Freakyberry!

blargh. i'm tired. how about a good...14 hours sleep starting now?! isn't that the most comical strawberry ever? :) he's got two eyes, a tongue sticking out, and some kinda vertical hairy mustache in the middle :)
i'm trying to decide what meal(s) to plan for the coming weeks. Choices are among:
*sloppy bao (an asian twist on the sloppy joe)
*honey-barbecue chicken wings
*coconut-ginger fried rice
*apricot-glazed spicy chicken
*limabeans with tomatoes
All recipes come from sassyradish.com. and all sound so promisingly delicious! And in honor of April Fools Day, here is a fool's poem. followed by a overly-sentimental haiku.

I can be a fool, too,
For all I look so grave!
You think I'm staunch and serious--
I'm really quite the knave!
I'll steal all your cherry tarts
And snatch your chickens' eggs--
To get them back, you'll have to don
Some colored tights, and beg!
I frown a lot, and study hard,
Most wit is lost on me--
But only cause I'm such a joker--
In my head, you see.
Don't think I've never lost my head
Or laughed out loud, and long--
Don't think I do not know the words
To all those drinking songs!
I swear it! I carouse--I'm FUN!
You want to be my friend.
But only until eight o'clock,
Cause then I go to bed.

Shadow lost at noon
Is nothing to the absence
Of your voice, your smile

Farewell, Diana Wynne Jones :(

boy, i look so smug in that picture! :) that is me sporting a new dress from my Nana! she has the BEST taste in clothes--i love the red sash! and it is quite comfortable...just have to sew the shoulder straps up a bit. anyway, ignore the polkadotted socks. it's so cold i didn't want to remove them, even for modeling. (spring, where are ye?!?) next, we have Miss Trouble doing some posing of her own. she is precious, no? five minutes later, i had to shoo her away from Izzy's food bowl, though...ah, cats. :)
Wichita trip was fun! only two days but i accomplished a lot of relaxation. :) wonderful to see and talk with family! daniel is amazing and drove both there and back. i am un-amazing, in that regard.
Christi alerted me to the fact that one of my favorite favorite authors, Diana Wynne Jones, just passed away. :( Here is a link to an obituary: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/mar/27/diana-wynne-jones-obituary
If you have never read any of her books, and enjoy fantasy, i highly recommend that you get on amazon (or visit your local bookstore of course!) and get you some jones! The first book of hers I read was "Howl's Moving Castle," because i was already in love with the anime-adaptation of her story. There are 2 sequels to Howl's Moving Castle, the last of which i haven't read (yikes!), but the middle, Castle in the Air, is a fun retelling of Aladdin.
here is a dinky poem composed in me noggin in the shower. to help you out, the 1st and 3rd lines are describing a marriage license; the 2nd and 4th an old, married couple. i think this is from visiting my grandparents, and from listening to Buffy: the Musical soundtrack about 4 times in the past 4 days...there's a funny song sung by a couple that's about to get married, and the things they're worried about...like growing old and wrinkly. :) if you want to listen to it, you can probably youtube something like "i'll never tell" buffy, and come up with it.

crinkled - yellowing
wrinkled - mellowing
words - unaging
beauty - changing
for better? not for ill
i love you and i always will

shwimp guts!

my earrings from daniel arrived!!!! and i LOVE them! :) thank you! :)
the first photo is daniel de-veining the shrimp for last night's spring rolls. however, apparently these are not actually veins, but li'l intestines. awwww grross!

Silkie Shrimp is sore deluded:
"I am quite the giant!
You think you want to mess with me?
Well, fool! Why don't you try it?
I've eaten mountains for a snack,
I've drank an ocean dry!
I've run across a galaxy,
I've caused ten men to cry!
I'm Great! I'm HUGE! I'm Silkie Shrimp!
I bellow and I ROAR!"
(The truth? His voice is just a squeak,
His height in inches, four.)

Happy Eggs are Here again, hey!

