speechless, mostly

Things I want to remember about last week

2012-01-30T12:53:00.001-06:00

1. After I pressed the button to order those plane tickets, we drank a toast (sparkling grape juice) and sang all of the British songs we could think of, from "God Save the Queen" to "Once in Royal David's City." In the process, Big Lad treated us to some truly epic hysterical falsetto.

2. Big Lad chose to go solo to the dentist. It is the End of an Era.

3. My indoors-for-the-winter jasmine plant started blooming.

4. The 2012 David Austin Handbook of Roses arrived. I have strict orders (from myself) not to open it until I have made more progress in arranging our trip itinerary.

5. I sat with my sister in her chicken house-turned-studio, drank good coffee and talked about travel and why we need an iPad to enhance our travel experience. Am convinced (and amazed that I once roamed the earth with just a rail pass and a handful of notes).

6. I received a gorgeous gift from Melbourne. It involved yarn and a eucalyptus leaf.

7. I watched Little Lad wipe out on the roller-skating rink precisely 6,385 times, in myriad spectacular ways. And I watched him pick himself back up, smiling broadly, 6,384 times (there was just the one time that the smile faltered a bit). And I marveled at his courage and tenacity. I myself would have dissolved in tears after the first few falls and then moved on to the snack bar for a basket of stale nachos.

8. On Saturday night I was in a car accident. A teenager got distracted and crashed into the back of my car as I was slowing down to turn. Amazingly, my little Subaru is fine (as far as I can tell). The strange thing? Seconds before it happened, I thought to myself, "What if someone were to hit my car?" If only I could use my psychic powers for something more helpful, like predicting the weather on the Isle of Skye...

Thanks, everybody, for sharing our joy about our upcoming trip. I hope to see everybody who wants to be seen, so feel free to make proposals, suggest dates, etc. Is a massive-scale blog-lady meet-up in order?

It's Official, Friends

2012-01-23T16:50:00.000-06:00

We have passports.

We have plane tickets.

The Speechless Family will be waddling across the Puddle.

(Yippee!!!!)

Winter?

2012-01-11T23:54:00.001-06:00

We took a family walk today.

Because the sun was shining (as it has done for two whole weeks now).

And because rumor has it that tonight King Winter will finally make his appearance.

We shall see...

Bittersweet

2012-01-04T09:01:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we spent our last day together before Little Lad's return to school.

There was a bit of thrift-shop browsing...

And some thank-you note-writing.

And now here I sit, coffee in hand, reflecting on what a wonderful holiday it was.

At our house, the year is off to a very good start. Hope it is for you, too.

P.S. Go here to learn how to make those paper lanterns.

P.P.S. My exemplary Significant Other is cleaning out the basement as we speak. Cue angel chorus!

Good Morning

2012-01-01T10:48:00.000-06:00

Wishing you a New Year of rainbows and happiness.

Rest

2011-12-28T14:54:00.003-06:00

On this Fourth Day of Christmas, there are no calling birds. There haven't been any french hens, turtle doves or partridges, either. In fact, the only winged thing about is the little wren that keeps managing to sneak onto the enclosed back porch. (I did discover that Boxing Day, when I first spied the wren, is also Wren Day, and that wrens can symbolize anything from divinity to treachery to the waning year. Hmm.)

What we do have in abundance right now is good old-fashioned dolce far niente, or "delicious idleness." Lots of sleeping in, for starters (well, except for Little Lad, but he's pretty good about amusing himself artistically during those early-morning hours).

Flipping through magazines...

Dipping into inspiring books...

Watching lots of videos (Scooby Doo episodes galore, and for the bigger people, Bringing Up Baby, Waking Ned Devine, This Is Spinal Tap and Heartbreaker/L'arnacoeur)...

...and doing a bit of virtual scrapbooking.

I haven't even left the house since Monday morning, when I drove out to the farm to have coffee with my sister.

I am relishing this period of Intentional Lollygagging, and am protecting it as best I can (even if I feel a bit squirmy-nervous when people around me start cleaning out their closets and vacuuming things). Soon enough, it'll be time for plans and goals and lots of Doing. For now, I am happy just to float.

And you?

