Friday was Jeff's birthday. We walked down the hill and had lunch at Sedona Tap House. Later we went to Taylor Farm for DPF. Our DPF's are winding down--maybe three or four more.
As we were getting ready to leave, someone mentioned how beautiful the sky looked. I took these photographs.
Then, home for a dinner of penne a la vodka, per Jeff's request.
More passages.
Nikki Giovanni:
It's lonely. Writing. But so is practicing tennis or football runs. So is studying. So is waxing the floor and changing the baby. So is life. We are less lonely when we connect. Art is a connection. I like being a link. I hope the chain will hold.
Dorothy Allison:
One time, twice, once in a while again, I get it right. Once in a while, I can make the world I know real on a page.
bell hooks:
As I wrote, I felt that I was not as concerned with accuracy of detail as I was with evoking in writing the state of mind, the spirit of a particular moment.
Natalie Kusz:
A song began with one voice--Mom's or Dad's opening out for two notes. By the third, the rest of us had it and added our parts, Mom switching to alto and taking me sometimes with her, the children's voices and the adults' mixing and widening out, a cappella. My father's head dipped side to side, like a swimmer leaning into his strokes, bellowing out tenor and baritone from the deep, ringing taverns of himself. Mom lifted up her face, taking in air, moving back into the melody, and from her we children learned our own sopranos, the true and unmuffled phrasings, the tones directed by breath and sustained until our very bones and their hollows resonated and increased with the joy of them.
I believe that Julia Cameron used the term archaeology in The Artist's Way about finding things in your past that hampered your creativity. I also remember the concept of mining your journals. A few weeks ago, I wrote that I found a box of things to go to Goodwill. I also found a small duffel bag of notebooks. I had previously found a matching bag (both giveaways from an Arizona Diamondbacks/Atlanta Braves game that Jeff and I attended back in 1998) with stories and pieces of novels that I had written. I had skimmed through those notebooks, tossed a few, but kept those with things that I thought I could use.
In the latest bag, I found some journals of morning pages, as well as notebooks from various retreats and courses. I found some old poems that I typed up (including Ode to a Nike Commercial or Why I Love Tom Glavine.) I also found some phrases in exercises that I used to write poems. One was: the arm around my waist became a chain.
I've gone through over half of the notebooks. Some, I tossed outright. Some, I threw away pages and now have smaller notebooks. I'll type up some poems or use found phrases to generate new poems.
A few things are consistent in my pages. There is never enough time. Which means I have to find, make the time. I also need other writers around me--retreats have inspired and supported me. I guess my class gives me some support. I need to find more.
Time has always been elastic. That's why we have expressions such as "time flies when you're having fun" and "a watched pot never boils."
Covid-19 has warped our nature of time more. Since I worked part-time with a sporadic schedule, I probably had the easier time adapting to sheltering at home than many. I also had reasons to go outside with Lola. When Jeff was working from home, I had a feeling of separation of the week from the weekend.
But mostly everything is off-kilter. It's hard for me to believe that it will be October by the end of the week. Despite the string of hot, humid days, I feel that we've somehow missed the summer. I miss art shows, book sales, and concerts.
Even each week seems longer. It seems like months since my last writing class: it was Monday.
Melissa my sister-in-law recently said something along the lines that we only go one place a day rather than going to several different places.
With that idea in mind, here is a summary of my past week.
Monday: writing class
Tuesday: grocery shopping and collage/mixed media class
Wednesday: laundry and virtual suffrage lecture
Thursday: made a double patch of vodka sauce for Jeff's birthday, painter/repairman came over to fix leak in living room ceiling
Friday: miscellaneous cleaning, get dessert for Jeff's birthday, dog park Friday.
Imagine all the other things I might have done.
The Animal Control Officer called me today to find out if I had any additional information about the puppy we found Sunday. She was in bad shape, and he was concerned there could be more puppies. Unfortunately, I couldn't help him.
She is 9-10 weeks old, infested with fleas, and suffering from two types of worms. She is currently being treated by a vet.
The ACO thanked me for calling the police. I am thankful that Jeff saw her.
