Chris Issak

I almost forgot until I was reminded by my friend yesterday,
that...I am going to see/hear Chris Isaak
in Newport tonight!

Ten On Tuesday--Favorite Sounds

Playing along with Yano's "Ten On Tuesday" meme

and this Tuesdays' list is "10 Favorite Sounds":

This is today's edition of my favorite sounds(purposely leaving out music, singing voices and musical instrument sounds). I am just recently back from an early evening stroll with Jewel through our neighborhood, and there were plenty of pleasing-to-the-ear noises-summer noises/sounds mostly. The other sounds listed have to do mostly with summer, as well. If I did this in the middle of the winter, I am certain I would have a different set of ten favorite sounds.

1. the sound of forks on dinner plates and people laughing and talking as they eat outdoors in thier backyards.

2. a baseball game(involving the Boston Red Sox, of course) in the other room, either on the TV or radio. I have always found it to be a relaxing background noise...

3. the wind in the trees. If the sound of a breeze rippling the leaves on a tree could be a color it would be shimmery silver.

4. the crackle of a wood camp fire

5. the sound of tent flap zippers

6. a Loons haunting "laughter" and eerie cry echoing across a still lake--best heard at night. (be sure to click on the word 'Loon' to link to a page where you can hear it's "hoot", "wail", "tremelo" and "yodel")

7. soft rain falling outside my open bedroom window

8. a blender whirring up some delectable cold and frothy drink on a hot summer day.

9. Jewel's yawning noises--they make me laugh every time(often she sounds like Snoopy in those Peanuts cartoons)

10. a Whippoorwill singing in the middle of the night, even if it keeps you awake. (Gah! I just found out when I looked up this bird to find a sound clip of it's call, that hearing it's call in the night is considered a "death omen" in folklore?! I never knew that before, and will conveniently ignore that bit of information )

....and I am going to add #11....the distinctive sound of the mail delivery truck coming down my street. Hope springs eternal any time I hear it and can't wait to run out to check my mailbox to see if there is anything good inside(mail-order catalogs, samples, magazines...sometimes snail mail letters and even gifts). It's not just me in this house who loves that sound--both Mr. F and R respond the same way.

The Week That Was

I'm sitting here, with my salty beach hair and salty, coco-nutty skin after a day at....the beach, of course. I'm a little tired out after a l-o-n-g walk with the dog late this afternoon. I didn't expect it to be so hot then, but I nearly wilted by the end of it.

Well, I thought I should attempt to do a little blog after not having been here in a while. I spent most of this week down visiting my brother's family. It was a very relaxing(my SIL is one for making sure we all have nice dinners together and we had everything we needed), it was so fun getting to be with my little nephew and niece again, and we also had private accommodations in their large home. We did the required mini golf and Dairy Queen thing. We don't have a DQ around here, so they know we all want to go there whenever we come down, and ever since I have taken vacations with Mr. F we have always insisted on doing 18 holes of mini golf.

My brother(who is also kind and thoughtful--a great host) drove us all into Washington, D.C. for a day trip and we did the tourist thing to the hilt--including one of those tour bus/trolley rides which took us all over. The museums and sites were packed with other visitors from all over the world(so we didn't feel as if we stood out as tourists, really)and I heard all sorts of other languages besides English.

Here we are at the front of the Lincoln Memorial (with my niece and nephew) with the view of the Mall and Washington Monument behind.

I just HAD to take a picture of the endless variety of Obama-themed(half the display was for Michelle Obama, too!) souvenirs at this kiosk in the train station.

Our introduction to the city was walking into Union Station and what a beautiful place it was!

In fact, I found D.C. to be a beautiful city overall, although the Mall was all beaten up with new paved walks in progress--I got the feeling that the overwhelming amount of human feet all over it on Inauguration Day may have contributed to it's current sorry state. Nearly everyone whom we asked advice and directions from were so friendly and helpful, too.

The museums (the Smithsonian ones-all free to anyone!) were amazing!

We didn't get to visit them all, of course(it would take weeks, I think, to visit all of them). My favorite one was the unexpected oasis of the U.S. Botanic Garden--a cool green, lush and revitalizing place to tour at the end of our day(tucked in a less visited spot right next to the Capitol building, we discovered). So, now I know that when I go back to D.C. I'll want to visit some of the art museums I missed, the Postal Museum and the Botanic Garden again.

