Thursday, July 31, 2008

Journal for Daddy.

I've added a slide show of the papers made from grocery bags that I'm going to use to make a journal of thoughts and photos of my dad. (Picasa album at left - click on it to see the paper.)
As usual, I was too hard on myself about the coloring I did on the paper. They turned out pretty cool after they dried. I didn't like the silly trees I ended up painting on one page, but then I thought they might make a perfect cover - the trees might symbolize the new landscape he discovered in Oregon, coming here from dry, dusty Texas.
The blue block I was stamping and swirling the paint on with turned out to be lovely toward the end. I might want to frame it - femminismo

One Day Later ...

GOT TO catch up. Just got to! Let's see ... where was I? Telling you about our trip to Ellensburg, of course. I wanted to show you this first picture to make you dizzy. It makes me dizzy. The Mister took it while we were going over the Columbia River. (We're sort of mixing up the photo pics here.)
I took a picture of my favorite band, Hot Club Sandwich, but because I'm shy (there are those who would dispute this) I didn't want to get up in front of the crowd and snap away.
I did get this picture of "Neon Blond" Ellen Whyte. She is a bundle of jazzy energy with a great voice. She performed Friday evening, after we had dinner. We also saw Kolvane and the Rose City Kings who played blues.
Then we went to Judy's house where she fixed the 11 p.m. french toast for the next morning. Got up next day, Saturday, to the great breakfast, drove to town and walked around, listened to Greta Matassa (great singer) Little Bill & the Bluenotes (wow!) and Hot Club Sandwich - and then had a sandwich, dessert (the intravenous chocolate) and listened to more music. We got home at 1 a.m.
It was so nice at the log cabin all we wanted to do was sleep in the sun. We ended up taking a walk around their property and listening to the wind in the pine trees. Oh, so restful.
Looking down on another piece of property the view of their pond and the mountains were awesome. No wonder - even with the wind - they like Ellensburg.
Here is their "cabin" in the woods. It's not much, but they call it home.
Then, because I twisted her arm, Judy let me take her picture in her "Audrey Hepburn coat" from Santa Monica. One of those things she tried on, didn't buy and then had to have. After a conversation with the store owner it's now hers. I swear it was made for her. She and I both have outfits - special ones - and no place to wear them. Maybe one day we'll go to the opera together. Here's Audrey!
The Mister and I reluctantly headed home, with me requesting one stop at an old service station we had seen coming into town on Umtanum Canyon Road.
As I snapped away - digitally - the Mister said, "What do you think? Could we fix it up?"
Oh, wouldn't I like to! You would need more money than sense, however, and lots and lots of energy.
Here's the river down the canyon. Very pretty and lots of rubber rafts floating down the creek that day.
Then before we knew it (well, our numb butts could have told us how long we drove) we could see Mt. Hood in the distance. Back in Oregon and headed for our own little home and the chores we'd left waiting for us. We had fun, though, and we're eager to do it all again next year.
If you're still with me, thanks for staying 'til the end - femminismo

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

So Much To Tell ... So Much To Show.

I HAVE lots and lots of pictures from my trip to Ellensburg. You've seen the one photo shot in the dark while the jazz band played - down below in the last post. We also got to see some of the town, have breakfast made by my sister, Judy, who's a registered dietician - but don't worry: She will let you "sin" occasionally.
Here she is making us french toast at 11 p.m. What a trouper! Caramel sauce on the bottom, fresh peaches next, thick sliced french bread and then eggs, milk and flavoring mixed together and poured over the top. Refrigerate all night and she cooked it next morning. What a smell to get a person out of bed!
There were six hummingbirds at a time buzzing around the feeder outside the dining room window and four baby birds waiting for Mama.
One more picture and then it's time for bed. Gotta' go to work tomorrow!
See what I mean about letting a person sin? We had this luscious chocolate cake (divided between Judy, the Mister and me) after a good lunch and a walk around town. Three forks and three cups of coffee finished it off in pretty good time.
More tomorrow in the Ellensburg installment - femminismo

p.s. The labels below for this post are in no way suggested as ingredients for a meal!

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Whooeee! Fun and Jaaazzzzy!

