Lovely · Fishead · Day

About 2 weeks ago I took my first walk alone in years. Sure I walk places alone all the time but since I've been with P.F. I don't take casual aimless walks alone anymore. I was thrilled that I didn't have to walk alone anymore. For years I always seemed to have nobody to take walks with ... but after not having that aimless alone time for almost 5 years now I've found I desperately miss it.

So I've decided that I need to take alone time walks more often...it feels right. Everything seems the most perfect on those walks.

( endless alone time photos )

It finally snowed again!!! It snowed and rained thursday and was generally nasty driving weather. But it snowed and it laid and there is still some on the ground. It's beautiful out with patches of snow and the white gray sky.

Thursday P.F. and I wanted a breakfast snack of buttered toast dipped in chocolate milk. I had never heard of anything like this but apparently it was a common breakfast P.F.'s family made when he was a child. It took me awhile to work up the nerve to try it because something about it was very off putting. However once I tried it I've found it's a neat and simple little treat. The key thing though it so make sure you butter the toast while it is still warm so the butter melts into it.

This particular day we didn't have any Ovaltine so we adventured out to the grocery store down the street. It had just started to snow and it was just lovely out.

( more pics )

Since the holidays and all the hustle and bustle that come with them P.F. and I have mostly just stayed at home watching movies and curling up with blankets on the couch...or "davenport" as my Grandma used to call it. Such a funny word... I think that is actually a brand like how we call most lip balms "Chapstick" even when it's not. She also used to call her refrigerator the "Frigidaire". Those are such good old funny memories.

I've recently grown very interested in the large old keyhole in the door of my apartment... which is in a large old house. Tragically I haven't been able to capture any nice keyhole shots, but I snapped a few photos of other little house things that I like.

( a few more )

Currently P.F. is a bit obsessed with what he calls the 3 challenge. It's when a person draws/paints etc. the same thing 3 different ways. As is just so happens I was in a artsy mood a hour or so ago and decided to pull out my pastels; so P.F. put me up to the challenge. He wanted me to choose what I drew but I decided he should choose even though I was really wanting to draw a tree. Then do you believe it he said "Tree". Coincidence? I think not... I don't even believe in them.

I'm not an artist or anything but I think this would be a really great way to get out of a artist slump if you had one. I just did simple drawings but you could create something really elaborate and possibly end up drawing something you normally wouldn't have. I joked that P.F. and I should give each other a weekly 3 challenge. Though it doesn't sound like a bad idea. Here's one for you if you would like....Fish.

( my 3 trees )

OCTOBER

In October
I'll be host
to witches, goblins
and a ghost.
I'll serve them
chicken soup
on toast.
Whoopy once
whoopy twice
whoopy chicken soup
with rice.

My first grade teacher brought the Chicken Soup With Rice book into my life. She made poster size copies of each month's illustration and the poems. Then every morning we would say the poem all together.

I find it weird how when I was a young little girl I didn't like her that much. She seemed very sharp and not nearly as friendly as my kindergarten teacher. But somewhere in life I grew to like her. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that she wasn't my teacher anymore but was one of them that you see a lot outside of school and would always come up and talk to you. She still does to this day. Also in reflection the children in my first grade class were really really beastly; as were some of their parents. There was an incident where an angry mother came in screaming and ransacked the cloak room because none of the other students liked her son. So Ms. S's sharpness was understandable, and today as a women I like her muchly.

The last few days have been beautifully wet and chilly out. P.F. and I turned off the A.C. and opened the windows. Now we have a natural chill that blows trough the apartment, along with the smell of wet world and all the sounds from outside. It's so lovely, and is making me incredibly impatient for Autumn to arrive. Unfortunately I know it won't last and we still have some hot days of summer left to get through.

In the mean time I will take advantage of the weather and pretend it's fall for a bit. Yesterday I adorned some comfy Autumn clothes and even pulled out a pair of real shoes and socks. It was nice after spending all these months barefoot or only wearing my flip-flops.

Yesterday I got to take a quick stroll out in the weather because I had to mail a letter. I'm trying to rekindle a old high school friendship. We had a sort of falling out back when we were both 16 we were both at fault. But we haven't spoken since. Then last winter I found out that my mother was working with E. and she is really depressed. When we stopped being friends she also decided to stop being friends with everyone else that we were both friends with. So as things go she has no friends at all. Apparently her new friends never stuck around after she graduated. She seems to be in a very lonely place at the moment and she needs somebody to be for her

So I've decided to see if we could give it another shot. I know that I'm not how I was when I was 16. I have changed drastically and I know E. has as well. I'm very nervous and excited about the whole thing. I keep remembering all the crazy weird things we used to do together and how much fun we had and how close we were. I know if we start a new friendship it's not going to be like the old one, for simple reasons like we have responsibilities now that we didn't have then. But I really hope this all turns out well for both of us.

Now on to some ( photos )

It's been horribly hot and humid these days but it refuses to rain. The air is thick and wet while everything else is bone dry. I've been mostly just spending my day inside my air conditioned home sewing and watching movies.

P.F. and I did get out of the house the other week to attend one of his family reunions. It was held up at Caledonia State Park. A beautiful wooded mountain park which strangely enough has a public swimming pool. This was the pool of my very early childhood. My mother would never take us to the town pool she would always drive 30 minutes away to Caledonia. I think P.F. and I should go swimming up there before the summer is over.

