Tag Archives: postaday2011

Ten things I Know

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1) The first thing I say in the morning sets the tone for the rest of my day.

2) I like to drink the same amount as the person with whom I’m having a conversation.

3) Learning something new is breath-taking.

4)  Kids and pets of any personality are a life bonus.

5) I miss sunshine the minute it goes away.

6) While making a list doesn’t get a job done, it is a deeply satisfying substitute.

7) Recipes with artichokes, lemon, parmesan cheese and butter are going to be good.

8) Memories of good times are fade-proof.

9) If I suddenly am the person I want to be, I might miss the person who is me.

10) Peace on earth, goodwill to men says quite enough.

Deck the Halls

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I didn’t unpack all my Christmas stuff this year since our holiday plans were uncertain. I just pulled out tubs closest to the front of shelves. I figured no lights, no fuss, no bother.

I did hang heirloom ornaments on a bare steel tree with bendable branches on the coffee table and I set up a collection of tabletop trees and draped an old-fashioned double strand of tinsel on the fireplace mantle. Then I propped up the Christmas stockings on the hearth.

I put my blown glass Santa tree topper in a red square vase with a spray of red berries, partridge feathers and bare twigs. I put my old-fashioned paper mache Santa Claus face on a stand on the piano along with a poinsettia wrapped bowl filled with brown wicker balls.

I positioned my 3 foot wood carved Santa by the console and put my snowball ornaments in martini glasses in the china closet and staggered my peppermint candles on the buffet.

Sig said, “Where are the monkeys — that always hold the stockings on the mantle? Where are the lights? Where is the tree?”

That’s when I realized that Christmas is really, really complicated.

Out of the closet

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I took a running start at the new year by cleaning out my clothes closet. Truth be known I couldn’t stuff one more thing in there without everything tumbling all over itself in a limp  attempt to escape.

At the end of the day, I have hauled 5 garbage sacks full of stuff to the Salvation Army thrift store. Somehow resisting the urge to check out their racks, I hurry home to stand inside my clutter-free space and bask in self-righteous smugness.

Oh yeah, sure. I know the drill. Set up three piles – one to throw away, one to give away and one to put back. Be ruthless. Keep it only if it makes me feel and look good. Closet real estate is much too precious to waste on old news. Like I’m sure Oprah must say, Embrace the now or is it, Embrace you in the now?RED-BOWLER-$160

For the most part, the overall impression in my closet is muted, neutral and well-mannered. That is, all except for a short black leather skirt, a silky rosy-scarlet tailored blouse and a red felt bowler trimmed in black.

Show and Tell

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I found a powerful little book called Heart to Heart (2001) on a sale rack at my favorite salvage store.  Forty some poets agreed to pick a piece of art done by a 20th century American artist and write a poem sparked by what they saw and felt.  Editor Jan Greenberg came up with the title because the poems reminded her of “valentines sent from one heart to another.”

Deborah Pope chose Bananas and Grapefruit by Roy Lichtenstein. And take a look at the fun she had. (Both are worth a longer look, click it out.)

plump slump
slug plugBananas and Grapefruit
broke yolk
(hello
yellow!)
sealed in
unpeeled skin
gold fold
fruit suit
sluice of juices
squeezy teases
swelling lemon
jujubeezes
tipped ship
nape shape
goo canoe
peel deal
rind grind
rough slough

slick lick
slow flow
squirt shirt
taste
haste

gulppulp

sweet part

eat
art

PS: I already checked for you. There are a few copies on Amazon.

Tonight

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Our dinner is from Costco.  A heated-up rack of smoked dry rubbed ribs from a vacuum pack along with seafood stuffed portabella mushrooms topped with parmesan cheese and shrimp. I toss up a romaine lettuce salad with radishes and cherry tomatoes and pour a nice white.

It’s so good, I almost think that I did it all myself.

What were they thinkin’

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I remember driving by a corner restaurant on the outskirts of a good-size city in Pennsylvania one summer vacation; it was called Deli Lama. At the time, it was too late for breakfast and too early for lunch, so I didn’t get a chance to see if the menu was as creative as its name.

Delis are pretty scarce in Kansas City. Our badass barbeque joints ran ‘em out of town before their owners could nurture an addiction for pastrami on dark rye. With a couple of exceptions, we’re stuck with restaurant chains that practice portion control and branding strategy over menu choices.  020072d3aaf3b8df13b1ea81dde6e375

The Schlotzsky chain is an example. Recently, the company tweaked its restaurant model to broaden their appeal.

Out went the faux old world look and in came vibrant colors, bold wall graphics and zingy signage.

The chairs are taller, wifi is abundant and everything is just lotz fresher and lotz tastier. The restrooms are easy to find down a hallway; the sign on one door says, Shapely Bunz  and on the other — Manly Bunz.

That’s when I thought, Are these people out of their minds?

Is It Just Me Or …

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For $299.00 you can own this framed archival matted black and white photo of President and Mrs. John Kennedy along side of an original, unsent invitation to JFK’s January 20, 1961 inauguration. Comes with a certificate of authenticity. Quantities are limited.

Kennedy Invitation

Ahhh, c’mon.

Sure, it’s nicely presented and it’s a nice enough photo of the couple. But seriously, what are you supposed to do with it? Put it up on the hallway picture wall to suggest mysterious family connections to unsuspecting guests? Add it to your collection of unsent invitations to other parties? Haul it to the Antique Roadshow in 30 years or so?

Well, just so you know, I’d rather have the waving queen. It’s a 6 1/2 inch solar-powered facsimile of her Royal Highness who flaps her hand for hours if you don’t stop her. She only costs $18.95. (Acornonline.com )

Work in Process

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I spent a good part of the day scraping lime deposits from the bathroom tile in back of the toilet. All the while I worked at really staying mindful to make an unpleasant task less so.

Didn’t work much.

However,  I do have a new-found grudging respect for Lime-Away. I usually steer away from anything that suggests using gloves when applying but Sig’s mother was a big believer in the stuff and I got a nearly new bottle when we cleaned out her apartment.

Too bad she didn’t leave an almost full bottle of Maker’s Mark or something, it would have been a lot easier to stay-in-the-moment.

Happy T-day

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Just before that first Thanksgiving dinner, a wise Native American woman was overheard to say,

Don’t feed them. If you feed them, they’ll never leave.

                       Dylan Brody

                                                                         Image from Awkward Family Photos