Mix Them All Together....

Did anyone not hear this song as a child??  Or sing it?

As you will have surmised (smart detective that you are!), today is all about the rainbow.  A little bit of a challenge given that I haven't seen a rainbow lately and therefore have been unable to photograph one.  My take on the rainbow for summer is a little non-traditional in the "exact" colours but I did have some colourful photographs in my files and I did manage to find some cute things to photograph that spoke to me of rainbows.

this cute dress I found in the wee girls' section at Wal Mart (hello tiny person -- isn't this adorable?  The tiny flip flops they were selling next to these had me gushing!)

 a top from the young women's section at Wal Mart

and these belts, also from the young women's section

I had to buy some candy.  I couldn't find "Skittles" but I did find some Smarties (made by Nestle, maybe sold only in Canada??) -- you know, "when you eat your Smarties, do you eat the red ones last, do you suck them very slowly or crunch them very fast?"  I had to eat the brown ones because there is no brown in any rainbow, traditional or non!

and some sour candy...I'm sure my son and his friends will finish these off for me!

Isn't this amazing?  It made me a little dizzy...I discovered it at the Skateboard Park on Monday and knew I had to snap it for "rainbow Thursday".

paint, bright, beautiful paint!!!

and a little tie-dye art!

The beauty of the colours of the rainbow is that you don't need to have rain and a true rainbow in the sky to create joy and happiness and add bolts of colour to your life...look around, there are rainbows everywhere.

It's Blue Baby....

Today is brought to you by the colour Blue.  Or Bleu if you prefer.  Either way it is one of my favourite colours from every shade, lightest to darkest.  For the musical interlude I could have chosen something sad because let's face it, when most people think of "blue" they think sad.  In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm not "most people".  "Devil in the Blue Dress" makes me feel good inside and out.

Summer blue is turquoise and aqua.  It's indigo and navy and cobalt.  It's denim.  It's water ... ocean blue.  It's the sky in that just so perfect shade where you gaze up and lose yourself in dreams.

At present there is only one room in this house painted blue and it's a beautiful robin's egg blue.  I painted it when I was going in for my second surgery during breast cancer treatment, the one to remove all my lymph nodes from my right arm.  I took the notion that when I came home to recuperate I wanted something soothing and calming and "spa" oriented.  I started painting on the Wednesday and finished on the Thursday.  I needed to be at the hospital for 2 p.m. and I rinsed out my brushes at noon.  The surgical team laughed when I told them I'd been painting...but it was good laughter and sent me off to sleep knowing I was in good hands.
 

Summer blue is blueberries...by the handful, by the bowlful, in tarts or pies, on top of yogurt or in a bowl with a squirt (or 6) of real whipped cream.

It's cold and rather windy today so I didn't venture out of the house to discover blue...I found blue right here, inside my home. 

It's Not You Pink, It's Me

I'm thinking back, way back, to that time when my mother chose my clothing for me and I'm having a hard time recalling anything pink.  I'm thinking forward to the time when I began to choose my own clothing and I'm having a hard time recalling anything pink.  That isn't to say that I don't have or have had things that are pink.  I had a pair of pink high heels in the '80s (didn't every young woman?).  I currently have one blouse and 2 t-shirts that are shades of pink.  The only pink make up I own is some nail polish (2 bottles out of about 25), and a blush called "Dandelion" by Benefit.  I'm not really what you would call a "pink person".

I do have pink flowers in my garden, mostly roses and some impatiens and years ago I probably would have been more drawn to pink in the garden but I've gone off pink you see.  I think it's very much to do with the "pinking" that is associated with breast cancer.  Now of course, any time I see "pink" my immediate reaction goes straight to 'breast cancer' -- it's like a word association, one I would very much like to put a halt to.

I'm going to keep playing along with the colour week, but I'm not linking back to Poppytalk or contributing to the flickr pool.  I did that yesterday and today was reminded that I don't "fit" with that group and that's just not me.  But I do like the idea of looking at colour for inspiration and to get my mojo runnin'.

 

 (image from Squidoo.com)

Whoever it was that decided "pink is for girls" was off "his" rocker (note that yes, I am making a grand assumption that this must have been a "he"!). This article from the Smithsonian is interesting...."it wasn't until the 1940s that "manufacturers and retailers" decided"...and who would those people have been in the 1940s???  MEN!!!

So apologies "pink" -- it really is me and not you. 

Not Always Mellow Yellow...

I'm juiced about colour these days and when I discovered that PoppyTalk was doing a week of colour again this year, starting this week, I thought this would be an ideal way for me to get back into my creative stream after having been stymied for a couple of weeks. 