Tomorrow i get to go to wichita with Daniel! Yesterday we drank the best mojitos yet! Today i am awaiting a dinner of shrimpy spring rolls with the door open! oh, and i would like to share that i have my first sunburn of the summer--which makes me super happy because it means that i was outside long enough to get burnt, which means...it is sunny and beautiful enough outside to wear tank tops! Yeehaw!
The first two pictures are courtesy of a hen named Henrietta and her friends. Christi knows a family who owns chickens, so every now and then we get the privilege of eating some of their eggs, and they are far superior to any others. Next, we have a feltie Kogepan...a japanese character. His name means "burnt bread man" (i think :) and he's unhappy because he got a bit blackened during baking. unfortunately, this version of Kogepan just looks like a little nerd with hair, but he's kinda cute anyway. :) hangin' out with some limes...
The scones last night were delicious! Here is a link to the recipe: http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/03/oat-and-maple-syrup-scones/

and in closing, a cheesy poem i'm afraid (i used to HATE the word 'cheesy,' as used that way...oh dear)

Between the Moment and the overspill
New mountains form, old rivers waste away,
Rash stars rise up, red suns, a long-time ill,
Breathe deep at last, release their final rays.
The moment that I gasped (new consciousness
Raced hard from heart to mind to mouth), I knew
A death--of half-suspended loneliness,
A birth of hope--a breath--and--"I love you."

happy six months and a haiku!

Yesterday was Daniel's and my (is that the correct way to write those possessives?) 6 month anniversary! :) We went to dinner with Christi at Gemma's Italian Restaurant, and had yummy crab cakes with 'red curry mayo' and pizza (with figs!)--at least, christi and i had pizza--daniel had salmon, and everything was just delicious! daniel has also ordered me some beautiful earrings from a scottish artist on etsy...silver flowers with emerald centers. they're on their way! there will be photos. :) for daniel, i ordered the "complicated bicycle" print by marc johns, pictured above--and made the accompanying 'potato man' feltie. complete with ice cream cone. marc johns is a canadian artist that christi likes (she introduced me to "complicated bicycle") and i think my favorite thing about ordering his print is that it is a very positive experience--by which i mean, the 'order confirmation' email said, "You are terrific!" and the postcard that came with the print said, "you are really outstanding"--which is just nice :) his website is: www.marcjohns.com

ah, just realized the photos are all kinds of out-of-order...the second and third are from walking along riverside with daniel this afternoon. HOW WONDERfuL IS SPRING?!?!?! shorts! tshirts! colors! sunnnnnnnn! and no longer do i have to be jealous of all the happy hand-in-hand couples...! i think i am now the happiest of them all :)

and that spider, is just a crazy spider that spun down from our ceiling to the table to the chair and--those fangs look poisonous! you know there are. i have faced venemous death in the face. raowr.

oh, and because i am getting pressed for time i decided to write a haiku (a trick i learned back in 10th grade and am NOT, NOT proud of. i realize it is not a cop-out poetic form. no. but...this is not a blog for too-serious poetry anyway, so...sigh)--anyway, i looked up info about writing them because i couldn't remember the correct syllable count (5-7-5)--and learned from the article that there are actually two parts to the haiku, the "phrase" and the "fragment". "One line is the fragment and the other two lines combine grammatically to become the phrase. Without this combining the two lines together the haiku will sound 'choppy' as the voice drops at the end of each line." from 'How to Write a Haiku Poem'-wikiHow.
so, with that in mind, here is my attempt:

Yellower than sun
Blossoms gather as you rest
Beneath the spring tree

Link t' Cuteness

So, this is one of my favorite websites. And here is an introductory link. Beware that if you follow it to its sorce, you may lose an hour or so in your day :) Because it's so much fun! http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2011/01/sunday-sweets-so-stinkin-cute.html
What a beautiful day! There is a large gathering of folks in our backyard getting ready to ride bikes and drink beer. i am not of them :( but it certainly is a wonderful day to be outside! we've had the doors open, and the plants that have been taking refuge in our living room are finally enjoying some sun and fresh air!
I'm not sure this poem is at all coherent. You may call it "Lines Written From a Porch in the Sun While Watching a Man Spray Weedkiller." Or not. :)