WARM summer night, the perfect dance partner and wild rock 'n' roll. I'll tell you later what happened in between leaving and arriving back home.
What fun, what food, what jazz!
My sister entertained us royally and we felt very special in breezy, jazzy Ellensburg.
I can't wait until next year so we can go again.
Right now it's good to be back home and off the highway. We were lucky to have a trouble free ride home and are now ready for a good night's sleep and work tomorrow. (Well, that last part was a lie. Never "ready" for work on Monday!) - femminisomo

Friday, July 25, 2008

Off On A Short Trip - But Not To The Drive-in.

REMEMBER those drive-in movies with the speakers you put on the window's edge? The incredibly bad food (bad as in chock full of cholesterol)? The giggling? The gawking at who's with who? The summer nights of romance and sometimes bad choices?
The car full of small kids with the hassled couple in the front? (That would be my parents.)
I never saw this Robert Mitchum (ooh la la!) movie - to my knowledge - but it caught my eye. I love his nose and chin. He always looked like the bad boy, for sure!
The Mister and I are off on a short road trip today. We're going to Ellensburg, Wash., to participate in Jazz in the Valley, a series of concerts throughout town.
We'll also get pampered by my sister - with food, food and more food.
Road trip, road trip. Five hour drive!
We'll be safe and you do the same - femminismo
p.s. We'll see one of my favorite bands - Hot Club Sandwich. Check out their site.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

The Little Girl/Boy In Us All.

SOME days, it's easy to connect with that part of us that waited and watched the grownups as they went about their days taking care of us. Doing almost everything for us, watching over our every move. Cautioning us. Controlling us.
We dug our heels in from time to time and proved to be a royal pain in the ass, but - for the most part - those were the good old days. Nothing much to worry about.
Spelling words learned. Read, write, do a few math problems. Pose for a few pictures like this little girl at the left. Kiss aunts and uncles - even if they had bad breath or bristly whiskers.
What were our dreams back then? Have we remembered them? Do they still mean something to us?
As I watch the calendar pages fly past - summer will be gone before I know it - soon I'll be feeling that old "pull," that instinct, to buy notebook paper, a new wool skirt and sweater and a brand new box of Crayola crayons.
September always brings that special smell in the air and a feeling of change and excitement, no matter how old I get. I'm ready to go back to school! This fall I will accomplish something special. I can feel it in my bones - femminismo

Monday, July 21, 2008

Off On A New Tangent - Look Out!

SEE that little widget over there on the left? The one that says StoryToolz?
It is a Web site that supposedly improves your writing, making you Ernest Hemingway overnight.
Well, realistically, it actually doesn't make that claim. However you can "deposit" what you've typed into your blog and find out the intellectual level your readers should possess before they attempt to read your pithy submissions.
I took the last blog entry and fed it into the StoryToolz "checker" and found out that the education level my readers would need is FIFTH GRADE! I hope everyone is up to that. If you've been having any trouble, please let me know.
I'm a little disheartened, which is why you will find larger words in this entry. I'm chastising myself for not challenging my readers a little more. If only I had perceived there might be problems ahead.
StoryToolz also "graded" me on how many paragraphs were in my entry. Since Blogger doesn't allow paragraph indents, I had one long paragraph with lots of words. The StoryToolz automatic grader must think I'm an idiot. Perhaps I am, but I intend to use the tools on this Web site to improve my writing. I haven't been doing much of it lately, except for the blog entries, and that really should change.
But, I digress. (Now that word should be worth something!) One of the tools I really like is the plot generator. The Web site will give you three elements to a story and you take it from there. During Nanowrimo I can not think of a tool that would be more beneficial. (Another word score with that one.)
Tell you what: Since it's 9 p.m. on the desktop clock, I'm going to sign off for now. I can't wait to enter the contents of this blog and see what I score - or actually, what you score. (I'm gone now for a second.)
Instantly done! We're up to sixth-grade level. I can feel your excitement. On one of the readability scores, we were approaching eighth-grade level! Overall, however, we were only up to sixth.
I guess I'll read the dictionary tonight before bed - femminismo
P.S. Incidentally, if you sign up for StoryToolz, mention my name, OK?

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Stencil Breakthrough ... and Break Out!

