Sunflowers

Yea!

The Weaving Studio is complete--as far as I can tell. I still need to hang pictures, but I consider that lagnaippe! Oh, it's so wonderful!

We're Nested

I LOVE my empty nest. I have a weaving studio that is gorgeous.

We have finally finished all the painting and moved all the furniture, so now we have to hang three ceiling fans (electricians coming tomorrow or Wed for that) and hang pictures and we're pretty much done.

I hope my little fledglings enjoy their new nests as much as we are enjoying spreading out in their old one!

I'll have pictures sometime next week after the quilt bee...

Book Review: Vindication by Frances Sherwood

I wish I had enjoyed Vindication more. I was really looking forward to reading it. One of my favorite genres is that which takes a historical person and write fiction about him/her. Or takes a fictional character and writes another story about him/her. Vindication, about early feminist Mary Wollstonecraft fell short for me.

Sherwood said in a little write-up at the end of the book that she enjoys writing fiction about historical characters because (among other reasons) she likes writing "tart dialog." I find that I don't like tart dialog. Otherwise, she's a good writer, Wollstonecraft’s story follows her relationships with different men in different phases of her life. It examines her mental illness. I found it hard to believe, however, that Mary Wollstonecraft would have been such a masochist when it came to men...maybe she was and that means that I don't like her as a person, maybe she wasn't and that means that I don't like the way Sherwood has imagined her...

Recommended for those who are interested in feminist history--or those who like tart dialog.

Before and After

Last Night's Graduates

Beautiful and Happy! We are all so proud!

Today is graduation day!

4 years ago Alysa and Elizabeth participated in the 8th grade graduation. Here is what they looked like.

Etude in c# Minor by Alexander Dorn

This one is a real finger and arm stretcher, but I hope I've done it justice.

Pictures from New Orleans

The storm that kept us from walking around the French Quarter when we go to New Orleans. Luckily it cleared in time for us to go to dinner at Bayona.

Me and the girls in the courtyard of Bayona.

David and the girls in the courtyard.
All of us enjoying our dinner.

In the hotel lobby after dinner.

At the Red Fish Grill with the awesome chocolate bread pudding.




Elizabeth enjoying hers.

Alyssa watching them pour her chocolate onto her bread pudding.


The remains of dessert.

Book Review: Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Rebecca is a chilling book that follows the life of the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter and her experiences trying to outlive the ghost of her predecessor, Rebecca. She meets Maxim while serving in the employ of a Mrs. Van Hopper—a rude American who hires the narrator to be a companion. She hates Mrs. Van Hopper but doesn’t see much other option for herself since her parents died and left her penniless.

Upon Mrs. Van Hopper becoming ill, the narrator and Mr. de Winter strike up a friendship that turns into something more and eventually marry. It’s upon the return to Mr. de Winter’s estate, Manderley, that things start to get interesting and complicated for the narrator. We follow along as she deals with family, the servants and former friends, and attempts to make a happy life for herself and Maxim. The mysterious death of Rebecca haunts the main character though she can’t quit pinpoint why, and we follow her through her daily routine until she discovers what happened and why it’s important to her.

I found the book tedious at points. The writing is very tightly wound up in the narrator’s mind and we follow her thoughts through several permutations of “what could have happened” or “what might be happening” or “what other people are currently thinking about her”, etc. I never felt like putting the book aside, however, but I did find it difficult to get into in the beginning. And it isn’t until around p. 200 (in my edition) that it becomes gripping…and the book is indeed gripping, and I finished the last 200pp in an evening and the following afternoon.

Recommended.

Our first produce

The garden is more of a success this year. We should have a bounty of cherry tomatoes when we get home tomorrow. In the meantime, here are our first two. I think they look pretty darn perfect.

4 towels going to college

I made these 4 towels for the girls to split. I'll also make them 4 wash cloths to split. They are 100% cotton. I think I did a really nice job with the weaving of them because the patterns really came out and the fabric is flat and just about perfect. I'm proud of them.

Finally!

The frenzy is over. I'll have pics of towels tomorrow. Going to New Orleans on Saturday!

Aaaah!!!