Although we don't know details, Lola clearly had a bad beginning to her life. I hope the puppy will end up with people who will love her as much as we love our Lola.
As I wrote previously, I found many wonderful passages in this book.
Mary Antin:
It's been a while since I wrote about movies I've watched, so here goes.
Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey: I'm not familiar with the comics and didn't see Suicide Squad. This was kind of fun, but I absolutely hated Margo Robbie's (Harley Quinn's) voice. Unfortunately, she's the narrator.
JoJo Rabbit: We enjoyed this movie and its quirky mixture of comedy and drama. Example: Adolph Hitler as JoJo's imaginary friend.
Kind Lady: I watched this for Basil Rathbone who starred as a conman posing as a poor artist in an attempt to fleece a generous art collector. He recruited a fake wife, doctor, friends and borrowed a baby for his scheme. I caught a problem early in the film when Rathbone's character went to get a doctor. Of course he brings his crony. How would a homeless artist know a neighborhood doctor? Fun Fact: the doctor was played by Murray Kinnell who was memeorably killed by Jimmy Cagney in The Public Enemy. Kinnell also recommended Bette Davis to George Arliss for a role in The Man Who Played God. That was Bette's big break.
Miller's Crossing: This is a Coen Brothers film that I've wanted to see for a long time. We watched it tonight, and I want to see it again. On the surface, it's a battle between Irish and Italian gangsters. But, there's a lot more going on than that.
Eyes in the Night and The Hidden Eye: I've seen these movies before and wrote about the first here. I liked these films and wished the series had been longer. I did miss Allan Jenkins and yes, Mantan Moreland, who were in the first, but not the second film. Moreland was funny in his talks with the German Shepard Friday. Friday is the best character in the film.
After brunch, we walked Lola around the neighborhood. We were coming up the hill by the hospital when Jeff said, I think there's a dog in there.
I'm not sure how Jeff saw her, but I'm glad he did. We sat down and talked to her. She didn't respond except she drew back when Lola got too close. We were afraid that if we tried to grab her, she would panic and take off, possibly into the street.
I called Animal Control, but it's closed until tomorrow. Next I called the police. In the meantime, two hospital workers stopped by. One had water and the other found a cup and poured some water for the puppy. She wasn't interested in the water, but seemed comfortable enough to sleep even with us nearby. A police officer came by about 20 minutes after I called. The husky was very docile. The officer just pulled her from the bushes to take her to Animal Control. She didn't have a collar.
We wish we could have brought her home with us for the night, but Lola wouldn't have been welcoming to her (to say the least.) I hope she finds someone to love her as much as we love Lola.
Bonus cuteness: Lola sleeping on Jeff's lap.
I was washing dishes when Jeff came into the kitchen and told me he had bad news: Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. I'm sorry to admit that the first thing I said was couldn't she have held on for a few months. Trump and McConnell will try to force a replacement through the Senate. I am afraid of the result.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg deserves more than the fear of who could replace her. Yet I can't help but be fearful.
Today is Jeff's and my 32nd wedding anniversary. We might have taken a mini vacation somewhere, but with Covid-19 lurking about, it's not worth the risk.
It will be a low-key day. We'll take Lola out for a long walk on the NRVT in Wilton. We have early dinner reservations at 5:30. We took our time deciding where to go: we still aren't comfortable eating indoors and checked several menus. Luckily, the weather will support outdoor dining.
We ultimately decided on Basso. We've eaten there several times before; the food is always good. I just checked out its most recent menu updated Tuesday. It looks good.
I'd also like to do some writing today.
Happy Anniversary to us.
Yesterday I started another fiction writing class offered by the Norwalk Library--the third consecutive class via Zoom.
Our teacher Kim Kovach talked about a French literary techinique called Oulipo, using constraints or structures to create works. This class is larger than the last class, so Kim has extended the class time from 1.5 to 2 hours so we can all read.
We did an in-class exercise using dialogue only to write a one-page story. The set-up is: the doorbell rings; a character answers the door and says, "Oh, it's you again."
Homework for next week: write a two-page story about a character who finds a note on his/her car windshield. I'm finding it challenging to get an idea. Wow, I just got one and wrote a few lines.
