TravelingMermaid

Just because I like it

2012-01-28T13:58:00.000-06:00

Soaked by Mermaids

2012-01-22T09:51:00.000-06:00

I read an article a few days ago about starting your day with a meditation giving examples of how to do that like sitting quietly outside observing or being mindful of the act of making coffee. I wanted to link to the piece but now I can't find it and I was sure I had saved it to my Delicious. Oh well. Anyway, one of the suggestions was to start each day reading a poem and really thinking about what the poet has written. Since I'm a poet myself and have work coming out in two magazines in February (shameless plug) I thought that was a great idea so I've been reading a new poem every morning by one of my favorite poets, Pablo Neruda. I love today's poem so I just thought I'd share it with you.

March days return with their covert light,
and huge fish swim through the sky,
vague earthly vapours progress in secret
things slip to silence one by one.
Through fortuity, at this crisis of errant skies,
you reunite the lives of the sea to that of fire,
grey lurchings of the ship of winter
to the form that love carved in the guitar.
O love, O rose soaked by mermaids and spume,
dancing flame that climbs the invisible stairway,
to waken the blood in insomnia’s labyrinth,
so that the waves can complete themselves in the sky,
the sea forget its cargoes and rages,
and the world fall into darkness’s nets.

RIP, Etta

2012-01-20T10:40:00.000-06:00

The great Etta James has passed after a long and difficult battle with cancer. She'll be missed but, fortunately for us, she's left a great body of work behind. This is one of my all time favorite songs and videos, "I'd Rather Go Blind" with Dr. John.

Banana Love

2012-01-17T10:39:00.000-06:00

I find myself doing a lot of baking lately. I used to bake quite a bit when I was newly married. I had no fear of failure then, often tackling a recipe that looked good to me like the stollen I made one Christmas that turned out amazing. It was chock full of fruit and nuts and the construction of it was like an art project. I think of that stollen every Christmas and wish I still had the recipe. Oh, I know I could look up a recipe on the internet but it wouldn't be the same, somehow.

I've always been a bread lover and I've made lots of breads over the years. Nothing can beat a thick slice of fresh white bread slathered with butter and jam. Nothing. Baking white bread is a somewhat long process, though, and I like to bake quick breads - the gratification is much quicker. Yesterday I made banana bread (pic above) which I've loved all my life. My mom used to make banana bread a lot when I was growing up and I've kept up the habit. I like my bread without the nuts that just distract from the banana flavor, IMO. A hot slice fresh from the oven with real butter is just heavenly. Here's my recipe - just a good old basic banana bread that'll knock your socks off.

Banana Bread

2 cups of self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
Sift together in a large bowl.

3 ripe banana (mushy ripe, the peels should have black spots)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup melted butter (Butter!)
Stir all together until smooth.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until blended. Don't over mix - it'll make the bread tough.
Turn mixture into a greased and floured loaf pan and bake at 350 for about an hour. (If you're baking in a glass pan, lower temp to 325.)

Slice, butter and pig out.

A Day in the Park

2012-01-15T11:23:00.000-06:00

St. Charles streetcar from Audubon Park

"Leaving New Orleans also frightened me considerably. Outside of the city limits the heart of darkness, the true wasteland begins."-Ignatius J. Reilly from A Confederacy of Dunces

2012-01-10T13:56:00.000-06:00

"Even in college, I was fascinated by relics. While walking in a cemetery in New Orleans, I found a vertebra near a collapsed grave. I kept it in a small glass box and carefully labeled it in calligraphic hand, vertebra of the Virgin. Soon I had a shelf in my bookcase devoted to my relics. Tooth of St. Mark, shell from the bottom of the Red Sea, splinter of the cross, vial of Mary’s tears, a stone from the road to Damascus, small quartz shafts that I called Jesus Wept tears. Faux they were, but I thought that probably ninety-nine percent of those hoisted above altars in gold reliquaries were gathered in the same way. My shelf was a place of devotion, strange as it was, along with books of poetry and Greek plays."
~Frances Mayes, Every Day in Tuscany: Seasons of an Italian Life

I've been watching the Repub debates

2012-01-08T11:57:00.002-06:00

and I have a heads up for them.

Fresh Greens!

2012-01-07T13:02:00.002-06:00

One of the best things about this time of year is the availability of fresh greens. I cooked fresh collards last night with chicken and dumplings and cornbread. Last week I cooked mustard greens - my favorite. I'm watching for turnip greens to cook up and that will give me the trifecta! Truly food for the soul.

Day 1, 2012

2012-01-01T19:01:00.003-06:00

So my first full day of 2012 is pretty much in the can and what did I do? Nothing earthshaking except for *WATCHING THE SAINTS WHUP AZZ ON CAROLINA 45 -17! Yeah, baby. All hail the Black and Gold!
If it's Sunday during football season my time belongs to the Saints when they're playing. I can't think of a better way to bring in the new year.

I had a quiet New Years Eve and that was just fine with me. Well, not exactly quiet since the 'hood set off some ear-popping fireworks which freaked out the outside cats who skedaddled to holes and hollers that no mere human could ever find. Between the fireworks and the ship horns on the river I was serenaded quite regally as I reclined on my sofa after (mostly) watching 6 hours of a The Walking Dead marathon. I felt rather (sheepishly) zombie-ish myself while watching, although it was rather apropos to my 2011. At the end of the last episode I actually teared up during the final scene. It was then I knew I had, indeed, completely lost my mind. To raise it to the nth degree, I'm actually considering watching the new season coming up in February. (Don't eat my brain - it's rotten.)

But back to my first day in 2012, other than the *Most Important Part Of The Day, I did very little. I didn't get dressed until about 1pm, I spent some time looking for a missing item which is definitely a normal day around here (sigh) and I did some light reading. Such is the life of a mermaid - swimming with the sharks one day, basking in the sun the next.

I haven't made any resolutions. I don't make resolutions. Actually, I've never been much of a goal setter, much to the chagrin of some, and that's always been OK with me. I prefer to make a mental list of "hopes". Here's my list:

I hope to improve my vocabulary thereby increasing my IQ by curbing my profanity output. I find the F-word isn't as shocking as it once was thereby negating it's value. Plus, I think it's time to grow up.
I hope to reconnect with friends who found better things to do in 2011 than to hang out with me.
I hope to read more books than I did last year and occasionally one that's not fiction.
I hope to get to the Ogden to see the Enrique Alferez exhibit because he was like, THE bomb.
I hope to be happy more days than I'm sad. Or mad. Or confused.

That's about it. See, the great thing about no resolutions is there's no pressure to achieve or surpass. Hopes are always out there waiting for when you're ready. No time limit - no pressure. Endless possibilities.
And that's a good thing. Happy New Year.

To You With Love

2012-01-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

2011-12-31T10:54:00.002-06:00

The foggy dampness comes drifting through my screen door, wrapping its ghostly fingers around my old, creaky bones. I pull the old green throw tighter and close my eyes as the fog horns wail on the river.