Chillin' in a hammock, listening to Jamie

I am on my second day of vacation--my one week off that I get all year. I'll take it.
I started things off right yesterday by lounging in the cool shade of the backyard in the hammock. At first I thought I would lie there for just a little while, to get a little sun and maybe some vacation tan lines.
Then I thought I was being crazy and damaging my skin (I was) by lying out there in the hot sun, but I simply couldn't get up.
The breeze swayed the hammock for me, and I had a bag of those Stacy's cinnamon sugar pita snacks to dip into. I closed my eyes every now and then and then would open them and look around me. You have such a different perspective on your surroundings from a hammock. I noticed the very tops of the trees and the way they were moving in the wind and how tall they seemed.
Very soon, the sun had moved so it was behind a tree and I was in comfortable shade and got so...sleepy. And I actually took a nap. I am not a napper, usually. I feel like there is always something to do or else I am missing something by being asleep during the day. But, hey, I'm on my vacation and a nap under the trees in a hammock really seemed like a good start to my 9 days off in a row(the most I ever get all year...not that I work full-time, but still...)

I love this guy's music all year round, but have been listening to Jamie Cullum a lot lately(in the car, in the kitchen, on the living room stereo...)--something about his jazzy goodness is perfect for this easy-going summery weather. Sounds perfect coming out the open windows and doors..
He's got this extra something-the unique tone of his voice combined with his massive talent. And he's only what?-something like 25 or so?
The video below is great, although I found the whole setting odd, with the tables with seemingly disinterested older people with their backs to the musicians. I'm guessing this was intentional, for whatever reason.

Right To Dry

This segment(video below) that I caught the other day when it aired on TV around here has been on my mind.
Only a few years ago, I had started to learn of certain neighborhoods and communities(in the USA--somehow I think this is not such an issue in other places around the world) where it was dictated to the homeowners as to what they could and could not keep in their own yards. I am not talking about a full-fledged petting zoo or a backyard factory. I mean supposedly unsightly things like a boat or too many yard ornaments or...a clothesline with drying clothes!
First of all, I would hate to live anywhere where I had rules as to what was deemed appropriate to keep on my own property. But the thought that a clothesline was offensive to anyone was downright strange to me. In these times, especially, when we all should be trying to save energy--hanging clothes out to dry is a natural! I, personally, think it is a happy sight to behold.
One of my earliest memories is of my mother hanging out our freshly laundered clothing and sheets on a long clothesline in our yard. It seemed everyone, also, had a clothesline, or one of those roatating self standing clothes dryers.
And one of life's simple pleasures is the smell of dried laundry--to sleep on sheets that were hung out to dry in the sun and breeze all day is heaven.
While my mother was a die-hard when it came to avoiding using the dryer and hanging out the clothes instead--I used to whine when as a teen I had to go out in winter and freeze my hands when taking down the "crispy" and semi-frozen(almost dry, though) laundry off the line--I have to admit to becoming lazier about hanging out my own laundry. It is always easier and quicker for me to simply pop the wet clothing into our dryer, especially in winter. Once the warmer months arrive, though, I do try to take advantage of a sunny and dry day to hang out our laundry(it works out better if it is a day I am not at work and am at home long enough to maybe get two separate loads hung out that day).
And I want to try to make more of an effort to do this more often. And I certainly would hate for the simple "right to dry" taken away from me. I guess more and more people are feeling the same way, as there are now actual "movements" to ensure that communities don't impose clothes drying bans.

Watch the video--the snooty woman in the sunglasses complaining about having to look at her neighbor's clothesline(oh! the horror of it all!) is so ugly and selfish to me. I would not want to ever move into a neighborhood with her.


Watch CBS Videos Online

Wordless Wednesday-Jewel Edition

"I am Mutt.

Hear me bark."

Jewel, age 6 years

Late May, 2009

on the in-need-of-a-new-

paint-job

back deck

Weekend Nature Report

greeting card image from Art.com

Another shimmering sunny day! We are finally getting our summer--the weekend was perfect. Blue skies, dry weather(only a polite gentle rain early morning Sunday) and temps in the 70's(20's*C). I am loving it!
I saw a fair amount of wildlife over the weekend, starting with late Friday night as I was driving back home from the wine...er..book club meeting.

There is this one stretch of road by the river that is bare of any houses(unusual for overcrowded RI)--and it never fails to calm me as I drive down it in the summer months. It's all tall trees on either side(some covered in vines), massive ferns just about hiding the old, crumbling stone walls(so this wasn't always woods, but cultivated land at one time) and so green and lush. Surely an oasis for the wild animals that still need a place to live, as they have become squeezed out by their human "neighbors".
As I came towards the end of this stretch of road, my headlights lit up two little fawns who had just finished crossing the road and were entering the woods on my right side(the mother must have been ahead of them. Is there nothing more ethereal, gentle and innocent than a spotted baby deer? I immediately thought that at least I didn't come across them when they were still in the middle of the road(they seemed in no hurry)--what if I had hit one of them?? I don't even want to think about that possibility too much...

