Wichita and Candy Bars

Hallo, and guess what? It turns out I Did have Memorial weekend plans! Only it wasn't so much 'plans' as a spontaneous vacation to wichita with Daniel! at his suggestion, no less--what a great guy!! lucky tara :) anyway, spent the weekend hanging out with my brother and sister, eating donuts and pizza (healthy, i know!), doing a patched-together ab-workout with my bro, getting crushed by daniel in my family's favorite card game, 3 and 13 (boohoo!), rocking out to Rent and Heart on the drive there and back (and figuring out that the distance to wichita is just a little over the combined length of the Rent sound track and Heart's greatest hits album :) useful info that!
anyway, the two puppies are my sister's dogs, Roxie (blue heeler) and TNT (genuine chihuahua!). my niece and nephew dogs, it's nice. And...speaking of pets...you may be wondering what manner of horror you are looking at in picture 1. And I wish to tell you that, though i post many adorable pictures of my li'l ol' izzy-cat, she has a dark dark-side. this is a picture of cat puke plus mold, which i discovered today (and instantly cleaned up--no easy task!). GROSSSSSSSSS!!!!! oh the troubles of cat-ownership.
On that note, here is an autobiographical poem (not about cat stuff, don't worry):

I'm eating half a candy bar*--
Just half, that's all I need,
For more would overstep what's right,
Into the realm of greed.
But oh! the caramel's gooey,
And the chocolate's just divine,
The nuts are toasty, crunchy! But...
I've reached the center line,
Where one more bite or lick or crumb
Is more than I should eat--
But darn, it's so delicious!
I acknowledge my defeat.
And, if you want to know the truth
(More shameful than the lie)--
I didn't eat just one more bite,
The whole bar waved 'goodbye!'
But, funny, I do not regret
This conqu'ring of my will--
Sweet Conscience turned its watchful eye
As Stomach ate its fill.

*Twix from Mums :)

Mad Mongoose Matthagieu

Good morning! and happy memorial day weekend!
do i have plans for memorial day? besides seeing pirates of the carribbean (sp?) saturday night? not really. perhaps a picnic? yeah!! and some work? ohhhh ok. poo. :)

anyway, here is a brief poem, possibly the strangest yet, warning. (it also gives reason for the TERRIFYING picture above):

"If lunacy were luncheon meat,
I'd be the Sandwich King!"
Shrieked Mad-Eye Mongoose Matthagieu,
Who then began to sing:
"A slice of ham for the harlequin,
Some turkey for a trout!
Baloney for imbalanced men,
Roast Beef to soothe my gout!"
And Mad-Eye Mongoose Matthagieu
Spun round and round and round
Until he stopped, mid-spin, and dropped,
Head-first straight to the ground.

Floyd the Fly

Back! The wedding baking went very well (three cheers for cream cheese frosting--for its yumminess and versatility!) (three more cheers for pretty sprinkles :)

Anyway, the wedding was Saturday, and today is wednesday. What did I do in those inter...intervening? (is that the word i'm thinking of??)...days that kept me away from the blog? Well:

1. Sunday: one of my favorite things, watching bike races ALL DAY, especially when Daniel did so well and it was in cute downtown Sand Springs, and didn't rain (amazing!). Only downside was that it was so hot i was exhausted and tried to take a nap in the middle of everything. But overall, fabulous! yay bikes! yay daniel! (coming soon: the Tulsa Tough, June 11th-weekend, Friday Saturday Sunday come watch!!)

2. Monday: Doubleshot! baking baking baking...work work work...dinner with crystal, daniel, and christi, courtesy of crystal--whole foods pizza (with additional basil and tomatoes) and ice cream cake (what a rare treat!), good company. (loopy-ness courtesy of moi)

3. Tuesday: weeding the garden with Daniel! (Picture 1) there's VISIBLE DIRT now! who'da thought?! P90x and then...ESCAPE from the TORNADO! (except there wasn't really one in our neighborhood...just some eerie clouds and a few minutes of pleasant rain...thank goodness!)