So much to do, so little time...

Book Review: The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

I have had such a wonderful run of books lately. The Blind Assassin is yet another great book that I’m listing up there as “one of the best I’ve ever read.”

Three main plot line weave throughout the book supported by newspaper clippings and descriptions of photographs. Very intelligently organized, this could have resulted in a confusing montage of events and descriptions, but instead, Atwood manages to compose a wonderful, very tightly structured, novel that keeps you thinking about it long after you’ve put it down.

Iris Chase Griffen is the novels main narrator. She is the daughter of a wealthy factory owner and marries another wealthy factory owner when her own family’s financial situation becomes dire. She and her sister, Laura, grow up in unusual circumstances and their story told in first person makes up one of the plot lines.

The second plot line is the “current” story of Iris as an old woman dealing with a failing heart and realizing that she will soon die. She must tell the story of her life, Laura’s life, her questionable state of mental health (is she crazy or just much more aware of details than the rest of us) and the mysterious circumstances surrounding her death (covered up suicide).

The third plot line is the novel-within-a-novel, The Blind Assassin, written by two lovers during their rendezvous. A science fiction that occurs on a different planet, The Blind Assassin is created by the lovers together as the talk before having to separate again to their daily lives.

This book is beautifully written. The wry wit of the elder Iris is wonderful, and I found myself underlining passages just to be able to read them again. Atwood is truly a master craftswoman and I look forward to reading her other books.

off to the beach

Yea! Wish it were longer, but even one day is wonderful.

Happy Mother's Day everybody!

Toccata by Kablevsky

In 20 Days...

My house was wrapped/tp'd/rolled last night. We have no idea why. These things usually happen during homecoming as a lark, but since it's senior week at school, I guess the juniors are "getting back" or something. I hate this and am happy that in 20 days I will no longer have children in high school so that stupid pranks like this don't trash my house!

Plan C

Our plan C involves moving all the pots to the back porch. The thief, if so inclined, will have to search our property to find them and then go back there where there is a spot light to pick them up. I do hope this works as I will be very disappointed if they strike again and steal more plants.

I do like the plants back here and this coming weekend we will remove the rose bushes that aren't doing well and rearrange the pots so that they are more aesthetic.

Resting

I'm so upset...

Obviously two pots are emtpy...the one at the very top in the middle has half of the plant removed and the on in the row below it and to the right has about 1/3 of it removed. Time to get a camera, but to what point? To find out who is doing this? Unless we know them, what then?

Silk Scarf

With this blue silk scarf, I took advantage of how the different yarns and colors play with light and created a block pattern that does just that. The darker blue is a boucle yarn, which means it has tiny bumps or circles throughout. It give an interesting texture contrast to the sleek shiny lighter blue. The scarf is luxurious.

It measures 7x70" and sells for $90.

Book Review: The Music Lesson by Katharine Weber

A very quick read. Patricia Dolan tells her story of love, loss, and discovery through a journal written over several days while she is alone in a remote west-coast Irish village cottage with a stolen painting. How she got there and what she does while there is really the meat of the story.

She meets a distant Irish cousin, Mickey O’Driscoll, who she immediately feels passion for and who woos her into participating in his fight against the “English occupation of Northern Ireland.” She consciously assists with the theft of the painting and sits with it while it the Irish liberators are awaiting the ransom money—which doesn’t come and creates an awkward moment in the novel where painful decisions have to be made.

I enjoyed the book, and found Weber’s writing to be very engaging. I was surprised at how quickly I read through the entire book—less than a day start to finish. What I found a little dubious is the use of a painting as collateral for ransom money…maybe I just don’t understand rebel politics. Overall, though, a good read and recommended.

Book Review: Tortuga by Rudolfo Anaya

Tortuga is a bittersweet novel about a 16-year old boy who is injured in an accident and must go to the Crippled Children’s Hospital to recover. Set in the 1950s when Iron Lungs helped keep the most severe polio sufferers alive, this bleak portrait of life in a hospital somehow shines with a luminescence that I found very surprising.

