Art Gone Bad

Another great weekend here and gone. We left the house early Saturday morning to make a quick trip out to the McNary Refuge. It doesn't matter what time of year, we always see something different. I was kind of looking for turtles but was happy with the large number of dragonflies instead.  We spotted an egret and a couple of cute ducks along with a mama quail followed by the cutest babies chicks. I have never been disappointed at the refuge.

 

After the refuge, we decided to check out the art festival in Richland. I'm going to go out on a limb and say we were a bit disappointed. While it was great to see people out and about, the number of true artists was smaller than the commercial type "mass produced" art crap. Sometimes I just gotta say it the way I see it. I'd rather have my fingers broken than offend anyone. We recognize that the association has to pay for the event so it makes sense they'd rent space to anyone who'll pay. But what a shame for the real artists.

 

We were glad we drove the miles to the refuge so the day wasn't a total loss.  There were mating dragonflies everywhere. Or maybe they just play a lot of piggyback. A side note, we're heading to the southern Oregon coast soon and I've captured red dragonflies in a certain spot where we stop to stretch our legs. I can hardly wait for that road trip.

 

The cherry tomatoes are ripening at an alarming rate every day now. I made salsa today and it was my best ever.

 

The flowers are starting to fade with the constant near-100 degree weather. Or, it could be because it's very close to August. I am a nut about taking dead flower photos. I love all the seasons!

 

Well, a lot to do about nothing. It's late and I must lay my weary head down to rest now. 

 

Hope you had a great weekend wherever you are!  Squeeze as much fun as you can out of every day.  That's my motto! 

love, susan

One Fine Day



Reflections at the Japanese Garden in Portland.

 

Elegant desserts served at the Farmer's Market

 

View of Mt. Hood from Japanese Garden



"Wasted" ~ A Book Review

"Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia" by Marya Hornbacher ..... wow ... what a raw read.

 

A friend lent me this title a couple of weeks ago and I finished it early this morning while sipping my coffee.  I don't want to ruin it for anyone who might pick it up to read but near the end, the author weighs fifty-two pounds.  It takes 271 pages to get there and she doesn't sugar coat the process of starving one's self to near death.

 

Anorexia and bulimia are no joke.

 

She started bingeing and purging at age nine.  Somewhere along the line a mental switch is flipped, and once the disease takes hold of her there is no turning back until she is at the edge of her own demise. She went right there. What fascinated me the most during this read was her ability to function while bingeing and purging, and in the end, not eating at all. I was most fascinated by the splitting of the mind from the body. I couldn't help but think this is how athletes push through amazing feats and how people survive some of the most horrible circumstances. The mind simply disassociates from the house it lives in.

 

At one point, she is labeled "chronic" and a "hopeless case".  The fact that she didn't die means, to me, they were wrong about her being hopeless. If one is still breathing, there must still be hope. However, this is not to say she didn't seem hopeless to her family and friends. How devastating it must be to witness your own child starving to death. I could not and would not let my mind go there.

 

In the introduction, she writes "I wrote this book because I believe some people will recongize themselves in it--eating disordered or not--and because I believe, perhaps naively, that they might be willing to change their own behavior, get help if they need it, entertain the notion that their bodies are acceptable, that they themselves are neither insufficient nor in excess ..."

 

At one point she is facing commitment to the state mental institution for the legally insane.  What else can you call it when the body starts to shut down from zero nutrition and the patient won't eat or, in Ms. Hornbacher's case, keep from purging?  I was astonished at her mind's ability to override her body's hunger signals.  Personally, I start complaining when I'm two hours out from my last meal. A thought rolls into my mind that I must eat and you'd better get out of my way. When I'm hungry, hardly any other thought will have room in my mind until that hunger is quieted.  If I am to understand anorexia, there is a war between the mind and the body. The disease is somewhere in between. The mind always wins. Or is it the body that wins? Or is it the disease? The disease takes on a life of its own and it has a voice.  And that voice is louder than any hunger pang or any of the other symptoms that go along with an eating disorder. 

