Friday, June 25, 2010

Colorful Character

 ~~*~~

   I was sitting in the back lawn, a fresh cup of the dark and bitter elixir, that many of us require of a morning hour, stirred with milk, a dash of sugar, and malt.  The sunlight was sprinkled on the ground amongst the untrimmed blades of grass where the trees had allowed its beams to filter through. Upon reaching the miniature forest, the sun reflected off of the dew beads and made it appear as though the faeries had sprinkled peridot glitter on the green.  As usual, two of my children accompanied me to make their foreday rounds.  They are furry creatures fairly bursting with wriggling/bouncy happy energy for, you see, they are of the canine alignment and thus subject to a perpetual state of glee.  It was a pleasant affair watching them cut capers and play chase.

  A pair of kindly and peculiar ladies, of an elder age, stopped to chat over the old fence while on their early strolls.  This was my first time meeting Catherine of 36th Avenue and she and I talked of an array of subjects ranging from Eastern and Western medicine to the mean little lady-mosquitoes in the hedge. Catherine is pleasant company but, not the most interesting to describe (nor does she possess intriguing quirks aside from the tendency to fidget and look at anything other than whom she is speaking with).

  The second gentlewoman to join us is a much more queer and fascinating individual.  Sakeeta of 737 1/2* is short of stature, tawny skinned, with lengthy, crinkled ebon hair she had plaited into a rope and draped over her left shoulder.  Across her forehead was a faded red bandanna rolled into a band and about her neck was a Native American-style choker of elongate, vertically arranged, off-white bone beads.  Her clothing consisted of a white tank top and denim shorts belted with a strip of leather.  Sakeeta stops by my home often these days to leave offerings of tobacco to the tree stump that dwells on the side lawn because it resembles an eagle totem, she says, and it calls to her.  When we first met I found my self so enchanted with her eccentricities and politeness that naysaying the request was out of the question.

  The purpose of her walk today was to hand out little representations of spiritual animals to all the residents of 31st Avenue.  After rummaging in her basket, she chose, plucked out, and placed in my palm four iridescent butterfly hair clips, each with a different base color: lime green, xanthous orange, a light beryline blue, and lavender mixed with gold.  I am proudly wearing them all in my hair now. :)

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   I'm not very sure how to end this entry for I feel it very well could go on for days and I must complete at least some of my chores today.  Perhaps I will continue the description of Sakeeta in a post solely dedicated to her.  She is such a prismatic character it has to be done!


*737 1/2 is in reference to Sakeeta's address.  The lack of a street name is implying that she lives on the same avenue as I.

On a side note...

  I wish to post a picture of a mixed medium drawing (charcoal and pencil) I made this month of my cousin, Ezra.  I welcome constructive criticism and tips that could potentially help my growth as an artist.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Lemon Lavender Tea Cakes


~*~
I had the most wonderful breakfast this morning.
It consisted of the first harvest of Little Heirloom Tomatoes, 
Sun Tea, and my Lemon Lavender Tea Cakes.

  I had a lovely time sitting with The Lofty 
Begonias of Front Stoop Urns.  In the dappled shade, we talked 
of the gentle breeze swirling the heat, and the 
twitter of The Happy Birds near by.
One Brave Little Wren flew so close I felt the rush of air from 
his beating wings brush my face.
~*~


~*~
My breakfast was absolutely divine.
There were originally four tomatoes but, as you can see,
I could not resist tasting one as I gathered the little
globes of juicy sweetness.
~*~


~*~
And of course I cannot leave out The Lofty Begonias of 
Front Stoop Urns, with their beauty giving all who pass a pleasant 
thought accompanied by a smile.
~*~


Thursday, June 10, 2010

From Folds of Sable to Layers of Snow

I am beginning a quest.  A quest I was, at first, very opposed to.  Now that I have come around there is much fun, excitement, and an adventure to be had.  




The quest is this:  

Recreate my wardrobe without using black. 
  
My current wardrobe is almost completely composed of fabric that is black as pitch so this shall be quite the challenge.  The new theme is to be centered around shades and hues of white in the form of crinolines, lace, and fluff.


To inspire the creative juices to flow, I have scoured 
the interwebs for inspiration.  The main elements are to be demonstrated with a selection of choice photographs.
The pictures may not be all white or might have black in them but, there is something stylistically appealing about the object in question.  Can you guess what it is?

I like the cut and pattern of the shoes above.

 
There is something about the combination of colors and the makeup that draws me to the photo on the right.  It's so whimsically ridiculous that I must have it.







I find myself drawn to the floof of the tutu ... ignore the hooped portion.












*** Thank you to all the people I am borrowing these photographs from for this entry. ***

Friday, June 4, 2010

The Plantlings





The Dear Little Heirloom Tomato


     It could be the weather but, I believe I'm actually managing to keep four plants alive.  I check on them everyday, sometimes twice or more what with the Florida heat.  The sun is so intense that after many close-to-death calls I had to put my Dear Little Heirloom Tomato in partial shade to keep the poor thing from continuing to get fried every day.

     At first, the battle between the Sun and me was quite the epic tale.  Eventually, though, with my sharp intellect, Water, brute strength, and determination, I prevailed and won the day.

The Lonely Dancing Hydrangea 

     The Trees unfurled banners of green in my honor, the Lonely Hydrangea danced with the Breeze in celebration of my toil, and my Dear Little Tomato plant budded fruit that she has offered to share with me in thanks.  The Begonias did nothing for me, but that is to be expected from them, even though they are in the urns on the front stoop and had no knowledge of the plight.

The Lofty Begonias of Front Stoop Urns
(one of the two, anyway)

     The Lofty Begonias think that they are much better than anyone else but I love and care for them just as tenderly as the rest.  I let them think they get the special treatment since there are no other plantlings to disabuse them of this notion, there is no need to break their fragile hearts and bruise their tender egos.  Since not once were they told such a thing, I feel not one ounce of guilt for telling a lie because I did not.