BREAKING through and breaking out! It's a hot summer day today, and while we don't have air conditioning, it is still cooler inside than out right now. Ideal for artwork, but not for house cleaning. Well, studio cleaning ... yes, I've done that. I can't believe how many pencils, pens and crayons I have. But that's usually because I can't find anything and I have to go buy more.
With this recent burst of organization, however, those days of "more" be over. I am ending up organizing myself and not leaving it to the Mister, who has enough of his own stuff to do. He's moving into the new garage/shop and I will inherit the old garage off the dining room. I can't wait to have room to spread out ... but I must improve my work habits. Wish me luck.
Thanks to Judy Wise for posting on stencils (search her blog for "Tweaked" if you don't see it). She included a photo of the process and it made it a lot clearer for me. So I printed a photo and set to work. It's a picture of someone who reads this blog often, so let's see if she recognizes herself. : )
I then cut out slivers around the figure like Judy did and realized how you have to think ahead about the positive and negative space you create.
Here's the photo stamped with ink. I didn't want to spray paint the image since it smells so bad and I didn't want to take time to lay down newspapers. OK. I was real lazy.
After I had stamped it all over - and it took a while because the slivers I had cut away were small and only defined the person in the photograph just a little - I peeked from time to time to see how I was doing.
Then voila! Here is the little girl in the photo. Who could she be?
This was really fun and will, now, certainly not be the only stencil I do. I can see where I need to improve.
Hooked on so many things. My list of "to do's" keeps getting longer.
By the way, the photo at the beginning of the blog entry is of the computer room at work. It is usually kept locked, since it's the heart and brains of all the computers in the newsroom. I thought I saw a visitor who might be up to no good, however. (That's right - it's a monkey in the works. No wonder Jim brings a banana to work every single day!)
Here, also, for an ending, is a photo of the "other side" of the woman painted on glass. I turned it around yesterday and was surprised to see how different she had become from the "person" she was when I started. Hope you've got good weather where you are and something fun to keep your mind and hands busy - femminismo
P.S. Almost forgot this intriguing flower I saw at Sylvia's house. It's a hoya - a 10 foot long, or longer, vine. Inside plant. Check it out by clicking on the image for a closer look. The flower petals have little tiny hairs on them. Before the flower blooms the tiny petals look almost metallic. It's one of those plants - like the passion flower - that could be placed in a "Star Trek" episode and they would fit right in.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Project Updates ... Breaking News.

COLOR! Ooh la la! Color!
Even when I'm not bold enough to dress in it myself, I'll put it on paper ... or glass.
Here is the update on my Window Lady.
I think she's done. There's a touch of the 60s about here, what with the flowers in her hair.
Shellac ... varnish ... some sort of preservative must go over her, since I plan to hang her outside in the garden. Candace suggested two coats of whatever I do. JoAnn said try it on something else first, just in case. I think I will do that.
The local PBS affiliate in Oregon has a show called Oregon Art Beat and I was surprised to learn that a local artist, Gregory Grenon, also paints women's portraits on glass. I'm going to watch the show this Thursday and hopefully pick up some pointers. His women aren't in the same style as mine. His are very fierce looking - most anyway.
I have also, sort of, finished the Lady Picture for Sylvia. Here it is. I'm not happy with the nose, but then I'm never happy - entirely - with what I turn out, so what else is new.

I've also been playing with the paper bag book that I'm working on. Yesterday and today I got a few pages painted. As you can see, the plain brown paper is no more on four of these sheets. I like the crinkled paper texture and plan to do stamping on them and other work to "mess" them up a bit more. I am thinking of using this book to do a "Tribute to My Father" book.
Now, after saying that, I'm not sure if I shouldn't have left them plain brown paper - since he was a real "guy" kind of guy. Not a pink, orange or glitter sort of fellow.
I may have to rethink this approach. I don't have all the plain brown paper painted yet, so I won't have to undo a lot of it. Hmmm. Rough and tough, smoked Camels, fought in the war, worked the land on a tractor, milked cows, fixed cars.
This may turn out to be a different sort of book altogether. I'll have to change my palette, me thinks - femminismo

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Hot, Hot Weekend in Oregon.

