm sure I'll read more now. Atwood's writing was lovely (and her vocab large, I grabbed a dictionary more than a few times). The story itself was very engaging. Hmmm, how would I describe it — part mystery, part tragedy, part romance, with a twist or two, and people and place I could vividly see in mind's eye. Yum, I <i>do</i> love a good book. <br />
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Question: I'm looking for new linens for my bed. A summer quilt. Some pretty 100% cotton sheets. Shabby chicish, maybe white, maybe with tiny flowers. Anybody know of good online sources for bedding?<br />
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Happy midweek adventure to you all.<br />
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p.s.<br />
Oh bother, I keep meaning to tell you that I've added a button so you can follow me on Bloglovin' now. I guess Google is eliminating their blog-following services in a few months. It's easy-peasy to set up an account with Bloglovin' and they even import all the blogs you were following with Google. <br />
<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-66255263432969420822013-04-08T08:48:00.003-06:002013-04-08T21:06:30.443-06:00Printable : Virginia Woolf<script type="text/javascript">
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<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-40784213118986887822013-04-05T17:25:00.000-06:002013-04-05T17:26:11.314-06:00Seagulls and Obadiah<script type="text/javascript">
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I promise this will be my final ocean post, but I just had to add these seagull photos to the blog. I love the way they turned out. They look almost ethereal, more like paintings than photographs. Maybe it's because the gulls were so backlit.<br />
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At first they were all bathing in the estuary that comes in along the north end of the beach. Then some darker weather started moving over and they began to face into the wind. Some tucked their heads to stay warm against the gale and some just stood tall, beaks pointed south, bearing the heavy gusts.<br />
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I was reminded of a favorite childhood book, <i>Thy Friend Obadiah</i>. It's the story of a young Quaker boy who reluctantly befriends a seagull in his Nantucket fishing village during the Colonial time period.<br />
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I always loved this book — the cobblestone roads on Nantucket, how the family dressed and cooked their meals in a big stone fireplace, the way Obadiah's mother tucked him under heavy quilts in his attic bedroom (by candlelight no less). But the best part was when Obadiah peeked out his bedroom window and saw his loyal seagull friend, perched on the chimney facing into the wind, keeping watch through the night. I wanted a seagull friend who would sit outside my window, darn it.<br />
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<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-174228664237067932013-04-04T11:38:00.000-06:002013-04-04T21:43:17.540-06:00Part 3, Evening at the Ocean<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Evening is definitely my favorite time of day for a stroll down the beach. The rhythm of the surf, the slant of the sun, the screams of the seagulls. Barefeet. The ones I love. Perfection.<br />
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Emma gazes out over a the horizon, closes her eyes with her face in the wind.<br />
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Kate is the beachcomber. Scanning for shells and sand dollars. Finding tiny crab claws, smooth black stones, creatures in the surf.<br />
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And Izzy? She just chases seagulls and runs so hard her little back legs (chicken legs, really) kick out behind her at funny angles. Like a two-year-old, she would swim straight out into the waves without fear if we let her. <br />
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We walked, and walked, and walked. Then we walked some more.<br />
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<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-39622642726696467702013-04-03T19:32:00.001-06:002013-04-03T19:44:58.063-06:00Beach bound, part 2 ~ foggy morning<script type="text/javascript">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">hark, now hear the sailors cry, <br />smell the sea, and feel the sky <br />let your soul & spirit fly, into the mystic</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>— Van Morriso<span style="font-size: small;">n</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A foggy morning.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Low<span style="font-size: small;"> tide at Haystack <span style="font-size: small;">Rock<span style="font-size: small;">. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tide<span style="font-size: small;"> pool exploring. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span> Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-66959889570072893632013-04-02T22:33:00.000-06:002013-04-02T22:33:56.639-06:00Beach bound, part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Friday morning we left for the Oregon coast in what will be known as "The Speedy but Delicious Ocean Visit of 2013." The town of Cannon Beach, Oregon is one of my favorite places to glimpse the ocean and through the years we've somehow never taken our girls there so I decided it was high time we made the trek. The drive is about 10 hours from our house to the surf. It was a long day, made a little longer because Kate was born with a bladder the size of a walnut, or maybe a pistachio, we're not sure, but one thing we do know is that it can't hold much. I once joked with her that she should write a memoir someday titled "The Bathrooms of my Youth." She's frequented more public restrooms in her 12 years than any one person should in their entire life.<br />
