My nephew is turning FIVE tomorrow and it is blowing my mind. I mean, I’m still living in the same house, doing the same things, but he’s gone from a thumbs up like this:
To one like THIS:
Humans are pretty cool, y’all. And this human is one of my favorites. Happy birthday, Bubbs!
What would we do without Toby?
Both photos by Doc (what would I do without him?) who really has a knack for Toby portraits.
Netflix just added all four seasons of Animaniacs and I started watching from the beginning on Monday. Because cartoons make it better and because it’s just so dang smart:
The longing for the apocalypse is a hard feeling to shake, so let’s focus on happy things this week. Like some finished rainbow socks (and that new carpeting):
Details: Opal Sock Yarn – Potpourri in “Paradies” color (from here)
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s “sock recipe” pattern (archived here)
Rainbow Brite feelings here (“Rainbow colors will cheer you u-u-up, yeah”)
The last couple weeks I’d found myself “longing for the apocalypse” more and more. Then I realized we hadn’t been outside for nearly a month and so we went on a hike and got a good dose of Nature.
Nature makes it better! (This is a pic copying one my brother sent me of my nephew. Doc had the idea to re-create it and share with them but then I forgot to text it. Here you go, guys!)
Fri-YAY. Why is it that coming back to a short week always seems to make the week longer?
1. A useful quiz as you get back into nature: Is This Poison Ivy? (I got 45/55 so maybe could study more)
2. I had no idea the bassist on the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds was a) a session musician and b) a kickass lady who’s still alive. Meet Carol Kaye.
Here is an excerpt from an interview with author Rebecca Traister that made me stop and think, “Yeah!” (The whole thing is rambling and interesting and feminist and worth a read, but this part really stood out.)
“I had been married to my friends for years and years; these were my full, domestic, social, romantic partnerships. The things we associate with spousal relationships are often carried out by our friends, especially on the other side of marriage, because there is another side of marriage for a lot of people—whether through divorce, separation, or death. We have all the recognition in the world for spouses; we have no recognition for the friendships that are like partnerships through all, or a significant part, of our lives.”
Doc and I spent four days moving furniture from room to room and now the janky old builder’s grade carpet (on the right in the first image, mid-install) is GONE and there is new carpet upstairs for Toby to luxuriate in.
On Monday afternoon I took a break from moving furniture back and went with my mom to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point, which was lovely and had, as promised, thousands of tulips.
We were back to moving furniture Monday night and the house still isn’t all the way back together, but what an improvement. Many, many, many thanks to Doc for taking time off and lifting heavy things and not losing his cool when I spun out like this.
(Posting so late because I was sleeping in, finishing her present, and starting to rearrange the house for new carpeting.)
My lovely mother’s birthday is today. She retired last year and is now gardening and sewing and helping out her kids and going on vacations and generally living the dream. Here she is in Hawaii in 2007–maybe we need to go back in 2017! (And maybe my present to her next year should be some professional–and current–family photos…)