That man kills weeds with chemicals,
(Some daffodils go, too)
Rampages on relationships--
The same, small attitude.
I like him, though, from farther back,
The goggles, rubber boots,
The garb of one who's realized
"To care, or not?" is moot.
Because I care too much sometimes,
So much I cannot move,
But he is just the man he is,
Not driven to improve.
Alright, I lie--he's not my type
On any continent.
The one I love is lively and,
Though curious, content.
To grow, to care, to seek the sun
When clouds are covering--
Is better than a certainty
That misses ev'rything.

to post, to post

blabbity-blabbity-blah. there's an odd whistling noise coming from somewhere??? i think upstairs...hopefully not my problem?

Read beneath the face that freezes,
Gently, gently now,
The voice that isn't breaking since
It can't remember how.
A smile chilled, a dead-eyed gaze--
Two flights of panic, stalled.
But a just-too-perfect pose betrays:
There's war behind this wall.

Saint Patrick's Day!

izzy leads a lovely life [but dear, she'll never be a wife....] okay...rhymes on the brain. yikes...happy st patrick's day! no, i have not been drinking despite the ramblingness of this post thus far. i've been wafting (?) between giddiness and exhaustion for a few days...usually the latter, but at work earlier i think i had an excess of energy that translated into a [nearly] trembling anger. thankfully my coworker, after i had glared at him a couple times for Daring to sell cookies that i wasn't ready to put on display yet [inexcusable on my part], called me on it which helped almost instantly. i was like, "yes. yes. i am in a bad mood. and i don't know why??? it has something to do with people not buying these new banana-chocolate-chip-espresso muffins that are AWESOME for no reason, for not appreciating the new granola recipe i tried out, and for buying TOO DARN MANY cookies before the approved time! and...because i haven't eaten enough, maybe." but then i was happy, and placed a well-aimed sidekick four-inches away from a refrigerator door, and realized that i also just wanted to move around and kick the air or something. there's not a point to that story, it was just an odd sensation :) it's that p90x throwing off my energy levels!
tonight's st patty's day feast will be composed of this recipe: http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/01/baked-potato-soup/
and hopefully some green beer :) almost time to get started cooking, but...naps...and shower...and more diana wynne jones are calling so...entrancingly!
anyway, here is a little poem:

"Toward the Toad of Tethergrew
I row," sang Frog in his canoe.
"I love her warts and sandy skin--
Ah! What a lovesick state I'm in!"
So overfilled with passion, he
Forgot the oars, forgot the sea--
Just floated, gently, lost in dreams
Till moonlight off the water gleamed--
So too did ogling eyes below,
Eyes free of all--but hunger! Oh!
Poor frog! He'll ne'er kiss Lady Toad.
Love's such a risky, tipsy load...

Boring Words Need Not Apply...

Greetings! i write with a sadness in my heart, because i am finishing the last of a precious jar of nutella, given to me at christmas by my father. goodbye, sweet hazelnutty chocolatey delight. sigh...
anyway, last night i began another Diana Wynne Jones book, A Sudden Wild Magic...which is an easy and enjoyable read, but after several pages i realized that i was going to have to look up some vocab words! interesting ones, the kind that one would tape to one's wall from a word-of-the-day calendar, because one would hate to forget them! there's a lengthy list, but i figured i could share it with you (Definitions are taken from The American Heritage College dic-tion-ar-y):

1. gamboge: a stronge reddish yellow
2. harridan: a woman regarded as scolding and vicious
3. hieratic: of or associated with sacred persons or offices; sacerdotal [bonus word!]
4. interstice: a space, esp. a small narrow one, between things or parts
5. sigil: a sign or an image considered magical
6. spavined: marked by damage, deterioration, or ruin
7. speculum: a mirror or polished metal plate used as a reflector in optical instruments
8. condign: deserved; adequate
9. cloaca: a sewer or latrine
10. chuff: a rude, insensitive person; a boor

