"So I Sez To Mabel, I Sez.."
(Karma and Sergio at the ranch, being ruminants.)
(Karma and Sergio at the ranch, being ruminants.)
1. I saw what can only be described as the Calico Bird of the Apocalypse this morning at the bird feeder: It was between a startling and a sparrow in size, and it looked just like a calico cat–black, brown, and white. And fluffy. I’ve never seen anything like it.
2. I accompanied my friend Sean–he of the Picnic watching and the not understanding the appeal of pets–to a party last night at a very posh home on Country Club Drive. The hosts had a pug puppy that had an “accident” in the course of the evening–or, as Sean put it, “That mammal just defecated in their house.”
3. This is not Toby, but it could be. I just can’t allow him outside, though. Who knows what bird will come to the feeder next and carry him away?
I was watching I Am Legend with a friend this week, which uses some Bob Marley songs to nice effect, and had the following conversation:
Me: “I really like Bob Marley. I should get a CD.”
[pause]
Me: “Do you have a Bob Marley CD?”
Friend: “No.”
Me: “You don’t? Huh.”
[pause]
Me: “Does your dad have a Bob Marley CD?”
Friend: [stops watching and turns to me with a look] “What, do you think that everyone who smokes pot has to have a Bob Marley CD?”
Me: [found out, sheepish] “Yes.”
I never gave a final review of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle that I was reading a month ago, but I have to report that I haven’t bought an imported banana or a tomato since I finished it, and I started making bread regularly and even homemade pizza. (I haven’t been able to get true local food yet, for reasons of weather and budget, but I’ve tried to not buy anything from farther away than California.) I think that’s a good indication of the book’s sticking power right there. The prose is excellent, too.
Yesterday I picked up another book that might stick with me: The Year of the Goat: 40,000 Miles and the Quest for the Perfect Cheese. It’s about two New Yorkers who take a year off and research goat farms to see if they want to buy their own. I got three chapters into it and thought, “I don’t want to read this if they don’t end up with a farm,” so I skipped ahead and whew–I can read it.
It’s well-written but it’s not as masterful as Kingsolver, and there’s a certain amount of irritating New York self-consciousness (along the lines of, “Look, we are at a goat chariot race! How quaint! We are so daring!”), but I’ve already learned that La Mancha goats have no ears and are the only American-developed dairy breed, and that Boer goats are for eating. (That’s not an option on my ranch, of course.)
Next question: How do people afford to take a year off and learn about farming, and then manage to have a successful farm? Maybe that’s the next book I’ll have to find.
I think I had a top with sleeves like this when I was little, but I can’t remember. Something about the smock-y shape and those straight Jetson sleeves seem very familiar to me:
And I know I had a pair of these when I was a kid (in pink), but look: Saltwater Sandals come in adult sizes, too!
I’ll wear the top and the sandals together today and maybe play My Little Pony after work. Or maybe Charmkins.
(I’m actually telling myself the top looks more sophisticated than juvenile and the sandals are just retro. Here’s a detail of the yoke inset and the fabric, a really nice black tweed linen.)Nothing like dressing to feel young.
1. Play with Toby, who is trying to get on the keyboard and roll around as I type this
2. Walk to breakfast
3. Water my garden (because the lettuce and radishes are coming up)
4. Fill the bird feeder
5. Plant up my strawberry pot
6. Cut out and maybe start sewing a new pencil skirt pattern
7. Eat an enchilada, for Cinco de Mayo
Because I took the day off! Freedom!
1. I’ve known about Bob Dylan’s “Theme Time Radio Hour” show on XM radio for a while now, but I’ve never heard it. So I was tickled that Vanity Fair posted an article that lists the themes, repeated artists, useful tips, history lessons, and recipes he’s shared on the show. There are even some choice quotes, including, “All of our shows are for truckers, if not about truckers” and “Here’s a woman who sure doesn’t sound like she sleeps alone.” Crazy Bob, I love you so.
(Also: look at the original magazine spread at the top of the article and notice how they’ve typeset it to look like the Milton Glaser Dylan poster from the ’60s.)
2. I’ve had 72-hour kits on my mind lately–I think it’s because I have Toby now. I was thinking out loud to Mr. Isbell that I have three cans of tuna in the cupboard we could use in an emergency and he pointed out, “That’s only a meal each for you, me, and Toby.” I think I need to look into putting a few things together.
3. Or maybe I’m just reacting to the climate of fear lately. Maybe it’s time to re-read Fahrenheit 451.
4. And in happier world events, Oxford University is hosting the first annual Fred Astaire Conference this June, featuring “an international assembly of Astaire experts, among them writers, performers, choreographers, and historians of dance, theatre, and film.” Delightful!
Today is May 1–May Day, International Workers Day, or Beltane, depending on how you choose to celebrate it. Since I’m (usually) struck by how the weather matches the old Celtic holidays, I’ll talk about Beltane:
“The day was a traditional summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures. While February 1 was the first day of Spring, May 1 was the first day of summer; hence, the summer solstice…was Midsummer.”
First day of summer, hm? I woke up to snow this morning. I think you failed us, Druids.
I can’t say it was the most thrilling week of projects, but I did finally get a new bath mat made for the miniscule bathroom in the apartment:
To give you an idea of scale, the bathmat is made of two hand towels sewn together. Hand towels. I had to make my own, obviously, because standard-size bathmats were way too big for the floor space.
And here’s a scarf I made out of a long piece of linen, finishing the edges with my sister-in-law’s serger. Once again this is a blatant copy of–I mean it’s “inspired by”–something I saw online here.
(Also, see that stripey dress? I didn’t make that. It came from a store, ready to wear. I’d almost forgotten that feeling.)