girl at large

Oh Puffy Coat!

Oh Puffy Coat! Oh Puffy Coat!
Thy sleeves are so restraining;
Oh Puffy Coat! Oh Puffy Coat!
Thy sleeves are so restraining;
Not only tight with sweaters fair,
But also when my arms are bare.
Oh Puffy Coat! Oh Puffy Coat!
Thy sleeves are so restraining.

Oh Puffy Coat! Oh Puffy Coat!
Much warmth thou can'st give me;
Oh Puffy Coat! Oh Puffy Coat!
Much warmth thou can'st give me;
How often has the Puffy Coat
Afforded me the greatest glee!
Oh Puffy Coat! Oh Puffy Coat!
Much warmth thou can'st give me.

Oh Puffy Coat! Oh Puffy Coat!
Thy zippers close so snug-ly;
Oh Puffy Coat! Oh Puffy Coat!
Thy zippers close so snug-ly;
From hem to neck, close and tight,
There's a mighty cold wind tonight.
Oh Puffy Coat! Oh Puffy Coat!
Thy zippers close so snug-ly.

Oh Puffy Coat! Oh Puffy Coat!
How fluffy have they made thee;
Oh Puffy Coat! Oh Puffy Coat!
How fluffy have they made thee;
Thou bidst me true and faithful be,
Trust in goose down unchangingly.
Oh Puffy Coat! Oh Puffy Coat!
How fluffy have they made thee.

Dogs Just Know

Why do dogs just know when you are preparing for a dinner party and choose that exact day to A) barf on the rug, B) have diarrhea on the rug, C) pee on the rug or D) DO ALL THE GODDAMN ABOVE!

While The Getting Is Good

It's a gorgeous, sunny day in November. I'm not going to update here, I'm going out there...see ya!

The List Goes On...

Just a few more of the goodies I found this morning as I do my Saturday tidy-up after Mom's departure; enjoy:

two nail files
5 lighters
eyeglass lenses (yes, just the lenses)
2 glue sticks
Israeli marina flag
two blister packs of unidentifiable medication
Turkish Chicklets
a mallet
22 rolls of ribbon
two buckets, one coffee can
earwax removal kit
pink nail polish
a pack of foreign chewing gum called "First Sensations"
clip on sunglasses
AARP starter kit

Who leaves behind a MALLET?

Mom Droppings

Mom left for Door County earlier this week, leaving me lunch-less, and leaving...well, what didn't she leave behind? Little reminders all over the house, let's call them "Mom Droppings":

2 tote bags
3 pairs of shoes
baseball hat
2 plastic tumblers
6 books
13 articles of clothing, not counting random underthings
1 plastic baggie of foreign coins
$12.56 in US coins
3 pairs of eye glasses (2 regular, 1 sun)
2 chinese take out menus
1 Milwaukee Bus schedule
electric toothbrush
2 paper cutters
6 People magazines
t square
sheets of paper, rolls of paper, paper and more paper
Turkish hotel soap and shampoo
M&M's (countless)

"Sometimes you just need a Pat."

When Mom leaves for Door County on Tuesday, I'll miss her way with words. My favorites from this summer include:

the "un-empty cup of coffee" (bottomless cup of coffee)
"crudiments" (accoutrements)
being "kerflexed" (combo of kerfuffled and perplexed)
"that microwave guy" (Paul Allen)

What Part of Wisconsin Are You From?

We had dinner at Fond du Lac's The Sunset Supper Club on Friday night, it was the classic small town Wisconsin evening out. The only way to describe it is to transcribe the ordering conversation:

"I'll have the petite filet please".
"How would you like that?"
"Medium Rare"
"Baked Potato, Hash Browns, or Cole Slaw"?
"Baked Potato".
"House Salad or Cottage Cheese?"
"Salad" (with Blue Cheese House Dressing)
"Clam Chowder or Tomato Juice"?

This is where I lost it...but I had to control myself, not make too much fun and 'when in Rome' the situation. Dad, as he always had in the past, enjoyed my Tomato Juice.

Lenny and Squiggy Live Here

My social calendar has been so full lately that I haven't had much of a chance to explore the town that is Milwaukee. But I will share with you a few of the pleasant places I've enjoyed so far:

Once a week, I get to have a treat of a lunch from Larry's Market. Yum.

When I need an antique store fix, it's off to three floors of bliss at Blackhawk Antiques Market.

For a lovely walk to the lake front, I head down Capitol Drive to Atwater Park and Beach. If I can manage a trek, it's in Estebrook Park.

Milwaukee is full of summer festivals, including SummerFest itself, the biggest music festival on the planet. I hope to make it to a few of the summer time Wisconsin events, and to start, I'm off to Walleye Weekend in Fond du Lac next Saturday. Watch for posting of giant fish.

The more things change, ...

My favorite place on the planet is the thumb of Wisconsin. I can't explain it. Maybe it's the smell of wood burning fireplaces, the sound of the waves of Lake Michigan, or the feel of sand in the sheets. All I know is I'm so lucky to be back.

From The Collection of Anna Quinlan

Aunt Anna lent me these two paintings (from Grandma Mickey's gallery, signed 'Harris 1988') that I love. They are dark, but the front studio room gets enough sunlight that they don't look too gloomy. I remember these pieces and have always liked them. Anna pulled them out from storage ---how is it everything ends up under Grandma's bed?--and is letting me hang them since I have all these big, empty walls to fill.

Perty Perty

I finally got this mirror home --the box was HUGE!, thanks to my very kind co-workers and the OFR truck. Look how sparkly! Look how perty! Hmm..look how crappy the photos are. Will take new ones in the daytime soon.

Weather Is Our April Fools

This was the snow storm last weekend, and we're due for another tomorrow. Ah, April in the midwest!

Do You Have To Go?

Curtains!

I finished putting up rods, curtains, blinds and privacy film in the living room and master bedroom late yesterday, and finally unpacked the very last box sometime around 11pm. Thank goodness, because my first day at work has worn me out---sure was nice to come home to most everything tidy and proper. There's still much to be done, but I can close the door to the guest room and just pretend it's not there. Just like the partially painted bathroom cabinet isn't there, and the unlined kitchen drawers aren't there, or the dozens of cardboard boxes aren't there, the unopened gallons of wall paint aren't there, and the empty studio room isn't there, and the unhung pictures aren't there....

Settling In

I still have six boxes to go, and lots and lots of fixin' up projects, but it's starting to look like a home.

The Paramount

My new apartment at The Paramount, before I moved in. It's HUGE---1400 square feet! It has three bedrooms, but one of those is really an extra living room/den that I'll be using as an office/studio. It has a freakish number of closets--three large ones in the hallway alone. The second bedroom (and second bathroom!) is for GUESTS--anyone want to visit the charming metropolis on the lake that is Milwaukee? The Paramount was built in the 60's, and has that clean mid-century look I like. But it needs a bit of love---I've already repainted the bathroom cabinet, scrubbed the kitchen, and am up to my eyeballs in contact paper. It's going to be weeks and weeks of projects to get totally settled in, but I have weeks and weeks of still frigid weather ahead in which to get it done.

Thanks For The Help

Ruby takes a break from packing.

Home Sweet Home

I finally got an apartment!!! Woo-hoo!

As it turns out, it's the very first apartment I liked, in the building that Aunt Suzanne and I randomly happened to drive by when I was in Milwaukee for the interview. I recognized it from the craigslist ad, it had stuck out as a building similiar to the one I'm currently in (and adore)--Russian prison on the outside, little hidden gem on the inside. Why is it you always end up back at the first thing you saw? If it turns out I should have married my highschool sweetheart, the universe is perversely cruel.

It's been a rough ride, trying to find a place. Milwaukee is behind the curve in dog-acceptance in rental apartments, and garage parking is at a premium. Poor Suzanne has toured every goofy midcentury apartment complex in town. This one was originally above my budget, but I negotiated a better rate. I've never negotiated before--I must say, I'm very proud of myself. It was hard, but as my brother Tom advised, you have to be prepared to walk away. I walked when they wouldn't come down enough, and then a day later--the price I wanted!

I can't explain how exciting that is--I've always just "paid what they ask", no matter the item or circumstance.

So, let the packing commence!

p.s. Um, and it's not actually 'in' Milwaukee. I'm going to be living in the village (yes, 'village') of Shorewood. It's not as peri-menapausal as it sounds.

Cheese Nun

Funny things happen when two thoughts collide....I was thinking about moving back to Wisconsin, had added a new appropriately titled blog category, "Once a Cheesehead...". I was also taking inventory of my belongings, deciding what to sell, what to toss, and what to take on moving day.

It then seemed natural (and not at all the activity of a bored and lonely person) to take inventory of my cheese drawer:

-plain Chevre
-honey Chevre
-crumbled Blue
-Roquefort Blue
-Oregon Smokey Blue
-parmesean in block form
-parmesean pre-shredded
-Gruyere
-cream cheese
-Farmer's Cheese
-Mimolette Vieux
-Feta

I think I might have a problem.

You Can't Take It With You

I can't move everything with me across country (again), so here is installment one of "You Can't Take It With You". Bidding is now open, more items to come. Items in the "smaller than a bread box" category will be posted in a few weeks as packing commences. Email me at katemikkelsen@aol.com if you want something, first come first serve!

-Twin Bed--mattress, low profile boxspring and metal hollywood frame. (mattress pad and two sets of sheets included)
-Glass Lamp with mocha-colored silk shade, three way 12" d, 24" h
-Kitchen Butcher Block Cart 24" w, 20" d, 35" h
-Kitchen Table 42' d, 30" h white laminated wood top, aluminum base with leveling feet
-Outdoor Chairs set of two, stackable in weather proof woven vinyl
-Stone-topped Spot Table 13" d, 20" h
-Bookshelves 54" w, 12" d, 85" h dark brown rift oak, disassembles

Big Ol' To Do List

-get new job. Check.
-quit current job. Check.
-upgrade AAA membership. Check.
-give 30 day notice to landlord. Check.
-do walk through with landlord. Check.
-find new apartment!
-get snow tires.
-get oil change and 50k mile tune up.
-get dog tuned up.
-get quotes for moving containers/transport. Check.
-get DOT street permits for moving containers. Check.
-get rid of half the shit I own.
-clean out storage space.
-cancel/move electric, cable, phone.
-completely freak out at overwhelming list of things to do!

Winterizing Wish List

Shoe Traction Devices
Severe Weather Travel Kit
Puffy Coat
Doggy Coat and Boots

Simple Pleasures

Ruby's favorite things to do in the new fallen snow.

Happy Birthday Tom!

Tom and friends in a pumpkin patch, at The Little Farmer.

My brother Tom has had to share his birthday festivities with Thanksgiving preparations all his life, and every so often, it actually falls directly on Thanksgiving Day. This is one of those years--so, as I eat my prepackaged turkey breast-for-one, I'll be thinking of putting a birthday candle in it just for him!

Preparing for Winter

Before/After

The chilly rains have begun, and dinner is now eaten in darkness. Time to get the fireplace ready for another long winter! The hearth tile has always bothered me--dingy, dirty and peach colored-yuck! What started as a simple project to paint the tile turned into a major re-do of the entire fireplace surround. Thank you to the helpful folks at Ace Hardware for walking me through the process--sanding, oil based primer, two coats of floor paint. And voila! A handsome (and clean!) change.

102nd Thing To Do Whilst Not Smoking

I had given Mom a small set of drawers to use during her stay. Today, as I fidget for more to do, I tackled emptying them out so they can be moved to storage. Here's what I had to triage; some items destined for the trash, others to Goodwill, and if I can locate her particular Greek isle, to send back to her aboard Daste:

-package of Hammond's Old Fashioned Peppermint Sticks
-6 magazines and catalogs
-half pack of Extra Winterfresh gum
-bottle of MucinexDM
-Mission Impossible II DVD
-piece of Japanese printed silk fabric
-one black sock
-two bras
-one pair undies
-half pack of Kleenex
-temporary wrap-on sunglass thingies from the eye doctor's visit
-a pair of gloves
-one brown sock
-one black sock that does not match the other black sock
-one airline travel pack (sleep mask, toothbrush, toothpaste, socks)
-Tea Tree Oil spot stick
-tweezers
-Portland walking map
-wood-handled back brush
-3 euros, twenty US cents

Did I mention this is a small set of drawers? (very small--only 12" wide, 14" deep, 26" high) Oh, mom.

Sunny Sunday Morning

Crazy for Crumble

I've been making a real effort to cook myself a proper dinner every evening, especially after Mom was here this winter and we enjoyed so many good meals together.

It's difficult, though, to cook for one. And I hate leftovers. After a few months of making Dinner Solo, I've worked out a few ingenious solutions such as:

Big Bag of Crumble!

The Pacific Northwest grows an abundant array of fruit, especially berries, and they are all coming into season. I love dessert, and who doesn't love the classic Apple Crisp, or Rhubarb Crumble? The Singles Solution, for a fresh fruit dessert every night--

I've made up a big batch of Crumble/Crisp topping (flour, brown and white sugars, cinnamon, chopped walnuts, oats) and keep it in a big plastic ziplock in the fridge. Each night, I top an individual-sized ramekin of fresh fruit with the topping, pop it in the oven while I eat dinner, and Voila!