A Day In The Crescent

2011-12-30T18:19:00.000-06:00

It’s another balmy day in paradise.

I push down the plunger in the French

Press, inhaling the earthy aroma of

the blackest of coffees called Community.

The morning paper lies on the coffee table

waiting for its unfolding, opening and

adjusting shake. “SneakingSally Through

The Alley” is dancing out of the Boze, WWOZ

entertaining its listeners with the

best music in the country, bar none.

Noise from the street wafts through the

open French doors: the rummmm-rummmm

of the city bus, the high-pitched laughter

of kids on Christmas break, the artificially

cheerful greeting of “order when you’re ready!”

coming from McD’s drive-through so often

that it’s become just another sound like

the bus or the cat’s meow.

The newspaper serves up last night’s murder

du jour as well as the professionally whitened smiles

of the uppercrust partiers of the Social Scene –

Not on the same page, of course.

I get up from the couch, look out the front window

and marvel how the bad and the good

co-exist in the same city on the same

day and how complacent we all are that

it is so.

Saints on Fiyah!

2011-12-29T22:26:00.000-06:00

I just saw this and had to share. This was built at The Festival of the Bonfires and shared by Lovin' Louisiana on FaceBook.

WHO DAT!

Happy Hollydaze!

2011-12-23T14:39:00.000-06:00

Serenity

2011-12-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

“Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don’t care, I’m still free
You can’t take the sky from me
Take me out to the black
Tell them I ain’t comin’ back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can’t take the sky from me
There’s no place I can be
Since I found Serenity
But you can’t take the sky from me…”
― Joss Whedon, Serenity: Those Left Behind

Shower Thoughts: Leg Hair

2011-12-19T23:31:00.000-06:00

Tonight I was pleasantly surprised during my shower when I discovered I didn't need to shave my legs. It's been a few days now since I last shaved and I thought once again that this is one of the (very, very few) things I love about winter. And, once again, I wondered why it is that the hair on my legs grows slower in winter. The only thing I can think of is maybe the pores contract in the winter cold, kinda like other body parts, keeping the hair from getting out easily. Then they relax in the summer when the hairs go all ga-ga crazy so that, if you're not careful, your legs could end up on a chiaa pet commercial. Which is why, in summer, I shave every.single.day. Really. It's actually easier to shave every day when the hairs are just at a minute stubble than to wait until you have to put conditioner on them to soften them up for the shave. Conditioner is the best shave cream, btw. I read a couple of years ago that conditioner can do double duty as a shave cream and soften the hair too so I started using it and it's great. (Your tip of the day.) AND you don't have to lotion up after so, really, you're using one product in place of three. How cool is that, my frugal friends?

Anyway, it's the small things that make us happy like not having to shave our legs. I still wonder if my pore theory is correct. I suppose I could google "does hair grow slower in winter" but I'm not really that motivated to know.
Some things in life are better left to mystery.

I Don't Cajole

2011-12-17T21:36:00.000-06:00

I do some of my best thinking in the shower which is really inconvenient because I want to write down my thoughts and it's pretty much impossible when you're wet from head to toe and shampoo is running down your face.

Tonight I was thinking about a little problem I'm having and how it could be resolved. The problem with the problem is that the resolution would probably be my having to cajole...again. I don't cajole. I'm not a bossy person and I'm not a person who likes to cajole, remind or otherwise babysit another person. I don't nag. I don't cheerlead. That kind of behaviour is just not in my DNA. I never wanted to be a "team leader" or someone's boss and I was never good at it because I expect people to be grown-ups (unless they're not) and do what they're supposed to do, do what they agreed to do. I don't like someone looking over my shoulder or asking me if I've done something yet or reminding me I'm supposed to do something next week so I suppose that's why I don't like having to do it for/to others.

When it finally gets down to the nut cutting and I HAVE to say something I don't usually do it in a good way. I can be blunt and not terribly diplomatic (imagine! A southern girl not diplomatic! My western roots, I suppose.) and then I feel badly and worry that I've hurt the other person's feelings. If only the other person would have done what they agreed to do I wouldn't have been put in the position of being blunt and undiplomatic. Sigh. Then again, I wonder why (some) people can't receive a plain, simple statement or question without all the frou-frou of cutesy jokey-talk. I'm not good at jokey-talk as in making a little joke of what you have to say to make it not sound so....confrontational. Why is it that so many people think you're being confrontational if you don't use the jokey-talk when you're just being straight up. Personally, I like to know when someone is being serious with me instead of trying to figure out if they're just joking.

Well, all of this meandering isn't getting my problem solved. Frankly, I'm tired of thinking about it and it being a recurring issue. It might just be time to eliminate the source altogether. Truthfully, it's only my ego that keeps me from doing it and, if I'm blunt with myself (ha!), I know the source will not be missed at all. And I'll have one less thing to be responsible for.

My Misadventures With The Smartphone

2011-12-15T16:20:00.000-06:00

I resisted as long as I could. I swore up and down that I'd never, never buy a smartphone. The idea of being perpetually plugged in and accessible to anybody or anything that wanted me was just plain heresay to me. I don't like being at the mercy of anyone's whim. I don't even like a regular land line phone and never have which is why I let voicemail pick up. I answer the phone at my convenience and if I feel like talking. When I'm on the laptop I keep myself invisible in google chat. Yes, I am somewhat antisocial and yes, I realize I sound like a curmudgeoen and yes, I don't care. I also think everyone walking around with their heads down staring and poking at a little tiny screen look silly. Sorry, friends. I don't mean to insult but y'all do look silly - walking into things including traffic where someone in a car texting will probably run you over. Not noticing the world around you because you're so wrapped up in the cyber-world is actually a little sad. I don't want everyone knowing where I am every minute of the day and I don't really want to know where you are unless you're late taking me to lunch.

But I digress. I did recently buy a smartphone for a particular reason and only for that particular reason. I. Hate. It. I hate all the rings and tones and noises it makes when it's just lying on a table being ignored. It won't let me ignore it. I hate how the slightest touch sends it whirling off on a mission that only it understands. I hate how it won't give me what I want from it - the reason I bought it in the first place. I've been on a marathon call with some chick in India who didn't help me one little bit and made me throw a plastic pitcher across the room. I've been poking that damn little screen over and over and re-entering 5 letters and numbers over and over and more times than not, not getting what I need. I think I have had it. I'm giving that little soul-sucker one more day - tomorrow - to produce the only thing I want from it and, if it doesn't, it goes back to the great cell phone store in hell. And I hope it burns for eternity.
Technology? Pshaw!

