Friday

You have to head straight over, chop-chop, to Ann's Rant's for Free Association Friday...

Oscar Award nominee in the house....Who could it be now?

Bring your camera and your dictionary.

Big Words...Big Fun...No Lines...No Cover

Peace - Rene

On a more serious note: Jeff of "My Life, Lived My Way" and his friend Lynne could use some comforting words....

Marissa Joy McKennan
May 4, 1999 - July 30, 2009

I dedicate my poem "You Won't Get Lost Out There" in her memory

Hey Bobby Frost

hey you
i'm calling you
but you're busy

with the stars

you say you

would not

come in

you're

a little afraid

of the dark

are you not

aquainted

with the land

without light?
Orion says

get to it boy

you got to make it right.

what about that

door of yours

the one without

the lock

what about

that path you

took

the one without

a mark

you've got miles

and miles

to go dear

miles and miles

so don't fear

let the cat

play the fiddle

for the secret

in the middle.....

hey

Bobby Frost

listen to my song

it won't be long

now
before the sun

breaks
the wood

wakes

and shakes the dark to dawn

Peace -Rene 2009

A World Of Kitsch..Right Around The Corner

Ahhh, The Dover Flea Market....the day-glo footwear, the pan-flute guy, the funnel cake!

C'mon along......

Grab some grub! Trans fat free? Screw that....Just walk it off, the hot asphalt will melt it right out of you

My Little Pony Balls
Yes, please ask how much My Little Pony Balls are because the street vendor has never heard that one before.
Should you haggle or dicker?

Sweet ambrosia of the Gods...And then there was funnel cake!!!!!

A chart of the basic food groups.
Where, pray tell, is the Toasted Almond?

Mmmmmmmmeat on a stick....fabuloso!

Sassy Bras
Note the "It's All About Me" bra
Because nothing says sexy more than a bra with tween attitude.
Pair it up with the "Talk To The Hand" panties and you're onto a winner.

Finally! I can have my favorite photograph made into a toilet seat!


Finally! I can have my memories encased in plastic, suspended in a clear gel and made into a toilet brush w/holder.


The "Like You See It On TEEVEE" Table
Admit it, there is something on this table that you own or are at least curious about...


Amazing Technicolor Dream belts....
Bright colors shining, wonderful and new...any belt will do!

Awww.. the hot, the foxy,the fauxny...Couch, Luis Vutton, Burbarry...
Oui, doggy!


Mad Hot Footwear

Corner Smoke Shop 1 has a very Wayne Wang/ Paul Auster vibe..

This building has a very Disney urban vibe...It's where the "Juliet" leading lady would live and she'd sing songs of unrequited love in that doorway. Her "Romeo" would sit up in that tree and throw pennies at her window... There'd be a big dance finale on that fire escape...
Hello Disney? Yeah I can write this stuff.....err re-write this stuff and give it an edge that appeals to the tween market. What you've already done that with High School Musical? No, No, this is different, this is "Flea Market" it's an urban opera. No, not at all like "Rent", no the kids are pretty healthy and they all work at the flea market...
Call me......

Hope you enjoyed!
All Photographs and captions by Rene 2009

Peace - Rene

Contradictionally Yours

i put three sugars
in my decaf
it ain't funny
but i just can't help but laugh
i make up stories
when i go to confession
i drown my veggies
in a lake of salad dressing
i'm really happy
but i write poems that are sad
i pray to be good
but i just want to be bad

hey, hey
i'm contradictionally yours
i'm not counting
but i'm keeping score
i am organized
confusion
i'm a winner
but i'm losing
my self control
i gotta just let it go

i say i miss you
but then i want to be alone
i'm tired of talking
but i'm not gettin' off the phone
i'd walk five miles
just to see your face
then beg for a ride
back to my place
i really want to change
but stay the same
i like the players
but i just can't take the game

hey, hey
i'm contradictionally yours
i'm not counting
but i'm keeping score
i am organized
confusion
i'm a winner
but i'm losing
my self control
i gotta just let it go

i say i'm never

gonna write again

but then my hand

reaches for the pen

i save my pennies in a piggy bank

but throw my dollars down my gas tank

i say i'm gonna eat

like the vegan's do

but then i smell a steak

on the barbecue

hey, hey
i'm contradictionally yours
i'm not counting
but i'm keeping score
i am organized
confusion
i'm a winner
but i'm losing
my self control
i gotta just let it go


