two white storks building a nest together for their young
—
spring is in the air and –
this confirms it
this is where babies come from,
I knew it!
—
‘the stork is voiceless because there is really nothing to say.’
-will cuppy
*Will Cuppy, ( 1884-1949) was an American humorist and literary critic, known for his satirical books about nature and historical figures.
—
image source: birdfact
random nice people i’ve never met – ( photo courtesy of Wright Labs)
—
recently my friend roy, who is a fellow introvert, posted this:
‘as an INTROVERT, I can survive a lot..
but ‘let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves,’
is where I draw the line.’
I so get this.
while I love people, love being around them, and frequently talk to strangers, I much prefer small groups and having real conversations with one or two people rather than big party small talk, get nervous when I know I’m going to be called on, or when public speaking. (if I’m one on one with someone, I can talk for hours, much to their dismay.) when in a big group setting I hang out for a while, find a way to slip out before long using my Irish goodbye technique, and head home to relax and recharge.
another friend who also gets this, a very accomplished woman, was once in this situation and when it was her turn to introduce herself and share one thing, she was so nervous that she blurted out the only thing that came to mind and said, ‘my name is T, and I play with the squirrels in our backyard.’ the room was silent.
—
‘never assume that loud is strong and quiet is weak.’
-author unknown
while staying with the menagerie at my daughter’s house
we had the chance to watch a lot of the olympics together
some of us had strong opinions about the competition.
—
‘your opinion has been duly noted.’
-garfield the cat
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art credit: babushka cat.com
i’m the house/menagerie sitter
for my daughter and her family
waiting for me at her house
two cats, kind of twin-ish
not always sure which is in or out or both?
also one of the sweetest dogs ever
cocoa, like the chocolate
the pets must think me to be a monster
quickly found out the invisible fence isn’t working
when I let cocoa out
two different kind neighbors brought her home
the snow melted
on the day they left
she immediately has spring fever
have to put cocoa on a long lead in the yard
she feels restricted refuses to walk around or sit down
just stares in the window sadly
can’t find her leash, have one delivered
we go on long walks
like steering an excitable pony
finally calming
at about the forty minute mark
we are home again
now she is sad
when I eat and don’t share my food with her
when i
work on a puzzle or write or watch a movie or read
or do anything else
she stands by me or lays by me and stares
have to hide my eating, keep it a secret, open things silently
feeling guilty
she has lots of food and water and a treat when she comes back inside
still feel guilty somehow
all three sleep with me
i carve out a spot in the middle
one cat gets up at 4;30 am
wakes up the whole menagerie
i try to play dead
none of them is buying it
boom
the new day officially begins
put cocoa on the long lead outside
still dark and too early to walk
sad again and staring in the window
all she wants
is to take off or come in and stare at me
one of the cat twins is yelling to go out
the other is circling me
everyone gets treats
let sweet cocoa back in
started raining in the ten minutes she was out
now muddy and wet
wipe her down with a towel
cover the couch with beach towels
blow dry her whole body
wrap her in a blanket
she stares at me sadly from the couch
so dramatic
norma desmond in sunset boulevard
as I eat early breakfast silently
sip quiet giant coffee
one or two cats are somewhere
turn on the olympics
cocoa and i sit side by side touching on the sofa
staring
we have found our happy routine.
—
“humor is perhaps a sense of intellectual perspective: an awareness that some things are really important, others not; and that the two kinds are most oddly jumbled in everyday affairs.”
-christopher morley
out on a walk with my daughter’s dog
we happened upon
this rare sighting
of not one, but two
extremely rare
giant suburban festive woodland roosters
in their natural habitat
we quietly observed them from a safe distance
took a photo for proof
(some people believe them to be extinct)
and were quickly on our way.
—
“when the rooster crows off the hour, don’t hesitate to adjust the time.”
– Sicilian proverb
did it!
kept a house plant alive
long enough
(three whole weeks almost)
for it to bloom and thrive!
(okay, so it didn’t need dirt or water, but who cares about the details?)
way up high
away from the felines
away from the over/under water-er
away from the over/under feeder
away from over/under attention-giver
and there it is
my curse is broken
swear my thumb is looking a bit green.
—
‘did i ‘kill a plant’ or did a plant not thrive in this fast-paced environment?’
-alittleexrra
i
made a cheese hedgehog but someone said he looked sad
i said he might be blind but was happy go lucky
i added pimentos for eyes and a smile
someone said he looked scary with the red eyes
my granddaughter added a ‘happy hedgehog’ sign
so that everyone would know his demeanor
someone said it looked like roadkill
after we began to eat the cheese part
no one wanted to eat its head or face
we all felt bad for it
the chances you take
when creating food art
that looks so realistic. )
—
‘if somebody thinks they’re a hedgehog,
presumably you just give ’em a mirror and a few pictures of hedgehogs
and tell them to sort it out for themselves.’
-douglas adams, english author, screenwriter, and humorist
for a little variety, learn these words for your next holiday gathering,
some borrowed from foreign languages and others from long ago.
—-
Someone doing their Christmas shopping on December 24 is the epitome of a Yuleshard – a person who waits until the last minute to finish preparations for the holidays. This Scottish word dates to at least the mid-18th century. “Yule” is a synonym for the Christmas season, and “shard” is a corruption of the word jade and has been used since the 16th century as an insult in Middle English, referring to a worn-out horse.
Italians have the perfect word for how many feel after a holiday meal. Abbiocco refers to the drowsiness that occurs after a large meal, making it distinct from simple sleepiness before bedtime. It also involves a state of pure relaxation while delaying responsibilities, something that tends to occur on holidays. The word originated in central Italy from two verbs, abbioccare and abbioccarsi, meaning “to exhaust” and “to doze off,” respectively.
It’s easy to overindulge during holiday meals, and those who do might need to take advantage of a yule-hole. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a yule-hole is “the hole in the waist-belt to which the buckle is adjusted, to allow for repletion after the feasting at Christmas.”
A bummock is an alcoholic beverage brewed to enjoy at a “merry meeting” — aka a holiday party. This Scottish drink has been around since at least the early 19th century, but an 18th century definition of “bummock” (sometimes spelled “boumack”) is “an entertainment anciently given at Christmas by tenants to their landlords.”
Schnapsidee is a German word that translates literally as “booze idea,” something many people have during the holidays. It’s a ridiculous, ill-advised idea that sounds like it was made up during a drunken state — sledding off the roof at a holiday party, for example. (Don’t do that!) Germans tend to use the word to describe any outlandish idea, though, whether alcohol was involved or not.
—
‘action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.’
-mark twain
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source credits: word smarts, rachel gresh, vintage postcards, pinterest, bbc, wasau news
good to know that my cups are gluten free and nut free
never hurts to be extra healthy.
—
‘don’t eat trash.’
-wise unknown author
walking through a mix of fall leaves
i see
golds, and browns, and yellows, and oranges, and reds
and…
—
‘on the other hand, you have different fingers.’
-steven wright
I didn't have my glasses on.... 