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The photos I've posted today are from the lush green forested area just North of Cannon Beach. There should be a hundred different words for describing all the various shades and depths of green you can find in the Pacific Northwest. The greens are one of the things I miss most about living in the Seattle area. Of course with all that green comes a fair bit of moisture, and I must say that I don't miss the rain (and I don't miss how large my hair gets when I'm doused in humidity). <br />
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Next up I will post my beach photos but tonight I am tired and lazy, so I'm off to snuggle up with a book and a hot beverage. <br />
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<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-58731566560741608722013-03-28T14:29:00.003-06:002013-03-29T08:58:18.263-06:00Emma's Room<script type="text/javascript">
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Emma, 14.<br />
<br />
Her bedroom, as she left it when the bus pulled up across the street. My dear, sweet girl. She <i>loves</i> her bed and likes all the blankets and pillows to be crazily swirled into a messy, cozy pile. She snuggles down in the middle. She calls it her "nest."<br />
<br />
There are lots of moments when I miss the tiny Emma. So much. Sometimes my heart breaks with the missing of her. But then I watch her from a distance or pause a moment to watch her face while she's sleeping and I catch glimpses of that same little person . . . it's still her. She's still the same Emma. <br />
<br />
She's becoming her own person. Making her own choices, finding her own style, figuring out what it is she loves, what she dreams of, what she stands for.<br />
<br />
The note to herself on her mirror makes me smile every time I walk by her room.<br />
<br />
Every night:<br />
<ul>
<li> 50 jumping jacks</li>
<li> 15 push ups</li>
<li> 100 crunches</li>
<li> 1 minute plank</li>
</ul>
<br />
I remember when I started writing myself notes too. Making lists. Taking charge.<br />
<br />
Oh, what a precious, joyous time. <br />
<br />
<br />
p.s. I refrained from showing you the clothes strewn all over the floor. Something strange happens every morning while she's trying to figure out what to wear, and the entire closet ends up on the floor.<br />
<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-5529367559430694052013-03-24T20:58:00.001-06:002013-03-24T20:58:25.088-06:00Purple Sun day<script type="text/javascript">
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<br />
<br />
The crocus are<br />
blooming<br />
<br />
Squinting,<br />
then unfurling<br />
into the shy slant<br />
of spring's pale<br />
lemon sky.<br />
Flocks of light blue<br />
breezes migrating<br />
from the south gently<br />
mingle with warming<br />
rays and I am<br />
shivering from chill,<br />
warmth, both at once.<br />
My paper face<br />
tilts, like purple crocus <br />
to the western horizon.<br />
Together,<br />
flower and I, awaken<br />
to the moment, fill<br />
yawning lungs,<br />
ready hearts with fragile<br />
sunshine.<br />
<br />
<br />
— Jenny Scheuch, 2013<br />
<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-33518109700085472812013-03-21T13:41:00.001-06:002013-03-21T15:33:42.405-06:00how to love this world<script type="text/javascript">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Two days ago</b> I made vegetable curry for the first time ever. It was tasty and my whole family liked it. Honestly, I had never used coconut milk in a recipe before. I know that may be shocking but I'm a girl who lived my entire senior year in college eating almost exclusively Doritos and Minute Rice . . . soooo . . . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Yesterday</b> we welcomed the first day of Spring.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Today</b> is National Poetry Day and the sun is shining. Also today — Izzy relaxed on the couch with her tongue sticking out in that incredibly adorable way animals sometimes do.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Tomorrow</b> is Friday and nobody can be uncheered on a Friday.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Yes, I'd say there is much to celebrate this windy week in March.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">~</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>
<br />
<div class="episode_title">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Spring</span><div class="author">
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">by Mary Oliver<a href="http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index/www.bartleby.com/poems/author.php?auth_id=1234"> </a></span></i></div>
<div class="author">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<i><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></b></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Somewhere<br />
a black bear<br />
has just risen from sleep<br />
and is staring<br /><br />
down the mountain.<br />
All night<br />
in the brisk and shallow restlessness<br />
of early spring<br /><br />
I think of her,<br />
her four black fists<br />
flicking the gravel,<br />
her tongue<br /><br />
like a red fire<br />
touching the grass,<br />
the cold water.<br />
There is only one question:<br /><br />
how to love this world.<br />
I think of her<br />
rising<br />
like a black and leafy ledge<br /><br />
to sharpen her claws against<br />
the silence<br />
of the trees.<br />
Whatever else<br /><br />
my life is<br />
with its poems<br />
and its music<br />
and its glass cities,<br /><br />
it is also this dazzling darkness<br />
coming<br />
down the mountain,<br />
breathing and tasting;<br /><br />
all day I think of her—<br />
her white teeth,<br />
her wordlessness,<br />
her perfect love. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
