Thing-a-day.com

Well, here we are, Day 29 of Thing-A-Day. I’m feeling a little “verklempt.” Wish I could say I  posted every day, but I did my best, 23 out of 29. It has been really fun, really stimulating, really challenging, really welcoming. I’ve enjoyed sharing ideas with all you creative people out there, and I look forward to taking the coming year to try and read ALL the posts from this year as well as from 2007. I’ve picked up some yummy recipes, enjoyed some fantastic artwork, giggled at some quirky ideas, gotten misty-eyed at some beautiful poetry, and made some tentative e-mail acquaintances. February, the month that usually drags on and on here in northeast Pennsylvania, a gray, depressing month of never-ending cold (can I tell you it’s snowing as I write?!), became a daily source of wonder and inspiration. Gotta say, I’m sad to see it end. But hey, at least we had one extra day this year!

The tradition of Leap Year in general and Leap Day in particular is that the rules of romance are overturned, and women can take advantage of the extra day to propose to the man of their dreams. This apparently stems from the patriarchal Middle Ages, when men were the pursuers and women the prizes to be claimed. Things have equaled out a bit in our enlightened age, but it’s still kind of a fun concept. How about if each of us takes this day as an opportunity to throw caution to the February winds and LEAP in and tell someone we love them…

Till we meet again,

I’ll miss the camaraderie…

Farewell, Thing-A-Day!

                THANKS EVERYONE–IT’S BEEN WONDERFUL!!!

I realized I’ve gone almost the entire month without mentioning my cat Alex, otherwise known as Alexion, Mrs. A, and Bobina (pronounced “Bowbeenah”), the latter generally said in a high, squeaky voice with the accent on the “bee” syllable, as in Bow-BEE-nah. This is not the best photo of Alex, but it’s the only one I had readily available to post. We found her as a kitten, wandering the farmer’s field adjacent to the 4th of July picnic we were attending. In her younger years, Alex loved to wind herself around the bannister, chase the circle of light from a penlight, leap after fireflies, and bask outdoors (on a leash) in the sunshine. She still loves being outdoors, but for much shorter periods of time. She’s a frail little old lady now who seeks the warmth of a lap and sleeps on my pillow, wrapped around my head. You see, Alex is 20 years old!! She’s a grand old dame, and my haiku for today is dedicated to…

Alex, Mrs. A,

Bobina, Alexion…

Basking in the sun!

  For my thing today, I FINALLY learned how to upload a photo, thanks to help from Kiki!!!!! Not sure what kind of tree this is, but she lives in Trexler Park. She has a large burl protruding from her trunk and in the spring is surrounded by daffodils and then red and yellow tulips. Because of her appearing to be great with child, and because of her garden of flower children, a friend and I dubbed her the Fertility Goddess Tree. For me she is a very feel-good thing!

Another gray, rainy day here in eastern Pennsylvania. I think the sun has forsaken us. It was a great day to stay inside and curl up with a quilt, a cat, a cup of tea, something new-agey on the stereo, and an excellent book. Unfortunately, that was not to be…had to go to work. On a brighter note, though, as I was leaving the house this morning at 7:15, I actually heard birds singing for the first time since winter set in. A truly hopeful, spirit-lifting sound! Can it be that spring really is on the way? How long till we spy the first robin hopping across the lawn? See the first crocus poking up shyly through the ivy? Notice tender buds on the red maple trees?

Spring–it’s on its way,

Returning warmth to the land

And hope to the heart.

So begins the final week of Thing-A-Day. While I haven’t been as diligent as I would have liked to be (missed a few posts here and there), it has been a really stimulating experience. I’ve so enjoyed seeing everyone’s creativity and ideas and thoughts and images, and I will miss the internal prodding to get my post done before midnight! I’m feeling a bit inadequate and antiquated today amongst all you talented people and hope that by next year’s T-A-D I’ll have the computer chops to upload some photos or videos myself. Yesterday on a whim I decided to make homemade macaroni & cheese for dinner (haven’t made it in years). My daughter was going to take a photo and upload it for me, but we forgot and ate it all up! It was the perfect hearty meal after a tramp in the snow-covered woods! So here’s to mac & cheese:

Homemade mac and cheese.