 

In the end, she writes, "the idea began to sink in, more than it ever had, that I might be crazy, in the traditional sense of the word."

 

If you read this book, you'll come away with a different idea about this disease. You'll wonder if you know anyone who is silently suffering from an eating disorder. You'll learn to recognize the signs of an eating disorder. You'll wonder how the mind can be so powerful as to try annilate the body it resides in. And, if you're like me, you'll come away with a sense that there is hope.

 

I look forward to reading Ms. Hornbacher's "Madness", "Sane", and "Waiting".

susan

Mt. Rainier Road Trip ~ June 2013

Mt. Rainier from a distance.

It's been far too long since I just sat next to him in the car.

He once said if you want to get to know someone, go on a road trip.
So we did.

love, susan

Mt. Rainier, up close and personal.

Love how my funky little camera captured the falls just a little in the background.

By the end of August, the flowers are amazing on Rainier. Hope we go back!

Snoqualmie Falls. They are building something at the top.

July 2013 Photo Scavenger Hunt

Posting this up for anyone who wants to follow along, especially AS! Post your pics wherever you want. Instagram, FB, Flickr, a blog post. Get your friends involved and just have fun.

 

July 2013 Photo Scavenger Hunt

Here's what you do. Each day listed below, go out and find the listed item to photograph.  It will be fun to see what others come up with. Be creative and use your imagination! There are no rules. This is just for fun! If you are interested, the link is:  https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/669359316424286/. 

July 1 - Work
July 2 - Tools
July 3 - Decay
July 4 - Patriotic
July 5 - Something Orange
July 6 - Sugar
July 7 - Garden
July 8 - Steps
July 9 - Home
July 10 - Cloud
July 11 - Favorite place
July 12 - Children
July 13 - Healing
July 14 - Bottle
July 15 - Music
July 16 - Play
July 17 - Fish
July 18 - Chips
July 19 - Road
July 20 - Tree
July 21 - Fruit
July 22 - Depth
July 23 - Totally Random
July 24 - Balloon
July 25 - Ticket
July 26 - Hair
July 27 - Favorite person or people
July 28 - Summer
July 29 - Feet
July 30 - Cup
July 31 - Fan

My Name is Susan and I'm a Scavenger

June has been a really good month for taking pics. A friend at work and I were sitting around the end of May talking, when we should probably have been working, and came up with a list for a photo scavenger hunt. It was really what I needed to get my creative juices cooking. Although I haven't gotten quite back to where I want to be, I'm on the way. The best indicator for a good month is when my photo file is chuck full of pics. I have over 200 images in my June folder now. Earlier this year, I was lucky to have 10 photos.

I have all kinds of new ideas and and pulled some old ideas out of my hat. My favorite hunt day was earlier this week when we did the word "slide". I didn't want to just post a  picture of the local kids' slide. My mind went right to those old color slides. I only hoped I could find one in the overstuffed photo box that has never been organized. The slides were right on top.

As you can see, it's not a perfect picture of the slide but it sure tugged at my heart strings .... hard! I had to hurry and snap the pics and put them away lest I turn into a puddle and make my eyes puffy for work.  OH. MY. GOODNESS. I had forgotten about these slides. Don't remember taking them but I sure do remember the place and time and how much I love this little man.

I discovered many of my friends are nothing short of creative geniuses.   That was a nice surprise. This little hunt also garnered me some new friends. Who can't use more friends?

 

The other thing that happened was people started sharing their stories. They posted up  photos from the past. Whether they were snapshots or digital, it has been heartwarming to read about everyone's favorite memories.

 

I also learned about a cool little app to put on my phone to make photo collages. I encouraged a new friend to try Zentangle. She tried it and posted her first piece which was spectacular. I also read comments from friends of friends who really enjoyed the hunt and wanted to do it too.

 

One of my FB friends agreed to put up the July list at the urging of the participants. I'm glad because those new ideas are someone's elses ideas and I can go into July with a fresh slate and it will be fun to post up my interpretation of his prompts. He created a "group" just for the scavenger hunt on FB which allows anyone who wants to participate to join in without having to "friend" each other if they don't want to.  Personally, I have enjoyed friending total strangers who have similiar interests ... to share photos and ideas. Love that.

