Saint Joan of Arc

Today is St. Joan of Arc's feast day. She holds a special place in some hearts like mine. Maybe it's because my baptismal certificate says my middle name is Joan. (Birth certificate says it's Joanne) Maybe it's the image of a strong girl. Not far from here is a round-about with a life size statue of Joan on her horse errected after WWI by veterans. She is gilded in bright gold. She's beautiful.

The internet has some crazy web sites and depictions of her. I searched and these are my favorites. Some I have seen via Fireling who visited Rouen, the town where she was burned at the stake. I especially love the image of St. Theresa, the little flower, dressed as Joan in a convent play.

Live With Courage!

Everything's Coming Up Roses

Picked my first boquet of roses from my "own" yard today. It's too wet to mow the lawn and the roses were drooping. Oops! The photo is sideways. I think the water will spill all over this blog! Sorry I don't know the rose's names....one is a yellow climber, one is an old fashioned pink, and one is a cherry red. I'm going to name them "Sunny", "Aunt Harriet", and "Spot". They all need some attention. They seem to have been neglected. I can't wait to get organized enough to read up and see what they need.

And today is the openning of Portland's Rose Fesitval. Portland is the "Rose City" in case you didn't know. There are a bunch of neighborhood rose gardens, besides the huge official Rose Test Garden. Even the man-hole covers and other metal caps along the sidewalks have a rose embossed on them. The number one Rose for the Festival this year is one called "Dream Come True". It was hybridized by an "ameteur" individual, which hasn't happened in ages and only the third rose bred by an ameteur to win the AARS (All-American Rose Selection). And to top it off, "Dream Come True" was bred by Dr. Pottinger from Delhi (not Delhi, India ... the Delhi, Ohio next to Cincinnati, Ohio). Delhi was my first home away from home where I went to college. All this I learned when Lady M was here. She knows everything! Blue and I went over to the East Rose Garden in Ladd's Addition, where "Dream Come True" grows. There are lots of roses in bloom, but not this one. I guess it was the last to be planted so might be the last to bloom. Anyway, when it blooms, I'll try to put its photo on here.

What else have I been up to? Finding things that are blue! BLUE like green minus yellow equals BLUE. Right now it's my life quest. I love having a mission. This particular mission came from an idea Nimblethreads and The Conquistador had. So far I have two boxes full of little blue things for them! And that's not counting several blue things SIE decided he really needed for himself....like a blue Teradactyl and a big blue tow truck (named Lofty for those of you in the know) . I've hit every thrift shop I can find, and some of them more than once. It's fun to have a focus when you want to take a break and wander through a thrift shop.

Besides buying blue, I finally found a soft chair for the living room...and....it ... is ... white! I love it. But you know how long a white chair would stay white for me? I have animals! And visits from short people who might need to climb up with smudgy shoes on or whipe their noses on the chair arms. But I got it anyway. It is so comfy to sit in and it has rockers so it's like a padded rocking chair. It definitely will get a cover pronto.

The only other thing to report is a l o n g walk Blue and I took last Sunday. There's an "urban wilderness" area near here called Oaks Bottoms. We really needed a dose of the country, but with gas prices so high I didn't want to drive up to the Farm. I thought we'd just take a quick walk and started off along the bike trail. There was a path that cut off from the bike trail and into the woods, so we thought we'd take a peak. It seemed from the map that the path would circle back to the bike trail quickly. So into the quiet woods we went, crossing over a couple little streams and admiring the well-kept wooden bridges. There was a sign that said, "This trail has been maintained by such and such junior high school". Then a split in the path - we turned right. Turning left would have taken us on that quick route back to the bike path. But we didn't know that until we walked for miles and hours. We walked so far that all my joint lubrication dried up and my joints started clicking. Yuck, I hate that! Blue was pulling at the leash for most of the walk, which really was a good thing because I would have given up and sat down and been there still. The water was really high and our path looked like we were deep in the bayous. We could hear geese and saw a lot of ducks nesting in the reeds. I kept hearing a splash that sounded like someone in a canoe. I was really glad we don't have alligators - it turned out to be Nutria sliding into the water out of our way. Blue really wanted to catch one. At one point I stopped just to look out over the water and saw two very tiny hummingbirds cavorting around, tumbling through the air, and landing gracefully on water grasses. The path finally opened to a meadow, then under a train tressle, then at least a mile along the "Springwater Corridor Bike Trail", past two eagle nests, then back to the origional bike path and up a hill to the parking lot. Whew! Good exersize!