So far, I've done the traditional Apple, Rhubarb Strawberry, Rhubarb Blueberry--and my new favorite tonight--Plums and Raspberries, delicious!

Making Peace with Plants

Before, the balcony was a wasteland of plant corpses and empty thrift store containers...yuck.

But, now! I finally turned to an expert for help, and JJ managed to work magic. Big, matching architectural planters--Golden Bamboo in tall floor planters at the end wall for some screening and lovely sound, and troughs of Kate-resistant succulents on the ledge. She and her assistant took care of everything--the design plan, the ordering, brought it all over and did all the planting and set up. Love it! She swears I can't kill these unless I really try. Keep your fingers crossed!

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

I've given in, I've succombed to the hippy-dippy, sandal-wearing life-style such as it is out here on the Granola Coast.

After two weeks of agony, my boss finally convinced me to see his Chiropractor. The magic words were "It's covered on our health plan". Ok, for free, I'll try anything. To be able to move again, I'll try anything.

My back problems are the result of too many years of moving furniture, a general disconnect with how to use my body, and oodles of stress--I'm a stress-holder-inner. It oozes its way out in muscle cramps, swollen joints, and debilitating back strains. How can a chiropractor help me? Unless he knows how to track a mis-labeled blanket-wrap shipment, direct five phone calls a minute, design and deliver a furnished model unit on a zero budget in one day, correct the books and manage a surly staff, then it didn't look likely.

Turns out, he's a miracle worker. I am converted. Once a week now, I go for an 'adjustment'. There's nervous chit-chat, followed by some awkward massaging and touching, and finally, a good-old back cracking snap. It's all over in less than 20 minutes.

Sounds like a date.

Imagine how good I'd feel if I actually had sex?

No One In My Family Will Play With Me Anymore.

Best Scrabble word this week: QUIETED for 116 points.
Most interesting Scrabble word this week: WHIRLED for 83 points.

Yes, I am a loser. But not at Scrabble!!

Bachelor Aid

Tom adjusts to the new location of 'his spot'. Ruby stands guard.

Before

After

Tom's new place is great, big and light and roomy. All the family pitched in to send him furnishings--from Grandpa's prints to Mom's rug to John and Molly's redo of the chairs to Aunt Peg's couch, table and bed. He worked on Friday, so I spent most of the day cleaning, organizing and arranging furniture...sounds so familiar. Was I on a break or still at work? I have a problem--even 1000 miles away, I still want to put things in their right place.

Favorite conversation with my brother (aside from The Lightbulb Story):
Tom: sniff, sniff "Did you wash my sheets or something?"
Me: "Yes, I washed your sheets, the toss pillows covers..even your duvet cover."
Tom: "You can wash those?"

Did we not grow up the same house? At least I was spared the Easy Mac--he had that for lunch when I was out enjoying my time in LA...by visiting a furniture factory.

Now Taking Dinner Reservations

Mom was right, this area needed a dining table and chairs, and the curtains make all the difference. Warm and cozy, with a city view.

Things I haven't blogged about because Law and Order was on:

-I farted once (once!) during Mom's visit, she of the Frequent Gaseous Outburst, and she outed me in public. "Did you just fart?!" (loud, pointed tone of voice on public transport).

-I reluctantly now have The Cable. It took me three days to figure out how to turn it on after Mom left, but now, I must admit, I might kinda sorta...ok, I love it.

-I have a new rug in the den. Mary Grace sent it to me at Mom's request--it was one from the big house in Fondy. As I recall, it was the "make out rug", soft and cozy and strategically placed behind the sofa and near the french doors to the back exit. It looks great, really makes the room. Like a little shrine--"Here lies the spot where I last saw action, all those decades ago..."

-I might start a Midwest social group of some sort..I've received a far amount of interest, but need one more push to really do it...The Corn-fed Social Club. What do ya think, hey?

-We found oodles of Mom's old recipes--some quite dated, with ingredient lists that contain only items in packages and cans for example. "One can cream of mushroom soup, one package cream cheese..." So, Mom made Betty's Beef, the recipe that just won't die. Somewhere, in India, a hungry child is asking what's for dinner; "Betty's Beef". Somewhere in Iceland, a fisherman is opening a packet of Liptons Onion Soup Mix...

Brighter Whites Christmas

I dropped Mom off at the airport at 6am this morning, drove home through quiet dark streets...and happily went to work righting all the small wrongs in the house. Let's just say Mom and I have different domestic styles.

In short order, the kitchen counter was clear of clutter, the magazines were in tidy piles, the coffee table free of debris. I finished the vacumming and the last load of laundry in time to watch the fat snowflakes fall... and melt away. It was a white Christmas afternoon.

And a quiet one. Tonight, tidy is starting to look a bit like lonely.

You don't even want to know.

"Who ever gets f###ed first, wins."

Haven't We Discussed This Before?

Mom: I picked up your dog's doodle today.
Me: "Doodle?"
Mom: Yes, her, you know...doodle.

A woman who rates her farts at night from the other room ("That was a TEN! Did you hear that one Kate?") has to use a euphamism for the dog's business?

Turkey Coma

Last Minute

Today's last minute grocery list:

-Ant traps
-Booze
-Flowers
-Spray Bottle
-Vinegar
-Fire Starters

That's exactly the list Mom gave me. Sounds like a Holiday with the Adams Family.

It's the little things.

Mom: I just want you to know I picked up your dog's poop today. (grossed-out face, tongue sticking out).
Me: You walked her? That's great, thanks. Wait, haven't you always picked up after her?
Mom: No, I never told you that. I always left it, acted like I didn't see her doing it. It was France, no body cares.
Me: Well, this is Oregon, you have to pick up!
Mom: I know, so I did. It's in your kitchen garbage.
Me: What??! (grossed-out face, tongue sticking out)

Welcome! (I think).

Mom has arrived! In less than 24 hours she managed to:

-comment on the size of my breasts, the shape of my eyebrows and the 'cuteness' level of my butt.
-find the only dusty spot in the house. Who wipes down the top of the refrigerator?
-use more toilet paper than is allotted the average Ukranian village in a month.
-spread debris through out my previously tidy house, including balled-up kleenex, empty cigarette packages, boating magazines, gloves, and what looks like a personal support garment.
-insult my television. Can appliances have hurt feelings?
-wear a red "Wisconsin" sweatshirt, momentarily throwing me back into 1991.
-out-crass the crassest person I know.
-make dinner of an unidentifiable meat package left in my freezer since move in day.

Oh Mom, so glad to have you here!

Spruced Up

Before/After

The house is nearly complete, the spiffing up as far as it's going to get before the family arrives. The spare room got the biggest make over...

Still didn't manage to make that much room in the closets, and the storage space is overflowing...nothing worse than having the extra room to store stuff I no longer need...I wonder what is in those boxes way in the back anyway?

Before/After

Before/After

holiday countdown

Only a week left until M-Day, when Mom arrives to spend Nov, Dec, and part of Jan with me. In my rush to get the house spiffed up, I've neglected to consider the number of people coming for Thanksgiving, expecting to enjoy a hearty holiday meal, and not expecting to sit on the ground to do it. There will be 5 1/2 of us (including my 3 year old niece, the half in that number) and my little kitchen table barely seats 4 for grilled cheese.

I also just remembered that my brother will be bunking here, and if he's to sleep on the couch, I'm short a blanket. BYOB?

It was suggested that Mom and I bunk together, giving Tom the single bed in the study. But that's just not happening. I pre-paid a pedicure appointment for Mom so I don't have to give her a foot rub (sticking her feet in my face, 'here, rub my feet'. Sure mom, but can I finish my Wheaties first?), I'm surely not going to let her crawl into bed with me. I love Mom, but she farts. And then giggles. And then asks if I can smell it.

I'm sure they are all here to see me and enjoy the warm company of family, but in my heart I know they will leave thinking "Can you believe all the dining chairs didn't match?", "I see she didn't get the curtain rods hung in time, her life must be a mess" and "Who serves pumpkin pie indian style on the floor?"

House Work

before/after the painting

I'm just pretending that my building isn't up for sale, and that I can continue to live here for as long as I like...it's wonderful to have reasons to spruce the place up. With all the family coming for Thanksgiving, it's imperative to get the 'spare room' transformed into a proper study pronto. So far, so good--painted, bookshelves built, old junk moved out, even hung the newly framed print:

Negligent Homicide?

I kill plants. I try, I really try to have a green thumb. I purchase lush specimens of nature all through the short summer, only to watch them wither and die. I'm so ashamed of my frequent slayings, that I dispose of the corpses early in the morning, loading the fragile skeletons into my car and putting them in the dumpster at the grocery store. (Rather than clog up my buildings only average sized trash can).

In my house cleaning blitz, in preparation for a cozy winter and holiday visitors, I went out to the balcony this morning to inspect the damage--it's like a slaughterhouse for green leafies, the horror!

I think I might just get a half dozen small evergreens, those are easy to keep alive, right?

ps. The only plant that defies my special talent is a....Geranium. I HATE Geraniums. I only got this one by mistake, it came in a mixed planting pot, and only became truly visible after the others had died of course. This little stinker won't give it up, it keeps clinging to life even though I actively encourage it to go to the other side.

Winter of Kate

Well, no one else is going to do it! This is what the voice in my head said back to me when I was complaining of feeling run down, looking terrible--and, most of all, having no one to take care of me. "Well, no one else is going to take care of you!".

So, that's it. It's up to me. I officially declare this the Winter of Kate. I'm going to be selfish. I'm going to do outrageous things like make myself a proper dinner, and actually spend my days off away from work. Imagine!

Project 1: I hate my wardrobe. I had 10 outfits when I lived in France, by neccessity and poverty. And I liked them all, and I looked pretty cute. I have 100 times the articles of clothing now, and I hate them all; nothing fits right, everything feels cheap and nasty. So, no more impulse buying at Target, no more disposable clothes. I pitched and pitched, and edited fiercely. Didn't fit right? Out it went. Didn't make it through the last wash? Out. Of course, no clothing was harmed in this process, it all went to Goodwill.

I'm piece by piece, meticuously recreating a wardrobe that looks good, feels good, takes up only one closet and lasts seasons longer. It's going to be spendy, but considering how much dough I've wasted on things that I'm now off-loading, it may save me in the long run. It's certainly going to save my spirit.

Starting at the foundation, I spent two hours in the lingerie department of Nordstrom last week. Most of that time was in a tiny cubicle with a 4' 11' gal hoisting up my gals. The only bras I've ever owned that did the job, looked prettier than military issue and lasted more than 3 months were a treat from Mom in France (see the "comme Diva" story) and I was determined to find more. Nordstrom had 'em, and Michelle, my tiny dressing room companion, made sure I got 'em.

With the improved scaffolding in place, complete with touches of lace, I feel like a new woman already.

This week:hosiery, slimmers, pj's, robe and slippers.

Settling in for the long winter's nap...

Fall arrived this week, with burning trees, brittle wind and puddles in the road. And with it, the drive to nest. I recently had three of my grandfather's prints framed --here is one, above my new bedroom settee. The new bookshelves arrive on Wednesday, and the list of 'to do's' goes on...

Under Foot

I've admired this hand woven rug since my first days at the shop--it's very finely woven, wool and I just love it. A colorless Rothko. Now that it's mine, I can't help but notice how it seems I chose my furniture with this rug in mind all the while.

It was in the warehouse clearance sale, and I had to have it. The boss man and I worked out a deal (my new motto--"Don't Ask, Don't Get"). And I deserved it, I work like a dog. The dog, by the way, thinks I brought home this cozy lounge pad just for her.

Beheaded

Outside my bathroom window, across the narrow drive, is my favorite seasonal display: a Maple tree, a hydrangea, and a holly bush.

I open my bathroom shower window every morning--the steam rushing out, and spend a quiet moment (sometimes the only one in the day), looking at my own personal flora calendar. In Autumn, the maple is on fire with reds and oranges. In gloomy winter, the red holly berries are a cheery natural holiday decoration. And throughout spring and summer, the blue hydrangea blossoms are gorgeous in the dapples morning light. Ok, overly romanticized, yes, but I love that view.

A few days ago, I happened to be home, and heard two someones rustling through the leaves and undergrowth---and talking to each other--"Mom, that's a big no-no. Come on, let's go"..
when I looked out the window a moment later, the hydrangeas were gone!

Three big, blue flowers snipped off and stolen! The saddest part, they left one sad lonely little bloom. It looks so pathetic.

home improvements, cont'd

The new kitchen curtains are sewn and hung, today is the day to tackle the spare bedroom...summer shineshine is finally here. Just in time to work on the balcony too.

It's so suburban.

I rarely have Saturdays off, but I've had a string of them now. Not my favorite day to have off, as the rest of universe does too and the mob at the grocery store is frightening. Tuesday afternoons are so pleasant for running errands; parking is plentiful and helpful clerks abundant.

But I'm making the best of it today by completing projects around the house. So far, I have hung fuschias, used a cable tie to fix the flushing-thingy of the toilet, replaced the cracked toilet seat, washed the toss pillow covers, the mattress pad and the shower curtain, mounted wall shelves, and now I'm off to get a pipe cutter.

Just think if you were here Kristin--you could be organizing my closets. Woo-hoo!

