More Pause to Think

This just in.... if you type in Shaved Puppy with Freckles I come up #7.

I find these sorts of things endlessly amusing. I mean, they are beyond non-sequiturs. Who thinks of these word combinations?

The Hurdle That Is My Brain

Camera flaw too.

I have a fatal personality flaw. I see things in black & white... and am unwavering in my opinions about those things. Mostly this boils down to values & morality. I thought this was my cross to bear because I am a Capricorn, but my little sister confirmed that she also suffers from this flaw. She is an Aries.

"It is Dad. We inherited this from him- and he is a Gemini. Mum is nice to everyone. Dad carries grudges."

Ergghh... even when the behavior is self destructive I can't help but stick to my guns. I mean really, would the world stop spinning if I made a choice out of expediency and potential financial gain?

Nevertheless it makes me cranky that I am having my arm twisted to support an organization that is a boys network which does me no good. These people spend very little to no money at my business, so what will I lose? My reputation?

And what is that compared to my self determination?

A Day in the Life of My Garden- May 18, 2009

I took a few days off to relax after many straight days of work. I lucked into decent weather so I made time to commune with my garden.

This poor little Spirea bush has been taunting me for a few years now. I love its lime green leaves next to the purple of the Campanula Glomerata. It is a prize winning combination. But the bush has been dying off in bits and pieces each year.

This year was the worst. About 80% of the bush is not leafing out- no amount of pruning will hide this fact. I have always had difficulty in giving up on a plant that is not quite dead. I feel it has a certain right to keep trying.

Unfortunately gardening is about creating beauty. This bush is not beautiful. So I began the terrible task of surgically removing its ugliness from the masses of young Campanula.

I consoled myself with some visions of health & beauty, like the just leafing out Smoke Bush & White Bearded Iris.












Or the electric blue of the almost unwelcome guest of Ajuga.








Or the silvery lamb's ear next to a pink azalea.

Lap Dog

Walking through a field with Henry yesterday- he swings his head from side to side licking the dew off of the grass. He must be a lap dog.

I crack myself up.... I think I need to talk to more adults.

God is in the Detailing

My little car has been ill used recently- what with all the transporting of Sheetrock & lumber to build the new seasonal location for my business. I decided to give my car a good hosing out as I am going to be transporting a rather valuable portrait in it this coming Wednesday.

Out comes the vacuum cleaner, buckets, rags and sponges. Carrying my dog everywhere means his white fur has permeated every crevice. I must have vacuumed for 45 minutes. Next comes the washing of all the surfaces- especially the snotty nose prints on the windows. While doing this thorough scrub I knocked the plastic console cover off its clips- REVELATION! This things comes off.

I have owned this Element for almost 4 years and have loved the lack of rugs and upholstery (no place for dog hair to stick) but have loathed all of the creases and crevices that catch it. If all these plastic covers and tidbits are removable though- my job just became much easier. While the interior doesn't look brand new, it is many steps closer to, at least, not creating a white hair storm every time you roll the windows down.

Pause To Think

My town librarian recommended I listen to Studs Terkel's "Voices of Our Times." It is interviews with famous Americans from the 50's to the almost present. I am only into the 1960's but am quite taken by the regional accents that people displayed- especially the "East Coast Patrician" which is so ubiquitous amongst the intellectuals that are his preferred subject in this collection.

I was stopped in my tracks, so to speak, listening to the interview with Dr. Mortimer Adler, a philosopher who taught at several of the most prestigious schools in the nation. The idea he was putting forth to Studs in this brief interview was that intellect is not important, using the brain is. Regardless of the IQ - 90-140 - it is the "duty and moral obligation" of a human being to use their intellect in an ennobling manner.

Since 1850 we have accrued leisure time at an unprecedented rate. We no longer fill every waking hour toiling to make the clothing we wear or growing the food that we eat. His premise is that we owe it (to God? our fore bearers?) to use this leisure time well.

I think of how much leisure time I have and how frequently I feel that goofing off is my prerogative because I have worked so hard. I would hate to see a tally of how much of my free time is spent wastefully. I am not talking about the leisurely rambles with my dog- that serves as both exercise & rejuvenation. I am talking about the time spent playing solitaire on my computer. It serves absolutely no purpose.

Does this mean I need to become a Calvinist and offer all my labors up to the Glory of God? I think I may need to find some middle road so I can screw off a little bit, but I also want to be aware of how much of my life I am wasting.

I Did Dance All Night

We attended a performance of the Luna Negra Dance Theater in Manchester last night. They are a Chicago based troupe that focuses on Spanish Culture. As you can imagine many of the dancers are drawn from the international Latino communities, guaranteeing a wide range of skin color from white to the darkest black. Normally I might say skin color makes no difference, but when you are there to watch bodies, it does (more on that later). They are also a very athletic troupe. No dainty swans here.... they stomp, leap, throw & roll like circus acrobats.

There were only three dances- albeit long dances with two intermissions. The first one was disappointing. We both had the same assessment- classical, competently performed, uninspired. I suspect as an ethnically based troupe they feel compelled to display their classical chops- like that will give them credibility in the serious dance world. But you don't go to see a troupe that is focused on its cultural heritage to see its interpretation of the established dance world. If you go to see a Latino troupe you want hot, passionate & sexy in the tradition of flamenco & tango.

And dish it up, they did.

The second dance Nube Blanco started off as a contemporary dance tango- the give and violent take of a relationship. The women were dressed in very frothy tulle crinolines, which were beautiful to see swaying with their movements. The whole troupe had red shoes which acted as the only color and as props. The shoes came off, were left alone on the stage in neat patterns, they were used as a phone, or picked up and moved around the stage with the dancers. At one point the dancers only wore one shoe- making their gait almost zombie-like as they danced with two different length legs. Throughout the dancers shed clothing until they were left in only black briefs and bras (for the women). The dance ended with a dancer sheathed neck to knees in the crinolines- the fluffy white cloud of the title- dancing amongst the nearly naked bodies. It was both beautiful and silly. The choreographer did not shy away from humor. Finally the stage cleared of all dancers but the white cloud who ended head down to slowly extend a beautiful, black leg to the ceiling. It was entrancing. My boyfriend leaned over and said "That was worth the price of admission right there."

The final dance was Batucada Fantastica, a series of solos culminating in an ensemble finale. It was based on the Brazilian Carnivale, complete with the raucous street music. Each dancer had their own shockingly colored outfit to add to the party atmosphere. And as it that was not enough they used dry ice & dropped confetti. It was very theatrical but it was no mere substitute for good dancing. It became a part of the dance.

If you have a chance to see them-go! And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fabulous programming of the Dana Center at St Anselm College and its director, Bob Shea. They consistently bring in dance troupes and under appreciated musicians. Support them, support the arts.