Then on Saturday morning, when I took Jewel down to the soccer fields for a run, there were two groundhogs in two different spots. I got a little panicked because I had the dog off leash and I was worried about what if they were slow(they are) and Jewel got one of them. But they were both near the fence and scooted underneath just in time! Of course, Jewel went into full hunting dog mode, with her paw raised in a pointer position and kept a watch on both the places where they had gotten away. When I decided I wanted to leave, I had a terrible time trying to pull her away from there.

Saturday evening, R and I took a bike ride and we spotted three rabbits on some one's lawn and one of them was a tiny baby. So sweet! (although I had to think that they were likely to be a fox's, fisher cat's or coyote's next possible meal--we have that kind of wildlife around here, too)

And Sunday night, we sat out and watched the bats swooping overhead at twilight, as well as the glowing fireflies.

Thanks to everyone who expressed concern about my back. As uncomfortable as it felt, it seemed to get better every hour(I don't know how) and by Saturday morning it was as if nothing had happened.

TGIF Fill-In

Yes, it's time for another end-of-the-work-week Friday Fill-In:

1. The last thing I ate was _____ a bowl of oatmeal and _____a peach.
2. A litle package of Hazlenut Spice Chocolate bark from the chocolate shop in town_____ is something I recently bought.(saving it for a night when J and I can enjoy it along with a deep, smooth red wine--a Cabarnet?)
3. When it rains, it _____ nourishes the earth. Enough with the nourishing, though--we have had quite a bit of it! So much so, that when I do wake up to a bright and sunny day(like today), it seems like a miracle and something out of the ordinary. I am going to enjoy every minute of my extraordinary day today, then--even if I have to work with an aching lower back.
4. _____ My daughter was the first person I talked to today.(telling her it was 7:00 and she might want to get up soon to be ready for Beach Camp)
5. Hugs are _____free.
6. The ice pack I applied to my back last night gave me some_____ extra comfort. (it seems to have worked because my lower back is not as bad as I feared it would be this morning, but I will still need to call the chiroprator--something is out of whack)
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____an outdoor book club night at my friend's house who has the loveliest old brick patio, tomorrow my plans include _____yard and garden tidying and Sunday, I want to _____call my brother about our trip down to see him and also, simply relax!

Random Summer Thoughts(and a Blogthing)

Just some thoughts from the Blah Blogger. Yeah, that's me. I have not had much to say lately (really!)and it was difficult to be on line for any length of time in the last few days because of all the thunderstorms.

The neighborhood kid who just whizzed down the street past my house on his bike made me smile.

We live at the bottom of a small hill. It's not a scary steep one--but just right for coasting down on a bicycle(R used to do this a lot when we first moved here). Just a few minutes ago, I heard the unmistakable sound of bicycle tires whooshing past, and the boy riding the bike(maybe about 7 or 8 years old?) shouted, "This feels s-o-o-o good!" Yeah.

************************************

The air and earth and growing things smell SO good lately. The damp, rich earth(after a month of dampness) and dry sunny days(we have actually had a few now, in between thunderstorms and sun showers) seem to combine to make the perfect ozonic cocktail. The other night(4th of July evening, actually), I couldn't stop marvelling at the good scent in the air. Maybe the wafting smoke from the exploded fireworks combined to make it that more special, but I have noticed the fresh smell in the air on a few other occasions in the last few days. It's the smell of early summer. I am enjoying it while can before the humid and tired summer days roll in, later on.

******************************

It is impossible to eat a juicy peach quietly and politely. Slurping noises and dribbling can't be avoided. A pretty embarrassing thing to attempt to eat at work.

******************************

Weeding the flower beds is much more enjoyable when the sun's out(late afternoon or early morning sun is the best for this task, though) and even more enjoyable without garden gloves. Even though it is always going to be some work and a good soaking to clean under my fingernails, I prefer to use my bare hands to do this.

*****************************

An interesting framing job item:

Someone brought in three copies of black and white photos from the 1950's today, of Wallis Simpson and the Duke of Windsor. They visited and stayed overnight for a weekend back then, in the house my customer lives in now. I never even knew they ever set foot in Rhode Island, let alone my town. In the photos, it was interesting to see a few scowly faced children off to the sides in the candid group shots. They were probably miserable having to be all dressed up and wondering what the big deal was about these visitors.