Natchez

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

3 Years Ago Today

2011-12-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

Sparkle

2011-12-08T21:19:00.000-06:00

Creepily Funny

2011-12-07T12:35:00.001-06:00

I haven't been a fan of cartoons since I was a kid and then I only liked Wiley Cayote and Land of the Lost. Animated movies aren't usually my thing either although I have made exceptions. Today I looked at a post on Chicquero, one of my faaaavorite art blogs, about the art of Ron English with several examples of cartoons and other cultural icons which made me cringe, laugh and inhale sharply. Chicquero has an artsy blurb about what it all means but I rarely pay attention to explanations. Who needs explanations when your reaction tells the story. (The McDonald's clown kid really creeps me out.)
Enjoy.

NOLAlicious Give-away!

2011-12-05T12:06:00.001-06:00

What's more fun than getting free stuff? Nothing! So go on over to NOLAFemmes and register to win one of three Shultzilla totes we're giving away next Monday. It's the perfect bag to hold your holiday shopping purchases now and groceries later. Go. Now!!

I've Been Clooneyized

2011-12-02T23:19:00.001-06:00

Every time I think I'm not a Clooney fan I see a photo like this and then I think, "I so am".

Photograph by Mark Seliger

More here where that came from. Get your drool cup ready.

Label Me

2011-12-01T14:03:00.001-06:00

My dear friend YatPundit posted this on my Google+. I love it so much I may post it permenently on my sidebar. Yes ma'am!

2011-11-27T19:09:00.001-06:00

Old Algiers Courthouse from the Eastbank

“I have no idea how he knows when I need him. We can go weeks without speaking, and then, when my blue moods threaten to turn black, he will show up and tell me my moods are
azure
indigo
cerulean
cobalt
periwinkle
and suddenly the blue will not seem so dark, more like the color of a noon-bright sky.He brings the sun.”
― David Levithan, "The Realm of Possibility"

2011-11-21T15:36:00.001-06:00

House on Grand Route St. John

Soft lamp shinin

and me alone in the night.

Soft lamp is shinin

and me alone in the night.

Can’t take no one beside me

need mo’n jest some man to

set me right.

I left many peoples and places

tryin not to be alone.

Left many a person and places

I lived my life alone.

I need to get myself together.

Yes, I need to make myself to home.

What’s gone can be a window

a circle in the eye of the sun.

What’s gone can be a window

a circle, well, in the eye of the sun.

Take the circle from the world, girl,

you find the light have gone.

These is old blues

and I sing em like any woman do.

These the old blues

and I sing em, sing em, sing em.

Just like any woman do.

My life ain’t done yet.

