THE FOX!!!!!!!!

An Autumnal Dessert Feast!

Daniel and I have a child. His name is Milton. He is watching you.

I love you, Milton Pointy-Face Rittler.

After a very rough week (no, nothing horrible happened, just a bunch of little annoyances that added up to a bunch of ARGH!!! and mild despair), Taylor Swift's "Trouble" became my new favorite song...until Daniel and I discovered THIS last night:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jofNR_WkoCE

I want to listen to this song, and dance, and do karate all day. That last bit is thanks to reading an amazing action-fantasy series about a short, petite girl who can pretty much kill an entire evil army by herself. Naturally, I aspire to be that awesome. Anyway, Daniel and I have been reading the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Check it out!

"Not In A Bad Way"

Good afternoon! Here is the Sentence Of The Week, from Taste What You're Missing by Barb Stuckey: "If we're creating something that we want to savor like a New Zealand sauvignon blanc wine, we might want to include the odor of cat urine, which is one of the characteristic aromas in this wine (not in a bad way)." (p.271). As a professional food developer, Barb Stuckey knows what she's talking about, but...the idea that something ingestible can smell like cat urine not in a bad way blows my mind a little bit :) I do recommend this book.

Autumnal Recommendation of the Week: TAZO pumpkin spice chai concentrate. So lovely! Especially when drunk (Ooh, I have problems with that word...wanted to write "drinken" but that's not correct, apparently. Don't know if "drunk" is, either! Thoughts?) out of a handmade ceramic mug.

Poem:

You must believe,
Must unforsee events,
Action and consequence-
And guess
That we revolve around
And are revolved around-
The beauty and the beast,
The greatest and the least
Of these:
Proud antique tyrants,
Infant innocents.

One Thing Funny, Three Things Yummy

We've got new friends!!! Our home is now a constant bat scavenger hunt!

It's been three days, and I've about reached my candy corn limit. Because it is oh-so-good and oh-so-sugary!!

Here you see a Pumpkin Creme Brulee-filled doughnut and a Pumpkin scone, courtesy of Antoinette Baking Co., whom I continue to crave and adore.

In case you're interested, Series 2 of  Miranda is now available on hulu! Yay! So...guess what I did yesterday? Well, the answer is: cleaned the house like mad, ran errands, went to class, read, mixed up some scones, and...oh yeah, watched the entire series 2 of Miranda because I love it! (And one series is just 6 30 min episodes, so...it could be worse...) Today was pretty stressful at work, so maybe I should've saved some episodes. On the other hand, I could always just watch it twice! : )

Anyone out there have a brilliant idea for a mass communications research study/topic? One that deals with issues/theory rather than immediate, practical application? Anyone? Think I'll be e-mailing my professor on this one. Anyway, everyone have a wonderful day!

Royal-Moral Dilemma

Am I slave, or master?

Am I crushed, or clinging fast

To parasite, disaster,

Sinful Present, painful Past?

And can I royally decree:

“Ghosts and demons, turn and flee!

Nevermore dishonor beauty,

Nevermore bewilder me.”

Or must I dance when bidden

To the death if not despair—

Strings attached, if faintly hidden

By the dust-elated air?

They say the minds of innocents

Are always first to go,

For the innocent are foolish,

The poor innocent are slow—

But I have seen that innocence

Stand naked, hero-sung,

Face evil with the passion of

An uncorrupted Sun

That burns until the end of days,

The last great light to fade,

Dismissed a faithful servant--

You’ve done well, for you’ve obeyed.

But back to this dilemma:

I am slave--and master, too,

Determinate, determining,

Dependent, then, on You

For of myself, I author evil,

By evil I fall.

But You are evil’s conqueror,

The King renewing all.

On Jealousy

Any with the envy, pressing
Problematic,
                     pained
Tense and terse and undermined
By self-erasing
                    shame.
Leave me with a shred of...something...
Spark of story,
                     Pride,
The voice that falls to voiceless
As you prattle by its side.

Petitioning for pity. Fooling me, at least
                   --And you?--
Where wrong is right and right condemned
And I for I the rule.
Forgetting with the spiral,
At the center,
                  at the end:
I've bought myself this torment,
Spending hatred--
                 and a friend.


That's about where my mind is right now. I've been in a real whirlwind of sinful thoughts/emotions. Probably has something to do with choosing to do just about anything other than read the Bible and pray. Especially pray. Sigh.

On a related note, I was reading some of Auden's poetry, searching for seasonal themes, when I came across these lines from part three of "In Memory of W.B. Yeats." I studied this poem a few years ago (In Lyric Poetry with Dr. Holly Laird--wonderful class, any current/future TU students!) and loved it, but these lines are like new--because I frankly don't remember them at all.

