dot dot dot

Dottie. Oh, how I love thee.

Ginger beer. A surprising summer elixir.

The boyfriend. Only tells me he’s not a fan of heights after he put the 15 ft. extension ladder ON TOP of my dining room table.

spring snow & 40 years

This snowy shot (very Robert Frost) was taken on the FIRST DAY OF SPRING from my back porch. Way to be lame, Spring!

And this photo was taken at my friend Tina’s surprise birthday party. I’m sad to say that we must have spent an hour in front of that mirror trying to take cool, experiment-y shots. Our hats (as well as all the hats at the party) were made out of white felt, on a whim, by our friend Kylie. Happy Birthday, Tina!

juicy

I think, no, I know, that an electric citrus juicer would make my life sunnier.

those eyes

What I find utterly wonderful about this man found here is that I can very easily imagine sitting down with him to share a dinner of oysters and champagne. Or, squirrel and moonshine.

The desire to dine with this gentleman is not as strong as the one above, but I like this portrait, too, found here. I suppose, though, that the obvious choice of nibbley would be chocolate.

The beards may seem like the common denominator of why I pulled these two photos together, but, truly, it’s the intensity of the eyes.  Tell me, when you look at a portrait do you envision dinners or conversations or something else entirely? The lighting? The setting?  I’m interested in knowing your thoughts.

sitting comfortably

Smart. Clean. Martinis.

 

Soft. Feminine. Champagne and bare feet.

I haven’t had a sofa in nearly four years. And before that I don’t think I ever sat on the one that I did have. It was in a rarely used room covered with camping gear, a guitar, and a three foot high Smurf. All a lifetime ago. Anyway, I don’t think it would be too cool to have expended all this energy on building a house with a bona fide living room that is openly connected to the kitchen and dining room only to resort to my usual habit of reading in wire chairs at the dining room table or retiring to my bedroom at, oh, 7:30PM, for lack of anywhere comfy to sit. 

Couches and sofas are so painfully ugly. My search has taken me high and low (though I have not ventured to Nebraska Furniture Mart because I think that would require lots of pills and drinks and who knows where that would lead?) and I have found NOTHING! Except for the two lovlies you see up above. The first is from John Derian. I think it is smart with clean lines. It looks like you could read the paper and discuss politics on it. The second is from ABC Carpet & Home. It’s curvy and soft and might break up the rectangularness of my house. I think you would wear caftans and be surrounded by Jane Austen novels and fashion magazines on this sofa.

Well, regardless, these both exist in my fantasies. Neither one can be picked up by a friend’s pickup truck down the road. Neither one can be purchased without me saving my pennies a little bit harder. So, when you all come over for drinks and a lively discussion, wear squishy pants and know you’ll be sitting at the dining room table.

stable

Look at the dog in the top window. I bet he sees a lot. I love the look of this cafe. It’s dark and moody. Good for reading noir novels and drinking coffee with brandy.

just thinking. or not.

 

If you were sitting here what would you be thinking about? Certainly not mortgages, health insurance or whether or not you should splurge on these pulls? (O! Please readers, should I?)

Maybe you would think about foreign lands while sipping mystical cocktails? Or think about nothing at all.

Truly. Nothing at all.

celebration in the form of a ball

The best way to distract yourself from the stresses of building a house and the fear of losing your job is to cast a vote for a man you admire and then throw a ball on the day he is inaugurated. Or, have your friends throw a ball so that you can hop out of your vanpool, throw on a dress, and line your eyes heavily with make-up.

It’s nice if your friends dress up, too. Being surrounded by dapper folks is always pleasant.

If you can swing it be sure that there is warm lighting, Turkish gentlemen, bowties, and knockout ladies.

long dreams, 2008.

Last evening I went over to my friend Mel’s  house for Cocktail Hour. I think it’s an attempt at grown-up-ness for my friends and myself. We can tipple, yes, but only in the early evening and with snacks from the 1970s. This was only the third Cocktail Hour, and only my second as I was deep in the throes of heartache during one of them, but I’ve noticed that Cocktail Hour seems to extend by one, two, or many, many more hours. Maybe we are not as grown-up as we think? Maybe when my house is built?

Kendra and Aaron and their little dog Osa came to pick me up for Mel’s party. When I hopped into the car Osa jumped onto my lap and showered me with kisses and then, in her excitement, peed on my thigh and my velvet scarf. And here’s the thing: I DIDN’T CARE AT ALL! This leads me to wonder — in 2009 will I start wearing sweat pants and eating beans directly out of the can; or, will I not cry over spilt milk?

Tonight, I think, I’m going to NOT TIPPLE AT ALL. I want to say good-bye, proper-like, to 2008. Like a scene in an old movie. A long embrace with lips barely touching. I want to welcome 2009 with a clear head and clear eyes. Happy New Year to all of you, friends. May 2009 be filled with adventures, surprises, hopes, joys, love and a home to call one’s own. XO

first things first

Am I to believe that I’m the only one who has suffered heartache? Or is it that I really have so few readers that expecting some good how-to-wallow-in-misery ideas is rather futile? Well, as I DID fix my computer by myself I decided that I could also find my own way in this bath of despair. I turned, almost instantly, to my friend A.J.’s blog and have decided to make this. Today is my friend Kylie’s birthday and there is a little gathering at her and Dusty’s home this evening. As much as I want to continue taking baths at 7:00 PM and going to bed at 8:01 PM, I have decided that a little merriment in the honor of a close friend is due. So, I will bring along a frozen beverage and an earnest desire to celebrate. That being said, I will also think upon this quote that my friend Sorcha sent to me today:

And even in our sleep,

pain which cannot forget

falls drop by drop upon the heart,

and in our own despite,

against our will,

comes wisdom to us

by the awful grace of God.

Agamemnon – Aeschylus