Naw. My song ain’t through.

~~~ Sherley Anne Williams

Saturday Morning Bird Hunt

2011-11-19T10:36:00.001-06:00

Experimenting With Chai Tea

2011-11-17T13:07:00.001-06:00

It's a cool, crisp day and I've had Chai Tea on my mind all morning. I've only had it once at a coffee shop a couple of years ago so I'm not sure where this sudden craving is coming from but there it is. I googled chai tea and a gazillion recipies came up so I just randomly selected one and tried it. It was easy to make and I'm sipping it now. The only changes I made were adding honey instead of sugar and using tea bags instead of loose tea. I do prefer loose tea but I don't have any at the moment. I dug out cinnamon sticks, cardamom and cloves from way in the back of my pantry, hoping that the spices keep well since I've had them for a few years. I used to make potpourri and these were ingredients left over from back then. Apparently they did keep well - the tea is smooth and spicy although a bit too clovey for my taste. I saw another recipie that had star anise and I think I'll try that one next time since I also have star anise in the back of the pantry. I'll have to watch the amount, though, because that licorice flavor goes a long way.

Now I'm going out onto the patio to let the dogs play and I'll sit and watch with my nice cuppa tea. Do you have a chai tea recipie to share?

Twilight in the Garden

2011-11-13T17:36:00.001-06:00

Thought for the Day

2011-11-13T16:27:00.001-06:00

2011-11-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

St. Roch Ave, New Orleans

“It was one of those humid days when the atmosphere gets confused. Sitting on the porch, you could feel it: the air wishing it was water.”

― Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex

The Humongous Purge

2011-11-06T21:45:00.003-06:00

It's been a while since I talked about minimizing the stuff in my life. How am I doing? Not too bad. I've greatly reduced the number of email subscriptions coming into my in-box. I really had no idea just how many I had subscribed to over the years since I was marking as read most of them without even opening them. I bet I've unsubscribed from about 60. Really. And it's so great to open up my email in the morning to a dramatically decreased number of messages. I just love it!

I've decreased my online time by closing some social sites I never used such as Linkd-in and Library Thing and by generally spending less time on Twitter, G+ and FaceBook. I've come to realize what a huge time suck these sites are and, really, just full of minutea that I don't really care about or remember once I log off. I do still log onto Twitter and FaceBook to check in on certain friends' statuses and such and to check that Networked Blogs is still working but that's about it. I'm really restricting most of my sharing of links to G+ which is the social site I like best and have most control over. Generally, though, my computer time now is spent writing or reading the down-sized number of blogs and zines I really enjoy. And guess what? I don't feel like I'm missing anything of importance and I have more time to do the things I really value.

Now for the house. I'm in the midst of a humongous purge. We bought new carpet for the upstairs bedrooms - and, yes, I know carpet isn't "in" but when did that ever stop me from doing what I want? - which meant I had to empty six closets that were bursting at the seams with junk and about 16 or so dresser and bureau drawers full of junk. All of this had to be moved downstairs because there was nowhere else to put it. Oh, yeah, and stuff from under the beds too. I am appalled at the stuff I've accumulated.

So the new carpet is in - love - but the closet and other stuff is still piled in my living and dining rooms and has to be all gone through, thrown out and/or given away. I am determined. I refuse to move all that back upstairs. Order and organization will rule and it all begins tomorrow.

2011-11-03T18:37:00.000-05:00

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter." — Rachel Carson

Frank

2011-10-31T11:29:00.000-05:00

He would be comical if he weren't so damn creepy.

2011-10-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

“But first, on earth as Vampire sent,

Thy corpse shall from its tomb be rent:
Then ghastly haunt thy native place,
And suck the blood of all thy race;
There from thy daughter, sister, wife,
At midnight drain the stream of life;
Yet loathe the banquet which perforce
Must feed thy livid living corpse.
Thy victims are they yet expire
Shall know the demon for their sire,
As cursing thee, thou cursing them,
Thy flowers withered on the stem.”
― George Gordon Byron

(Photo is a visual manipulation of the original.)

2011-10-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

“Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face.”

― Jim Butcher, Storm Front

(Photo is a visual manipulation of the original.)

2011-10-25T14:43:00.001-05:00

“With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.”
― Mary Shelley

True-isms

2011-10-21T13:18:00.002-05:00

"If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?"
— Rumi

Crazycool Photography

2011-10-19T23:20:00.000-05:00

Photography by Ryan Schude

I love photography and I love when I find a website with photos that make my brain and eyes zing. Los Angeles based Ryan Schude is my latest find and I'm already hungering for more of his images after viewing every single one on his site. I think the one above is my favorite. This photo presents so many questions not the least of which is why is there a toaster in the bathroom in the first place? And what is the cat's role in this scenario? There are other photos with cats in what could be construed as slightly nefarious poses, such as the one below.

Photo by Ryan Schude

These cats just seem a bit too sly and self-composed to be guilt-free. Just sayin'.

2011-10-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

St. Katharine Drexel, Louisiana Ave, New Orleans,

2011-10-15T09:34:00.000-05:00

My nephew had this on his FaceBook page. It really speaks volumes about our society.

"The Big Fix" Premeier

2011-10-12T13:04:00.000-05:00

The Big Fix premieres this Friday as part of the New Orleans Film Festival. This documentary film details the massive government cover-up which has taken place in the wake of the BP oil spill. There will be a press conference at 2 pm at the Contemporary Arts Center before the film is shown. The entire schedule for the festival can be found on their website.

We Are the (older) 99%

2011-10-10T17:56:00.000-05:00

I heard about a website called "We Are the 99%" that has testimonials of average Americans and their struggles to live in this economy. The Occupy Wall Street protest (link to live stream) is going on four weeks now in New York and has spread to other cities in the country including New Orleans. This afternoon I spent time going through the 99% website, reading what the people have to say. It brought tears to my eyes in many cases and left me feeling really quite frightened. While I sympathize with the bleak future of our young people, I have to confess that I feel more saddened for the over 40+ group. It's easier for a younger person to get a job (when there are jobs to get) than an older person. Many older people who lose their jobs have medical conditions and can't afford Cobra or are too young for Medicare and can't afford the high cost of individual insurance premiums, if they can even get insurance. Many end up depleting their life savings due to the high cost of healthcare. The cost of healthcare is a particular interest to me because I am over 50, too young for Medicare and pay extremely high premiums for a catastrophic insurance policy with a $5000 deductible. My premiums have been increased three times in the past 2 years even though I haven't had a claim in that time. I can't shop for a more reasonable rate because I'm afraid I might be denied for pre-existing. I just cannot take that chance.

Anyway, I downloaded a few photos from the We Are the 99% website of older Americans and their stories. In case anyone thinks this movement is just a bunch of whiny kids, think again. Go to the website and see for yourself. Middle class America is walking a fine line between living a normal life and being broke and homeless while corporations and their management are living the high life on our backs with the help of lobbyists and politicians.

"Manicured Grounds"

2011-10-09T14:36:00.000-05:00

My patio

It's a lazy Sunday morning at my house and that's just how I like it. It's a beautiful, breezy 75 degrees outside, I have the windows open and I'm enjoying the sound of the wind in the trees and the tinkling of wind chimes. The TV is on low while I sip coffee and browse the internet. A local real estate show is on TV and I occasionally look up at scenes of immaculate living rooms, opulent dining rooms and "manicured grounds". I think to myself, "manicured grounds"?! I find it amusing that anyone would have "manicured grounds' on the want list of a home to be. A nice, neat yard - yes. But manicured grounds summons visions of an English castle with rows of severely clipped hedges in perfect pairs and not a leaf deigning to touch the ground. How boring. Aesthetically perfect and beautiful, maybe, but static perfection is not my cup of tea.

