Saturday, March 30, 2013

2 Quotes, 1 Visual #21

Between 'The Clairvoyant Countess' & 'Kaleidoscope' is 'The Tightrope Walker'.  Another tale told in a gentle manner, ripe with characters being Characters, not caricatures.  Another favorite where choices are made & a life is actively led.

Quote 1: ' Sometimes I think we're all tightrope walkers suspended on a wire two thousand feet in the air, and so long as we never look down we're okay, but some of us lose momentum and look down for a second and are never quite the same again: we know.'   (page 9-10, paragraph 1)
  Neatly explaining the title & the main characters' motivation.

Quote 2: ' "It gave me a certain feeling," I said, choosing words cautiously, "and out of this feeling came the idea that maybe life isn't meant to be easy, that it's a kind of pilgrimage or testing ground, and we have to fight like warriors to live.  I mean to live well.:" '   (page 95, paragraph 4)
      Amelia speaks of *her* favorite  book, & how it impacted her life.

1 Visual: 'I pushed the buzzer and the woman who opened the door at number 305 looked as if she'd never experienced an inadequate moment in er life.  She was easily six feet tall, an Amazon of a woman with a face like a Barbie doll.  She wore jodhpurs and a white shirt open almost to her navel, and her curves were breakneck; I must have said 'wow' without realizing it, or perhaps my eyes did, because she grinned.'   (page 37, paragraph 3)
     :)

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Upon procrastination

Watching/listening to Castle .  Feeling envyDaydreaming through colours.  Skipping over to Amazon, seeing that my wish list is over 300 items, skipping out of Amazon.  Reading Gordon & all of the links he posts in his posts.  Interesting take on St. Patricks' Day :)

Saturday, March 16, 2013

2 Quotes, 1 Visual #20

The sequel to 'The Clairvoyant Countess' is 'Kaleidoscope'.  I adore kaleidoscopes, have done since I was a little girl. The brilliant colours shifting & clicking, bright as jewels against the sun.  This book is also, again, filled with patterns: chance meetings, interwoven with coincidence & Choice. 

Quote 1: 'No one in the subway car appeared startled that Madame Karitska had been tossed a small attache case by an apparent stranger.  At the next station she left the train, and once above ground, she signaled a cruising taxi: this was one time, she felt, when it was expedient not to be walking the streets...'  (page 5, paragraph 2)
   Urban dwellers are such jaded creatures.

Quote 2: 'She blurted out, "My name's Betsy Oliver," and then--again startled--she added, "I didn't expect you to look so...so...I thought you'd look more like a gypsy fortune-teller."
    "Life is full of disappointments, is it not," said Madame Karitska humorously...'   (page 10, paragraph 4)
     Marina Karitska is not jaded, merely unflappable.

1 Visual: 'She held it up to admire.  Hanging from a long gold chain was a heart-shaped turquoise-colored stone in which five tiny gold stars had been set, the turquoise framed by a hammered-gold heart-shaped frame, from which were suspended three gold coins.'  (page 181-2, paragraph 7-1)
     So pretty to be filled with such heartbreak.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Some are more settled than others

I can not possibly make my 'bed'. Jade is sleeping!
I can not possibly harass Daughter to put this bin away. It's Xaviers' preferred napping spot!
I can not possibly consider removing this ottoman (which is pretty much the same size as the chair, in a *very* small living room) . It's reserved for Charlsies' use!
I am not a big fan of pink, but Zim finds it comfy. Yes, she is rather broad in the beam.  I put it down to her being a young cat (3 yrs) while Xavier (who is 12 yrs) & Jade (10 yrs. next month) are seniors, not given to cat-play.  Also, Jade doesn't like Zim.  So, while Jade will play a little, she wants *nothing* to do with Zim!





Tuesday, March 12, 2013

What there is never enough of

When moving, there never seems to be enough storage. So Ikea is where I went.
The beginning......
I must needs separate & count every screw.....
Clothes on one side, fabrics & do-dads on the other, storage  boxes on top.  Now, just need a storage bench & a corner shelf, & find studs to hand a long shelf on the wall.....

Friday, March 8, 2013

It's contest time

at one of my favorite jewelry sites! The Laughing Vixen Lounge is participating in the Spring Fashionista giveaway. I won her Halloween contest in 2012, & just *adore* the charm bracelet I won.
The jewel tones in the glass beads don't show in the pics nearly as brightly as they do in person.


Thursday, March 7, 2013

Done moved, for the most part.

Most of the stuff is here. However, until my armoire is put together, I can't empty a few bins/boxes, so everything is wooper-jawed at the moment.

Grandchildren #1 & #2 have started at their new school.  Although the Principal is not happy that an out of district kindergartener has been registered to her school.  Her unhappiness with the situation  did not come close to my daughters' unhappiness with her attitude.  I found the principal to be rude, condescending, & class-ist.  The school itself is a lovely one, however, the kindergarten teacher was very nice & tried to reassure poor pale Grandchild #2.  Grandchild #1 is excited. So long as that principal doesn't say or do anything to upset them, I will regard her at arms' length. 

The landlord/lady seem pleasant enough, although whoever painted, finished the bathroom floor, & the kitchen cabinets was *lazy*, to put it politely.  The animals are settling in, the kids are settling in, once this weekend is over & my storage is put up, then I will settle in as well, I'm sure.

Friday edit: Snow day for the kids as school was cancelled due to weather. The principal hasn't said anything further about Eli not attending her school.  Daughter called Ms. Rodriguez & explained what the principal had said (Who is this Rodriguez? I've never heard of her!) . This irritated Ms. Rodriguez, who said that this isn't how things are done & she would call the  principal immediately.  We shall see what Monday brings.......

Saturday, March 2, 2013

2 Quotes, 1 Visual #19

As I am packing for a move, I once again go through my shelves to see what I love enough to pack & carry around. Here is one of three faves: 'The Clairvoyant Countess' by Dorothy Gilman.  I've read all of the Mrs. Pollifax novels, as well, but this book (& two others) top them in my mind.

Marina Karitska is what the title says she is, clairvoyant. This book is about the adventures of herself & a few of those clients.

Quote 1: 'The girl looked at her, started to say something, and then flung herself instead toward the door.  Opening it she said over her shoulder in a choked voice, :"One of the girls at the office said you were great--just great."  She was like a child who had been cheated as she said, "Good-by!" '     (page 12, paragraph 7)
 Ahh...how many, involved in  dealing with the public while selling our services & wares, have been faced with such reactions from clients?

Quote 2: ' "He has lost his kitten," she told him calmly. "You must not think, Lieutenant, that the loss of a kitten is not also a cosmic event.  We hope, between us, to discover where he may find it." '   (page 46, paragraph 2)
Such a gentle reminder that the little things matter as much as the large scale.

1 Visual: 'She chose to walk to the store by a route that was colorful to the eye, and upon arriving at Banmaker's, she stood transfixed at the entrance, absorbing the marvels before her: broad aisles, brilliant lights and colors, books in bright jackets with letters fairly catapulting from the page to catch the eye; purses of leather and velvet and tapestry heaped in piles, a ribbon counter dazzling with stripes of fuchsia, melon, scarlet, pink, orange, blues.'   (page 58-9, paragraph 1)
Choosing ones' path in matters large & small.  I can smell the purse leathers as I read this.



 This book is full of gentle insights into human behavior & how a persons' choices make such differences in how life turns for them.  Love. This. Book.