After a long week of work visiting my favorite park keeps me afloat.
You can see other interpretations of ‘afloat’ at the original post. Or see a few of my favorites here, here and here. I like this one too. And this.
OK. I have to stop now. But this one made me giggle.
Care to share what floats your boat? This challenge lasts till next Friday. Let’s see what’s floating near you!
Hey Mama!
Katie here. Mama’s busy working on that truck stuff so I figured I could get a little blog in while she wasn’t looking. Shouldn’t be hard, she doesn’t pay attention to me much anyway. She works works works and then she comes home all tired and stuff and doesn’t want to play with my pig or my cow or my elephant. I bring them to her and she doesn’t even realize until my dad tells her that I want to play. Good thing he’s around to make sure I get the attention a princess deserves.
I really want to go on an adventure with my mama, but all she will say is not now baby. Maybe the weekend baby. It’s almost summer baby and then we’ll go camping. Sure mama. Whatever.
So for now I just focus on doing my job. I let my mama know when it’s 9 at night and time to go to bed. I start huffing at her at exactly 8:48. I have to start early because, as I’ve said, she’s not paying much attention to me. I keep huffing and stomping my feet and if that doesn’t work I poke her really hard. That usually gets her attention. Then she checks the time and is usually grateful that I’ve reminded her to go to bed.
Once she gets settled in for the night I vigilantly watch over her for about 4 seconds and then I crash myself. My mama’s a big girl, she can sleep without me checking on her. Plus I need to get my beauty sleep you know.
Then sometime between 5 a.m. and 5:02 a.m. I make sure she’s up! Oh yes, I know her alarm isn’t set to go off until 6, but I’m saving her the stress of having to hurry in the morning. I can’t remember the last time that silly alarm even had to go off. She doesn’t need it. She has me!
As soon as I’m sure she’s wide awake, (sometimes I have to bark at her quite a bit to get her fully awake, and I find a good walk in the rain helps too), I go to my favorite spot, curl up and go to sleep. That way my mama can get ready for work without any interference from me. I’m thoughtful like that.
So anyway. Don’t you think she should reward me for all my hard work and take me somewhere fun? Soon? I think it would do us both good.
Yes I do.
Pay attention Mama!
This wasn’t what I expected to find.
At the car wash.
But I like it.
You can see other interpretations of ‘blur’ at the original post, or here, here and here are a few of my favorites…so far. I have another one that I might share with you.
We’ll see.
I hate to think I’m old enough to enjoy mall walking. Have you ever tried it? In the middle of a Michigan winter (or a Michigan spring apparently) I can walk as many miles as I want, inside, with pretty things to look at, carpet and hardwood under my feet, upbeat music playing and no rain or snow falling on my head. Perfect!
I had pictures all set for this blog, taken on my camera this morning. But I can’t figure out how to download them so you’ll just have to imagine. It won’t be that difficult, a mall is a mall, right? Ours happens to be built in a racetrack oval, so if you walk around the outside edges including the halls out to the exterior doors you’ll do a mile each revolution. Did I mention how perfect this is?
There’s a regular crowd at the mall early, long before the stores open and the shoppers arrive. They hang their coats on the long line of rentable strollers and head off. Some move fast, some move slower. There’s a man who shuffles, head down, leaning heavily on his cane, but he’s there every single time I’ve been there. There are women in pairs, talking away as they racewalk, groups of guys talking just as much, moving fast, and lots of individuals as well, arms pumping, shoes slapping the miles away.
And there is one couple I always look for. They move at a medium steady pace. He wears a big floppy hat, her hair is pulled back in a pony tail, and their hands are always connected. I’ve seen them around town too. In the summer as I drive to work I’ll see them out on the sidewalks of the village, hands clasped, moving out before the summer heat descends. We even saw them one Sunday afternoon at a play in Detroit years ago. The man noticed me and nodded hello, I smiled back.
A month or so ago I saw him walking at the mall alone. He had his hat on, which is what always catches my eye, but his head was down, he wasn’t looking at anyone. And he was moving fast. Just a fluke I thought. But I was worried.
The next weekend there he was again, alone, head down, cruising around the mall. We were going opposite directions and I almost turned around to catch up and ask him why he was walking alone. But I decided I didn’t want to intrude. But now I was really worried.
Then two weeks went by and he wasn’t at the mall at all. It didn’t feel right, and I felt sad, sure that something terrible had happened.
This morning I was thinking about him and his wife as I started my walk. Half way around I saw the hat first, then the clasped hands. They were there. Together. I had the biggest grin on my face as we met going in opposite directions. He raised his other hand in acknowledgement, and I said Good Morning!
The rest of my two loop walk felt really good. He’ll never know how worried I was, but I bet I’m not the only one that is glad they’re back in the routine.
Funny how a little mall walking makes you feel so good. Pretty soon it will be warm enough to walk outside and I’ll be glad to be out in the fresh air again. But I’ll miss seeing and waving to my regulars out at the mall.
