Shades of Pink And Ivory

This is one of my favorite flowers. I've forgotten the name, but it reminds me of grandmothers and lace.

It's been fun discovering the varieties of greenery in our new yard. Ferns, hosta, rosebushes, rhododendrons, azaleas, day lilies, water plants, and more.

And there need to be herbs around, so I've already planted lavender and rosemary. Basil is next. Because pesto = food of the gods.

Making Connections

I'm trying to find other people who write poetry in the Vancouver area, so last Thursday, I attended a Poet's Workshop at Fort Vancouver public library. About 9 people showed up and the leader gave us 2 different prompts:

1. Write a six word poem.

2. Fill in the blanks in a poem where most of the words have been removed. This sounds simplistic, but it's actually a good method to add some surprise to the writing. I just forgot to ask which poem the leader cut up--it'd be interesting to compare.

Afterwards, many of us went out for a drink or dinner at a nearby restaurant. I enjoyed connecting with the varied bunch of folks. Quite an age and personality range, from a boisterous high school teacher to a retired pirate type guy who used to cruise around and look for gold in the Caribbean.

While I'm on the topic of poetry, did you know that President Obama is hosting a poetry party at the White House? Good for him!

Also, the Poetry Daily site posts lots of excellent poems.

What's Going On In Vancouver

Just a brief update:

* It's barely over a month since we moved into our north Vancouver neighborhood. The house now has a new roof and I'm still finding roofing nails in odd places like the shrubbery and slats between deck boards. No bare feet outdoors.

* A duo of frogs has taken up residence by the fish pond in our backyard. At first, their "ribbett riddee" sounded quite charming. Now we're getting a bit tired of the constant barrage from their froggy throats. But the funny part -- Murphy thinks a HUGE creature must be making all that HUGE noise -- so when the frogs start up their nightly chorus, he rushes outside to see if he can ambush monsters. If he only knew; these frogs are hardly an inch long!

* I saw my nephew Austin play in a rugby game yesterday. Rugby rules are still unclear to me. But how can the bottom person in the pile (I think it's called a scrum) survive all that squishing?

* People actually say "hi" to strangers here on the street. Almost fainted the first time that happened, after living in Germany for four years.

* There is no good English word to substitute for stau (traffic jam).

* I found some potential walking partners and take my first walk with them tomorrow morning. Yes! After several months of hotel stays and restaurant food, exercise is a priority. Unpacking boxes might fit into the category of aerobic exercise, but I need a little more intensity. Plus it's fun to talk and walk.

* That's all I can think of for the moment.

Further Croatia & Slovenia Photos

A Few Photos of Croatia & Slovenia

Jellopalooza

The strange ways of engineers.

Jeff's work group has declared Monday to be a Jellopalooza day. This means they need to bring in all types of Jello dishes--the weirder, the better. One of the guys Jeff works with has a favorite recipe for Jello mixed with bits of Spam.

See what I mean?

He asked me if I had any ideas for Jello creations, but I have vowed to never eat Jello again--must have overdosed on it in my youth. I do remember pouring an entire box of the stuff over vanilla ice cream and eating it. Thought it a delicacy back then. Ugh!

Any thoughts are welcome. Jello jigglers are a possibility. But not Jello shots; they need to finish the work day in a sober frame of mind.

Hyperlexia Journal

For the past week, I've been unpacking boxes in our new house (circa 1972) and trying to become an official Washingtonian; ie, get my state driver's license, among other things--complicated because my passport is issued in my pre-marriage name, Laura, and our long-absent marriage license cannot be found to prove otherwise--so Vital Records, here I come.

Anyway, it's time to post! The Cutter family hasn't dropped off the side of the earth or morphed into some new dimension, regardless of what you might think.

I have another poem out in a brand new literary journal, Hyperlexia. They post "poetry and prose celebrating the autism spectrum." Take a look.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Happy 40th anniversary to "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle!



Many a bedtime was spent reading this picturebook to our children and waiting while they poked their fingers into each hole the caterpillar had nibbled. I think they used to know the text by heart.

Bright sunny colors, collage, and whimsy--Carle's artwork in a nutshell.

Here's a video of the illustrator and author talking about the making of his well-loved book.