4. Wednesday: here here!

Anyway, here are a couple poems. The first is more of just a rhyming whiny thought. (oh, and the other pictures: asparagus feltie and new hair cut!):

Worry
Breeds accusation
Breeds real pain
From dumb imagination.
Then again,
Sometimes
Not to fear
Is to be fooled.
Cruel.
Heartless.
World.

“One plus one plus eighty-two’s
The length of life I plan--
That gives me years for learning,
Plus some years to understand.
Some years for scaling mountains,
And some years for kicking back,
And years to find my feet again
In case I get off-track.”
‘Twas thus that Mr. Floyd the Fly
Explained his hoped-for life
To what he thought was just a man
Who kept a cloak and scythe.
“Poor Floyd, he does not realize
Flies live but for a day,”
The cloaked man murmered gloomily,
Then glided on his way.

feltie parade

New felties! made a toast-and-butter friend to go with my yummy toast keychain :) um...no words today, i'm afraid--very busy this week! (baking for a friend's wedding, whoo!--Not THE wedding cake) anyway, hope you all are doing well!

Yummy Breakfast number one!

Goood evening!

Well, today's big news is that I've got five sealed envelopes ready to be taken to the post office and mailed off to publishers! I'm not expecting much, but am proud to have accomplished that at least! I am celebrating (well...was celebrating cause i eat faster than i type...when i'm trying to do both at the same time at least) by ruining my dinner with a s'more! yeah!!

also today, i bought (what is probably my first-and-not-last) a "yummy breakfast"! keychain. they're produced by a company called kidrobot, and designed by the lady who keeps this fun website/blog: www.mypapercrane.com
you buy the keychain in a box in a opaque bag, so you don't know which yummy breakfast you're getting--it's a surprise! i got the little toast :) sooooo cute!!!

Other pictures: from last night's chiminea enjoyment, and a bowl of homegrown (organic!) strawberries from our garden!!! that is also a yummy breakfast!

and today's poem, again about fear:

Some days I run headlong into fear,
(I trip, I fall) and just before I land,
The hard-packed earth up-rushing with a sneer,
Baits, “Guess you need some god to hold your hand…?”

And, flicking pebbles from my throbbing palm,
And, glaring at the unrelenting dirt,
I notice that my fear is resting, calm,
(Though there are always other ways to hurt).

“I need some god” (but not just any), know
What I’d abandoned just before I fled—
Dependence isn’t weakness, isn’t woe,
But joy and peace and feasts on daily bread.

Yes, taunting earth, I am a needy soul—
Both frail and bold, but, ultimately, whole.

Dance Party! You Know you Want To!

Just wanted to share with you my recommended "Build-Your-Own-30-Minute-Dance-Party" list:

1. "Take me Out Tonight" from Rent
2. "Take Me or Leave Me" from Rent (these first two are a good warm-up, as you can 1/2-dance and 1/2-sing along which is also very fun)
3. "Cold War" by Janelle Monae
4. "Tightrope" by Janelle Monae
5. "Whenever, Wherever" by Shakira
6. "Rock That Body" by the Black Eyed Peas*
7. "Imma Be" by the Black Eyed Peas*
8. "Bye Bye Bye" by N*Sync
9. "Just Fine" by Mary J Blige

*nearly any song from their album "The E.N.D." can be inserted into this list :)

Have fun Dancing!

p.s. i am trying to supplement my dancing by singing along with the soundtrack from Sweeney Todd. can't...sing...too...tired... ;)

Tim the Teapot and the Dreadful Stomachache, Grr

The day of the Stomachache. I ate too many chips last night! or something...?? which was the perfect excuse to lie in bed All Day (until about 6)...although, i would've rather felt better and been up and about. anyway, i think it is behind us.
After feeling better, I finally got to sit down and finish an Agatha Christie i picked up at the beloved Oak Tree (used book store) a few days ago, "Funerals are Fatal." I NEVER see the answer coming! was surprised this time as always. they're so much fun! perfect for reading in a sunny park after work. :) and Oak Tree has an excellent selection, if you're interested...

