reblessed

Going back to the doctor may not seem like it ought to be listed as a delightful thing; but when one cannot get well, it is nice to be able to consult a medical professional.  And I was pleased at the end of the various tests, the doctor asked if I was an athlete because (aside from the bronchitis/sinus thing) my oxygen levels, lung capacity, blood pressure and resting heart rate were outstanding.  Hooray for the decades now (gasp) of almost daily singing and of long walks.

Anyway, I welcome the month of November with three new prescriptions and the hopes that this time, the plague will be eradicated from my lungs. 

Meanwhile, the Eastern Nephew has survived Sandy and is giggling for his first Halloween.

Pul-lease?  Just one little piece of candy?  I'll brush my tee...oh wait, I don't have any.

Yup.  I've discovered a new life mission :)

hunter moon

A collection from all over the US of the full moon rising.

And just in time for All Hallows Eve, I got to see the Bat Bridge, i.e. South Congress Bridge, i.e. the newly named Ann Richards Bridge.  (Austinites LOVE their triple named roads; should you ever visit, make sure to get explicit directions when trying to get somewhere.)

It wasn't quite the swarm that is here in mid-spring, but the atmosphere was still fragrant and swooshy.

After some spicy lemongrass tofu, got to check off another tourist thing by visiting the O. Henry house.  Am working on a lesson plan for my jury trial class including his embezzlement charges....who knew he lived in Texas & had a criminal streak? 

Ms. Emily said it best

'sometimes a certain slant of light'....   am lovin' the change in how the light is hitting my living room in the afternoons now.   Need to get a couple of cushions to sit and luxuriate in the cosiness of this glow.

packets of joy

while I very much love the efficacy & efficiency of the internet, there is still a little thrill when something good shows up in the real mail box.  This weekend brought me my voter registration card (yes, it's blurred on purpose) and a little gift from one of my heroes, Mr. Keillor.

waiting for coalescence

recipe for soup

Open the door. Peer in. Push into the furthest edge.
Move aside what won’t mix well or overpower.
Find the remnants of what you’ve lost or simply forgotten. Dredge
up the slim stalk, the threadbare bunch, the nearly bitter, the almost sour.
Find an apt container. Think of what will hold it all, not just
the heart but the space around it. Turn up the heat - a fast boil - then
simmer. Step away. Do something else while everything coalesces, as it must.
You did what you could with what you had and it’s not a matter of what, but when.
In time, it will have made itself, found new life in what you'd thought was fallow.
Bend low. See how history’s brought you here. Taste the truth before you swallow.

~maya stein

As this poet/writer is the one who inspired the hulu hoop (by the by, Bogart freaks when it lights up the room with the disco flashes), it seemed right to share her poetry today.

Finally found a penny today--love the new/retro design on the back.  Off in a few hours to indulge in a weekend-long book festival.  Because, of course, I need more book in my life!

in search of whimsy

never did the hulu hoop thing in the 70s, but while reading a friend's blog on the simply joy of swooping around like a child, decided it was the perfect thing to lift this day's spirits.  (and this blinking model was the only one they had, so have a bit more whimsy than originally planned...)

to wit: to who? to whom?

tapas & talk

 My lovely cousin Ann was in town for a conference and it was a delight to show her around downtown; we went back to Malaga's--what is becoming one of my favorite local haunts.

Ann meets Willie.

Happy to be enjoying good chatter and delish tapas.

sparkles & spice

 Had a grad school friend come to town for the weekend; lots of fun to catch up and have quality girl time.  As we walked around downtown, found these fun inlays in the sidewalk next to the Children's Museum.

Brunch this morning was in the Tree Room of the very yummy Austin Java--gingerbread pancakes were my choice.  (and they were as unphotogenic as they were tasty.  And another vain attempt to capture one of the beautiful tin stars around town.)

Stuffed to the gills for SUCH a great price.  There are many things about Austin that are appealing and their restaurant scene is a huge one.

 More sidewalk artistry.

and a little grin from my main man; counting the days until Christmas break when I get to see him again!  And as tomorrow usher's in second quarter, that is soon approaching....despite the fact that I am going to bed sunburned in the middle of October.

other wonders

Among other wonders of our lives, we are alive
with one another, we walk here
in the light of this unlikely world
that isn't ours for long.
May we spend generously
the time we are given.
May we enact our responsibilities
as thoroughly as we enjoy
our pleasures. May we see with clarity,
may we seek a vision
that serves all beings, may we honor
the mystery surpassing our sight,
and may we hold in our hands
the gift of good work
and bear it forth whole, as we
were borne forth by a power we praise
to this one Earth, this homeland of all we love.

