School Daze

School has started again. I feel overwhelmed with paperwork, supplies, due dates, and deadlines. I though that mother were supposed to look forward to the beginning of school? I think that I look forward more to the beginning of summer. Maybe I should home school or not. At least then we wouldn't have to get up so damn early. We, who are not morning people in this house, have the earliest school day imaginable and I just have to say that I don't like it. I am missing summer already. I feel crabby tonight. The crack of dawn does not agree with my system.

Vegetable Love by, Barbara Crooker

Feel a tomato, heft its weight in your palm,
think of buttocks, breasts, this plump pulp.
And carrots, mud clinging to the root,
gold mined from the earth's tight purse.
And asparagus, that push their heads up,
rise to meet the returning sun,
and zucchini, green torpedoes lurking in the Saragasso depths
of their raspy stalks and scratchy leaves.
And peppers, thick walls of cool jade, a green hush.
Secret caves.
Sanctuary.

And beets, the dark blood of the earth.
And all the lettuces: bibb, flame, oak leaf, butter-crunch,
black-seeded Simpson, chicory, cos.
Elizabethan ruffs, crisp verbiage.
And spinach, the dark green
of northern forests, savoyed, ruffled,hidden folds and clefts.
And basil, sweet basil, nuzzledby fumbling bees drunk on the sun.
And cucumbers, crisp, cool white ice
in the heart of August, month of fire.
And peas in their delicate slippers,little green boats,
a string of beads,repeating, repeating.
And sunflowers, nodding at night,
then rising to shout hallelujah! at noon.
All over the garden, the whisper of leaves
passing secrets and gossip, making assignations.
All of the vegetables bask in the sun,languorous as lizards.
Quick, before the frost puts outits green light, praise these vegetables,earth's voluptuaries,
praise what comes from the dirt.

Other Movies

I recently re-watched Jim Henson's "The Dark Crystal." My kids and I attended a Jim Henson exhibit at Experience Music Project (EMP) and this got me re-interested in Jim Henson and the kids more interested in him. With that in mind, we rented "Labyrinth" and "The Dark Crystal" this weekend. I watched "The Dark Crystal" late last night when I couldn't sleep, yes I did have a glass or two of wine, but I couldn't help but reflecting on the similarities between the male gelfing and Steven Tyler and the female gelfing and Charlie Watts. Look at the picture comparisons. Maybe it was just late at night or too much wine, but the similarities, with younger rock stars, were there nonetheless. I checked out a couple of other sources on-line. The writers had similar opinions to mine. Was Jim Henson "Rolling Stones" and "Aerosmith" fan, or is this just coincidence???

The Visitor

I am not really sure how I missed this one when it was in the theaters. It has caught my eye several times, but I haven't ordered it until now. What a timely and poignant sleeper of a hit. This is a must see for all Americans. We think that we understand the "immigration problem," I thought that I was enlightened until I saw this movie. This is a truly great viewing on many levels.

Quotable Quotes

The weather in my nook of the country has been up and down and up and down. Sometimes sunny, sometimes sunny and sticky, sometimes rainy, sometimes cloudy, sometimes cloudy, rainy, and sticky all at once and then the surprise sunny again! I haven't been writing lately or tending to my blog or keeping with any routines at all. We have one scant week until our summer ends and school begins. I am not looking forward to early mornings and crabby risings. I am not even looking all that forward to routines. At least in the summer when I am not on the work day routine, I can sometimes sleep in. That will end when school begins.

Humph! so here I sit, pondering which direction I should take this little blog of mine. I have considered doing book reviews. Love to read, I do, but not enough to make it into a review blog. I am devoted pretty much to reading what I like and I think that in order to do quality reviews I would have to stretch myself more than I am willing.

I could review movies, cook my way through a cookbook, rant and rave, review happy hours and restaurants, or spend the year trying new things...I could just continue how I am, in randomness. It suits me for now. Until I get more creative, I will leave you with the following thought:

"Usually terrible things that are done with the excuse that progress requires them are not really progress at all, but just terrible things." -Russell Baker

Santana Soul Sacrifice Woodstock 1969

Happy 40th Birthday Woodstock! I just read that the drummer who does this drum solo, Michael Shrieve, plays here locally in Seattle with a group, Spellbinder. I might just have to go and check him out!

Weekending in August

Ladies enjoying the "Tiny Hat Orchestra" show at SoDo Showbox

Here are my fantastic blueberry pickers

Here are the blueberries that we picked

Here is the awesome pie that we made with the blueberries that were picked by the fantastic blueberry pickers