Doggerel du Jour

From north to south and back again
We paint our toes and sip champagne.

Mid walking, talking, laughter, tears
I count my joys and still my fears.

Round table filled with loving friends
My day - complete - by birthday's end.

Born On This Day

According to If Today Is Your Birthday, "Your mind is especially restless this year, and you are hungry for new experiences and for answers. Trying out new ways of expressing your creativity figures strongly, and an enterprising spirit serves you very well."

A patriot and a President are among the famous folk made their entrance on May 29th:

Patrick Henry, American patriot, statesman, and orator
G. K. Chesterton, English novelist
Bob Hope, British-born comedian and actor
John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States
Danny Elfman, American musician
Annette Bening, American actress
Adrian Paul, English actor. There can be only one...
Melanie Brown, English musician and actress. Scary and spicy.

And me, Karen B; crafty chica, bon vivant and woman about town.

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Who wouldn't love a paper or plastic chomping, lamp tipping, door / cabinet / drawer opening, stubborn, sweet, curious, loyal orange and white neurotic kitty like you?

You may be 12 years old now. Maybe you can't jump on the counter nearly as often as you used to. And yes, you've gotten very picky with your food choices of late. But you still manage to find your way into bed and snuggle next to my head, then my feet. And you still manage to wake me up at 3:45 for the morning feeding. And I still manage to love you to bits, my belly boy Nikita!

Coming Up For Air.

I can hardly believe a week has flown by since Rocky discovered the joys of the ScratchScroll. Luckily, he's still enamored of it - so much so that he's already plucking up bits of the tight industrial carpeting that covers the surface of the kitty sine wave. Lucky too in that the lounger kept him quiet during my mother's birthday party.

Party. Right. Didn't mention that. This was an important one (platinum I think) and she wanted a homey, intimate gathering at my place instead of a restaurant or the like. We'd been planning things for a month and everything was under control until last week's power outage. Now, there was an air of uncertainty over the impending festivities. Would the power stay on? Would the weather hold? The freezer was off long enough for the food to spoil but, thank jeebus, I hadn't yet purchased any perishables for the party.

Later that afternoon, I got a call from someone whose a voice I'd never heard before. It was KnitPastis! She and her husband were visiting Chicago for a few days and she asked if I would be interested in meeting up at one of the local yarn stores. What is the sound of one arm twisting?

What a lovely couple! He, a man of few words (at least in the few minutes we were together), and she, a petite natural beauty with a faint Southern accent. We only had time for hellos, hugs and a few pictures before I had to run. Grocery shopping for mom's party and a body that hurt like hell kept our meeting from being anything other than rushed. Too bad, too. Next time, more time for a meal and relaxed conversation.

Friday was CRAZY busy! My mom was at loose ends. She and my brother arrived late and prep was still required for two dishes. She was the one holding the recipe. Guests had begun to arrive and I could do naught but answer the door in bare feet with a spoon in my hand. By the time I popped the cork on the champagne and poured the mimosas, things settled into a rhythm of serving and seeing to my guests comfort.

I was worn to the nub, but all the effort was worth it. I originally wanted to send her to Italy but my circumstances have changed since that promise was made. In my mind, a party at home just didn't measure up. That's why, when my mother hugged me goodbye, I apologized because it was so much less than what I'd wanted for her. She held me a bit tighter and said that, for her, this was better than Italy!

I sighed, put my feet up and napped more comfortably than I had in days. It was over. She was happy.

Now it's almost Wednesday again. Where did the week go?

Give It Away

What I've got you've got to give it to your momma
What I've got you've got to give it to your papa
What I've got you've got to give it to your daughter
You do a little dance and then you drink a little water

~ Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Give It Away" ~

The band claims their Grammy award winning song was their frenetic, musical take on love and the proverb, "It's better to give than to receive."

With that in mind, I give you yarn. What kind? Well that's up to the winners of my first annual Birthday Haiku contest. The following haiku were chosen at random from of a pool of 42 comments:

Marsha said...
Another candle
On a yummy birthday cake
Make a happy wish!

Chris said...
Time slips past us as
birthdays come and go, leaving
happy memories.

Fiber dreams drift soft
Through joyous sleeping mind, with
no need to count sheep.

Patti said...
One more year counted
Like stitches on your needle
Adds to the person

Each winner has been notified and will be gifted with quality yarn in their choice of color family and weight. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to offer birthday wishes, a comment or to submit their haiku. You added a little something to my week.

So how did I spend my birthday? I hopped a train headed away from the teeming millions in the greater metropolitan area to visit my yarn dyeing friend, Rebecca a couple of hours south of Chicago. A little pizza, walkabout and general relaxing and it was time to come back home, but not without an indescribably soft surprise package of laceweight silk and mohair.

At some point, Rebecca also slipped two chocolate chip cupcakes into my bag, making the ride back to the city a bit sweeter. You're a sneaky one and for this, I thank you.

I made it home just before big, sloppy raindrops began falling. Just inside the back door, I found a box containing not one but two dozen red roses from a long-time friend.

"What? You got two dozen. I can't take a little taste?!" - Rocky

Yes. It was a very good day.