Peace - Rene 2009

Beautiful Long Beach Island

"Irresistible" Surf City, NJ

"Hydrangea On The Beach", Surf City NJ


"Beach Walk" Surf City, NJ

"Fences Beyond Fences" Surf City, NJ

"H2O" Surf City, NJ

"One foot, Two foot " Surf City, NJ

"Quitting Time" Surf City, NJ

You Won't Get Lost Out There

I am a voice

in the dark

whispering in your ear

be strong, my dear

you won't get lost out there

not on my watch

no

not on my watch

I see how

you struggle

and how you doubt

yourself

conquer your fear

you won't get lost out there

not on my watch

oh, no

not on my watch

I can't lead you to water

or even catch you a fish

but i taught you how

you need to show me... now

that you have

learned this

make me that

promise

and i swear

i won't let you

get lost out there

not on my watch

oh, no, no ,no

not on my watch

I am a gift

in a dream

though my words

you cannot hear

they're still sharp

and clear

i loved you so, my dear

you're always on my watch

you're always on my watch

and

i won't

let you

get lost

out there

oh, no

you won't

get lost

out there

keep me

close by

and this

i swear

i won 't

let you

get lost

out there

Peace - Rene

Catch and Release

samantha's art studio

Running barefoot
Across the lawn
In hot pursuit of
Lightning bugs
I am ten
Yes I am
I am just big
For my age
I cup my hands
I wait
I catch
I watch
Light flickering
Morse code
Freedom, please

My moment is now!
I release
Smiling
I am 45
Yes I am
I can appreciate

The importance of
A lightning bug

moment

I am just learning

At my age

Peace - Rene

Your Moment Of Zen

This video was shot at the river near Sunapee Harbor in Sunapee, NH

On July 19, 2009

Enjoy a minute of the sounds of Sunapee

Motorcycles can be heard in the background.

It was an awesome day to ride.

Warning: If you need to "go" please do it before watching the video. :)

Peace - Rene

Vacation Smile

You smiled

And I fell

Down a crack

In the sidewalk

Falling deeper

And deeper

Past the noise

And the concrete

Through subways

And sewers

Glimpsing ghosts

Of cities past

Free floating

Forever

Enjoying the ride

Touched ground

Near an ocean

And swam

With the dolphins

Played tag

With the sharks

And charades

with the clams

Dug my toes

Deep down

Into the

silver white

Softness

Of your beautiful sand

You've got a vacation smile

A welcome grin

The key that pulls them under

and let's them in

If I lived in your world

It would be summer every day

And I'd never have to ask you

To come down and play

Peace - Rene

Breaking News

I need handlers or an earpiece with someone on alert 24/7 just to save me from myself.

Today would have been a busy day for OnStar-Team Rene.

Strolling out of the grocery store I happened upon a casual acquaintance. And when I say casual acquaintance I mean someone with whom I have made eye contact with more than once and have maybe nodded and smiled at. This particular person is someone that I run into about once a month and exchange pleasantries like “hi” and “what a great day“, the conversation really doesn’t evolve past that point. I don’t think I have ever uttered her name. I’m not even sure I know her last name. Doubtful that I could pick her out of a line-up. For now, I am ever hopeful, fingers crossed, we'll someday be sipping International Coffees in my shabby-chic sitting room, with the sun hitting us at the most attractive angles,reminiscing about our trip to Paris and that cute waiter..what was his name?.. Jean-Luc!.ahhh, but for now, we are just mostly silent extras in the movies of each other’s lives.

Lady in navy t-shirt, Gas station woman, Restaurant patrons, Woman at stoplight.

