Sunday Quote

There is no failure except no longer trying.

-Elbert Hubbard

Animal Portraits

Round-up of various animal portraits taken this past Spring. We have been a house of animals plus us in varying numbers for years. Even when we were outnumbered to alarming extents, salamanders found beneath the washer, hamster strolling in a bathroom at three in the morning, I have always enjoyed this jumbled liveliness they bring to our household. We still miss Caden. Em, our old dog is so totally senile we are ready to flip, the young black dog was just given a light that switches on at night so he's visible in the dark...I tell the daughter it's like hanging a neon flashing "Eat at Joe's" sign on his neck for the local wandering coyote. I thought, by the way, the sheep (ewe? ram? can rams be female?) had such a fascinating face, like an old woman about to deliver the most delicious gossip.

Wedsnesday Ratty Blues

Sometimes a new cover is just as good or fabulous in a whole different way than the original... so it is with this song...keeping me sane as I drove around on a day off hunting down party items for an upcoming kid (double digits!) gig, unable to move my neck in either direction due to some injury which added a level of thrill to local driving...

The sad of the day, my daughter's beloved pet rat passed. I am not a fan of rats, my attitude towards them could be aptly described as terror, but Caden was a gentle soul in a rat body. As is the way of mothering, I am sad because my child is sad. We always carry that, don't we?

Muscoot Farm House

Not your regular Farm House, I'm sure, this is more on the Gentleman Farmer scale. Somewhere inside it reads that this house was the summer house. Not a giant home but it has two fireplaces in the dining room, two in the living room, and I was smitten by the wood paneling in the dining room - although my husband thought it was dark and gloomy - and couldn't understand my regret over a nearly identical china closet that we had and gave away years ago due to lack of space in a condo we were in at the time...oh, careless youth...nor did he understand my "decorating" as we strolled through - don't you think a nice kilm long rug in the hall by the banister would look nice?

A Greeny Green Day

Walking the trails behind Muscoot Farm (near Katonah, NY)...the sun was high, the air was sweet, baby animals at the farm, frogs gunking in the pond, a lovely afternoon holding the promise of summer in its palm.

Sunday Quote

The simpler the object the vaster the dream.

-Charles Simic

Firetruck fun

We were off on some errand when we came upon the firetruck - all over town they have been flushing out the hydrants (why? anyone know fireman stuff?). My son thought it quite thrilling to catch some spray. Wonder what the birds thought of the sideways rainstorm?

from every angle, it still ....

Happy Birthday, Kittencat.

The hand holding the salamander belongs to the lovely daughter, Jess, who turns 23 Tuesday. Animal rescuer, believer in the mysterious, funny and smart, beautiful and compassionate, the beloved first gift, the girl child.

Sunday Quote

I need the sea because it teaches me.

- Pablo Neruda

Photo Album New England

One last bit of cozy

Heading into summer, soon to leave all the chilly nights goodbye, but it's cool tonight and it feels cozy to be inside...

a link to a good site if you are feeling creative, with all the science fair projects about, this appealed, and the One Pretty Thing blog is another creative place. Am I doing any of these creative things? Absolutely not. I am thinking of how good it will be to sleep on a cool night, all cozy.

Sunday Quote

Before becoming a mother I had a hundred theories on how to bring up children. Now I have seven children and only one theory: love them, especially when they least deserve to be loved.

-Kate Samperi

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Do it anyway

Lost ones, lost dreams, lost things, lost hopes, lost footing, lost reasons, lost big and little, the missed train, the missed boat, the hold the elevator please call ignored, the rent heart, the stubbed toe, the thing you can't forget, the thing you try to forget, the thing you try to forgive, the back to the drawing table, the why the hell should I, the keep on truckin', the mystery , the other side of the tapestry, the holding on, the just do it anyway.

Blooms and poetry

Always like that expression "Bloom where you are planted". Blooms from a friend's desk, a florist's offering, the front yard.

Some other offerings - poetry month may be over but one can never be over poetry: Poetry Daily, Poets.org (you can look up everbody), and Modern American Poetry - another great resource. Enjoy! Smell the roses, read poems, and if you are wearing rain as a hat as we are here in the Northeast, remind yourself it brings more flowers (and probably poems, too)...

Let sleeping dogs...

This is dog-chilling bleak cold want to curl up and what the heck is this really May cuz I am blues down cold and bone weary, dog-chilling tired.

Sunday Quote

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.

-Amelia Earhart

Comics Fabuloso News

I grew up a Betty and Veronica girl myself - and weirdly, the source for all things Archie just a town or two away. But I also watched the Superman TV show religiously and had a bunch of his comics in my secret stash (along with Bazooka bubble gum and candy necklaces, those were the days, my friend).

But whatever your comic taste, a great new book ,

Was Superman a Spy? is out that is the source for many things comics, coming from Brian Cronin's blog. Considering the amount of people who collect comic books and the following of this genre, I am glad I nabbed a first edition (and that I can get the author, a great local guy, to sign).