Home Improvements

I took on another home improvement project this past weekend---painting the bedroom. It's Devine Paints Storm, a deep charcoaly-turquoisey-blue. In some light it's almost navy, othertimes deep green, in morning light it's turquoise. The color; exactly the same shade the mountains in the distance appear at dusk from the living room window, also compliments the rosewood and teak beautifully, and it feels rich and soothing. It's a good thing the bedroom has a relaxing atmosphere now, because painting it has made my bersitus throb.

My landlord said it was ok to paint, under two conditions--A) that I don't paint the ceiling (I didn't) and B) that I don't use a very dark color (I did). I bought a gallon cream colored paint to cover it all up when/if I move, to put his mind at ease should he see the color and freak out.

The new curtains go up as soon as I can find an inside-mount pole 10' long. The list of other to-do's in this room include:
-ordering a bed (how can someone in the business NOT find a bed she likes???!? What's taken me so long?)
-getting a rug
-mounting the curtain rod and curtains
-finding the right vintage mirror for above the dresser
-keeping the closet organized and not succumbing to my usual 'ball them up on the floor' method of clothes storage

Projects

At last, I got around to putting this Marimekko fabric on stretchers. It's been languishing in the trunk of my car for nearly a year, until I could find stretchers long enough--it's a single repeat of 50" x 90"! I love this print, it reminds me of the birch trees in Door County and the vibrant colors cheer me up without being garish. Of course, it did none of these things behind the bottle of window washer fluid. Now, it looks great in the spare room (come November to be known as "Mom's Room"), and is inspiring me to get moving on my other home improvement projects. The spare room is still a mess--the bookshelves are all wrong, and it needs a rug and a twin bed, and a side chair, and shades, and....but I'm going to tackle my own bedroom first.

I see that you see me.

Standing in the kitchen yesterday morning, coffee cup steaming, I was getting used to the idea of being awake when I noticed that the neighbors had tightly closed the aluminum blind in their window across from my kitchen. Anyone in a rental knows that these ubiqui-hideous blinds can be closed to varying degrees--sorta slated down for anti-glare, almost shut for privacy--and completely closed, twist the plastic wand til it almost snaps off.

I wondered why they would do that, that window is usually unshaded, and the sunshine on that side of our respective buildings is so very warm, pleasant and as always, rare. Then I realized that I had been standing there, groggily reflecting for five entire minutes and well...nearly as bare as my own window. Oh.

Portrait

This sibling portrait arrived with the skaters painting--the frame needs replacing, but the faces are the same. It looks good above the fireplace, but it's strange to see us looking back at me. On occasion, walking by it quickly, I get the eery feeling that I'm in the old house, that it's 1989 and I'm grounded.

Skaters

Mom had this painting sent to me last week (thanks Uncle Bill). It hung for years in our entry hallway in Fondy, then in Mom's apartment on Diversey, then at Grandma Mickey's while Mom's been abroad. I'll be lucky if the plant next to it will last a fraction of that time. I've always loved this painting, feel very luck to have it in my home. I should know more about it ---anyone know the story?

It looks fantastic in the living room, I could look at it for hours. It's starting to feel like a permanent home here, one little piece at a time.

Excuses, excuses, excusezzzzz......

I have become a lazy bastard, addicted to the comforts of a couch and fireplace. The room containing these luxuries does not contain the computer. My new couch arrived in December, just in time for dark nights that begin at 4pm and the launch of a new local tv station that airs Seinfeld twice each week night. Two different episodes.

It started with the fireplace. It started with having one--I never before have had a working fireplace. The dog presses herself up to the screen, risking bodily flammage to be as physically close to the warmth as possible, and snoozes for hours, days on end. I have learned to watch how the dog lives her life and follow her lead--she doesn't have stress zits or sleepless nights or an unidentified rash or hormone rage.

First the cord of wood, then came the couch. A couch may seem a triffling thing, but I have been without a proper one for five years. I didn't know I was suffering. I had Mom's cozy lounge chair, the armless cubes and for some time now my beloved new retro-armchairs. I had forgotten about the couch's dirtly little secret---sitting down, I am faced with all that luxurious space next to me. A leg sneaks up, then the other. Shortly, I am prone.

And then I am asleep.

I don't have time to blog, I am drooling on my toss pillow.

home and hearth

A roaring fire, NetFlix and a new batch of yarn, what could make a winter day better?

The First

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas circa 1990 (?)

Well, we blew it this year! Next year, we're all getting together, we better! We had such a good time together in Portland (though missing Peg, Ryan and Stella) last year...despite having Christmas in the Shoebox Apartment. This year, I have all this space and even the picturesque hearth....and no visiting family for the holiday! sniff sniff

Lighting My Own Fire

The skies opened up this week, the leaves are mush on the ground and winter is setting in...time to see if the fireplace works! Not as hardy as my neighbor with a stack of cord wood in her parking spot, I opted for the girly DuraFlame log-in-a-package, and yes, I updgraded to the "Crackle" model, complete with life-like crackling fire sounds.

And I love it! A few hours of crocheting in the armchair, feet up in front of the fire, poking at it with an old curtain rod (insert Christmas gift hint here: fireplace tool ) and a dog asleep at my feet...who doesn't love this time of year? Can you see the burning embers, can you smell the singed dog?

bigtime nesting (text)

see pics below...

Two new additions to the household, now that I have so much more house to hold things: a tambour-door cabinet and a large glass-topped coffee table. The coffee table wasn't what I imagined getting (that's another story, about the burl-wood beauty that got away)...it's bigger than I would have thought the room could take, and I usually feel that glass is too cold (and always dusty!). But, as you can see, I was wrong on both counts. The glass makes it visually lighter than its size suggests, and the oiled-teakwood base warms it up. And I love it.

The cabinet, well, that cabinet! Gorgeous finger joints on the tops and sides, solid all way round, deeply colored finish, and the two tambour doors---who doesn't adore tambour!?!??!

bigtime nesting

upstairs, downstairs

I can picture them, waiting, watching the clock...at exactly 9:01am, flip the switch...and my Sunday morning sleep-in is over, bam! She is one of the upstairs neighbors, the switch belongs to what I can only imagine is an industrial vacuum with the optional 'maximum sound' attachment. Imagine a Harley running on hardwoods over your head. Exactly one hour before you want to wake up on your day off. Slumber to seething in 60 seconds.

What I don't get is, why start in the bedroom? Why vacuum the hardwoods? Every Sunday, it's the same thing--start in the bedroom, vacuuming hardwoods at 9am. Never mind that I'm jolted out of peaceful rest...what is she doing scratching up those beautiful floors with a beater bar? And why don't they have an area rug in there?

I'm tempted to put my card under their door....with a special discount on a rug.

10am update: They've just left. Sunday morning schedule: rise early to disturb other residents and then leave house IMMEDIATELY. From my experience with their schedule, they'll be back at exactly 5:01pm. Why not vacuum then?

Summer arrives in August in Oregon.

It's been deliciously warm (even HOT), the rain has stopped and the sunshine is at last generous. It's also Barbeque season. I have a barbeque invite for this evening, planning to bring potato salad...but I can't find any Tas-Tee Salad Dressing!

Certainly, make yourself comfortable, by all means.

Can't decide which is cuter...the new chairs or Ruby! It's all so meant to be...I ordered these chairs two months ago, before I even dreamed of this new place....and they couldn't be a more perfect fit. Even the color is perfect--and I sweated that fabric decision. In my work, it's easy to make decisions for others, but when you know all the possibilities, well, 'the cobblers kids have no shoes' often applies. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. Ruby, cuddled in one before the second was in place, seems to agree. Glad I could accommodate you, little dog.

New Home Sweet Home

Ruby's new favorite perch, complete with view of birds and squirrels...

Well, we are moved in, at last. Much unpacking remains to be done, but that may take weeks. No hurry, even with boxes and missing implements, this is a more pleasant home by far than the last. It's a very NPR kinda place...quiet, tree-lined dead-end street, pleasant view and nothing that needs WORK. I haven't lived in an apartment this tidy and in such good repair.....ever. (with the exception of Mom's, but that doesn't count).

Last night I found my knives ...life couldn't get any better. Grocery shopping for food that doesn't require cutting of any kind is harder than you might imagine.

Moving Day!

The heat wave continues--will be near 100 today. No air conditioning. The old apartment is on the fourth floor--the elevator is broken. Can it get any better?

brush in hand

I've had keys to the New Digs for a week now, but haven't accomplished much more than leaving an empty wine bottle on the counter. So, today, on my half-day off, I took the first step and chose a paint for the bathroom. I'm leaving the rest of the place (with the exception perhaps of one wall of the bedroom) the creamy white it came in because A) I'm lazy and B) with curved wall transitions, where would the paint stop and start? The entire apartment would have to be painted the same color and who can decide which color? The thought of all that painting..well, it's exhausting and no fun whatsoever.

The bathroom has exactly 5 square feet of paintable wall, the remaining wall surface being all tile. Perfect. This I can handle. I decided on a delicious grey-blue-green called Steamer, from Devine Paint. It looks so tranquil, spa-like...and familiar.

...turn's out it's mom's favorite color. I'll post photos of her Chicago living room later..it's exactly the same shade.

hot hot date

Meg knows me too well...and so knew to bring cheese with the celebratory wine!

more peeks

sneak peek

Is it a cabin on Mt. Hood? Grandma's house? Nope! It's a sneak peek at my groovy new kitchen nook...I -heart- knotty pine.

there are no accidents?

The Dining Table Bowl, pushed aside to accommodate componants of the previously mentioned Granny Blanket in Need of Assembly.

I swear I didn't do this on purpose. Mom, a few years ago: "I don't know how you do it, you're always co-ordinated." It's a gift.

sign spotted today: "Supervisor must be present when customers look at swords."

machine o' my heart

Anyone who has a short-haired shedding dog knows my pain. Dog hair everywhere. Miss Ruby is blessed with both black and white fur; its presence on every surface is my curse.

My trusty Hoover vacuum cleaner, purchased second-hand twelve years from the downtown Main Street vacuum shop in Fond du Lac, Wi for my very first apartment (which was depressingly similiar to my current apt. in light, size and inconveniences), was disappeared from my place in Savannah by the renter. That classic Hoover was upright, pea green and stainless steel and it was old-school--it worked like nothing else. In it's place was left a useless cheap, plastic thing made in Taiwan. Unforgivable.

I've gotten by this past year with an inexpensive Panasonic canister from Target, cute as a bug and just about as useful. So, at last, today I sought out a permanent replacement.

And I found it...a Simplicity 6 Series upright. It's solid, powerful and simply designed without too many gadgets (just the right onboard hose and tool), complete with the menacing-looking headlamp (who doesn't love a headlamp?). Thoughtful details like the on/off switch on the handle and a body that lays completely (completely!) flat for under-bed work complete the package. This is a serious machine. I'm in love.

Ruby, watch out!

Spring Cleaning Project #1

Now that I've invested considerably in a climate-appropriate and work-worthy wardrobe, there's just no excuse for rumpled piles, wire hangers and overloaded drawers. It's time to clean and organize the closet! It's time for Target!

Hmm, seems like a non-life threatening prospect. However, close reading of the labels on my new pants-hangers (20 of them) revealed the following:

"This product contains lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm."

Kinda took the wind outta my spring cleaning sails.

Today's Humiliation

There oughta be a law:

The toity was not cooperating. After every plunger trick in the book, it was still a no go. It's an old building with questionable pipes, but one can't help feeling deeply, deeply ashamed to call the building manager with this particular problem.

But as the water level neared precipice-spilling levels, I got over it and made the call. Send the "Drain Snake Guy" please. I should have been more specific. "Send an old, ugly and overwieght plumber with poor hygiene please."

Don't, don't, DON'T send the Cutest, Most Charming and Adorable Plumber in the History of Plumbers. How can you flirt with someone who has seen your poop soup?

As Fate would have it.

Remember my Rowenta rave? That very night, while pressing my latest completed project with my new beloved iron...thwat pop!..It blew a fuse! What is it with Germans and power?

After waiting in the darker dark for a few hours, the building manager finally returned home. Fuse-less. (My heavy-duty wonder had MELTED the fuse, a complete replacement required). I was desperate. Come on, we've got 15 minutes til it closes, I'll drive you to the hardware store myself! So, despite the prime real estate parking space, I moved the car to get light (and Imac, and TV and CoffeePot and GermanIron and oh man, how did we get by without electricity?). With great relief, in half an hour, though my primo parking spot was gone, I had all my equipment buzzing and humming with life again.

The next morning, when I drove away from my in-the-boonies parking spot, I went round the block where I had been parked the evening before....to see that a Huge Tree Downed by Wind Storm Destroyed Two Vehicles. !

That iron saved my little car. One German looking out for another.

It's a fine machine, it makes ironing a pleasure. Really, I'm being serious here.

I had an encounter in Target yesterday (yes, I only seem to be able to go as far as Target on my days off, the weather here encourages nesting with an unstoppable force) that the marketing department of a certain German manufacturer would have loved to have overheard.