Since I haven't indulged in a Blogthang is some time, I decided to try this deep
and meaningful(ahem) "What Kind of Transportation Are You?" quiz. Although I really don't know about the "willing to do hard work" part, I do agree that I am a bicycle sort of person.

You Are Bicycling

You are an energetic, driven person. You try to live a good life. You are industrious and determined. You happily and willingly do hard work. You are deeply philosophical. You are concerned with doing things the best way. You love freedom to explore and experiment. You don't like rules.

What Type of Transportation Are You?

Unblah

Or, Friday's blog, part 2.

Man, do I feel like a foolish whiner, since about three hours after I wrote my lament about the dreary weather and lack of sun earlier today, the sun actually came out in full force. We had heat and sunshine and blue skies ! Right now, there is a cool, fresh breeze coming in the open window and we don't need a light on in the room, as we had to do some days with the storms and rain. For now, at least, it feels like a Rhode Island summer late afternoon should.
Ahhh...there we go! Someone on our street is letting off a string of fire works as I type. It's really pre-4th of July summer now. I was saying last night to R that we usually hear fireworks in the neighborhood all week leading up until Independence Day. But this year...nothing. Until now. Luckily, I have two pets (the cat and dog) that deal with fire crackers and thunder(which we have had lots of the last week) noises quite well.

Back to what I was first going to write about, though:

Today turned out to be one pretty darned good day.

Not too busy and frantic at the shop, as I had expected it might be. We were able to catch up with completing all orders. It was was quiet as far as customers. I think everyone was at the beach or at least doing something under the sun, outdoors. Or, at the grocery stores, getting what they still needed for tomorrow's cook-outs and gatherings.

Even Boss No. 1 was feeling good and came in earlier than he usually does and bought us ice coffees and seemed happy for a change.

And, the first thing I saw when I parked my car in the lot at work, was this:

I was in bumper sticker heaven!

Because it was slow enough, I even sat down to get my arm hennaed. A former co-worker comes in from time to time to do henna on site. Usually, I am too preoccupied with working to even think about getting it done, and I thought it wasn't anything for me.

But, after Boss. No. 1 went and had a simple design drawn on his wrist(I told you he was in a good mood!), I started thinking I wouldn't mind having one done on me, as well. I wasn't going to have anything like my whole hand(palm) covered, but this paisley-ish design on my lower arm was perfect for me. (please try to ignore the whiteness of my sun-deprived skinny arm)

If this turns out alright, I may have more done. It is was relaxing to sit with my arm on a pillow while D drew on my arm and it smells wonderful, too. Kind of a mild cumin and lavender spice scent.

Supposedly, with the proper attention(keeping it moist as I have been trying to do every half hour or so), and not scrubbing it, the dark paste will flake off, and the underlying orange stain(which I can already see where some of the paste has fallen off) will darken up within the next 24 to 48 hours. The design can last up to two to three weeks, I was told.

More Blah

I hate that my mood and well-being can so easily be affected by the weather, but I feel like I am half alive these days because of the same old grey that I see when I open my eyes every morning(such a strange summer, since the middle of June around here--dark, barely ever any sun and fairly cool). I haven't even been into blogging or visiting blogs lately. The only good thing I can say is that at least this weather is good for the skin(no sunburns possible) and we haven't had to use extra energy use for fans. I wear a light sweater when I leave for work every morning!

Here, a limpid attempt at a blog this morning:

i need

............. to bake in the hot sun , like a lizard

i want

....to feel energized and light-hearted

i listen

.....It hasn't started yet today, since she is still sleeping, but....every day since his death was announced, R plays Michael Jackson songs in her room. They are kind of imprinted on my brain at this point. She is slightly obsessed, which Mr. F remarked made him feel even sadder about the death. Just some birds outside the window is all I hear now. And my typing on this keyboard--sounds quite loud in the otherwise quiet house. Oh yes..also some gentle snoring sounds from Mr. F in the next room.

i feel

....at loose ends and lethargic

i watch

....nothing. No movies or TV lately. Just not interested.

i play

hmmmm....PLAY. I need to do that.

i read

Daphne DuMaurier's "The Birds" (the short story Hitchcock's film was loosely based on) the other night before bed. Now every time I see a bird, I have to think of that chilling story.

i eat

a slice of pumpkin bread and a banana

Nearly Wordless Wednesday....

..because this left me speechless!
Celine Dion as Michael Jackson in some (short) footage from a concert of her's from who knows when. So very bizarre.