Isn't Life Ironic?

 Last night, after months of painstaking work with the most difficult yarn I've ever handled, I finally finished this blue shawl.

After three days of chilled rainy weather (yesterday it positively poured) I finished this warm garment just in time for the return of typical summer heat. Oh well. I love summer, and though it will be a while before I'll get to use my new shawl, I'll be content in my Hawaiian dresses until the fall.

As my next knitting project, I think I shall knit a Sontag, a soft, pink one for my Mom, which she's been requesting ever since we saw Little Dorrit. 

But first...

...I think I need to tidy and organize my work basket. But not today.

Today I have a full day. First I have a meeting with the Harold B. Pricklepants Society to discuss our current read, The Dean's Watch by Elizabeth Goudge. (Just the title is compelling, with its multiple meanings.) Then later in the afternoon, if all goes as planned, I will be going to the movies with my sisters to see a truly masterful cinematic work that we have been looking forward to.

Monster's University!!!

The First Day of Summer

It's the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year! After a few weeks of chilly Norway summer (as my Mom affectionately calls it) I'm once again ready for summer's heat. Not to mention the flowers.

While discovering all these treasures in the garden I also discovered how addicting it can be snapping pictures of such a beautiful place.

Runty is not as cute as the puffy little chicks that are everywhere this year (see my sister's blog, Pursuing a Jeffersonian Education, for chick details) but he's still a fine figure of a bird.

Tonight we will celebrate the longest day of the year by spending a late evening outdoors, feasting, talking, laughing, and maybe even a little swim.

Beauty is all around us, outside...

...and in. 

Happy first day of Summer!

"That was Magic."

Some days I just wish I were a different person, that I had a different personality or different talents. Writing or playing music when you are not enthusiastic can be so very difficult. I try to force myself and sometimes it's a disaster. Other times it rewards me and makes me feel lively again. Sometimes all it takes is to say, "You know what, I'm not going to play my harp today. I'll play another time when I really want to." Other times all I have to do is sit down before that angelic instrument and I'm at home.

There was something all wrong about yesterday. Perhaps it was the fact that my Dad was away on a Wednesday when he usually only goes away on Tuesdays. Maybe I'm still getting used to my sister living in the house next door. The house is different with her moved out. And maybe I was just having a bad day.

My harp needed to be played, I try not to go more than two days without playing it under any circumstances and I know I hadn't played it the day before, but I was uninspired. I told myself I would just play a few songs, no need for a concert. So I did.

A few days before I had pulled out some classical pieces that had not seen daylight for quite some time. My repertoire includes classical music, some Celtic, hymns, show tunes, and popular songs. (Show tunes and pop songs are my favorites.) Classical music has pretty much always been my least favorite category, even to the point of my detesting some of the pieces I had to learn in the days of lessons. But you can't eat chocolate croissants and strawberries all the time. Every now and then you need some wholesome wheat bread, cheese, and vegetables. Sometimes the pop songs are not enough for me, and I need the nourishment of old classical music.

As I played through a Sonatina by J.L. Dussek, Automn by Marcel Grandjany, and Etude de Concert by Marcel Tournier, I remembered how beautiful they were. The strings made a sound, light and tinkling, that could summon fairies. Again I wondered, as I have too many times, "Why don't I play these more often? They're beautiful."

When I strummed the final flourish of Etude de Concert, my Mom came into the room (turns out I had summoned a fairy!) and asked me what I had just played. When I told her, she said, "That was magical." I wholeheartedly agreed.

This is Victoria.

 

I've Moved to France!





 Without leaving my house at all! Our home has been undergoing some changes. My older sister and cousin are moving into the guest house nextdoor. Both my parents used to have offices there but have recently moved them back to our home base.

This lovely curtain, depicting a French cafe, used to hide the sliding mirror closet doors in my Mom's office, but since she doesn't need them now, and I just so happen to have closet doors identical to those in her previous office, they've been given to me. I think they add a lovely new touch to my room.

As of last night my room has undergone several small renovations. Aside from the curtains we moved some pictures,

 

 

 and with help from Elizabeth, I even redid the space on my dresser.

