Sunday Quote

We will wait, for God is in the waiting.

- Eric P. Kelly, The Trumpeter of Krakow

Was I ever in Florida?

It was a wonderful vacation, wasn't it?

Books as comfort and aid

While catagorized as children's books, I have given both the Creech and the Ahlberg books as holiday gifts to adults because they are so worth reading. My Brother's Ghost remains, in my opinion, a nearly perfect book. All three of these books are here today because of Moky - who looked remarkably like Murphy the terrier featured in Alice Provensen's charming picture book, and had a nearly identical nature. The expressions of Murphy are so exactly Moky's, it is as if she knew our furry one. Books are many things, but in times of difficulty, they are also a great comfort.

Yeah.

This, sung by the most amazing her, pretty much sums it up.

Sad news

Our lovely, funny, feisty, irrepressible, wonderful friend and family member has passed on...he will be missed in our family more than we can say.
Thank you for being such a joy in our life, Moky.

Sunday Quote

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Psalm 23

struggling...

Moky having a hard time of it, not doing well at all. We are all walking around with our hearts in our hands, praying and hoping as the veternarian does what he can - our dogs are family to us and it is so hard to think that he doesn't know why he is away from us and sick...wishing I had Dr. Dolittle skills.

The wee dog

Our little dog, Moky, in vet hospital tonight, what seems to us as sudden onset of terrible illness turns out to be a long time coming diabetes...very upsetting - but he seems to be responding well to medication. Anyone out there have a dog with diabetes and good advice on what has worked well care-wise (besides the insulin and diet the vet will recommend)? Moky is seven and a half, a funny little feisty guy.

Sunday Quote

I am always doing things I can't do; that's how I get to do them.

-Pablo Picasso

Congratulations, Jess!

Congratulations fabulous daughter on reaching a goal and sparking your dreams.

"If you can dream it, you can do it."
-Walt Disney

Happy Birthday to me!

and to the earth, I think, such green and blossoming things all of a sudden - I do enjoy being a spring babe. This morning, breakfast served by lovely husband - with flowers on the table, a rose on the breakfast tray, and then the dog boots on the carpet which all in all sums up life, does it not? A little fabulous, a little not so much, and we grow older and Spring comes yet again. A good day, lots of well-wishers and dear friends and family and now the lovely husband cooking dinner (hope the dogs behave this time).

Truckin'

Very cool old pick-up parked in Fernandino Beach, Florida... there were current plates but I liked that the owner had kept on the original Wyoming plates on his or her truck.

Sunday Quote

On Easter Day the veil between time and eternity thins to gossamer.

~Douglas Horton

Whan that Aprille ....

Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote
The droghte of Marche hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,
And smale fowles maken melodye,
That slepen al the night with open ye,
(So priketh hem nature in hir corages:
Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages...

- from The Canterbury Tales...
and check out this lively bit!

Sunday Quote - in memory

We shall find peace,
we shall hear angels,
we shall see the sky sparkling with diamonds.

-Anton Chekhov

In memory of Judith Sundloff, valiant, loving, brave.

Lights, heat, power, bliss.

Everything came back at about ten last night... four days and three nights is more than enough deprivation - it was quite miserable and certainly affords one empathy towards those who do not have warmth and shelter and light. It struck all of us that it was just so hard to rally, to sally forth into the day with any kind of spirit, and I cannot imagine how it must be to live in a car or on the street or be in situations that are long term like Katrina survivors or Haitians post Earthquake. It is not just a matter of discomfort, it wears you down, the cold, damp, darkness. But the lights are back, the heat came in at the same time as the sun, the house is being cleaned up and bleached (ugh flooding) and we are just so grateful that our home did not get the damage so many others had. Thank you all for your good thoughts and kind words.

blog break due to storm

A quick update from the library - the "hurricane without a name" as it's being called, hit hard on Saturday and pretty much devastated the area. No power (boy, do I miss heat and lights)and closed roads, a lot of damage everywhere to a rather astonishing degree throughout Westchester County,NY, neighboring Long Island, parts of Ct and NJ as well...
Could have been worse - but they are saying we may be in this boat until the weekend, not so great. Hopefully I will be back sooner than that with better news.

A sure and strange sign it's Spring

Every year for what seems a decade, two geese return to this strange vee of land that would seem absolutely undesirable. It's close to water - about a block away, but it seems fraught with peril - open to prowlers and growlers, no cover, and of course, very little charm. But they return to it every year, and every year when I drive by and see them, my heart sings a little.

Sunday Quote

Sell your cleverness and purchase bewilderment. Cleverness is mere opinion, bewilderment is intuition.

- Rumi

the last of the crazy cakes

This year - doom for the three young men on vacation, boat sunk, stuck on a sugar cookie raft, the only land turns out to be a monstrous kraken and her ravenous babies...ah, yes, they always involve some sort of carnage or mayhem: invading martians, robots with world rule on their agenda, islands of oversized crabs, erupting parasitic critters, volcanos, superheroes, it's been a ride. He's 21 now and the cakes are done, crazier than the themes were the mess of a noncook, nonbaker with a dozen boxes of cake mix, food dye, and canned frosting galore. Happy Birthday, Chris.