Babbling idiot.

On my way to my car I spot her coming down the parking lot with a baby carrier. And because we are practically soul mates I have to run over and make a fuss and get all the details.
“Hi! You have new Baby?”
“Yea”
“Boy or Girl”
“Girl”

I don’t take the monosyllabic responses as code for scram, I see them as her being conservative with her speech so that she can hear more of my pearls of wisdom.

What a great friend :)...perfect for me!

And so I implode:

“Wow, what a year for you, And I don’t even remember you being preg“….and just right there my brain/ my handlers would like to have a word with me.

In my office, Rene…

"But I just want to say a few"...

"NOW!"

“Do you think it is at all possible that your new best friend adopted her baby?
“D’oh!”
“Let me run a clip of your meeting last month…she’s wearing a tank top, jogging shorts and appears to competing in a road race…does she look at all pregnant to you?”
"Uh-Uh"
"I’ll make the necessary corrections up here but I can’t control your foot going into your mouth while I’m busy…Shall I call for help or shut down voicebox?”
"No ( but I say it in a very tweeny way) Noooowah...."
"Please be careful"

All I could come up with next was “God Bless” said several times in the rather sing songy way of the dodo.

God Bless, God Bless, Well…God Bless like an emcee at Achoo-a-palooza.

All she could do was just smile and nod at "Confused Woman" and wonder how she could edit my scenes out of her movie.

Hey, at least I got lines this time! :)

Reneland, nice place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there...

stuff like this happens...

Peace - Rene

Mother Hubbard's Troubles

She keeps her memories on a shelf

In the back hall closet

Taking them out

As she needs them

Putting them back

So that she may find them
Scouring the house

For hidden objects

Trying to fill

A once full cupboard

Frantically crying

"Thief!"

"Help me!"

To familiar faces

With hope in her heart

That they may supply

Her missing pieces

Peace - Rene 2009

Noise bliss

I love the sound of my daughter's
Bare feet
Skipping, hopping, jumping
Across the hardwood floor
No reservations
No destinations
No obligations
Just endless observations
Of what needs to be known
Now.

Peace - Rene

I think if I had a map of my daughter's travels throughout the house it would look a lot like one of those Family Circus cartoons with the footprints all over the place.

Wasn't the Family Circus dog named Barfy?

Interesting.

Open Heart

Sweet, Sweet City Intern Girl Life gifted me with this meme to help me through my writing malaise. How could I say no to that sweet face. It'd be like kicking a puppy. :)

RCaitlin
adorable! and her BF isn't bad either. :)

"with as much creativity as you can muster, show your heart in: a picture, a poem, a song (or piece of music), a phrase (or quote), an item of clothing, a place, and (just for fun) a Disney princess. if you want to join in, tag 6 more blogs."

Right off the bat I want to tell everyone that I don't tag...I sucked at playing tag at school and I can't stand itchy tags on my pj's. I'm a rebel and I rip the mattress tag right off, mattress police be damned. I do enjoy GS Cookie Tag-Alongs and am no stranger to tag sales..and I must confess I watched T.A.G. starring Linda Hamilton, as well as Night Of The Comet on HBO more times than the legal limit allowed... but the tagging? Consider yourselves all untagged. If you want to join in go for it. But you do have to do me a favor and check out RCaitlin @ City Intern Girl's blog. It's worth "it".

My heart in a picture: That's an easy one. My daughter Mary. She's the biggest and bestest thing I have ever contributed to the planet. She's smart and funny and I thoroughly enjoy being in her company. She's an arty kid who loves photography, animals, manga and performing skits with her friends She puts up with my random singing and dancing but would rather I not perform in public places. Will brief me before meeting her friends for the first time, "Mom, no funny voices or corny jokes...just be, like, Mom. OK?" Thank you for allowing me to be, like, just that. My daughter, my heart.

A poem. Inspired by someone who was instrumental in helping me locate my former fearless, badass self ;D, I wrote this for them in gratitude...

