beardyman in a saucy knit hat

Self-portrait in rednoize

An inadvertent self-portrait in the bumper of my sister's rumbly red Chevy, fondly dubbed, rednoize.

Charlie Brown Amaryllis Day 11

Seems I got a little behind.
Enjoy anyway.

eclipse

A couple so-so eclipse shots. Note to self: Study up on lunar photography more than 5 minutes in advance.

And some things never change

Today marks the day I came into the world & started my life as a stubborn Irish lassie. Red hair to come later, it seems...



Thanks Mom & Dad. I know I did not always make things easy...
Hopefully sometimes I made up for it with some charm...


(pics at age 4 weeks)


(at an age slightly older than 4 months...)

Blood Orange....

A few of you looked at me like I was a crazy woman when I first spoke of blood oranges. Some of you look at me as if I am a crazy woman anyway, but that is rumination for another post. I was treated to blood oranges & fresh pineapple for breakfast (thank you, Ryan!) this morning & could not resist taking a pic...

It was delicious!

Charlie Brown Amaryllis Day 10

Day 10 and all three buds are full & lovely!





Am still debating whether or not to document the withering process. I guess we'll see how it goes!

Charlie Brown Amaryllis Day 9

The last bud is getting ready to bloom....I have the plant staked up with 3 knitting needles & I would not have been surprised to find it on the floor this morning! Enjoy today's progress. And here's hoping for some of that sweet afternoon light in the next few days!


the last bud



the whole shebang

Charlie Brown Amaryllis Day 8

Much the same as Day 7. See here to refresh your memory if so inclined.
Cheerio!

Charlie Brown Amaryllis Day 7

This morning....


Tonight...

Charlie Brown Amaryllis Day 6

What a difference a day makes indeed!

just for 2/14/08

Waterfall & heart rock formation at Watkin's Glenn

XXXIV (You are the daughter of the sea)

You are the daughter of the sea, oregano's first cousin.
Swimmer, your body is pure as the water;
cook, your blood is quick as the soil.
Everything you do is full of flowers, rich with the earth.

Your eyes go out toward the water, and the waves rise;
your hands go out to the earth and the seeds swell;
you know the deep essence of water and the earth,
conjoined in you like a formula for clay.

Naiad: cut your body into turquoise pieces,
they will bloom resurrected in the kitchen.
This is how you become everything that lives.

And so at last, you sleep, in the circle of my arms
that push back the shadows so that you can rest--
vegetables, seaweed, herbs: the foam of your dreams.

Pablo Neruda
Translated by Stephen Tapscott

Charlie Brown Amaryllis Day 4

Charlie Brown Amaryllis Day 3

Charlie Brown Amaryllis Day 2

A Charlie Brown amaryllis? A truth about this little red-haired girl.

I'm sorry to say it, but this story revolves around what seems to be my custom these days. Late. Deadlines for work, I meet, but poetry workshop deadlines? Working at the last minute. Dinner? Honey, have a snack 'cause supper won't be done 'til late. Meeting me for coffee? Yep. Running late.

And I planted my amaryllis bulb late. It would be generous to assume I planted it before Christmas. Oh, what a sad little bulb it was, a brown lonely lump in its festive red pot. My mom & sister, clearly on their toes, planted theirs & had radiant blooms through the holidays.

I had a brown lump.

Until now. In an almost ostentatious display of chlorophyll, it has sprouted gangly green stalks, too tall for their own good. I had to tie them up to keep them from flopping over & breaking, staking them with an orphaned knitting needle. (I think it's a size 6, single pointed, for you knitters out there.)

Just in time for Valentine's Day (if you tend toward that hallmarkiest of holidays), I got me some lush, midwinter lovin...

Just about to bloom....

Check back for more pics later this week.

another bard shot