new learning

spending several days at my favorite professional conference, one i haven't attended in two years. there is just so much to take in, so much new to learn. it's energizing though, as i sit here in stocking feet with room service, reviewing the events of the day and wondering what wonders tomorrow may bring...

flannels

inside, they're pajamas.
outside, they're flannel pants.
but only if you're under 15.
or just running to the end of the driveway to pick up the mail.

the day after thanksgiving

this crystal sight out my window as i wake up entirely too late on the day after thanksgiving. the house is filled with the good smell of turkey stock, simmering all night on the woodstove. it looks like a good day to stay inside and start dreaming of christmas. 

thanksgiving 2010

here's to the lovely quiet holiday with family! roast turkey, pumpkin biscuits, amazing stuffing, squash from the garden, and gravy that didn't have to come from a jar after all! to quote the little girl's favorite thanksgiving song -
thank you, thank you, thank you, let's all say thank you, we will all say thank you, on this special day...

thank you also for kind and loyal readers. you bring special joy to my blogging!

apple pie

overheard in the produce aisle: "i love apple pie! i could even eat it for breakfast!" i chuckle - because i have done just that!

full moon november

late last night, i spent far too much time trying to photograph the moonlight from the almost-full moon. it was mesmerizing, the magical way it flooded the yard and the now-stark woods, seemingly turning night into day. as i grew more and more frustrated with my inability to the capture the scene on film, it occurred to me that i was missing out on the moment. so i packed up my camera gear and went to bed, eyes wide open on the pillow, watching as the moonlight spilled through the windows and across the room and finally, into my dream.

colorless days

it's pretty hard to find any natural color these drab november days. here  are the last remaining leaves of the rugosa rose bush, muted yellow against the rest of the gray-brown landscape. 

takes a lickin' & keeps on tickin' - sort of

this shows what happens to your camera as you're sliding into the driver's seat and it slips from your jacket's left pocket at the precise moment you choose to close the car door. miraculously, it still takes pictures! but unless i revert to using the viewfinder, which seems too pre-digital (and small!) to me, it's tricky to see the subject of the shoot. plus i am always afraid the camera will get jarred and all the jagged pieces of glass i can see in there will splinter out into my pocket. where the camera never should have been in the first place - but always was.

d.o.b.

today i bought a bottle of cough medicine at my local pharmacy. because of some popular active ingredient in it, the cashier is required to ask for and record the buyer's date of birth. now really, i am quite obviously of age for these matters and i am always a tad miffed by this request. my age is simply no one's business. so i rolled my eyes dramatically and blatantly lied about my age, trimming eighteen years from it.  and not only did the clerk believe me, she called me ma'am!

home again

over the weekend, i went home. back to where i was raised, back to see five of six brothers and sisters who lived there with me. it was far too short a time together but it was wonderful. i miss the place but i especially miss them and i wish we had had more time together. now we're again scattered... until summer perhaps.

titled

i remember when i was much younger, the first time some unknown someone addressed me not as miss, as i was accustomed, but as the dreaded older-woman title - ma'am.

can i help you, ma'am? are you finding everything you need, ma'am? thank you, ma'am.

needless to say, i cringed for a very long time when i was addressed as such. but over the years i've grown and evolved into the ma'am designation and have actually worn the title proudly now for decades. so you can imagine my horror as i slowly come to the realization that, when you become of a certain more mature age, you're no longer referred to as ma'am. now, you're called hon.

you want coffee with that, hon? anything else, hon? 

have a nice day, hon.

sigh. maybe i should just stop asking for the senior discount.

all saints day

november 1st is all saints day in my church, a day we are required to attend mass. and it was also my mother's birthday. now more than ever, i am comforted by the fact that she shared more than eighty birthdays with a day to honor saints.

in my childhood, there were a few years where i tried to go to church on my own birthday since that's what my mother always did. finally one year, i realized she most likely went for the holy day, not for her birthday. i remember feeling some childish disillusion at that realization.

tonight, i was weary from events of the day and looked forward to relaxing at home, so i thought i might skip mass. but in the end, i went, mostly for my mom. it was peaceful there with good messages and music. it was all saints' day. and after all, it was her birthday.