I used to be the neighbor who grumbled about dogs that always barked.
Now I have one.
That’s irony.
My youngest son calls Blue a barkaroo.
He made up a song about it,
“Blue is the bark-a-roooo
of the cent-ur-eeee.”
Those are the only words, sung on a continuous loop in melodious nine year old boy lilt.
Of course I’m charmed.
He’s my fourth grade son, singing about our big sweet pup who still needs to learn some volume control.
That’s love.
~ Janean
July 23, 2012
Dear Queen Anne,
I love your lace.
I always have.
Since childhood.
When I’d tuck a stem behind my ear and the delicate blooms would tickle my face.
I picked a dozen and wove the long stems into a crown, oblivious to the minute white petals in my hair long after the crown was gone.
I chose the prettiest blooms and presented them to my grandma in a great big bunch.
Flowers, flowers everywhere in her multilayered gardens, but the only one I was allowed to pick was your lace, Queen Anne.
Time passes.
That young girl, once so carefree, grew into a woman with a family of her own.
But I’m still me.
In the light of early morning, walking my sweet pup on a new path, I spied a familiar flower.
For I never could call it a weed, with a name as lovely as, “Queen Anne’s Lace.”
Hello my friend.
Thank you for waking up my memories, of those childhood days long gone.
My grandma is gone now too.
Smiling down from heaven as I snapped off a single bloom and kept on walking.
Heading home.
Puppy slowing down, pulling less, heeling more.
I know full well it’s against the rules to pick flowers in a public park, as they are there for everyone to enjoy.
I rationalized no one would miss one weed…
Even though in my heart I didn’t think it so.
Thank you for the beautiful, pure white, intricate blooms of your lace, Queen Anne.
I’ll be walking that way again and a flower may or may not follow me home again…
(Depending a bit on who is reading.)
Love,
Janean
July 21, 2012
Part of my growly mood yesterday was anxiety about my husband starting a new type of chemo today. I just didn’t feel like smiling and making idle chit chat to be polite. I wanted to yell, cuss, kick and cry…but I didn’t do that either. Well, not too much.
~ Janean
July 17, 2012
I kissed my husband, as I headed out the door with the barking to go out dog…again.
And said, “Have a good day” and added, “I promise not to be a b*tch.”
As if it being 4-H crunch time weren’t enough of a reason for that promise, there are more…
The Cat, needs to see the vet unexpectedly for an open wound we saw for the first time at bedtime last night. Poor Miss Snuggles. Hoping it’s not too serious (or expensive).
That Dog, is into EVERYTHING this morning:
First, Blue ate most of a toy air rocket made of nerf-like material.
Then he smashed my daylilies to smithereens because he thinks they feel good to lie on while rocket chewing.
Next thing I knew, Blue pulled the downspout extender out from under the deck stairs and drug it into the yard in order to recover one of his tennis balls that have been missing for awhile.
Topped off by Blue ducking underneath the grill cover, that is drying out across the top of two patio chairs, because he thinks it makes a cool Dog Fort. I only wish he was grinning with his tongue lolling out in the photo I managed to snap before shooing him out from under there.
Somewhere in the midst of all that, which took place over two hours time, I made coffee, ate breakfast, sent a few emails and unloaded the dishwasher.
Oh, and did I mention the family gathering at our house this evening at 6:30?!
It’ll be a nice time.
I’m sure of it.
Thanks for listening.
Sometimes just being able to vent a bit, can take the edge off my surly self.
Hugs help too.
Always.
So do hot showers and naps.
Blue is napping now.
Can I join him?
Not yet.
Grrrrrrrrr
July 16, 2012
My high tech equipment, for turning giant squid arms (8) and tentacles (2) right side out, is a very versatile wooden spoon. “So far so good,” is the verdict from The Pattern Testing Department. ~ Janean
My oldest son thought it was hilarious when I said this morning, “I have a Giant Squid arm on my shoulder.” Mostly he’s just glad I’m sewing another aquatic animal, to test our most recent newspaper pattern, for his 4-H project due in approximately two weeks time. ~ Janean
I welcomed the sight, sound and feel of the pouring rain yesterday evening. Yes, feel, because OF COURSE The Dog had to “go”, so I donned my peacock rain boots, red rain jacket with the hood, didn’t bother with an umbrella, and out we went. How I love the too sparse this year rain.
~ Janean
today I am thankful
for volunteer sunflowers
and the first colorful bloom
amidst the varying shades of green
in my former garden
gone to weed this year
for if it weren’t for these marvelous sunflowers
offering the first bloom of summer
like a gift
to soothe my aching heart
it’d just be a jumble of weeds
forevermore
July 14, 2012
Time to make the coffee…and sew a stingray. We found out yesterday that Blue likes to eat stingray tails. *sigh* It’s always something.
~ Janean
Entomology is all the way done. He did the activity in his project book yesterday and the insects are arranged in the cases.
We made the stingray pattern for non-clothing fleece yesterday – it’s a visual art class, not a sewing one. I’m making the first stingray to test the pattern and see how the (forgive me) damn thing goes together.
His Write A Book is special AND it’s a surprise. Getting closer…
Fudge we won’t make until the day before judging.
That’s four…
(or somewhere around the 20,000,000 mark)
Electricity is “in the works”. I have a shopping list from my father for my oldest son’s electricity project. My son and I will be sure to go together to buy those items before his Papa is back in town to build it.
A new international project one of his aunts is helping with. They brainstormed at the last fair to do the Philippines together this year. That’s where she’s from. It seemed like a good idea at the time…
Photography isn’t “hard”. I got the project book out yesterday to look over…just gotta do it!
Balsa airplanes is a bear. They are working on it…my amazingly patient husband and equally diligent sons. Both my boys are taking this one which means there is not just one, but two delicate balsa wood airplanes under construction in our basement. Did I mention projects are due the night before the fair on July 31?!
Rockets may be the one that’s dropped this year. We shall see. Eleven just feels like (at least) one too many.
Plastic models is close to being done…this one they started early, father and son, surely they will finish it soon. Maybe while the glue is drying on that mega balsa plane…
LEGOs is built. He just has a 3” x 5” card to do.
Gettin’ there…that’s all eleven, or 50,000,000 if you ask me. It’s 4-H countdown time. It’s 4-H project crunch time. Fourth year with my oldest and the first for my youngest (who wisely chose five projects which are practically all complete). This too shall pass.
~ Janean
(I was a ten year 4-H’er from age eight to seventeen, so it sort of runs in the family.)
Turquoise Tangles 