"Spring" by Mary Oliver, from <i>New and Selected Poems</i>. © Beacon Press, 1992. </span>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-45099796441414035932013-03-20T20:31:00.001-06:002013-03-21T13:39:19.413-06:00iPaint <script type="text/javascript">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">image © 2013 Jenny Scheuch </span><br />
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-81813586980161661922013-03-18T21:28:00.000-06:002013-03-18T21:28:12.260-06:00Steal Like an Artist = fresh creative inspiration<script type="text/javascript">
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<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-12247898952685572952013-03-15T14:55:00.000-06:002013-03-15T14:55:19.545-06:00One year<script type="text/javascript">
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Tomorrow is my big blog anniversary. One whole year of adventures in blogland. It's been a great year. Blogging has changed a lot about how I look at the world. I've discovered that I really enjoy photography. I've found that there are lots of people out there who love the exact things I do. I've made new friends from all around the globe. Blogging has helped me appreciate all the tiny details in life, the beauty in the mundane tasks, the hope in a tiny bud, the humor entwined with midlife frustrations. I'm grateful for this new perspective and I look forward to tapping away at the keyboard and posting my way through this next year too.<br />
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~<br />
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Things are slowly waking up here in Montana. Oh. So. Slowly. It takes a long time for winter to pack up and leave. There's a lot of deep thawing involved. But there are daffodils poking through the dirt and most days it's warm enough to put the bunnies out in the garden area and let them explore and roll in the grass. Opal put on too many pounds this winter and needs to do some serious hopping. She's sporting a triple chin. <br />
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I put a few bird feeders outside the windows by my desk and it's been fun watching the birds come and go. Mostly chickadees and nuthatches so far. Oh, and a squirrel I call Hazel who continually gets more and more brave. She spends half the day trying to tiptoe past the dogs before they spy her and run her back into the creek bed. I'm a little worried one of them will actually snag her — that wouldn't be pretty.<br />
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Despite the warmer days I bought myself a new winter toy — an electric wood stove. I'd been eyeing them all winter but never pulled the trigger. Then I happened to be in Lowe's the other day, saw them on clearance, and decided to go for it. We set it up in the little TV room off the kitchen and I love it so much. I was worried it would feel cheesy, fake flames and all, but it's wonderful. It even has an optional heat blower, which makes that room extra toasty. Man, I just love it.<br />
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Hope you all are enjoying your Friday and plotting fun adventures for your weekend. Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-26356019952459239352013-03-11T21:02:00.002-06:002013-03-15T15:15:58.768-06:00Dreaming and other things<script type="text/javascript">
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Last night I had one of my recurring bad dreams.<br />
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The constants are these: I am frantically trying to get to the airport to make my plane (usually an international flight), and I am running <i>really</i> late. Total chaos ensues.<br />
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The variables are the forms of chaos: get lost driving to the airport, can't find gate/ticket info/people I'm flying with, long line at ticket counter and the plane is minutes from take-off, my children are with me and I'm trying to keep track of them, their bags, my bags, etc. It's a very, very stressful dream and I'm always so relieved when I wake up.<br />
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In last night's exciting episode I was trying to find the ticket counter and then check a bunch of bags and boxes filled with random stuff. The flight was scheduled to leave in ten minutes and I was a disorganized mess. The boxes weren't sealed, some of my belongings were in plastic grocery bags and I was trying to stuff them into suitcases and duffel bags. There was so much STUFF! I'm talking little plastic toys and dolls, old books and papers, dollar-store trinkets — a bunch of crap, really. It wasn't working. Stuff was falling out everywhere and oodles of it didn't even fit in the bags. Aaaaak!<br />
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I woke up, thank goodness, and it was morning.<br />
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In the past this dream is <i>all</i> about the flying. I know why I have it — because I HATE flying. HATE! (Yes, I'm yelling.) But this time the part that felt like the bigger stress was all the crap I was carrying.<br />
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So I awoke with renewed enthusiasm for purging some of the stuff in my house.<br />
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Relinquishing some things is so easy for me, like clothes. I could whittle my wardrobe to a single loin cloth (and maybe a thick robe for winter) without batting an eye. Clothes aren't emotional for me. I don't love them or covet them. That's not to say that I don't enjoy dressing nicely or having nice clothes – I just don't feel attached.<br />
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Where my attachments lie are in the little things. Sadly, I now realize, I have a hard time purging all the <i>exact</i> crap I was trying to fit in my luggage — my childhood collection of paper dolls, baby clothes my daughters wore, a collection of tiny painted chairs, hoards of beautiful scrapbook paper, a gallon of shells. Things like that darling little mouse family in the photo above. I love their fuzziness and their little faces. I might miss them if they were gone.<br />
