how much honesty is good?

memoriam hodie

It's been a full year now since I said good-bye to Bogart.

He's still very much missed.

each no is closer to yes, right?

Plant that just burst into blossoms this morning~nice way to kick off another day of the job seeking.  As a woman, it's always tricky to navigate dress codes~for instance, what would you wear for 'business casual'?  Hard to decipher~especially considering regional and corporate differences.

So, I understand the dilemma, but in the waiting room for today's interview we were treated to one woman wearing a mint-green suit (circa 1983.  And while I know we ALL have cellulite, it's probably a good idea to cover it during an office interview~if we can see your upper thighs?) and another in leggings, off-the-shoulder top and spike heels (she would have been perfect for a bartending gig).

Roses on this evening's walk

Needless to say, it was a job I turned down on the spot.  Tomorrow brings two ESL possibilities.  

flora & fauna

Snoozy kitty~as feline-usual, lying right on top of a project.

The click of the camera disturbed his beauty rest. 

In the past three weeks, I've applied to over 200 jobs.  It's a soul-sucking endeavor and it was nice to take a break and have lunch with cousins yesterday. 

I know September is coming quickly, but it was still surprising to see some leaves already starting to turn.  Grateful for a lazy day of relaxing.  And grateful that all my Texan friends are safe so far.

inch by inch

This little guy was so fun to watch~I wish I had caught him in mid-climb.

daily dawns

Inscription for the Ceiling of a Bedroom 
~Dorothy Parker

 Daily dawns another day;
I must up, to make my way.
Though I dress and drink and eat,
Move my fingers and my feet,
Learn a little, here and there,
Weep and laugh and sweat and swear,
Hear a song, or watch a stage,
Leave some words upon a page,
Claim a foe, or hail a friend—
Bed awaits me at the end.

Though I go in pride and strength,
I'll come back to bed at length.
Though I walk in blinded woe,
Back to bed I'm bound to go.
High my heart, or bowed my head,
All my days but lead to bed.
Up, and out, and on;
and then Ever back to bed again,
Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall
I’m a fool to rise at all!


 With the slight dip in temperatures and the job-hunt burnout, I am ready for a winter's hibernation.

farm to table

Well, more like veg patch to bowl~but it was tasty.

Went to water the garden patch where I'm house-sitting and found a bounty of tomatoes and basil.

Rather icky photo, but this marinara sauce made for a delicious dinner.

let it be

A nice cover from the latest incarnation of the three tenors.

meh

Gorgeous blue on an eggshell found on yesterday's walk.

Stalked a butterfly for awhile, but didn't get any clear shots. 

This was the zenith of the eclipse~really only looked like part of the t-storm that's piling up.

the beauty of the simple

What could be better than blowing bubbles on a warm summer evening?  The Niecelet just learned how to actually blow out instead of sucking all the soap inwards~enchanting to watch.

These blooms seemed to be about a foot across.

I relish my lake walks with the 'phew.  He chatters non-stop about myriad subjects.   

Just a nice day of respite.

why we don't watch the sausage being made

Watching a storm roll in.

So.  My mover showed up today.  Even after coming to look at my stuff last week and my website posting that I had a one-bedroom apartment to move.    Needless to say, only half of my stuff is in storage.  But, at least the sun was shining and I got all the big stuff moved out.  What's left, fits in a closet and I can get it at my convenience.

For the same reason,  it's best to not watch airline luggage handlers do their job, I wouldn't recommend driving behind your stuff and watching everything bounce and the tarp billow.

But it all did arrive and is dryly stored away.

And managed to squeeze in a lake walk with the 'phew and saw another rainbow!

hither & thither

One last ramble around Alexandria~loving all the window boxes and varied architecture.

Decided to visit Christ Church~my visit criteria for the day were: free/low cost AND a/c.   

Reminded me quite a bit of North Church in Boston (and if I were a better scholar [or even Googled it], I could tell you which one was built first.)  A docent popped her head out to see if I had questions and we started chatting. I knew it was George Washington's home church (Mt. Vernon is nine miles away), I did not know all the history.  I won't repeat it all here, but some highlights:

• Robert E Lee's children were confirmed here prior to his resigning from the U.S. Army.
• It's the oldest continuing church in the U.S.
• The beauty of the architecture saved it during the Civil War.
• Churchill came to worship here with the Roosevelts and fell in love with The Battle Hymn of the Republic.  Being a U.S. Civil War hymn, he hadn't heard it.  He then used it for state occasions in the UK and requested that it be played at his funeral.
• Archbishop Desmond Tutu ordained his daughter here.
• Rosa Parks was a honored guest.
• All the sitting presidents since Cleveland have attended here. I'll just leave that statement as it is.
• It currently has an active congregation of 1600.

I got goosebumps when I got to sit where Churchill (and yes, Washington) sat.  The docent demanded that we photograph the moment.  With all these photos of myself this summer, I figure I'm good for a couple of years of avoiding the camera again.

George Washington's pew view~other than electricity and a/c, there haven't been changes made to the space. 

Discovered while the docent has lived here for a decade, Charlottesville is her hometown.  We sat in the pews and talked for quite awhile about current history.   She spoke of neighbors and friends involved in last weekend's events.  We both agreed that it was beyond surreal to be literally sitting in the midst of what we thought was history, and yet is today's headline.  Something about "there's nothing new under the sun" flavored the entire conversation.

The original organ is in the Smithsonian (next week's field trip hunt)~this one has been here since 1904.

Some symmetry and peace~at least for a few moments.

Am guessing there's a large flux of college students leaving town, as almost every shop/pub/restaurant was hiring.  BluPrint Chocolatiers is one of them.  We're having a discussion about the possibility of me working for them. 

And you can guess where I headed for lunch! I am officially obsessed with lemongrass 'chicken'~have had it prepared three ways and cannot decide which way is my favorite.

With all the parking meters around town, I was surprised that I didn't find more coinage~but am guessing that with the switch to card payment, there's not as much cash used.  And. When it's 110?  Yeah, that whole hot coin issue is back.

My bribe/pre-reward for shoving all my boxes into a truck/storage tomorrow.  Ugh.  May they only be stored for a brief amount of time.  And may it be a drive move~the thunderheads are piling up as I type.

watching it play out

Oh, it's still summer and for now?  Am not headed back into a classroom, but with many pencils and notebooks are sale, and once in awhile, a crisp leaf to step upon~this seemed a fitting poem for today.

Toward the end of August I begin to dream about fall, how

this place will empty of people, the air will get cold and

leaves begin to turn. Everything will quiet down, everything

will become a skeleton of its summer self. Toward

the end of August I get nostalgic for what's to come, for

that quiet time, time alone, peace and stillness, calm, all

those things the summer doesn't have. The woodshed is

already full, the kindling's in, the last of the garden soon

will be harvested, and then there will be nothing left to do

but watch fall play itself out, the earth freeze, winter come.

~David Budbill