Lanterns in the last photo were Christmas presents from Papa S., who made them after consulting a tutorial that I had pinned at Pinterest. I am beginning to believe that Pinterest is a tiny bit magical, as my pinned items (recipes, crafts, and oh, perhaps a knitted coffee carafe cozy?) keep materializing without any effort from me. Must keep pinning pictures of, say, the Isle of Lindisfarne...

Weekend High Points

2011-12-19T13:21:00.000-06:00

1. A tree was gotten. Not just any tree, but one that the lads chose together. Happily and harmoniously. (Are those angels that I hear singing?)

2. I found this little German-made forest scene for three dollars at the thrift shop (thank you, Little Lad, for suggesting that we stop there).

3. The local big-box discount supercenter actually had the converter I needed to plug said European lamp into a North American electrical outlet.

4. When my mother and sister and I sang carols at the nursing home where my dad lives, an employee shyly asked if she could join us, then floated around our notes with beautiful improvised harmonies.

5. Post-caroling, Papa Speechless fed us a delectable meal conjured from a few random elements found in the end-of-grocery-week cupboard and fridge. Most delicious: the garlicky roasted brussels sprouts made according to a recipe I found at Pinterest.

6. Little Lad and I played countless delightful games of The Yoga Garden. This is big news, because LL typically avoids board games like the plague. I think the key is to stick to cooperative games rather than competitive ones...

7. No infectious diseases manifested in our household.

Say -- my dad is experiencing some distressing new symptoms, and we're waiting to find out what's going on. Would you be so kind as to send him some "happy lovings" (as Big Lad used to say)? My mom could use some, too. Thank you!

Perfectly Imperfect

2011-12-13T13:37:00.001-06:00

Happy Santa Lucia Day!

Just don't tell Little Lad that it is Santa Lucia Day, because we have moved the celebration to Saturday in recognition of the fact that today was a school day, LL was exhausted and needed to sleep as late as possible, and there is already plenty of excitement (okay, maybe terror and dread as well) thanks to tonight's school Christmas program.

Also, today seemed like a good day to fetch our Christmas tree (between school and concert). It is, however, raining buckets. And cold. Hmmm. Perhaps we really are meant to do the old-school thing and get our tree just before Christmas. The pumpkins on the front steps still look good...

Speaking of lightening up about little imperfections, I have never made a big deal here about the Christmas CD my mother, sister and I recorded five years ago. Yes, my Christmas 2008 blog post included a song sample from it, but otherwise I have remained mute. Partly I didn't want anyone to think I was trying to sell them something, but partly it is because I -- a total slacker when it comes to most things -- am a huge perfectionist when it comes to my singing. (Okay, and partly I am self-conscious about looking like a lumpy mother of a one-year-old in the publicity photos. There! I said it.)

My tracks on the CD had to be recorded in a rush, because I developed killer bronchitis and had to skip the entire first recording session. So when I listen (and I have listened to it a LOT -- it was the only music Little Lad ever wanted to hear when he was a tot), I cringe at the over-the-top nervous vibrato here or the botched-from-hurrying French pronunciation there. (And now that Toffeeapple is here, I might need to stress out about our creative version of Welsh, as well.)

But, by gum, people near and far tell us they enjoy it. They ask us when we are going to make another one. They say that they keep it in rotation year-round because it relieves their stress (I can't wrap my head around that one). So in the spirit of loving and embracing my perfectly imperfect self, as well as in the spirit of giving, I am re-posting that song from three Christmases ago. It's a special one to me, suffused as it is with motherly love.

You're welcome to go here and listen to all of the songs for free; you can even hear a tiny Big Lad on Track #7.

I hope that all of your seasonal celebrations, whether perfectly executed or a little askew, bring you great pleasure.

Advent Notebook, December 9

2011-12-09T11:11:00.002-06:00

So far this morning, I have...

Listened to Little Lad yelp while trying to put on a sock (painful wart -- any suggestions? Does the duct-tape method work? I might give him some homeopathic Sulphur, as its "symptom picture" sounds about right).

Listened to Papa vent (and vented back at him) about the inanity of the songs Little Lad is learning for his upcoming school concert (surely it's possible to avoid exclusionary religiosity without resorting to songs with "ka-CHING!" in them?). If only we were the dottycookie family...

Listened to Big Lad demonstrate how he worked out how to play another one of his favorite Blink-182 songs on the piano.