Variegated Ginger

My "grounds" are as natural as I can allow them without being an urban forest. Oh, the front has the typical curb appeal with a patch of grass, four tall, graceful Queen Palms and a mixed row of shrubs along the porch: pink ruffle azaleas, hollies and Japanese Yews. I like the front just fine but it's the back I really enjoy. The back is about as far as you can get from manicured grounds, thank the goddess. My backyard has evolved through the years from a rectangle of grass to a more eclectic vista of natural semi-tropical growth tempered by a bit of coaxing into light submission when vegetation becomes a bit too rampant. My back yard is a place where you'll find birds, lizards, frogs, cats, dogs and, sometimes, opossums. I have bird feeders hanging from the trees,water bowls in the beds and running water features. I have a pear tree that the winds of Katrina blew half-way down and there it is still, half-way down but bearing fruit every year.

Asparagus Fern

The three sides of my yard are lined with banana trees, two varieties of bamboo, 3 varieties of ginger, sago palms, palmetto palms, firespike, nandina, various ferns and cast iron plant. In addition to the palms and pear, I have a magnolia tree and a Japanese plum tree. In short, I have a living, breathing back yard that is anything but "manicured". It's not perfect - for instance, a portion is bare dirt as a result of deep shade but I have plans to cover that area with pavers lined by the aforementioned "beds". (I use the term "beds" loosely!)

Kittens under Firespike

Oh, I'm sure many people wouldn't find my backyard to their taste. My neighbors have the (to me) dreaded green rectangle with no trees or bushes, as they prefer. The debris that falls occasionally from my bamboo into their yard is routinely raked out of their backyard, through their fence and onto my side yard. (Yes, really!) That's ok. I'm not so old and decrepit that I can't bag it up myself. Nature is messy. Just clean it up and move on, I say.

I spend a lot of time in my backyard, especially in weather like this. I've found that when I'm stressed or overwhelmed I can sit back there for a while and all my cares and worries just melt away. This is something anyone who has a little patch of ground can have and it doesn't take any kind of expert skill to accomplish. Just trees, plants, water, time and the desire for tranquility.

My fountain

I Smiled

2011-10-08T13:59:00.001-05:00

when I watched this stop action film, "Her Morning Elegance", by Oren Lavie. How cool to have a creative talent like this. I wonder how hard it is to learn....

2011-10-05T09:20:00.000-05:00

St. Mary's Asuumption church, New Orleans

Gigantic Palm...

2011-10-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

Nuts. Be alert. Aberrant fruit will seek you out.

Use the Movie & Book Title Wall Very Thoughtfully

2011-10-01T13:53:00.000-05:00

Titles are really important - especially for people who make snap decisions like me. When I'm cruising for a new book to read or through Netflix for a movie, I'll often skip over selections that have what I consider lame titles. Or juvenile titles. Or just crazy makes-no-sense titles. (as opposed to crazy-but-it-sounds-intriguing titles)
Last week I accidentally received the indie film The Yellow Handkerchief via my Netflix queue. I say accidentally because, although it was next in line, I usually review my queue when I send back a DVD to make sure the next one is a movie I'm in the mood to see. Anyway, I vaguely remember putting The Yellow Handkerchief in the queue but I don't remember why. See, this is the kind of title I would normally pass on because it sounds like a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie - not that there's anything wrong with that. I grew up watching HHoF and loved them. Of course, I only had a choice of two TV stations way back then in the olden days so a HHoF movie was a real treat. Since I'm in the habit of adding movies to my Netflix when I read about an interesting one I'm sure I read about it on PBS online or on Women's Voices for Change or the week-end edition of The Wall Street Journal (which surprisingly has great "Review" and "Off Duty" sections in it's Saturday edition). Regardless, even though I was a bit pissed when I received the DVD, my attitude changed 360 degrees when I started watching it. I could tell in the first 15 minutes from the cinematography, music and just the feel of the movie that it was special.

The movie stars William Hurt, whose movies Body Heat and Kiss of the Spider Woman are in my top movies list, Kristen Stewart who's acted in The Runaways, Welcome to the Rileys (in my top list) and those vampire movies (not on my list), Maria Bello who I don't recall ever seeing in a movie although I liked her on ER and I'm really digging her new show Prime Suspect, and Eddie Redmayne who was fun to watch on Pillars of the Earth. (Ah, I see he's in a 2008 Masterpiece Classic adaptation of Tess of the D'Urbervilles,one of my fave books. I'll have to check it out.)

So, the main cast is wonderful, all actors I enjoy, and the supporting cast (which is minimal) adds well acted needed nuance to the story. The story is about a man (Hurt) who has just been released from prison and is vacillating between journeying back to find his wife (who he hasn't seen in 6 years) or just journeying into the sunset. Along the way he meets up with two lost teenagers (lost as in trying to figure out their place in the world, not literally lost) and they embark on a road trip together in an awesome '70's era turquoise LTD convertible through the bayou country of Louisiana. Yes, this is filmed right here with scenes from around New Roads, Pierre Part, New Orleans and what I'm guessing is Leeville, or somewhere down there where land is slowly disappearing into the Gulf.

Brett (Hurt) is a man of few words but with eyes that tell you everything you need to know. Over the course of the trip he tells the story of how he came to be imprisoned to the kids. Stewart, who plays Martine, is a phenominal young actress, as we saw in Riley's, and she subtlety plays the part of a troubled young woman looking for love and acceptance. Redmayne is perfectly cast as the restless, eccentric Gordie, the kid nobody liked in high school because he marched to his own drummer. His piercing blue eyes and unusual looks lend just the right credibility to his part and I found myself mesmerized by him (as I was with him in Pillars). Maria Bello's acting matched Hurt's for nuance, much was intimated from her expressive face, but she displayed her talent for powerful speaking in this movie as she has in her work on TV.

The scenery in this movie veered from beautiful vistas of bayou country with the moss-draped Oaks and fields of sugar cane to the long expanse of hi way lined with chemical plants billowing black smoke and, finally, to the almost bucolic shots of that little piece of land along the gulf lined with fishing boats.

I liked this movie so much I watched it twice in two days, something I never do. It had all the elements I wish for in a film, a engaging and thoughtful storyline, lush and visually interesting cinematography, music that enhanced rather than overwhelmed the film and a cast of accomplished actors. Don't be fooled into thinking this is a Hallmark Hall of Famer or a "chick flick" - it's far more sophisticated. I give this a 5 out of 5 stars. Watch it.

Here's a little sneak peak for ya - one of my favorite scenes.

__________

Next up I review the novel The Secret Sisters by Joni Rogers. And, no, it's not a young adult book. *sigh*

The Secret Sisters

Banana Blossom

2011-09-29T13:56:00.000-05:00

Banana blossoms just fascinate me. I never tire of the delight of discovering a new one in my back yard looking like a missive from the universe, it's huge bloom and vibrant color heralding the arrival of the sweet fruit to come. I've been enjoying my backyard bananas the last few days and even had to freeze some because when they ripen, they ripen fast! It'll be nice in the winter to make banana bread with my own bananas and slather it with the pear preserves I made a few weeks ago from my pear tree. Wow. I almost feel domestic.

Doubloons

2011-09-27T22:37:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I was rummaging through The Bargain Center on Dauphine when I came upon a treasure trove of doubloons. There were pages and pages of doubloons in plastic sleeves, like are seen in coin collections, just loosely stacked on top of each other. I think probably every krewe in every year was represented. I started looking through them all, oooing and ahhhing and wondering how I could possibly narrow what I wanted down to a reasonable number. I finally settled on the year 1978 because that's the year I moved to New Orleans and then I picked a few more from random years just because they were pretty. I was in a bit of a hurry by the time I found them so I imagine, if I'd had the time, I could have found more from my chosen year. I think I'm going to get these framed.

