my name is cox

Happy Holidays 2017

2017-12-08T09:26:00.000-06:00

Nina Simone - "The Twelfth of Never"

2017-12-07T14:29:00.003-06:00

Pablo Neruda - Births

2017-05-30T15:19:00.001-05:00

“We will never have any memory of dying.

We were so patient
about our being,
noting down
numbers, days,
years and months,
hair, and the mouths we kiss,
and that moment of dying
we let pass without a note -
we leave it to others as memory,
or we leave it simply to water,
to water, to air, to time.
Nor do we even keep
the memory of being born,
although to come into being was tumultuous and new;
and now you don’t remember a single detail
and haven’t kept even a trace
of your first light.

It’s well known that we are born.

It’s well known that in the room
or in the wood
or in the shelter in the fishermen’s quarter
or in the rustling canefields
there is a quite unusual silence,
a grave and wooden moment as
a woman prepares to give birth.

It’s well known that we were all born.

But if that abrupt translation
from not being to existing, to having hands,
to seeing, to having eyes,
to eating and weeping and overflowing
and loving and loving and suffering and suffering,
of that transition, that quivering
of an electric presence, raising up
one body more, like a living cup,
and of that woman left empty,
the mother who is left there in her blood
and her lacerated fullness,
and its end and its beginning, and disorder
tumbling the pulse, the floor, the covers
till everything comes together and adds
one knot more to the thread of life,
nothing, nothing remains in your memory
of the savage sea which summoned up a wave
and plucked a shrouded apple from the tree.

The only thing you remember is your life."

-"Births”

― Pablo Neruda, Fully Empowered

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

2017-02-17T15:01:00.002-06:00

“‘In every good marriage,’ she counseled, ‘it helps sometimes to be a little deaf.’ I have followed that advice assiduously, and not only at home through 56 years of a marital partnership nonpareil [Ginsburg’s husband Martin died in 2010]. I have employed it as well in every workplace, including the Supreme Court. When a thoughtless or unkind word is spoken, best tune out. Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one’s ability to persuade.”
– Ruth Bader Ginsburg
via swissmiss

And Still I Rise

2016-11-11T08:38:00.000-06:00

Hafiz Poem

2016-09-12T10:31:00.002-05:00

Becoming Human

Once a man came to me and spoke for hours about

"His great visions of God" he felt he was having.

He asked me for confirmation, saying,

"Are these wondrous dreams true?"

I replied, "How many goats do you have?"

He looked surprised and said,

"I am speaking of sublime visions

And you ask

About goats!"

And I spoke again saying,

"Yes, brother - how many do you have?"

"Well, Hafiz, I have sixty-two."

"And how many wives?"

Again he looked surprised, then said,

"Four."

"How many rose bushes in your garden,

How many children,

Are your parents still alive,

Do you feed the birds in winter?"

And to all he answered.

Then I said,

"You asked me if I thought your visions were true,

I would say that they were if they make you become

More human,

More kind to every creature and plant

That you know."

-Hafiz c. 1320 to 1389

Anyway

2015-07-13T08:20:00.003-05:00

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.'

-Mother Teresa

The Guest House

2015-03-07T17:18:00.001-06:00

The Guest House
by Jelaluddin Rumi

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

Anthem

2015-03-07T17:07:00.001-06:00

Anthem
by Leonard Cohen

The birds they sang
at the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
has passed away
or what is yet to be.
Ah the wars they will
be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
bought and sold
and bought again
the dove is never free.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

We asked for signs
the signs were sent:
the birth betrayed
the marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood
of every government --
signs for all to see.

I can't run no more
with that lawless crowd
while the killers in high places
say their prayers out loud.
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
a thundercloud
and they're going to hear from me.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

You can add up the parts
but you won't have the sum
You can strike up the march,
there is no drum
Every heart, every heart
to love will come
but like a refugee.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front

2015-03-07T17:00:00.000-06:00

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front
by Wendell Berry

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,

vacation with pay. Want more

of everything ready-made. Be afraid

to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.

Not even your future will be a mystery

any more. Your mind will be punched in a card

and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something

they will call you. When they want you

to die for profit they will let you know.

So, friends, every day do something

that won’t compute. Love the Lord.

Love the world. Work for nothing.

Take all that you have and be poor.

Love someone who does not deserve it.

Denounce the government and embrace

the flag. Hope to live in that free

republic for which it stands.

Give your approval to all you cannot

understand. Praise ignorance, for what man

has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.

Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias.

Say that your main crop is the forest

that you did not plant,

that you will not live to harvest.

Say that the leaves are harvested

when they have rotted into the mold.

Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

Put your faith in the two inches of humus

that will build under the trees

every thousand years.

Listen to carrion — put your ear

close, and hear the faint chattering

of the songs that are to come.

Expect the end of the world. Laugh.

Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful

though you have considered all the facts.

So long as women do not go cheap

for power, please women more than men.

Ask yourself: Will this satisfy

a woman satisfied to bear a child?

Will this disturb the sleep

of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.

Lie easy in the shade. Rest your head

in her lap. Swear allegiance

to what is nighest your thoughts.

As soon as the generals and the politicos

can predict the motions of your mind,

lose it. Leave it as a sign

to mark the false trail, the way

you didn’t go. Be like the fox

who makes more tracks than necessary,

some in the wrong direction.