My dear, beloved Rowenta had been lost--lifted really, by a renter in Savannah. I don't blame the renter for taking the superior machine, use it once and who could blame her? In its place was left a sad, generic model that could barely warm tea, much less press a shirt. This inferior iron, in its despair for being despised, had finally flung itself off the board, dashed itself to cheap plastic bits on the floor boards below.

So, I was inspecting the Rowenta offerings in the small appliance aisle. I was not alone. The other shopper looked at me, and said, "You must get a Rowenta." Turns out, her 15-year old classic Rowenta had just yesterday finally died. The look on her face was of real loss. I knew that look.

We chatted and shared stories of our treasured tools, praising their qualities. The Accuracy--wives all over the world wish their husbands were this accurate with liquids. The Reliablity--the Synthetic setting never scorches. The Heft and Feel---the plate always glides.

We had a moment. After some discussion of the preferred model (oh, how we yearned for the Professional!), we wished each other well with our new machines--as if wishing each other well with new marriages, as if we had shared this moment at a bridal shop.

Christmas is in the details.

I was up at 6am. Not to prepare treats and holiday surprises, but because the goddamn phone rang...
Mom. Getting an earlier flight. Arriving at 1:30 instead of 4:30. Throwing out of whack my carefully drafted do-nothing-until-absolutely-necessary Cleaning The House for Company Plan. Crap.

Keeping in mind the Theory of Good Enough (more on that later), I quickly edited the list of things required for Visitors. Out the window--defrosting the broken freezer compartment of my undersized refrigerator. You see, it's broken. It's been broken for months. I have a mini glacier in my mini fridge. Every few weeks, when the door won't close properly, I hack at it with a butter knife, breaking free chunks of the white stuff to fall, avalanche style, to the floor. Ruby loves these moments--a little violence leading to something new and interesting to eat off the floor. Dogs love that stuff. Eat it right up.

Five hours later, surveying my freshly tidy five hundred square feet with a little bid of pride, the mini fridge was now a major worry. She would find it. She would open it. She would see. And she would squeal, "Kathleeeeen! WHAT is THIS?"

I shook my head to clear it of neurotic thoughts, reminding myself that this is a woman who ashes her cigarettes in decorative pottery. She would be reasonable, see that the fancy bed pillows were just the right shade of aqua, the picture frames dead-on straight, the lightbulbs all optimum wattage, the bathroom bleached top to bottom. She's a reasonable woman, she would understand that one small oversight in a busy life is allowable. It is BROKEN after all.

------

She is not a reasonable woman. She is still captive to the Mother gene. The offending fridge was found in the first 2 minutes. "Kathleeeeeen!" Mom spend day two (while I was working), in my apartment, all day, defrosting.

She ashed in my pots.

Holiday Hooters

Oh, the party dress. The Christmas, Birthday, New Year's dress. Every year I get one, some years it's a creative Target/Goodwill combo, other years I can splurge. But it is always the ultimate hunt, the magnificent challenge:

How will I fit The Girls in the party dress?

I found the dress in one day this year; one outing, one store. And it was marked down--twice! Vintage-looking, perfectly flared and just enough sparkly. Thank goodness for the Zipper Helper, with it, the girls and I were good to go!

I don't care what anyone says--the BoDeans are the fr***ing best band ever.

music association

The iPod brings back memories:

Boy George: the exact shade of burgandy of the carpet, the faux wood paneled walls in the back room where the 'hi fi' was.
Madonna: falling off a chair trying to do that move she did in a video, in that same back room.
The Beatles: boarding school, round one.
REM: boarding school, round two.
BoDeans: oh, true love (is a '76 Beetle).
Jane's Addiction: first pair of combat boots
Edie Brickell: first, um, well, Mom reads this.
Cowboy Junkies, Sweet Jane: barns, barns, barns.
Sweet Home Alabama: driving the Roller Skate (Suzuki Samari) with wet feet.
Tori Amos: that first lonely apartment in the hood, Chicago, a twin bed.
Billy Joel: Steph
Every song of '89: David
The Cure: Pete
Sublime: Christopher
Patsy Cline: driving in the Porsche with Dad (and once without him!)
Paul Simon: the humidity of the south, road trip to New Orleans, AquaNet
Elton John: the grafitti of "I love you Tiny Dancer", complete with stick figure ballerina, on a grain silo off Highway 151. Still the most romantic thing I've ever seen.
ABBA, Dancing Queen: Friday night at The Cardinal, ten minutes before 10pm when the cover starts. I can't believe I ever wore a skirt that short.
Georgia on My Mind: Genna's, the big move down south
Peggy Lee, Is That All There Is: Making Mike cry
Tina Turner: Mom, wearing jeans and sneakers under her full-length mink at the Pic n' Save.

How could I have forgotten?

I'm not much of a music person--years of knowing too many audiophiles that trumped my knowledge and belittled my cheesy taste kept me from openly listening to my favorites except on the rare occassion that one came on the radio in a rented car. I just don't get music the way that other people do, though I do enjoy it, I feel inferior in my understanding of it. I've been told that my preference for stereo settings is beyond bizarre, but hey, I hear the way I hear it. I think I'm overly sensitive about it, that I want to understand music the way I do visual life, excell at it the way I do speed reading, etc...Music Appreciation is the only class I failed (not on purpose and not including P.E.). But I'd forgotten how much I enjoy a good, retro tune, something that brings back a memory (why is all memory of highschool age associated so strongly with music?).

So, that said, OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS iPOD THINGY!

It's a bit daunting though, it holds 500 songs. After Foreigner, that leaves something like 492 songs....

Having a car is a dangerous thing. It leads to seemingly innocuous trips to innocent places like Target. The only things on my list? Black socks, new underwear (as opposed to old?), and a mop. I really needed a mop.

I haven't been to a Target but twice in the past three years. Dripping wet (forgot my umbrella), visually overwhelmed, I must have looked like I needed assistance as I wondered down the shiny aisles.
"Can I help you find something m'am?"

M'am? Oh, god I must look a fright; old, wet and dazed with a wobbly cart. Quick, where am I? Electronics...ok, sound hip;

"Um, yeah, where are the iPods?"

I bought an iPod Nano. I still really need a mop.

Despite myself.

Damn it, I'm happy. Portland, more clearly than ever after some time in Smogville, is becoming a very liveable, enjoyable city with lots to offer. My job is good, I like what I do and I seem to not suck at it. I've had the chance to travel to see beloved family recently. Friends have journeyed here to see me. My dog still greets me with enthusiasm. I'm not painting, but I'm ok with that--it will come back, when I have the time and inspiration in the future-and I like that, I like that it's my little thing to pull out when it pleases me and me only. I have friends all over the world, most of whom keep in touch regularly with stories of adventures great and small. My little apartment is looking like a proper home, only a few projects remain and who wants to be short of home improvement projects anyway? My health is good; a good friend just the other day said I look great, that despite what I say about living here, it must work because it looks good on me. Ha ha. I think I finally let the boy go, so I'm ready for the next new boyfriend (that was only five years in the making). With the good job and new wheels, I have new freedoms to enjoy and adventures to plan. I was even recently paid to write about my crocheting hobby (and the resulting bersitus). So, I'm good, I'm ready..bring on the next big thing!

Ok, so it's good here. I'm happy. Damn it.

recent chat, topic of nesting; specifically Ikea

Katemikkelsen: oh, when you go to Ikea, do NOT buy a Letten rolly-bathroom-cart-thingy
taaterdog: why is that
Katemikkelsen: because you might not be able to get it together after a really long day of putting things together
Katemikkelsen: and then you might freak out, stomp on it
Katemikkelsen: breaking it into tiny plastic pieces
Katemikkelsen: flying one into your dog's eye
Katemikkelsen: requiring a vet visit and an explanation
taaterdog: oh god, who could have predicted a trip to ikea would turn so tragic for poor Ruby

Stop staring at me!

My kitchen shelves are mocking me. Recently installed (see Ikea trip entry), they are shiny and new...and entirely empty. I've neglected my evening dinner cooking lately, feeling too worn out from work to bother, I've slid back into the single-person deli and take out habit. The new rack with hanging utensils is particularly snarly--I'll have to avoid looking in the kitchen on my way out the door this morning..to work.

How much Ikea can you fit in a Jag?

I rented a car yesterday to make the trip up to Seattle for an Ikea run. I know, not a good idea on a Saturday--the punters were out in full force for the Swedish meatballs, but it's a rare weekend off and I need more bookshelves (too much Powell's).

I had reserved a standard mid-size, in hopes of getting something with ok gas mileage and folding back seats. They had one on the lot, only the previous renter had failed to put the keys in the night drop box. So I was bumped up, free of charge, to...get this, a Jag! ha ha!

As it turns out, you CAN fit a heck of alot in the back of a Jag. Which is a good thing, because I found much more than I had planned on getting, of course.

Now, where's my allen wrench?

p.s. A note on the car itself; I'm never very impressed when a high-end version of anything is recreated in a lower-end version. When you start at the top and cheap out, the results usually disappoint (as opposed to starting with little and seeing how much you can create, which I greatly admire--a la Ikea now that I think of it).

The X-type Jag is no exception--aside from the pretty front end (that you can't see when parking!), it's a bummer of a design. The interior is anything but intuitive--I had to refer to the manual THREE times during the trip to locate and understand controls (cruise control, the gas cap release, the back seat fold down mechanism). Despite a dozen adjustment levers, the seat design also left my behind and back aching--for long trips, lack of lumbar support is a serious flaw that no amount of leather can cure.

And on the road? Speedy, but slushy. What good is pep if you can't control it? The steering wheel behaved like an pretty accessory, not a tool. On curves at highway speeds, it felt like the entire chassis was sliding out from under me. Not good.

Overheard:

in Starbucks: "You gotta put your finger way up in there."

corner of Burnside and 21st: "I didn't call no goddamn Middle East!"

in Fred Meyer grocery store: "Damn, they got Gatorade still for 99 cents. Tight."
in Fred Meyer grocery store: "The cat peed all over the damn place."
in Fred Meyer grocery store: "I don't care if you ARE late."

Cell phones (and their loud, obnoxious public over-use) have made overhearing more interesting.

Demon Toothpaste

I neglected to thoroughly wash my hands between tooth-brushing and contact-solutioning this morning. Minty fresh eyeball.

This is also the same toothpaste that turns the whole of my mouth black when used after drinking red wine. Next time, no falling for the two-for-one deal.

well on my way to a happy retirement...

My favorite part of a weekday off? Mid-afternoon, back-to-back episopes of Perry Mason, the best tv show ever.

Everything In Its Place

Last week, I got a little surprise in the mail, and boy, did it ever make my day! When I first got the delivery notice, I was puzzled--what had I ordered? Did I order something online and forget about it again? When the box arrived, I was even more puzzled..Pottery Barn Kids?

No mistaking it when I opened the package----divided trays! RED divided trays! Only one person knows me that well and would get such a kick ---Miss Dawn!!

I think I'm the only person I know who loved 'hot lunch' in grade school. Or built paper napkin 'dams' at dinner time. I remember my divided plate with great fondness (Mom finally gave in and got me one, having grown disgusted with soppy napkin bits on my plate). I love flying, mostly for the nifty dinner service.

Nothing like having friends who embrace your neurosis. :)

Where do I live? That's classified.

I have been single for too long. When I had a guest over for dinner last week, I was a wreck. Not with the usual date-jitters, but just by the thought of anyone being in my teeny, tiny apartment. I'm not known for having company over--there's barely room to swing a cat, much less entertain. And I'm hopelessly private about my home.

All day long, five days a week (or more) for nearly fifteen years, I've worked in retail. In retail, you are a captive to the public---anyone can walk in that door and you have to interact with them, no matter how painful that may be. So, as a result, I jealously guard my alone-at-home time. I've told people to go away through the mail slot. All friends know that the drop-by is the worst of sins.

I had a knot in my stomach the entire dinner---and a little voice in the back of my head gritting its teeth and muttering "Get out of my house, get out of my house, get out of my house." Any doubt I have trouble dating??? Poor guy didn't stand a chance.

One thing I've learned this time around is that maybe I haven't been single for too long, perhaps instead I haven't been single long enough. Down in the honesty section of my gut, I actually like it, maybe even prefer it. I'm back on my two-one-bedroom-apartments-with-double-hotelstyle-doors as the perfect domestic situation for me.

it's always the little things

Aside from the usual suspects ("Cooking for One", Netflix, a tv in the bedroom, an out of control 'Hobby Budget', the obligatory dog, a quick ability to divide dinner checks by 3, etc), my life as a Chronically Single Gal has reached a new low.

I use spray-on moisturizer. It helps to reach the middle Siberia that is the bit of back not reachable by most standard-issue arms.

The other evening, on the tv in the bedroom, I saw a commercial for a **New & Improved** spray bottle moisturizer---it works even, drumroll please, UPSIDE DOWN.

Now this, THIS, is a big deal.

flowers and floats

You should always buy yourself flowers. And a tip I learned from Mom: when they ask if it is a gift (in whatever language), always say 'Yes'. Never say no to better packaging.

Today is the Grand Floral Parade--I best go turn on the tv and see what it's all about. No way I'm dealing with the tourists, kiddies and traffic to go see the thing myself. Besides, it's cold out there!

I love my drawers!