Tortuga uses his spiritual gifts to connect with the “vegetables” in the polio ward and is overcome with the grief of life and suffering he sees there. Driven to despair he contemplates suicide, yet survives and then goes on to become a singer about pain and suffering as well as the beauty of life that he manages to see through his experiences at the hospital.

I’m painting a rather ominous picture of one of the most beautiful books I’ve read. The basic plot-line is as I’ve described above, but the desire to live and fight and be more than you currently are, coupled with beautiful prose, witty characters and an overall joy of living that permeates throughout the book, Tortuga does not leave the reader despairing. Instead, the reader finishes with a sense of hope and confidence in the future.

MMM...tasty?

Book Review: A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin

What an amazing book. Really, truly, amazing.

Cullin imagines Sherlock Holmes at 93: memory failing and facing the end of his life. What lessons and observations will that ingenious deciphering mind come up with when faced with love and loss, and at such a fleeting time that he’s likely not to remember it when he next wakes up or reaches into his pocket for the next snippet of memory placed there at some previous time.

The novel consists of three plot lines. The first is “present day” (1947) Sherlock—93 and just returning from a trip to Japan where he is in search of the elusive prickly ash plant. Here we see Sherlock interacting with his housekeeper, Mrs. Munro, and her son, Roger. Mrs. Munro’s husband was killed in combat in WWII. Sherlock attends his bees, harvesting the royal jelly for its health benefits.

The second plot line follows the trip to Japan where Sherlock meets up with a man whose real purpose for bringing Sherlock to Japan was to find answers about his long-lost father. Sherlock does find a prickly ash plant and cherishes the experience, much of the remainder of the trip is lost to “present day” Sherlock, but the reader gets beautifully written passages about post-war Japan and how WWII not only affected the landscape in Hiroshima but also the minds and souls of the Japanese people.

The third plot line is Sherlock’s own telling of one of his cases that wasn’t recorded by Dr. Watson. In this story, Mr. Keller, strives to find out what is troubling his wife. Sherlock find some sort of fascination or love for Mrs. Keller in his brief encounter with her in a garden, leading to his love of bees and tending of the apiary.

While the description of the separate plots sounds confusing or overwhelming the book is far from that. Very tightly written and organized, I found myself completely drawn into the story of a man whose memory—that thing that has defined him his entire life—is failing and he’s aware of it. The elusiveness of memory, of the bees, of love, of humanity permeates this beautifully written book. It will remain on my shelf.

I wish I had Smell-O-Blog

This is the jasmine we planted last year--there are three bushes on the lattice here, this is the pic of the one in the middle. The smell is amazing.

This is celebration!

Casey's Towels

4 towels for my cousin Casey who is getting married today...they'll arrive a little late, oh well. 100% cotton and soft and wonderful as all the other towels, in aqua, royal blue, natural and beige.

Rosey Bushes

The roses are planted on our back patio. The creeper in the corner (tied up to the trellis) has been a hanger-on since we moved into the house 8 years ago. We cut it back, it didn't grow, we dug it up, or thought so, and left it for dead...only last year it grew back, so we decided to wait and see what would happen. Lovely deep red roses on it.

Book Review: The King's Grace by Anne Easter Smith

The King's Grace is a good read. I've read the two previous books in this series and enjoyed both of them immensely as well.

Smith writes about the time in British history typically called "the war between the roses"--the house of Lancaster and the house of York vie for the throne ending up with the Tudor King Henry VII eradicating the York line.

This installment is told from the perspective of Grace, one of Edward IV's bastard children, who is welcomed at court and plays an important role in this fictionalized portrayal of the mystery of the "boys in the tower" (King Edward's legitimate sons who were placed in the tower by Richard and never seen again).

The story is captivating and despite the fact that the book is so big, you really dig in and want to sit and read and read. I find myself getting to that point with each of Smith's books, and I really enjoy that I have so much to read--I can stay captivated for a long time. The characters are likable--or not when they shouldn't be--and the plot is interesting with enough turns to keep you reading, but not too many so that it doesn't seem plausible.

My only complaint is Smith's attempt at mimicking the middle English vernacular. It couldn't be done and be readable, but the "certes" and "tis" and other such words thrown in for "authenticity" don't ring true with this reader. I find myself overlooking it, though, after a few pages.