 

Tomorrow ... a road trip to cooler places in Washington. Maybe Mt. Rainier, maybe Leavenworth, maybe Roslyn. Not sure yet. That's how we roll. Hoping to come home with some nice pictures of the day.

 

love, susan  

 



A Better World

A better world ... and definitely a better cup of coffee. That's what I found at Dutch Bros. this week. While they may not be totally local, they claim to be regional and I can get down with that. The biggest selling point for their awesome coffee is the lid.  Number one ... they all have cool messages on them. I am a sucker for that. And, the drink hole is raised. It's like a sippy cup for adults. LOVE THAT!!!

 

 

It was another fun-filled weekend with friends and animals. We hit the church yard sales on Saturday and found a couple of treasures. I needed a pair of water shoes and my friend, K, not knowing I needed water shoes, pointed them out to me. Two bucks. No whammies. I was thrilled. Bought a dress that I can wear to work for three bucks. Totally happy camper, I am.

 

In the afternoon, we went to a friend's house for dinner. I didn't want to overstay our welcome so in my mind I thought we'll leave in two hours.  We talked, non-stop, for 4+ hours. I'm thinking we ought to get together a little more often. She made a smoked salmon quiche that was out of this world and was so kind to send us home with two pieces which I heated up for a late breakfast. It may have been even better this morning, I don't know. If you're reading this C, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your hospitality. Remember what I said, if you invite me to dinner, I'll come.  I never say no to a dinner invite. Ever. LOL!

 

The other thing I did this weekend was watch grass grow. Don't laugh. I've seen grass grow in chic magazines. I had the idea when I lost whatever herb I started in this little pot. The grass seed hasn't quite made it to the bare spots on our lawn so I decided to see if a bad gardener like me could simply throw it in the pot and make it grow. I didn't even bury it. Just watered it and watched it grow. I'll be seeding my lawn soon.

 

In other boring news, "Remi" is in the army now. She is the worst dog I've ever taken for a walk. We vowed to spend at least 5-10 minutes a day setting her up for being a better walker.  To be continued.

 

So, this sticking around the house on the weekends has not been bad. I started a new book my friend, C, gave me.  Can hardly put it down. 

 

Hope you had an eventful weekend. And I certainly hope you drink coffee that makes your world better.

 

love, susan

 

 

Squirrel!

Stay with me while I try to get back into posting.

 

I don't know what happened to me.

When I started this blog almost 3 years and 486 posts ago, I had "stuff" to write. I still have words to write but somewhere along the line I've gotten ... (fill in the blank). Busy. Tired. Lazy. Uninspired. Too inspired. Distracted. Mostly just distracted.

 

I started a photo scavenger hunt the first of June and it has really kick-started my love of taking photos again. I have a habit of opening up a new folder to store photos each month and for the last year those folders have been very small. I noticed this morning that I have shot a lot of pics this month, so far, and when I open up that folder I see color ... which means my life is colorful. Love that!

 

Squirrel!!!

 

Yesterday I received a couple of new dresses I ordered from the Dressbarn. I once heard a comedian (I think it was Chris Rock!!!) make a joke about women buying clothes from the Dressbarn. I could hardly get past that before I set foot in the store. Words are powerful. Today, I love the Dressbarn.

 

Another squirrel!!!

 

It rained Tuesday. Our tomato plants couldn't take the weight of the rain and were bent over so hubby and I had to pull them up with some kind of rope and tie them to the fence. We are horrible gardeners but I think we're going to have more tomatoes than we can eat. These tomatoes went crazy. I like to think it's that awesome compost I spent all last summer growing and used in this raised bed.

 

Having just now this morning realized I'm only 14 posts away from a magic 500, I'm gonna try to get myself together and think of something thoughtful to write. Don't give up on me.

 

What's colorful in your life?  Tell me!

love, susan


S is for Summer!

