tragedy strikes the bluebird

o sad day... i realized that it was windy, but i didn't think that it was enough to snap my aluminum clothes line at the base. unequally weighted, it was no match for the gale going on outside. it crashed hard and seems to be irreconcilably fubar. (a military term i learned as a child from ken hardy. it means "f-d up beyond all relief.) and so i am here with two loads of wet laundry, no line, and a serious dearth of quarters. sigh.
so, instead of going to the washateria, i think that i will go pick up the cool old cabinet i just scored off of freecycle and go skating. i'll figure out how to dry my clothing later. preferably before anyone needs a shower, as all the towels are damp.
lovepeace
h

yesterday

i was very proud of myself! the bathroom got some much needed attention. i took apart the dripping faucet in the tub and reseated all of the springs with new gaskets, put in a new ball and some other bit that keeps water from spraying everywhere when you turn it on. and now, no drip. yay! i also changed out the defective light switch without killing myself even once! AND it turns on and off as it is supposed to!and then to top it off, i oiled the hinges on the door. for those of you who have visited, you know that access to the bathroom is through my bedroom. (yes, a minor flaw that will be amended when the children leave home and don't have to use that bathroom at 4 am anymore.) but for now, at least it is quiet...-er.
and all was well in my world until i went outside to hang my laundry this morning...

home at last

though it feels sooo good to sit in my own chair at my own desk in my little tiny house in my favorite town... i sure do miss mom and dad. andgabeandlesandanatobinandedisonand
eliandmarieandkikiandjojoandnickyandsonyaandeddieandchantalandfrancisANDemmy.and harisandevanandrockyandjessie, too. and grandma. and annie. sigh. if home is where the heart is, i must have two hearts.
h.

mr. bush (nearly) got sole...

if you managed to miss the news for the last few days, a top story was that of an iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at the head of the head of our government during a press conference. response from iraq is notably positive.
this from the NYtimes:
(Kirkuk)“Muntader’s action is the top of heroism,” said Farhan Khalaf, a teacher. “He represents all Iraqis’ tragedies and sadness, but he has not become a suicide bomber, nor planted an I.E.D., nor beheaded anyone. He practiced the democracy which brought by the American. He has to be released at once. He is in all people’s hearts in Iraq and in the whole world. I am sure that he will supported by the Democrats in America.”
this from me:
progress in iraq
how wonderful to have such tremendous symbolism in what is not a truly dangerous act. no bloodshed, no inflammatory posters, no marches with overturned cars and automatic gunfire... just a guy throwing his florsheims. that is democracy in action. o... wait. they put him in prison... and probably tortured him. hmmm. well.... we'll have to get back to you on that one. but at least the iraqis are making progress, even if the american led security forces are still a little draconian.

the cutest things

toddlers are mighty cute, but i think that teenagers are pretty adorable, too. guthrie is in his room singing and playing his guitar and sadie is dragging the dog out of the compost bin. she was swearing at origami instructions earlier. those darned kids are so precious. i sure do love 'em.
h.

nothing but knit...

that is exactly what i intend to do today. aside from going to the farmer's market. and grocery shopping. and having my doorway fixed. and making a cake. and maybe taking the dogs for a hike.
we'll see. knit three, purl two... knit three, purl two... knit three, purl two...

morning

i am sad today. perhaps i am just tired. at eight this morning, i was in my neighbors david and emily's back yard discussing a potential sewer line with a city right of way inspector. it is a proposed forty foot swath of destruction to pass directly behind my house (through my deck, as i see it), tearing out all the trees and maintaining a 20 foot permanent easement through the middle of my property. i also discovered that i don't own the garden patch next to my home. what else? o, that all of that "community land trust" area behind the cemetery was a lie fabricated by the agent selling the house. there are owned but undeveloped lots back there, lacking only an access road to begin construction. is 20 feet permanent easement wide enough for an access road? next to my bedroom? i am not sure if i want to scream or weep. even if they put the line where the existing one lies, they will tear down two or more hundred year old tulip poplars, destroy the creek, and rip out a great deal of the little woods that i so love. it makes me wish i had bought out beyond the vagueries of in-town easements and growing sewage capacity. if losing everything i love about my home is the price i pay for living within biking distance of everything, i think that i am paying too much.
happy holidays.
h.

odetofishes

a good firing... whew! after my last misadventure opening the kiln, i was more than a little paranoid. there are still a few things that i need to work on with that kiln, but i think that i am getting a handle on it. fish are my few favorite motif, along with bamboo leaves. they are both simple and graceful, and the fish are an endless source of subtle amusement for me. one fish will go the wrong way. one will have a different pattern on its back. another will wink or make kissy face. but only one little thing per piece. and then some have just fish. they remind me of living on the boat and the endless hours of meditation spent staring at millions of darting fry in the shadow of the hull. they remind me of long boat key and summers splashing in the shallows with younger siblings and eventually my own children. they remind me of sadie fishing from the dock with a chopstick, thread, and a bent pin. she caught more fish with cheddar than anyone i know does with shrimp! i suppose it is no wonder that i like them so much. they have faithfully eaten the crusts of peanut butter sandwiches of several generations, dodged the sinking pottery of my first year's classes, amused my toddlers for hours, and fascinated me since i first tried to catch one in my hands. all hail the noble fish!
now... off to work!
h.