I'm happy...

I'm happy that my civic ordeal is over this week. We meet tomorrow, get "released" and then I'll never ever ever have to do that again.

38 days...

In 38 days I won't have to have conversations with either of my daughters about whether they are actually going to do their clothes or just complain about them being dirty...I won't miss that at all...I'm really looking forward to being friendly with them...and not "dealing" with irritableness and gripiness and other teenage ickiness!

Sonatina in C Major, Mvt. I, by Kuhlau

Please forgive the early flubs...other than that I think it's a decent playing.

They didn't ruffle, but they're still pretty

Don't know what happened, but the wool didn't shrink so the scarf didn't ruffle...and since it was so long, I cut it in two, hemmed them and have them for sale here. They are very lovely, soft and silky to the touch. They measure 9x62 and sell for $35 each. The yarns used are rayon, tencel and merino wool.

Alyssa and Elizabeth Go to Prom!

Attempted Theft

There was an attempted theft of one of the flower pots last night, but they didn't get very far, thank goodness. Now I guess we wait and see if they come back with wire cutters or give up the "easy gardening" to another victim.

First Blush

Our first rose of the season.

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

I loved this book.

Gaskell follows the life of Mattie Jenkyns, told from the perspective of a young woman named Mary Smith. Mattie's older sister, Dorothy, dies fairly early in the book and the remainder of the book is about Mattie's relationships with her friends and neighbors and society. They have several adventures including a conjuror, supposed thieves, marriage, love, betrayal, bank failure. But one thing remains constant--good people are appreciated and supported and "win" in the end. Winning doesn't mean that they get rich or have a windfall, but that they are happy.

Gaskell does a wonderful job of creating very life-like and enjoyable characters and presenting a simple story in a manner that did not feel simple. I really enjoyed reading this book and was kind of sad to finish it. I'll watch the mini-series presented by Masterpiece theater in the coming weeks. Looking forward to that as well.

And then 2 more were gone...

In an effort to keep this from happening until there are no more flowers, David has wired all the pots together. How I wish for a night vision camera to catch the thief's surprise when they try to pick up a particular pot and end up with 12 more! Hopefully this will do the trick.

What's missing?

This morning when I opened up the blinds to my front porch I noticed that the prettiest flower pot was missing. Gone. Someone stole our flower pot!

Spinning Song by Albert Elmenreich

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

I made a good choice. It's such a charming book.

I've Given up...Twice

One of the things that I took away from the pursuit of a PhD in American Literature is the complete understanding that I do not have to finish a book if I don't like it. I decided upon deciding to quit that monstrous degree that if I wasn't ENJOYING what I was reading then I didn't HAVE to read it. I had paid my dues, and my time was worth way more than the book was.

I do try, though, to read a book, even if I'm not 100% into it after the first few pages--and how many books can you honestly say have "hooked" you page one (Elegance of the Hedgehog most recently, most not at all). So I do try and give the book a couple of reading sessions--sometimes a couple of days. But when I find that I'd rather do the dishes or clean out my closets than sit and read, I know that I'm just simply not "into" the book.

Recently, I was avoiding Pawn in Frankencense by Dorothy Dunnett. I've read the previous three books in this series and really loved book 3. Book 2 was a challenge to get through, but I chalked a lot of the main character's challenging personality traits to youth and figured that he had gotten over himself some. In book 3 I was not disappointed. It was a gripping and very well-written book. However, book 4 found me totally engrossed in mindless nintendo games during reading time, and after a couple of weeks of making absolutely no progress I decided that it wasn't time for me to read the book, passed it along to David and picked up this month's bookclub selection--which I was really looking forward to reading.