Today I started a class at Rowayton Arts Center: Mixed Media and Collage. It's one of two in-person classes this fall, limited to six students (we have five.) The other four students have more art experience than I have, but I'm not intimidated by that. They are open and friendly, and the class was a lot of fun. Our instructor Mari Gyorgyey encouraged us to bring in older artworks which we can re-purpose. I'm excited to try some new techniques.
The local fowl finally seem to be cooperating with my photography. I just wish I could get closer.
I've been trying to get pictures of egrets and herons during our walks with Lola at Oyster Shell Park for the past few months. These aren't great; I can't get close to the birds, but I'm relatively happy with these shots.
Here are some new items at hero's rock on the NRVT.
I couldn't get a clear picture of a rock painted with "Thank you Dr. Fauci."
This is the second book of the Gideon Crew series. I discussed the first book here. It's only been two months, but I don't remember many of the details after the setup. I picked up this book because I wanted something completely different from my last book, Writing Women's Lives.
I continue with the opinion that I don't particularly like Gideon. He doesn't have the charm of Agent Pendergast or the appeal of other Preston & Child characters. There's a lot of action that kept me reading. It was only in the last hundred pages that I really got into the story when Gideon and his partner learned that the official story of their investigation was all wrong.
Tonight I listened to the first of four installments of this program presented by the Ridgefield Library and the Ridgefield Historical Society.
This session focused on the background to and the work of the first wave of suffragettes from Seneca Falls and beyond. I was happy to hear about the contributions of Lucretia Mott, who is often neglected in these discussions, and that she was the first woman VP candidate in US history (I didn't know that.)
I only found out about this program after I bought some suffrage stickers, a pin, and a magnet from The History List, a website I found by chance.
Can't wait to learn more about Alice Paul.
My first to-do yesterday was to go grocery shopping, but I had a fitful night's sleep. I woke up around 4:30, 5:30, 6:30, and 7 with an annoying dream rather than getting any kind of restful sleep. I blew off shopping. I knew I had enough food to make dinner though we didn't have breadcrumbs for the chicken Parmesan. Oh well, the prep was easier without them.
I was also going to clean the kitchen floor. Instead I helped Jeff look for his passport and then trashed/shredded a few of my mother's files. I rooted through the closet of our second bedroom. I put away teaching/tutoring materials, I got a box of things out for Goodwill--it's accepting donations again.
Today, I went food shopping, but realized the spill in the refrigerator that I found on Monday was not a localized spill, so I cleaned the whole refrigerator as I put away the groceries. I did the laundry (three loads) but the kitchen floor remains dirty.
As Scarlett O'Hara says, "Tomorrow is another day."
The Mets are three games under .500 and 2.5 games out of a playoff position. But they looked very good in yesterday's 14-1 win over the division rival Phillies.
The Mets offense is typically deficient in Jacob deGrom's starts: 14 runs is a near miracle. I wish they could save some runs for future starts. deGrom pitched well enough to win at least two of his games that the bullpen lost.
Yesterday deGrom was brilliant earning comparisons to Tom Seaver, the greatest Mets player ever.
In this shortened baseball season, we'll enjoy all the deGrom that we can get.
Subtitle: An Anthology of Autobiographical Narratives By Twentieth Century American Women Writers
This is another library book sale bargain: $1.00 and among the 19 books I had in house when our Covid-19 sheltering started.
I picked up this book after Cleopatra because I liked that it had several short passages. I was exposed to many authors whom I hadn't read before. I really enjoyed reading Mary Antin (1881-1949.) I had never even heard of her.
I bookmarked another 11 passages--more accurately parts of passages that I will write about in future posts. Some marked beautiful writing such as a description of a family singing in the car on a road trip (that I read this morning in the last entry of the book.) Others marked insights that I want to remember.
All in all, an excellent selection.
Labor Day weekend is here and the weather is beautiful. We took Lola for a long neighborhood walk this morning and saw our doggie buddies, Dylan and Jack.
Then Jeff and I headed out to United House Wrecking. The iconic "store" (it's so much more than a store) is going out of business. I may have only gone there five or six times, but I feel close to it because my friend Elaine's family ran it. Jeff bought a book of poems by Milton. I felt compelled to buy something too. I chose a grab bag of religious medals which inexplicably included a diabetic charm and a Taurus charm.