"Follow, poet, follow right
To the bottom of the night,
With your unconstraining voice
Still persuade us to rejoice;

With the farming of a verse
Make a vineyard of the curse,
Sing of human unsuccess
In a rapture of distress;

In the deserts of the heart
Let the healing fountain start,
In the prison of his days
Teach the free man how to praise."

6 Till Deadline

Daniel has a stocking, Christmas is coming!

Thank you, Owl and Drum, for selling this fun bike-themed fabric collection by Windham Fabrics! Don't know what to do with it....but it sure is promising!

Obviously this picture came from a colder time, but I just ran across it and figured the internet wouldn't be complete without it. 

Threading through an hourglass
Berating sands of time,
Racing future, present, past-
Poor Chronos lags behind.

Weightier with gravity
Than one glib particle
That wafts like snow, while I am I--
A breath, a beat, a soul.

In other words, the deadline for dropping a class at OSU Tulsa with a 100% refund is this coming Monday. I'm going to a class tonight. If anyone wants to pray that it will either be really awesome or really booooring (so that I have some indication of whether or not to pursue this degree), that would be appreciated.

Also, have I mentioned my Dad's photography blog yet? It's wonderful--I inherited NONE of his photography genes, so don't pre-judge him when you see my dreadful little pics up there. Dad's photos are a veritable visual delight :) www.aaronbowenphotography.com

My First Birthday Gift...!

YOU KNOW YOU WANT FUNFETTI PANCAKES!!!

It's a Musical-singing day: Rocky Horror, Wicked, Rent...poor neighbors. :)

Example: Discontent

Estate sales can be wonderful. A few days ago, Daniel and I dropped by one with a book room. The take? Ender's Game (just finished, loved), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Tuck Everlasting, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Spoon River Anthology.

Not bad, eh? Spoon River Anthology, written by Edgar Lee Masters, is a series of epitaphs-in-verse, each spoken by a citizen of Spoon River who now lies buried in the village cemetery. Here are two, set side-by-side, blatantly exposing the human tendencies to envy and despair.

Albert Schirding
Jonas Keene thought his lot a hard one
Because his children were all failures.
But I know of a fate more trying than that:
It is to be a failure while your children are successes.
For I raised a brood of eagles
Who flew away at last, leaving me
A crow on the abandoned bough.
Then, with the ambition to prefix Honorable to my name,
And thus to win my children's admiration,
I ran for County Superintendent of Schools,
Spending my accumulation to win--and lost.
That fall my daughter received first prize in Paris
For her picture, entitled, "The Old Mill"--
(It was of the water mill before Henry Wilkin put in steam.)
The feeling that I was not worthy of her finished me.

Jonas Keene
Why did Albert Schirding kill himself
Trying to be County Superintendent of Schools,
Blest as he was with the means of life
And wonderful children, bringing him honor
Ere he was sixty?
If even one of my boys could have run a news-stand,
Or one of my girls could have married a decent man,
I should not have walked in the rain
And jumped into bed with clothes all wet,
Refusing medical aid.

On a happier, less-melodramatic note, Daniel just got home with a surprise--he cleaned all the  bike grease off of the back seat of our car! Which means: now would be a good time for us to give you a ride somewhere. It looks Brand New! Yay! (Not that there's anything wrong with bike grease, it's just nice to see it looking all nice and spiffy :)

I Break for Books.

 Here are some of the lovely books I've been reading lately! My sewing machine decided to take a break for a while (hopefully it's rested long enough--I need it!).

 On the other hand, I don't really Want to do anything other than tear through more Flavia de Luce books (pictured below, written by Alan Bradley, absolutely marvelous). Flavia is an 11-year-old chemist/sleuth, and a fascinating mix of genius/child, loving/undemonstrative (no hugs in the de Luce family!), self-assured/easily driven to doubt by her tormenting sisters. Plus, her family lives in an old mansion that they may lose at any moment, being in fact fairly poor. Read Flavia!

Also, Mums visited for a day and we went on a bike ride, watched/participated in a latte art competition, and went to Friday morning coffee cupping at Topeca roastery! Yay! Great visit!

And finally, because periodically I have to make ice cream recommendations, here is today's: Haagen-Dazs' Sea Salt Caramel Gelato. Oh. My. Word. Grab a Flavia de Luce book, a pint of this, and you Will have the best day of your life.

Da-DA! The Moment You've All Been Waiting For...!!!