And was quickly and sorely disappointed. The Devil Wears Prada is not my cup of tea. I can barely stand the immature whining baby antics of the main character/narrator, and Miranda is simply a psychotic control freak who somehow manages to produce the top fashion magazine while going around and making everyone's life absolutely miserable. I used to work for a bad boss--granted he wasn't quite as bad as Miranda, but he was pretty awful--and I got myself out of that situation as soon as I could. I wanted to ask the characters, "so what if you don't jump 10 feet when she says to do so? What IF everyone decided to rebel? Why let yourself be so cowtowed? Get another job if this one makes you so miserable!" But since I can't converse with the characters, change the plot or writing style of the author, I decided that I'd read the end and see if there was at least some redeeming change in plot (nothing unpredictable) at which point I decided that the journey to the ending just simply wasn't worth the book. I also have to mention that the book is so stressful that reading it causes me not to sleep well...and that's never a good thing!

So, now after two rough reading experiences, I'll go pick out a new book--I bought several this weekend and am looking forward to each and every one of them. Every book offers so much promise before you open them up. Some of them deliver, some of them don't, but I'm always excited about starting anew and seeing what this new set of characters or plot twists will bring me. I think I'm going to go for something safe, though...something that I know I'll enjoy and will get me over this bad hump...how to make that decision, though...

Gray and Blue Alpaca and Velura Scarf

Heavenly was right. This scarf is so light and soft that you just want to pet it all the time. I used a spot lace pattern which gives the fabric a very airy feel. The fringe is cut short. The scarf measures 6x70 and sells for $75.

Update

I got my "all-clear" letter from the follow-up mammogram. yea!

Towels

These 4 cotton kitchen towels were originally intended for consignment, but my friend Sarah might want them, so maybe they'll stay here in Hattiesburg. They are 100% cotton and made using a twill design that creates a neat plaid look.

update

I got a call-back on my mammogram. I go for another one tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Invention 8 by J.S. Bach

Sorry about the bad picture. I didn't realize how badly the back lighting interfered. I hope you enjoy the piece. I've been working hard on it for 2 months!

I've been busy...

Doing stuff...nothing exciting. Dr's appointments, mammogram, that sort of thing, but I've also been playing on my new piano and loving it...and working on my new set of kitchen towels that I'm going to send for commission along with a few other things that haven't sold here. Today I'm going to lunch with a friend. Work? It's happening too.

But as I said, nothing exciting. Hopefully something will come up before the end of the week.

Update

In keeping with our year of diet and exercise, I'm reporting the results for the end of Month 2:

• David has lost 16 pounds
• I have lost 8.5 pounds
• We find that if we drink alcohol we don't lose weight
• I find that having a dessert once per week is perfect; I don't feel totally deprived and I can always wait until Friday or Saturday for a planned "splurge
• We are going to work on redefining "fun"...we like to go out to eat and have a few drinks and that's how we've unwound (and apparently gained weight)...so the focus for this month is to find alternative ways to have fun so that our priority of losing weight this year can be met

Big News!

I bought a new piano--a real piano. The Clavinova started buzzing for some reason and the music store where I purchased it gave me a full refund, and I applied that towards a very nice Yamaha upright. It's top of the mid-line or bottom of the top-end. Shiny, black. Plays beautifully. I'll have pics up after it's delivered today--probably around 5pm or so.

yea!

Book Review: The Darcy Connection

Elizabeth’s Aston’s books are like a breath of fresh air. I have absolutely loved reading every single one of them. The Darcy Connection follows the lives of Eliza and Charlotte, who are the 20 and 21 year old daughters of Charlotte and Mr. Collins—the cousin of the Bentons who will inherit the estates once Mr. Benton dies.

Eliza must accompany her sister Charlotte to London in order to escape making a bad reputation for herself and potentially ruining her sister’s marriage opportunities. She is carted along as an afterthought without an allowance for clothing and is told not to expect to go out to many dances and balls.

Eliza is actually not unhappy with this situation. She gets to sample the real life of London, finds more characters and circumstances for her parodies of life that she writes secretly under a pseudonym, and she learns that the young man she has been separated from really isn’t a good choice for her husband. And she falls in love with a man who is not only rich beyond her imagination but will also provide her a happy marriage.

Meanwhile, her beautiful sister Charlotte is making the rounds of all the parties and dances and strikes awe in the breast of many a young man. She almost makes a serious misstep, but still manages to make a very good marriage for herself and her family.

