Weblog 277
June 5, 2011~ 12:00 am
Fairer, finer weather. I have rarely seen its like. What we've had here in Pittsburgh the latter part of this past week has been such a respite... and I'm grateful.
On Friday afternoon, Wayne stepped through the door holding a light green bud vase sporting two of the most beautiful pale pink roses from the bush outside his door. I was delighted -and squealed appropriately. I had to snap a photo, because I know how quickly wild roses fade.
Such a delicate color. So fragile looking. Absolute perfection.
And here they are standing proudly in their soft green milk glass vase. You can see the many buds there too, but they never seem to open once the stems are cut from the bush. I hope these do. That's only happened once for me.
Holly and family took off camping for the weekend, so Wayne and I watched an hour-long stand-up Comedy Central DVD I'd rented from Netflix. My folly was in choosing it strictly for the cover, which made me laugh out loud when I saw it......
LOOK at that expression! LOL!!! And the retro-looking aqua highlights... the tux.... reminds of of an old playbill from a supper club from the late 50's. (I WOULD like to own a t-shirt with that on the front. I'd LOVE it!) The material (sadly) was typical frat boy humor-- mostly jokes about getting drunk or high, as well as a tiresome repetition of the term 'dude'. LOL!!! (Oh well, you win some, you lose some. So much for mistakenly judging a book by its cover. ) It's a mistake I've made before, and probably will again. I never learn.
Luckily, we also had a DVD loaned to Wayne by Bob, who's a co-worker and friend. It featured Bob's favorite movie "To Kill A Mockingbird" (which we both love as well) though we mostly wanted to see the extras that came with it. There was an hour and a half bonus called, "Fearful Symmetry: The Making of To Kill A Mockingbird" and I loved every second.
The movie is one of my all time favorites as well, and I'm so pleased it hasn't been 'colorized' they way they've done so many of the old classics, and it's simply wrong. This film SHOULD ALWAYS remain black and white because it suits it: it's starker, more reflective of the black and white racial issues in the film, as well as being symbolic of the very struggle between good and evil that is at the center of the film's utterly real feeling of growing up in a small southern town in the late 30's.
To my mind, there is no one else who could ever be Atticus Finch but Gregory Peck. What a performance that was! I wrote the following Saturday evening after watching it.
I've always been a bit in love with Mr. Peck. I hope he sees this, wherever he is now, I hope he smiles.
Thursday of this past week is the last day I hung out my suet cage for the birds. On Wednesday it was in the 90's here, and terribly humid. The birds were panting with their beaks hanging open, so when I got home from work I put out a fresh cold suet cake from the fridge, and got out a pyrex pan and filled it with cold water. I stood just inside the door and snapped their pictures..... the rowdy grackles, the food marauders, and yes.... the splashers!
These two guys were the first to spy it, nice and fresh. They went right to their pecking, little pieces of suet and berries and seed flying everywhere. They were soon joined by some of their buddies.
All of them squawking, greedy, wings flapping and bullying others out of the way..... until one guy spied the water.
Pure joy! I was tickled to death to watch his vigorous, loud libations which splashed all over the place as he flapped and flapped, then shook himself dry. I will miss it
When I left for work Thursday morning, the chain was broken off the cage, and laying at the foot of my back door as if to demand, "Refill this please!" I came home, repaired the chain and placed another cake inside. Friday morning, it was creepy. The chain AGAIN broken from its hook, the cage door PRIED OPEN despite twisty ties to keep it securely closed, again at my backdoor, but in addition..... the outdoor carpeting was completely clawed up off the top step, and looking closely, there were greasy dark footprints of some 'three-toed' animal leading away from the mess and across the porch. WhatEVER is raiding at night-- raccoon, groundhog, large rat (LOL!) --I am no longer supplying the grub.
