I'd Rather Pick my Nose

A'Pickin' Colors

Awash in bright colors
Drifting away
Aloft in sky blues
Greens carry astray

Aghast that these hues
Create such ado
Affirmed as the choice
Yet I look at anew

Anoint the best shade now
I must be abed!
Another one calls me
I can’t get ahead!

Asleep I should be
But my choices abound
Across the whole spectrum
The options astound!

Afloat in more colors

I wish to avoid -
Appeasing can't happen;

I'm just so annoyed!

Aweigh with the paint chips
Tossed skyward above -
Atop my house floorplan

To land like adove.

Adore where they’ve roosted
I know you’d agree
Aqua should be there
And the browns cast asea.

Amid this confusion
All paint chips aside
Apart from hot pink
The results I’ll abide.

©Donna J.T. Smith, January 29, 2013

I've been trying to pick interior colors for Gull Haven.  It hasn't been easy.
My OLW is "ordered", and this has been the hardest thing to put in order!  This is how I've taken to being able to see if the colors are harmonious...magnetic clips on the refrigerator!  I can see them in different lights during the day and they are in an order so that one paint touches another if it would be seen from a room painted that color.

This is for Kristen at Read, Create, Play!
It looked like she took a picture from my window...

Some snow has fallen off the branches now, but it still looks like we're looking out the same window!

Ms Cabela

 

We went to Cabela's last night.  And look who I saw there!  What an improvement!  I think the gentleman I spoke with last time must have taken my comment about blogging this more seriously than the last three people I spoke to there.   He did a double-take when I told him and said, "Wait.  You are blogging this?"
She is not only sporting a much more up-to-date outfit, but she has developed a bit of an attitude with those new clothes!  Look at that hand on her hip!  I almost didn't recognize her.

She has a nice print top and draped sweater, topping beautiful cream colored slacks. Her brown, leather shoes are practical, but fashionable.  Such an improvement over those clunky black boots she's been wearing for months.  I hope they don't try to sell those boots; they must be pretty stinky by now.

And look how nicely she is accessorizing!  She's got bracelets and even a purse! I don't think she needs a hat.  If only she had eyes, so she could see herself in a mirror now.  It's a good thing she couldn't see herself before though.  I think she would have been disheartened.  Can you be disheartened if you don't have a heart?

I know you would say thank you, if you had a mouth.
You are welcome, Ms Cabela.  Glad to help!  You look maaaah-vell-us.

If you are out of the Cabela's loop, here are the older posts:
1. What Not to Wear...Maine Mannequin
2. Cabela's Again?

Java January

Violet Nesdoly is hosting Poetry Friday today.  Head on over there for thoughts on how "Messy" poetry writing can be, and check out more poetry links!

Here are my contributions to Poetry Friday, a couple odes to morning coffee:

Careful consideration -
    the handle?
    the edge?
    the weight?
must be given to -
    the stripes?
    the words?
    the flowers?
    the animals?
that first morning cup -
    the delicate?
    the rustic?
    the small?
    the tall?
even before my eyes open -
    the old?
    the new?
Somehow it’s always right -
    in my hand!
    filled to the brim!
    the perfect cup!

******************************************************

One might surmise
A double sunrise,
But it’s just
My two eyes
As lids slowly rise
Over the steaming hill
of my cup
Surprise!

Earthquake II

I do not want to know what is happening.

On October 17, 2012, we had an earthquake here.  It was not right here but in western Maine and 6 miles or so below the earth's surface.  I was here alone and thought our boiler must have exploded.  But when no hole appeared in the floor nor did smoke emerge from the basement door, I decided a semi must have somehow crashed through the woods and landed in the side of our garage.  Seeing nothing outside and trying to get more clever, I deduced it must have been a huge accident across the river at the iron works.  But shouldn't there be sirens going off then? Though I'd never experienced an earthquake, and there were no reports on the Internet of an earthquake, and given the fact that Maine rarely has an earthquake, I still came to the conclusion that it had to have been an earthquake. I thought earthquakes were felt and not heard... but no, you hear them, too. 

