Weblog 102
January 20, 2008~ 2:00pm
Cold as a well digger's ankle out there today! A lovely sunny six degrees and oh, I do dread getting dressed soon to take my mother shopping- but at least the roads are dry- so there's none of THAT fear. I've been musing a LOT lately about fears people have- some rational and perfectly logical, like slick roads- but the other kind too, the kind people keep all balled upside while they are quaking in the grip of this or that fantasy.
What truly brought this home was my daughter Holly, who told me last evening while we were visiting, that Bill had a nightmare he started to tell her about as they were driving home from the library. He began confiding in the hushed tones we use when something really bothers us, and then she said the tears started, until- by the time he got the whole story out, he was sobbing woefully. (Four year olds suffer with fears just as we all do-- and perhaps for them it's worse because the walls between dream and reality, fantasy and fact, are truly much thinner.)
What things do you fear?
Is it something you've dreamt? Our subconscious minds are painters of such mystery- real masters at jumbling things together and spitting them out in partly recognizable shapes- but it's the part just barely known- or altered- that disturbs us.
Yes, those are people half hidden there- but wearing old staw hats and looking so pale, it's like a hallucination or a dream of ghosts. Darkness itself, with its ability to cloak-- is a frightening enough concept. It's the ink through which things are able to creep up on you, or to stalk....
I think most frightening of all are faces that are 'just not right'-- not what you'd expect. Look at this weird glimpse of the murdered actress Sharon Tate.
If you look closely there is a leprechaunish little fellow where her nose should be, and a small girl reading a book, just off to the side of him. And the planes are all wrong. We are fearful of morphed human faces as much as anything.
This was probably an innocent picture at one time, but now it's a nightmare that screams violence and blood, ruined features. Very disturbing when images are changed like that....
Old photo of a baby in an old-fashioned stroller. Move around a few pixels, and you have yourself a hummdinger of an awful sight. My grandson Bill was whispering to me last night as well...."I had a really bad dream, Grandma. But so bad I really can't tell you about it....." and then he'd drift off to the other room. Twice he broached the subject, but I didn't press him. I believe Bill knew that sometimes people we love can bring us comfort when we share what is bothering us--- but Bill also knew to let sleeping dogs lie. That sometimes- oh sometimes they come when they're called.
January 21, 2008~ 7:30am
Enough grim...for now there is
ChiHuLy
the amazing glass blower artist par excellence, who is showing his other worldly creations right here in good old Pittsburgh Pennsylvania at the Phipps Conservatory
and what a wonder it is!!
And now....joke of the day
Just because you are old does not mean you are not still sharp!
I took my dad to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes. We decided to grab a bite at the food court. I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him. The teenager had spiked hair in all different colors: green, red, orange, and blue. My dad kept staring at him.
The teenager would look and find him staring every time. When the teenager had enough, he sarcastically asked, 'What's the matter old man, never done anything wild in your life?'
Knowing my Dad, I quickly swallowed my food so that I would not choke on his response, knowing he would have a good one. And in classic style he did not bat an eye in his response.
'Got drunk once and had sex with a peacock. I was just wondering if you were my son.'
Have a great Monday, you guys! LOL!
January 22, 2008~ 5:55am
We each of us have a person inside who conforms to who we are in our deepest self-- and despite how we appear to others, that inner character remains unchanged. Ever wonder what yours looks like? The age....the sex.....the demeanor? I've decided that this is mine-
She's vulnerable about the eyes and the features, but the no-nonsense hairdo and severe get-up reveal her to be tough-as-nails. She's somewhat androgenous, but mostly female in overall spirit. She's taking your measure she is, she knows her own- knows not many will get what she's about but she's standing firm. That's me. Resolute. Looking out, drinking it all in, and measuring. Measuring.
January 22, 2008~ 8:15am
First off....let me say to all of you who view this via Internet Explorer that I'm am so sorry you had to see that long-assed space after the big picture on top of this blog for the last few days (week?-- who knows? I build and view through Firefox, which does NOT show that stuff.) My back-up free image host over at filestashDOTcom has been down for going on 2 weeks now, and I'm only noticing the images that are missing. That truly sucks-- I have quite a few hosted on that server. If it's tanked for good, I'll have a lot of repairs coming. {{{sigh}}}
Now on to something truly pleasant....I've got to share with you a delightful British site that was passed on by internet friend, David Hopson. If you have a hankering for sweet, old-fashioned feelin' good stuff, pay a visit to
It's a totally civilized, warm and welcoming place jam-packed with all kinds of news about cakes, biscuits and - of course- tea. For instance-- did you know that Nabisco Fig Newtons-- the ones I've loved since I was tiny, have a negligible amount of actual FIGS?? Or that the British 'Sainsbury' is 30 PERCENT FIG??? Fat and chock full of real FRUIT! (What a concept, right?.. in this culture of hoodwink through advertising and let the salivary glands do the rest, all the way to the store.) How could you NOT love a site that urges you to sit down, relax, read GOOD NEWS, amusing twists, and have a nice cuppa?