And here is a completely random poem i wrote at the coffeeshop today...because we sure do get alot of interesting folks there...not to mention some who come to the door of my house sometimes. last night christi gave a woman some bananas, because she got home right after i'd said, "um...no, sorry...don't have anything..." and before the lady had found the next house. if i give, it's out of guilt and unhappily. a little-or a lot-skeptically and resentfully. blugh. anyway, without further ado:

This beggar beggared description:
Nose like a shrivelled slug, gray eyes agog,
Accompanied by friendly, faithful dog,
Flea-bitten, not ashamed, not shy.
Back to beggar: nervous, talked of rain
(Though clouds were hidden) and a train
He'd taken last December, in a car
With woolly, warm companions. Travelled far,
Those sheep (now slaughtered--I know, he will not)--
He's worried for them--summer, hot,
And wool so...insulating. Mine is packed
Away--today I'm wearing hot pink shorts,
While he's in flannel--and a cap, of course--
All he has, all weather-worn,
One sleeve gone missing, every seam is torn.
Eyes bright, though, with some kind of future hope.
"A place to stay the night?" "Well...yes and nope.
No plans, but I'll find something, just you watch."
The dog ran circles while its master coughed,
And guiltily, this time I walked away.
I'll give him something, sure...some other day.

Wretched Stuff :)

Good headache-y evening!
I would just like to say, that I FINISHED the urban tulsa's weekly new york times crossword even with this throbbing headache. AND...my third P90x workout! Shoulders, arms, and abs, yee-haw! which i'm sure has something to do with why i'm feeling a bit pitiful :) Also, a loaf of "Spotted Dog Railway Bread," recipe provided by Victoria magazine, who got it from a book called "Forgotten Skills of Cooking: The Time-honored ways are the Best" by Darina Allen, Ireland's best-known chef and 'headmistress at the Ballymaloe Cookery School.' This Ballymaloe Cookery School is located in the middle of a 100-acre organic farm...and costs 10000 euros or so for a 12-week program. alas for that. however, they do offer single classes that are a bit more affordable, if you can get yourself over to ireland! it looks beautiful and i can only imagine how home-spun-delicious everything tastes! plus, you'd be surrounded by irish accents!
I was looking up programs at the University of Kansas...an MFA in creative writing, undergrad and masters programs in journalism...I wish I were inspired to write books, fun fantastical books...the type i like to read. journeys, other lands...
where is life supposed to go?
Anyway, for now here is one dumb li'l poem i wrote right before crashing into bed this afternoon. and a Friendship song written yesterday, which is rather up-beat and rollicky.

I wish to rest on fresh-mown grass,
Or dream on lavendar,
To nap upon a sunbeam...
Um...let me check my calendar...
Just as I feared! It's winter still!
Poor dreams unseasonal.
I'll wish to sleep by firelight
(That's far more practical.)

I. (D)Two old (G)ladies sippin (D)tea,
(D)Wonder (G)who these two could (D)be?
(D)One is older than the (G)other
(D)Old enough to be her (G)mother
(random vocals)

II. Years of sunlight crown those heads
Laughing like the best of friends
One guffaws, the other giggles
One's composed, the other jiggles
Out of joy

Ch: (A)I'm still young and I have (G)barely begun
To (A)learn what it is to be a (G)good friend
I'm still (A)young don't wanna see it end (G)oh no
I don't wanna (D)lose you

III. Porcelain's too delicate for me
So thoughtless, and so darn clumsy
Please forgive me when I hurt you, too
I know I will--it's what I do
Sometimes

IV. Let's pretend we're old and wise
Thick glasses on our failing eyes
We've been through a life together
Anger, pain, but still together
My friend

Arthur Oddwinn Aardvark

Good afternoon--aren't aardvarks cute?! not the one i drew (although in its defense, i think you can tell that it is an aardvark), but the real-life ones like the picture of the li'l baby i stole from google. today i completed my 2 and a half'th workout from the P90x series! yay! sore muscles!!! :) it's goofy but tough. i think my worst move so far is lifting my legs straight up in the air from a lying-down position. i simply don't have those muscles. yet. "bring it." grrrrr....
anyhow, here is another animal/food poem, this time about...of course...an aardvark!

