The Season of Plum and Cobblestone

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Fall Daydream

I saw this dark beauty on IG and started imagining my life there. The quiet, surrounded by colour, the sounds of crinkly leaves, wind through branches, and the little stream beside the house. All that solitude and peace seems like a complete never-will but it was so nice to drift off to sleep last night wishing it was really mine.

(photos by @ethanbitz - location: @retreatatfallbranchfalls - seen on @tinyhouseattractive)

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Thanksgiving Krispy Kreme!

A pecan pie donut?!!!? Cranberry Orange?!!?! Then there's the cute lil turkey...oh I'm so jealous.

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

34 - The Weightlifters

The Weightlifter

We once had a neighbor who could lift anything. Most of the time she was a quiet woman with a gentle face but sometimes she would burst with so much energy that she would run down the streets in the middle of the night, uprooting trees and carrying cars. Maybe it was something she ate. Perhaps it had to do with the moon. We never could figure out the cause, but when we woke up one morning and discovered that she had rearranged several city blocks, we knew something had to be one. We made a list of projects and pinned them to her shirt. Move the highway outside of town, Get rid of three parking lots. Make the lake bigger. Today our town looks better than we could have imagined now that we've pointed her energies in the right direction.

When overwhelmed by great emotions, it is easy to forget what is right. Focus on the best interests of those around you. By helping others, you reinforce your own well-being.

Monday, November 15, 2021

Bucephalus

Growing up The Black Stallion was one of my favourite films. Whenever Aunt Berne came to babysit she would bring her VCR plus Star Wars and The Black Stallion. Dave and I never seemed to tire of seeing it. Today I re-watched The Black Stallion Returns for the first time in decades. It made me want to check Etsy to see if there was a replica figurine of Bucephalus and there was! I'm gonna start saving my pennies and treat myself to this someday soon, maybe even the one that bundles it with a hardcover copy of the book by Walter Farley. I love it.

(photo kidnapped from BlackStallionRanch)

Sunday, November 14, 2021

Princess Bride vs The Stones

Last night Amy and I were planning to see An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes at The Merriam Theatre together but her Stones concert from 2020 was rescheduled for the 11th in Georgia with the fam. I soldiered on, loving being able to throw my bag and coat on Amy's seat and stretch out a bit. Amy texted me pix from the concert and said they all had a fabulous time. Inconceivable was okay. I thought it would be a sort of stand-up of Cary discussing his memories of the film and a bit about his life and other work then perhaps a Q&A with the audience. It wasn't. It was the film, which was fun because the crowd was so into it, then about a half hour interview of sorts where Cary told all the stories I already knew from the two times I had read his book. It was a good time, but the stress leading up to it, the struggle to find a fucking parking garage that was not full, maneuvering my way through a city I should know well but don't (if only I knew Philly like I know Antwerp and Dublin), wasn't worth $150. The best part of the evening was bumping into my sister-in-law in the bathroom ten minutes before the end of the film. I was the only one there and wanted to snap a mirror selfie (I'm so vain, I know) before the person coming down the stairs came in. (You can see her in the background!) We hugged, took a real selfie and after the show I went over to say hi to her and the baby brother. Xavier and Mary were able to get VIP seats and meet Cary afterwards. I didn't know about the show until all of those tickets were sold out so I missed out. It was a nice evening after all is said and done and Cary was great with the audience.