"A Prayer among Friends" by John Daniel, from Of Earth. © Lost Horse Press, 2012.

counting down

42 teaching days until Christmas break!!!!!!!!

good medicine

Perhaps wrong, but this caused me so much laughter this afternoon.

squint

& you'll see the first vee of geese that I've seen/heard this season!  Am sure I've shared this poem before, but it's a wild geese sighting day and the poem has a life-time reading worth of knowledge in it.

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

~ Mary Oliver ~

happiness is

running the a/c so that one can enjoy the first potato/leek soup of the season on this rainy 81 degree day....

bless your little heart

It's pumpkin time!  Carved these little guys during the Veep debate last night; very enjoyable evening.  Although, next year, I will go back to regular sized pumpkins--these are difficult to carve into.  But, the seeds are roasting and my home smells autumnal and cosy.

Have been remiss in Poetry Friday, so here's one that made me laugh--because I get it after being in this new culture.

At Steak 'n Shake I learned that if you add "Bless their hearts" after their names, you can say whatever you want about them and it's OK. My son, bless his heart, is an idiot, she said. He rents storage space for his kids' toys—they're only one and three years old! I said, my father, bless his heart, has turned into a sentimental old fool. He gets weepy when he hears my daughter's greeting on our voice mail. Before our Steakburgers came someone else blessed her office mate's heart, then, as an afterthought, the jealous hearts of the entire anthropology department. We bestowed blessings on many a heart that day. I even blessed my ex-wife's heart. Our waiter, bless his heart, would not be getting much tip, for which, no doubt, he'd bless our hearts. In a week it would be Thanksgiving, and we would each sit with our respective families, counting our blessings and blessing the hearts of family members as only family does best. Oh, bless us all, yes, bless us, please bless us and bless our crummy little hearts. "Bless Their Hearts" by Richard Newman, from Domestic Fugues. © Steel Toe Books, 2009.

sweetness

found this with a kind note from my substitute thanking me for allowing her to be with my classes.   This has certainly never happened before; what a nice surprise!  (and now that I'm on antibiotics and know that my teeth are in fine fettle, I will indulge in the sugar!)

cross & shield

Second day in a row that I've used my magic blue card.  How thrilling to get in to see a doctor and have a reasonable co-pay.  And how delightful to get prescriptions filled--also at a low co-pay. 

And I'm now a huge fan of the drive-through pharmacy; helps one avoid all the other plague-ridden hacking hoards.

toothy grin

(not really my xray)

Am delighted that after a six-year-dental-hiatus, my teeth are in grand shape.  I was told I had a boring mouth and that my home care was excellent.  Yay daily flossing!

truth

induction

There was a gorgeous paved trail around a lake near the sis's home and we introduced the widdle man to the delight of outdoor walking.  (While I'm grateful to have access to a treadmill, there's nothing better than walking in the fresh air.)  Of course, he preferred to be carried than stuck in the stroller & I was quite happy to indulge him.

a thousand mornings

Three Things to Remember
~ Mary Oliver

As long as you're dancing,
   you can break the rules.
Sometimes breaking the rules is just extending the rules.
Sometimes there are no rules.

from her newest collection:  A Thousand Mornings

the spicy time of year

Time for cinnamon spice candles.

Time for pumpkins that are orange, white and stripey.

 Time to turn on the oven and combine the cinnamon and pumpkin.

And time to frost this goodness with cream cheese, honey and freshly ground cloves.

these boots were made for walkin'

 Not really boots, but oh the walking done with this pair!  Always verklempt when shoes and I have to part ways, but especially with this pair.  These joined my life the day I decided to go to grad school full-time.  And knew that my student life wouldn't be conducive to my collection of high heels.

Their first outing was a field trip with my fellow education peeps to Bryant Park to watch an outdoor screening of Goodbye Mr. Chips.  Subsequent miles have been logged throughout the eastern coast, Seattle and the beginnings of Austin exploration. 

Yes, I know they're just shoes.  And there will be more.  Still there was a little sniff as they went into the trash can.

the delights of the day

 One of my Seattle friends just turned 40 and as she always celebrates with cupcakes, I was delighted to walk into a tedious business dinner to find this lovely display.  I had my entire table toast her b-day with said cupcakes.

 more pretty things