A Three-dog life . . .

(My three dogs — and my dear daughters)

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.

In my last post I mentioned I was reading A Three-Dog Life 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.

Here's the synopsis:

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

I've logged this book into my Book Journal and starred the entry. 

~

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?

Pieces of April

reading: A Three Dog Life, a memoir by Abigail Thomas (sooo sooo good)

listening to: Half Moon by Portland band 'Blind Pilot'. We saw them in concert here in Missoula last year. I love every single song of theirs. Pure musicalpoeticgenius.

watching: this 3-minute video - I want all of my girlfriends and my daughters to watch it.

eating: an entire half of our first watermelon of the year (store-bought)

dreaming of: 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

welcoming: 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 here.

thinking about: taking a sewing class, making a terrarium, taking Glucosamine to see if my hips and fingers feel better

fretting: that I may be developing rheumatoid arthritis at 43

asking: "what can I do to help?" after watching this


What's up in your neck of the woods? 

The roaring '20s

{or How I Wish I Was a Flapper}

Click here to listen to some quintessential 1920's music while you enjoy this post.

You know how I wanted to be an Olympic gymnast during the Olympics? And then how I was dying to be an American colonist and live in Williamsburg around Thanksgiving? Well, I recently watched the 1970's version of the movie The Great Gatsby 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.

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.

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.

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.

Speaking of the Charleston, here's a video of some '20s peeps shaking their groove thing.

The new Gatsby 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 An Education.

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, old sport." ;)

Bits of found things

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.

I heard this song 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.

I also found my favorite tea, Madagascar Vanilla Rooibos (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 Good Food Store and viola! 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 Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency 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.

Just finished Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin 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 do love a good book. 

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?

Happy midweek adventure to you all.

p.s.
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.

Printable : Virginia Woolf

1. Click on image to download larger size jpg

2. Print at will  :)

Seagulls and Obadiah

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.

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.

I was reminded of a favorite childhood book, Thy Friend Obadiah. It's the story of a young Quaker boy who reluctantly befriends a seagull in his Nantucket fishing village during the Colonial time period.

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.

how to love this world

Two days ago 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 . . .

Yesterday we welcomed the first day of Spring.

Today 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.

Tomorrow is Friday and nobody can be uncheered on a Friday.

Yes, I'd say there is much to celebrate this windy week in March.


~
 

Spring

by Mary Oliver

Somewhere
    a black bear
      has just risen from sleep
         and is staring

down the mountain.
    All night
      in the brisk and shallow restlessness
         of early spring

I think of her,
    her four black fists
      flicking the gravel,
         her tongue

like a red fire
    touching the grass,
      the cold water.
         There is only one question:

how to love this world.
    I think of her
      rising
         like a black and leafy ledge

to sharpen her claws against
    the silence
      of the trees.
         Whatever else

my life is
    with its poems
      and its music
         and its glass cities,

it is also this dazzling darkness
    coming
      down the mountain,
         breathing and tasting;

all day I think of her—
    her white teeth,
      her wordlessness,
         her perfect love. 


"Spring" by Mary Oliver, from New and Selected Poems. © Beacon Press, 1992. 

Steal Like an Artist = fresh creative inspiration

In my neck of the woods

. . . I am thankful for red berries to brighten our drab landscapes


 . . . it's still cold, but there are more and more songbirds flitting around, singing and gathering on branches and power lines.


. . . I am thoroughly engrossed in The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood.


. . . it seems that Emma inadvertently touched the flu beads. Phooey. Poor thing is in bed as I type this.


. . . I've been on a classical music binge the last several days.


. . . we had a refreshing cucumber salad for dinner last night:

~ slice cucumbers
~ mix in a bowl with white wine vinegar, lots of dill, a few dashes of salt and a shake or two of sugar.

The whole family loved it. It felt summery.

. . . everyone is dreaming of Spring.

Dear Spring,
The groundhog said you were arriving early this year. Are you on your way? What's your estimated arrival date?

We are all so looking forward to seeing you!

xo

Happy

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?"

I finished the book by Tammy Strobel 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.

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 here.

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.

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.

* I made the star in my kitchen window: directions here.

My writing life

"Why can't I write?!" I asked the air
When I've finally found a day to spare
Me thinks the house may silence my pen
too much laundry, dust and lack of zen

I packed my bag and sought a chair
at the local Barnes & Noble, where
I thought the words would flow like wine
in the tapas bar on 3rd and Pine

But, hark! I found it worse than home
Distractions lurked like night in Nome
Poetry, classics, mags by the ton
I'd stopped writing before I'd even begun

Then spent the day with nose in book
Browsing covers for a Nook
Reading Oliver's latest poems
And pondering purchasing several tomes

At days end, I'd nothing to show
No letters written in a tiny row
Just a messy house, dishes in the sink
And a caffeine crash (from the latte, I think)

I called the day "a piece of crap"
My writing life is a lot like that.

~ Jenny Scheuch ©

I won!

I've never been a winner. I enter drawings and giveaways, put my name in a box for a free dinner, etc., but nope . . . I never win. And then zing! a few weeks ago Claire on Just a Little Less announced that I was the winner of her book giveaway and she would be sending me a copy of You Can Buy Happiness (and it's Cheap) all the way from her home in Staffordshire, ENGLAND. Yippee, I won! A new book, wrapped, packaged and sent from ENGLAND! How fun is that. The book is written by Tammy Strobel who blogs about living in her tiny home on her blog Rowdy Kittens.

I rung in 2013 with an oath to try simplify my life, so this book couldn't be arriving at a better time. I'm pining to declutter, downsize and cast away excess. I'm excited to delve in and see how I can move toward a life of less.

So far I have made some decent strides on my own. I've donated three bags of clothes to Goodwill, tossed a boat load of old papers and the biggest thing — we got rid of cable television. I don't know why but this feels HUGE. Getting rid of all those crazypointlesstrashyboring channels is something I've been dying to do for a long time. We just don't watch much television and despite all the channels (seriously, we had something like 300 channels), there truly was never anything on worth watching. The shows we did watch (Downton Abbey, The Middle, Modern Family) were all on PBS or one of the main networks. We were basically paying for a service we weren't using.

Now we are down to the basics, PBS, NBC, CBS, FOX and Netflix for streaming movies. All those cable boxes are gone and all the "mind clutter" with it. Plus we now have an extra chunk of change in our pockets every month. I feel lighter.