 

 

 



 It is now almost solely devoted to music (something I'm sure I can't live without) and is a lot less cluttery. I think it looks much better than before.

As to the rest of the house, Mom and I have been unpacking and moving the unbelievable collection of books we've accumilated, and Dad has been relocating a piece or two of artwork. (Mom collects books, Dad collects artwork.)

Mom's new tea library.

A lot of books stacked against an upstairs hallway wall. Soon we'll have bookshelves for them.

And Daddy's art gallery.
 



Too Lazy

 Lately I have been just too lazy to blog. Too many good books to read, games to play, movies to watch... same old same old.

I am also too lazy to post pictures of my recent trip to Hawaii, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it was wonderful. We stayed on the quiet North Shore of Oahu, in a welcoming condo not twenty feet away from a sandy beach and the pounding waves of the ocean. Yep, it was paradise. The week went far too quickly for all of us, with drives around the beautiful island, visits to Waikiki (and the worst traffic I have ever seen!), and walks on every beach we could find. I even swam in the ocean for the first time, in what turned out to be a very dangerous part of the ocean at that time of the afternoon. It was pretty choppy but I came out of it okay. And we saw at least six sea turtles in the water! One morning we saw one right on the beach outside our condo, just hanging out waiting for the tide to come in.

But our Aloha time on the island ran out! Or did it? Mom, Aunt Cindy and I packed plenty of Aloha in our suitcases in the form of Hawaiian dresses, jewelry, and flowers for our hair and vowed to bring the Aloha home. Hence my blog, along with the rest of my life, is on island time. Aloha!

  

"Judge me by my blog, do you?"

Would anyone who just reads my blog (pink, books, flowers) guess that I really like Star Wars? (of which there is nothing pink or flowery about, and not a single book in sight!) But I do!

A few weeks ago I got an itch to watch Stars Wars. So on a Thursday night, when my parents were going out on their Thursday night date and Elizabeth to her evening accounting class, I asked Rachel if she wanted to watch episode IV. Incredibly enough, the resident Avengers/Tron fan did not really want to! But that did not stop me from putting it on and watching it, and Rachel decided to stay and watch part of it while she had dinner, which turned into staying and watching the whole thing.

Of course watching episode IV made me want to watch episode V, and of course you can't watch episode V without watching episode VI. (Actually I did once watch episode V without finding time to ever watch episode VI, so poor Han Solo was left frozen in carbonite for a really long time.) Anyway, so the next time my parents went out Rachel and I watched episode V, and then just last night finished with episode VI. My, it was intense!

I've seen IV-VI several times (I like IV the best, naturally,) and episode I as many or more times. (Unlike most people, I saw that one first.) But I've never seen II and III, and neither has Rachel. So we've decided to keep going and watch I, II, and III. I have it all worked out so we should be able to finish all three before Mom and I leave for Hawaii.

Meanwhile, Rachel has been keeping an internet eye on Star Wars Legos (perhaps she will add some to her growing collection) and I have been driving her crazy with my frequent Yoda imitations. ("Annoy her, I do. Mmm?")

Also, remember her league of Avengers frogs?  They've just been joined by a young Jedi frog named Luke Flystalker. 

Picture courtesy of Rachel. I'm still just figuring cameras out.

A Garden Walk

I was born loving gardens. I have been taking garden walks since I could walk. When we first moved to our current residence I almost refused to stay altogether because there was no garden and no green grass. But soon my green-thumbed mother remedied that, and today we have an even larger garden than before to stroll through.

Spring is here and everywhere I look I see life in the form of little green leaves and flowers of all colors bursting out! Come and see the garden with me.

That is an amazing color!

The roses are just putting on their leaves.

Don't go past the lamppost, or you'll leave Narnia!

Where there are flowers...

...there are fairies!

I wonder what's around the corner.

Another Fairy Bookworm!

Our walking companion.

This tree almost overwhelms me with its beauty.

Look at those blossoms.

And finally a look at Elizabeth's vegetable garden. Here we have red cabbage and kale,

a trellis for the sugar snap peas,

and garlic.

Have we come to the end already? Garden time must be faster than regular time. Don't forget to come back in June, when the roses will certainly be on parade.