Enjoyed a bit of an internet browse with Papa, trying to find the particular Italian-made vetiver shaving cream that he adores (this is worth abruptly stopping all other activities to do, because Papa S. is a man who typically asks for nothing and requires no fancy gifts or accoutrements ever. I'm so excited, I think I might be moved to get the shower gel, shampoo and deodorant as well. Toothpaste? Do they make toothpaste?).

Directed Papa to crafting possibilities at Pinterest, because he has a church kids' activity tomorrow and Easy Bird Feeders seemed just the thing (especially the ones made from old toilet paper rolls).

Listened to Big Lad singing old-school sadistically catchy pop songs (namely, "My Sharona") as I tried to write this blog post.

Uttered testy words about the aforementioned. Which Big Lad received good-naturedly, as is his custom.

Concluded that two shots of espresso might be a wee bit more than I really need.

(Remember the National Geographic program I mentioned yesterday? I recommend watching it, or at least watching the final installment, if you need a reminder to cherish this precious and fleeting life we all have. But if you get too sad, there's always this one.)

Advent Notebook, December 8

2011-12-08T10:55:00.000-06:00

Waiting: for the arrival of the gorgeous Advent calendar from England, which shipped on November 22

Waiting: for the caffeine to kick in

Waiting: for Big Lad to finish his grooming so we can talk about the skeletal system and watch more of National Geographic's Inside the Living Body

Waiting: until after Little Lad's Christmas program to send my camera away (in the meantime, this lack of autofocus is a challenge to which I am not rising)

Waiting: to buy a tree and put up decorations, even though the neighbors have had theirs in place since Thanksgiving (and even though our pumpkin-laden front steps feel a bit October-ish)

Waiting: for a burst of energy to propel me toward the crafting I want to do this season

Distracted and no longer able to concentrate on Waiting because: Big Lad is requiring me to participate in a sort of call-and-response rendition of one of his favorite Blink-182 songs.

Feeling: caffeinated and ready for Part Six: The Aging Process. Good times...

St. Nicholas Day

2011-12-07T12:28:00.000-06:00

It looked like this.

SNOW, but not much.

Treats for the boys...

You can't go wrong with a new twist on The Gift of the Magi

And papa...

Adorable label!

And me.

St. Nick heard me talking about those vintage English espresso cups

And look -- our first card of the season!

Thank you, Kristina -- it's lovely!

And now, maybe we all can have a good laugh at how I apparently prefer to style my photo objects in left-to-right-slant fashion. Hope it didn't make you seasick...

Advent Notebook, December 5

2011-12-05T22:27:00.000-06:00

Weather: Raw, but no precip.

Watched: Supersize Me, with Big Lad (who is doing a unit on health and nutrition, or lack thereof).

Pleased because: Big Lad loved The Omnivore's Dilemma, and is eager to read more Michael Pollan.

Worn out from: three singing gigs in as many days.

Ready to: help St. Nicholas fill shoes with clementines and chocolates for tomorrow morning.

Number of Advent candles a-glowing tonight: nine; this year I decided to do one for each day.

Looking forward to: Little Lad's school Christmas program next week.

And speaking of Little Lad: he was just awarded Student of the Month status, for good behavior and Excellent Citizenship. How d'you like that?

Still feeling the glow from: last week's Irish music workshop, led by this charming lady.

And also from: Big Lad's holiday band concert (whew -- lots of music happening around here!).

Grateful for: thick wool socks and hot water bottles. And the promise of some sleep.

First Grade Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-22T13:08:00.000-06:00

This might be one of those "now you see it, now you don't" posts, as I'm not sure about including images of other people's children here. Little Lad's teacher assured me that every child in her class was "photo okay," but perhaps not for an International Blog! Still, I wanted the grandmas to see this (especially if LL takes my advice someday and marries the cutie pie in picture #2). Oh, and the party was a blast! Still marveling at those ingenious turkey cookies...

Adjusting

2011-11-18T14:45:00.000-06:00

He's cranky and demanding.

Life is easier now that he is at school.

And I know he is enjoying himself there.

But still I miss him.

Some days, a lot.

A Walk to the Bank

2011-11-16T17:27:00.000-06:00

A big thank-you to everyone who took the time to comment on yesterday's post -- I appreciate your thoughtful responses!

