Sunday Morning Tea Thoughts

A few thoughts on a cold and sunny Sunday (no snow left anywhere, except one small patch, the size of a loaf of bread, in my back yard)....

*I'm drinking lukewarm jasmine green tea instead of coffee, because R accidentally broke the carafe for the coffee maker. It seems every third or fourth year someone in the house does this in a clumsy turn of events and we have to replace it( a "must-do" for today!).

*I was overwhelmed by the response I got from Friday's blog and I also showed the comments to Rachel and she scrolled down and read each one. She didn't say much(that's how she is), but I think it was good for her to get that kind of response to something she wrote , other than what she would normally get from teachers for writing assignments.

I wasn't even going to blog about Rosalie this year, but after I read what R wrote, I felt I had to. I don't know how much of what she "remembers" is based on what we have told her(Rachel was just short of her third birthday when Rosalie passed away), but I was both moved by her feelings and remembrance of her younger sister(and one of the things I'll always remember was the lack of any jealousy at the time Rosalie was with us and all the attention she needed--Rachel was always simply happy to be with her sister each day) and also her way with words. So, thank you, too, for reading what my daughter wrote and your truly comforting words about a sad event.

* What kind of got me through these last few days, was work, believe it or not. I had to keep my mind on my job, basically.

It's been busy and I worked yesterday(nine hours on my feet) and it was non-stop framing designing from 10:00 to almost 4:00! There were two of us there and we never got a break to do anything--no lunch(we gulped down our cold food after 3:30), no break to take a sip of water, no bathroom break(!)..it was intense. As soon as you had finished up with one order, you would look up and there would be another person holding a painting they wanted to pick out a frame for! It must be that people are stuck inside looking at their four walls(and these have to be people with a little extra cash) and are inspired to redecorate. That's good for us at the frame shop.

Maybe now my boss will loosen up on his "keep the temperature on the lowest setting possible policy"--it's so cold in that place that in the mornings, I have to make sure I dress in layers and layers. Most mornings in that back room, where the mat cutter is, it takes me at least an hour to take my coat and scarf off.

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**One more thing...did anyone notice the giant full moon Friday night?

I *thought* it seemed larger than usual when I drove up the road to bring R to a friend's house at around 7:00, but only read this explanation at the Christian Science Monitor site the following morning:

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By Pete Spotts / January 29, 2010

Tonight will be the biggest, brightest full moon of the year
Friday's full moon – or the wolf moon – will be larger than any other in 2010. Here's why.

If you're a fan of the moon and Mars, tonight's a twofer: You'll see the biggest, brightest full moon of the year, and Mars will appear at its biggest and brightest in the past 780 days.
Friday's moon will be 30 percent brighter and 14 percent wider than a full moon at the opposite time of year.
The reasons: The moon traces an elliptical orbit around Earth, and tonight Ol' Luna will be at its closest point with respect to Earth; and Mars will be in opposition -- opposite the sun when viewed from Earth, and thus as close to the third rock from the sun as it ever gets. (No, it will never, ever – not even close – look as big as the full moon.) However, if you want a comparison, astronomers say the red planet will appear nearly as bright as Sirius, the star with the highest apparent brightness in the night sky.
Over at Space.com, the resident skywatchers have unearthed a list of names some Native American nations gave the full moons appearing in a given month. Tonight's spectacular is the full Wolf moon. (Don't tell your pet dog, it might be too hard to get him/her back in after a nocturnal walk.) You can find the full list of named moons here.

Honestly Scrappy

In my typical way, it has taken me weeks and weeks to acknowledge and participate in an Honest Scrap award/tag I was given by both Claudia and Zuzana. Thank you, ladies, for thinking of me, and I didn't forget you--just sort of filed it away in the "must-add-to-blog-eventually" file. And I pulled it out of that file today.
Here are the "official" rules:
A) List 10 honest things about yourself—and make them interesting, even if you have to dig deep!
B) Pass the award on to 7 bloggers(I think I'll pass it on two beautiful Greek bloggers--Anastasia and December Girl) who you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap and whose blogs you find brilliant in design or content.

So, here are some possibly interesting and honest things about the Gal Friday.