I finally have a dresser! woo-hoo! Seems wrong somehow, like cheating, not to get it from my place of work---but with the hours I've been putting in lately, I just can't have the furniture I look at all day long in my house! Besides, I just love visiting those cute young guys at the vintage modern shop, who could resist?

Another bonus---this 66"long teak number fit *absolutely perfectly* in my weird bedroom space (hard to tell in this pic, but it's a perfect fit, barely half an inch to spare)--meant to be.

what? me? go out?

I don't have time to date, even if I wanted to! I have 135 movies in my Netflix queue!

little worlds

apartment therapy's smallest, coolest apartment contest ....never, ever complain about just 500 sq. ft.--some of these folks have made do with half that!

sorry, don't expect turn-down service

Why is that expecting company creates a drive to complete the domestic projects that have previously sat idle for months (and months, and months)??

And just how did I get all that stuff in the closet in the first place?

oh, happy day!

I received my newest copies of the Lee Valley Tools catalogs today! woo-hoo!

new little white number

It's not the table of love, but it's perfect for this space, sports leveling feet for my unlevel floor--and was a vintage bargain to boot. What's not to love?

I should have done this sooner---a proper dining table changes everything! For example, as photo two shows, it makes a pleasant place to read the latest copy of People magazine (for shame!).

bringing the sunshine in

I finally finished painting the livingroom and the entryway this past week. After a tragic experiment with a burnt orange, I settled on this interesting yellow color called 'Ripe Oats' instead---it matches exactly the color of the walls of the old town in the sunshine from an Antibes postcard (that I can't seem to find at the moment--I'm sure lots of you have a copy of it though!). I also finished painting the floor a few weeks ago, it looks much better now even though it's just a temporary solution, at least it's not carpet.

Now I just have to hang some more artwork and do something with my disaster of a kitchen.

it has the sexiest legs

I picked up a new desk (or should that be A desk?) this week--and it's yummy. It's by Paul McCobb for Planner Group, if that matters to anyone. It doesn't to me--I just love that it's perty, blond and petite. Hmm, that didn't come out like I meant it.

And two cute little scruffy-mods just starting their vintage furniture business adventure hand-delivered it. Bonus.

Now I just have to save my pennies for that perfect task lamp (the Tolomeo floor model) for reading at the sofa, or should I say more accurately: working at the crochet-station. How is it that I didn't come by one of those fifteen years ago when I lived with Aunt Maria, who had them stacked up and multiplying like wire hangers in the closet?

oops

I popped into the pharmacy the other day to have a prescription filled---there was a wait, so I left my basket of other sundries at the counter and agreed to return for the prescription after finishing my shopping at the grocers next door.

I forgot to return. Completely. Until three days later.

One of the items in my basket of pharmacy goods was a bottle of MEMORY supplements.

It's how you look at it...or, Would you really want them back anyway?

I noticed something odd this morning---it seemed that a number of my undies were missing. After some sorting and searching, I was able to confirm that, yes indeed, six pairs are MIA.

My building has a common laundry area.

Some gals would freak out; me?-- I prefer to take a positive-attitude approach: Maybe I have an admirer?

family tradition=another way to get more stuff

I forgot about St. Nick's Day yesterday. Though putting a Hershey bar and some colored pencils in your own shoes seems a bit sad.

Wonder what Stella got? You did remember, right Mom?

oh yeah, i'm gonna be a great auntie

Gracie got a little gift at the pharmacie the other day--a keychain with a stuffed raccoon attached---rather cute. My reply when she showed it to me:

"Oh, look! A raccoon! How cute! They eat garbage and carry rabies!"

oops.

fleur

I think I managed to save most of the plants from the Mighty Mite infestation---I only lost one Floweringthingymabob and two small Pointyleafedjobbies. woo-hoo!

visit revisited

Gordon, Mom's gentleman friend, sent these pictures that he snapped during our dinner party when Mike and Matt were visiting last month. Check out that last one---Mom and Mike, all that love! Pity Gordon was too busy taking pictures to be in one!

darn it

I've started a new crochet project, after having found a new learn-to-crochet book entitled, appropriately enough, Learn to Crochet (by Sue Whiting, published by New Holland) at the local english book shop. It is a very helpful addition to my other teach-yourself crochet guide, Vogue's 1971 Guide to Knitting, Crochet and Macrame (!), found in the basement used book section of the same shop. Between the two, I'm getting the hang of it. I'd better be, since this is my fifth or six project. I know now why the blanket I made for my sister's baby shower was 'growing' so much--I had very carefully, erroneously, added a stitch to each row. Oops. This new blanket (something to keep for myself this time!) is coming along much better, especially as I've taken the time to block it out properly---Bert is bemused, though silent, about the large strips of crochet work pinned down on the dining table. As long as it's cleared away by dinner time, he doesn't say a word.

Maria, on the other hand, noting my speedy progress on such a big blanket, has suggested I might be in need of some male companionship. Duh.

note: In addition to the books, I've found a few online resources for crocheters (knitters don't get all the love anymore!), including patterns and help at crochet me and a friendly blog from yarngirl.

teatime reading

woo-hoo! The English bookshop had a hardcover copy of 'In the Company of Cheerful Ladies', the latest in Alexander McCall Smith's series of No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency tales. Pure, pure joy to read.

blank

I've been trying to paint this week....emphasis on trying....Don't know what it is; summer lethargy or perhaps the stress of attempting to arrange this big move back to the States, but everything is turning out crap. I think my life is too disorganized and uncertain at the moment to allow my mind to make confidant decisions with a brush or pencil. It's hard to face a blank canvas when your entire LIFE is blank at the moment!

I did manage to get some creativity going in the house though, little Miss Grace joined me for a morning of painting---she loved it. She has a technique of mashing the brush with such force and concentration that she vibrates bodily. Admirable dedication to the work little girl!

making me tick

After two extra-crispy tarts, one tray of char-nuggets and a half-dozen close calls, we finally got a new kitchen timer. I don't think Mom was expecting me to shreak with excitement when she brought it home. But how could I not? She got the classic minitimer (currently made by Italora). It was designed by Richard Sapper (of Tizio fame), one of my all-time-favorite industrial/product designers, back in '71- or '74, depending on who you ask. How I love being in the kitchen with Richard!

Bert's perch

with the boat out in the harbor, Bert's been crashing here. On the balcony to be exact. Ruby loves it. She also digs the long 7am walks. Now she's gonna be all spoiled.

slice of life

items cut out of household budget to make room for wine and cigarettes: cutlery, shaving cream, plastic wrap and scotch tape. that's the only reason i can think of to explain mom's aversion to adding those items to any shopping basket. however, something must have changed because today we finally, finally got a proper bread knife!

i promptly cut my finger on it.

you said it

in Berts absence, i thought i'd be missing the "Bert-isms" we've come to know and love so much, but as Ryan points out...we have a few 'isms' of our own:

"These naps are exhausting me."
"What'd he do, send you a picture of the word 'cock'?" (on the possibilities of Scrabble Club meets Craig's List online dating).
"Did you raid the dwarfs?" (referring to mom's 7 fiances history).
"Aside from the smoking and the drinking, I'm kinda on a health kick myself." (i did give up soda and fast food!)
"Calendars are meaningless, what do I care what day it is?" (mom on retirement).
"You look like the little carton of Minute Maid before the three glasses of water." (i was concentrating).

ok, take the shot already

me and Ryan in Haut de Cagnes

recipe for laughter

it seems i've inherited mom's colorful, creative use of language, which i use with phrases and cliches--i prefer a mixed colloquialism salad. one of Ryan's favorites:

"I'd like to be a fly on the wall of that brain."

when in doubt, always blame the equipment

Ryan in the kitchen, Ruby waiting for something to drop on the floor.

we picked up some Bisquick with the dvd rentals thinking that pancakes make a good rainy day dinner. and also that it's something Ryan can make. or so i thought.

i noticed that the packaging had been changed, Ryan dismissed it. that oversight came to haunt him later.

after showing him where to find the metric measurement translations and the variety of US and Euro measuring devices, i left him to it. popping my head in later, i find him in a state---a frenzy over how "Crappy that piece of shit pan you gave me is!". um, ok..that's our best pancake pan. wait a minute, isn't that batter a bit too thin? "I followed the damn instructions, I got the measurements right! That's the worst pan ever!!"

quick glance at the back of the box. um, WHICH directions did you follow? "Right there, for pancakes!! I'm not a moron!" "It's that crappy pan!"

ok, ok, deep breath: um, i think you may have to follow the directions for AMERICAN PANCAKES, right down here at the bottom. you've been making crepes.

"oh."

damn crepey pan.

zones

it's been raining cats and dogs all day. we rented four dvd's to see us through--at the rate of 4.50euro each for one day. even the English goods store has to make a buck i suppose. i have four other DVD's, all still in plastic, unwatchable because the DVD player is Zone 2 (Europe) and the gifts, thoughtful as they were, are Zone 1 (USA). who came up with that brilliant plan?

the day was rounded out nicely when Ryan's Dad called. it's just not the same without his daily inquiry--"So like, what time is it there now?"

it's the little things...

the slower pace of life here is a good thing, but too much of even a good thing can be just too much...for example, the highlight of my day today? the 4-slice package of sandwich chicken we picked up for lunch today had an unexpected 5th slice. yippee!

good lord, think i need to be working again? maybe.

Bon Voyage!

Mom and Bert depart after months of preparation and a week of waiting out the weather

they're off! Mom and Uncle Bert left this morning for the big adventure down the Italian coast. Tishie Mae will be put to the test, as will the limits of siblinghood i'm certain. they will both be missed--what will i do without mom's artistic critiques? and those witty Bert-isms? i'm expecting weekly phone call updates--i shall keep you posted as to their whereabouts and progress.

he said it

today's Bert-ism: "The world's a big place."

nothing says spring like sugar-coated marshmallow...

Happy Easter!

can't find any Peeps here, bummer.

out the window

Bert takes Ruby for a walk, i haven't killed mom's flowers yet....

bon appetit

London Eye
while Mom is up in London visiting Peg, i've been called upon to make sure Bert gets fed each night...and i'm seeing that perhaps i should be more appreciative of mom's culinary capabilities...no disasters yet, but there was something dodgy about the pork roast tonight...

...only time will tell....

whenwillitgethere.com

mom's discovered the joy of package tracking via the internet. she's waiting for a GPS-thingy for the boat. amazing how quickly she masters technologies when it involves shopping.

boys!!!

Dale is back, we've got Tom here with us, and this weekend Nick came for a visit.

i've put the toilet seat back down no less than 32 times in three days.

other than that, no complaints---it's nice actually to have boys around again. no matter what i make--they eat it. (i'm not known for much in the cuisine department, aside from American-style pancakes--which they ate with their hands!)

home sweet borrowed home

i seem to spend most of my time here---the living room! although the weather is finally warming up, i'm painting in here more now, so there you go. that middle shot shows the new curtains mom and i devised the other week for the front room in Cannes--they make a big difference and neither Jack nor Ruby have destroyed them yet, a big bonus. i love being able to stay at Dale and Dom's in Cannes, don't get me wrong..but i am itching for a place of my own, i need to exercise my domestic demons soon.

wonder if i could get a postcard from each and every state?

a container ship on the Savannah River, a Nebraska landscape complete with church spire

happiness in the mailbox today--not only did i get the two postcards above (thank you Sony and Grandma Eileen), but Ryan's Christmas/Birthday package FINALLY arrived--along with a 20 euro customs bill (but don't let that keep you from sending me presents!). well, no wonder--the thing weighs a ton---he must have sent me fifteen books! which will all be read with great pleasure--i've reread every John Irving and Minette Walters in the house and am hungry for something new (no doubt the books from Ryan will be somewhat heavier going than my usual fare--he's so collegiate the little bugger)...

what did he say?

i have a friend, Kristan, who has kept a quote board for years. say something silly in her presence and it's likely to be posted on her wall the next day for eternity. i think mom and i need an entire quote board for Bert alone. just a few recent ones:

"It's good to see you've got that cooking thing down." (while eating mom's home made dinner for the 372nd night in a row)
"I've figured out the shrouds." (some such thing about the boat)
"They're just not clean." (while boiling toothbrushes)

will work for food

Margaret has a job interview this week, Maria has four strong leads for her new property management work (with some spillover work for me) and i've had two good responses to my work inquiries...things are looking good this week. could there be a 'career' star in our houses or some such hippydippy thing?

i tell you, this poverty diet is working out though...size 12 jeans here i come!

oh ok, just one more then....

sorry to be off-line so much this past week---have been spending most days recovering from my nights. Dom is back in town for the week, Dale is here now as well and well...i'm not sure who is the bad influence on who, but i haven't seen 9am in quite awhile!

lovely to have everyone back together---dinners out, good laughs over drinks, etc. i'll miss Dom when she's gone next week.

no one who lives there ever calls it Chi-town, trust me

to me, Christmas will always be Tea at The Drake, munching Frango Mints til you're sick, window displays down the Magnificent Mile, peeling obscene amounts of potatoes for mom's famous dish-to-pass, staying in Mies Van der Rohe apartment buildings, clothespin angels on the tree, shopping at Water Tower Place (and pretty much ignoring the actual Water Tower), taxi cab rides, lunch at The Athenian Room, new pajamas for Christmas morning photos, visiting with Grandma for a bowl of left-over soup (it's not soup left over, it's soup MADE from left-overs and always delicous), breakfast at Nookies, picking up a few "vintage" finds at the White Elephant resale shop, visiting the penguins and the diving polar bear in Lincoln Park Zoo and trying to keep track of all the family's comings and goings (there are so many of them!)....Christmas to me will always be in Chicago.