I hope I didn't make anyone feel defensive -- certainly I am not anti-phone (or even antiphonal). In fact, having a phone in my bag today at noon meant I was able to ensure that Papa S. was making lunch (butternut squash risotto -- yum! -- thank you for the recipe, dear sister) and that I was free to dawdle a bit longer at the thrift shop.

It's the inconsiderate and even dangerous behavior that makes me sad. As Fee said in the comment box, "THE most frustrating thing I find is meeting a friend for a coffee, only to have them spend the entire time checking their texts/emails/photos/Facebook instead of speaking to me!"

Just how and when did we decide that that was okay?

~~~

Back to the usual shenanigans here tomorrow, I promise...

A Few Cranky Words Cushioned By Cheery Pictures

2011-11-15T11:14:00.000-06:00

So I was going to do a hard-hitting post called "Letters from a Confused Semi-Luddite," in which I gnashed my teeth a bit about (a) nearly being run off the highway twice in the past week because of people texting while driving; (b) the charming family out for a companionable Saturday jog who, on closer inspection, didn't seem so companionable because each person turned out to be plugged into a separate iPod; and -- the pièce de résistance -- (c) the four adults waiting for a table at the International House of Pancakes on Sunday morning, each and every one texting furiously as their companion, a little girl in a tiara, clutched her stuffed animal and scowled.

HOWEVER, I try to keep this blog at least semi-uplifting, so never mind. Besides, I have my own issues (at this particular moment I am featuring the following: laziness, procrastination, disorganization, poor grooming, lack of restraint re: caffeine...and dust bunnies. Oh, and apparently Judgmentalness. Or Judgementalness, to my friends to the east).

I am also featuring a tea cozy on my head. And an unsettlingly flip-flopped map of the British Isles.

But seriously, what's your take on all this stuff? Do you love the excitement of being reachable 24 hours a day, on the road, at the restaurant, in the toilet? Is it exhilarating to carry on simultaneous conversations with the person next to you and two or three people far away, while checking movie listings, pinning a cute craft project to Pinterest and ordering a few Christmas presents?

Maybe I am a hopeless curmudgeonly freak of nature being left far behind by Progress. After all, even the Amish use (borrowed?) mobile phones. And it's not that I don't own one myself. But it's not the phones I'm worried about; it's the addictive way in which they're used.

Kind of like the addictive way I seem to be using my computer's Photo Booth feature. But I digress.

Mostly I want to know if I am overreacting. Is this the end of meaningful relationships, of civility as we know it?

I'll be interested to hear what you think.

Autumn's Last Splash

2011-11-14T09:59:00.002-06:00

The winds have been whipping, and most of the trees are bare. But here and there, there's still a bit of color. My calendula plants keep producing (plenty of material for winter-skin salve!), several of the rosebushes have one brave blossom apiece, and look at that red yarrow getting ready to burst into bloom!

Tomorrow we branch out (so to speak) from all of the posts about trees and plants. Although beware: it might turn out to be a rant about people with mobile phones, behaving antisocially...

A Short Walk Between Showers

2011-11-10T19:00:00.000-06:00

Flashback

2011-11-09T13:00:00.000-06:00

I took a whole bunch of photos one day (October 7, to be exact), thinking it might be pleasing to do a Day in the Life blog post. But my computer was on its last legs, the planets were misaligned, and it didn't happen.

Okay with you if I do it now? I hope the photo-heaviness doesn't bog down your computer too much.

Cinq cent

2011-11-08T09:03:00.000-06:00

I wanted to do something special today.

Something celebratory.

Because, you see, this is my 500th blog post.

But in looking back at my first handful of posts, hoping to be inspired, I am distracted.

It's hard not to be, when confronted with such cuteness.

I have said it before, but it bears repeating over and over: thank you all for visiting and commenting week after week, year after year. It's fun to take endless pictures of flowers and spout off about this or that, but the real joy of blogging has been the friendships. Here's to 500 more posts, if you can stand it. Perhaps by then I will have developed some passable craft skills and can offer a giveaway, as is customary. (Hope springs eternal.)

xoxoxoxo

Season of Darkness and Light

2011-11-07T16:01:00.000-06:00

As the days grow shorter and nighttime descends earlier, it's time to start thinking about the big festivals of light (Hanukkah, Solstice, Christmas, etc.). But it's also time to revisit those smaller-but-sustaining rituals of light-bringing: candlelit dinners; the hanging of our star lamp in the window; and for us, the annual Martinmas lantern walk.