Today is all about yellow...summer and yellow go hand in hand.  All shades from palest lemon in sherbet and brightest as the sun we draw when we are little children.  I, however, look like I have a rare skin disease when I wear yellow.  Best I could think to do was visit the local ValueVillage and snap a few pieces of  yellow clothing.  And joy, I went in when it was 50% off day (had no idea).  I must have happened upon the store at the "right time" as it wasn't extremely busy and I did walk out with 2 t-shirts, one polo, 1 long sleeve fooler sweater/shirt and a red and black plaid jacket which will be great for fall.  All for under $25. Score!!

Enjoy the hits of yellow I discovered today....

evening primrose from my garden

marguerite daisy from my garden

 centre of a shasta daisy from my garden

graffiti from the local skateboard park

 monkey bars from the local park

 sign at the end of my street (p.s. there is always a way out, even if it means you back up and turn around)

car belonging to someone in the neighbourhood

t-shirts from Value Village

shorts from Value Village

self-explanatory from the local grocery store

yellow peppers from the local grocery store

yellow zucchini from the local grocery store

luscious lemons from the local grocery store

summer wouldn't "be" summer without ice cream cones

and my favourite....

summer's refreshment...freshly squeezed lemons....

It's About the Fun...

(a little Hot Fun In the Summertime with Sly and the Family!!!)

Friday means the end of a long work week, or a long school week or just the end of a week.  It means looking forward to the weekend of doing whatever it is that gives you pleasure.  For many it means chores and getting things done around home that there aren't time for during the busy week.  I hope it means fun as well.  Cheebuss (do you like that word ...I don't think it IS a word but you know what?  it's FUN!!!), I hope it means life is fun no matter what day of the week it is!!!

I discovered this amazing little video today and knew I had to share it....enjoy it!!!

The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun

Nature Taking Its Course...

(taken through the window screen)

Last week we happily noticed that another robin had chosen our house upon which to build her nest and give birth to her babies.  This nest is tucked into the window ledge of younger son's bedroom so it's been quite fun to watch mama robin and when she's out of the nest, to climb up on the bed, lean over my art table and try to see into the nest.

Yesterday I didn't see mama around.  She wasn't there last night and I've just checked once again and no mama.  I'm a little concerned that something has happened to her.  This neighbourhood is rife with raccoons so it's certainly possible that she left the nest for the night and never made it back.

This makes me sad for many reasons.  I'm thinking of these eggs which have been abandoned and will not hatch.  I'm thinking of a mother who will never have the chance to see that to fruition.  That sometimes our plans don't go as we would wish for so many reasons.  That life is short and I keep seeing reminders of that.

I don't like raccoons.  They aren't "cute", they're dirty and annoying.  They create mess wherever they go.  They destroy whatever is in their path and they are becoming much too "domesticated".  I don't like that they've encroached on a "safe" place and violated a mother's right.  It may be nature.  It may be nature taking it's course, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Now, if only I could figure out a way to sit on that nest.  It worked for Horton.  Why couldn't it work for me?

I'll choose to believe that mama robin has just taken a vacation like the mama did in the Dr. Seuss story.  Hopefully she will return.

A New Story...

Monday night we met with the real estate agent (she's amazing!), looked at four offers and after 2 1/2 hours we accepted an offer, that as they say, we couldn't refuse.  It was more than we could have hoped for.  The mother-in-law is quite pleased indeed!  All the hard work, muscle and energy put into preparing this house was most definitely worth it.  Listed and sold all in one week.  Impressive!

A few more rocks on this chair and within a few weeks another family will have the opportunity for their story to begin in this house.  As one of my husband's friends said, "there are some stories that that basement could tell" and I know there are...many.  Every room in the house has stories and memories and a lifetime of living and loving.  I hope the new owners will have many happy years in this lovely neighbourhood in this lovely little house.

What's Been on the Nightstand....

There is nothing I find more relaxing than reading.  Even if the book I'm reading makes me tense or uncomfortable; if I find myself sitting in one position too long and my body is uncomfortable I'll simply shift or get up for something to drink and find a different position when I sit down to pick up where I left off.  It is all still very relaxing to allow my imagination to go places that free my thinking.  Here are some of my more recent reads:

"The Memory Palace" by Mira Bartok...this autobiography was anything but "relaxing".  It was hard and slow; it was deep and troubling; it was funny in places but as much as it opened my eyes to life with someone who faces the noise and cacophony of schizophrenia and mental illness, it also saddened me to know that these are lives we probably encounter every day.  Some take medication and manage to live their lives with some semblance of peace; some never take medication and we see them, encounter them as we move through society.  Then there are the family members upon whom much of this responsibility falls.  And to what degree do they say "I can do this" or "I need to save myself".  Well written and thought provoking and I thank Lori for her review of this book which lead to me opening it myself.

