The Ferris Wheel

Way up high flying

on first-time ferris wheel dreams

eyes joyful in flight.

Live. Today on the main stage: ME!

I stumbled across this Meme over at f8hasit. Nancy is a pretty funny lady, so I heartily laughed my way through her list . As I wandered merrily along my way in the  big ole blog-o-sphere, to my surprise I found another copy of it. What to my wondering eyes should appear, but a link to Me over at Suzicate's site tagging me in the game as well! With such beautiful words from her, I cannot help but play along. My friend Suzicate is a pretty funny lady when she wants to be as well, although I think I love her poetry best. The game here is to share 25 things that you didn't know about me or might not have wanted to know at all! Hah haa! This might take a while, but I will rack my brain to see if I can drudge out a thought or two to tickle you with. 

1. I was very shy as a child, hiding behind my Mother's legs, until it drove her nuts. Most people are shocked by that, as I have been told that I never shut up nowadays.

2. I have webbed toes. On my left foot, two of my twos are joined up to the last knuckle. People were always teasing me about being a good swimmer and called me a duck as a kid. Haha, I exclaim for the millionth time. Yes, you won't ever find a toe ring here!

3. I did not aspire to be a mini-van driving Mama, but it happened anyway. I was quite content to toodle around in my little Honda Civic and pretend I was a race car driver, but those days are long gone. Now I am the driver of an Idon'tCaravan and I treat it like a truck. I can jam in a Christmas tree, lumber, groceries and hordes of screaming children. Sometimes even at the same time. I just wish for the limousine glass that I could roll back up for privacy's sake. The closest I get is the volume dial on the stereo...

4. I was the teacher's pet most of the way through primary school. I had a very small handful of girlfriends, but mostly kept to myself reading books, studying and pulling off top marks in school. That  all changed when I hit high school.

5. When I started high school, I retained some of my quiet ways, but quickly added to my friendship circle. While there was a whack of us who became friends, we were kind of the fringe party of RHHS; Gina, Rocker, Punker, Goth Chicks, Rapper, JAP, Surfer Chick, Smart nerdy girl (Not really even me by the time high school was done!), Churchy girl, laid-back pot-smoking west coaster. A little mish-mash of groups that did not exist in other corners, so we banded together and made it mostly work. Go ahead and guess where I fit in :)

6. I hate to clean. I should be cleaning my house right now, as friends are coming over for dinner, but I am sitting at the computer again. Sigh, perhaps I should finish my list later...

7. I often need the pressure to be on for me to accomplish things, especially if they are not exactly favourite activities. Yes, I got my bathroom cleaned, but the floor did not see the mop. For shame, for shame.

8. At the age of 18 you are legal to vote in Canada. My Mom came home so excited to take me out to vote for the first time. She was shocked to find me in the bathroom surrounded by piles of blonde hair with my sister and step-brother shaving my head. I left some bangs for a chelsea-cut style that I thought looked kind of cool. She did not. She turned around and left and voted without me. Once I brushed all the little hairs off the back of my neck, I went and voted with my step-father. 

9. I kept the shaved head for eight months. At that point I jumped into a station wagon with my boyfriend at the time and a buddy of his for a road trip out to BC. I was away from a razor, so turned from a fuzzy peach to a mottled shag. It eventually grew back thicker. As my hair had always been baby fine, I was cool with that. My sister's boyfriend thinks that she should shave her head to make her hair thicker. She has not acquiesced thus far.

10. I have been writing this blog for over a year now and writing most every day for about seven months. I am so proud of myself for sticking with it and love what the experience has brought me thus far. Namely YOU, reading today, your comments and the confidence and skill it is offering my writing.

11. When I started this blog, it was with the thought that it would be another writing outlet and would potentially make me some money. Well, the money isn't exactly pouring in, but opportunities are presenting themselves that offer potential. The best part though is that I am loving the writing and would never have dreamed of the support that is out there! Yippee blogging!

12. I work with an artist, but have so little artistic skill that I wonder why they keep me some days. Again, with practice I guess we get better at everything.

13. I have painted every room in my house, but my bedroom. Aside from help in the kitchen and back doorway (with high ceilings that I just did not feel like challenging myself to), I have painted all of those rooms myself, including the ceilings. Again, I like to think that practice makes for a better skill. Saving my room for last :-)

14. I have used a wet-saw tile cutter and loved it. I cut all the tiles for the bathroom floor in our basement. Girl power!

15. Power tools generally make me nervous or downright scare the bejesus out of me. I have too vivid an imagination.

16. I worked in a body shop (automotive repair facility you dirty people!) for over four years. I sometimes believe therefore that some knowledge about cars was gleaned by me. I will wiggle under my van staring at the undercarriage and realize that - osmosis doesn't work like that.

17. While I don't mind getting my hands dirty in the garden, I HATED getting my fingers dirty eating dinner as a child. I wouldn't eat wings, ribs or most things you had to pick up with your hands. I still won't eat ribs, unless I am being polite.