I felt ridiculously guilty leaving Lola alone. I can't remember the last time Jeff and I went out together without Lola. I looked through my blog and my engagement calendar. It was February 27th: we went out to dinner at Peaches with our friend Marti. Peaches was closing on March 1. About a week before that we went to Fat Cat before it closed. So silly for me to feel guilty.
After we left United, we drove a few minutes to Lock City Brewery, but it wasn't open. We picked up Lola and went up to Heibecks Stand and picked up lunch and went over to The Redding Beer Company to eat it. I checked beforehand that it had outdoor dining. Usually we get food to take-in and eat inside. It's always been dog-friendly. We made sure to get a side of bacon because Jeff told me that today is International Bacon Day.
We had been planning to go to the Wilton loop of the NRVT, but wanted to go to Paganos before it closed to get cooked lobster: I'm going to make lobster risotto for dinner. After we got the lobster, we took Lola to Oyster Shell Park for a loop. We'll go to NRVT in Wilton tomorrow.
Back home to watch a belated Kentucky Derby.
I've been reading The Frugal Girl blog for about six months. Laura Vanderkam linked to it. She had linked to it previously, and I felt as if I lived in a different world. One commenter said a $8 haircut was a frugal fail. Others talked about all the elk, deer, and moose in their freezers. This time around, I've found more content relevant to me. I tried Misfit Market from this blog. It didn't work for us, but I was glad to try it. I got a good idea from the blog to juice lemons and limes as they're starting to go bad, and freeze the juice.
At first I thought I wasn't particularly frugal. I spent a lot of money on groceries for just the two of us. I also live in an expensive part of the country.
But I do have some frugal things in my life. As I wrote before, I usually only buy clothes on sale. The link tells of an exception. My purchases this year have been on sale.
I like water crackers. The Carr's brand cost about $4 a box. I found that I like the ShopRite and Trader Joe's brands just as much. They are less than half of the cost of Carr's. We buy box wine. We really like Bota Box wine (most selections.) We get the equivalent of four bottles for $20.
You have to start somewhere.
I became a Mets fan long after Tom Seaver's heyday. In my Mets experience, Tom was a mediocre announcer.
Of course, I've heard of this pitching brilliance. He is hailed as one of the greatest pitchers of all time. I wrote down a quote from Larry Bowa of the Phillies, but managed to lose it. I think it was, "He was like Greg Maddox, except in the upper 90's." Impressive.
The Mets should have never traded Seaver; he should have thrown the first no-hitter for the Mets. (No offense to Johan Santanna.)
It was sad that Tom Seaver couldn't celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1969 World Series win last year. But Mets fans (even newer ones) will never forget Tom Terrific, The Franchise. Here's why.
Besides the calendar, I can tell it's September by seeing pumpkin flavored latte commercials. I've also started seeing Halloween candy, etc. in the stores last week.
I love September. It's a new beginning of the school year, the start of autumn, Jeff's and my anniversary, and Jeff's birthday, among other family celebrations. September is especially welcome after two months of hot and humid weather, although we're not done with that quite yet.
In a moment of hyperbolic melodrama, I could say that Covid-19 has stolen my spring and summer. It's true that I've missed out on many things, but they pale compared to what others have suffered. That's why I bitch about what I missed in my private journal. Technically, we still have three weeks in summer, though I don't think that I can make up for summer things missed in that time.
Let's look to the future. In two weeks I'm starting another writing class with the instructor I've been working with for two years. I'm also starting an in-person collage and mixed media workshop, socially distant of course. I've also signed up for an online seminar about women's suffrage. I'm psyched for all of these things.
Jeff and I are deciding how to celebrate our anniversary. We're not ready to go away anywhere, though we've been invited to visit Melissa and Karl in North Carolina. We're afraid of what would happen when we come home. We thought about going to Interlaken Inn, but we're not happy with their lack of packages and dining options. So. we'll stay close at home, as we've been doing since the beginning of the year.
September is here, and we'll make sure we enjoy it.
