confessions of a blueberry bandit

Birds of a feather...

I am trying to get back into the swing of blogging semi-regularly and wanted to share these vintage peacocks I scored at a neighbor's yard sale over the weekend.  I just couldn't live without them...  Aren't they sweet? 

Happy Monday to all!

♥

Rogue Blog...

So I logged into my faithful blog this morning to publish a comment from a kind reader, and I noticed that the text on my "about me" page had been mysteriously jumbled at some point.  (I'm assuming it happened during one of the countless TypePad format changes.)  I was horrified to discover that many of my "likes" and "dislikes" had been through the old switcheroo... and it appeared as if I LIKE people who are mean to animals and putting away laundry, and as if I dislike many of my favorite things.  Yikes!  How long was it in that state?  I am hoping not too many readers have taken time to look at that page, but I wanted to set the record straight just in case.

So.  The real About Me:

LIKES: reading, photography, sewing, drawing, doodling, gluing, musing, documentaries, swimming, roller-skating, moonlight bicycling, music that makes me feel, windows with sunlight pouring through them, long face-to-face conversations with a good friend, animals who do bad things, animals with three legs, dogs with beards, cats with funny faces, birds who bathe in dirt, old men with bushy eyebrows, old ladies with pastel-hued hair, eye patches, undies (yes, undies!), gold teeth, sincerity, that delicious crunch of a stepped-upon pinecone, people with twinkling eyes...

DISLIKES: the word "blog", cell phones, putting laundry/dishes/groceries away, waking up to the harsh cry of an alarm clock, stepping in gum, people who are mean to animals, people who are mean to other people, public toilets, the human need to compartmentalize and label everything and everyone.

Thank you for indulging me in that.  I feel much better now!

♥

 

p.s.  Dear TypePad, please stop changin' stuff all the time!

Snug as an Elf on a Toadstool...

 

The gifts have been gifted, the snow has all melted, and the year is fading softly to its close... 

I am working contentedly with a warm pup on my lap and realizing just how much I have missed blogging!  Writing these last few posts has felt a bit like returning home after years of weary traveling. 

I think I'll stay awhile this time. 

♥

 

p.s. This sweet elf was a gift from my mom...

Computers of the world, why do you hate me?

Hello.  (If you & I were interacting in the real world, that would have been a bit of a grumbly, forlorn hello...)

In a past life I must have committed some terrible atrocity against Technology...  Andy & I are, once again, having some computer problems.  Why, oh why, did I let myself become so dependent on technology? 

Despite the fact that I am so abhorred by my computer, I wanted to keep up my posting momentum.  I'm working on a couple of new friends who will hopefully be finished in the next couple of days.  I will share pictures as soon as I can.   Meanwhile, I'm off to make a very passionate plea to the gods of technology to forgive whatever is causing this run of terrible luck with electronics...

Cross your fingers for me!  (My toes are crossed so that I can type...)  And, of course, have a lovely weekend!

The Year of Blogging Dangerously (a.k.a. Happy Blogiversary!!!)

Oh, my goodness!   It has officially been one year since I begrudgingly wrote my first blog!  And what a year it has been.  I was determined not to let this momentous occasion pass unnoticed, as the anniversary of my Etsy shop did a few weeks ago...  Though we have been a bit estranged lately, the ol' blog is still very near and dear to my heart, as are all of my friends in the blogosphere!  I have not quite lived up to my expectations with the blog or the shop, but I am pretty damn impressed with myself for trying!  I suppose I should say hooray for my half-assiversary!!! 

I have been so busy in my long absence!  Let's see, there was the rock'n roll tour (which was not so great) and the subsequent struggle to catch up on both rest and work .  (Sadly, I am still lagging far behind in both categories.)  Then there was a lovely visit from my cousins Kristina & Bradlee (all the way from Paris and New Haven)--my very first house guests!  And another equally lovely visit from Andy's family.  They traveled all the way from Denver to (finally) meet my family and help us build this:

My first porch!!!  Building a porch was incredibly hard work, but it was so worth it!  (Andy's parents deserve at least 99% of the credit...) Now we just have to get rid of the horrendous blue trim...  It's funny, I hated--no, abhorred--that blue paint when we bought the house, but now I've grown a bit attached to it.  I still haven't made up my mind about the green color we chose for the porch.  Paint is so deceptive!  I'm trying not to agonize too much over the decision, but I just don't want to be that one house on the street that makes people stop and wonder, "What on earth were they thinking?"   

I have spent the last few days nursing poor Junebug, who got into a pretty nasty fight over the weekend.  She was a mess, with ears practically torn to pieces and one eye swollen shut... I had already accepted her future as a black patch-clad one-eyed cat, but the vet tells me she will be just fine.  (Have you ever tried to put antibiotic ointment directly in a cat's eye?)  I feel pretty certain the she was the instigator, and I cringe to think of what the other cat must look like!  She seems to be recovering quite nicely and milking me for all the attention she can get...

One of the nice things about  busy life is that there are generally plenty of things to look forward to... Such as my trip to New York in a couple of weeks to see The Color Purple on Broadway.  This will be part of a whirlwind girl's weekend out courtesy of my (truly wonderful) mother-in-law.  It is a life-long dream of hers, and I feel tremendously honored to be included!  There is also talk of a work-sponsored trip to Paris in the somewhat near future, though nothing is definite yet.  It would be a business trip, but still...I am keeping my fingers crossed!

And something else I am looking forward to... I managed to purchase one of Ashley G's bearded men from her upcoming show at Gallery Revisited.    My absolute favorite was already sold out, but I am very much in love with this one, too:

Sigh... One of the worst side-effects of infrequent blogging is that I have too many things to say and so little time.  I am hoping (rather desperately) that life will finally calm down after the summer so I can resume the creative life.  For now my blog and I will have to settle with fair-weather friendship...   I hope all the lovelies out there will stick with me as I try to make my way through another year of blogging!!!  Happy Weekend!

