The Borrowed 13

Trying something new here--Thursday Thirteen, inspired by, and pretty much borrowed from Janet's entry today(in turn, borrowed from Dawn).

Right Now:

1. I am thinking… of all the things I want to change.

2. I am thankful for…a toasty warm home to be inside of, on a cold winter night.

3. From the kitchen… pretty much nothing! It was "fend for yourself" in there this evening. Got home--kid had made plans to go out to the movies, so she had some left-over Sesame Chicken from China Garden before getting picked up. Then I was feeling "off the hook" as far as getting a meal together which worked since I had NO idea what to make and was not into it anyway. I ate yesterday's split pea soup and a toasted English Muffin. When Mr. F got home, he also ate an English Muffin with honey on it, and then I think he cooked some frozen tortellini(I was in this room banging picture hooks into the walls at that time, so am not quite sure though) .

4. I am wearing… dark blue jeans, a dark grey boat neck top and grey and black argyle socks. I think I need to start wearing some color again.

5. I am creating…a new look in this room. I have been hanging newly re-framed pictures--some of them my art, some old Vogue magazine covers, some of R's art--on the recently repainted walls(Sherwin Williams SW6772 "Cay").

6. I am going…to get into bed very soon.

7. I am reading…"The Bachelor's Cat" .

8. I am hoping…that this fresh new round of winter stormy weather expected for Saturday won't be too bad--I do not want to get stuck in the house on a Saturday.

9. I am hearing…"30 Rock" on TV in the other room

10. Around the house…sleeping pets on beds and pillows(they live a pampered lifestyle),
Mr. F sprawled out on couch watching "30 Rock",
too many lights on(we need to be better about that...)

11. One of my favorite things… Key Lime Pie

12. A few plans for the rest of the week…watching "Sabrina" sometime in the next few days, and hopefully getting out with the dog and letting her have some real exercise for a change(it has been tough with sleet, slush and ice on roads and deep snow)

13. A picture to share…

It is always fun to bother the dog. Doesn't she look fabulous in red?

Summer is ready....

image : resizr.com

I like all the different people

I like sticky everywhere

Look around, you bet I'll be there!

Hot metal in the sun

Pony in the air

Sooey and saints at the fair

**

Saints (The Breeders)

**

*

It's nearly Memorial Day weekend--the "official" beginning of summer for those of us in the U.S.(although with a shadow cast over this weekend because of the still flowing oil leak in the Gulf)

Although, I truly thought it was a sign of the beginning of summer when I went and had the first cold Del's lemonade of the season a few weeks ago. I am about to begin a long weekend, with Cosmos and Sangria and canoe trips on my mind(don't worry, though--the canoe trip will not be combined with Cosmos or Sangria!).

So, a little Friday Fill-In fun(go here if you want to "fill in", too) and a summery playlist I created(turn it up!)

1. Cold fried chicken and bakery pizza strips(like Del's lemonade, a Rhode Island favorite--"Rectangular slices of crust slathered with spicy pizza sauce. They have no cheese and are properly served at room temperature" is the description from Quahog.org)_____________ -- the best food to take on a picnic.
2. Summer _________is ready when you are. (line from a Breeders song--"Saints"--see below in my playlist)

3. Just about the only footwear my daughter will wear all summer are __________ flip flops.

4. To love someone is _____________ to accept them, annoying habits, differences and all. Hopefully, they'll do the same for you. ;-)

5. I would love to take______________ a long hike.

6. When I crave food, it's usually ________something savory and/or spicy.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____being a couch potato, tomorrow my plans include _____canoeing on a river and Sunday, I want to _____work in the garden and drink Sangria and give Jewel her Birthday bone and new hot pink argyle patterned collar(she turns 7 on May 30), not necessarily in that order!

• 
  

  1. Magic Trick ~ She & Him

• 2. Put Your Records On ~ Corinne Bailey Rae
• 3. All The Way Up To Heaven ~ Guster
• 4. Saints ~ The Breeders
• 5. Who Cares What The Question Is? ~ The Bees
• 6. These Are The Days ~ Jamie Cullum
• 7. You Ought To Be With Me - Al Green
• 8. Walk A Mile ~ Holly Golightly
• 9. And She Was ~ Talking Heads
• 10. Then She Appeared ~ XTC
• 11. Everyday ~ Vetiver
• 12. Funky Kingston ~ Toots & The Maytals
• 13. Better Than ~ John Butler Trio
• 14. Double Chocolate Malted ~ Jonathan Richman

I Am, I Said(redux)

Two years ago today, I posted my first "official" blog entry here at Blogger, which I am republishing below.