Creamy and heartwarming and

homely and YUMMY!

Went for a hike today at the Nature Conservancy to scope it out as a possible site for our daughter’s upcoming wedding. There’s a rustic pavilion with picnic tables, a burbling stream, a lovely hidden glade with benches and a tree-stump pulpit that would be perfect for the ceremony. Now in February, two days after the snowstorm, everything is softened with a coating of snow and silence, against a backdrop of the setting sun blazing copper, orange, and aubergine in the early evening sky. It’s perfect, in tune with her affinity for the outdoors and nature and beauty. I imagine that in September it will be even more spectacular with autumn’s colors in full display. There could be no better setting for “my little artist” and her fiance on their very special day!

Nature–the place for

The robot and the rainbow

To join together.

Had lunch with a friend today. No big deal, right? Just soup, bread, and tea. But the conversation was great, the feeling was warm and intimate on a cold, gray, damp day in Pennsylvania. Happy. Dropped my friend at the airport for a flight back home. A little melancholy.

Had lunch with a friend.

Food for the body and soul.

Come back soon, my friend.

Well, it did indeed snow, even got some sleet and freezing rain, but after much discussion about the wisdom of braving the weather to see a band, we headed south to Philly. Turned out the roads weren’t all that bad, we easily found lodging for the night, had a nice dinner, and made it to the show, which was FANTASTIC! The final set of the evening had all the musicians jamming together, feeding off of one another, really smokin! No haiku today, just a report on our journey, attempting to make up for missed days of posting.

Some musician friends of ours are scheduled to play a gig in a suburban Philadelphia pub tomorrow evening, and we are planning on being there. HOWEVER, the forecast is calling for snow, beginning in the wee hours and continuing throughout the day, turning to what is euphemistically called a “wintry mix” [read:  ice]. If we are unable to make the gig, it will probably be some time until we see them again, as they are flying back to LA on Saturday. So, with apologies to the children’s skipping rhyme, here’s today’s haiku:

Snow, snow, stay away,

Come again some other day.

Marna wants to play!!!

This is my post for last night, February 20–didn’t get to post it until today:

There is a spectacular total lunar eclipse happening this evening, with full eclipse scheduled to occur at 10:26PM EST. Looking out my kitchen window at an absolutely crystal-clear night sky, I can see the eclipse about halfway along, already taking on the classic red hue, with what I presume to be Saturn shining singularly to the lower left of the moon. This is thrilling, especially because in our part of the world any highly anticipated celestial event is very often obscured by complete cloud cover. Every August my son and I would set up our lawn chairs in the driveway in hopes of catching the Perseid meteor shower, and some 20 years into it we have yet to see them. So for this wondrous event to take place in absolutely cloud-free surroundings is exciting! I’ve only seen it once before, on a summer evening, again the lawn chairs and the whole family in our backyard, kids in jammies, coffee, juice and snacks on hand–a very special evening indeed. The ancients were understandably frightened by lunar and solar eclipses, believing that some heinous monster was devouring the light in the sky and that catastrophic events were sure to follow. Even now, there is somewhat of an aura of foreboding associated with these celestial happenings, so here’s my haiku for the day:

Red orb in black vault–

Total eclipse of the moon.

Superstition?  Fear?

Was away for the weekend, again without computer access, attending the MidWinter Scottish and Irish Festival in Valley Forge, PA. Fantastic gathering of Celtic bands, both traditional and rock, Celtic vendors, and friends from near and far. Thought I would have time to at least write an entry each day and post them today–I didn’t. Too much partying, too little sleep. Exhaustion has now set in, but happy exhaustion nonetheless.

Friends from near and far,

Music brings us together.

Fondness keeps us close.

 I thought I posted this one on Friday just seconds before midnight, but just as I hit “Publish,” the site went down. So here’s my Friday post….

Creativity.

 Stimulating the mind to think–

Imagination.

Halfway to February 29–amazing! I’ve really enjoyed seeing what everyone is posting each day. Some posts are thought-provoking, some awe-inspiring, some mouthwatering, and some are smilemakers. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a site like this for everyone to share ideas for making the world a better place?!