(Sorry birds, that evidence is just too violent looking and too disturbing to keep putting things out there.) I don't know what it is.... but I sure don't want it hanging around my back door at night. So I wanted to put up these last pictures of the intended recipients of backyard treats having a blast on the next to last day I shared stuff with them. Sayonara, little friends. Hope you find lots of sunflower seed and thistle and goodies in the yards nearby, but this cantina is closed.
June 8, 2011~ 5:15 pm
(I believe I had mentioned above..."fairer, finer weather"? Wellscratch that. We have now entered the TORRID ZONE
and I am ill-prepared... (but that's not unusual.) Breathing is like taking a good, long drag from a blast furnace; this comes as quite a shock-- though it shouldn't --yet it always does. Summer weather sneaks up behind me with a sledge-hammer and CLOBBERS me every year.
No humidity to speak of.......yet. THAT'S coming overnight to develop into thunderstorms tomorrow. I always feel like maybe I can just 'blink'.... or wake myself up and it'll all disappear... must be a bad dream, but it's the real stuff here, at last.
Work was grueling today as well. My one bright spot was a self-portrait drawn by 5 year old Kay, sent in an email from her Mom. (I think that Kay is staring out at the prospect of 3 months of this stuff in the same way as her grandmother, teeth clenched.)
(Note the teeth) .... objects of intense interest right now for Kay, who never misses the opportunity to tell me, "There are OTHER ONES BEHIND the wiggly ones! The dentist can see them...." (Kay is waiting patiently for that next crop of pearly-whites to push their brothers and sisters out of the way, then collect from the Tooth Fairy and be DONE with it.) LOL!!
Man, I LOVE that picture. Very artistic for a 5 year old... yellow yarn hair, bright periwinkle blue eyes and all! Old Mr. Sun is not the ONLY thing to shine this day... Kay DID TOO! And much more gently.
***
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Fairer, finer weather. I have rarely seen its like. What we've had here in Pittsburgh the latter part of this past week has been such a respite... and I'm grateful.
On Friday afternoon, Wayne stepped through the door holding a light green bud vase sporting two of the most beautiful pale pink roses from the bush outside his door. I was delighted -and squealed appropriately. I had to snap a photo, because I know how quickly wild roses fade.
Such a delicate color. So fragile looking. Absolute perfection.
And here they are standing proudly in their soft green milk glass vase. You can see the many buds there too, but they never seem to open once the stems are cut from the bush. I hope these do. That's only happened once for me.
Holly and family took off camping for the weekend, so Wayne and I watched an hour-long stand-up Comedy Central DVD I'd rented from Netflix. My folly was in choosing it strictly for the cover, which made me laugh out loud when I saw it......
LOOK at that expression! LOL!!! And the retro-looking aqua highlights... the tux.... reminds of of an old playbill from a supper club from the late 50's. (I WOULD like to own a t-shirt with that on the front. I'd LOVE it!) The material (sadly) was typical frat boy humor-- mostly jokes about getting drunk or high, as well as a tiresome repetition of the term 'dude'. LOL!!! (Oh well, you win some, you lose some. So much for mistakenly judging a book by its cover. ) It's a mistake I've made before, and probably will again. I never learn.
Luckily, we also had a DVD loaned to Wayne by Bob, who's a co-worker and friend. It featured Bob's favorite movie "To Kill A Mockingbird" (which we both love as well) though we mostly wanted to see the extras that came with it. There was an hour and a half bonus called, "Fearful Symmetry: The Making of To Kill A Mockingbird" and I loved every second.
The movie is one of my all time favorites as well, and I'm so pleased it hasn't been 'colorized' they way they've done so many of the old classics, and it's simply wrong. This film SHOULD ALWAYS remain black and white because it suits it: it's starker, more reflective of the black and white racial issues in the film, as well as being symbolic of the very struggle between good and evil that is at the center of the film's utterly real feeling of growing up in a small southern town in the late 30's.
To my mind, there is no one else who could ever be Atticus Finch but Gregory Peck. What a performance that was! I wrote the following Saturday evening after watching it.