Reading it over, it seems nothing much has changed in my lfe. Still writing about the same day-to-day mundane stuff. That could be either a good thing or a bad thing.

I no longer have that old grey hoodie,

and gee--what a good idea-I should mix up some white Sangria for this weekend,

I haven't seen that neighbor in some time(maybe I should walk over there soon), and I have actually been missing my mother lately(must be the time of the year for that?), so I'll give her a call. I *know* she is waiting for me to call, as it has been two weeks and I get the feeling she is a little miffed that I haven't called.

And...those nasturtiums never did well, by the way.

~~blog entry from May 25, 2008....

* cue a little Neil Diamond music??

I Am.....

Wearing: pajama bottoms, tank top and an old grey hoodie-- I just took an evening shower.

Drinking: nothing right now, but made a white Sangria today and ended up sipping that slowly all afternoon.

Eating: ate supper an hour ago...my pasta salad and the delicious slow-cooked baked beans my neighbor brought over for us.

Listening to: the television from the other room. The announcer just said, "Get ready for the craziest redneck bash ever! You have GOT to see this." Um, I don't think I do, and what on earth is John watching in there??!! I think he is channel flipping now that the Sox game is over. Now it sounds like he is listening to..KISS?

Craving: nothing at the moment--I have gotten what I wanted all day--glorious weather, time spent in the garden and hammock, now a little computer time. Purrr....I am completely content.

Worried About: my boss and one of my co-workers, for various reasons.

Missing: my mother--was thinking about her yesterday and today

Wanting to: get comfy on the couch and read

Reading: Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which I am loving and savoring every poetic image and sentence.

Addicted to: gardening

Dreaming about: what my nasturtiums will look like once they have grown, bloomed and trailed up the fence

Rainy Friday Night Fill-In

Doing the Friday Fill-In

Nice easy to fill in sentences this week, for my poorly operating brain this evening(going to bed as soon as I am done)

1. I'd like _____________to try to write one blog entry a day for an entire week. One down...six more to come?

**

2. One of my most favorite romantic memories is _________was when my then boyfriend(now husband) J surprised me by leaving a white crocheted string bikini(I had been lusting after it after seeing it in a store and had mentioned it to him) and four brand new tires for my car(which I needed badly at that time) on the floor of my apartment with a note explaining his gift(s) before he left for a month for a job in another state. I had to get rid of the bikini years ago(no way would or could I wear that now!), the tires have been replaced(as has the car--a little red Renault!), but I still have that note saved in a special box.

**

3. Last night, I had __________spaghetti w/ J's marinara sauce for dinner.

**

4. Sorry for the _____________long absence(yet again) from Blogger.

**

5. Can we(I) ______________ resume regular blogging now?

**

6. One of my worst temptations is ________the six-pack of freshly made eclairs from the market around the corner from work; ________seeing them in their gooey, chocolatey glory is hard to resist! (I ate two before my supper tonight, in fact. Hey-it's Friday.)

**

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____sleep(I was out until midnight last night, so need to catch up), tomorrow my plans include _____grocery shopping(as boring as that sounds, but is an absolute necessity at this point because the fridge and cupboards are pretty bare) and Sunday, I want to _____get out with the dog for a long hike(if it isn't raining)!

Filling it in....

It's Friday Fill-in time, courtesy of Janet. (even if you don't want to participate, check out the link to the Friday Fill-in page to view the adorable Canine Valentine)

1. Pickles _____________and potato chips are the perfect complement to a tuna sandwich lunch(make that a tuna on toast sandwich-- my favorite at home Saturday lunch).

2. I am so glad to be at_________ at home (TGIF!, Even if I am working Saturday--my third in a row--so no "tuna-on-toast-with -a -pickle-lunch" for me tomorrow).

3. The snow is __________ just perfect this afternoon for making snowpeople. And snowballs.

4. I almost always feel at peace and happy when I am out_____________ in nature.

5. It's 5:16 PM; that means ______________ it's time for cocktails!

6. A record store________ is hard to find these days (believe it or not, there is one still in business in the little shopping plaza where I work).