I hope they’re all there again next winter; especially the hand holding couple from the village.
They make me believe in happily ever after.
Ann Arbor was given another gift last night in their symphony’s performance of “Absolut Russian,” a program filled with formidable Russian composers. We were treated to Borodin’s “Polovtsian Dances” complete with a 150 member choir, and the lush and romantic “Romeo and Juliet – Fantasy Overture” by Tchaikovsky. Both pieces were stunningly beautiful in complete different ways.
But what I really want to share with you is the opening piece, “Symphony No. 10 in E minor” by Dimitry Shostakovich. Shostakovich (1906 -1975) was composing music in Russia during the reign of Joseph Stalin. Some of his music was censored but Symphony No. 10, scored shortly after Stalin’s death in 1953, made it past the censors. Only after it did would he reveal that the four movements represented, in order, the victims of tyranny, Stalin himself, the attempt at suffocating individual spirit, and ultimately liberation. (Interpretation from program notes written by Edward Yadzinsky.)
Maestro Arie Lipsky gave a talk prior to the concert. He introduced Symphony No. 10 by saying the first movement was long, and moved from sadness to anger to hopelessness. I looked at my husband, rolled my eyes, and said “Great” just what I need! But where there is anger and sadness there must always be hope, and in this piece you just have to wait for it.
My favorite movement, and coincidentally the shortest, is the second movement which represents Joseph Stalin himself. I imagined a chase scene as I listened, the brass, as Lipsky said, chasing the fleeing strings. Perhaps the original interpretations was that Stalin was chasing artists. Listen to the intricacies of the music for yourself; what do you hear?
There are so many interesting and integral parts to No. 10 and they all come together in the fourth movement, building to a breathtaking and triumphant ending. The clip I found for you of the second half of the 4th is five minutes of music and then several minutes of applause. Please watch it, you’ll be transported to the center of the symphony and you’ll feel the energy and the joy. Then imagine hearing it live. Breathtaking. And as the woman behind me said as we were on our feet applauding; “That was exhausting!”
But after all, what I really wanted to tell you about isn’t even in the music. I wanted to tell you about that moment that happens at the instant something as glorious as this piece ends. It’s a moment when every musician is transported to the height of emotion, just as the applause begins, when musicians and maestro are still connected, eyes locked, instruments quiet, muscles still tensed. There is a moment when the baton is lowered but the relationship is extended between musicians and conductor for just a second or two more. It’s a private moment between people who recognize something beautiful has just been set free.
I witnessed that moment Saturday night, as Maestro Lipsky stood still, then lowered his arms, nodded his head once in an acknowledgement of exquisite beauty, placed his hand over his heart and bowed slightly to his orchestra. And they all grinned right back at him.
The music that night didn’t make me cry, didn’t send shivers across my shoulders. Instead it sucked me in and spit me out — I was grateful to be there. But that moment, the passing of silent love and respect between the orchestra and their leader, that moment filled my eyes with tears.
Iconic wall in Ann Arbor MI
You can see other interpretations of ‘wall’ at the original post. Or check out a few of my favorites, here, here, here, and here. The challenge runs till Friday. Look around. Do you have an interesting wall in your life?
Share!
Creepy.
Katie here. So most of you know that my mama works all day during the week but the weekends are supposed to be for me. Just me. Well, sometimes me and my daddy, but mostly me. Well this weekend my mama went to work on Saturday morning! She had me so confused! I thought I had miscounted the days and it was only Friday! But I was pretty sure I didn’t count wrong, and besides she didn’t take her lunch bucket, so I was suspicious. I kind of thought she might be cheating on me! But when she came back from work she didn’t smell like any other doggies, she smelled like she does every night, so I figured she had to go to that work thingy.
The rest of Saturday afternoon and evening I made her life miserable just to make her pay. I wanted attention, attention, attention! I wanted to play! I wanted my supper! And how about a treat mama? Want to play in the tunnel? Huh? Huh? HUH!?!?! Yep I made her nuts. And just to be really sure I made my point I got her up at 3:30 in the morning so we could go outside and wander around in the soggy yard and sniff stuff. My mama really likes to sniff stuff in the middle of the night. Yep. I’m a good girl.
So this morning when she asked if I wanted to go on an adventure I knew she had gotten the point and I said “YES PLEASE MAMA! HOW ABOUT RIGHT NOW?!?!” And away we went! We went down to Ann Arbor because mama wanted a photograph of something for some photo challenge. I’m sure you’ll all see that soon. I was bored during that part cause she parked and left me in the car. Geeze! Then she got lost on the way to my park and it took a gazillion million years, so I told her off. She said she was sorry. Mama should focus more.
Finally we got there! Not much snow and lots of good sniffing! And the sun came out too, it was perfect! Some of you saw the video of us walking along the boardwalk with the birds singing. That was the cleanest I was. After that we were in mud and leaves and ice and snow.
