The Garbage that came out of the brook...

... included this stuff, more bikes, shopping carts, and they actually found a WHOLE CAR FRAME. (I don't think they managed to get that out, I think they need a tow truck for that.) This is one of 17 photos that the local paper took and put on their own website.

Remember how messy the brook was?

It's been a few years ago already... I didn't even realize how long ago I posted these pictures. Time just ticks by, doesn't it?

Well, anyway, a few years ago I was walking by the brook, and was disgusted by the litter that was found there.



From a distance, the litter isn't really noticeable usually. When you actually get down to the brook, though, it's unbelievable.




At the time, I wrote "I'm going to have to do something about this."

So I had contacted the Mayor's office, and our local councilman. And they started a "cleanup day" project, which apparently has happened in previous years as well, but I hadn't heard about, so I didn't participate. (How lame is that!)

Well this year, at work (in the high school), I heard the announcement that our High School Environmental Club was participating in this clean-up day. So I contacted a few of our scouts - not all of them - and made Nick wake up early, which for Nick means 9 AM, and we went over to the brook and cleaned up with about 100 other people.

 

There were photographers from the paper and local tv, and it was a pretty good show, because the kids pulled out a bike, and a shopping cart, and tires, and a couch, and a muffler from a car, and a car seat, and about a million grocery bags, along with all of the other trash. They did a lot of work. And the brook is sparkling clean... pretty much.

Cheryl is supposed to send me some better photos. And if I find a link to the newspaper article, I'll post it another time...

My Summer Beach Movie

I made this movie for Thor. It's a movie mainly about his boat.
When I started it, I was going to put only boat stuff in it, but then it was too short for the song that I picked out. So I needed to add a lot of the extra summer photos in it. I think it came out pretty well. I hope that everyone in the movie doesn't mind...
I started to post it on facebook, but then I thought, would I want to be in someone's movie on facebook in my bathing suit?
And the answer was, "well, if I looked like HER I would..." but I took it down from there anyway.
I get way less traffic to the blog, and it's much more anonymous.
So let me know if you like it or not! Comment me! :D



Way back in the '80's, when music videos came out, I was excited. It seemed like music videos are the perfect form of expression. You can have the complete artistic experience. First, the music -- it's the most emotive form of expression, in my opinion, with words and melody and harmony and rhythm. And secondly, the pictures -- the way the video plays along with the music to tell the story visually.

At the time, I had no idea how to create a movie. (Even though I took movie making classes in college, and TV courses too.) The equipment was completely out of reach. But now, there are a million ways to create something. Gotta love digital photography and the internet!!!

The next problem I have, now, is creating the music itself. I have been relying on other people to create the music, because I'm not a musician. I'm not sure if it's right to rely on famous music to create these videos. But, one step at a time. For now, I'm having fun creating the part I can. I'm ready for my next project!

I'm also looking forward to posting a project that someone else is creating. I'll tell ya more about that later.

Nick's Hockey Game report

I was soooo sleepy. I was hoping that I wouldn't fall asleep on the bench.
As usual, we arrived first. Well, maybe second this time. But way early. We DON'T want to be late.

And I sat alone on the bleachers, watching the kids begin to gather on the court (it's not a rink, because they aren't skating.) But before you know it, the universe sent me a friend to talk to. Yolanda, a grandmother from the other team, walked right up to me and started talking. She's 85, and she lives in a neighboring town. Her son brought her to watch her grandson play - he's on the team we played against. She seemed a bit lost, as though she has a bit of problem with her memory, not sure how many grandchildren she has, grasping for some of the words she intends to say. But we had a nice conversation. It made me realize that even though I tend to float through the game myself, I don't really have to follow completely -- I can pay as much attention as I can, it's fine. And I guess that woke me up enough to pay attention to the game, and I actually enjoyed watching it.

The game opened with the opposing team scoring the first goal... but it was the only goal they got, and the final score was 4 - 1, in Nick's favor. Nick's coach praised him often, and at the end of the game, during the coach's wrap up meeting, he said he was mad at Nick for waiting this long to join the team. Nick was thrilled.

Next week's games are Monday at 7:30 and Thursday at 8:30...

Nick's Hockey Game is on for tonight

and I am really tired, but I'm gonna go watch it.

Someone should come to the game and talk to me so I don't fall asleep.

Good luck with that. I'll probably fall asleep talking to you. Depending on who you are, I guess. Don't take it personal. I'm sleepy. But you aren't going to show up, anyway, are you? I know, you are tired too, and everyone is busy. I understand.

Maybe I'll bring tea. But if I do that, I won't sleep tonight. And then I'll have the same problem tomorrow. Maybe decaf tea? I hate decaf tea. But sometimes it's better than nothing.