A Christmas Tale

a number of years ago i was living in Madison, Wisconsin, going to night art school and working as a personal banker (glorified teller). it was a crystal cold winter, the trees sparkling with ice, fields brown and bare, charming red barns visible just behind my beige-box post-divorce apartment complex. my first year out of retail in what felt like a decade, i was blessed with my own personal Christmas miracle--two days off for the holiday AND a rumored holiday bonus. talk of the bonus was rampant between branches--would it be bigger than last year? would it be cash? would it be a percentage of salary? after weeks of drooling anticipation (and count the chickens before they hatch over-spending), the day finally arrived. Joe the Money Guy (he delivered the actual bags of cash and coin in a Brinks truck as well as inter-branch mail and paychecks, he was beloved) rolled his handcart into the lobby.

loaded with hams. hams. of the 20 pound variety.

what the hell can a single girl do with twenty pounds of honey-baked ham? i was driving into Chicago for Christmas with the family. well, i'll just bring it with me for the family. maybe they can find a use for it. there are lots of them. they eat.

my dependable econo-box loaded with gifts, sandbags and the ham, i headed out in the morning freeze. three or four miles into the three hour journey, the roll-thud-roll-smack-thud of a ham on the loose in the back seat was more than i could bear. it wasn't keeping time with Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer on the radio. so, i put The Ham in the empty front passenger seat and strapped it in (safety first!). by Waukegan it was turning into a 'Wilson' and Tom Hanks in Castaway moment. the bemused toll booth operators were very accomodating. no extra charge for the ham.

i gave The Ham to Grandma Mickey, she of the Depression-era eating and feeding habits. she made good use of it i hear--the entire neighborhood was sussed for ham sandwiches well into the spring thaw.

she sent me a check a week later for $20. on the memo line: 'Christmas Bonus'.

zapper

in a desperate attempt to find something to watch other than CNN or ITV News, i spent a few annoying minutes clicking through every single satelite channel, noting the ones that actually had reception. (the satelite dish is too low to get a proper signal and some other problem i'm not up on has severely limited the English-language television channels available). i've found the religious stations (3), the Spanish station, the shopping channels (18!), the Motor channel, the Travel station, more news stations (2) and ...(drum roll)..Reality TV. Reality TV has a line-up of shows with names like Inferno!, Rescue 911 (remember that one?), Disaster!, The Tube, Surf Crazy and What Went Wrong?. what was i thinking watching edu-snobby, good-for-you-like-cauliflower-even-though-it-tastes-like-feet PBS all those years? now this is quality programming! gotta run...Cheaters is on.

p.s. yes, yes, i know i should be watching French tv for the practice, but sometimes it hurts my brain.

mystery meat

Duncan left behind vast quantities of meat in the freezer. now, i'm more of a pasta and salad person at home, preferring to let the professionals handle the subtlities of 'medium' vs. 'medium rare'. but i'm also on a budget, and looking into the cold box i see in my mind that standard-yellow $25 check Grandma Mickey sent me one cold, poverty-stricken student-era Christmas--on the memo line: "buy meat". the guilt is overwhelming--i can't let all this cello-wrapped, portion-divided frozen meat go to waste. so, the adventure begins. recipe: defrost on radiator, shoo dog and cat away from radiator, unwrap, pop in world's-smallest counter top oven and wait to see what comes out! i'm sure that last night's was chicken--very nice with pasta. i'm fairly certain that tonight's was lamb. i think. anyway, it was very nice with salad. tomorrow looks to be...well, we'll see, won't we?

FYI: the radiator de-frost was Duncan's method, highly UN-recommended if you want to avoid death by salmonilla (thanks Maria)--i'm sticking to the safer day-ahead-of-time refrig. method these days.

domesticity

it's happy home-making week for the Mikkelsen Kids--my temporary roomie Duncan went off to his new life and wife in Australia this week leaving the Cannes apt. all to myself (!) and my brother Thomas moved into his own place in LA after more than a few weeks living with a friend-of-the-family (aka: weird stranger). poor kid has not a stick of furniture (how can that be in this family?!?) but he's got a balcony for enjoying the California sunshine. i have sponge-elbow from days and days of serious cleaning, but the results are lovely! though it's a temporary thing, i'm finally feeling like i actually have a homey space of my own. this has been a great year, but i'm getting too old for the living-out-of-a-suitcase thing. i'm too domestic at heart--i need my co-ordinated linens, designer broom and professional toaster. and a coat rack! my kingdom for a coat rack! don't laugh.

my favorites!

homemade German Chocolate Birthday Cake from Mom (and a lovely chocolate brown leather handbag, not pictured because it's lost somewhere under the mountain that is our coat tree)! a gooorgeous ring from Miss Maria! a Guide to French Cheeses book from Miss Liz! kisses from Miss Ruby! what more could a girl want?!

old before my time?

am tuckered out with yet another cold--don't mind sleeping in, having a stuffed up head and feeling groggy, but couldn't it at least be the result of a hangover?

as Duncan so kindly pointed out to a mutual friend--"That attractive young American girl living here is sitting on the sofa, with the dog and blankets and cushions and the tele on and she's knitting. On a Friday night!" something's wrong with this picture!

doing it properly

Duncan is instructing me on the finer points of English cuisine. apparently, i've been doing it all wrong all these years--ROASTING carrots and BOILING potatos when in fact i should have been BOILING carrots and ROASTING potatoes. who knew?

Thanksgiving shindig

sweet potatoes...gone.

Happy Tuber Day

Mom, preparing twin turkeys, Thanksgiving circa 1980

Thanksgiving--the national American celebration of the insulating properties of Turkey ,Tubers, Butter and Brown Sugar when consumed in combination and quantity. ah, my favorite holiday. our festivities will be taking place on Sunday rather than the usual Thursday because my sister Margaret and her hubby Ryan are flying down from London on Saturday.

a few amusing Thanksgiving Day memories:

how to know when the Butterball is done? Dad's beeper goes off, just at the right moment. every year, without fail. damn heart attacks and teenagers on motorbikes.

appropriate holiday attire: one year, mid-'80's, my then 9 or 10 year old sister Margaret, bless her heart, attended Thanksgiving day dinner at a friend of the family's house dressed, head to toe, as a pilgrim.

teenager, making first Pumpkin Pie for family Thanksgiving meal: i hated pumpkin pie then (love it now) so i never took notice of exactly how it's done. i made a pie alright. bringing it to the table: "Didn't you make a PUMPKIN pie?" "Yes, just like you asked me to..there it is." "Um, it looks like a CHERRY or MINCEMEAT pie." "What are you talking about? It's pumpkin!" i know now that PUMPKIN pie is NOT supposed to have a crust ON TOP.

first Thanksgiving meal with the (ex)in-laws; the brother-in-law had just imported a new wife from Japan. we had SUSHI. for THANKSGIVING. wrong, just wrong.

making Thanksgiving feast for lonely-hearts friends when not able to get back home; asked everyone to drop off a contribution a few days before or a finished item the day of. so-and-so bring potatoes, so-and-so make a pie, etc. Brock's famous contribution? "Oh, I have a turkey, a bonus from work!" "Are you sure it will be big enough? We have ten people coming". "Oh yeah, no problem". Wednesday night: picking up said turkey. no way to really describe it here, but i think it was actually a two pound pressed-turkey breast. i've seen bigger pigeons.

hosting Thanksgiving dinner in new condo in need of renovation, kitchen entirely useless: made turkey and fixins at boyfriend's house, then carefully wrapped and transported entire meal for six in 1988 Dodge Colt and reheated, as needed, one dish at a time in microwave (the only functioning appliance in kitchen). plyed guests with booze so they wouldn't notice.

spent one Thanksgiving at home of generous friend (with her family in town special for the occasion): shopped for appropriate hostess gift..chose a very nice bottle of port for an after-dinner drink, thinking lots of other guests would bring standard wine. had bottle wisked away at door by unknown uncle, "We don't drink in this house." (um, she who invited me does, i know for a fact!) was shamed before even had coat off. never saw bottle of port again. still think of it fondly from time to time. wonder what it's up to these days?

twister

Mom turned her ankle and fell yesterday. no panic, but her ankle is in sad shape. note: when living in the south of France, where folks (and pharmacies) take their siesta seriously, never injure yourself between noon and 2:30.

funny pharmacy anecdote:
me, in fairly decent french: "Excusez moi Madame, blah blah....I'm looking for something to help my mother, she fell and turned her ankle."
Medicinal Madame: "Is it bad?" "Is it very fat?"
Me: "Um, yes." (i'm thinking that 'fat' means 'swollen' in this usage, yes?)
Medicinal Madame: "Is your mother very old?"
Me: "No, she's just 'so-so' old."

(imagine 'so-so' hand gesture included, it just came out that way, i swear!)

momma got me a brand-new bag

Mom misses me! i didn't see her at all this week, nary a phone call as she pointed out..in an effort to force myself to adjust to Cannes, to get out there and find things to love about it like i did in Antibes. and it was successful..i've been out and about much more this week and am liking this new town more each day. but, moms will be moms (or more accurately, my mom will never pass up a chance to visit the casino), so she popped over this afternoon after the afore-mentioned rugby match to spend the afternoon with me and Liz. a great lunch (it was warm and sunny enough to eat outside!), some shopping, a quick stop at the slots, and a coffee chat with Duncan 'round the kitchen table. i scored a new purse for my growing continental collection as an early birthday gift and we discovered Cannes' answer to the 'hardware-kitchensink-everything-you-didn't-know-you-needed' store just around the corner.

oh, and we payed through the nose (Monsieur Fluff 'n' Fold is cute, but 9 euros?!) to have Duncan's sheets washed and dried at the laundrette (no machine in the apt.) after Miss Ruby had an 'accident' last night. i think she was trying to tell me and Liz that she wasn't happy about being left out of girls night.

desperately seeking blinds

roomie Duncan has discovered that when one glances out the kitchen window, say while having the morning coffee, one can see, quite plainly in the window of the nieghboring apartment building..an Ugly Naked Man. regularly. this has proven to be endlessly amusing; "Come quick, Ugly Naked Man is back!" "What's he doing now?". last night, there was a Skimpily-Clothed Skinny Woman in the room as well. Ugly Naked Man was, as always, fufilling both descriptives, seated on the bed, in an, um, rather 'anticipatory' pose while Skimpily-Clothed Skinny Woman fumbled around in her purse for i-don't-want-to-know-what. i left the kitchen, head in hands ('my eyes! my eyes!'), leaving Duncan to continue gazing and chuckling.

if it's on a spoon and no one sees you, it doesn't count

am pining for boy. have consumed far too much of Burgandy-in-a-Box (can you believe it's appellation controlee?) and all manner of chocolate, including but not limited to: liquid, cake, bar and Nutella-on-a-spoon. when not eating chocolate or fumbling with wine box nozzle, am smoking like cliche chimney (or standard frenchie). congenial roomie Duncan is also pining--for lovely wife patiently waiting in Australia. two romantically frustrated folks in the same household? lucky we have any chocolate and wine left at all!!

and see, then my sister has to email and comment on that picture of me and The Boy, you know, THAT picture. (scroll to 'that's a girl in trouble alright'). and of course, she says: "You have that look you get just before you cry happy tears". and she's dead on, and that's just not fair! damn, damn, damn.

she can't even pronounce the guy's name

mom just stumbled in the door, in her words, "funking druk". and mumbling something about wanted to let a salty sea dog put his greasy paws all over her. when she left, only a few hours ago, she was off to an innocent dinner on somebody's boat.

hmm, something in the air this month?

what day is this? what's this flight number? where am i now?

a technical malfunction diversion to La Guardia (rather than the planned JFK), a missed connection, a number of hours waiting for a new flight to Paris instead and then another connection to Nice..oh, and then, the lovely last-leg bus ride into town. but i'm back! in one piece, a little groggy but glad to be back in France..glad to see Mom and Ruby both doing well. oh, i missed my little doggie. missed you too mom, don't worry. (between you and me, what i really missed were her meals!)

sorry to have been blog-less this past week, was having way too much fun to keep up! wink wink

some things never change

Mr. Grant Nelson still has an endless supply of enthusiasm and energy...when he wears green, like he did last night, i am always reminded of that hyperactive Lucky Charms leprachaun bouncing and leapy about, tossing little bits of colored marshmellow happiness over the world.

Miss Dawn, with that sweet exterior, can still knock you flat with a totally honest statement out of the blue. i mean totally honest. about things like your tarty past. and usually in front of a dishy guy you've just met.

Miss Sony is not at all high maintainence. really, she's not. not one bit.