The Water Bearer

Your words
Are like
Water
And each
Drop
Hits the spot
With even more intensity
Than the next
Filling in
The dry
Neglected
Cracks
In my heart
Restoring life
Giving hope
My cup
Overflows
Because
Of You
I was able
To see
The value
Of my well
And how dry
And untended to
I had let it become
Look down at me, now
And see your reflection
In the mirror of my soul

Rene-2009

Do mo anamchara, las tú an tine

A phrase. "I love you" It's the greatest thing that you can say to anyone. It's the first thing I said to my daughter when they placed her on my chest for the first time because it was the first thing I wanted her to hear. I firmly believe it cannot be said enough, and that it should be the last thing anyone should hear.

"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired".
Robert Frost

Amen, Bobby.

A place.

The view outside of my window at school. I am a Kindergarten Aide at a private school. I didn't plan on getting into education, I actually did my best to keep away from it for most of my school career. Oddly enough this is the first job that I have ever felt 100% sure that this is where I belong and what I should be doing. My heart belongs here. To 24 kids.

An article of clothing: Evy's pajamas. I have a pair of them that I dare not photograph because Evy would kill me. Unfortunately that is not at all possible as we lost Evy not too long ago. She was young and vibrant and loved to lounge around in "Murphy Brown" pajamas and watch HGTV, all day, though she'd say she didn't...We all knew :) When we were sorting through Evy's things it was funny how we all felt it necessary to keep a pair of her pj's.

¡Faltamos a nuestra muchacha de la sol!

A Disney Princess: Jasmine

I was really thinking I was Ariel but, alas, Facebook feels strongly that I am Jasmine.

I am OK with that and Magic Carpet Rides....you have to watch the vid, trust me, spit-take funny...unintentionally...

Thank you RCaitlin...that was fun!

I love you all...

Peace - Rene

I'll do anything, just don't ask me to write...

Avoiding writing like the plague as of lately.
Honestly, I'm just not feeling it and by the dreck I'm producing (and protecting you from) it shows

Stuff I'd rather do:

Laundry ( a sure sign something's amiss )
Sort CD collection ( rather halfheartedly )
Clean up all old doc files and e-mails
Contemplate painting upstairs hallway
Scrub the legs on the farm table in the kitchen with a Magic Eraser until they are blindingly white
Watch old Powerpuff Girls episodes with Mary
Start thinking about the upcoming school year and how to address a new set of challenges
Not talk about writing
Twitter randomly
Pretend that this doesn't bother me
Pretend that it does bother me
Stop typing this list
Smile ;P

Peace - Rene

Shut Up And Be Glad

The day after my father's funeral, after everyone said their goodbyes and departed, my mother and I took stock of the refrigerator.

It was crammed full of Pyrex baking dishes. In each dish was a casserole, lovingly prepared. Tuna noodle, Shepard's pie, Green bean, Chicken Divan and one we couldn't quite identify. Mountains beyond mountains of casseroles. Gallons of cream of mushroom soup were harmed in the making.

There was no possible way we could consume all of this comfort without some discomfort.

We both looked at each other and could do nothing but laugh.

Shut up and be glad.

You may as well celebrate.

Maybe a piece of cake?
On the counter there were six of them and at least 8 dozen cookies.

And one dozen doorstops.

Shut up and be glad.

At least they only made one dozen.

On the front porch sat yet another Edible Arrangement delivery.
We'd already received nine.

Enough cantaloupe for a cruise ship fruit salad bar.

F.Y.I. The chocolate covered strawberry arrangements rock. Always send those!

Shut up and be glad.

Be glad that this ridiculous harvest of love was made possible by people who cared enough to give a damn.

Even though some of them couldn't cook worth one. =)

Now just shut up and be glad.

Peace - Rene

a type of lullabye

The rain against the window
Taps out a symphony
For ninety Underwoods
It's a savage performance
But it soothes the beast

Peace - Rene

She is what she is...

Had an encounter with a truly bitchy salesperson while I was returning an iron at Macy's

On her nametag was the name...