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p.s.  The adorable cupcake bowls were a recent acquisition from Rose and Radish...

I've Just Seen a Face...

Hello, Sleepless Night Number Three!  All the house-stress has made my mind painfully active, though at the moment I'm not even consciously worrying about the inspection or the mortgage or anything that really matters.  Instead I'm obsessing over the recent, stunning realization that people who live in my town are reading my blog. And I am really freaked out by the mere possibility that people who may encounter me in real life may actually know something about me. Yeah, I have issues.  It's no secret.  But am I the only one who would prefer to divulge every little detail of my life only to complete strangers?  (I mean no offense to any neighbors or acquaintances out there... I had just hoped I could maintain the illusion of being a rock or a tree or some minor piece of background scenery...)

Anyway, somehow this also ties into a conversation I had with Emily about the painstakingly detailed faces we conjure for people based on the sound of their voice, their written thoughts, their paintings, etc.  There are countless personalities, bloggers, etc, who exist so clearly in my mind, but I would probably be disappointed to meet them and see that they look nothing like they should.  I have often been wrong and often been crushed in this scenario ( I grow so attached to my versions of people!).  But when you get it right, oh the satisfaction!  I don't mean to gloat, but I just knew what Ira Glass looked like, right down to the black-rimmed glasses.  When I finally Googled him, I was rewarded with the closest approximation to my own imagination that I have, and most likely ever will, see.  (Though I will admit, I had pictured him just a tad younger... ) What does this mean?  Nothing, I suppose, except that Ira has an incredibly descriptive voice, as do most of the regulars on This American Life.  And that I am incurably curious about people. ( Maybe I even have you, loyal reader, pegged in full color!)

At this point in my sleep-deprived ramblings,  I must quite stubbornly acknowledge that I am utterly terrified about presenting a proper face with my own words.  Some days I would give anything to be invisible!  What does that make me? A muser afraid to show her face and a face afraid to share her musings...  I suppose the only solution is to post some disgustingly self-indulgent photos at the end of this disgustingly self-indulgent post.  I'm going to justify this act by a) claiming temporary delirium, and b) illustrating that, yes, my cat and I do share a striking resemblance.  Now you know.

p.s.  Just a quick thanks to Sleepless Night Number Two for the blog makeover... 

Survey Says... by Sara K.

I have a confession to make-- a really deep, dark, secret that has been eating away at me for a while...  I am addicted to daytime television.   So seriously that I think an intervention might be necessary.

Before you gasp and clutch your throat, let me explain myself.  In the midst of our recent computer struggles, Andy and I were forced to upgrade to cable internet.  Somehow it was less expensive if we included basic cable, so now I'm at the mercy of television for the first time in nearly a decade.  (When I say basic cable, I mean basic cable... a mere twelve channels, the most exotic of which are Univision and QVC. )  I have spent a great part of the last three weeks sitting on the couch in my underwear eating cookies and shouting at the TV.  A lot. 

My day (and my shouting) begins around noon with Millionaire (as in Who Wants to Be...), followed by a full hour of what has become my favorite show--Family Feud.  I was amazed to discover that this show is still being filmed, and those surveys-- so thought provoking!!! Next I take in a little Greg (a talk show host whose only qualification seems to be his Rod Stewart hair), maybe a bit of Tyra (the other day she boldly used LL Cool J's chap-stick).  Who can resist a little Cosby Show (don't you just love that impish little Rudy)?  If Andy's around, we check out Maury (who knew paternity testing could be so compelling?).  This continues throughout the day, until the first three-hour block of Everybody Loves Raymond.  Only then do I step away from the TV.  (I may be an addict, but I haven't lost all sense of dignity... At least not yet.)   I find myself quoting commercials and singing repetitive jingles all day long, especially the ones I hate.   And very earnestly informing Andy about mixed-race midget couples who are unsure if they should have children when questioned about my day.   Sigh...

Today I barely managed to tear myself away from The Price is Right to go on a lovely outing with Emily.  While we drove through the countryside and browsed an amazing antique shop, she very patiently and attentively endured my thesis on those auto insurance commercials with the cavemen...  I can't tell you how delightful it was to see the sun and use my legs!  Perhaps this was the first step toward recovery.  I'll have to let you know later, though, because right now there's a great crafting infomercial on QVC...

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p.s.  Thank you for all the recent comments about the blues and blogging and Blogging about Blogging...  All you lovely readers help me feel just a little bit less neurotic!  I mean it!

xoxo!

Reluctant Progress Note #9... by Sara K.

And the latest painting that I have been agonizing over...

I call it Portrait with a Lollipop.  It is waiting here...

Once again I have let a million years pass between posts...  I have been battling a very unpleasant cold and a crippling case of the blues.  During this time I found myself feeling very conflicted about most things, including blogs.  And even more specifically, the constant need to be perky and appropriate and adequate and fake (and a never-ending list of other undesirable adjectives)...  I wrote a couple of ill-fated blog indictments that were incredibly whiny and negative and terribly cliche...   Thank goodness I had the sense to think about these little rants before sharing them with the world!  In the end I decided I was thinking about  it all way too much and that I just needed to step away for a little while.  (Have you ever been embarrassed because you've found yourself exclaiming the word blog too much in public?)

Today, despite my lingering cold, my emotions seem to be in check.  So I'm blogging.  Just like that .  No pressure, no imagined need to be anything other than what I am at this very moment-- a gal who is glad the wretched month of January is over, a gal in great need of a lozenge so she can face the world whispering blog... blog... blog...

p.s.  Seriously, if I seem like a total loon, just blame it on the cold medication!