YES, it's finally been warm again. Another two days in the 90s or high 80s, anyway. But enough about the weather. Let me tell you what I've been doing, which is why this blog is here.
I'll catch you up on breakfast, Friday, which was a summer meal so gorgeous I had to take a picture. I seem to photograph my food on a regular basis. That might be good for a food or diet blog ... . I will try and resist the urge if it hits again. Promise.
Saturday the Mister worked on a small trailer to haul things around. Hot work, but he was able to stay in the shade most of the day. He's putting sides on the trailer.
Meanwhile, I finally took a look at the curtains in our small travel trailer, which spent much of its youth in New Mexico. In its middle age, it sat at a home near ours until - finally - someone put a "for sale" sign in its window. The Mister drove by and saw an opportunity and so we are now reaping the trailer's senior years. Well, it needed new curtains ... among other things.
This is the before shot - curtains over the small sink. They have truly seen better days, haven't they?
I found some material I had bought a couple (or maybe five) years ago. Imagine that! A pack rat like me having such a large piece of this material that I could make curtains and still have enough left for napkins or a tablecloth.
Well, here are the new curtains, already blowing in the breeze over the trailer sink. Adorable, with flowers, dragonflies, tulips, etc. Lots of "nature," which we love.
The clematis and daisies below have arranged a nice marriage, haven't they? I like this photo. The hot sun didn't discourage them a bit today.
I worked on my Window Lady today. I don't have a photo, but will soon.
No camping this weekend, but I can't say we rested either. Have a good Monday - femminismo

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Oh, Poor Me! Poor Me!

IT'S one of those nights when I'm feeling pretty worthless, insignificant, uninspired and sorry for myself. And there's only one cure for that ... go make something with my hands.
I remembered the large amount of grocery bags to be recycled and felt my hands itch as I recalled a technique Judy Wise used to make a book from grocery bags.
Search her blog (upper left-hand corner) for "more stuff" or click here. Scroll down and you'll see her ripping apart grocery bags and then soaking them in water ... just like the ones above.
I like to really wrinkle them up by quickly soaking them and then squishing them in my hand. Dunk them again in the water until they are soaked through. Squeeze as much water out as you can and then hang them up somewhere so they can dry.
I have eight 10 x 15 1/2 inch pieces of paper drying in the garage. So my book would have 32 pages (four pages would be taken up for the cover, front-inside, back-inside). I think I want a bigger book, so tomorrow morning I'll tear a few more bags apart.
I have one pretty thing to post and then I'm out of here for the night.
The magnolia tree is now in bloom. It is the most wonderful tree, even though it sheds a bazillion leaves in the summer and fall. The older leaves fall off and are replaced, but I will gladly rake up the "castoffs" for the greenery the tree provides year round and the summertime blooms which smell like exotic places I'd like to be - femminismo
p.s. Something that made me smile today: A new lily in an unexpected place
Something that made me happy: A spontaneous hug I got.
Something beautiful I saw: Hosta leaves.
Something wonderful I felt: Warm summer breezes.
Something great I smelled: Warm chai tea.
Something I thought about all day: A dream I had last night about an old boyfriend.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Dinner in the Summertime ...

THANK you, Sylvia!
Our refrigerator has not been working and the repairman finally got by today to take a look-see. Needs a fan, it turns out, which may be available next week!!
It was very warm today. We thought about going out to eat but we were too tired and lazy.
We have a tiny little shop refrigerator* and it didn't have much in it. Thanks to neighbor Sylvia for the golden raspberries that added a lot to our cantaloupe and grilled hamburgers.
There was a nice breeze out and now it's cooled off some more. The things we take for granted, like refrigerators and clean running water ... we are so lucky! Generous neighbors are hard to find too.
I hope you are well fed tonight and shared a meal with a friend or loved one. Life is good - femminismo
*Usually lives in the shop and holds beer and pop - you probably have one yourself.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Into The Nettle Patch ... and Out