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____writing a blog entry(it feels good, after a few days where I was unable to do it),

and...cocktail hour(Pomegranate Cosmopolitans, anyone?),

tomorrow my plans include _____ work and then a pre-Valentine's Day dinner out at a secret location I chose(my husband reads my blog --"Hello, Dear.."--and I can't disclose any of the details for that reason)

and Sunday, I want to _____make heart shaped pancakes for breakfast and ,

eat fortune cookies

and watch the Zamboni! (my daughter's school chorus is singing the National Anthem on the ice at the Providence Bruins (farm team for the Boston Bruins) hockey game on Sunday and we have front row seats at the game, which happens to fall on the beginning of the Chinese New Year, as well as Valentine's Day)

I am....

i am

glad to be home finally after driving north to some rural area(got lost a little, too) to cheer on R at the cross-country race (very hilly course which was tough for all the runners, including my daughter), and then waiting by the roadside for an hour and fifteen minutes for AAA roadside service after my sister's tire got a flat. At least we had a good sisterly chat(with my sister doing most of the chatting, of course) during the drive up and back and then standing outside in the windy(and thankfully warm) fresh air.

i feel

a little foggy and and "out of it" but otherwise relaxed(if a little grungy and in need of a shower--see "I want" below) and ready for this evening's trick-or-treaters. I dumped out all the candy into two large bowls and even though I always think I didn't buy enough, it now looks like we may get stuck with too many left-over Nerds and Sweet Tarts.

i eat

a "naked" gingerbread man (never did decorate them)

i want

to take a shower soon and do a little pampering--maybe paint my toenails and slather on some nice scented lotion(something a little strong and spicy and Halloween-ish?). I feel a little grungy from being outside all that time, with the wind swirling the leaves and surely some roadside dirt around. Want to feel all comfy, clean and yes, a little sexy this Halloween Eve.

i need

to drink some water--have a slight headache and think I am a little dehydrated. A few whiskey and cokes last night out for cocktails with Mr. F, and then drinking too much coffee all day so far is probably why....

i watch

I think we'll watch "Murder By Death"--that old Neil Simon murder mystery spoof movie from the 1976(got it from Netflix this week in the mail). I remember going to see this in the cinema way back...then. ;-) And I have never seen again it since. Thought it would be a good, safely non-scary flick for tonight(I don't do horror movies, usually)

i listen

Loreena McKennit. Her music is so appropriate for this time of year, and I love the way she and the other musicians blend Celtic and Middle Eastern music.