Mockingbird The eyebrows strike straight lines over the eyes themselves, then do a dance that tells the truth. Atticus is a tree trunk strong and tall. We climb into his cool and green serenity, his sure as compass conscience, his white suit symbol like the white hat cowboy, doing right. He knows the way through any thicket, prickly dark with doubt, his light can find a way to make things right, his arms, the arms of loving father; voice, the controlled rumble of tethered thunder, reined by faith. Oh Gregory, there will never be another one like you in that one role, you are our best selves, main mast, cast as though by God himself to play the lawyer, Atticus Finch as Harper wrote you, from her heart: its flowers bud you.
I've always been a bit in love with Mr. Peck. I hope he sees this, wherever he is now, I hope he smiles.
Thursday of this past week is the last day I hung out my suet cage for the birds. On Wednesday it was in the 90's here, and terribly humid. The birds were panting with their beaks hanging open, so when I got home from work I put out a fresh cold suet cake from the fridge, and got out a pyrex pan and filled it with cold water. I stood just inside the door and snapped their pictures..... the rowdy grackles, the food marauders, and yes.... the splashers!
These two guys were the first to spy it, nice and fresh. They went right to their pecking, little pieces of suet and berries and seed flying everywhere. They were soon joined by some of their buddies.
All of them squawking, greedy, wings flapping and bullying others out of the way..... until one guy spied the water.
Pure joy! I was tickled to death to watch his vigorous, loud libations which splashed all over the place as he flapped and flapped, then shook himself dry. I will miss it
When I left for work Thursday morning, the chain was broken off the cage, and laying at the foot of my back door as if to demand, "Refill this please!" I came home, repaired the chain and placed another cake inside. Friday morning, it was creepy. The chain AGAIN broken from its hook, the cage door PRIED OPEN despite twisty ties to keep it securely closed, again at my backdoor, but in addition..... the outdoor carpeting was completely clawed up off the top step, and looking closely, there were greasy dark footprints of some 'three-toed' animal leading away from the mess and across the porch. WhatEVER is raiding at night-- raccoon, groundhog, large rat (LOL!) --I am no longer supplying the grub.
(Sorry birds, that evidence is just too violent looking and too disturbing to keep putting things out there.) I don't know what it is.... but I sure don't want it hanging around my back door at night. So I wanted to put up these last pictures of the intended recipients of backyard treats having a blast on the next to last day I shared stuff with them. Sayonara, little friends. Hope you find lots of sunflower seed and thistle and goodies in the yards nearby, but this cantina is closed.
June 8, 2011~ 5:15 pm
(I believe I had mentioned above..."fairer, finer weather"? Well
and I am ill-prepared... (but that's not unusual.) Breathing is like taking a good, long drag from a blast furnace; this comes as quite a shock-- though it shouldn't --yet it always does. Summer weather sneaks up behind me with a sledge-hammer and CLOBBERS me every year.
No humidity to speak of.......yet. THAT'S coming overnight to develop into thunderstorms tomorrow. I always feel like maybe I can just 'blink'.... or wake myself up and it'll all disappear... must be a bad dream, but it's the real stuff here, at last.
Work was grueling today as well. My one bright spot was a self-portrait drawn by 5 year old Kay, sent in an email from her Mom. (I think that Kay is staring out at the prospect of 3 months of this stuff in the same way as her grandmother, teeth clenched.)
(Note the teeth) .... objects of intense interest right now for Kay, who never misses the opportunity to tell me, "There are OTHER ONES BEHIND the wiggly ones! The dentist can see them...." (Kay is waiting patiently for that next crop of pearly-whites to push their brothers and sisters out of the way, then collect from the Tooth Fairy and be DONE with it.) LOL!!
Man, I LOVE that picture. Very artistic for a 5 year old... yellow yarn hair, bright periwinkle blue eyes and all! Old Mr. Sun is not the ONLY thing to shine this day... Kay DID TOO! And much more gently.
(Return To Weekly Archives)
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