Here is a poem, "Farewell to a Teapot [Named Tim]" :) happily, my lovely turquoise teapot is in fine condition and i won't need to say farewell to it any time soon...although, when i do, i wonder if it will be with the bittersweet fondness that is conveyed in this poem?

Tim the Trusty Teapot's
Boiling water one last time--
His whistle has been silenced, and
His inside's full of grime.
But, "One last cup, my Faithful Tim,
Of Sleepytime and cream,
And over it, we'll reminisce
How we've put the "tea" in TEAM.
You heat the water perfectly,
I let the teabag steep--
I couldn't drink without you--!
Oh, I think that I will weep!"
Dear Tim just sits there calmly
While the water boils hot.
It tastes a wee bit rusty, but...
"Here's to you, my old Teapot!"

Numero 100! woot!

Goooood morning! Today's outfit (after way too much trying-on-and-offs): turquoise skirt, purple tank top, layered with green tank top. SUMMER MEANS COLORS! yay! and...thanks to the fact that i cannot allow a bottle of nailpolish to sit on the table without painting at least one (but probably only one) nail, i have one peeling pink thumbnail, and one peeling black nail. grrross. and some recipe conversion math all over my hand, in blue pen. :) i am, in short, not elegant.

this is post number 100, by the way. Milestone! (at least, looking at the comments page that's what i thought, but adding up the math for all the archives, i could have that wrong. oh, poo. it's close either way :)

Two quick poems, one about how i need to quit worrying so much about money, and be generous/just not anxious. one about pain which, i am realizing, ends on a pretty negative-hopeless note, which isn't ultimately what i think, although when you're going through something awful, it often seems hopeless. i'm not going through anything Terrible right now, but there are always little stings (like feeling left out at work), and always people you care for who are in pain :(

If I were given money
Ev'ry time it worried me,
I'd be the richest girl alive,
I'd rule the land and sea!
A nickle for neurosis
And a dime for discontent,
A penny for my lack of faith,
A dollar (heaven-sent?)--
The drabbest birds are cared for,
And the lovely lilies, too,
Oh, may I learn to look at them
And rest my heart in You.


Pain stands on the outskirts
In a sieging kind of stance,
Content to wait to waste us
Until we rise up and dance--
At which point, bold Pain steals away
Sweet, self-abandoment,
Turns free men into crippled slaves,
Our songs into lament.

Mushrooms, Stress, and Vitamin D

*whew!* i just spent at least two hours researching publishing companies, trying to find the 'perfect fits' for my little poems. the end result is that i've got 5 addressed bubble envelopes containing manuscripts, and need to write a few cover letters/buy stamps and postage. if i may point out, i would've LOVED a nap this afternoon :)
there were some ADORABLE li'l fungis in our backyard the other day! :) yay!

let's see...here is a poem i wrote by the river yesterday (lovin the sun!)...i was in a(nother) bad mood. :( a stress-mood. which was all somehow related to hormones and an underlying bad attitude towards "extra" work (really, all the work i do falls under my job description, but due to whatever factors, some weeks there's just More of it, and i'd like every week's work load to be predictable and requiring-no-more-than-medium-effort). anyway, it's an unfinished* poem about writing, but here's where it stands today:
*by 'unfinished' i mean that i'm not totally happy with it, but in all reality i probably won't get back to working on it*

You have to write to write a single word:
Held phrases in the head are perilous,
As quick to be forgotten as recalled,
Like wind-caught gossamers--wind-crushed, unless
Translated, brain-to-hand-to-pen-to-page
Where, solid, still they seem small, trembling things
Which strengthen over time or, thrown away,
Betray themselves--frail ghosts forced into being.