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Yikes. I fear there is a canyon-sized gap between me and people who live in those tiny homes.<br />
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~<br />
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That said, I do plan to make some headway on simplifying this coming week. I may try photographing some of my sentimental possessions, saving the photos and letting the actual items go. The important word there is <i>may</i>. I <i>may</i> part with some things and . . . I <i>may</i> not. ;)<br />
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<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-11086086002719211282013-03-09T12:44:00.001-07:002013-03-21T15:34:26.232-06:00Something funny on a sunny Saturday<script type="text/javascript">
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Nothing like a funny foreign film to make a sunny spring Saturday even better.<br />
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<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-9508765160641659562013-03-06T11:11:00.002-07:002013-03-06T15:06:15.282-07:00Today<script type="text/javascript">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>A Meme </b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One of my favorite
things</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> is the sound of a ticking clock.</span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Outside my window</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> the bare twisted branches of the amur maple, </span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">waiting to come alive. </span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I am thinking</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> of all the things I'm pining to do, as soon as I meet </span></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">all these crazy, lurking deadlines</span>.</span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">From the kitchen</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> I hear the hum of the fridge.</span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I am wearing</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> blue floral jammies.</span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I am reading</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Anne Lamott's 'Bird by Bird' for the third time. </span></i></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yes, it's that good</span></i>. </span></i></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I am hearing</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Angus Stone on Pandora </span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">(thanks to <a href="http://www.underthebigbluesky.com/" target="_blank">Jen</a> for turning me on to his music).</span></i></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I am hoping</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> for Spring to hurry up, but time to slow down.</span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Around the</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">room</b>, my yorkie sleeps on the back of the couch like a cat, <br />the space heater warms my feet.</span></i></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I am going to</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> watch "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" </span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">with Emma this week, at her request.</span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I am creating</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> a crocheted blanket, and a plan for my garden. </span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I am thankful</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> for hot showers, music, and my family</span>.</span></i></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Here is picture thought</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">, from outside my front window this morning.</span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Thank you to <a href="http://caitoconnor.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Cait O'Connor</a> for this blog meme.</span></i></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-12966844942801721732013-02-26T15:03:00.001-07:002013-02-26T15:04:46.714-07:00Coming full circle<script type="text/javascript">
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It seems that my inspiration tank is running low. I'm suspecting that someone is siphoning from my supply while I'm sleeping. Either that, or it's February, which is usually a bit of a flimsy, banal month for me.<br />
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I've been searching all week for something happy to photograph but simply could not find the beauty in crusty, dirt-peppered snow or endless gray skies. Thank goodness for the full moon, making her appearance among the trees behind my house the other night. The <i>Snow Moon</i> is the name for February's full moon, and she was a beauty. Could you see her from where you were too?<br />
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~<br />
<br />
March is waiting in the wings. She's nervously tugging on her rain boots, amassing a variety of winds (I hope her entourage includes a few warm breezes) and finalizing her agenda — <i>hmmm, a little snow, some gusts, a sunny day, then a drizzle or two, some balmy wind, a warm spell, a sneaky overnight snowfall, followed by one delightfully warmer day (suited for putting car windows down)</i>. <br />
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I've become suddenly aware of the seasons of this blog and as I enter into March I will be coming into a full year of blogging. What a great year it's been! More on that later.<br />
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For now, wishing you good things. <br />