Karma.

And so she was.

The irony wasn't lost on me.

True story!

Sometimes life screams poetry...other times it just gives you a little wink ;)


If you get a chance please check out Just Smashing Mosaics. My Aunt Marilyn makes the coolest stuff. And she's very pleasant...unlike Karma.

Peace - Rene

Congratulations, Quinn!

Proof of Ownership! Borders, Marlborough MA 7-10-2009

May there be many more!

Do yourself a big favor and check out Notes From The Underwire by fellow blogger and wordsmith extraordinaire Quinn Cummings.

Lose yourself in her adventures as she struggles, quite comically and sometimes touchingly, through her awkward and lovely life.

But don't be surprised if you find a little of yourself along the way, as I did, on page 35 and then again on...well, you are just going to have to buy the book and find yourself. :)

Might I suggest that you don't read while standing in the Geography section of Borders because you will laugh out loud and people will wonder what it is that you find so damn funny about Maps and Atlases...plus they will give you "that look"...

Daughter, Child Actress, Writer, Wife, Mother, Cat Saver, Author and Adult in training...your book does make really good company. Thanks for sharing your notes.

For a sample of Quinn's dry wit check out Sara in Vermont's and Punctuality Rules terrific interviews with the author.

Peace - Rene

Meaningful Nothingness

When I was a kid there was nothing more joyous than the last day of school.

That last minute seemed like an eternity.

I swear the clock moved backward.

Then finally…

FREEDOM!

No more pencils, no more books!

Of course there was the required summer reading to do, but wasn't the last three days of summer vacation enough time to read Stuart Little?

The summer spread out in front of me like a big picnic blanket.

A little of this a little of that.

Nothing to do but think about what I was going to do....

Noteworthy achievements like:

Digging the worlds biggest hole.

Seeing how many circus peanuts I could fit into my mouth.

Testing the duration of a thick piece of chalk by starting a line in my driveway and ending who knows where.

Seeing if it were at all possible to do a 360 on my swing set.

Making a tree house out of odds and ends around the yard.

Finding out if I could somehow contact my dead pets from the great beyond.

Making the world's longest dandelion chain.

Ditto the gum wrapper chain.

Unraveling a baseball to see what was in the middle.

Listening to every record I owned at every rpm.

My summers were filled with endless quests for meaningful nothingness.

Today I am sitting on my porch and there is not a kid in sight.

No whooping and hollering.

No skateboards or bikes.

No scooters or trikes.

The quest for the world's biggest hole has been "ditched" to make way for the quest for the world's greenest lawn.

Clotheslines that used to serve as the world's biggest slingshots are frowned upon or downright banned in some neighborhoods.

That's a shame too.

Grown-ups are ruining all of the fun!

I feel like picking up a piece of chalk.

And starting at the end of my driveway

Making a line.

Not caring about:

What the neighbors think.

My back.

How much lead may be in the chalk.

What my ass looks like stooped over

Why

I will not care that this is not an important team building exercise or that it will not make me a well rounded individual.

Not going to care a whit that it won't help my daughter get into the college of her choice.

Could care less that is not an activity approved by professionals within the community.

I'm not gonna give a hoot that it isn't something that is going to look good on my resume.

I am on an endless quest for meaningful nothingness.

Hoping to find those perfect summers of my youth that have somehow gone missing.

Get out your piece of chalk and join me!

Peace - Rene

For some reason, that I have not figured out, IE users are having tremendous difficulty posting comments. If you find you cannot and would like to comment on anything please do so at xenia6408@mypacks.net and I'll get back to you as soon as I am able...as always... you rock.

Music That I Write To

WARREN ZEVON

Stephen Talkhouse

Miami Beach, Florida

November 25 (or) 26, 1992

Photo by: Mindy Hertzon

Warren Zevon - Genuis

When I am feeling writer-ly one of the clues would be to hear Warren Zevon, on blast, throughout the manse. My family knows this and will say, "You gonna write?" whenever they hear that opening guitar riff and piano slide on Poor, Poor Pitiful Me. I let myself get sucked into that hit of music for a bit, let it swirl around my head and then add on cue with Warren "I don't wanna talk about it"...