Bonfires dot the rolling hillside

Figures dance around and around

To drums that pulse out the echoes of darkness

Moving to the ancient sound

Somewhere in a distant memory

Images float before my eyes

Of fragrant nights of straw and of bonfires

And dancing until the next sunrise

**********

I can see the lights in the distance

Trembling in the dark cloak of night

Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing

A waltz on All Souls Night

***********

Figures of cornstalks bend in the shadows

Held up tall as the flames leap high

The green knight holds the holly bush

To mark where the old year passes by

********

Bonfires dot the rolling hillside

Figures dance around and around

To drums that pulse out the echoes of darkness

Moving to the ancient sound

*********

Standing on the bridge that crosses

The river that flows out to sea

The wind is full of a thousand voices

They pass by the bridge and me

~~~" All Souls Night"

Loreena McKennitt

More Blah

I hate that my mood and well-being can so easily be affected by the weather, but I feel like I am half alive these days because of the same old grey that I see when I open my eyes every morning(such a strange summer, since the middle of June around here--dark, barely ever any sun and fairly cool). I haven't even been into blogging or visiting blogs lately. The only good thing I can say is that at least this weather is good for the skin(no sunburns possible) and we haven't had to use extra energy use for fans. I wear a light sweater when I leave for work every morning!

Here, a limpid attempt at a blog this morning:

i need

............. to bake in the hot sun , like a lizard

i want

....to feel energized and light-hearted

i listen

.....It hasn't started yet today, since she is still sleeping, but....every day since his death was announced, R plays Michael Jackson songs in her room. They are kind of imprinted on my brain at this point. She is slightly obsessed, which Mr. F remarked made him feel even sadder about the death. Just some birds outside the window is all I hear now. And my typing on this keyboard--sounds quite loud in the otherwise quiet house. Oh yes..also some gentle snoring sounds from Mr. F in the next room.

i feel

....at loose ends and lethargic

i watch

....nothing. No movies or TV lately. Just not interested.

i play

hmmmm....PLAY. I need to do that.

i read

Daphne DuMaurier's "The Birds" (the short story Hitchcock's film was loosely based on) the other night before bed. Now every time I see a bird, I have to think of that chilling story.

i eat

a slice of pumpkin bread and a banana

Sunday Stealing: The ABC Meme

Just getting this in before Sunday is over. Something new for me--Sunday Stealing! Go here, if you want to play along, too.

******************************************************
A – An advantage you have – artistic talent ( especially when it comes to playing Pictionary)
B – Blue or brown eyes – Brown
C – Chore you hate – washing dishes by hand
D – Dad’s name – John
E – Essential start of your day – Cawfee, of course....
F – Favorite color – orange shades
G – Greatest thing you’ve ever done that made you feel really good – Um, let's keep that between me and Mr. F, okay? ;-)
H – Habit you have – leaving things until the last minute
I – Issue you hate that the world tries to make you pursue – fitting my square peg into the round hole(learning more and more as I age to totally ignore that, though)
J – Job title – I don't even have one, really. Glorified Artistic Retail Laborer? Muddled Mom? Dog Walker. Poop Picker-Upper?
K – Kohls or Target – Kohl's, simply because there is one near us now...
L – Living arrangements – "our house..is a very, very, fine house, with one dog in the yard, life used to be so hard.... until I got lucky and married my soulmate and now have a nice little family unit of my own and a roof over my head..."
M – Music you like – Melody Gardot
N - Nicknames – Teena Beena, Tee
O – Overnight hospital stay – three times
P – Pet Peeve – drivers in cars absentmindedly doing stupid things while talking on their cell phones
Q – Quote that you like most – "Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time." ~ Steven Wright (the brain behind my blog title "I was trying to daydream..." quote, too...)
R – Right or left handed – right
S – Siblings – younger than me
T – Time you wake up – 6:15 or so....
U – Underwear – under where?
V – Vegetable you dislike – beets
W – What makes you run late – my blog and your blog!
X – X-rays you’ve had –too many, and quite a few in just the last six months
Y – Yummy food you make – Chicken Pomodoro(with a nice creamy vodka sauce)
and lastly....

Z – Zoo animal – Slow Loris

There was a Loris shown recently on R's Cute Overload page-a-day calendar--can't get the pop-eyed little critter out of my head.

Another thing I can't get out of my head is that Michael Jackson song "Rock With You" that R downloaded from iTunes and played a short while ago in the living room, along with her version of Jackson-style dancing which didn't quite work being that she had sticky feet on our bare wood floors.

Yes, R is fascinated with the life, music and demise of poor Michael Jackson and is interested in learning anything she can about him and I think she watched his videos over and over on Saturday because they were shown all day long on TV. (she was already a fan, after we gave her the 25th anniversary "Thriller" album last year)

She has invited a friend over tomorrow so they can watch a taped Michael Jackson special together. This is the friend who told R today on the phone that Jackson "was hot when he was black." Loved that!

I Am

I Am.....

*Feeling: weathered and a little old today (arrgghh..my back!)

*Wearing: dark red cotton sateen shirt with black trousers-not very spring-like, I know...

*Drinking: lukewarm coffee (too lazy to refresh my cup)

*Eating: one nearly burnt(how I like it) English Muffin with butter and apricot jam

*Listening to: blue jays and robins outside my windows, and the Weather Channel on TV from the other room. R leaves it on all the time and it takes me a while to realise that the bad, soft, so-called jazz music and the repeated phrases about the forecast are being burnt into my brain.

*Craving: a creative spell to come over me--want to get back into that feeling of time stopping when I create art. I have been neglecting that part of me out of laziness(first need to clean off my work space...again!), a kind of fatigue about it, and basically feeling uninspired.

*Worried About: not so much right now--feeling like everything will work itself out for everyone I have been worrying about lately