And, ohmagosh...who could resist the charm of a site that describes its printed versions as: classy hardback or cuddly paperback. LOL!!! I love you guys!! So don't dwell on the spiraling world economy, your weight woes or your love life- GO THERE NOW. You'll be thanking me tomorrow after having sweet dreams that rise up from the misty steam of cups and cups of gentle tea, and a world full of delicate, dainty treats. It's 'Candyland' for adults. Bon Appétit
***
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Cold as a well digger's ankle out there today! A lovely sunny six degrees and oh, I do dread getting dressed soon to take my mother shopping- but at least the roads are dry- so there's none of THAT fear. I've been musing a LOT lately about fears people have- some rational and perfectly logical, like slick roads- but the other kind too, the kind people keep all balled upside while they are quaking in the grip of this or that fantasy.
What truly brought this home was my daughter Holly, who told me last evening while we were visiting, that Bill had a nightmare he started to tell her about as they were driving home from the library. He began confiding in the hushed tones we use when something really bothers us, and then she said the tears started, until- by the time he got the whole story out, he was sobbing woefully. (Four year olds suffer with fears just as we all do-- and perhaps for them it's worse because the walls between dream and reality, fantasy and fact, are truly much thinner.)
Is it something you've dreamt? Our subconscious minds are painters of such mystery- real masters at jumbling things together and spitting them out in partly recognizable shapes- but it's the part just barely known- or altered- that disturbs us.
Yes, those are people half hidden there- but wearing old staw hats and looking so pale, it's like a hallucination or a dream of ghosts. Darkness itself, with its ability to cloak-- is a frightening enough concept. It's the ink through which things are able to creep up on you, or to stalk....
I think most frightening of all are faces that are 'just not right'-- not what you'd expect. Look at this weird glimpse of the murdered actress Sharon Tate.
If you look closely there is a leprechaunish little fellow where her nose should be, and a small girl reading a book, just off to the side of him. And the planes are all wrong. We are fearful of morphed human faces as much as anything.
This was probably an innocent picture at one time, but now it's a nightmare that screams violence and blood, ruined features. Very disturbing when images are changed like that....
Old photo of a baby in an old-fashioned stroller. Move around a few pixels, and you have yourself a hummdinger of an awful sight. My grandson Bill was whispering to me last night as well...."I had a really bad dream, Grandma. But so bad I really can't tell you about it....." and then he'd drift off to the other room. Twice he broached the subject, but I didn't press him. I believe Bill knew that sometimes people we love can bring us comfort when we share what is bothering us--- but Bill also knew to let sleeping dogs lie. That sometimes- oh sometimes they come when they're called.
January 21, 2008~ 7:30am
ChiHuLy
the amazing glass blower artist par excellence, who is showing his other worldly creations right here in good old Pittsburgh Pennsylvania at the Phipps Conservatory
and what a wonder it is!!
And now....joke of the day
Just because you are old does not mean you are not still sharp!
I took my dad to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes. We decided to grab a bite at the food court. I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him. The teenager had spiked hair in all different colors: green, red, orange, and blue. My dad kept staring at him.
The teenager would look and find him staring every time. When the teenager had enough, he sarcastically asked, 'What's the matter old man, never done anything wild in your life?'
Knowing my Dad, I quickly swallowed my food so that I would not choke on his response, knowing he would have a good one. And in classic style he did not bat an eye in his response.
'Got drunk once and had sex with a peacock. I was just wondering if you were my son.'
January 22, 2008~ 5:55am
We each of us have a person inside who conforms to who we are in our deepest self-- and despite how we appear to others, that inner character remains unchanged. Ever wonder what yours looks like? The age....the sex.....the demeanor? I've decided that this is mine-
She's vulnerable about the eyes and the features, but the no-nonsense hairdo and severe get-up reveal her to be tough-as-nails. She's somewhat androgenous, but mostly female in overall spirit. She's taking your measure she is, she knows her own- knows not many will get what she's about but she's standing firm. That's me. Resolute. Looking out, drinking it all in, and measuring. Measuring.
January 22, 2008~ 8:15am
First off....let me say to all of you who view this via Internet Explorer that I'm am so sorry you had to see that long-assed space after the big picture on top of this blog for the last few days (week?-- who knows? I build and view through Firefox, which does NOT show that stuff.) My back-up free image host over at filestashDOTcom has been down for going on 2 weeks now, and I'm only noticing the images that are missing. That truly sucks-- I have quite a few hosted on that server. If it's tanked for good, I'll have a lot of repairs coming. {{{sigh}}}
Now on to something truly pleasant....I've got to share with you a delightful British site that was passed on by internet friend, David Hopson. If you have a hankering for sweet, old-fashioned feelin' good stuff, pay a visit to
It's a totally civilized, warm and welcoming place jam-packed with all kinds of news about cakes, biscuits and - of course- tea. For instance-- did you know that Nabisco Fig Newtons-- the ones I've loved since I was tiny, have a negligible amount of actual FIGS?? Or that the British 'Sainsbury' is 30 PERCENT FIG??? Fat and chock full of real FRUIT! (What a concept, right?.. in this culture of hoodwink through advertising and let the salivary glands do the rest, all the way to the store.) How could you NOT love a site that urges you to sit down, relax, read GOOD NEWS, amusing twists, and have a nice cuppa?
And, ohmagosh...who could resist the charm of a site that describes its printed versions as: classy hardback or cuddly paperback. LOL!!! I love you guys!! So don't dwell on the spiraling world economy, your weight woes or your love life- GO THERE NOW. You'll be thanking me tomorrow after having sweet dreams that rise up from the misty steam of cups and cups of gentle tea, and a world full of delicate, dainty treats. It's 'Candyland' for adults. Bon Appétit
(Return To Weekly Archives)
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