The music of Warren Zevon has been a constant in my life. I grew up listening to him sing Iko, Iko, Hitch Hiking Woman and Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner. His twisted brand of storytelling made me sit my little ADD arse still for a few minutes to just listen, putting myself into the picture. Each lyric a stroke of the brush that brought to life a dark carnival ride of characters and situations, from the fucked up kid who should've been on meds of Excitable Boy to the envy inspiring hilarity of a line like "little old lady got mutilated late last night" on Werewolves Of London to the anthemic cry of Lawyers, Guns and Money, Warren dragged me, quite willingly, into his weird little world, introduced me to his tribe, and allowed me to freely write as if I were describing a dinner party gone horribly wrong to a blind person or reporting from the scene of a fatal circus accident.

The man was also a romantic genius and could write a damn fine love song. Hasten Down The Wind is heart achingly beautiful, "So he's hanging on to half her heart, he can't have the restless part", oh, those lovelorn pangs are nothing short of magic. Covered by so many artists, Hasten, to me, will always belong to Linda Ronstadt. Her voice was just meant to sing that song. Another widely covered gem is Reconsider Me. I want to believe every word of the hero's plea " And I'll never make you sad again 'cause I swear that I've changed since then."

It is truly a sad thing that there will be no more new music from Warren. Fortunately I never tire from what he's left from his brief time here.

I will keep him in my heart for a while....

Enjoy every sandwich, people...

If you have another moment this short interview by Crystal Zevon is worth your time.

Do you have a favorite artist that you listen to while writing or creating or even cleaning the house?

What inspires you?

Peace - Rene

For some reason, that I have not figured out, IE users are having tremendous difficulty posting comments. If you find you cannot and would like to comment on anything please do so at xenia6408@mypacks.net and I'll get back to you as soon as I am able...as always... you rock.

On My Fookit List

Number one on the list

Would have to be this.

Isn't it delicious?

It is currently sitting on my bedroom floor

split open like a loaded baked potato.

I currently have no laundry mojo.

I am also suffering from Post Vacation Dementia

and find myself having to get re-acquainted with the remote and my own local television stations.

I have caught myself twice answering the phone with my mother's greeting.

I woke up the first night back and for a split second was confused as to where I was ( no drugs or alcohol were contributing factors)

I think the best way to treat this temporary disorder is to gently ease myself back into reality

And that all begins....

As soon as I get back from the beach.

Peace - Rene

For some reason, that I have not figured out, IE users are having tremendous difficulty posting comments. If you find you cannot and would like to comment on anything please do so at xenia6408@mypacks.net and I'll get back to you as soon as I am able...as always... you rock.

I'll Pass That Along...

Over my vacation I picked up “Who’s Writing This?” by Daniel Halpern (1995) Harper
at a yard sale for twenty five cents.

Quite a steal for the getting of knowledge.

The question asked of 55 famous writers was “Who is really controlling the pen?”
Based on Jorge Luis Borges “Borges and I” essay.

The answers were sometimes deep, sometimes reflective and some really made me chuckle.
But they all made me aware of something that I have know for some time, and I have been silent about…

Someone else is in charge of the writing.

Such rich wisdom at bargain basement prices.

I identified with so many of quirky traits that inhabit many of these writers. Mainly the fact that I could not ever call myself a writer…even after I have just read to you, something I wrote. Even after you have just asked me if I write…Even after you have just told me that you really loved what I wrote in that poem…Even after I just spent half of the damn day typing many sentences into Microsoft Word...Even when I get up at 2:00 AM to jot a thought down...

No I don't write.

But you liked what I wrote...it was really, really good...

What did I write? I didn’t really write that, but I’ll pass that message along ...

Oh sure, I can type out that I write in confidence, or write out that I write a thousand times on a piece of paper…but saying that? Out loud? I could not do that in my own voice.

