Cinco de mayo

High temperature today 63. Meanwhile, I know my heater thumped on sometime in the night. This is a second "reveal" in a set of pictures I took a few weeks ago. (The first one was on FB.)

Even though it is sunny outside, I'm feeling like this picture, murky and cloudy and...

...sitting on my bed at 11:30 a.m. in my nightgown. Surrounded by pink balled up Kleenex.

Yes, I'm sure it's hormonal. And also because I haven't let myself take stock of much of anything these days, just running from one tweet to the next, playing Free Cell, trying to figure out what the "so what" point is of my latest project/article...

I'm so afraid these days.

This too shall pass.

If nothing else, I have the oeuvre of this blog to let me know that it will.

I remember writing in the back of a journal once that I hoped I would always remember happy times when I was sad, and sad times when I was happy, so that I wouldn't get too set on either one.

And the radio gods love me, as Brad Paisley starts it up with "You're not supposed to say the word "cancer" in a song..."

Pictures and more pictures...

Parking chairs, circa WINTER 2010.



Valentimes flowers from Dad, circa WINTER 2010.


Sunset, circa, WINTER 2010
Crocuses, circa the lawn is melted, can it be spring? 2010
More crocuses, circa, YES, SPRING HAS SPRUNG, 2010.

I have actually done some weeding on the lawn. The crocuses are long gone, but now we have weeds intermixed with the grass and tulips.

More later, I promise.

At least my plate has penguins on it...

Watching the Winter Classic. Learning that I really don't care about hockey if I don't know who is playing. Off to check movie times...

Seasons change...

Some people mark seasons with the fulfillment of dreams. Some people read all the Narnia books every year. Some people open all their windows at the first sign of spring. And some people (Me!) know that there's a change in the air as she watches the last two episodes of Sex and the City.

I have finally come to "An American Girl in Paris" parts 1 et deux.

I thought I would have a lot to write, but maybe I used it all up in my mind and then the picture positioning, and the collage...enjoy.

As for Daylight Savings--I didn't set an alarm, because it's Sunday. I woke up at 10:30! I am going to have a rude awakening when I have to wake up for an 8:45 chiro appointment tomorrow, and Wednesday I have to BE at work at 9, which means...

But I'm feeling better. I worked 5.5 hours yesterday, had dinner with a friend (where the mahi-mahi made my elbows have hives...isn't learning what your allergies are fun?) and came home.

Spring is in the air. This winter girl hopes it cools down a little, I'm not ready for spring...yet. But I am interested to find out when my crocuses are going to pop.

More later. Carrie Bradshaw awaits...

I will say this: you can tell that the SATC cast, staff, etc. love what they do. That it's not about "churning out another piece." Talking to Bird Friday night she said I should start a SATC fan page. I get so much out of watching it. And the commentaries. Well, first a trip to the WC, then I'll un-mute the TV and watch "An American Girl in Paris, Part Deux." oooh, I can't wait!!

in the midst of winter...

At Trader Joe's on Monday, they were selling daffodil stems. Stems, not bloomed or anything. I put them in water and today this is where they are. I would love to capture them on film each day, but at least I did today.

I am home, sick. Yes. You read that right. The fortunate thing is that the fever (low grade, 99 F) has seem to have gotten me out of my "funk." I find this--if I get a cold, my body decides that it can't take being depressed AND being sick, so it tells the mind to shape up. Not the best way to cure depression, but I'll take it. I'm home. I need to find out where my orange juice is. I think it might still be in the foyer.

Got the car warshed, and so now my car has a "Got milkweed?" bumper sticker, from my mom. (Milkweed is the life source for monarch butterflies in the mating and pupa stages.)

Okay, that's enough for now. ISO orange juice, then maybe a movie, and I might fall asleep.

I don't think it's a cold b/c it didn't respond to the Zicam daytime liquid I took at 9am and at 1pm.

TTFN...

Sarah Louise walks down Ellesworth part deux

So this is a coat from Kaufmann's, a store that no longer exists. It was swallowed up into Macy's. So this coat is a piece of Pittsburgh History. Hey Betty. I asked the guy who was working there if I could take this picture, saying I'm such a Pittsburgh sentimentalist. In high school, a friend of mine's mom was a seamstress for Raleigh's, a department store in the D.C. area. There just aren't department stores like that anymore, where items are made with the store label.

In front of an orthodontist. (Across the street from the Vet hospital.)

So this is one of the shots I took of the Veterinary Hospital. The other shot has a window that says "meow." Too cute for words.

I liked this window. Eons.

After lying comatose in front of the TV all morning, I finally got myself out and went to the Elbow Room for lunch. Then I remembered that Katy suggested I take a walk, and so I did. These pictures and the ones in the next (or previous, depending on your outlook) are the result. It felt really good to be out and about, just window shopping.