I was in the card shop recently perusing the Valentines, wondering, “who designs this stuff.” Cards wiggle and make noise and play music and are mushy and tear-jerky and silly and even off-color and offensive. I still think there is no better Valentine than one that is hand-made by little fingers with innocence and unabashed emotion. These are the keepers…

Construction paper,

Red, pink—and paper doilies,

White glue and glitter.

Cut out a heart shape

Write a message in crayon.

Capture mama’s heart.

 HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY ALL!!!!

Nothing much to say.

No pearls of wisdom tonight.

Lost–can’t find my way.

Snow!  Flurries at first,

Then more, billowy pillows–

Landscape of whipped cream.

It’s been snowing all day, starting off with gentle flurries, becoming more intense, almost a whiteout at times, softening the edges of everything, rendering the earth in silence. Now comes the ticky-ticking of the ice crystals against the windows. And we are huddled, warm inside, enjoying a respite from the busy-ness of life.

We’ve been having a run of rainy, dreary, damp weather here in Pennsylvania–many days in a row. After a torrential downpour in the wee hours of Saturday night/Sunday morning, the wind got wild and blew in great heaps of gray-black clouds and snow, alternating feathery dustings with whiteouts. Today we were left with numbing, branch-snapping cold, the kind of cold that takes your breath away and freezes the insides of your nostrils. The sun shining in the high arch of dark blue sky did absolutely nothing to warm the day. The cat fluffs out her fur and huddles in a fuzzy C, curling her tail over her nose to muffle the cold. I’m shivering as I write this, in spite of the space heater going full blast at my feet.  So here’s my winter Haiku:

More and more each year,

I really hate the winter.

Take me to the sun!

Well, I messed up–missed Days 7, 8, and 9. Was out of town on 7 and 8, with no computer access, but I had a WONDERFUL experience. Had the opportunity to take a private dance lesson and a workshop with Maksim from Dancing with the Stars!!! Looking back I realize I would have loved to dance professionally, but it wasn’t an option at the time. However, I have always felt happiest moving to the music. Maks was gracious and charming, and it would be the realization of a fantasy to be able to work with him daily as they do on the show. Wow! And then last evening, I had the opportunity to participate in a local theatre production of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues. I had a miniscule role, but the proceeds from the evening benefit our local shelter for victims of abuse. It was fun and beneficial to a worthwhile cause. So, that’s where I’ve been. Glad to be back among all you creative folks, sharing and learning from each other! Here’s my Haiku for today:

Dancing with Maksim,

Waiting for midnight to strike…

Like Cinderella!

It’s been a long day, 10 hours at work, then dinner, then bellydancing class. I’m having a lot of trouble coordinating the finger cymbals with the body movements, very frustrating. I can do either very well by itself, but my synapses can’t seem to handle both at the same time. Therefore, this is my lame haiku for today:

 I am exhausted.

I am going to bed now.

Good night, Thing-A-Day!

This evening my daughter popped in on her way home from yoga class. She and I were comparing notes on our latest posts, and she asked if I had done my “Thing” yet today. I had just gotten home from work, and I said I hadn’t yet gotten around to it. Not missing a beat, she took a 5 x 7 notebook out of her new green plaid messenger bag, selected a page, chose a pen, and in the middle of the sheet of lined notebook paper she drew a circle, slighter larger than silver dollar size, with “to it” printed in the center of the circle. She then tore the page from her notebook and handed it to me. So thanks to Kiki, this evening I got “a round to it.” Oh man, can’t you just HEAR the groans!!!!!

I procrastinate.
“When I get around to it”
is my fav’rite line.

Morning begins as a sleepless night, morphing into dreams/tortured worries about specifics and the world in general. Eyes burn, bloodshot, scratchy. Gotta go to work. Dusting of snow on sidewalk, turns to rain, soaking gray day, downer, downer, downer…Heavy on my shoulders and on my soul.               

                          Monday…ugh….Monday…                        

                          Winter Mondays are the worst.

                          Pleeezee…just let me sleep!