It would have to be in that slow, honey on the back of her tongue, drawl of her voice…

And oh how I wait for her sometimes, like a lovesick teenager…to use me up.

She who writes.
She who nags and seeks and dizzies me in the details of her way.
She who is the personification of how writing makes me feel.

Jane Smiley puts it perfectly to her readers in her contribution to the book:
“Before you came along, all there was to my act of writing was that seductive sliding feeling followed by elation and the fatal wish to share it.”

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Jane goes on to say that each attempt to share that feeling was met with suggestions for improvements, perplexed looks and well meaning words. And that the most important, addictive thing to come out of any of her work was that seductive sliding feeling. Something, she learned, that just can’t be shared with others.

Amen, Jane.

It’s a near constant itch that I need scratched.

But it’s not my itch…it’s her itch.
And therein lies the rub :)

Peace -Rene

For some reason, beyond my control, comments cannot always be posted while using IE, if you are having trouble...feel free to email me...you can find the address on my profile. Sorry for the (hopefully) temporary nuisance

Peace - Rene

Water Therapy

Sugar frosted feet
And sun kissed knees
Freckled faces
Saying "Cheese"

Families on the beach
Under umbrellas
Building sandcastles
For Cinderella

Some folks bring everything
But the kitchen sink
We only bring towels, oranges and sunscreen
And something to drink

An orange just tastes better
While sitting on the beach
There's nothing more delicious
Except maybe a peach

The water beckons
With her salty hello's
"Come a little closer,
Let me tickle your toes."

Her tidal aroma
Through my senses does swirl
The breath of life
My spine uncurls

Her many voices
A roar, a crash
A giggle, a whisper
A puddle splash

Buckets of seashells
Getting too heavy to hold
Can we throw some back?
No, each one of them is gold

We sit on our towels
As we count up our treasures

An infinite number
Of simple pleasures

Among them

sun, sand and water

What a perfect day

For me and my daughter.

Peace - Rene

all words and images by rene 2009

Let there be running water...

Kitchen renovations are almost complete at Ma's. Just in time for us to leave! :(

I wanted to dive into this sink ( it's plenty deep enough) as soon as the water was hooked up!



Let there be a machine that cleans the dirty crockery and vessels of the weary and prune handed....and then there was dishwasher.




Let there be be drawers for said crockery and vessels and let the drawers be deep enough for a small human to sleep in.



And may those drawers have sliding levels, providing loft space for smaller crockery and utensils.



And may there be smooth abundant countertop, as far as the eye can see...

Smooth, clean, unstained and uncrumbed...

All is good!

The floors still need to be put in and the walls need to be primed and painted but it really is lookin' sweet.

You deserve it Ma!

Peace - Rene

Nice Shot

The only thing competing with the temperature for the century mark, this past weekend, would've been my husband's blood pressure.

I admit, I may be a contributing factor.

Mea fookin' culpa.

Before I get going on the details I need to give you a little bit of background on my husband and I.

Me. Creative, spontaneous, liberal artsy, leans to the left.

I think on the fly and I can change my opinion mid-sentence.

I should work at Waffle House, my husband tells me.

I can be impulsive but I really have come a long way in that regard, I now wait a full five seconds before making any decision.

I admit that some of my choices have led to Lucille Ball-esque scenarios but my husband gets a lot of mileage out of those escapades with his stories.

They are big hits at parties.

Wouldn't be possible with out me doin' the things I do.

The stuff that legends are made of.

It is my full time job to make sure he remembers how to smile!!

My husband.

Linear thinker.

Carefully plans everything down to the molecular level.

Researches and fact checks everything twice.

Trusts no one.
Not even Mapquest.
Will actually get a map out to fact check.
"495? that's insane I'd never take 495. 290 is clearly the better choice. No nothing hacks"

Moves at glacial speed.
Wait.
The glaciers may actually move faster now.
The archenemy of spontaneity.
Conservative
He's a loving husband and a caring, present father.

