blue dahlias

There is such joy in eating excellent food~and when that joy is shared with another soul who adores cuisine, then you've the ingredients (yes, groan) for a lovely evening.  Was introduced to a fabulous bistro and I will be returning.

Here are the exquisite mushroom crepes with a bleu/Parmesan cheese sauce~the ratio of 'shrooms to the rest of the dish was what truly made the dish.  

Then!  As we were leaving, my friend gave me a yummy cupcake~which I just enjoyed for brekkers.  Thanks, J, for another great Austin eating experience.

spr...

 ing?  Is that you?

Gorgeous glimmers of  warmer days.  With the temperatures swooping 50+ degrees, I am forcing myself to wait to put in my bits of garden.

In the interim, I will admire the wild things blooming.

the islands arrive

A miniature aloha experience arrived in today's post~as my name has an unusual spelling, was always thrilled as a child to actually find my name on a souvenir.  And as today is full of grey and thundering skies, the little plumerias brought some bits of light.  And chocolates are always welcomed in this household!

as though i had wings

Once again, poet Mary Oliver says it so well.

to the full

 The tally of years
added up so rapidly
it appeared I had
been short-changed,
tricked by sleight
of hand, fallen victim
to false bookkeeping.

Yet when I checked
my records, each
and every year had
been accounted for,
down to the last day,
and could be audited
against old diary entries
(client briefings,
dental check-ups,
parent-teacher meetings,
wedding anniversaries),
verified with credit
card statements
(multi-trip insurance,
antibiotics, concert bookings,
mobile top-ups).

And, although
nagging doubts
remained—an
inkling that I had
been ripped off
in some way,
given short shrift,
made to live at an
accelerated pace,
rushed through
my routines with
unseemly haste—
nothing could be proved,
no hard and fast
statistics adduced.

I had, it seems,
unknown to me,
been living my
life to the full.

"Time Enough" by Dennis O'Driscoll, from Dear Life. © Copper Canyon Press.

scene around town

From inside the symphonic hall~built in 2008, it still has the 'new car' scent.  Very fun concert~complete with the top Gershwin pianist, a Broadway hoofer and an excellent soprano.  The best part was seeing old home movies and family photographs from the private collection of the Gershwins.

Blurred action shot, but here is the new brown dress.

From the high-browed concert to the famed (well, famed for Austin) Chicken S*@t Bingo in less than 24 hours.  Ginny's is an Austin hang-out and on Sunday's, they play bingo.  If her chicken defecates on your number, you win.   Yes, only in Texas.

 

At least there was an excellent local band playing~the Wyldwood Four.  Talked to the bass player between sets and discovered that he was from Utrecht and moved to Austin to be a full-time musician.

Miss Ginny keeping eyes on her chicken.

 

Decided it was time to dust off the butane torch and create some chocolate goodness.

Pleased with the final result of the newly created concoction.  Bon appetit!

gettin' ready for Gershwin

My favorite shoes are finally getting a Texan outing~headed to hear the Austin Symphony's production of an evening of Gershwin.

playing it forward

One of my favorite current students was on the news last night!

as it is

PEACE
is the result of retraining your mind
to process life as it is,
rather than as you think it should be.

~Dr. Wayne Dyer

maybe it's just me

srsly

There need to be a few more naps & snacks & story times in the adult life.

bum breezes

Brings a twist to en pleine aire.

our undying dead

 One of the remaining Gutenburg Bibles

Finally made it to the Ransom Centerto see bits of their extensive archives. 

The current exhibit is focused on WWI~SO many poets whom I've read/taught over the years.  Everyone from Owens to Sassoon to Apollinaire to ee cummings.

 Mata Hari.

I hadn't know that Cummings was a prisoner of war.

The signature of WB Yeats & some rather impressive photography.

 

After all that heaviness of carnage and corpses, it was time to wander around the UT campus and soak in a bit of the warmth.

And then time to prepare homemade tortillas and accoutrements for movie night~I can now say that I have finally seen Up and it is as darling as everyone said.  Six years ago?  A bit behind on the movie viewing.

jauntily pugnacious

I've seen few pages of music in my life~but have never seen these directions before.

Went to hear one of my favorite local bands and ended up being part of a wedding reception.  

I believe in newspaper reporting they say things such as "the bride wore ecru lace".  I wish I had been able to snap a surreptitious shot of this particular bride wearing her mini-pasted-on-patch-of-lace dress.  It was, shall we say tacky~and leave it there?  Also admired the big bucket o' dill dip in a plastic tub and the bags of potato chips places around on the tables.  Classy.  (I understand limited budgets, but presentation people!)

Anyway~it was another Texas outing/adventure that I will remember for quite some time.

they say

 that breakfast is the most important meal of the day~

if that is true, this day is fated to be rather nice.

Happy Valentines to all~near & far.

whimsy

 While the eastern bits of the U.S. are getting pounded with snow, we finally got a respite from icy days.  Say this whimsical mail box flag while out enjoying the rays.

And am not sure that there is a sweeter form of love than that of a child~got this fun dog-made-of-mums card from my little 10-year-old Billie Holiday belter. 

sunshine on my ceeeeent

California joy

Was zipping down the freeway and thought I saw a familiar logo...and after my errand, I went back to investigate.

What a delight!  The last time I was at In-n-Out was on my drive to Texas~think it was in Arizona.  It's been a long time.

simple instructions

glorious warmth

Even if it's for 24 hours, I'll take the sunny warmth we got today~the sleet is to return tomorrow.  My bones do not care for the frigid temps and grey skies we've had for the past several days.  As I have said~I chose Texas life deliberately.

Scored a gorgeous cocoa silk dress today~now I need a sophisticated outing (and a dry sunny day) for which to wear it.

differentiation

There's a large gap of difference in these two.

youthful fountain

Yes, we're skipping Poetry Friday because THIS is far too important for you to miss.  Amirite?  

And to top it off, please watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics for greater contrast of youth/vitality to your haggy self.

Happy weekend!

cold comforts

When the Texan temperature hits the teens, it is time to turn on the oven.  Today's gift is steaming hot cornbread.  The chili is simmering away and hours away from being done, but there's no waiting on fresh bread.

Jennsylvania came to town

Delighted that one of my favorite authors came to town last night.  Slipped out of the studio a bit early so that I could hear her hilarious self.  Just what this wintery week needed.  

And yes, after listening to this native Chicago Chick speak of her winter, I really cannot complain.  But still.  I choose to live in Texas for a reason.  And it didn't include icy roads.  End of whinge.