18. As a good Canadian, I am polite most of the time, but I will refuse your bacon every time.

19. I so want to get my motorcycle license. I figure that I will have to wait until the girls are older or I get myself a side-car bike. They would be the coolest kids in kindergarden to be dropped off by a side-car bike. Yeah!

20. While I have visited many, many countries over the world, I have only ever lived in Canada.

21. I have eaten worms, grasshoppers, deer and ostrich, but do not like olives no matter how many times I try to give them a chance. I will take my martini with a twist, thank you.

22. I love my book club, but probably picked the worst book of the year for us to read when it was my turn. An embarrassment, but they haven't kicked me out, so I'm okay with that.

23. I played french horn for 2 years in primary school and trumpet for two years in high school. Unfortunately, I don't think my rhythm is any better than my painting skills. Ohh!

24. I hate horror movies. When I was a kid, I used to hide under a blanket and wait for my "younger" sister to tell me when it was safe to look. She always lied to me. I still hate horror films.

25. I cannot believe that I came up with 25 things to share here! Not sure if anyone made it to the end and I applaud you for it, if you did. I have to admit there were some brain cells scraping and firing away, but there you have it. A little stick-to-it-iveness from me. 

While the suggestion was to tag people, I think I will leave that in your hands. I want to thank Suzicate again for poking me to play, as I had fun. Don't we all want to think about ourselves for just a minute? Yeah, you know you do. So if you DO decide to take a whirl at this here Meme, let me know. I would love to be nosey and read up all about you. Come again! You never know what you will find here tomorrow...

An Organic Symphony

The bells doth ring
on pixie's wands
ding, dong
ding, dong


The crimson flutes
ring on and on
ding, dong
ding, dong

The lady 

with her mantle on

slips through forest 

in search of dawn.

ding, dong

ding, dong

Tripping, dodging

drifting, sprawling.

Her journey long

seems never ending

ding, dong

ding, dong

Stella calls her

through the mist

begs her caution

of gnomes grim twist

ding, dong

ding, dong

All the while 

your eye does stare

takes it in 

without a care.

ding, dong

ding, dong

Sees the gloves

left by the fox

Hides them from

the creeping phlox.

ding, dong

ding, dong

Yes, in the garden

one never sleeps.

It's an organic symphony

made in orchestral leaps.

ding, dong, ding

Garage Sale Today!

Not enough sales to equal Beer  :-(

***

I would whine, but really I am just happy to get stuff out of my house. Once it is in the driveway, the rule is it does NOT go back in the house. Kijiji is where the desk will hopefully disappear to, but Goodwill welcomed our beautiful seconds with open arms. Someone will re-purpose and give those errant stuffies and stools good homes I am sure. For some lucky visitors there were great deals to be had. You other cheap buggers out there drive me nuts, but it is done for another year. Now I have a smidgen more space to add more NEW beautiful junk of my own. Happy Saturday!

The Searcher

   She wandered through the long grass, eyes searching everywhere. Her candy-apple red Mustang convertible shone in the hot mid-day sun, but its glare faded behind her as she slowly walked further and further away from it. From behind her she heard the beginning of the tune "Material Girl". She had left her cell phone in the car. Any other day, she would have been in a panic to flip open her life-line and primp for the call. Today, it did not matter though. 

   "Where was it?" she wondered to herself , stopping every once in a while to scan around her.  It seemed she had looked everywhere and was beginning to lose hope that she would find it. A pout crossed her face and she was tempted to stomp her foot. Looking around her, she found her audience coldly unfeeling to her plight. No one cared. She was alone in her search with no one to direct to do her bidding. Her petulance dissolved in a huff. Her eyes stared flatly at the markings around her. Thoughts of tears were wasted here. This too would bring no assistance, although a single pearl slid down her cheek. She stumbled across a tree branch and crumpled to the ground. A small cry escaped her lips and she winced in pain. Finally her self-pity got the best of her.She shuddered and flung herself to the ground erupting in the tears that now were too real to control. It was too much. She sat hunched over in the grass letting the sobs escape her. 

  The wind whispered in the trees around her. Slowly she slackened her torrents and sat up. The whispers seemed to call to her. A brisk wind blew through an oak that hung its branches down to the ground. Its movement drew her eyes and she slowly lifted herself, drawing towards where the branches swayed. Her hand reached up to still the branch that hovered. The energy that flowed dropped her to her knees again. Her gaze took in the soiled pantyhose, then focussed beyond. She had found it. Desperately she scrabbled through her purse. Her fingers finally found the sought after item at the bottom; an old tooth brush. With shaking hands, she scratched at the soft limestone covered in ancient mosses. The letters emerged unwillingly one by one, until at last they were all revealed. Her expensive polished manicure was a memory left in yesterday's visions. She stared at the name written in front of her. Her mind blew hollow, as the wind drifted away. The sun retreated behind a cloud-cluster that had formed rapidly over top of her. Hard droplets splattered on the stone at her wrist. The brush clattered to its surface 

and she was gone.

This is a Magpie Tale