Good morning, to you!
Lord, am I old. Remember singing that song in early grade school, just before duck and cover drills in the hallway? If so, I guess you’re old, too. I’m creaking this morning-in my joints and my back…Hush, Babette.
The problem is, apparently, I’m not old enough. There will be no inversions for me at yoga today, I fear. What’s UP with this? Remember those studies that talked about the "alpha" females in dormitories, who could get every other female on the floor in sync with her ebb and flow? So, first I had that heated and emotionally charged encounter with the Snarl, then I went home to conduct stressful business and then I sat down to lunch with all those women friends. And although they have ALL, to a one, conquered this phase of life, they still reeked of womanhood in all the best ways. It was one loud happy table full of nurturing, compassionate, funny and loving womankind. We talked about children and parents and yarn and work and books and food and diets and made plans for a giant Lake Michigan sleepover in a few months.
I wallowed in it like a pig in slop.
So, this is my reward. Dammit. Did you know that llamas, rabbits and ferrets all ovulate AFTER intercourse? (Hence, the expression, "reproducing like a rabbit.") Right. Well, that was me. I can tell you this. No woman ever knew more about available methods of birth control than I did, being a one-time learner and all.(Hush, Babette) Now, I’m thinking I’ll make it into the Guinness Book of World Records but I’m still determined to go menopause alone (translation: avoiding finding a new gynecologist in Chicago).
In the meantime, I’ve decided I’m just not very highly evolved. There’s a reason I’m more drawn to garden dirt, the sea and the tides, the moon, the sun and soft fur. It’s a good week when I read The Week in Review. Newspapers are wasted on me. Books, yes. I do indeed read books. I have two good ones going now and thank goodness I finished the De Blasi books, 1000 Nights in Venice and Tuscany. I was just getting fatter and fatter on fine Italian food, reading those. In the end, I was skipping ahead to find the next recipe for Bruschetta rather than read about her life (Mary, it’s on page 247, in the Tuscany book).
Music. I listen to music. AND THAT REMINDS ME! (Okay, I do read the news.) How could thousands of people race past Joshua Bell playing in the Washington, DC metro station and not stop to listen ? Listen, people! I can’t believe it. There is no where on earth I would need to get to so fast that I wouldn’t stop in my tracks and sit down on a filthy floor and listen. (Your turn, Babette. Name that tune.)
Speaking of filthy floors, yesterday we took the homeless youngsters from the family shelter to the Dali Museum. What a hoot. These children, who don’t know peace of mind, security, stability or prosperity? They knew great art. The picture within a picture theme was the one we played on and they delighted in finding hidden symbols, faces and forms in these masterpieces. They sat on the floor absolutely fixated on The Discovery of America, a masterwork painted in 1959. When they heard the story of the sea urchin-like object in the middle of the foreground they gasped. Really. They went, "ah?!" Oh. You don’t know the story? A friend asked Dali why he added that and what it meant, since the painting was already chock full of symbolism and imagery. Dali replied, "You shall see." Just as the painting depicts Christopher Columbus taking that one small/giant step onto America, Dali was predicting something- another small/giant step- that would happen a decade later. When Armstrong stood on the moon, Dali’s friend called him and said, "NOW I understand!" and Dali replied, "What took you so long?" This from a man who said the wing tips of his mustache picked up signals from outer space.
So take a close look at that sea urchin and see the picture within the picture.
I love the time I spend with the shelter children. They always want hugs and laps and all the attention you can give them. I always want lots of Purell at the end of the day. One of my favorites was moving out and on with his mother and sister last night; that’s a good thing. The whole point of the program. But he was sad on the field trip because these other children have become his friends and family while his mother has been getting back on her feet and he has felt secure and happy living there. I will miss him and be hoping for the best.
Anyway, I’m rambling here and going nowhere when actually I’m supposed to be writing a post in response to a meme I got tagged for by Roxanne. And I need to move quickly because the meme is going around this neighborhood like wildfire because everyone is so clever. Except me. I am bloated, earthy, too old but not old enough and so influenced by hormones, pheromones, tides and urchins it isn’t even funny.
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GOOD PLANETS! I’m the hostess this week and I’m looking forward to a slew of beautiful photographs. Maybe I’ll even get some from those of you who read here but don’t know about GOOD PLANETS. Twice this month, on Saturdays, I will be posting your images of this most astonishingly beautiful earth. I’ll probably take advantage of it and remind you of your duty to be a good steward, too. Send your photos; see the side bar. All photos will be sized down enough to allow the post to easily load so you could do me a favor and send them that way, but I can do it (maybe) if they come larger. Speaking of impressionable, here are these darling orphan ducklings that the Snarl raised a couple Springs past. Submitted photos will be about this size.