Last night we began one of my favorite rituals of light, a monthly meditative evening service patterned after the ones at the Taizé Community in France. Our local gathering features fewer candles and people than you see in the photo above, but still manages to be plenty nourishing. And since I lead the singing, it forces me out of the house at a time of year when I tend to get a little too homebody-ish. Which is a good and healthy thing.

It's tricky to find a good recording of Taizé music, as most of what's on YouTube sounds as if it might have been recorded on somebody's mobile phone. I did find this version of one of my favorites, however. Imagine me weaving in and out with a descant...candles glowing in the darkness...everybody exhaling the week past and drawing in light for the week ahead. Lovely...

Well, that was interesting

2011-11-05T23:57:00.001-05:00

Oklahoma quake of 5.6 magnitude causes damage

Steve Olafson

12:39 a.m. CDT, November 6, 2011

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck in Oklahoma late on Saturday evening, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and there were reports of damage in a county just east of Oklahoma City.

The quake was stronger than a tremor of 5.5 magnitude in 1952, which was the largest earthquake previously recorded in Oklahoma, according to the USGS.

It was the second quake recorded in the state within 24 hours after a tremor of 4.7 magnitude was felt early on Saturday near Oklahoma City.

J.L. Gilbert, owner of the Sparks Vineyard and Winery, about four miles from the epicenter of the quake, said it lasted "a good 30 seconds."

"It was a pretty good jolt. We're not used to this. We're used to being sucked up into the wind," he said, referring to Oklahoma's reputation as a tornado alley.

One of Gilbert's employees went to the hospital after tripping and hitting his head on a doorway while scrambling to get out of his home, Gilbert said.

The only significant damage to his business was pictures and a clock falling off the wall, he said.

A dispatcher for Lincoln county, east of Oklahoma City, said there were many reports of damage but no details.

The second quake was a shallow 3.1 miles (5 km ) deep and was centered 4 miles east of Sparks, which is east of Oklahoma City.

Earthquakes of a 4.0 magnitude east of the Rocky Mountains can typically be felt from up to 60 miles away, according to the USGS. A 5.5 magnitude quake can be felt up to 300 miles from its epicenter.

I live 400+ miles away and watched my desk do a crazy dance for half a minute. Tornadoes! Earthquakes!! What next, a plague of locusts? Stay tuned...

A Breathless Five-Minute Post

2011-11-04T09:58:00.001-05:00

My plan was to join lots of other people in posting every day in November -- that sort of thing is a good discipline for me, and fun. But yesterday Little Lad was home with a case of the barfies (we actually had a blast, listening to klezmer-band Christmas music and the Puppini Sisters), and last night the mister and I got sucked into two riveting episodes of Downton Abbey.

And now I am off to Kansas City for a spontaneous day trip, to do some shopping (St. Nicholas Day is just a month away, after all) and to dine with a dear friend (see you soon, lurking Ms. K!).

See you tomorrow...

Big Lad Sits Still

2011-11-02T08:52:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Big Lad got to be an artists' model for a portraiture class.

He did great, and even got to bring some of the pictures home.

Which one do you like best?

Musique et mémoire

2011-11-01T09:41:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning with a hankering to hear the Finn Brothers' "All the Colours" (listen here), and it got me to thinking about how strongly I associate certain songs with that magical, heightened-senses, veil-still-thin period right after the birth of my babies.

They say that aromas are what take you back, and certainly when I returned to using a particular citrus-fennel face soap a year after Little Lad's arrival, the postpartum feeling-memories came rushing right back in. But it's the music that still reliably thrusts the whole bouquet of emotions at me.

With Little Lad, it was the Finns; to be precise, it was the up-tempo songs (like this one) that we danced (bounced, jostled) to for hours on end when he was fussy/colicky and needed to move. (Big Lad was colicky, too, but he preferred the noise of the vacuum cleaner to music. We even tape-recorded the sound for him so that our Hoover wouldn't wear out.)

When Big Lad was born, it was an international lullabies CD that played over and over (before we reached the vacuum cleaner stage, that is). This Gaelic one still reduces me to tears and makes me re-feel all of the terror and tenderness of new motherhood. In a good way.

What about you? Do you have any powerful "catapult" songs? I would love to hear about them.

(The toilet angels in the photo are here to wish you a happy All Saints' Day...)