As reunions go it was pretty normal, but P.F. doesn't know to many of his extended family. So I end up wondering around a lot. Where we were sat up was right next to a creek. A creek that is just begging to be waded in. Which I had a grand old time doing and getting wet up to my bottom. I nearly fell but caught myself, however I should have just left myself fall. With all the splashing that happened while trying to regain my balance I got just as soggy.

While there I also tried my hand at rock stacking. I'm not a overly skilled rock stacker...but I've found that it's addictive. P.F. came home the other day to the bathroom counter covered in little rock stacks.

( more rock stacking )

My one aunt told my dad that the blueberries were ripe up in the mountain. So the two of us spent Friday trampsing and driving about the woody mountains of south central PA.

Unfortunately there weren't hardly any ripe blueberries at all.(I wonder where my aunt got hers?) However it was still great. I haven't drove around in the mountains for so long; it was just wonderful. But it was extremely wet because it had rained the night before so I ended up in soggy jeans up to the knees.

( very photo heavy )

Remember me talking about the tiny praying mantises around my porch. Well since then I believe one has taken up residence in my potted plants on the porch. The above photo is of the little fellow. I think another one lives in my large tire planter, evey time I water it he comes out and waits until I'm done then climbs back into the plant. They have gotten much larger. The one in the photo above is about 1- 1 1/2 inches while the one who lives in the tire planter is about 2 inches. They are so sweet and cute. I hope they get used to me so if they decide to stick around as adults they won't get vicious and fly at me when I go to water my plants. Most praying mantises are pretty calm bugs and keep to themselves, however I have came across a few that seemed sorta violent. But that may have something to do with the mating season or something. I don't know, I'm not a mantis expert.

I've spent the last week visiting lots of relatives. There is no real reason for the visits. It was visiting for the sake of visiting. And I've become a bit obsessed with some of my Aunts. They are such inspiring women, I hope to be like them some day. I could just listen to them talk about their memories or little things they have been taught. Such as if you are in the mountains and you smell cucumbers get out of there because there is a copperhead snake near by. It's so fascinating.

But now for some varies photos or varies things.

( more pictures )

They snail is very odd and slow.
He has his mind made up to go
The longest way to anywhere
And will not let you steer him there.

Today I met one in the grass
And hadn't time to watch him pass,
But coming back at sunset, I
Discovered him still traveling by.

The grass-blades grew so thick and tall
I asked him why he climbed them all,
And told him I had sometimes found
The shortest way was going 'round.

He was not easy to persuade,
To judge by any sign he made,
And when I lectured him some more
Went in his house and shut the door.

Monday was a trip to the park day. A trip to the park at 6:30 AM kind of day. It was very humid out, in that hazy bright kind of way. It had rained the night before, so everything was damp.

( pictures )

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe,-
Sailed on a river of crystal light
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three.
"We come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we!"
Said Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe;
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars were the herring fish
That lived in that beautiful sea-
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish,-
Never afeared are we!"
So cried the stars to the fishermen three,
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam,-
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home:
'Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed
As if it could not be;
And some folk thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea;
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one's trundle-bed;
So shut your eyes while Mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:-
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

P.F. and I want for a lovely walk last week. I took some pictures on the way and also hid the last of the 3 bracelets I made.

( more pics from walk )

I paint my face and dust myself with flour. Seeing how I haven't a compact or baby powder or anything of that sort....so flour it must be.

These three and my current icon were taken last week. I took them mainly for my MySpace.... yes I have one of those. But I thought I should post them here as well. I was trying to learn my way around my new photo editing program.

I think I looke like a rag doll in this one after I messed about with it. I have no complaints.

After I washed my face....I took this while water was still dripping from me.

I was searching for Cottingley Fairies pictures last night and in my search for the images I came across some weird sites. Well they aren't that weird, but while glancing over them I got really really freaked out. While I know fairies aren't all good, I've still never really thought about the "bad" ones.

But all I know is that suddenly I got this intense fear run over me. I felt like there were little ppl hiding behind all my furniture and sneaking up behind me to tear the skin off my back. This feeling happened while I was reading a bit about the Little ppl of Cornwall. I've never been freaked out like that when reading about fairies.

So I let loose this one of a kind sort of zine out into the world the other day. I made it awhile back for my own uses and decided that when I was done I would should leave it someplace to be found. I put my email addy on the back..I hope to get a reply. Maybe it will brighten someones day. That's my only hope for this.



I also bought a package of plastic Easter Eggs a few weeks back. I plan to put trinkets in them and leave them about. I wanted to do this last year for Easter..however I never did. I didn't have any plastic eggs and was just to lazy to find a replacement. However this year I took advantage of the holiday.

I had plans to put some cheap things in some, but I also wanted to put some nice handmade things in some as well. So today in a moment of inspiration (sleep deprivation does that to a person) I decided to make some bracelets. I have tons of beads and some memory wire that has been waiting to be used for over 10 years. Results are what you see above. I wanted to try to make them sorta unisex, however I'm not sure if I succeeded. All 3 are made with glass seed beads, while one also has amethyst chips and the other has pearls. Yes they are real, just cheap, I think they are the cultivated kind, I believe that is the correct and proper word. Where they put dirt or a little piece of like ceramic or something in the oyster to get them to make the pearls faster and more uniform. I really should look that up and see if I have my info straight.

P.S. I apologize if the image of the zine is huge. It shouldn't be, because it's only 300x200 something. I've checked and rechecked the size and it's fine on photobucket but here it is huge. So I'm very much sorry. I hope by the time anyone reads this it will be the proper way it should be.