Practice resurrection.

found here

Wild Geese

2015-03-07T16:55:00.001-06:00

Wild Geese
By: Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Roasted Chicken Thighs

2015-01-23T10:46:00.002-06:00

*adapted from damndelicious.com

8 Chicken Thighs or drumsticks
Honey
Garlic
Sage
Butter

Preheat oven to 400

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper

Melt 2tbsp of butter in cast iron on medium high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and sear on both sides until golden brown (2-3 minutes each side). Then remove chicken from the pan.

To the pan add another 1-2tbsp of butter, honey, garlic and sage and let combine for a minute or two.
Return chicken to the skillet.

place in the oven for about 25 - 30 minutes.

Remove from oven, garnish with parsley, and eat immediately.

Serve with black rice and a side salad. The sauce is amazing on top of some rice.

Holiday Card 2014

2014-12-16T12:06:00.001-06:00

Santa 2014

2014-12-16T12:02:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Biscuit Home and Laura Sponaugle

School Photo 2014

2014-12-11T10:25:00.001-06:00

what dolls!!

xoxo

Pat Benetar - Heartbreaker

2014-11-24T12:38:00.000-06:00

our favorite song these days. stella calls pat benetar a 'girl hero' and thinks she probably drives a red car.

Stella's Soccer Team

2014-11-24T12:32:00.004-06:00

ooohh ya, first official team sport. pretty darn cute.

GO DYNAMINIS!

(The team got to make their own name, it was between Tiger Butterflies and Dynaminis (after Houston's professional soccer team, The Dynamos)...of course the girls wanted Tiger Butterflies but in an effort to keep things gender neutral Coach Krista chose the name Dynaminis)

Top Row: Coach Krista, Walker, Alex, Gardner
Bottom Row: Violet, Annabelle, Stella

Pocahontas :: Savages

2014-11-19T13:40:00.003-06:00

orrr as we sing it..."sandwiches! sandwiches!"

despite it's historic inaccuracy and wholly unrealistic plot (how does pocahontas know english???), we are really loving it at the moment.

Vitamix Tortilla Soup Recipe

2014-11-19T13:38:00.003-06:00

((adapted from the 'blend it up' spice bottle))

2 cups hot (boiling) water
1tsp cumin
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 garlic cube
1 tomato
1 rib of celery
1 carrot
cilantro (optional)
lime (optional)

blend ingredients on high for one minute.

then add in cooked chicken (rotisserie is a good option) and a handful of tortilla chips and mix at variable speed 1-3 for a few seconds to roughly chop the ingredients.

pour in a bowl and eat!

The Pioneer Woman White Chili Recipe

2014-11-19T13:32:00.001-06:00

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/01/simple-hearty-white-chili/

Feist - Graveyard

2014-11-19T11:58:00.000-06:00

Stella's lyrics are "bring them all back the lights!"

Granola Recipe (no oats)

2014-10-06T11:20:00.002-05:00

2 parts nuts (any nut will work but pistachios and almonds are a must....pecans/cashews)
1 part seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame)
1 part unsweetened coconut flakes
1 part dried fruit (raisins, golden raisins, cranberries, cherries)
1 part of a coconut oil/honey mixture (1:1 ratio of honey to coconut oil)
sea salt
splash of vanilla extract

* preheat oven to 325 degrees
* heat honey and oil mixture on low until all ingredients are melted together
* add hard nuts to food processor and pulse, then add softer nuts and pulse once or twice
* combine nuts, seeds, coconut and dried fruit to large mixing bowl
* pour in the warmed honey/coconut oil mixture and mix until well combined
* spread onto a baking sheet and bake for 15-30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time.

Banana Bread Recipe

2014-10-06T11:14:00.001-05:00

2 cups flour (use whole wheat or half whole wheat/half all purpose)
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 eggs
3 bananas
1/3 cup yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup (or so) of unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tbsp flax seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix ingredients
If making muffins, bake for 22 minutes
If using loaf pan, bake for 1 hour

Oh Dad

2014-06-10T14:12:00.001-05:00

This picture is just so funny. My dad laughing, donning the best head of hair motown has ever seen and a puffy vest that would make old navy jealous....and the jeans. i mean what can't be said about those perfect vintage beauties. And he's holding me as the tiniest little nugget. Him in all his glory as a new parent. I just love it. I know its not father's day yet, but happy father's day dad. you rocked it.

xo

Popi's New Boat + Memorial Day weekend

2014-05-28T13:35:00.002-05:00

surfside with the allison group. ombre seaweed for miles and miles, knee deep. jared and his mermaid tendrils shoveling seaweed. sandwiches on the beach. searching for baby turtles (an excellent attempt on lauren's part to help stella not fear the seaweed). finding holes for baby giraffes (stella's thoughts on what might be hiding in a hole in the sand). baby may. jane trying to breast feed baby may. rainbow delta kite flying...superior job wade. modelo. trader joes peanut butter trail mix...bravo claire. stale oreos. riverhouse. popi's new boat. dad and popi putting the canvas awning on the boat and charging up the battery...hurray! first boat ride on the new boat. spaghetti dinner at the river house. crab hunting. drinking a glass of wine on the most gorgeous night atop the dock watching the sunset and the cows. breaking my wine glass and cleaning up glass. fireworks. jane then singing katy perry's firework in honor of fireworks. bathtime. quiet ride home.