"Little boxes on the hillside; Little boxes made of ticky tacky ..."

(Imagine, playing in the background, the theme song from "WEEDS" an HBO TV show) (click the link & enjoy)

I was asked to decorate favor boxes for a wedding.

Now, less than 48 hours before "tee time." I sent the mother of the bride a photo of the favor boxes as a preview.

From my first glance at the photo, I have found myself humming and occasionally bursting into song with the tune about a community of "cookie cutter houses .."

Little Boxes
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.

Quite appropriate.

Modern Conveniences ...

How novel !

Pre-made martinis in a glass: Chocolate * Appletini * Vodka * Cosmopolitan

Just chill - open - and enjoy.

Or in my case - just open and enjoy ... I'll be doin' the chillin' after drinking one or two of these !

Cheers ..

$cent$; $en$e & Cent$

A friend handed me a shopping bag and said "Here are some candles I received for a gift. Do you want them ? They are a nice. Expensive."

I peeked in the bag at the long narrow non-descript box and curiously opened it. The candles,visually small and plain, assaulted my senses with powerful fragrance. WOW

"Thanks" I was touched ..

First chance I had - I logged on to my computer and looked up "these candles" ... after all ... exactly HOW expensive could the little things be.

*NOW before you women out there chastise me .... admit it ... you would be doing the same thing !*

Search: Jo Malone candles
Results: JoMalone.com

Yep there on the computer screen ~ the candles identical to the ones sitting on my desk. Ok - one more click of the mouse ... OH MY GOODNESS !! The tiny candles cost WHAT?!

Suddenly the little candles take on a whole new "light."

Fragrant candles: to scent the home. I could never afford to buy these candles ... so I will save & savor them. I won't burn them - I'll keep and admire them.

Does it make SENSE to not use the candles to SCENT my home just because of the cost ?

How Now Brown Cow .... (I love you)

Now how ..
Did a Brown Cow ..
End up on the sewing table...
Of a vegetarian...
And wanna be vegan ?
Me. My Sewing table ...
The story goes something like this ...

2007 - I had just lost an eBay bid for a bolt of fabric from my favorite eBay seller, John, of fabricsonline. Neck and neck down to the last second with another bidder, SaavySewer or some other cutesy name.

Darn Her !! Ah - but wait - I noticed another item she was trying to win. A cow hide. I don't know what the heck I'll do with a cow hide, but I am going to win this next bid. It is not about the cowhide. It is about winning. Online, down to the last second... YES YES ... I won.

Cow hide arrives via Fed Ex. Ummm - what the heck was I thinking ? Fold it up and stash it into my antique oak sideboard.

2009 - I find the brown cow hide folded and creased in my beloved side board after two years in forgotten seclusion. I pull it out and throw it over my 8 foot Pottery Barn Library Table to get the creases out.

It fits. It protects the table. It has never been moved since. A brand on the hide signifies its life ... and the scars of my craft have further added to its history.

The huge brown cow hide ... a conversation piece. It protects the table from pins and scissors and glue and ....the underside - soft like velvet, gentle as I imagine you to have been.

Dear Brown Cow - 'How Now'? I envision you in your glory .. and I am sad .. but I love you. I really do.

As you protect my table ... I will protect you ...How lucky that fate sent you my way. I love you. I love you.

. . . "HOLD Please" . . . "Please HOLD" . . . The Curse of the HOLD Button

The infamous HOLD button. True to its name, the HOLD button manages to: "keep under restraint" "to restrain as if a captive" ....

But there's an up side ... Today, I got to hear a real human voice on the telephone line before I was placed on HOLD. And that my dear folks is a rarity these days.

"Thank you for HOLDING"

Fall: The colors are the same, but Fall is now "the fallen"

A couple of weeks ago, early on a Sunday morning, I took my dog, Spike, to a field and wooded area to run and explore. Oh the treasures we found, the most exciting of which was a gathering of wild turkeys....and an abundance of signs welcoming the arrival of Fall !

Today, a few weeks later .. Spike and I returned. The turkeys did not have to wait until Thanksgiving to become prey to demise.

The browns and reds and oranges and yellows have taken on a new look .. We see "the fall" all around us ... but this time tis' not the season.

Vicarious Living: extinguishing St. Elmo's Fire

“Vicarious Living": experiencing life/situations through another person or persons.

The word, VICARIOUS, sums up the last 16 months of my life. An adventure. A roller coaster. The UP's are fun; the DOWN's unsettling. Living as someone else; not me.

The roller coaster is starting to slow. The tumultuous curves and inclines have passed. The end of the ride. Feet back on the ground. Normalcy. Almost feeling myself again.

The past 16 months brought to life St. Elmo’s Fire. Remember the movie ?
group of friends
extramarital affair
infidelity
struggling with adulthood
mid-life crisises
ambition

A year ago, I experienced the excitement of an extramarital affair 'vicariously' thru a friend - the flower. Her life blossomed and became more colorful. The excitement and exhilaration of feeling beautiful and in the Spring of life again ... in love. She shared with me the details which engulfed me in the affair ... like a fire. surrounded ... smothered .... suffocated.

Infidelity blazed as duplicity: the contradictory double-ness of words; use of deceptive speech ... lies. Lies and withheld truth with a friend - for a friend, the flower - My choice ... my bad.

'Our Group,' throughout the year, the married became single, relationships changed and new personalities evolved from the ashes of former married selves. Ambitions. Collisions.

Time to bid farewell to vicarious living - to St Elmos' Fire - lives have been charred. I love the flower and always will for the laughter and the undying friendship.

St. Elmo's Fire is all but extinguished. It was an amazing ride - with amazing people, but the ride is almost over for me. Walk away from the fire ... step away from the heat ... back to the person and people and pleasures and place I am comfortable with.

Back to the person I was before the flames of vicariousness engulfed me.

Opportunities Are Knocking ... OPEN THE DOOR

Life was quiet for many months. A good quiet. No obligations. Lots of time to spend at home and with friends - enjoying - relaxing - visiting - mending - growing - creating. How nice !

Suddenly - Life Is Busy. Very busy. So much. So quickly. Change

KNOCK KNOCK .... WHOSE THERE ?

OPPORTUNITIES:
To meet people. To experience new situations. To visit new places. To be myself. To be embraced. To blossom. Challenges to reinvent me.

New job at work; sewing decor for a wedding; invitation to visit a designer's studio in NYC Fashion District; reunion in VA/NC with a few old friends from 20 years ago



When opportunity knocks, it either instinctively feels right, or not. Today ~ it feels right.