A Mark On My Wall 
Hi, Vicki,
Just tell yourself, “I will survive.” I did. Love your duckies.
Hi, Vicki,
Just tell yourself, “I will survive.” I did. Love your duckies.
I read this post first. After reading the posts down below, I understand a little more what you’re talking about. I take it all back. NO, not really, and I’m sorry about the double post above. I got a bit anxious with the Post button.
I survived too; took about 6 months and a few hot flashes and night sweats. I wondered what all the fuss was about.
I am glad to know about Good Planets, but how I missed the link before is a mystery.
I’m trying to survive this as an innocent bystander.
I’m planning on medicating through the whole thing. My gyn says I have to keep my weight down, though, which was never a problem until I turned 43 and suddenly put on five pounds.
You are a thinking blogger, V!
1. GAVOTTE EN RONDEAU from Bach’s Partita No #3 in E major
2. I harbor an intense dislike for the “reproducing like a rabbit” phrase.
3. Bach’s 20 children were probably happy that he opposed birth control.
4. Joshua Bell practices yoga and meditation.
5. Hello, Dali! He gives Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516) credit for being the first surrealist.
6. Are photos of children allowed on this Planet Earth business?
Babette:
1. Good job. Can you believe that story? It makes me want to weep.
2. I knew you would. I was merely explaining a biological phenomenon. hush.
3. Musicians must have been better paid then than they are now- especially mendicant violinists and saxophonists.
4. Why am I not surprised?
5. You cannot be the Bosch of me. He was too far gone and grim even for me.
6. Bring ’em!
When my mother married my step-father Sam in 1992, he was already 82 years old. He was still full of life and energy and good cheer. When he would come out of the bedroom in the morning in his short robe, he would sing, “Good morning to you, Good morning to you. We’re all in our places with bright shining faces. Good morning, teacher.” Then he would smile like a very proud six year old. I haven’t thought of that since Sam passed away two years ago. Nice memory.
About Good Planets and people– the original intention of Good Planets was to depict the beauty of the earth through its natural elements sans humans. Somehow pictures of people didn’t seem completely within the framework of celebrating our earth.
You are really going to make me click on the Planet Earth thing (if I can find it) to see what this is about aren’t you. And you are going to leave us hanging about the Abby saga…..aren’t you?
About menopause… sometimes the emotional deal starts before the physical… this happened to me. My emotions went through a prolonged state when Nyssa started puberty, the body just gradually went there… suddenly deciding there were enough hormones for ten months, not eleven or twelve… just ten. Gradually it worked its way down to six months… then two. Then I took the bull by the horns so to speak and put it out of its misery.. or my misery and HYSTERECTOMY! BEST THING I EVER DID! WHY DIDN’T I DO THIS SOONER! Can you tell I was happy with my decision? Although at the time is was simply because the job was ending and I wanted to make use of that health insurance I paid for.
It did fix the Nyssa – puberty, Mom – menopause thing and probably saved both of our lives…. I didn’t kill her and as a result am not in prison. A win ~ win result all around.
So, this birth control, rabbits matriculating, baby ducks and such don’t really mean what my strange mind thought… right? That’s a relief… isn’t it?
Ah, little Joshua Bell! I’ve followed his career since he was a tiny thing. I live only a few miles outside of Bloomington, you see, and my college is IN Bloomington. When he performs in Bloomington now, it’s like old home week; all the people who used to love and support him then, are big fans now. We always were fans, actually. We knew.
The scenario saddens me, but it doesn’t surprise me. And that saddens me, too.
A copy of that Dali painting hangs on our wall but I’d never noticed the sea urchin before.
Thanks for educating me.
I’ve been known to completely drop what I’m doing to listen to a good song on the radio. If I saw Joshua Bell playing on the city street, I’d cancel my plans for the rest of the day and listen. It’s sad that people just don’t appreciate good, spontaneous, live music.
But I’m more musically than visually oriented. I guess I don’t get the significance of the sea urchin.
“You cannot be the Bosch of me.” Oy!
You could host Good Planets with an entire post of your own photographs. Have I told you how incredibly good they are? I’ll start digging up a few for ya but I haven’t been blown away with my photos lately.
Too cute.
Good morning good morning oh how do you do good morning good morning we’re glad to see you we’re all in our places with bright shiny faces oh this is the way to start a new day oh this is the way to start a new day this is the way my mother sang it and she said she had to sing the stupid song every morning in the 50s at hico Elementary School in Texas the Rhythm she use for this song is different than the ones that I found on the internet actually the one that my mother used as a lot better it has a good tune to it anyway everybody have a great day and good morning good morning to you