1. I can't read a mystery unless it is set in the British Isles. I have tried mysteries set in the U.S., Italy, etcetra, but for some reason it doesn't seem right to me and I just can't enjoy them. So, it is always British "location" mysteries for me, be it a "cozy"(Ann Granger), or a psychological one (Ruth Rendell, Minette Walters) or classic old-school mysteries(Agatha Christie).

2. I can't whistle. Never could figure out how to do it.

3. I have never played any kind of video game(if this is even the correct name for them) or X Box or Nintendo or Guitar Band(or is it Rock Hero?) and have zero interest in ever doing so.

4. I love polka dots--definitely have a weakness for them. I would just love to have this blouse, for instance.

5. Also, I have a weakness for striped socks and stockings. Even at age of "nearly" 47, if I see a pair of striped knee socks, I am immediately attracted and want to buy them. I just bought a pair of black and white knee high ones the other day.

6. I am very childish about things like old cartoons and children's books. I'll happily sit down to watch old Bugs Bunny and Pink Panther cartoons and guffaw loudly, or look at and even still buy children's picture books(I say it is for my husband's third grade classroom). I miss reading aloud to my daughter very much. And I am continually amazed by the beautiful and/or funny books out there for children. I also love having copies of old favorites from my childhood around.




7. I don't eat eggs other than scrambled(and then they have to be very dry and cooked to death and even then I can't sometimes finish them) or in a recipe(as in baked goods). Just to look at and smell fried or hard or soft-boiled eggs makes me sick. I think I have written about this before. I think I am running out of unique things to tell about myself at this point.



8. I am very afraid of heights. A real phobia.
Crossing a tall bridge, whether as a passenger or driver(white knuckles gripping the steering wheel the whole way over) is an almost panicky thing for me. I can't stand against a glass window of a skyscraper window (went to the top of one of the now-gone World Trade Towers once as a teen and felt physically ill and could only remain in the center against a wall) and am barely able to even watch other people without my form of fear as they peer down cliff edges and other tall places. I won't even go on a Ferris Wheel at a fair! Just the *thought* of the movie
"Man On A Wire" gives me a chill.





9. I often fear I am not liked--in my online and offline life. I worry that I say things the wrong way, am annoying, and offend people(when I don't mean to) and come off as strange and snobby. I hide behind a mask of sorts and only really open up to a few people when I feel safe and I think people who don't know me well can't see beyond that. Now, I actually like myself(have learned to do away with most self-esteem issues and accept I am stuck with who I am, so might as well make the best of it)--but still don't like that some people don't like me. Should a nearly 50 year old person be this silly and confused? Probably not, but that is how I have always been.


10. I love it when men wear black turtlenecks(or in the case of my husband who can't stand anything that high up on his neck--black or dark colored "mock" turtlenecks). Such a good look on a man...oh yeah.White turtlenecks, on the other hand--not such a good look on a man, IMHO. Unless, you are Tony Bennett--now HE can wear a white turtleneck(and can sing).

Who me?

A "guest blogger"?

I had been invited by Clare to write a guest blog over at her Lilac Grove blog today, while she is busy with company(and potty training?)this week.

Of course, I went and wrote a l-o-n-g entry there, so most likely it won't get read and therefore won't have many comments. I find that if I post a really short entry(with even just a YouTube video or a photo) that I'll get the most comments. Has anyone else noticed this?

(of course, this may have something to do with my lengthy posts getting too rambling and not-too-the point quick enough. Readers must just give up.)

So...go visit here, and try to read the whole thing?

Also, definitely read some of Clare's entries. I like her blogging style--a wide variety of topics from an interesting expatriate Brit in Cali(she loves Grover and Gene Wilder, I have discovered--how cool is that?)

The photo up top? I just liked it--found it online somewhere and saved it a while ago. I like the juxtaposition of the modern white table and the wooden green painted chairs, as well as the openness and bright windows everywhere.

In fact, I would love to be a guest there and eat a meal in that serene room. It's so clean and uncluttered, too. Unlike my own surroundings. With it being so hot these last few weeks, a lot of household stuff simply didn't get done around here.