OWIE, ouch, ouch, ouch! No longer can I brag of my prowess on the "balance beam" on the property. I took a fall off the four foot high log and landed in the nettle patch.
My arms and hands are still stinging.
I somehow twirled in space and landed on my back parallel to the log.
I landed on my right side - shoulder and back of my noggin colliding with the ground. The Mister heard my whoops as I tried to keep my balance. "Are you all right?" he yelled.
I was still taking inventory.
"I guess so," I said. I waited a while for my mind to catch up with my flight. Fear not. The camera still worked. That was most important right then. I didn't want to go under the log and I couldn't go over. I staggered to the path I'd made along the creek and then walked up to check in with him. He was working on a roof for the outhouse.
He didn't seem too concerned when I told him about the nettle patch. "Well, you made it up here by yourself, didn't you?" I couldn't deny that.
I know what you're thinking: He's cold hearted and not much of a gentleman. (And he looks so nice in his pictures.)
Well, he was right. I did seem to be able to walk and talk - both at the same time. So I guess I will live. We'll see how lively I am tomorrow jumping out of bed. (The fall happened today, Sunday.)
The wild sweet peas were blooming on our way down the road to the property on Saturday. They love the sunshine.
I found the pale leaf laying on the path above the bridge. Looks like it didn't get its share of nourishment and fell from the tree.
We set up camp to stay the night and had to put up the tent because it was "Oregon sprinkling." It stopped around 6 p.m. For dinner I wrapped up potatoes, carrots, onions and red snapper in foil and they cooked over the fire. Oh, sitting around the campfire eating that delicious stuff - with caramelized onions. Yum!
Didn't see any stars by 10 p.m. but it was time for bed. Sort of cool that evening. The flannel sleeping bag felt good.
The next morning, while the Mister started a fire, I went for a walk up at the sunny entrance to the property to look over the berry situation. I found only a few wild blackberries - which I like the best- but they're not quite ripe yet. There were lots of Himalayan berries coming into flower and they're sort of pretty blooms, aren't they?
When I got back to camp I mixed up some pancakes, adding vanilla to it like a woman at the grocery store told me she did. Ooh la la! These pancakes were delicioso! With the fried egg on top and a nice warm fire - and a cup of black coffee - I was in heaven.
The Mister is a good cook. He also wanted to make sure his hair looked OK. Guess he thinks he's a big blog star now that he's made the big time on mine.
I don't know how I'll keep him humble. Especially after you see the outhouse he's building. For now it must remain unseen, because there's no picture. But soon, I guarantee.
It was a busy weekend. Sometimes it seems there's too much work and not enough time to just do nothing.
The faster life goes, the faster we seem to go to make the time we have left go further.
I'm not sure that's the best way to do it, but that's how I seem to be dealing with the fleeting chances I have to do everything I want to do.
I feel as if I wasted so much time while I was young that I want the chance to get a whole lot of things done before I have to say adios.
I did work on art while I was up in the woods, if you can believe that! Here you go. Two painted journal pages - with no writing ... yet. The yellow leaf atop the ferns caught my eye on the way out. While the Mister locked the gate I took one last photo of our good time.
By the way, while we were sitting by the fire at lunch - before we left today - the Mister fell out of his folding chair. After my fall, and his lack of concern, I had to laugh. In fact, I laughed so hard I peed my pants. There! My first and last admission of such an occurrence! We have a lot of fun laughing together and today was no exception - femminismo

Saturday, July 5, 2008

This Must Be Quick

WE are about to go camping, but I can not leave without posting pictures.
First, can you spot froggie? It's not too difficult, but I almost missed him sitting on a Joe Pye weed leaf.
Thought you'd catch him. I love the persistence of the bluebell that forced its way to the sun amidst this thick growth. It got a head start on Joe Pye and didn't lose any time before blooming.
The lamb's ears are at a good stage right now, with the little purple flowers looking fresh and perky.
I don't know the name of this rose. It was here when we bought the place. I adore the way the light shines through the petals. The little tiny specks are bugs that seem to mostly sit around until something bigger eats them (I hope).
We had a mystery lily come up. I wondered what it would look like. The pendulous flower had me wondering.
I didn't have to wonder for long. The next day (!) I came out - today - and there was the flower in full bloom.
Have you seen these before? There's a tiny wild variety - columbine? something like that - that I see very rarely nowadays.

One last photo of something I'm working on for Sylvia. Shh! Don't tell her, OK? She has been so good about sharing her chicken's eggs and her strawberries - femminismo