Arthur Oddwinn Aardvark thought
That ants were quite a treat--
The perfect blend of "crunch" and "chew,"
Of "savory" and sweet."
Yes, Arthur munched them happily,
With neither guilt nor qualm--
Until a tiny, trembling voice
Disturbed his glutton's calm.
"But first-things-first, you murderer!
My voice is trembling--true!
But not in fear--oh, no--but WRATH!
At all the things you do!
My kinfolk line your stomach
(Quite the gut, I'd like to say!)
My friends are on your menu--
Well, they won't be food today!
I've got a plan, you wicked lout,
A plan to save us all...!"
Poor Arthur Oddwinn Aardvark listened,
Silent, and appaled.
"Ants talk?! How horrid! What a shock!
My appetite is gone!"
He shuddered, lost in thought as that
Fierce ant droned on and on.
The ant had plans, quite grandiose,
Which, sure as snakes, would fail--
And yet, he triumphed after all,
For Arthur A. turned-tail
And scurried off, avowing to
Avoid all talking food--
"It simply isn't palatable. Plus,
It's just plain rude!"

Fun with Googly Eyes!

So...this (plus eating apple pie with toffee ice cream, and listening to a tim keller sermon :) is what daniel and i were doing sunday morning before church. it was awesome :)
well, i was looking forward to a fat tuesday/pre-lent marathon of "Pushing Daisies", but alas, our instant netflix account has already been deactivated, so it looks like lent has arrived early. (christi and i are giving up television-watching in all its dastardly forms). not sure i'm ready! this Should mean more blogging! more writing, more felting, more *gasp* good old-fashioned reading! :) yay!!!!!!!!

in conclusion, there is no poem for today, but i just wanted to share these ridiculous photos with you. stay tuned! :) and have a great day!

First Daffodils!

1. our front-garden daffodils! 2. little picture i drew today :) 3. Daniel and I in our newest random shirts from woot.com!
ummmm...would try to write a spur-of-the-moment poem, but am being distracted by the TV show "Pushing Daisies" which you should watch :) have a good evening!

my kingdom for a title

Hello! Well....i may have found a car! and there will be pictures if it comes to fruition (it's a cute light-blue honda!!) those pictures are from last night, a night of "Baked Brown Cows" from the Baked! cookbook. essentially, it is a chocolate ganache (chocolate-cream mixture) spread around the bottom of the glass, topped with vanilla ice cream, a shot of kahlua, and a sprinkling of nutmeg. yummmmm!
um...so on today's poetry menu is another song, an fast and folksy/oldtimey Easter song; and a random poem i wrote just now, whose theme seems to be a common one of mine (mainly in songs though)--pretending everything is okay after you've been hurt somehow. usually by a lov-ah, of course. :) okay, numero uno:

I. (D) I wanna walk in the middle of a lake, and I don't wanna (G)drown,
(D) I wanna make a mountain move, maybe see it fallin' (G)down,
(D) I wanna pray a healin prayer, and (G)see the blindman (D)see,
But most of all, I long to meet the (G)King who died for (D)me.

Ch. (D)Struck down--but (G)up He (A)rises,
(D)What a (G)wondrous (D)Ki-(A)ng!
(D)Killed by the (G)ones He (A)loves,
For-(D)given, (G)let (A)us (D)sing!

II. I wanna put my pride away, and serve the poor and lame,
You know that's how our Savior lived, and He taught us to do the same--
But I"m a coward and my pride oft gets the best of me,
The good news is, He died for this: to set us sinners free.

III. I wanna see those pearly gates, and walk the streets of gold,
Wanna see my friends and fam'ly there, please help me to be bold--
To put away my foolish fear that they don't wanna hear--
And tell them of our Father-King, who calls us to draw near.

hidden, under
cover, under
thunder-lidded
eyes

simple, like the
alphabet, like
symmetry, dis
guise

easy, to pre
tend, to lie, de
ny the myster
y

harder, though, to
love, or shove a
side your miser
y