Just a quick post to record my weekend. I squeezed every bit of fun I could from it and I would hate to forget the highlights. The older I get, the more than happens. Also, when you pack as much fun stuff into 48 hours, like we do, it's hard to remember it all. 

 

Friday night we went to the house of a friend's parents, who have a home theater. This is the second time we've gone and I have to say the home theater is truly a great idea. We watched "Princes Bride".  What a hoot. How'd we miss this film from the 80's?  I know.  But I'm not gonna say.

 

We got out of the house early Saturday to go find a floating device for me. I had an invitation to float the Yakima river and had to act fast on it. On the way home we stopped at Fiesta Foods (our favorite place to buy produce) and got all the makings for salsa. I cleaned my office and one closet and rewarded us with a nice homemade meal.

 

Sunday.  Let me just say that I was so jazzed about the floating trip that I hardly slept. I was up early (5:00am) and drove down to the river to catch the photo you see here. Stopped over at a friend's house to let her dogs out while she was out of town and then tried to stay busy waiting for 12:30pm to arrive .... to go on that floating trip.

 

It was well worth the wait. I wish I had pics to show you but I was a virgin floater and decided to keep it really simple with what I towed along. Everything gets wet and although it is totally possible to take a camera along (one that you don't really care about ruining) with the proper number of heavy-duty Ziplocs, I chose to go camera-less.

 

Floating down the Yakima was everything I thought it would be. Relaxing, sunny, and peaceful. We saw a hawk, some egret, baby geese and lots of other floaters. It took two hours to go about 2 miles. I enjoyed everything about it and I can hardly wait to do it again!  My friend says we gotta do the Columbia River when it gets warmer. There are places where it is not too swift. She has been floating the rivers her whole life so I trust she won't take me beyond my capabilities.

 

Sunscreen works. I only have one tiny spot in the crook of my arm where I missed slathering it on. If I had not put sunscreen on, I'm sure I'd be in the hospital with bad burns.  The sun was intense ... just the way I like it.

 

Monday morning. Gotta go spread a little joy at work!

 

What did you do last weekend?

 

love, susan

You Say Tomato

Yesterday I posted that I didn't see any tomatoes yet. What a difference a day can make!

 

It is truly the little things in life that thrill me. I found little baby tomatos last night on my topsy-turvy plant. I'm afraid we're going to be up to our arm pits in tomatoes this year because I went crazy planting them in a raised bed along with some containers and the famous topsy turvys. The thing is, I know I can grow 'em. Other things, not so much.

We've been here 5 years now and I'm just dipping my toe into a little gardening. I can see how much fun it can be but it does require time.  Time is something I have right now ... when I'm not working. 

 

What are you growing?

 

love, susan 



Weekend Recap and Gown

Late Friday afternoon I received a text from one of my favorite peeps that a friend in our group of friends was graduating at 7pm, did I want to go be in his cheering crowd. Are you kidding me? Yes, we'll be there.  When they started playing the recording of Pomp & Circumstance, this girl wept. See all those caps & gowns? Those are people who completed their GEDs. Our friend is 30 years and I couldn't be any more proud of him completing his GED than I was when my son graduated from college.  It's a big deal! And, I'm so glad I got to be a part of the cheer squad when he walked up to get his diploma. Of note, he was the first in line.  LOVE THAT!

 

On Friday I also received an invitation by text from another friend for dinner at her house and then a movie.  Are you kidding me?  Yes, we'll be there. After a yummy home-cooked meal and a tour of her back yard to see, among other things, her beautiful cherry tree, we zipped over to the theater to see the new "Star Trek" movie. I'm not a trekkie but LOVED LOVED LOVED this movie. A must see for everyone.

And then, I was poking around in my container garden yesterday and nearly screamed when I saw  this pepper. I swear it was not there the day before. How does that happen?  So exciting. I don't have baby tomatoes just yet but lots of blooms.

 

It was a great weekend and I feel like I got to do a lot of things on the fly. 

 

Remember: it's good to make plans but don't plan the outcome.  I had no plans on Friday morning for my weekend but by just saying YES twice, it made for a great time and I can hardly wait for the next weekend.

love,

susan