Clementine

I liked the animation on this video for Megan Washington's song, "Clementine." Lovely voice too.

Found it on Lenzi's blog:

http://christylenzi.blogspot.com/

Reflections

"Little Venice" in Colmar, France


Staatstheater in Stuttgart, Germany

Odd Warnings

In our instruction manual for a newly purchased hair straightener (one that heats up after it's plugged in):

"WARNING -- NEVER USE WHILE SLEEPING"

I assume the company's afraid buyers will sleepwalk and then electrocute themselves in the midst of beautifying. All while still deep in sleep, of course.

Fire

"A kind heart he hath. A woman would run through fire and water for such a kind heart."
--William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor

"Poetry is either something that lives like fire inside you -- like music to the musician or Marxism to the Communist -- or else it is nothing, an empty, formalized bore around which pedants can endlessly drone their notes and explanations."
--F. Scott Fitzgerald's letters to his daughter Scottie

"You are ice and fire the touch of you burns my hands like snow"
--Amy Lowell

Strength In What Remains

You can bet I'm snatching this book up the day it comes out from the publisher.



Deo grew up in the mountains of Burundi, and survived a civil war and genocide before seeking a new life in America. In New York City he lived homeless in Central Park before finding his way to Columbia University. But Deo’s story really begins with his will to turn his life into something truly remarkable; he returns to his native country to help people there, as well as people in the United States.

Strength in What Remains is a testament to the power of will and friendship, and of the endurance of the soul.

Murphy Chicken-Legs

One of the family nicknames for our dog is "Murphy Chicken-Legs." If you look even briefly at his photo, you'll see why. Murphy has such cute drumsticks!


Don't know if he's double-jointed or what--but it makes me chuckle when Murphy spreads out on the floor like this. Our tabby cat, Seashell (God rest his soul), used to do it all the time, but I didn't know dogs were as flexible.

Maybe he should take up yoga. And just because I think it's funny, a bonus link for you--found it when I googled chicken legs: Gummy Chicken Legs Candy. I quote their ad: "Nothing hits the spot more than a hearty candy chicken leg!" Uh-huh.

OK. That's enough.

Overheard

Overheard in a conversation about the school nurse at our daughter's high school:

"She's allergic to latex. Oh, and she hates needles and doesn't like blood."

The Singer of Strasbourg

I have an essay online at The Banner -- The Singer of Strasbourg. My piece was accepted awhile ago and then sat in the files, so I was surprised when a friend emailed me today, "Congratulations on your article!"


Nice surprise.

* The stained glass window photo is from inside Strasbourg Cathedral.

Proof

A few photos to prove that the sun does indeed shine in the Northwest in February. Although today, we're back to sheets of rain.


These sculptures stood in the courtyard between a hospital and the medical clinic I visited a few days ago. Vibrant red--a fittlng color for any health facility, eh?

The Open Table - Donald Miller - Sample Clip

I watched this clip and found lots of good stuff to think about. Especially the comments people make re: their perceptions of God and Christians. Funny and sobering at the same time.

***
A couple years ago Donald Miller interviewed about twenty-five friends and asked them each five questions.

1. What did you think of God/Christians before you became a Christian?

2. When did you realize there was a dark or hard side to life?

3. When did you realize there was a dark or hard side to yourself?

4. What did it look like when God broke into your world?

5. What does your life look like now?

He says, "We put together a little book that takes a similar journey, just processing the idea of Jesus from an outsider's perspective. The book is called “The Open Table” and so is the DVD...I hope they end up being used by folks who have questions about faith and specifically Christianity."

THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA by Cynthea Liu

I really enjoyed this book trailer by Cynthea. During her childhood in Oklahoma, people always asked her "Where are you REALLY from?" That question resonates with me too, as an American child who spent her early years in Africa.

Great video for a multicultural book!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to you -- from Murphy and his household.

Since he wasn't allowed to sample the chocolate, we treated Murphy to a few extra bites of his doggie kibbles.

Did you do anything special for Valentine's? I got together with my extended family in Newberg, Oregon. So nice to drive an hour to see them, instead of taking a long Lufthansa flight and all the other hassle!

I do miss Danielle and David, our 2 oldest children, off in Germany and Michigan respectively. See you both in May and I love you guys.