Sunday Soapbox - For the Teachers

The good ones anyway.



I got a link to Taylor Mali's slam poetry today, and have spent over an hour listening to his video clips. Fascinating, entertaining, inspiring stuff.

Definitely beautiful.

I made the teenagers listen to this one, I like, like it a lot, but they didn't, go figure?



Enjoy. And remember to be aggressively articulate.

Best Haircut Ever

Not me, the dog. Ok, he wasn't this bad, but I imagine that's what Tucker would look like without grooming, only dirtier.
Before: a wet, smelly, matted, adorable doodle. He was bringing in gallons of mud and water on those paws, thanks to 2 feet of melted snow. Yuk.

After. Tucker's best haircut yet, because he doesn't look like a silly rat with a Q-tip for a tail, and he's not shaved to the skin with a little razor burn to add to the humiliation. This time, thank you PetSmart groomers, he looks like he's been groomed, not shaved. And he smells great too.

And he's still adorable, and uses those owl eyes to beg more effectively.

All in all, he is a happy dog.

Happy Friday, y'all. Maybe I should let PetSmart have a go at my hair....

Peace, Love and Barbecue

Happy Valentine's Day.

Play this video and enjoy one of our favorite songs and performers, Marica Ball.



Some favorite found hearts:

My favorite person, working hard. I helped, and took some pictures because it was funny.

We shovelled from each end and met in the middle. It was peaceful out there, just me and him, and the furry third child, making a path to the grill. Dinner was amazing. We had Peace, Love and Barbeque.

Wishing you the same.

A Change of Scenery and Senses

To balance the karma of my last maudlin post, and to thumb my big nose at the -13 degrees and who knows or cares what wind chill outside, I'm posting some happy places and things from my photo file. I feel better just looking through them, choosing what to share.

Thanks, Vicki Lane, for reminding me to visit where it's warmer in the deep chill of winter, and encouraging me to bake some bread.

Thanks, Sandra, for the soup inspiration and encouragement from the farther and colder north.

Thanks, Ms. Moon , for reminding me to pull myself together, and to put on my boots.

Thanks to all my blog friends who help keep me sane on the craziest, coldest days.

And now for the lovelies:

I can feel the sunlight on my face, smell the flowers and blossoms, feel the bark on the tree, hear the butterfly wings flutter, smell the salt and sand, hear the ocean, the kids laughing, feel the fireworks booming.... it is very good to remember. And to know there will be more yet to come, if I will just be patient.

And the chickens, well, they just make me smile. Hope you do too.

XO

Going Nowhere

Yesterday was one of those days. Melancholy in the air. Grey skies, more snow. Tired and achy and moody. Brittle. I found myself alone on a country road as a freight train passed by. The song on the radio and the view out my window perfectly captured how I felt at that moment. And I had my camera.

What made me sad was this. I am home. There is no home to come home to in the summer. So here I am. Waiting for summer to happen in this home, where I have transplanted myself. I guess some days I feel almost rootless, and easily blown over.

Ray Lamontagne is one of my favorite performers. His voice is haunting, and his songs are very real. Here's another clip, not so sad.



Some still pictures from my Superbowl Sunday drive:





Today, at least, there is sun, and I feel grateful to have a place to call home.
And Mel is hoping to be less melancholy and more mellifluous in the days ahead.

Getting There.....Sepia Saturday

Inspired by this weeks Sepia Saturday Series.......


A little from my mom's side of the family, and quite a few cars.

My Maternal Grandfather, John Hickman in Crisfield, Maryland, with his first car, Lina.
My soon to be Grandmother, Frances Campbell and her friend. "Pals"
John, 1928, with unknown girls. Cousins or nieces perhaps. What the picture can't say is he had flaming red hair and lots of freckles.

The happy couple, Mr. and Mrs. John Hickman. They were married in 1933, and stayed that way for almost 40 years until 1972.
John, fishing on the Chesapeake Bay. By trade, he was a farmer, a blacksmith, a carpenter, a cabinetmaker, an electrician, a mechanic and a master story teller. There was nothing he could not do. He worked most of his life as the caretaker and manager of a 200 acres historic farm, Beverly of Somerset, in Princess Anne Maryland.
Frances, his wife, a nurse, a farmer's wife, seamstress, lacemaker, artist. There was nothing she could not do.

Their daughter, my mother Harriett, working on the farm in the 1940's. There was nothing she could not do. And yes, she's actually driving the tractor in this picture.
Alternate means of transportation for Harriett. This was a working horse.
Harriett with her date, thankfully things did not work out. Frances sewed the outfit. John built the house himself, to retire in. but he didn't get more than a few years there. (I remember that we were allowed to ring the dinner bell when we visited as kids. )
She instead chose a man who looked to be trouble, my dad Peter, but he turned out to be anything but. He enlisted, got shipped overseas as the war was ending, and my mom followed him to Germany. Her parents sat for their first and only portrait to send to them.



My parents married in July 1955 in Mannheim-Sandhofen Germany, living there for another year before Dad's tour ended. They were married almost 53 years. They had this painting commissioned by an artist who worked from the newspaper clipping. He did a pretty good job. So did they.

Scenes from a Blizzard

The sunrise the day before the storm. Clouds quickly overtook the sun.


Tuesday, school closed early, and stayed closed for two more days, which is unusual for us. The winds and blowing snow made the roads impassable. Fortunately, we were safe and sound at home. Power was never lost, and we stayed warm as the fierce winds rattled and howled. The only inconvenience besides a dog that needed company to go pee was a loss of internet and phone service. I made soup, we played games, watched documentaries and read and all was cozy. Others were not so lucky, stuck on roads that were unpassable, waiting rescue. Today the roads are clear, the winds less intense, it's just damn cold. Frigid. But the sun is shining and the snow piles are impressive.

The back door, drifted almost 4 feet around the barbeque grill.
The wind was whipping across the yard, rattling the house.
The next day, after the storm, all sunny and sparkly and very cold.

But not too cold for the young at heart and a very furry dog. It took 5 towels and a blowdryer to thaw him out. He was crusted in about 10 pounds of snowballs. Good times!

Some scenes from the roads near my house today. I ventured out for my annual mammogram. I figured why not?



And this is what it looked like from space. Awesome. Thanks, NASA.

Stay warm and cozy, wherever you are. Spring can't be too far off.