Savannah is muggy and warm..80degrees today, some sun, and lots of humidity. it rained at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon..just out of nowhere, downpour! i'd missed that. i hadn't missed that Savannah smell though..we could even catch a whiff of it in the airplane during our descent! pulp factory, salt water, horse shit. yum.

a hero of house keys and houseplants

thank god for Miss Dawn...not only did she pick me up at the airport last night, she got me into my house! turns out the key i thought was my apartment key when i packed was not afterall. just when i thought i'd have to crash at lovely Dawn's for the night and fork out god knows how much to the locksmith in the morning...she suggested checking above the doorframe. bingo! a spare key! though not so good to have it so available to god knows who, last night, it was a welcome sight. i was in!

and what greeted me? the apt. was clean and lights working..not that; it was much, much worse. a GIANT CREEPY HOUSEPLANT of proportions never before seen by me. and you know how i feel about houseplants. it was like huge, green juicy arms reaching out to strangle me. ugh! so, brave and bold Dawn removed it to the balcony. my hero!

back in the USA

i've arrived safe and sound, despite a 9 hour flight (and that was just the first of three flights) seated next to Louisiana's answer to the Missing Link! i've even managed, to my pleasant surprise to get online at home! the apartment is all in order..very well cared for, the lights are on, i don't know what i was worried about. so...the blog continues...

three whole channels

Duncan, he of the french beaurocratic woes, was kind enough to bring a tv antenna into the household yesterday! woo-hoo! french tele! surprisingly enough, Friends translates quite well! or i've just seen the reruns so much i've memorized them. huh, well, that throws my i-understand-french pride out the window now doesn't it?

sweater girl

went out to get a dress for the wedding, came back with a sweater instead. but you should see it. i like my tits in this top.

house? boat? where does one end and the other begin?

i came 'round to mom's the other day to find the apartment in quite a state (aside from the usual state). seems Bert has taken over my old room now that the weather has turned cold. and you know how Bert likes a domestic project. inside of a few days, he and Mom have purchased a proper stove (with an oven) for the kitchen.

it's never had one..just a stove top burner and some convection oven/microwave/grill combo ripped from the galley of the Enterprise with an instruction manual translated from German to Japanese to French. not a very helpful item in the kitchen. so, it's gone. replaced by a very nice new white straight-forward stove--gas burners and a proper oven underneath. Bert managed to get it installed, including the gas line and even sawing away the countertop to fit. only it left a big gap all around the edges. solution? edge it with teak wood of course!

the house is suspiciously begining to resemble the boat.

a bedroom with a view

the scene outside the front bedroom balcony in Cannes. it's taking some getting used to..Antibes seems to me so much greener and smaller, almost 'quaint', but i'm sure i'll find more to love as i get to know Cannes better. Miss Liz was a great help this past weekend, taking me over to the huge Marche Forville..must be ten times larger than the Marche Provencial in Antibes..everything you could want for produce, cheeses, flowers, etc. i'll be doing my daily shopping there for certain. i seem to have also gained a boyfriend..or so the older, married fellow who runs the pizzeria downstairs would like to believe. i lost something in the translation, but apparently, i'm his. huh.

meow

a few pics of Jack for Ma and Pa so far away. enjoy! fyi: don't ever call me a cat. i hate that. of course, to the French, that's what my name reads like.."Kaaht". ugh.

awww

mom called me tonight. i think she misses me. maybe almost as much as she does the dog.

closer

Jack and Ruby made progress by napping on the same bed yesterday. they did the same last night, sleeping on my bed this time...a purring cat to my right, a sighing dog to my left. and me with no place to turn. hmm, is this truly progress?

happy days!

the boiler man arrived this morning at 8am! unheard of here! so, of course, i was unprepared, ie: asleep in bed. but throwing vanity to the wind in favor of the hot shower vanity requires in the first place, i let him in. and he got it fixed! woo-hoo!

cat vs. dog update

progress tonight...both cuddled up with me on the sofa tonight..Jack the cat on one side, Ruby the dog on the other..warm and snuggly and eyeing each other suspiciously over my lap. (which is by the way, not entirely as flat as i would like it to be before i return to Savannah to attend a wedding in less than two weeks time. where did that 'Abs 'n Buns' video go to? oh right, i've never had one.)

both have also discovered fun new games. Ruby: pick the cat's doo out of the litterbox and bat it around the living room floor til Ma realizes it's not a chew toy and indeed the source of the stink. Jack: jump up on anything higher than the dog and bat objects off the surface in her general direction, including the Strangers' eyeglasses, cigarettes and wine glass.

today's score

cat: 5
dog: 2
online dating: 0

i should never have learned to use that damned dvd player

why is it that cats never fail to know exactly when you are reading an exciting passage, and choose that exact moment to sit on your open book? why does the sun vanish and the cold wind appear when you have loads of laundry to do (sans dryer) and not a clean pair of knickers in sight?

and why, why, why does watching sappy love story movies late at night, alone, with a glass (um, bottle) of red wine seem like a good idea at the start? will i never learn???

beach babes

ok, this tyke gets more action than i've seen in years! first the little frenchie girl at the cafe, now a frenchie water nymph. he's a trooper..that water was COLD. must be his hearty Minnesota/Wisconsin upbringing.

Daddy Doug will be so proud...his little guy gettin' wid da ladies!

gotta see the Regatta

another Regatta today...so many sailboats, so little time.

around la ville with The Giant Jogging Stroller

walking through Safranier (also known as 'the postcard street'), watching the regatta, discovering raisin brioche.

no fur flying so far

Miss Jack the cat is winning the battle at Chez Dom et Dale...she thinks she is a person of course. and now Ruby thinks maybe she might be a cat...she keeps jumping up on counters and table tops cat-style. i nearly lost it laughing when she scrambled up and tried to walk on the edge of the bathtub only to go sliding down in and give herself a good scare.

Erin and baby Sam arrive early tomorrow afternoon. another number 200 bus ride..yeah me.

have trolley, will travel

it's taken me all day to sort out my room, organize, clean and pack up for the move to Cannes. how on earth did i accumulate so much stuff in so little time? didn't i arrive with just two medium suitcases? ugh.

Bon Voyage!

Miss Liz has left yesterday for her holiday in the UK. Mom and i had our regular bi-weekly supper at DeCito's last night in her honor. oh wait, she's British, so that's 'honour'. it's only a few weeks, but she'll be missed! i'll also be missing my "did we really drink that much wine?"-partner, as Dom and Dale left on Friday for their term (6 to 9 months) in the UK as well...not a jail term mind you, Dom will be setting up the kitchen in her parent's new pub.

i'll be heading over to Cannes early this week to begin looking after their flat and young Jack, the doorstop-fiddling cat. Ruby vs. Jack looks to be an interesting skirmish, though Jack is the odds-on favorite. (Ruby really is a big chicken).

so, i've been holding off the announcement until all the details were sorted, which they now are. i'm moving to Cannes! (for the time being anyway). i'm looking forward to getting to know a new town, having some alone time, a larger front room for larger painting experiments and kitchen big enough for entertaining from time to time. i'll miss mom's dinners though, and Uncle Berts bert-isms..but not to worry, it's only a ten minute train ride away. and i'll be sure to be around, back and forth quite frequently.

siesta avec la chienne

Mom and Ruby take their afternoon nap together everyday...and are so accustomed to each other that they've begun to mirror their sleeping positions. when i'm trying to sneak through the bedroom to the balcony the scene is cute, though a bit creepy.

and yes, that is a tattoo.

it's not like it had anyone's name on it

i just got in trouble for using an egg. one egg. like three days ago.

this is what our lane looks like when you've still got your bathrobe on at 11am and it's rainy out

it's rainy and chilly today, a good day to stay inside with a book. which is exactly what mom and i feel like doing since we've both picked up some kind of flu bug. nothing serious, but not fun.

en famille, en mer

sorry, no other pictures of Peg's visit afterall. though i brought the camera on the boat for our family sail on Friday, i was too frozen with fear to fish it out of my bag. it was actually my first time sailing on La Tishie Mae. once i got over the paralyzing fear of the myriad of possible horrible deaths and maimings..it was kinda nice.

poor Peg got green as a pea. i had taken my Dramamine (thank god, i get motion sick on a dance floor) but Peg, sturdy sailer as she usually is, didn't expect to fall victim. she made it back to the dock without a bucket though-good show!

cross-cultural cotton candy

we went to the Cirque Arlette Gruss Thursday evening...a great show, though none of us could understand the bit with the spangly-leotard-clad girl jumping about in a large plastic bowl of water. something was lost in the translation. and much to Bert's disappointment, no midgets (P.C. Peg: "little people! little people!"). but the boys flying about in those pants..now there's a spectacle!

the shindig at the boat last night was a big success, but we forgot to bring the camera..we've been negligent in the picture taking department all of this week i'm afraid to say, so here are two shots (sorry, sans flash in consideration of the current hung over state of a certain subject) of our exciting night life at home.

did we pay any attention to the actual boat?

Bert is happy as a clam today..loaded down with leftovers from last evening's little shindig at the boat (on the dock). Mom and i are loaded down with a bit of a hangover, quelle surprise. Ruby was the belle of the ball..and is sleeping it off this morning, tail still wagging. i hope Peg doesn't think our life is all canapes and corkscrews..oh, wait a minute..it is!

scentiment

my sister, bless her, slept with her husbands t-shirt last night because it smells like him. awww...ack! isn't there a code of conduct when Married People spend time with Chronicly Single people?!

three buses, three hours

my sister Margaret flew in from London Tuesday afternoon...i now know why our family never does the airport pick up thing.

Cannes is more than slot machines afterall

we had a fantastic dinner at Gavroche in Cannes to celebrate Liz's birthday last night...fabulous food, very friendly proprietors, great company and small charming atmosphere in the hilly streets of the old town. Mom won't stop raving about it, has decided that is where she wants her birthday dinner next month. i think the after-dinner Amaretto may have sealed the deal on that one.

15 minutes or 20 euros, whichever goes first

we hopped the 200 bus to Cannes yesterday for a change of scenery and to pick up a few things at the well-stocked art supply store there..or so i thought..mom will use any ruse to go gambling.

speaking of needing a doctor

as i've promised mom not to "rag" on her anymore about her domestic habits, or 'lifestyle choice" in regards to tidiness, i will vent via blog. because i can't help it, i just have to let it out somehow! and this should spare her having to listen to me grumble, i mean, i do totally understand..it is her house afterall. no problem. but for me, it's like living on a different planet (and i do that enough out there with the frenchies). i have sympathy for her though, for after nine months, i can be certain she suffers from the following disorders (another regretful pun):

clean-upis interuptus, neat-aphobia, non-lid-is put back on-is, post-traumatic mail disorder, lingering laundry syndrome, mop-apnia, and dropping disease

number 17

my little corner of the world/these plants are unbelievably dead/this streetlamp, though charming, is never actually turned on/these are the antennas (anteni?) for just one four story building/this is just a few days worth of empties/the cleaning man comes on Fridays so now the stairs smell good/Ruby, on the other hand, does not smell so good today/this plant is miraculously alive (read:purchased this week)/everyone needs a folding bike/but why do we need the folding ladder in the hallway? for a week?

i thought F7 was my french shoe size

Mom, Bert, Liz and I were going to go out on La Tishie Mae out this afternoon when the wind picked up something fierce. all we had really wanted to do was have a few beers in the harbor, so instead of risking our lives in wicked weather (F6-F7 winds, whatever that means), we went up to the parking lot above the gravette to watch those sailboats that were chancing it racing and struggling in the huge unexpected wind. the mountains were crisp, the sea was turquoise, the boats were really moving beautifully, the beer was cold and we were enjoying it all when wham! huge wave slams up over the wall, soaking us all!

note Liz's expert handling of the beer in a crisis. good show.

haven't seen 4am in a long time...not sober anyway....