*Missing: my three cherries pin/brooch that I was going to wear with this shirt today. I can't understand how it has disappeared. I am messy about lots of things, but there are certain things--my car/store keys and my jewelery--which always go back to the same place.

*Wanting to: be productive this week, as far as little projects go.

*Reading: I didn't read anything all weekend...unusual for me. Not even the Sunday paper...

*Addicted to: gardening, which has been bad for my back, since I was stooped over, crouched over for most of the weekend. (I said the same thing when I did this fill-in last year at about this same time of year, interestingly..)

*Dreaming about: my plants blooming in a few weeks and not having to buy flowers , but cutting my own from my own garden.

**Okay...need to turn the TV off(yep, Weather Channels' still on..) and walk Miss Jewel (while it isn't raining..)

If you have read this far, I'll tell you a little secret! There is a ghost in the shed window..!

Not really, but I almost spooked myself when I clicked on my picture(the old shed at top) to see it larger, just for the heck of it(and to delay walking the dog).

I thought--was it really there?--an arm!

Then realised it was my own reflection in the part of the window that wasn't broken and missing. I can see my own claw-like hand holding the camera and a little bit of my head.

i watch
The fat, wet snowflakes falling and coating the ground in white (yes, it was 60*F here just 24 hours ago and my daughter was walking around practically barefoot)

i need
to fold and sort laundry...soon.

i want
oh..lots of things! But I am going to restrain myself since I gave up any "extra curricular" shopping (meaning anything besides the necessities like food and toothpaste) for Lent.

i listen
Message of Love by the Pretenders on the radio ("oh it's good, good, good...like Brigitte Bardot!")

i feel
lighthearted in spite of the gloomy weather and bad atmosphere at work today

i play
"Find The Treat" with the dog. Today it was a fragrant chunk of Monterrey Jack cheese she had to sniff out--it was hidden on a window sill and it took her about two minutes to find it. One of these days I am going to have to tape her while she plays this game--she is so hilarious. We make her stay in a room behind a closed door while the hiding spot is chosen, and when she hears the "okay!" she comes bolting out of there down the hall and frantically sniffs every spot she can think of in the living area.

i read
re-reading Haven Kimmel's wonderful memoir of her growing up years in Mooreland, Indiana(population 300) in the 60's and 70's, "A Girl Named Zippy".

i eat
pita bread and hummus (ack! I wish the husband had bought plain hummus and not this olive flavored one, though)

Wait! There's more--a Manic Monday trio of questions, courtesy of Fleur De Lisa.

What would you do with an extra hour each day?

I would like to say I would be productive and creative and create art with that extra 60 minutes, but more truthfully--I would just like to sleep that one extra hour.

Do you wear a watch?

No, I don't. I have one but just don't care to wear it and have to remember to wear it. I have always gotten by without one and have developed a pretty good sense of what time it is without one. And with a clock in my car , on the computer, cell phone and surrounded by plenty of watch-wearing humans, I can usually know what time it is, anyway.

If it was possible, would you want to know how many days you had left to live?

That would be too much doom to deal with. I would rather not know. I know my life could end any moment, but would rather think I had some time. Besides, having a clock ticking down on my life's remaining hours would add stress and make life less enjoyable. Which makes me think of those "last request" dinners prisoners eat before an execution. I am sorry--if I knew I was going to be killed, I don't know that I could relish eating anything!

This is almost a "oh-woe-is-me", cranky Sat. morning entry. I was asked to come in to work today and even though I of course was looking forward to not being at that place for two days (especially after a crazy and exhausting Friday on the job), I said "why, yes I would come in."

i need
more time..more time to get things done here at home and more time in general.

i want
a job where there isn't so much drama sometimes. Not having to deal with the general public might be nice for a time, too. (yeah, yeah...I know deep down that I am lucky to have a job in this economy...but....gotta complain anyway.)

i listen
to silence on a Satuday morning. No birds singing, everyone else asleep...only the hum of the monitor.

i feel

drained and lifeless today--not the best way to begin the day.

i watch
it becoming lighter outside-- the sky a gentle baby aspirin peachy pink behind the trees

i play
not so much lately--being on the internet for a half hour this morning is as close to playing as I might get today.

i read
Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress by Susan Jane Gilman--got through two chapters only so far and nearly dropped it in the tub last night.

i eat
some Trader Joe's boxed granola cereal and milk--not as good as I had hoped. Need (more time!) to make some granola from scratch...

*Update:

I am now at work and determined to be in a better mood. As I drove in, I listened to a radio account of living conditions in North Korea and the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe. Makes my pitiful complaining seem pretty lame.

I am, I Said

* cue a little Neil Diamond music??

I Am.....


Wearing: pajama bottoms, tank top and an old grey hoodie-- I just took an evening shower.

Drinking: nothing right now, but made a white Sangria today and ended up sipping that slowly all afternoon.

Eating: ate supper an hour ago...my pasta salad and the delicious slow-cooked baked beans my neighbor brought over for us.

Listening to: the television from the other room. The announcer just said, "Get ready for the craziest redneck bash ever! You have GOT to see this." Um, I don't think I do, and what on earth is John watching in there??!! I think he is channel flipping now that the Sox game is over. Now it sounds like he is listening to..KISS?

Craving: nothing at the moment--I have gotten what I wanted all day--glorious weather, time spent in the garden and hammock, now a little computer time. Purrr....I am completely content.

Worried About: my boss and one of my co-workers, for various reasons.

Missing: my mother--was thinking about her yesterday and today

Wanting to: get comfy on the couch and read

Reading: Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which I am loving and savoring every poetic image and sentence.

Addicted to: gardening

Dreaming about: what my nasturtiums will look like once they have grown, bloomed and trailed up the fence.