Or, probably not. But after a brief hiatus, I am back! My airtight excuse for not blogging lately is this: I have become a sewing machine!

Also took a trip to OKC, which included drinking cappuccinos (Elemental and Coffee Slingers), eating donuts, eating the best grilled cheese sandwich ever (at The Mule), swimming, drinking wine, visiting the amazing Full Circle bookstore, watching one of the most depressing films ever (Oranges with Hugh Laurie), shopping, etc. So fun! Oh, running four miles in extreme heat. Less fun :)

Also, I have been reading many good books lately! This is our favorite page from Edward Gorey's Epiplectic Bicycle that I couldn't resist buying for Daniel, who is both an Edward Gorey and a bicycle fan.

Here is a link to a video a grad student made of the Epiplectic Bicycle. (This is the kind of book I'm afraid we will be raising our children on. We are shooting for crazy.):

http://vimeo.com/11171863

That is all for now! Off to the bank and, here's hoping, a haircut?!?

Looking Fierce!

Old helmet, goofy...

New helmet, Ready to Ride!!!

Sometimes you just really need some "out with the old, in with the new"...especially when it comes to protective head gear. Because my primary motivation in getting a new helmet was definitely safety, not style. Mm-hm...

Did everyone have a great 4th of July? Daniel and I met Mums and Jim in Ponca City for a mid-way [between Tulsa and Wichita] day trip. We walked around the grounds at Marland Mansion, picnicked by Lake Ponca, left when Autumn got in trouble for being in the water, went hiking at Kaw Lake...for about 100 ft before we realized the trail was covered in poison ivy and ticks were abundant :) At which point we abandoned the Great Outdoors in favor of ice cream at Braum's. Perfect.  We returned to Tulsa in plenty of time to ride along Riverside before heading to a friend's house  to watch the fireworks--which had shapes this year! The sky was lit with hearts, smiley faces, Rudolph-doves, and other unidentifiable shapes. I don't think smiley face fireworks are about to replace the old classics, because half the time they were upside-down or smashed. Which was amusing, but not particularly beautiful : ) A wonderful day!

If any of you need an awkward-but-lovable British comedy series in your life, may I recommend Miranda? Miranda Hart stars (you may know her a Chummy from Call the Midwife) and, though I initially thought the show would be too awkward to watch in comfort (she is 6'1", clumsy, embarassing with men)--I ended up loving it and have subsequently watched all six episodes of season 1 twice (that's the only season you can get on hulu, so I haven't seen the others). I think the reason the awkwardness doesn't make me cringe is that, even if the other people in Miranda's life give her a hard time, they love and accept her. It's not like they wish she'd go away and never return. Plus, the guy she likes is totally into her, too, although they are "just friends."

Here are some things I like about Miranda:
1) She appreciates words like "cusp" and "Sachet"
2) There is always an uncut cake or other pastry in her kitchen.
3) She glues googly eyes onto household items such as a teapot, eggs, etc.
4) She runs a joke shop and gets a kick out of "the little things"
5) The horrified looks she gives the camera when, for example, asked to exercise
6) She thinks people should commute via gallopping (not on a horse, like you used to when you were young and pretending to be a horse)
7) British accents!

Anyhow, watch Miranda. Here is a clip from the first episode to get you hooked!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxMS8Q6FTl0

[Inhuman] Death in the Family

After sewing the worlds ugliest eyesore of a dress...

...my poor sewing machine needle just couldn't take it any more. : (

Other observations:

1) Don't worry, I was never intending to wear this dress, heavens no! Just seeing if I could figure out a "simple" dress pattern using some cheap-o estate sale fabric.

2) The dress pattern (vintage) is a size 16. For some reason, reading the measurements on the sizing chart, I thought this would fit--and despaired over "flattery size" inflation. But never fear! Our decades be not so disparate. This dress is too large.

3) It's been a weird week, and I'm ready for things to settle down already. Sigh...

The Great American Spider Hunt

Possibly first-ever feltie commission! Somebaby needed a monkey!

Go far, far away, my creepy friends...

This week has been full of ups and downs. Can't say anything about the ups, because they mostly involve potential opportunities that may or may not come to fruition, but have been pleasant to think about either way. Downs involve Daniel's cut finger and possible (hopefully not!!!!) brown recluse bite. So this afternoon, my task is to wash our bed clothes, sweep under the bed and chant anti-spider curses. Blegh.

In other news, here are some of the issues I've been facing today. How would you respond?

1) If I walk 1.5 miles to Quik Trip for a pint of ice cream, how much can I eat before negating the good effects of the walk?

2) What if I've already had dessert today?