A Room for Wandering

2011-09-23T16:04:00.002-05:00

Image via Home & Garden - Le Blog d'une passionnée de déco !

I love porches and garden rooms. I don't have much of a front porch -- it's too narrow for my taste so I lust after big, ample porches that remind me of Granny's lap. Soft, comfy, cool in the heat of summer and cozy in the cool of autumn. I pine for a garden room with big, beautiful sparkling clean windows that can be opened to let in the scent of butterfly ginger on a cool breeze. I'd put my feet up on an ottoman or coffee table, like the one above, sip a cold drink and let my mind wander. I'm very good at letting my mind wander. I just need a room like the one above and I think my mind would conjure up all sorts of fun. I could live in that room forever.

Traveling Mermaid Travels to England

2011-09-21T12:43:00.000-05:00

Daisy Pignetti is participating on a panel at the Oxford Internet Institute symposium at Oxford University in England and is presenting her paper "Blogging the Unfinished Story in post-Katrina New Orleans" on Friday. Her paper features my writing on this blog in the months after the storm and up to 2009. I am honored that Daisy felt my frustrated scribbles was worthy to include in her paper so I wanted to share this news with y'all.

Daisy contacted the "NOLA Bloggers", a group of people who blogged and networked after the storm, through Think NOLA in 2006 asking for volunteers to talk about their blogging experiences for her project. I think it's important to note that Think NOLA, the New Orleans Wiki (both now defunct) and Alan Gutierrez were instrumental in organizing the Nola blogosphere into a cohesive group and deserves a lot of credit for doing so.

The abstract from Daisy's paper reads as follows:

"With the growing familiarity of the blog genre, much has been published about the use of information and communication technologies for grassroots and community endeavors, but there is still research to be done, particularly of placeblogs that coincide with sites of natural and/or national disaster. Unlike other scholarly Internet inquiries where issues of identity might influence the structures and processes of the research, the population discussed here stands out in its transparent use of blogs and other Web 2.0 technologies.

The New Orleans blogger community proves to be one built upon the shared experience of Hurricane Katrina and is thereby focused on reporting the facts surrounding and actions needed for recovery to take place. While their individual blog audiences may be small, their disclosing details about their lives ‘after the levees broke’ allows these ‘NOLA Bloggers’ to be in control of their storm stories and potentially receive feedback within minutes of sharing, which is fundamental during times of crisis.

After a brief overview of my autoethnographic research methods, I present a profile of a blogger whose writing presents readers with a truer understanding of what life is like in post-Katrina New Orleans. Since the hurricane hit in 2005, Charlotte’s writing has progressed from emotional outpourings of survivor’s guilt to reflective posts illustrating the way web 2.0 technologies have empowered her local identity since the storm. "

There's really nothing more I can add except read the paper. Scroll down the programme to Friday and click on Daisy Pignetti's name after which you can download the paper. It's fascinating reading and gratifying to realize that all our ranting and kvetching about life post-Katrina was heard and really is a little piece of history.

Windows

2011-09-19T14:40:00.000-05:00

Detail of home on St. Mary Street, New Orleans

Sometimes, if you allow yourself, you can look through a window and see opportunity.

The origins of "Bwahaha!" Seriously.

2011-09-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

As I watched this video I felt a slow and devilish smile spread across my face.....until they spoiled it. Sigh. Damn those saints anyway.

Minimizing the Stuff

2011-09-15T21:59:00.000-05:00

Lately I've become obsessed with stuff and getting rid of it. I've written before about cleaning my closets and trying to just generally get rid of some of the stuff I've accumulated in my house over 30 years. But in the past couple of weeks I've found two blogs that talk about minimalism and how to incorporate that philosophy into your life. This is something that's really attractive to me because I've come to believe strongly that all the stuff in my life is causing a lot of background stress that's persistently pushing into the foreground. Now that I'm not working outside the house anymore, I'm here more and all the junk stares me in the face every time I open a door. I can't escape it and I don't want to. I want to get rid of it. Today I went through about 3 or 4 years (1990's) worth of old receipts, bank statements, insurance paperwork, etc and threw it all out. What was I keeping that stuff for anyway?
I've decided that every other day I will go through old boxes of stuff, drawers full of stuff and every closet in the house that's full of stuff and get rid of it.

One concern I had was, what about sentimental stuff? Will I be able to throw out or give away stuff I've had for years....like my porcelain poodle collection that's packed in a drawer or that box full of memorabilia from high school, the depression ware I used to collect & now gathers dust in a cabinet or, even, my wedding dress? So I found and read a post on getting rid of sentimental things and it totally made sense. Truthfully, I've never really been one to have sentimental feelings over things in general. I think getting rid of some of that stuff will only be hard because my husband will think I should keep it. He tells me all the time that I'm not sentimental enough and I think he's appointed himself my "sentimental conscious". lol. I think these are items that are pretty far down my "get rid of it" list so it's not like I have to decide today.

Another thing I've thought of off and on for months now is curtailing the amount of time I spent online, deleting myself from some of the social sites and cleaning up my Google Reader. I've already moved my computer from the kitchen table to an upstairs bedroom and it has definitely cut down on my online time. It's not nearly as convenient for me to access now - I have to make a special trip upstairs to get online and that makes me more mindful of what I actually read when I am online. (I dont' have, nor do I want, a smartphone.) I've already unsubscribed from 15 e-letters I used to get and rarely read and now only get 3 that I actually do and always did read. For the next few days I plan to think about which social sites I really use, which blogs I really read (and I mean really read, not just skim) and which ones are worth my time - the others are being deleted. I want to try for a goal of getting the social sites down to 2 and the blogs down to 8-10. And speaking of blogs, I have four. I don't need four and I don't want to keep them all up anymore so I have to decide which three will go. Suggestions, anyone?

Freeing my mind and home of clutter seems to be a necessity at this time in my life. Maybe I'll document how it's going here for the two readers who might be interested. If anyone out there has any tips or comments, I'd love to hear them.

It's not what you say, but how you say it

2011-09-14T21:25:00.000-05:00

If I Only Had a Brain....

2011-09-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

I used to pin my favorite Far Side cartoons on the wall in my pantry. When I felt blue I'd go in there and read all the funnies and it always made me feel better.
I still do that. It still works. This is probably my all-time favorite because I can so see myself and my dog doing this. heh.

Backyard Mandala

2011-09-09T12:19:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-07T12:26:00.000-05:00

See other Wordless Wednesday photo participants on Faith Hope & a whole lotta Love , a wonderfully creative blog.

TS Lee, 5:45 a.m.

2011-09-05T15:04:00.000-05:00

We're winning.

So say the progenitors of such things.
I hang onto that thought in the night
when the wind gnashes its phantom teeth
on the palms and bullwhips crack the sky.

Storm Warning

2011-09-04T08:29:00.001-05:00

"Storm warning, feels like a heavy rain

Winds on the coast tonight,

We might get tossed tonight...." ~Bonnie Raitt, "Storm Warning"

I awoke early this morning to the sound of the rain pounding on the window above my head and the winds gnashing the palm trees in its phantom teeth. Tropical Storm Lee was, and still is, showing off for us mere mortals. I alternated between a twilight state of sleep and the wandering of a semi-alert mind, an intermingling of night dreams and daydreams, - almost, but not quite, floating. Thoughts came into my mind that were so poignant that I awoke myself to write them down. This is the most creative time for me - those moments between sleep and consciousness.