Untied by Meredith Baxter was an "interesting" read.  It didn't take me long to read (284 pages) and there were some photographs that were fun to look at.  I'll start by saying that I was never a fan of Meredith Baxter's work.  I didn't care for her on "Family", I didn't like her at all on "Family Ties" and I know I never watched "Bridget Loves Bernie" though my friends did and they were all "ga ga" over David Birney.  That I couldn't understand because I thought he was like someone's father!  I won't say it's the characters that Meredith Baxter played that I didn't like, I didn't like her acting.  I found her to be insincere, though at the time I wouldn't have recognized it as such.  I just felt she was "there" and added very little.  Her scenes with her children seemed stilted and she didn't exude love and caring and compassion.  Perhaps others thought she did.  My interest in reading her book stemmed from what I had read in excerpts and heard in interviews.

Having read this autobiography and her experiences of life I see that my reaction to her work was accurate.  Meredith's story is no different from many other stories...abuse, neglect, drugs, sexual preference.  I don't doubt the accuracy or the validity of what Meredith Baxter talks about with regard to her life experiences and she is quite quick to accept responsibility for herself and her actions.  What I did come away with was the emptiness and the lack of sincerity in her words and in who she is.  So many times I'd stop and say to myself "So it wasn't good, and you let this person walk all over you.  You keep saying it made you uncomfortable and you knew it wasn't right but you hadn't the courage or the confidence to speak up???"  Maybe I missed something in the telling of this tale.  Maybe my own strength prevents me from seeing weakness in others.    By the time I closed the last page all I could think was "oh grow up woman!" and at least felt comfortable in my own conclusion that I never did care for her as an actress.  We can add I don't care for her as an author either.

Yesterday I spent a few hours with Jen Lancaster (you may know her from her great blog Jennsylvania).  I've read everything this woman has penned and have laughed until I cried at times.  All of her books until "If You Were Here" have been autobiographical.  Jen is you or me or your best friend or your sister.  She writes from the hip and she pulls no punches.  Love, love, love her wit and her humour.  "If You Were Here" is her first novel and it was nothing short of my expectations...I'll say this.  If you are a John Hughes fan, if you loved "Sixteen Candles" then you need to read this book simply for the memories!

Celebrating Life...

Life isn't always a bowl of cherries...it would be naive to believe it was so.  You bite into one that's juicy and sweet and you grab another expecting the same taste experience.  The next one is sour but does that mean you stop eating cherries?  Well, hopefully not.  Hopefully you decide that it's worth the pleasure to experience both sweet and sour -- life is like that as well.

I was brought up short yesterday when I heard the news that a fellow blogger had died suddenly and unexpectedly on June 6th.  Many of us were either acquaintances of Char's or closer, more personal friends who shared emails and letters and became the kind of friends we so often find throughout our blogging lives.  To say that we were all shocked to hear this news is an understatement.  Coming to grips with the fact that someone we knew was now no longer part of our everyday lives, being here and being present seemed incredibly "wrong".  And the reality hits that this can happen to any of us.  Correction.  This will happen to all of us.

There are those, like myself, who have dealt with diseases that threaten our lives.  We understand mortality and what it means to live every day as if this is the only one we have.  The suddenness of Char's passing brings this message home to me even more strongly, much more clearly.  THIS IS IT.  This day.  And you hope you get the full day.  Am I morbid?  Not at all.  I dwell in the here and the now and the possibility that anything can happen.  I choose to live each day for only that day and squeeze the most out of it that I can.  Isn't that a wise way to approach life?

What touches me most deeply with regard to Char is the outpouring of love and fondness being expressed by her friends.  Char was a woman you could not help but like and feel comfortable with.  A kind word, a compliment, sharing her photography and her love of cooking, her love of family.  We're talking about a life well lived, a life well remembered with love and with sadness but with joy for having known Char.

Our death needs to be celebrated as much as our birth.  My goal in life is to have lived mine well so that when my time comes my life is celebrated more than my death is mourned.

What great and wonderful things do you want to do with this precious life that you have?  Please, just do them.  Why are you waiting?

How Can I Find You....

(image from the Graphics Fairy)

All who are "lost" don't necessarily want to be found, I realize that.  So privacy and keeping information closed is personal choice.

I receive a lot of lovely comments here and I don't often come back to the post to leave responses.  I do, however, send personal replies to those who say something that inspires me or has an impact.  If I'm asked a question I want to reply.  Sometimes though a comment or a question is left and there is no email provided for me to reply to.

Yesterday, Beth at "Be Yourself Everyone Else is Taken" (isn't that a great title for a blog???) did this post and it explains perfectly how to correct this issue.  Worth checking your settings if you are interested in further dialogue!