3) What if I also already rode my bike to work?

4) Is it better to save money (by baking something at home) or to gain exercise?

Do you know what sounds (almost) better than ice cream? A nap. Too bad the sheets are in the laundry being de-spidered. Ah, well.

Happy Saturday, y'all.

Love Song

So...I know this is controversial, and normally I shun unpleasant internet "debate" but...pretty sure I have the handsomest husband. ;)

Thank you, Christi, for keeping me company at feltie-selling day. I wouldn't say it was a successful day as far as making money goes, but it was fun getting to meet some very creative and nice people!

If anyone wants to buy me this shirt, I promise to love it and wear it forever and when it is dead and full of holes I will turn the picture into a quilt:

http://shirt.woot.com/offers/wizard-of-aws

And here is an encouraging passage from the end of Madeleine L'Engle's book Walking on Water:

   "Great art. Great artists. What about all the rest of us little people, struggling with our typewriters and tubes of paint?
   The great ones are still the best mirrors for us all, because the degree of the gift isn't what it's all about. It's like the presents under the Christmas tree: the ones which came from Woolworth's may be just as rejoiced over as the more expensive ones, and best of all are those which are handmade and which may have cost love, rather than money. Perhaps it's something like the parable of the workers in the vineyard; maybe those who worked through the heat of the day were the Michelangelos and Leonardos and Beethovens and Tolstoys. Those who were able to work only one hour served their gift of work as best they could. And, as in Alice in Wonderland, everybody gets prizes; there is the same quality of joy in turning a perfect bowl on the potter's wheel as in painting the Sistine Chapel.
   The important thing is to recognize that our gift, no matter what the size, is indeed something given us, for which we can take no credit, but which we may humbly serve, and, in serving, learn more wholeness, be offered wondrous newness.
   Picasso says that an artist paints not to ask a question, but because he has found something, and he wants to share--he cannot help it--what he has found."

Speaking of little artists...if anyone wants to read the complete Everyday Day at the Zoo and offer suggestions, let me know and I'll email it to you (only about 8 pages or so, very fast reading).

Finally, a song (once again, with credit due to Madeleine L'Engle for writing about love/vulnerability):

I. What voice will win the day--
Distancing and dismay?
But even you
Will be renewed.
Take heart when love says
"Trust me again."

II. What is it you have lost?
Everything love had brought.
But lost or found,
Love can't be bound.
Just when you reach the end
You'll find love again.

[Optional Bridge:
One hand asks for another--
But what if that other
Has a past?
It's a question of courage:
Don't be discouraged,
Let past be past.]

III. Does a heart ever heal--
Regroup, re-learn to feel?
If it can choose
Between these two:
Avoiding pain or never
Knowing love again.

3:30 in the Summer...Must be Ice Cream Time!

Guess who got married last weekend?? My beautiful sister and awesome brother-in-law!

The bride and groom with two sets of grandparents! 

Photo credit today goes to my D, Aaron Bowen! Sorry I couldn't get the pictures any bigger...blogger's being a hater and they go blurry fast!

So, I am up to V in my Zoo Poetry Book! V for Veronica, a shamefully self-righteous girl. But here is the poem for T (for Tara, of course!):

Tara’s growing tired of

“You must be Tara-ble!”

What may have been amusing once

Now pains her very soul.

And so, she seeks out sympathy

From one who, she assumes,

Has sailed this same pun-filled boat

To humor’s certain doom.

“Tarantula,” she sighs, “We are

Most cruelly beset

By the most nauseating jokes

Our language can beget.”

“What jokes are these?” the spider asks,

“I’ve lived a sheltered life…”

So Tara, who would rather eat

A needle and a knife

Than help this pun perpetuate,

Must crack the cursed joke,

Expecting that the spider will

At least pretend to choke—

But, rather than look mortified,

Tarantula guffaws,

“Ha-ha! That joke’s the best I’ve heard,

Your wit deserves applause!”

And so he claps eight hairy legs

While Tara, in despair,

Runs blindly from Arachnid House

Into more wholesome air.

Jojo Was a Man Who Wished He Was a Monkey...

Behold! Le Chicken and Waffles! With pineapple salsa...yumm...

Enjoying some time at Guthrie Green with a Smoked Lamb Pita and Aranciata

If you live in Tulsa, or nearabouts, get yourself down to Guthrie Green sometime in the next few days for some Shakespeare in the Park (Much Ado About Nothing)! It is a wonderful production and watching outdoors is an added bonus, because there is much (but not too-much) un-sought audience participation (You Go, Benedick! or BOOO!!! etc.). Very relaxed atmosphere and tons of laugh-out-loud moments, hooray! And family friendly, I might add...if your child is getting fidgety, just send them over to the splash pad or let them run around a bit, no biggie!