Around 6 a.m. the old dog began his catatonic bark that means "I need something". I came downstairs and took him out to pee. There was a break in the weather at that particular moment. Rainwater was pooled in the street and hundreds of leaves from our giant bamboo littered the front yard. The neighbors are gonna be pissed. There was an air of mystery in the quietness and solitude as I stood on my front walk absorbing the atmosphere. Tropical weather is really primal. It strips everything you know down and lays it all bare.

2011-09-01T18:49:00.005-05:00

“Eternity? ... That is one hell of a movie.” ~James Dean

"I like my coffee black, my beer from Germany, wine from Burgundy, the darker, the better. I like my heroes complicated and brooding, James Dean in oiled leather, leaning on a motorcycle. You know the color. ("Ode to Chocolate")"

— Barbara Crooker (More: Poems)

(Photographer and art location unknown.)

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes....and nose and throat and...

2011-08-30T10:47:00.001-05:00

This is the third day of smoke hanging over the city from a marsh fire in Bayou Sauvage. The area is just across the river from my place so I've had smoke not only in my neighborhood but also in my house for 3 days now. I just heard a news update that we are not currntly under an air quality alert. Ummm....I just took this picture over my back fence and I can assure you the smoke is quite heavy. My eyes, nose and throat can assure you, as well. Keep your fingers crossed for rain.

2011-08-28T08:59:00.001-05:00

Flashback Friday: Robert

2011-08-26T15:40:00.002-05:00

I remember a time when I thought Robert Plant was the epitome of cool. I still think so.

Nature's Rubies

2011-08-25T09:33:00.000-05:00

Magnolia seed pods are covering the trees. The little red seeds look like nature's rubies accessorizing the lawn. A sure sign that fall is coming.

The Wild Years

2011-08-23T11:23:00.001-05:00

It seems I'm forever on a quest for tranquility lately. A few years ago I went through a phase of wanting to go, go, go. I wanted to be in crowds of happy, raucus people. I had an inexplicable urge for movement, for excitement, for the direct opposite of the routine and the mundane. Then, anything that smacked of a routine was boring and I wanted none of it. I rebelled against my nine-to-five job, against my predictable marriage and ordered life. I wanted experiences I'd never had before and I had them, by damn! I've thought about this time in my life a lot and, looking back, I think it was a reaction to the upheaval caused by the storm and subsequently living in what felt like a war zone in the months afterward. In late 2009 an event in my life opened my eyes. It wasn't a huge thing that did it - in fact, it was a small thing with lasting consequences. This event caused me to turn inward and begin questioning my behavior and the track I was on.

So here I am now. I feel more like my true self again - the way I was before. I was never a party girl but maybe I had to go through a little wildness (mid-life crisis, anyone?!) to remember how precious my life is and to work out some of that post-K weirdness.

Anyway, enough retrospection. As I was sitting here reading and listening to a little smooth jazz on WWOZ I came across this little article from The Minimalists that I thought I'd share with y'all. It's pretty much common sense but sometimes we need to be reminded. I wonder if I had read this I might have skipped those wild years. Nah. The wild years are part of what makes me, me.

Five Ways to Create Solitude in Chaotic Times

1. Wake early. These days I wake without an alarm clock, whenever my body tells me to wake. Some days I’m up as early as 3am (yes, really). I recommend waking early, before the chaos brought forth by the sunrise, even if you have to set an alarm. Wake slowly. Take your time. Think. I write in the mornings in a quiet room with no distractions—no TV, no radio, no clocks, no noise: just me and my thoughts and the words on the page.

2. Schedule time to read. I love reading, especially literary fiction (e.g., David Foster Wallace, Don DeLillo, Denis Johnson, Jonathan Franzen, et al.). I don’t have a routine, and I read whenever I feel like it, but I used to schedule time to read (when I had a busy corporate schedule). It was a way for me to force myself into solitude: just me and my thoughts and the characters on the page.

3. Go for a walk. I walk all the time (even though Dayton, Ohio, isn’t the most walkable city on earth). Walking gives me uninterrupted time to think, time for myself, time inside my head to marshal my thoughts and emotions. Even if it’s a fifteen minute walk, it’s worth my time: just me and my thoughts and the city lights under lavender skies.

4. Exercise. I exercise every day. I do so mainly because my health is the most important thing in my life—without it nothing else matters. Sometimes I go to the gym. Sometimes I do push-ups, squats, and pull-ups under a sun-kissed sky in the park. Whatever I do, I have the opportunity to do it by myself in solitude: just me and my thoughts and my body in motion.

5. Get rid of distractions. This sounds like common sense, but we’re so distracted by the noise that common sense doesn’t seem all that common these days. But you can try to turn off your cellphone for a while; jettison your television; kill the Internet for a month; get rid of a few clocks; check email and social networks only once a day; and find ways to remove subtle distractions from your life. That’s what I’ve done and it’s great: just me and my thoughts and a more meaningful life.

Mississippi Sky

2011-08-21T22:33:00.002-05:00

The world stands out on either side

No wider than the heart is wide;

Above the world is stretched the sky,—

No higher than the soul is high.

The heart can push the sea and land

Farther away on either hand;

The soul can split the sky in two,

And let the face of God shine through.

~ Edna St.Vincent Millay, excerpt from Renascence

Don't Touch My Dirty Dancing

2011-08-09T19:05:00.000-05:00

New Orleans street art on the occasion of Patrick Swayze's death

So I hear a remake of Dirty Dancing is in the works. Won't work. Won't watch.
Don't they know it's bad luck to mess with an icon? (Goin to make my gris gris.)

Sneakin 'round my back door

2011-08-09T13:45:00.000-05:00

You know, your mama and your daddy
Saying I'm no good to you
They call me dirty from the alley
Till I don't know what to do
I get so tired of sneakin' around
Just to get to your back door
I crawled past the garbage and
Your mama jumped out, screamin'
"Don't come back no more"
~~Frank Zappa, "My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama"

It's Not Where You're From It's Where Y'at

2011-08-07T10:47:00.000-05:00

Street Art by Gaia ~ Photo by Brock Brake

I love this philosophy - the only problem with the slogan is the misspelling of "y'at". ;)
Read an interview with Brooklyn street artist Gaia on Vandalog.

Mae's Bed

2011-08-05T17:36:00.000-05:00

Mae's bed

Via tout ceci est magnifique

2011-08-03T15:02:00.000-05:00

New Orleans parlor

"In a strange room you must empty yourself for sleep. And before you are emptied for sleep, what are you. And when you are emptied for sleep, what are you. And when you are emptied for sleep you are not. And when you are filled with sleep, you never were. I don't know what I am. I don't know if I am or not."

William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying

Lil Indyun

2011-07-29T13:51:00.000-05:00

Super Sunday, New Orleans, 2010

2011-07-25T20:01:00.001-05:00

Rooftop view from corner of St. Claude & St. Roch

"Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swaps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real.. it is possible.. it's yours." ~Ayn Rand (Atlas Shrugged)

Voices

2011-07-23T23:28:00.001-05:00

"Find what feels true. You’ll write a lot, and most of it will be bullshit. You need the bullshit if you want to find the truth. Sort through the bullshit until you learn to recognize the truth, by feel, not by any logical criteria. The truth looks remarkably like bullshit."
Excerpt from "Finding Your Voice" on Zen Habits

The problem is I have more than one writing voice. I have a voice for writing on NOLAFemmes, I have a voice for writing on Zouxzoux and I have a voice for writing here. Then I have the voice in my head at night after I go to bed and when I wake up in the night and first thing in the morning before I get up. That's my one true voice because I talk only to myself and I don't have to edit what I say. No one can hear me therefore no one can judge me or tell me I shouldn't say that thing that might not be nice, that might hurt someone I care about, that might embarrass someone I care about, that might make people see me as someone completely different than they thought. Some people may say I'm copping out but I say life is short and the feelings of those I care about are important. I may be a dreamer but I'm enough of a realist to know that my words are a mere pin prick in a huge galaxy of words that will be read and promptly forgotten. In the end, it's the relationships you forge in life that are most important and that will sustain you when words are meaningless. As someone who aspires to write, that's a harsh truth to face but it's the truth nonetheless.