I hate regular business hours. I miss summer hours. I hate humidity. I wish at least it would rain, if it was going to be this crappy out anyway.


No, I'm really not in a bad mood. I'm reasonably happy. I'm completely aware. I'm copacetic. I'm just being squished by the weight of the sky. It has an effect on my energy, and leaves me droopy.

I and Love and You video :))) yeah Avett Brothers!

Poetry

My head is swimming with poetry, but it isn't my own...
Two new albums
(Two GREAT new albums!)
Pearl Jam's Backspacer, and Avett Brothers I and Love and You...

all these songs that are new and playing in my house, and my car, and my head, and I am full of their lyrics and melodies and emotions, and it makes me want to write but I want to write what they've already written, because it's perfect...

The Avett Brothers

stop your parent's car
I just saw a shooting star
we can wish upon it
we won't share the wish we make
but I can't keep no secrets
I wish that you would always stay


last night I dreamt the whole night long
woke with a head full of songs
I spent the whole day
I wrote 'em down but it's a shame
tonight i'll burn the lyrics
'cause every chorus was your name


Break this tired old routine....
... I am a breathing time machine....

and Pearl Jam

....Feel the air up above, a pool of blue sky,
fill the air up with love, black with starlight,

Feel the sky blanket you, with gems and rhinestones,
see the path cut by the moon, for you to walk on
for you to walk on....

My head can't compete with that. So I'm going to go listen to some music now.

Autumn

At first, Autumn hesitates
reluctant to wake you up
from the dreams of summer.
But there is no help for it,
with too much exuberance
sweeping in with joy and life
vibrating with color and cool
and all of a sudden you notice
that it's really Autumn already.
Crackling and humming
Autumn shimmers through the trees,
enjoyable now
but leading inevitably to
the bleak dark loneliness of winter.
But today it's Autumn, so
let's just enjoy the party.

Nick's hockey game: 5 - 0

Yay, Sabres!
And Nick got a "Good play" on more than one occasion from the coach,
and he got a point for an assist.
GO NICK!

Backspacer Review: New Pearl Jam!

It's here!

 

Actually, we got two -- yes, we pre-ordered TWO of the new Pearl Jam album.
Frankie came home this weekend, especially because he knew it would be arriving in the mail. (AND because he wanted to watch the Giants/Dallas game with Brianne, of course.) But Pearl Jam had a lot to do with it.

Because we pre-ordered, it came in early. The album actually goes on sale today at Target. You should definitely go get some!

We've been listening to it obsessively for the last two days already. (We have to get ready for the concert, after all!) I have some definite favorites, and some I really don't like too much. But Thor says I'm gonna change my mind about those songs, and love them too. We'll see; I do tend to like songs more over time.

SPOILER ALERT: I'm gonna tell ya all about my opinion about every song. If you don't care, here is a good place to stop reading! :) ('Bye, Mom. I'll call ya later.) It's my early opinions; I probably will change them as I listen to it more. And keep in mind, I'm no Pearl Jam expert. That would be my son and my husband. But I know what I like. And I'll probably like this album more and more, as I listen to it more and more.

The album itself has some feelings of a spiritual progression, I think. Listening to it now, it makes me think of the spiritual growth and life cycle of the main character, who I guess is Eddie... or maybe anyone. (This is all just my own opinion, of course. But this is what I'm getting out of it...)

The first two songs are "Gonna See My Friends" and "Got Some." Fast paced, and they blend together in my head. He's talking about being a victim of desire, about being sick of everything and depending on something outside of himself (other substances, other people, rock songs, whatever) to take away the pain and agitation. I really don't like these songs; but then, I think I'm trying to be passed this point on my own spiritual evolution, so they don't really say anything I want to hear about.

The third one, "The Fixer," is the song they've been playing on the radio. It's fast, it's catchy, but I don't like it much. Something about it doesn't hit me right. Maybe because it's too catchy. Maybe it will grow on me; it definitely stays in your head. It will probably be one of the big hits off the album. Thor says I'm a "b-side chick", which is probably true. I don't usually like the hit singles as much anyway. But in this song, the character seems to be more positive, and working to fix what's wrong, not just avoiding the problems. He says, "I'll say your prayers, I'll take your side, I'll find us a way to make light, I'll dig your grave, We'll sing and dance, what say, could be our last lifetime!"

Track four is pretty cool; some how, I hear something of Kings of Leon in that song. Something about the way Eddie sings it. I'm not going to figure out why, but I do like it. It's called "Johnny Guitar" but it seems to be more about the girl in the song, and I'm not sure who she is really, but he does say that "the type of girl responsible for original sin... can't help but wonder where and who she is..."