..woken up by huge thunder and lightning rainstorm..big booms and crashes and pounding rain..gorgeous. Ruby is doing nice job of jogging back and forth to each bedroom, doing her duty to protect Mom and me. am reminded of a dark and stormy November camping trip night with surprisingly fearful Doberman....also had wierd dream about Dom being the captain of a submarine with a dodgie ticker?!?...

grandpop's prints

another fantastic surprise in the mail this morning..Aunt Anna sent me three of my grandfather's prints! what a very thoughtful thing to do. i've for some reason or another never had any of his work myself and not-so-secretly coveted my sister's, aunts', etc. (two of Peg's can be seen stairway of her London flat here).

now, the only question remains..frame them here? hang them where? i'll probably hang on to them rolled and frame them when i've figured out where i'm going to spend the next year..now, that's another question..what exactly am i going to do next year? i have no earthly idea.

back to the ol' routine

Uncle Bert sailed La Tishie Mae back into Port Vaubon last night, at least temporarily, so we could go for our habitual dinner out at Da Cito...Liz (who lives just round the corner) joined us for some funny stories of Captaine Pat's sailing adventures, Uncle Bert's solitary survival in Baie des Anges and my cleaning frenzy whilst the three of us were apart these past few weeks. speaking of the cleaning, the house is back to it's usual "post-explosion" state already...Mom was leaving a trail of stuff behind her inside of five minutes of her return. some things never change.

p.s. discussions continue regarding the 'need' now for a bigger boat with a wheel, a proper head, two fullsize berths, roller reefing on the main sail and an inboard motor. hmmm..that studio/gallery seems to be getting further and further away. inheritance? dream on!

last chance to dance around the house naked

mom returns early tomorrow morning (9am)...pics and updates to come...

brushes and boats

after all of last week's social outings and frankly, a touch of laziness or heat-lethargy, i've been occupied with a number of paintings this week...four completed, two more in progress...but can't put them up of course until mom returns with the digital camera (please god let her not have dropped it in the sea)...

speaking of mom's absence..i haven't seen hide nor hair of Uncle Bert in two weeks..i finally got through on his mobile phone the other day so i know he's ok, but i've been missing his laidback charm since he's had to keep the boat in the other harbor in the neighboring town. (our spot in Port Vaubon in town will be available to us again on the 15th of Sept). he even missed pizza at DeCito night with Liz in her pink lipgloss...he was crushed when he heard that.

ou est le Dominoe's?

with mom (and her dinners) gone, i’ve resorted to my previous single girl eating habits...must remember that five baby gherkins, a bit of cheddar, a half packet of stale crackers (with a dab of Nutella) and a sliced lemon do not make for a well-balanced meal. i’m not even going to get into the pancake issue.

it's the little things

received two concurrent issues of The New Yorker magazine (thank you Grandma Mickey for the international subscription) this week..oh, yum! such a joy to savor each play review (never mind i won't be doing theatre nights in NYC any time soon), article, book review, bit o' fiction and cartoon. oh, and commentaries on life as an American abroad, like this one from Paris to the Moon author Adam Gopnik.

laugh out loud and spook-the-dog moment: reading a story about a "Marriage Promotion" program (as a solution to poverty, i won't even get into that)...an interviewee named her most recent newborn De Las'One. ha! love that!

reminds me of my favorite Kroger check-out girl in Savannah: LaTrine.

bleep bleep

the handset on my landline telephone won't charge properly..seems any bump (aka Ruby) to the rickety table it sits on rocks it off the little charger knobbies...so, have had a number of international phone calls to friends back home interrupted by regular 'low battery' bleeps...made for some interesting converstions:

"I might get a job, this guy I met BLEEP BLEEP porn."

whaa?!?

what, everything in moderation? who? me? nah...

i am totally sick of pancakes.

fromage emergency

having friends over for dinner again tonight..but, mon dieu, i forgot that my cheese man is closed on Mondays...i didn't misplace the pate this time though (don't ask)...

mom is out on the school-boat in the state of Maine this week..wonder how it's going? wonder if she's figured out how to use the digital camera yet...or when exactly it is going to be dropped in the sea...

in mom's room

figured out the sweet set-up tonight...moved the computer, on which i can watch dvd's, into the AIR CONDITIONED bedroom!! woo-hoo!

i have seven or eight months worth of movie-watching to catch up on...well, actually more like seven or eight years worth....i've never been much of a movie person, but that cool, crisp a/c air is changing my mind...now if only the mac came with a remote control...or at least a longer mouse cord...

note: Ruby sheds more when squeezed. (must not watch a spooky movie late at night all by my lonesome again)

on my own

my dear, loveable, gorgeous friend Mike (there we are some 5+ years ago at Genna's in Madison, WI) is taking my mom out for dinner tonight in Boston..bless his heart, he offered to do so, and hasn't never even met her before. (though we've known each other going on 7+ years now, or are Nedrebo's years doubled?!-we used to work there together, ah memories...don't think i have any SOBER pictures of us though, come to think of it...)

just had a lovely little dinner party with the girls..and i managed to "cook" without using a heat source of any kind. just unbearable to think of using the stove (aka: cooker) in this heat...

releasing my inner neat freak

damn! damn! damn! mom took the digital camera with her! now i can't show you pictures of the newly-organized (labels forward!) kitchen cabinets!

did i say something before about needing a date?!

bon voyage

mom left for her trip this morning...

i've already purchased organizing boxes and attacked the kitchen with copious amounts of bleach...now, where did i put that label-maker?

(imagine happy home-making humming)

home alone

mom leaves for seventeen days in the US tomorrow morning...hmmm, what shall i do first? run around naked? (nearly am already, what with this heat) eat crackers in the livingroom? (no biggie, she does that already) have a boy over? (better odds on pigs flying)

sadly, it is organizing and cleaning and furniture rearranging that i am looking forward to. i really gotta find a boy to have over.

bonsoir!

back at home! going to be sleeping in my very own lumpy bed once again tonight, just as soon as i unwind from the plane trip..it is very late. we're bushed.

Miss Ruby is still in care, so no cuddles tonight. i really did miss her so..but she sent such lovely emails while i was gone! and seems to have not missed me a bit, what having that other big ginger dog for company.

as for our experience in London, one word: constipating. more later.

hey der, howya doin'?

how can we possibly go to sleep (regardless of 6am bus to airport) when Fargo is on tv?

i can't believe i used to talk like that. still do sometimes, when i'm reading emails from WI and MN friends out loud to myself. hmm..which is worse? reading emails out loud or saying things like "Doan'tcha know?"

bon voyage

we're off to London tomorrow, at the ungodly hour of 6am. and i'm not human til at least 9am.

Miss Ruby jumped right in Rach's car tonight (my little dog is staying with her and Napo for the week, garden-running-happiness) without missing a beat. but she did look out the window in what i imagine to be confusion and sadness when she saw me, not in the front seat, but waving goodbye wistfully on the street corner. sniff. sniff.

oh yeah, it's my sister Margaret's birthday today! (we remembered at dinner tonight..oops)

don't step on that!

we watched a Discovery-channel-style special on elephants last night...the footage was impressive..way up close and personal, done by means of something they called a "dung-cam". damn, i love the BBC.

scraping by

mom bought me two t-shirts yesterday. very nice. now i have to go give her a pedicure. everything has its price.

the heat is melting my brain

i just lost a booger in the keyboard. one of those rubber-cementy ones. the booger that is.

climatisse continued

you should have seen it ..the air conditioner fiasco continues. first, mom spent a fortune on it (the day after poor suffering Suzanne left) after waiting two hours in the hot sun for the appliance shop to open. they got the last one. delivered immediately, Bert and I lugged it up the three flights of stairs. it's german made, Bosch, so though very hi-tech and sleek, it is also very, very heavy. ok, plug it in, attach the pipe, put the pipe out the window (seems counter intuative to me) and jerry-rig the window doors as closed as possible with a tea towel. but wait, the room is too open and big for efficiency...close all the doors to the other rooms, but what about the doorway sans actual door? ok, stand on a dining chair and NAIL a duvet into the wall. a nice duvet by the way. i left at this point, to go for a swim in the sea, the most effective way to stay cool i know. and a very passive way indeed. i returned a few hours later to an oven. "we overheated it". ok, the manual says when it overheats to empty the water resevoir. "there's a manual?" dear god. the drainpipe is way on the bottom of the thing and when you open it to attach the pipe, water just flows right out onto the floor. Bert lifted it (hernia!) over the mop bucket. one broken mop bucket. one wet floor. one still very hot room. ok, water empty. turn it on. HOT air out the vent, the cool air going out the window!! wait til store opens after weekend, arrange for appliance store to come take a look at it. they picked it up, figured out the thermostat had been installed backwards, were able to fix it and redeliver it that afternoon. poor old guy lugged it up the stairs. voila! it works! cool air out vent, hot air out window. but still not actually having any effect on the room. the weekend gave Mom time to buy a curtain rod and a bedsheet (aka curtain) for that nailed up duvet, however the bedsheet, depackaged, turned out to be a fitted one. found other flat sheet, pinned around curtain rod, mounted thanks again to kitchen chair. Bert decides "our real problem" is that there is no air circulation..so, unplug my fan (requiring moving of bed for access to newly purchased and much coveted extension cord) and put it way on top of the armoire..like a ceiling fan. but now, "the other problem" is that too much air is coming out/going in the window space that allows the vent out....Mom, on dining chair with broom stick, hoisting blanket to top of window. no luck. then the ladder comes out of the storage closet. ok, got that now. window covered, doorway covered, fans in place. towels-on-floor method of water draining perfected. hmm..room still not getting cool.

meanwhile, i'm on the terrace enjoying the evening drop in humidity and lovely breeze.

mom's going to unload the air conditioner on a friend tomorrow.

Bert finally gets a haircut

before/after

rated PG-13

Jack's Antibes experience...riding Uncle Bert's folding bicycle and finding Coke and Pommes Frites anywhere, anytime.

bon vacances

out for a fresh fish/seafood dinner near the port for Jack and Suzanne's last night yesterday, these are pictures Jack took..i like his perspective.

after all this fun, Suzanne and Jack are extending their stay in Antibes by two days.

Mom forgets how much she lost. i forget to keep my eyes open. Jack forgets to keep his shirt on.

waterslides and one-armed bandits

Aunt Suzanne and Cousin Jack arrived yesterday! they're staying in the apartment off the ramparts that Bert stayed in his first three months, it's lovely with a sliver of sea view from the bedroom window. we've successfully located a steady supply of pommes frites for Jack at our favorite cafe, Cameo as well as our regular pizzeria, Da Cito where we'll all be having dinner together tonight. i was house/dog sitting today (last of four day stint), so was unable to join in on today's outings..Bert and Jack to AntibesLand (a waterpark, Jack saw the billboards on the ride from the airport) and Mom and Suzanne to the casino.

gee, sorry i had to miss those.

how i managed to be in France in the first place

someone asked, so here is the answer:
step one, and indeed, most important:  have well-divorced mother who moves to france first two years prior (presumably to get away from grown-yet-still-needy children)
2) have terribly downward spiraling job for business about to go under at any moment
3) have no other job prospects in current town of residence
4) have no other prospects of any kind to speak of, do not have college degree of any sort
5) have no husband, boyfriend or other attachments (aside from assorted like-wise situated girl friends of that going-to-be-thirty-this-year sort)
6)  get cancer.  this is key, as loads of sympathy entailed.  turns otherwise stoic, distant mother into weepy blubbering mush-monster
7) scrape together enough dough, just enough and no extra mind you, for a visit to said mother in such sorry state for 'rejuvinating' post-cancer-surgery visit.
8) blather on to mother (she in drunken state) about life long dream of returning to painting, living in france, refer to long forgotten childhood french lessons and multiple pathetic attemps to attend art school
9) sit back in amazement as mother offers to put you (and your dog!) up for one year in her little place on the riveria!  and marvel at how she still thinks it was her idea!
10) promise whatever higher power you believe in at the moment that if this crazy idea works out, you'll never tell that horrible 'how my mother wrecked christmas '82" story again.

so where's my halo?

i made my younger brother happy today.
i also wrote a letter to my grandparents. and took care of someone else's dog (which included mixing special creamed meals). and played with another person's baby. and set the dinner table without being asked.

i am a saint.

oops

shopping for groceries the other day, mom asked me for a dinner suggestion. how about pasta, but with pesto sauce since it's nice and light?

a jar of pesto usually lasts me six months. add a couple of teaspoonfuls to some olive oil and toss in your pasta...nice and light, right?

mom used the whole jar. even Bert had a laugh at that one; after he ate it all of course. we'll just blame it on the bad italian-to-french-to-english translation of the serving instructions.

sniff sniff

i have a cold, again. i've had more colds in the last five months than in the previous five years...i think the little germ-infested infant Grace is to blame. ok, so that sounds a bit harsh, but you know what i mean...babies are cold-making machines! another tick in the "con" column!

child-minder losses little girl in POC (Pile of Crap), british tele to make series, "Help! My Messy House ate my Child!"

tele

i think mom and i watch too much late night british tele....last night, flipping through the six or so satelite channels that do come in, we saw a man and woman playing table tennis...in a most unusual way. let's just say that she was doing all the serving and was not standing behind the white line..in fact, not standing at all....

i don't know what was more shocking/amusing..that sight, or mom lingering over that channel!

believe it or not, i don't miss Mountain Dew

i miss some strange things from home...mostly personal hygiene products i cannot find in french drugstores/pharmacys such as Pretty Hands and Feet rough skin remover...relieved to find it online; nothing else works like it, very important in flip flop weather. of course, shipping overseas changes the usual price of $5.99 to something like $15 a bottle, but i can use the money i save now that i can buy my usual supply of Nutella (check out the Kobe Bryant bobble head doll, if only i'd saved all those labels!) at local prices.

our little girls

mom watches Maria's little girl Gracie from time to time, she and Ruby get on like a house on fire...Gracie gets lunch all over her face, Ruby likes to like little faces clean (when moms back is turned!), Gracie tosses things on to the floor, Ruby thinks they are her toys....not a problem, except when the 'toy' is the babys nook!

my new friend

mom cleaned the kitchen today...used bleach and everything. very impressive.

the pile of newspapers, magazines, tissues, empty cigarette packs, full cigarette packs, books, random keys, chewing gum and chewing gum wrappers, coins from at least three countries (mostly useless pennies or their equivalent), pens and mechanical pencils, eye glass cases, receipts, plastic bags, calculator, mail, envelopes, playing cards, lighters, matches, baseball hats, scarves, empty wine bottles, full wine bottles, notepads, rubber bands, paperclips, markers, jelly jars, suntan lotion, tennis shoes, loafers, pepper, business cards and bungie cords on the dining room table has remained intact. whew! i've named it POC (short for Pile of Crap) and i've grown to love it. it listens to me when i'm feeling blue.