Filled with manners, misunderstandings, mores, villains, cranky older women, and mamas without much compunction about putting their daughters “on the market,” The Darcy Connection charms the reader with humor and a feminist perspective of life in early 1800s England. I always enjoy Aston’s books, and this was no exception.

Prelude in b Minor by Chopin

This a moody prelude by Chopin. I've been working on the voicing (making the melody "sing") and think I'm close. Enjoy!

Solfeggietto by C.P.E. Bach

This is the first piece my new piano teacher introduced to me. I liked it immediately and have been working on getting it perfect. It's difficult to get an entire performance without a mistake, and this one is no exception. One tiny blubber on the keys, but other than that it ain't bad. Hope you like it.

Book Review: A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire

A Lion Among Men continues the Wicked series by Gregory Maguire. Focusing on the character of the cowardly lion who accompanies Dorothy to Oz and is her accomplice in killing the Wicked Witch of the West, the book examines the concept of identity and family and how important it is to have a sense of groundedness in a past that pre-exists us yet defines us by placing us into a set of boundaries.

The Lion, named Brrr, is the baby lion cub who Elphaba saves from a despicable scientific experiment. He grows up in the woods without family, somehow surviving and moving on to find what it means to have companionship. He makes a name for himself by playing dead during a riot—the people of Traum herald him as a cowardly hero, provide him with a handsome purse of money and a train ticket to get out of town. He settles in the university town of Shiz where he makes a name for himself as an art connoisseur. He finances his purse well and also becomes somewhat of a dandy.

Things change for Brrr, however, when he realizes that he is ostracized because he is an Animal. Fearing for his life at one point, he leaves Shiz and embarks on a journey to discover his Animal origins and find a place that will continue to define him. He somehow fails at every attempt to find companionship and ends up in the guise of a government recorder of information in order to stay away from jail. It is, ironically, his cowardly nature and his connection with the Wicked Witch of the West that provide him an escape from prison.

It is during this job that he meets up with Yackl. Yackl is a sort of guardian angel sent to guard over Elphaba and her progeny. She becomes lucid and magical at times when necessary and otherwise seems like a crazy loon other times. Interspersed with Brrr’s story is Yackl’s. We learn that she woke up an old woman and had visions, powerful vision, when pertaining to Elphaba and her family. She is waiting to die but doesn’t know how to. Brrr’s job, she learns, is to help her learn to die and hers is to help Brrr learn to live.

The book is a very nice addition to the Wicked series. I enjoyed the writing: Maguire has a magical way with words, so his books are always a pleasure to read. I highly recommend it to anyone who has read and enjoyed Wicked, though it would be helpful to understanding the sequence of events to also read the 3 books in order.

Red Cotton Chenille Scarf

This scarf is soft and fuzzy and is perfect for that cool late fall or early spring evening. I used a merino wool tape in variegated black to white as an accent running along the right side. It shows up on the front but not the back. Fringe is twisted. The scarf measures 8x60 and sells for $50.

4 cotton towels

I think these turned out nice--not as I expected, but I like them. They are VERY soft, and I like the pattern's holes throughout (not sure if you can see them in the picture...try clicking on it and seeing a close-up). They are woven in green, natural and gold yarns with a rust accent. These are a house-warming gift for my friend Jeff.

Fur Elise by Beethoven

I think Fur Elise is such a pretty song, one of my favorites. It's not perfect, but it's getting there. Hope you enjoy.

L'Arabesque by Burgmuller

This is an easy one, but I like it. You'll have to let me know if you enjoy the music...

L'Orage by Burgmuller

This is me playing a L'Orage by Burgmuller. L'Orage translates to "the storm." I have been working on this piece for about 3 weeks and am almost happy with it. There are still a few tempo changes and some dynamics I need to work on, but I do hope you enjoy.

Update

David and I have decided to make 2009 our year to prioritize diet and exercise. To that end we are getting up and exercising every weekday morning. We are also eating a healthy diet that consists of lots of vegies and fruits, all homecooked meals, and very little sweets and alcohol. To date, I have lost 4.5 pounds and he has lost 11 pounds.