One funny thing about this path is that nearby is an amusement park. Through the wooded wetlands you would hear the screams from the roller coaster. What a strange combination of senses.

Chiggers Are My Nemesis

Superman had kriptonite, Darth Vader had Luke, I have chiggers! Sunday a week ago as I walked off the trail trying to find a garter snake, it crossed my mind that chiggers might be out. Some people don't even believe in them. And I try not to so I did everthing wrong. When I got home I was too tired to take a shower. I just curled up in bed and slept awhile giving the little critters time to wander around and jump on the bed. When I did put my clothes in the laundry, I used cold water instead of hot. Within hours of the walk, I was again a believer.This week has been super hot here. The kind of hot that fries my mind and makes my body feel like it's breathing its last. Of the very little bit I did get accomplished was looking up "chiggers" on line. In an attempt to feel a comraderie with all of creation I decided I better find out what I could. It turns out that chiggers are the larvae of those teensy weensy red spiders. Now, I've alsways liked those little guys and am having a hard time believing they spend part of their lives as chiggers. Once they are spiders they won't bite you. But when they are new born larvae, they climb to the top of grass blades and hang on waiting for something to sip. They don't actually bite, they spit something into you that hardens a spot and turns the center of the spot to a yummy sludge. I'm thinking something like a Slurpy. The hardened skin itches and some people itch more than others. And the itch lasts 7 days....maybe more. They say on line that painting them with fingernail polish doesn't work, but I do think that shortens the itching somewhat. My back had a bunch of bites that I couldn't reach to apply the nail polish. That gave me a chance to compare the ones I was able to paint and those I wasn't. So 7 days was yesterday. The spots I couldn't reach are still itching a little, but this itch may be from the little chiggers who decided to take a nap when I did and didn't get hungry till the next evening. I've been reduced to carrying around a large serving spoon this week so I can reach those itchy spots. I'm praising the Lord for spoons and hot showers and little chiggers who remind us we all have a place in His creation.

Just a moment to write

I talked to Mr. Beachy this morning. He was planting two kiwi vines that Lady M. had found while she was visiting. Her visit was indeed The Great Northwest Garden Tour of 2008. Mr. Beachy's putting the kiwi vines up against the garage (soon to become the garden-art studio) and hopes to trellis them over a window. The vines are supposed to start bearing fruit this summer or next, and in winter the branches will be intwined and red.

He told me Peaches had a very nice first mother's day. The 3 had a picnic in the backyard and little Soon loved looking at the blue sky. As for me, my little PDX family took me and the 3 dogs for a walk in the woods. It was great to be in the woods again and I have a zillion bug bites on my back to prove how much the woods missed me! They also gave me a funny little garden gnome doll that records your voice and plays it back in a tiny gnome voice. While Lady M was here, SIE heard her say, "... and blah, blah, blah". That cracked him up! I guess he'd never heard anyone say that before. So we recorded "blah, blah, blah" for the gnome and it's really funny.

Lady M and the Great Portland Garden Tour

Lady M is here. She brought a fragrant boquet of sweet peas across the country and my kitchen smells beautiful. It is so unbelievable that she is really here! We have been visiting interesting sites all over Portland, especially ones with garden themes.. She arrived on Wednesday and we've been to Portland Nursery, The Japanese Garden, The Chinese Garden, The International Rose Test Garden, Portland's Mill End Park (the smallest park in the world), Hulda Krager's Lilac Garden and the Dutch Tulip Fields in Woodland, Washington, plus our own gardens. Hoping to visit Margaret's Buffalo Gardens, the Grotto, and the Rhododendrun Gardens. Details later.