After that, if you skip right to track 5, you've gotten to the section of the album I like best, a run of a few PERFECT songs. Track 5, "Just Breathe," is one of the greatest songs on the album. "Just Breathe" is slow, but upbeat, and it's a lot like one of the songs on the "Into the Wild" album. ..."I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love... some folks just have one, others they got none, aw huh.... Stay with me... Let's just breathe..." I love that song. We can listen to that one over and over, for sure.

Track 6 is "Amongst The Waves". Love that song too! "Love ain't love until you give it up... Riding High amongst the waves... I can feel like I, have a soul that has been saved... I can see the light, coming through the clouds in rays, gotta say it now, better loud, than too late..." There is a lot of great lyrics in this album.

Track 7 is absolutely amazing. "Unthought Known" is the name. It's my favorite track on the album. I've put it on auto repeat over and over already. It's upbeat, not really slow, but not over the top... and then it swells and builds. It's gonna be GREAT in concert. The lyrics are wonderful, and the whole song is very meaningful. My favorite lyrics are "Feel the sky blanket you, with gems and rhinestones... see the path cut by the moon, for you to walk on... for you to walk on..." I think it's got a beautiful message. You've GOTTA HEAR IT!!!!

Supersonic, Track 8, is the song that Frankie seems to dislike the most, for some reason; it's got a superfast, punky feel. I like it well enough, but it hasn't grown on me yet. I'll probably like it more over time.

Speed of Sound and Force of Nature are songs I think I'm going to like more after I've gotten over my obsession with Track 7.

And then, the final track, named "The End" -- is where the main character, whoever he is -- is looking back and ready to go, and he's passing away. It's slow and haunting. He says, "slide on next to me, I'm just a human being... I will take the blame, but just the same, this is not me... you see... believe... I'm better than this." And it ends, abruptly, like a life; but it goes on in your mind, leaving you wanting more, like the spirit never ending











and that's the album. I really love it.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

 

The question was asked, if you had it all to do over again, would you do it the same, or would you do it different?
But the real question is, COULD you do it different?
And CAN I break away from the choices that bind me constantly into the same path?
Can I be the same person and still not do the same things?

I wish I could have my cake and eat it too. And maybe try a different cake, but still keep this one. And pie is lovely. But that doesn't mean I don't like cake. But maybe pie would have been a good choice.

Picture yourself in a boat on a river,
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies.
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly,
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

Cellophane flowers of yellow and green,
Towering over your head.
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes,
And she's gone.

Lucy in the sky with diamonds,
Lucy in the sky with diamonds,
Lucy in the sky with diamonds,
Ah... Ah...

Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain,
Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies.
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers,
That grow so incredibly high.

Newspaper taxis appear on the shore,
Waiting to take you away.
Climb in the back with your head in the clouds,
And you're gone.

Lucy in the sky with diamonds,
Lucy in the sky with diamonds,
Lucy in the sky with diamonds,
Ah... Ah...

Picture yourself on a train in a station,
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties.
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile,
The girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

Nick Started Hockey Tonight!

 

Here he is, picture taken by Pop, in his brand new uniform (which we get to keep!)

He's always liked to play hockey, and I'm thrilled he signed up. He's been getting up early every weekend to get to practice, and running around for a few hours. He loves his team, and they should be really good this year.

He wasn't too happy tonight, because they didn't win. But they didn't do that bad, and they are going to do better next time I'm sure.

Hockey Night

 

Pop came too, and took some photos as well. He got up close and personal, against the chain link fence. That's why his pictures look so good. I stayed on the bench and talked to the other mamas while I snapped my photos.

Nick, #4 in blue

I took a few pictures, but if it isn't of his back, I can't be sure it's actually him. It's hard to ID the kid with everyone wearing a face mask.

 

Word(less) Wednesday

 

Sometimes there are no words, sometimes there is only a feeling, and the feeling only plays around the edges
and you can't really put it in a picture.
Sometimes it's wednesday, which is a good day to be wordless, but there's something on the tip of your mind that you feel and you want to get out and you can't. Did that ever happen to you?

I'm wishing a lot today, but not for a car or for money or anything like that ... It's more of a wishing for intangibles, I'm wishing for the woods, for wandering, it's the wish list song from Pearl Jam - I wish I was the full moon shining off your camaro's hood....

Wordless Wednesday

 

The campfire is burning... time for a story!

Pull up a seat close to the fire!
It's a full moon tonight, so the woods aren't as dark as usual. You can see vague shapes through the trees.
Do you see something over there? Behind that bush? Eyes that glow, reflecting the fire light? What is that?