Sarah Louise walks down Ellesworth n'at

Okay, um, the first thing I notice is that there are only 4 photos here. You are getting the play by play as I learn to do this, and yes, I know Flickr is amazing, I'll try that NEXT weekend. For now, we're playing around with Picasa.

So this is a cataloger's joke, sort of. At my library, we do what is called "descriptive cataloging" which means we describe what is on the title page. I think there are other types, but since I never thought I'd be a cataloger, I am only aware of what we do. So Paul O. Zelinsky, who did the pop-up book of "The Wheels on the Bus" has done a pop-up book of "This old man," called Knick Knack Paddywhack. (It's from 2002.) And this is the title page (minus the title) and the t.p. verso. I never have seen a pop-up book actually make the t.p. verso information interesting.

This is my calendar. Monday says: GO TO BED! Tuesday says GET UP 5 AM. Wednesday says Whatever. He rules. (Which is my reminder that whatever the outcome, I am a citizen first of God's kingdom, not the United States of America. (Corny, yes, but that's me. I'm corny.) I've never voted for someone who lost before, and I have no idea if I will have this time, but this time I care more than other times, having first switched viewpoints, then candidates before the primary, and now having supported one guy up 'til now. I voted absentee on Tuesday past, since we expect high voter turnout. I usually can slip away to the poll that I vote at (.5 miles away from where I work the polls) but would rather not have to worry about that this time.

This is the first Ellesworth picture, of the stairs of a residence. I just love the leaves. You can barely see that the sidewalk is brick at this point and there is a flier on the third step up for a pizza place.

I adore letters. Real postal mail, from someone I love, makes me dance the Snoopy Dance. So this letter slot, on the door of an antique store on Ellesworth, was surely one to take a picture of. I took two and was not able to center either one, but I'm not trying to be Ansel Adams here.

changing slowly...

So, um, as you may have noticed, not much has changed 'round here. I'm thinking, but not ready to do the deed.

But in other news, I created 4 bags of recycled paper yesterday (and that's not counting all the paper that is on the way to the shredder.) I'm ready for a break, maybe I'll drive over to the paper recycling boxes at the Union Project, get a cookie or something, and drive over to Goodwill to drop off the four or so bags that are going there.

And pictures. I really owe yins some pictures. Well, I suppose I could give you a few now. (You'd like that, wouldn't you?)



Roses from Sally's back yard.



Tiger Lilies from...somewhere in Pittsburgh. I think the Union Project.



Did I ever do a "Yellowstone Park/Montana" post? I should...These are from Jenny Lake.



These are from Yellowstone Park. Yes, we got a bear shaped soap when we stayed in the Park.



Old Faithful.

More to come, I promise!

before n' after n'at

Before, in my bathroom.

This is me in Babs' kitchen. (Note all the crafts by children. Clearly not the kitchen of a non-mom/non-aunt.)

Side view.

Back view. (Doesn't she have a great cookie cutter collection?)

Happy Memorial Park, I mean Day...a photo essay of my very ALIVE sister, Bird

Near where I work, there is a cemetery called Memorial Park. There's a church right across from it, Memorial Park Presbyterian. There's a Preschool, Memorial Park Preschool. We do outreach at our library for MPP. I drive by MP (the cemetery) and MPPC (the church) every day to and from work.

So I had to laugh when the other day I was writing an email and I wrote, "Happy Memorial Park!"

Ya. In other years, I've posted pictures of flowers, memes...this year I'm bringing something I've wanted to do for awhile, pictures I've taken of Bird. Bird is my gorgeous sister, and my favorite muse when I take pictures of our family. She's highly photogenic. And very dear to me. So, because I don't have to be anywhere for a couple of hours and I can noodle with Blogger, happy Memorial park, I mean day!

And if you get this via RSS, I apologize. I'll probably be "publishing" it a couple of times to you know, "get it just right."



at the bus/train station in Harrisburg, PA, before vackay, August 2006
resting on the sofa, at the cabin, August 2006
squinting at me, in front of the Lake, August 2006
helping with the windshield cleaning, somewhere in Montana, June 2007
eating Huckleberry pie, somewhere in Montana, June 2007

bashful, Yellowstone Park lodge, June 2007
At the free vacuum carwash in Moon, June 2007

in the car, vackay, August 2007
looking like a Pre-Raphaelite muse, at the Lake, 2007

first thing in the morning, Thanksgiving 2007, Station Square Sheraton
sticking her tongue out, November 2007
at P&G Diner, the Strip District, Thanksgiving 2007
Smiling, at P&G Diner, Thanksgiving 2007
at P&G Diner, Thanksgiving, 2007

Henry, the Panda webkin that Marian gave to me, has been given to Bird, Christmas 2007
Christmas, 2007
the table was a wash table last century or earlier--I used to crayon drawings on it. Christmas 2007
motion is pink in this picture, Christmas 2007
motion is green in this picture, Christmas 2007

something red in her hands, Christmas 2007
Look at my earrings..., Christmas 2007 (Bro is pensive in the background, looks up from his book)