Here are the newest Zoo poems (up to K, almost half-way!). From a psychological perspective, the first is about an exuberant, fool-hardy, yet good-hearted boy, while the second is also about a reckless--but rude and disobedient--boy. "The good end happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means." [The Importance of Being Earnest.] I think kids could learn a lot from this collection! ;)

Jojo's Trip to the Zoo

Jojo's in the jungle and
Attempting to be sly--
He's tiptoeing in camouflage,
But not because he's shy;
He aims to climb a jungle tree
And swing from vine to vine,
But if he's caught, he'll be kicked out
And forced to pay a fine.
He's made it! Jojo, vine in hand,
Abandoning his stealth,
Let's forth a wild jungle cry,
Regardless of his health.
But Jojo's in a jungle in
A building, not Brazil,
So Jojo's Tarzan transformation's
Bound to end up ill.
He hits a wall--ker-thud!-- and lands
Atop a metal cage
(Belonging to a sloth, though that's
Superfluous, I'd gauge.)
Still, Jojo's never down for long,
He's up and running soon,
Concocting plans to slingshot from
This planet to the Moon.

Konstantine's Trip to the Zoo


"Be careful, Konstantine," his mother
Warned him ere he left;
He rolled his eyes and muttered
"Blah, blah, blah," beneath his breath.
But Konstantine has far more chance
Of growing fat and old
By listening to Mum, and doing
Just as he is told.
Will Konstantine take care today,
Or risk a wayward arm
By teasing some demented beast
Who only means him harm?
The Tale of Konstantine's Demise
Gets worse before the end.
I dare not tell you any more--
Your heart may never mend.
But please, before you leave, take heed
To this last good advice:
Don't try to pet piranhas, 'cause
They really aren't that nice.

An Everyday Day at the Zoo, Part 1

New project, begun last night: a collection of 26 short poems, each one titled "[So-and-so's] Trip to the Zoo". Each "so-and-so"'s name will begin with a different letter of the alphabet--so far, I'm on H for Hubert. It's fun inventing wacky scenarios between children and zoo animals. I'll type the poems from the pictures shown down below, since my handwriting is still atrocious. (Or, if you want to be kind, artistic??)

Bertie's Trip to the Zoo

Bertie was bewildered by
A wildebeest (or gnu)
That introduced itself as Fred
And said, "How do you do?"
"I must be ailing," Bertie answered,
"Though I would have sworn
To be as hale as any age-d infant ever born."
"My sympathies," the gnu replied,
"I hope you get well MOOOOOO....."
(As final words, these may be bland,
But they will have to do,
For Bertie never heard another
Human sound from Fred,
The beast whose manners rivalled those
Of many a noble head.)

Elsinora's Trip to the Zoo

Elsinora Everbeen
Inspired Billy Bear
To dance upon his two back feet
With elegance and flair.
It's true--'twas love as fast as sight
(On Billy's side, at least)--
That's why this inner ursine
Ballerina was released.
So: Was it wit or charm that made her
Billy's deepest wish?
Oh no, it was her goggling eyes--
He thought she was a fish.

Hubert's Trip to the Zoo

"Hi, this is Hubert Hemlock...Yes,
I hear you loud and clear!"
"Ooh-ooh, ooh-ah, ooh-ooh, ooh-ee!"
Met Hubert's waiting ear.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand--
Could you repeat that, please?
I fear this new banana phone
Can't translate Chimpanzese!"

Walrus Tusks and Dance Tunes

Introducing Windsor and Winnifred Walrus!

I don't remember if I mentioned this previously, but sewing feltie animals raises alot of questions regarding animal anatomy. In this instance: Do female walruses also have tusks, and do they protrude from their mouth? If not, from where? I have a feeling poor Winnifred may be an aberration on Walrus Normality, but at least you can tell what she is...Does anyone out there have answers for these burning questions?

Here's another question: what bands can you recommend that are upbeat (and by upbeat I mean: makes you want to dance, not fall asleep like most of that indie stuff *cough cough*) yet coffee-shop appropriate? When closing, I am the one responsible for music. On slow nights (or early mornings), sometimes you just need something...groovy! But I don't want to risk a radio station that encompasses profanity.

That is all for now--coming up this weekend: The Tulsa Tough! WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Words cannot express how excited I am for this, the Best Weekend in Tulsa!! Envision me doing a happy dance, and you'll get the idea. Anyone want to come watch with us?