I think I am the dirtiest I have ever been! Feels wonderful! Mama never lets me get this bad, don’t know why she isn’t worried about it this time. It’s not like I have a groomer appointment for next Friday or anything. Do I mama? Hey! Mama!! So anyway, we walked back into the hills and even climbed up to the top of this big hill. Those leaves were slippery, but I found the best way up and mama followed.
I climbed to the top!
Then we had to get down, so we walked down the ridge on this set of stairs. Do you know what? I won’t do stairs at home but I had no trouble hopping down these. I’m hoping mama didn’t notice that I’ve been scamming her.
Really big stairs, no problem!
We stopped at a bench along the river and mama sat for a long time and watched the water go past. I don’t know what she was doing, but she seemed to need to do it, so I stood around in the snow and let her. I figured since she brought me on this excellent adventure I could at least let her have a moment of peace. Then she tied me to the bench and went down to the river to take a picture of the rock out in the middle of the water! Well! I did not like that so I barked at her but she said it was too steep and dangerous for me to go with her, and besides if she fell in the river I was supposed to call for help. Oh. Well OK then.
Lots of water flowing now.
After that we walked back to the car and I let this young couple pet me and talk about the lady’s sheltie she had when she was a kid. She was nice. She knew all about letting me get to know her first before she reached out to touch me. She was a smart lady, and I liked her, but I’m glad I’ve got my mama. She mostly tells people I’m too shy when they want to pet me so I don’t have to worry about it.
We had a wonderful time at the park. I’m sort of feeling bad that I gave her so much trouble on Saturday night. But not that bad.
It got me what I wanted. Right?
Me and mama are a team.
About this time every year I get so tired of it all. Tired of the snow and cold and slush and wind and dark and…well…those of you that have ever lived up this way know. I looked back at the blog for a few years and guess what? Regardless of how easy or difficult the winter was, about this time of year I’m just over it and I start searching for signs that winter is over and spring has moved into my little part of the world. Now I can’t guarantee that this winter is over, but here are a few things I’ve seen or heard in the past two days that might give us all a little hope.
Friday evening as I got home and went inside to gather Katie for our trek to the mailbox there was the sound of a robin singing somewhere near. The light was bad but I searched the tops of trees and found a dark roundish bit of shadow that I believe was Mr. Robin. This winter I spotted a robin at our bird bath, looking decidedly disgruntled with the snow. Maybe yesterday’s was the same one, just a little happier.
Cold and hungry in January
This morning as Katie and I were out in the predawn darkness I heard a sound up in the neighbor’s oak trees that I’ve never heard before. I couldn’t place it, and each time I looked toward the sound (which was coming from multiple trees) all I could see was a blue jay. Couldn’t be, I thought, and went on my way. This afternoon I went online and looked for some video of blue jay sounds. Listen to the first few seconds of this. Did you know blue jays make this sound? I sure didn’t. I wonder if it’s something they do in the spring?
Later in the morning as I drove to work a sandhill crane flew overhead. Just one, which made me a little sad — I hope the spouse is somewhere near in a nest. Still, it’s good to know at least one has come back for the summer.
And then the absolutely positively sure fired proof it’s spring – when I got home from work this afternoon the red winged blackbirds were decimating my bird feeders.
Hungry!
I hadn’t even heard them yet this year, and that’s usually my first sign. But there they were, a whole flock of them hungrily scratching at the ground under the feeder. They seemed a bit frantic. These birds eat so much so fast that sometimes in the fall I stop filling the feeder until after they’ve left for the season as the rest of my birds can’t get near it to eat. But they are a sure sign it’s spring, so today, in appreciation, I’m filling it back up just for them.
And for this guy.
Also hungry
Oddly enough this week’s photo challenge is ‘orange.’ It’s ironic, because I used orange as a unifying color in a photo challenge a couple of weeks ago. So of course I can’t use my photo of oranges from that post. And that would be too obvious anyway. So I spent Saturday and a bit of Sunday scouting out orange things that represent life here in Michigan in March. When there aren’t any orange things blooming.
Once I started looking for orange I found it everywhere. From my toast in the morning, to the bittersweet vine on a bush down the street, to the orange snow fencing everywhere, the gumballs at the mall, the lights on the side of a restaurant, the Detroit Tiger English D, the New Balance shoe in a shop window, to the ever present orange barrels, orange is everywhere! And the orange car? I followed it for a few miles before it turned into a Wall-mart parking lot. Then I circled the lot until the driver went inside. Couldn’t resist showing you an orange car, right? Cars + Michigan. Can’t beat that.
You can see other interpretations of orange here, here and here. And I bet, if you look around, you’ve got a little bit of orange somewhere near you! It’s nice to look for some color during these last long days of winter. Show us what you found!
Change Is Hard 