reading rachel carson

 we're on the first chapter: the gray beginnings. it's fun to hear chanda add to ms carson's description of the earth's crust, mantle and core. (she's been attending a class at the natural history museum called dynamic earth, and has been identifying rocks and learning how they form and change.) reading this book really helps me get a sense of the vastness of the earth and humanity and time . . or non-time . . just being: the immensity of life.

" . . from the moment the rain began to fall, the lands began to be worn away and carried to the sea. it is an endless, inexorable process that has never stopped--the dissolving of the rocks, the leaching out of their contained minerals, the carrying of the rock fragments and dissolved minerals to the ocean. and over the eons of time, the sea has grown ever more bitter with the salt of the continents . . "

the temperature blanket is too large to put inside any type of bag when not being worked on. i now leave it unceremoniously lying about . .

perfect morning weather

wow. so i haven't posted since may 14th. sometimes i get so distracted and unmotivated. i'll catch up, however. i have plenty of photos to show off, and much has happened. i made lemon curd (san said it was easy, and she was partially right!) and an angel food cake; met korrina at the dentist on morgana's birthday (such a fun way to spend a birthday); began the new penderwick's book by jeanne birdsall (i think we've waited three years for that one!); took several walks by the river; helped my friend with her theatre costumes; been to a reading of lou reed's poetry by laurie anderson and anne waldman and several others at the main branch of the library; attempted to negotiate chanda's summer intensive arrangements (one of the organizations is not responding) and possible plans for next year (more on that to come); and and last (but not least), finally finished my pebble beach shawl (as can be seen above). i've also been trying to get a letter from our apartment complex's office outlining the construction plans in an apartment adjacent to me (they've been hammering away for three weeks now . . i don't know why it's so difficult to give us information about the work being done and how long it will last). on a really positive note, the weather has been incredibly beautiful: mid 60's in the evenings and mornings, and mid to upper 70's during the day (with sunshine).

morning earl grey tea . .

 korrina supplied the trim from an extra skein of stonehedge fiber crazy loaf. i love how it looks.

 it's a good sized shawl, and much too warm to wear these days. oh well . . something to look forward to for when it finally gets cool again.

hmmmmmm . .

i wonder what happened to my dry cleaner guy!!

a poem on mother's day

some rivers

some rivers rush to the sea.

they push and tumble and fall.

but the everglades is a river

with no hurry in her at all.

soaking the cypress

that grows so tall;

nursing a frog,

so quiet and small;

she flows but a mile

in the course of a day,

with plenty of time

to think on the way.

but how can she cope

with the acres of corn

and sorrowful cities that drain her?

with hunters and tourists and levees

that chain and stain and pain her?

does the half of her that's left

think only of the past?

or does she think of her future

and how long it will last?

some rivers rush to the sea.

they push and tumble and fall.

but the everglades is a river

with no hurry in her at all.

by frank asch

(thinking of my nephew while reading this poem. he's working for the national park service in florida in the everglades. he drives an hour to work, and then an hour to a boat, and then two hours on the boat to the area whose water he tests. and then he turns around, reports his findings, and goes home--well, i suppose not all of his days are like this, perhaps just a few during the week. he began the job this month. i look forward to hearing more about it).

breakfast before i met chanda at her dance rehearsal and visited the whitney with her, for a special dance exhibit by artist nick mauss called transmissions. you can read about it on the whitney's website here. he was making many different connections with ballet, history, cultural perspectives and dancers. we didn't quite understand everything he was trying to say, but it was interesting to read the art explanations, see the different costume renderings that were exhibited and to see the dancers warming up. afterwards, we had brunch at a local restaurant called tartine, which has been in the neighborhood for many years, and where we ran into a time inc. acquaintance of greg's who used to work with him in the time inc. building at rockefeller center.

tea at janet's

london calling

greg has been visiting morgana in london . .

and i think he's really enjoying staying on the narrowboat . . though i wonder how he's enjoyed the tiny shower? i think morgana joined a gym specifically so she could shower without having to run the engine for an hour for hot water on the boat!

 

 little venice . . 

 

 

 

 in a cafe overlooking little venice . . i think . . 

 breakfast at lowry and baker . . 

 glass sculptor chihuly at the victoria and albert museum . .

 not sure which museum, library, mall or public space this is!

 wild food cafe in neil's yard.

what a gorgeous tea cup and saucer!

humphry the cat . . 

chief mouser for downing street (here's wiki's info on him).

veggie walk pics

 in front of la bonboniere on 8th avenue . . 

 jackson park . . horatio street . . 

 butterfly yarn bomb . . (again . . )

 fifteenth street . . 

 and i couldn't resist this umbrella seen on my walk back home . . 

 i can't even remember what street i was on . . 16th or 17th around fifth avenue . . ???

 dinner this evening was leftover chicken and red cabbage with fresh asparagus from the box.

and i made a spice cake from the ancient grains for modern meals cookbook that i took out from the library (i first used it years ago for our homeschooling greek history meal, which you can see here . . 2013--feels like yesterday).