Then yesterday, we had another.  My husband and I were sitting at the table pretending we were at a very nice coffee shop, surfing the Internet and sipping amazing coffee.  Our dog, Pippi, was lying between our chairs, so our coffee shop was just like home.  All was peaceful and calm and then the explosion occurred.  We looked up from our computers and stared across the table at each other.
"Earthquake," I said evenly.  "Just like last time."
My husband had not felt the last one, having been out of state that day.  This one was not as strong, but being closer - like just across to the next peninsula about 6 miles away, and not as deep - it felt and sounded almost the same.
My first brief thought was that something had exploded out of our basement and was now crashing and rumbling through the woods as it escaped.  Being experienced in the ways of earthquakes now, though, I knew what it was and immediately filed a report on USGS before it was even recorded there. There was an aftershock that rumbled through about ten minutes later that we could hear, but not feel.   The dog was not pleased with any of the earthquakes or aftershocks.  She woke up, lifted her head, and, with some concern on her dog face, quietly looked in the direction the rumbling seemed to be headed both times.

In Maine, they have explained that when we have an earthquake, because of the old rocks - the ledge that goes on forever underground here - the earthquake does not have to be of great magnitude to be awe inspiring.  The vibrations travel for hundreds of miles and are loud, due to that huge granite base we are sitting upon.

For hours after these earthquakes, our dog was on high alert.  She paced back and forth last night, trying to stay as close to my husband as possible all evening.  She went down the hall to the office and watched him from the doorway and finally went in and laid down.  She is usually content to sleep out by me as I work around the kitchen or play on the computer.  But not last night.  It seemed she was either concerned about not being able to see both of us in case of another earthquake, or she was actually sensing more aftershocks than we were able to detect.

I will be right here if you need me.

This morning at breakfast, she was especially quick to take up her post under the table.  She never begs, and she doesn't look for dropped food there (though if droppage occurs, she takes care of it).  She just likes being close.

In general, she seems a more relaxed today.  Maybe we can relax for a while, too.  The earthquake aftershocks must be over.  She really doesn't care what I'm doing today.  Napping 'til noon sounds good all around!  I'll open the coffee shop later. 

Cabela's Again?

From this...

To this!

No, not again.  You said it wouldn't be.  You said she'd be dressed better.  You said just wait; you'd fix her outfit.

I'm not thinking a new hat makes this outfit better.

And not only that....

but the hand with the broken finger....

it's gone entirely.

And not just the finger -  and not the hand -

but her whole arm.

Her right cuff is cleverly unrolled now concealing that sad fact.

Each time I've gone in, I've mentioned the mannequin to a salesperson there.  In December, I talked to a person who seemed quite concerned about the mannequin's appearance and asked when I'd be in again.  I told her I might be in just after Christmas.  So she said she'd make sure something was done to help this pathetic excuse for a mannequin.  Well, she didn't use quite those words, but her eyes told me she understood.

Mannequins are supposed to be the epitome of style, the wearers of the latest fashion, the model to which we should aspire.  But I guess if your mannequin has a small head, gray skin tone, no hair,  no eyes, no ears, no mouth and lacks appendages...well, maybe not.

I swear, I will dress her up next time I'm in there.  That last guy that I talked to said I could...

Happy New Year!

We've had a few snowstorms lately, and they sure do seem to mess up life and schedules.  So - an observation for consideration from my window:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our new year may seem
Like a mess to us now
But God’s hand is in it
And He's got a snowplow.

He's tidied the way

And made the path clear

Now all I must do

Is stay on it this year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy 2013!
  

This is my Slice of Life for the first Tuesday of the year.  Thank you Ruth and Stacey for hosting this on your Two Writing Teachers blog.  I have enjoyed almost two years of posting on Slice of Life.  Though I'm retired now, I still enjoy reading of the daily life of teachers. I think like being a doctor or lawyer, when you retire you are still one.  I identify myself as a retired teacher.  Once a teacher, always a teacher.  I've just added things to my repertoire lately that I didn't have time for before!

Wow!  Just checked!  It's my 300th post today!