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Voodoo Doughnut Day At Work

THURSDAY: The day I first tasted Voodoo Doughnuts. It was only one small slice of a powdered sugar doughnut with red filling ... that tasted, well ... red.
I shortly discovered the curse of the doughnuts. White powder on my pants even though I had been extra careful.
Here is the very photogenic Mac B. tasting the Voodoo Doughnut with Froot Loops. We'll have to see on Monday, after the holiday weekend, if Mac was visited by any strange occurrences.
I only know I got some strange looks, and I thought my pants were being admired until I noticed the white powder. Heeerrrrreesss Mac.
Jim M. had the sugar glazed maple bar (don't know if it had bacon in it, or not) but he was not seen for a while after consuming the doughnut. Off on a "sugar buzz," he wuzz.
Meanwhile, work colleague Christa S. has almost completed her version of Alice in Wonderland as a wedding gift for friends.
She did a fantastic job. Throughout the black and white drawing - done entirely by her - were reflections of Alice in the hooka and the teapot and a couple other places.
Alice is the only person in the drawing who is in color. I love it. Absolutely love it.
She says the Wizard of Oz is next on her list to illustrate. I can not wait.
Christa is very, very talented.
Jim and Kay came over to visit tonight and it was good to see them again. They come here from Montana more often since they now have one of those magical grandchildren in the area.
For the complete, hilarious story of Voodoo Doughnuts, check out the imbedded link - femminismo
Happy 3rd of July. I hear fireworks going off everywhere on our street right now as I type.
Lovely. ) : (
I can only imagine what tomorrow night will be like. Maybe we'll go to a movie.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

This Should Be The Way It's Done.

GOT this "sticker" from Candace and it fits the project I have in mind. There are millions of solutions in the world, and war shouldn't even be on the list. Oops! More later when I get back from volunteering at Valley Art Gallery.
Well, I'm back. Didn't even miss me, did you? It was First Wednesday Downtown and the Farmers Market was set up with lots and lots of vendors. Our gallery also had an artist's reception for Sue Orlaske and Ginger Steele. The first is a wonderful painter; the second, a potter. I'm sure, however, they both do other artwork also.
I made fake shortcake with purchased bulk almond cookies, Cool Whip on top and blueberries with strawberry glaze (purchased). Red, white and blue treat for Fourth of July. Easy and cool. Put some lavender I snipped from the garden around the plate and it almost looked gourmet. (No picture. I wasn't thinking, I guess.)
That was a lovely comment from Alicia further down the imaginary "page." It was about advice you'd give to someone younger than you on how to be happy, fulfilled, etc. I've got to agree with her father's advice of money giving you freedom. Enough, but not a lot. I wouldn't want my relatives hinting around to find out if they're in my will and always inquiring about my health in a negative way: "Gosh, you look tired. Are you all right?"
Anyway, thanks Candace and Alicia. I love folks who comment when they stop by. Hint, hint. (I'd like to get to know my visitors.)
On a different note: I haven't picked up filthy trash in the streets lately (I went through a phase of doing this), but today I found something I couldn't resist. It was when I left the art gallery and found this on the street. I've circled what caught my eye. I think it will look good in one of my art journals and remind me what I've signed on for.
Our refrigerator is on the fritz and I stopped on the way home to pick up two blocks of ice for the cooler that's holding our food. While in line I struck up a conversation with a very fun woman. She admired my earrings and we talked about the clerk up ahead and whether he was in training or not, then she showed me the vanilla she had a question about. (The small one cost more than the big one.) She had butter and vanilla - and lots of other groceries - so I said, "You must be making cookies or a cake."
"No," she said. "I put the vanilla in my pancake and waffle mix."
I'm guessing the butter (real butter) goes on the pancakes. Double yum!
I want to know this woman better, but we didn't exchange any vital information about addresses or phone numbers. Shucks! But this Fourth of July, when we go camping again, we will definitely be making pancakes and I'll bring along the vanilla.
So today I had a great conversation in the grocery line, a man I didn't know helped me by quickly picking up a bag of ice for me that fell from the freezer, I saw an almost brand new baby - Jasper - I'll show you a picture here, and I saw lots of people I know and like, and I got my rented DVD back to the store on time. (I watched "The Orphanage" or "El Orphanato," directed by Juan Antonio Bayona and "presented" by Guillermo del Toro. Has overtones of "Pan's Labyrinth." Intense and moving. I watched it a-l-o-n-e. You might not want to do this.)
I thought about my granddaughter today and laughed out loud. Last Sunday at my daughter's house, she ended up on the couch with me, her head in my lap as I played with her hair. It was about a Zillion Suns hot outside and I had on a short sleeved blouse and was talking away. Suddenly I felt Cassie's hand under my arm.
She was lifting the skin under my arm (commonly known as the "Grandma arm" section, since it's the part that waggles along with Grandma's hand as she waves goodbye to the family). She was lifting it and then watching it very intently as it immediately drooped back down as soon as she let go of it.
It was so funny. I told her someday when she was a grandma she would remember this and laugh too. I hope you saw friends today, met someone new or had a stranger do a favor. Let me know if you did - femminismo