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<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-72151548597848009242013-02-19T12:35:00.001-07:002013-02-19T12:35:12.493-07:00In my neck of the woods<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</script>. . . I am thankful for red berries to brighten our drab landscapes<br />
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<br />
. . . it's still cold, but there are more and more songbirds flitting around, singing and gathering on branches and power lines.<br />
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<br />
. . . I am thoroughly engrossed in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Assassin-Novel-Margaret-Atwood/dp/0385720955" target="_blank"><i>The Blind Assassin</i></a> by Margaret Atwood.<i> </i><br />
<br />
<br />
. . . it seems that Emma inadvertently touched <a href="http://audreyfinch.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-flu-beads.html" target="_blank">the flu beads</a>. Phooey. Poor thing is in bed as I type this.<br />
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. . . I've been on a <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/beethoven-for-book-lovers-an-intimate-companion-for-reading-mw0001833829" target="_blank">classical music binge</a> the last several days.<br />
<br />
<br />
. . . we had a refreshing cucumber salad for dinner last night:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
~ slice cucumbers<br />
~ mix in a bowl with white wine vinegar, lots of dill, a few dashes of salt and a shake or two of sugar.<br />
<br />
The whole family loved it. It felt summery.</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
. . . everyone is dreaming of Spring.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Dear Spring,<br />
The groundhog said you were arriving early this year. Are you on your way? What's your estimated arrival date?<br />
<br />
We are all so looking forward to seeing you!<br />
<br />
xo</blockquote>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-43926313263146048292013-02-14T21:43:00.002-07:002013-02-14T21:43:58.991-07:00Love always<script type="text/javascript">
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Spread love everywhere you go. <br />
Let no one ever come to you <br />
without leaving happier.<br />
<br />
- Mother Teresa<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Of all the stories I've read about love this week, this one is probably my favorite: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/fashion/a-writers-tortoise-leads-the-way-to-happiness-modern-love.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=modernlove" target="_blank"><i>My Touchstone and a Heart of Gold</i></a> by Caroline Leavitt.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Happy Valentine's Day.</span><br />
<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-53967604579829753402013-02-13T14:00:00.000-07:002013-02-13T14:00:03.694-07:00Acoustic Lennon<script type="text/javascript">
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Listening to this song about 100 times a day.<br />
<br />
50 x John singing it.<br />
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50 x Gary learning to play it on the guitar (usually around 11 p.m., but that's okay. When he plays guitar he's in his happy place).<br />
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<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602582860825030967.post-56341871154810495002013-02-12T20:12:00.001-07:002013-02-13T09:39:15.054-07:00Happy<script type="text/javascript">
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Cold and dreary here. Thank goodness for books, little reading lights, the new green growth on the rosemary plant in the kitchen window, and Izzy's little face, always looking up at me with such anticipation. "Where are you going? Can I come? Mind if I sleep under your desk while you work? Is it time for bed yet?"<br />
<br />
I finished <a href="http://audreyfinch.blogspot.com/2013/02/i-won.html" target="_blank">the book by Tammy Strobel</a> on simplifying and it was wonderful. So much inspiration, good insight and encouragement. I recommend reading it if you're interested in decluttering, downsizing or possibly moving in to a "tiny house." She lives in an 8' x 16' house with her husband and loves the life they share in their itty-bitty home.<br />
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Along with reading Tammy's book I happened to watch an excellent documentary on Netflix called "Happy." It was AWESOME! You know how sometimes you feel like something comes along at the perfect time in your life? Like you were waiting to find it? That's how I feel about this movie. I loved it and it's made me think about a lot of things . . . yes, I think a lot. You can watch the trailer and read about the movie <i><a href="http://www.thehappymovie.com/film/" target="_blank">here</a></i>.<br />
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Lots of work to do this week. Have I ever mentioned that I'm a freelance graphic designer? Maybe not? Well, that's what I do when I'm not rambling here or reading or crocheting or spending time with my girlies. I'm designing brochures and newsletters and book covers and event posters and logos . . . or annual reports, which is the case this week. Did you know that February is annual report season? Well it is, and I'm knee deep in it.<br />
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As always, many thanks for reading. Wherever you are — sitting in a coffee shop in New York, watching the rain fall in the UK, or relaxing on your patio in Austin, Texas — I wish you a happy week.<br />
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* I made the star in my kitchen window: directions <i><a href="http://audreyfinch.blogspot.com/2012/05/blustery-day.html" target="_blank">here</a></i>.<br />
<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632955602639382927noreply@blogger.com6