Now on with the story:

It all started on a humid Saturday morning in our suburban incubator.
God know the temperature was hot enough to hatch a stone let alone an egg.
And there came a yelp from Man cave.
A yelp for help.
I dash in to see what's the matter and find my husband squirrel like and frantically digging through boxes.
"I can't find my Topps baseball blabbedy blah"......

I don't know what he is talking about.
OK, I block out what he's talking about....

I know he loves his baseball cards like the Rainman but that's as deep as I get into it.

"Where did you move them?"
Why? He asks me Nancy Kerrigan like Why?
You are always touching my things.

It's true. I do move things.

But it is only to clean and dust Man cave.
I try to put things back but once you dust, you lose the dust outline.
Let's get a grip here.
Is this the fookin' Smithsonian?

So we do a hard target search of the area.
Nothing.
He is now mentally picking out caskets.
Then it dawns on me.
I had to move some summer clothes out of Man cave and I may have placed the baseball cards in the spare bedroom to get them out of the way.
I sneak off to the spare bedroom and there they are, sitting on the bed, all smiles.
So freaking busted.
I sulk back into Man cave, cards in hand, tail between my legs.
My husband lights up.
Did he just say "my precious"?

No, not to me.

To the cards.

"You found them"!

So you did move them. You are always touching my stuff. I wish you wouldn't. You are careless..blabbedy blah...

Wish I wouldn't touch your stuff?

Everything?

Be careful what you wish for.

The morning evolved thusly:

I cleaned the kitchen within an inch of it's life.
Scrubbed the cupboards and cleaned the newspapers off of the table.
Hubby comes lumbering out of the bathroom.

Who took my papers? I was reading those.

"You mean you weren't doing that in the bathroom?", I ask

Rene!
You can't help yourself. What is it with you today and my stuff?

Apparently he is still reeling from the horror of this morning.
A wee bit bitter too.

What I did next made him pine for the mornings events.

Whilst backing the truck out of the driveway I smacked the passenger's side rearview into the frame of the garage door.
The impact ripped the mirror off with a bile inducing,that's gonna cost you $800, craaaack.
Perfect.
Cherry on the cake, right?
I looked at my daughter’s face and she made the perfect "oh sh.." face.
That's my girl!
God she looks like me.
Dad is going to freak, Mom. Seriously.

Wise words grasshopper.

My husband comes running out of the house as if he were on hot coals.
He sees that we are OK.
But stops short when he sees the damage.

I think that painting "The Scream" by Edvard Munsch would be an accurate depiction of the scene.

Go big or go home.

You are a successful pain in the ass today, honey.
But at least you're onto your own stuff now.

What is with this my stuff, your stuff with him, lately?

"You know Rene, I have a mental national debt ticker running every time your feet hit the ground."

That was so funny even I had to sit down.
"Priceless," I said
"Not exactly," he grumped
Aw,you just needed new material, I consoled
I saw your need and I fulfilled it.
You are so going to be the life of the next party, you know that.

I inspire! I proudly tell him.

Take a break, he tells me, I'm all set for the rest of the year.
He walked over to the rearview and shook his head in disbelief ( or was it shock and awe?) at the lifeless dangling mirror.
Unbelievable.
Nice Shot, Rene

Peace -Rene

This a repost from last summer, but it may be new stuff for many of you, Enjoy the fireworks!!

The Wisdom On The Walls Of Surf Shops

"Surf City Surfers" photo by Rene

“If you’re going to be passionate about something,
Be passionate about learning
If you’re going to fight something,
Fight for those in need
If you’re going to question something,
Question authority
If you’re going to lose something,
Lose your inhibitions
If you’re going to gain something,
Gain respect and confidence
And if you’re going to hate something,
Hate the false idea that you are not capable of your dreams.”
- Daniel Golston

I saw this framed on the wall of a surf shop on LBI, yesterday, and I had to write it down...
Suddenly I have this insane desire to take up surfing...
And so begins my bucket list! :)

Peace - Rene