2011-07-20T10:33:00.000-05:00

“Behold, you’ve found the good, the gold and orange. You were the first ones to face the sunlight.” ~Bialik

Malleable

2011-07-17T12:14:00.000-05:00

My wet patio

It's another rainy afternoon. I listen to the pattering of the rain on the canvas awning and get that dreamy, melancholy feeling that can suck one in to the point of immovability. I feel malleable, like anyone could come along and mold me into something extraordinary or just differently ordinary. I thought today I'd create something but I only made biscuits that turned out less than perfect because I used buttermilk instead of regular milk and obviously something else needed adjusting in the recipe. But still I ate them slathered with butter and Steen's and, although they were a bit crunchy, they were pretty good. I think the crunchy biscuits and days of rain are responsible for my inertia. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

2011-07-15T17:47:00.000-05:00

Moon over the fence, September 2010

Long walks at night--
that's what good for the soul:
peeking into windows
watching tired housewives
trying to fight off
their beer-maddened husbands.
~ Charles Bukowski

2011-07-14T11:57:00.000-05:00

"Spy" Ricky Gettridge, former Spy Boy of the Yellow Pocahontas, Master costume designer, beader and Indian singer, SUPER SUNDAY, New Orleans, May 31, 2009

Mood Like a Train

2011-07-11T10:48:00.000-05:00

Word.

Caladiums

2011-07-09T09:45:00.000-05:00

My caladiums are outstanding this summer. Mother Nature couldn't have created a more perfect plant for the south. They're beautiful, require no special care, nothing eats them and they come up every year. What more could a gardener want?

Dueling Blondes

2011-07-07T14:00:00.000-05:00

From time to time my seesta, the Hungry Termite, posts a "blonde moment" from her life. heh. As my friends know, I've had many, many blonde moments in my life. The latest one was this: I often write in my journal in bed at night. Much of my journal is actually images I cut from magazines and newspapers - really fully as much as actual writing. The other night I was preparing to paste something in so I reached over into my night stand to get the glue stick. I rubbed the stick all over the back of the image and pressed it to the page. It came back up in my hand so I pressed harder. It slipped around the page. I turned it over & felt the slippery substance on the back and it wasn't sticky. I looked in my lap to find......my tube of Burt's Bees lip balm. D'oh.

Confession: Lil Termighty and I aren't actually dueling blondes. I think we're pretty even in the blonde moment catagory. ;)

Through the Back Door

2011-07-05T09:15:00.005-05:00

Bywater backyard

"One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, "What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew i would never see it again?" ~ Rachel Carson

Lazy Lizards

2011-07-02T14:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Lil Termite!

2011-07-01T09:46:00.001-05:00

Today is The Hungry Termite's birthday and I couldn't let it go by without giving her a big shout-out. I learned last year (when she finally de-lurked) that she's been reading this mess 'o mine since the beginning. That's over 5 1/2 years. She deserves recognition for that alone - what fortitude! I couldn't let this day go by without a shout-out to the Mighty Termighty, probably the most positive person I've ever met in my life. Now I read her blog every time she posts and it always brings a smile to my face. I'm so glad she decided to de-lurk and now we're friends. I love ya, T!

Rice Mill Mural 2009

2011-06-27T10:00:00.000-05:00


The old Rice Mill, Chartres Street, November 2009


The old Rice Mill, Chartres Street, November 2009

Flashback Friday: Plundered My Soul

2011-06-24T09:43:00.000-05:00

I'm in a Stones frame of mind today. Y'all have a great week-end.

Necessary Things

2011-06-21T09:00:00.017-05:00

that get me through the days. It's gonna be a long, hot summer.

L'Oreal Infallible Long-Lasting Lipstick Duo in Hibiscus.

J.Crew linen Bermuda shorts

Stevie Nicks' In Your Dreams CD

Rolling Stone Magazine

Kleinpeters Triple Chocolate Stampede ice cream

PJ's Southern Wedding Cake coffee, iced with a shot of mocha

John Frieda Frizz-Ease

Rachel Maddow, Bill Mahr and Jimmy Fallon

Closet Diving

2011-06-20T09:00:00.028-05:00

I've written before about my closet cleaning escapades and the surprise of finding things I'd forgotten about. I found this Life Magazine I bought in 1977 recently. The magazine is larger than the scanner platen hence an incomplete image - the headline reads "The New Youth". Heh. Guess that makes us "The New Mature" now. I never thought I'd say this but, truthfully, I'm happier now than I ever was in my "youth". I was so full of doubt, misgivings and just plain turmoil then....everything was a big deal and I had no idea who I was. Now, I'm perfectly happy in my own skin. I still may not know who I am all the time but it doesn't really matter so much.

"They [Young People] have exalted notions, because they have not been humbled by life or learned its necessary limitations; moreover, their hopeful disposition makes them think themselves equal to great things -- and that means having exalted notions. They would always rather do noble deeds than useful ones: Their lives are regulated more by moral feeling than by reasoning -- all their mistakes are in the direction of doing things excessively and vehemently. They overdo everything -- they love too much, hate too much, and the same with everything else." - Aristotle

Take the Day Off, Daddy

2011-06-19T11:03:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-17T08:00:00.003-05:00

New Orleans cityscape from a rooftop on St. Claude Ave.

2011-06-11T17:44:00.002-05:00

Piety Street, New Orleans ~ Artwork by Swoon

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square hole. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." ~Steve Jobs

Piety Street, New Orleans ~ Artwork by Swoon

CANDLE MAGIC

2011-06-01T16:46:00.002-05:00

Detail of tomb, St. Louis Cemetery No.2

"Santisima Muerte apparently began life as a specialist in love magic. The printed prayer to her, the Oracion de la Santisima Muerte, is a modern-day throwback to a specific form of medieval Spanish love magic: the spell to bring back a wandering lover. Now, however, Santisima Muerte has gone beyond love spells to become a shadowy patroness of all kinds of Mexican magic, the pale and implacable counterpart of that other great protector of the Mexican soul, the Virgin of Guadalupe."
~ Santisima Muerte: On the Origin and Development of a Mexican Occult Image

Patti

2011-05-30T18:27:00.001-05:00

Photo of Patti by Robert Maplethorpe

"On that night, too excited to sleep, infinite possibilities seemed to swirl above me. I stared up at the plaster ceiling as I had done as a child. It seemed to me that the vibrating patterns overhead were sliding into place.
The mandala of my life."
~Excerpted from "Just Kids" by Patti Smith
I give it 5 out of 5 stars/TM

Mmmmmmelon

2011-05-26T11:24:00.000-05:00

Cantaloupe makes me think of summer. I love early summer before the heat and humidity wears you out like a dirty dishrag. When the first hint of summer begins every year it puts me in mind of those long-anticipated days when you were a kid. School was finally out and the whole summer stretched before you like a shining star on the distant horizon. Lately, I've been having that long-lost feeling and it feels real good.

June

I want to run naked down a pier and dive into cold clear lake waters,
engulfed in liquid exultation.

I want to make bracelets of clover and stack them up my arms to the elbows,
adorned with the nectar of grace.

I want to drive down long twisted roads in the country with the windows down,
the breath of shade and sun flowing coolness and warmth.

I want to watch lightning bugs flash in the quiet of an evening,
neon poke-a-dots against the earths’ closed eyes.

I want to fill my lungs with the scent of night-blooming jasmine,
light-headed and giddy from natures pure essence.

I want the lightness of early summer to inhabit my spirit
forever.

Words

2011-05-24T15:51:00.001-05:00

STICKS & STONES... from ABOVE on Vimeo.

Wouldn't this look great along the flood wall on Tchoupitoulas?
Via Crack For Your Eyes

Shelter

2011-05-20T15:17:00.000-05:00

"He was the king of trees

Keeper of the leaves

A deep green God of young

Love stained memory

We used to meet by him

Far from the hustling town

I loved you...."

Flying Proud Over Bywater

2011-05-17T11:32:00.000-05:00

"Worry about your own fortunes gentlemen. The deepest circle of hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers." ~ Captain Jack Sparrow/Pirates of the Caribbean