Miss Ingu and the Itsy Bitsy Spiders

When we were out on the farm SIE and I would walk through the empty green houses and found all kinds of interesting things, moths and bugs and different kind of webs. Before moving we found 3 different egg sacs and put them in a jar with a net on top. One is a praying mantis egg I think. The other two I'm not sure. One looked like a small Japanese lantern and the other like a yellowpuff ball.

Sunday I happened to look up at the jar on the windowsill while I was rinsing some dishes. There was what looked like a little dried thistle in the jar and when I looked closer it turned out to be a ball of bitsy little spiders - new borns! They were gathered in a tight ball and when I picked up the jar, they all scattered and it looked like a cluster of fireworks bursting forth. I had to use a magnifying glass to make sure they had eight legs. Then I realized they must have built their own webs because they were suspended in the air. I couldn't tell which egg sac they came from.

I put the jar into a larger container because I wasn't sure if they would be able to crawl through the net. Sure enough, by the morning they had moved through the net into another tight cluster. They are now residing in the garage. I went to visit them today and they are clustered in a small web nestled in the windowsill. There are lots of them. I hope they are spiders of the friendly variety. I don't want to have a garage full of the wicked biting kind.

In Which Miss Ingu Says, "Whoops!"

So Sorry...I got the cat names wrong! Now I remember that Fluffy was the name of Sweetfairy Bee's cat. Smokey was the little long hair dark gray kitten from SCPA. Right? I got their names mixed up. There was also a black and white kitten we called "Kitty" who just stayed for a day or two. She was a relative of Mournful Kitter-Kat from a family on Main Street. K-girl was just a baby and allergies happened. Plus, there was the little pale calico kitten that lived with us on Broadway and was too young to live without her mother. I thought her name was Rosetree; but did we have 2 Rosetree's? I thought Rosetree and Memphis was the same cat - the tiger-like Abbysinian cat we gave to Anita B.

While I'm remembering our faithful furry companions< I'll also pay tribute to Bobby, Gretel, Hera, and dear Ayla. There was also a tiny white fluffy dog that got dipped in the toilet and only stayed the night. And there was Maud, The Intrepid Attack Bird, an amazing green parakeet. There were lots of fish, including an Oscar named Oscar who ate roaches and a goldfish named Star who grew olmost as big as the tank, and 20 little science experiment goldfish who lived and died with us one school year. A white snail who grew very large tending the fish tanks without any fanfare. A teddybear hamster named Poppy Luigie. Countless mice and rabbits. Does anyone remember their names? A rat who spent a season with us, named Linus. And our baby turtles...one was a box turtle we walked on a leash, and lastly the much beloved "Little Guy" and his young female companion. I don't think she had a name. Can you believe it...red-eared sliders are considered a horrible invasive species here! It's against the law to bring them here! That's the only thing I don't like about Oregon.

In the Memetime

I've been "memed" by a dear friend, otr girl. That's a blogging term that is used sort of like playing tag. Am I "with it" or what? In this meme I've been asked to tell 7 weird things about myself, then to meme some other bloggers. There are rules. I can't follow rules. Maybe that should be my number 1 weird thing. Except I don't think it's exceptionally weird - don't we all spend our lives trying to escape rules? That's what Early Childhood Development studies, Art Degrees, Cancer Research, Recipes and Hippie Communes are all about. I also have a great resistance to passing on chain letters. I've often had the feeling that it's my duty to stop chain e-mail so people's time can be freed up for better use! I don't even know enough bloggers to pass this on to. So I'm skipping the rules, but I'll make a list. Some of these weird things many of you know. Some might surprise you. If you really want weird, my daughters are the ones to ask.....

2. I have a freaky memory for Saints' Feast Days. This carries over to pairing up saints' feasts with birthdays and anniversaries. When the Catholic Church redid its liturgical calendar I never quite caught up...so for the most part I remember the "old" feast days. I was born on the "old" St. Joachim's Feast Day and can't ever remember who took his place.