 

The Pine Barrens are beautiful, aren't they? But they have some kind of strange... feeling... an aura... do you feel it?
Pass me a marshmallow, and I'll tell you a story...

The Story of the Jersey Devil

The story is told that many years ago, a woman -- perhaps her name was Mother Leeds -- had 12 children. The family, poor rural people, lived deep in the woods of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Mother Leeds was tired, and she had so many children already. She wanted no more... "If I have another child, it'll be by the devil," she swore.
And yet, she became pregnant again.
She worried and worried during the nine long months of her pregnancy.
  One night, on the night of a full moon, her labor pains started. The midwife came and delivered what seemed to be a perfectly healthy, normal child; and yet, as everyone watched, the infant changed. He transformed... his face and limbs grew long... a tail uncurled... wings unfurled... he transformed into the devil! And with an unearthly shriek, the demon flew up the chimney and out of the house! And so was born the Jersey Devil.

You might say that this isn't a scary story, for it was many, many years ago, and so the poor creature must be gone by now. And yet, as the years go by, there are still sightings of the Jersey Devil. More than a few people -- in fact, thousands have seen this creature over the course of the last two centuries, including sightings reported in current times. And the descriptions of what they see and hear are always similar.

Some professors have theorized that the Jersey Devil is some kind of animal... possibly a sand crane, or some kind of new, previously undiscovered species. Some have even suggested that the description resembles that of a dinosaur of some kind, perhaps a pocket of which have been preserved deep in the woods of the Pine Barrens.

Other people feel that the Jersey Devil may be the embodiment of evil; sightings of the Jersey Devil seem to increase dramatically before wars, and at other times when evil is afoot... Could this be true? Could the Jersey Devil really be the thirteenth child of Mother Leeds, born of the devil?

Who knows for sure????

Don't you love a good campfire story?

 

If you want to read more about the Jersey Devil,
this is a good website...


... Sleep well...


(ssshhh -- did you just hear something???)

Are you ready for a scary story?

We went camping this weekend.
It was a full moon...
at a place where the water runs red...

 

... a place where the legend of the Jersey Devil got it's start.


But we just got home, so I've got a few things to do before I can write it all down. I'll tell you later, around the campfire...

Do you know what this is?

 

OK, I have to admit, I messed with the color of this photo quite a bit. But only to emphasize what I really saw in the night...

Moon-bow

 

I didn't mess with the color of these photos at all...

 

The other night, I looked outside, and saw this moon-bow. It was even more pronounced in real life... it was so cool!



It's a full moon. Have you heard the legend of the Jersey Devil?



I'll tell ya all about it later...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CUPCAKE!!!

 Happy Birthday to you, dear Cupcake! Another year, another dollar... no, that's not it.

Today is the day that my darling husband celebrates his birthday. I would tell you how old he is, but I don't remember. He's officially one year older than I am for the next few months. He'll have to remind me how old that actually is, when I see him later.

Thor is a wonderful husband and father. We've been together for a lot of years now -- something like 28? I think -- and I still think he's the best guy ever. He drives me a little crazy sometimes, but I know that we're even, because I drive him a little crazy too. We are very opposite in a lot of things, but they say opposites attract, so I guess it works out ok. After all these years together, I guess we've gotten used to each other. Or we've agreed to disagree. Or maybe he's just gotten better at giving in, which is more appropriate.

Thor likes things neat. He isn't the kind of husband who leaves his wet towel laying on the bed. (That would be me.) He straightens things up after himself, and after me, and after the kids... Which is a wonderful thing. He is a really smart guy, and enjoys reading, up until the book puts him to sleep; he is interested in weird science things like string theory, and nature shows, and cooking shows; and he loves music, any kind, and he's even willing to tolerate the kind that I like. He is also the life of any party, drinks heartily, laughs the whole time, and then cleans up before he goes to sleep. I love that about him -- I should have a birthday party in his honor! But I'm not going to, we still haven't recuperated from the last party in the house.

I'm not getting him much in the way of a present, either, this year. Happy Birthday, honey, I'm not charging ANYTHING on the Am Ex card. And, you can keep your (free) boat.


So, Happy Birthday Cupcake... Many many more...I Love you!

Not a boat video.

I made a video. Actually, I made two videos. I made a boat video. But it's a little short; some pieces are missing.

But I also had 613 pictures for a campfire video. Well, actually, it's a slide show. But... That's at LEAST 400 more pictures than I usually put in a slide show. And I took them so it looked like a video; I was experimenting with stop action photography.

So I ended up making this fire video instead of a boat video. Hopefully Thor will take some photos this weekend if he goes on the boat; and then we will have enough photos to finish the boat video the way I really want it.

So here it is.

The fire one, not the boat one.