3. I love tiny things. I am addicted to bonsai trees and the little figures you see on bonsai trees. This love goes way back to when I was tiny myself and loved the tiny glass animals on display in the Sears window next to the bus stop. It was manifest when I made "minature environments" to sell at the Eden Park Summer Art Fair and in the Mouse Houses of today. Yes, I do believe in fairies.

4. I have a couple largish brown spots on my left cheek that I love. They are like big freckles. I usually forget about them. Sometimes people get all worried and think they are skin cancer. But they are inherited age spots. My father had the same spots, but on his right cheek. I used to especially like them because I thought I might be related to pinto ponies.

5. I worry about goofy things. For example, the past few nights I've been worrying that the new fish we got are too cold.

6. The 23rd day of the month is a favorite of mine. I'm not sure why. But you know how New Year's Day is like a fresh, beginnig day for most people? The 23rd of every month is like that for me. If I ever want to start a diet or new plan of action, the 23rd is the day to do it!

7.I love sea monkeys!

House Tour

Think: Bill Clinton gives a tour of the White House Christmas decor as "first man." And here is a brief tour of our new home seven weeks after moving in. We're still unpacking.
It's in an old neighborhood. The engraved street names don't always match the street signs. A room with a view - out the front window I can see across to the church which is surrounded by old flowering trees. Right across the street is a window to the daily mass chapel. The blessed sacrement is right by this window. I think it is closer than if I stood in the way back at St. Boniface and looked at the tabernacle. A living room that inspires art. The view out my bedroom window. A sleek and long kitchen waiting for a kitchen table. Books! Two of the 3 bookcases I've built since moving here. Four Peruvian angels gracing the front room wall.

Cirque du Soleil

Kaliedoscope girl took me to see Cirque du Soleil's "Corteo".

I wasn't too keen on going. I'd seen little tv clips about the cirque over the years and wasn't that charmed. But she's seen them perform before and loves them. I guess they come to Portland every few years. She was really wanting to take me to see them.

This performance, called "Corteo" (French for "cortege" - a funeral prossesion), was about a clown who dreamed he died and all his circus friends came to say good bye. His angels come through the air to take him, but he asks to stay a few moments longer. Then scenes of his life go before him - from his memories of his grandmother's bed, which turns into an amazing tumbling and acrobatic act performed on two huge beds...to being introduced to the circus, with juggling and trapeze and tightrope walkers, giants and little people...to falling in love and growing old clowning...to behind the scene fights and jealousies...and ending when the angels come to take him home. His fellow performers wave goodbye as he rides a bycicle across the sky.

From the moment it started, I knew it would be wonderful! I don't even know how to tell you what it was like. It was all just so amazing. The audience was on both sides of the stage and the stage curtain was a huge wispy fabric with ethereal paintings on it. We had 2nd row seats, and from the time we sat down, memories of going to the circus with my father flooded back to me. It was like being a wide-eyed child again.

The clown was my ideal of a clown, and all the performers connected with the audience so you felt like part of them. There were many acts, but all tied together, and often someone would zip across the stage - like one person that just summersaulted so fast across the stage from left to right that you never even saw their face sort of like dream sequences.

My favorite part: During one act, seemingly unrelated to the act, a clown crosses the stage high above on a tightwire - he's dressed in a white frilly clown suit and white face, holding an umbrella, and taking one step at a time, slowly across the stage - upside down! It seems so bizzare and natural at the same time. Kaleidoscope girl said her favorite act was a clown that brought out a ladder to center stage and tries to climb it. The ladder isn't leaning on anything so it keeps tipping and flipping. But he does it! He climbs up and over and down really fast, keeping his balance and being so delightful.

One more favorite part: The clown is playing with a little clown girl who is suspended from six huge blue balloons. He can hold her in his hands. It looks like she is probably suspened from the ceiling by wires until he tosses her out into the audience, where she lites on peoples' hands like a butterfly until they toss her back to the clown.