tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23822776147436234182024-03-15T18:09:27.601-07:00 Living here nowDivorceville sucked. I don't live there anymore.Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.comBlogger1504125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-89945714315782558422023-08-22T20:26:00.000-07:002023-08-22T20:26:30.660-07:00Free Little Art Gallery<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDpbNhMCHjTvG7TI1PAmg65ww0ZYYKmoxIUzOi0VUtV_l8wtTsJDJ04SkpUEXhs7gis0UbzPT9a16Q8uOpRYqfiNrEbdVsV914uMYYrmMAdMLY41Wm90iESmK5ApCtHWy_SvsObE3YqGpq6LRU75k5KWvlFOlaOH2lU1UyFCXROXiDsOuBQiys-iUPhA/s3915/IMG_7663.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2006" data-original-width="3915" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDpbNhMCHjTvG7TI1PAmg65ww0ZYYKmoxIUzOi0VUtV_l8wtTsJDJ04SkpUEXhs7gis0UbzPT9a16Q8uOpRYqfiNrEbdVsV914uMYYrmMAdMLY41Wm90iESmK5ApCtHWy_SvsObE3YqGpq6LRU75k5KWvlFOlaOH2lU1UyFCXROXiDsOuBQiys-iUPhA/w640-h328/IMG_7663.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p>It's a <a href="https://freelittleartgalleries.art/">THING</a>. I've been meaning to do this for a while, and opportunity presented itself in the form of a free critter aquarium listed in my Buy Nothing group yesterday. Today I polished up the box, scoped out materials for a floor, magnetic walls (for easy hanging), and measured for a piece of plexiglass that I'll hinge to the front in lieu of the screen that provided fresh air to the critter. I've already chosen a bunch of collages for the first show, and I hope other people will respond to my invitation and contribute some of their own.</p><p>I love all the little free libraries in my neighborhood, and I think an art gallery will fit right in. You might have a FLAG in your neighborhood. Check the <a href="https://freelittleartgalleries.art/map/" target="_blank">MAP</a>.</p><p>I haven't collaged much recently because I've been gardening.</p><p>But winter is coming.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6jy2V5kMuMbs_NKRSIwm7vSrGLaZsIM1K5qsbvViZg50Sjg6qelXdZ5jiSGp4C5N6RCxrPzid8cyfCQvzcYL4OgG1BM15tcqfuO5OG-Nq0X-w2qiNRqKEAh2wsFK5LKS24Uh9irvHURUOomjIV3T0E9FlaGdi7NTo6qEzxBCgjuoTUPF5gXTW7aPzwI/s4032/IMG_7622.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6jy2V5kMuMbs_NKRSIwm7vSrGLaZsIM1K5qsbvViZg50Sjg6qelXdZ5jiSGp4C5N6RCxrPzid8cyfCQvzcYL4OgG1BM15tcqfuO5OG-Nq0X-w2qiNRqKEAh2wsFK5LKS24Uh9irvHURUOomjIV3T0E9FlaGdi7NTo6qEzxBCgjuoTUPF5gXTW7aPzwI/s320/IMG_7622.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Or so they say. It was 99 today and humid, so it felt like 209 or something like that. It's going to be almost that bad again tomorrow. I keep saucers filled with water for the birds. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiFM1HmInCR6STDa3Vci2arpc-8gnLG9OwDKeyY2QuydVw9Juq1OAelzZ5XvYJ7tlzbbqZHgd0S0AvLj03lsv8zYsj_5d4JzmtyCaLumsPRavVEUzPuzMnsyIh8ncvdiv13WJcNsnza80I-LdjSmowfEb3DuHKJyCh2k6O6YrZtFc3gkhLbGv-0Wr4sI/s4032/IMG_7556.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiFM1HmInCR6STDa3Vci2arpc-8gnLG9OwDKeyY2QuydVw9Juq1OAelzZ5XvYJ7tlzbbqZHgd0S0AvLj03lsv8zYsj_5d4JzmtyCaLumsPRavVEUzPuzMnsyIh8ncvdiv13WJcNsnza80I-LdjSmowfEb3DuHKJyCh2k6O6YrZtFc3gkhLbGv-0Wr4sI/s320/IMG_7556.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p>On a normal hot day, they dry up pretty quickly. Not today. I think water fell out of the air and dropped into them.</p><p>If you're under the heat dome I hope you stay cool tomorrow.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4cY_9aH2xp-utVKyxuwsJ8c80TLGuplb_48zoGFlv5Z6P9TU-fbTw9sTja888C7fo9Mf5YP-Id3ZE1ES9u4Ep6B7FIB9OGovGSvi6hB2Fnvpu-LNxkJeX2WUVwtpXIkcJhGCzq38BZTUdkhuKESnnCo1RmNKcjCplaADFGreROrzk8v129LTxNz0VmA/s4032/IMG_7514.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4cY_9aH2xp-utVKyxuwsJ8c80TLGuplb_48zoGFlv5Z6P9TU-fbTw9sTja888C7fo9Mf5YP-Id3ZE1ES9u4Ep6B7FIB9OGovGSvi6hB2Fnvpu-LNxkJeX2WUVwtpXIkcJhGCzq38BZTUdkhuKESnnCo1RmNKcjCplaADFGreROrzk8v129LTxNz0VmA/s320/IMG_7514.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-3478586557006640652023-07-29T20:28:00.001-07:002023-07-29T20:35:06.799-07:00Flower Lady<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7R4uIbjqP69a6PFy-OQAsyBAyQ_1bS3n4sfdHDWYV9LghTNg4WJp99NNVRHS-BRqD8td4ecmV7tPRw5BjeYhB4HKISDgFpkgHedmZv8NpYNELwIy-z3HKUkbLGYAI9DZmr4zpYuirIVot4tYdyFbLUMYmu2w8XNFiIMpXgecf-S0UHpZ_Ymdp2r0jOJk/s1771/IMG_7459.jpeg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1509" data-original-width="1771" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7R4uIbjqP69a6PFy-OQAsyBAyQ_1bS3n4sfdHDWYV9LghTNg4WJp99NNVRHS-BRqD8td4ecmV7tPRw5BjeYhB4HKISDgFpkgHedmZv8NpYNELwIy-z3HKUkbLGYAI9DZmr4zpYuirIVot4tYdyFbLUMYmu2w8XNFiIMpXgecf-S0UHpZ_Ymdp2r0jOJk/s400/IMG_7459.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
Why a picture of a bird then? you ask. Because while I'm trying to become the flower lady, wounded birds show up. I'm working on my flower beds whenever I can. Working on this.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3n6DxGqd-6JdmkdV43e9Ellhy4uO8zobD9kBnVnwWlHqHo1lwN16Vfyt4fNUFiTCeIwxjbeZPKsEcOiD0tgkjfPPgvvUOIWmREhslzDae4QyP_Zp-TvWRujnuvpQHoCe4uJjHpOADDsHg0Pje0eldLng9uz5Y_hJDQjjMhbBMxPAIO2LWDA3xWJZX6YQ/s4032/IMG_7450.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2646" data-original-width="4032" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3n6DxGqd-6JdmkdV43e9Ellhy4uO8zobD9kBnVnwWlHqHo1lwN16Vfyt4fNUFiTCeIwxjbeZPKsEcOiD0tgkjfPPgvvUOIWmREhslzDae4QyP_Zp-TvWRujnuvpQHoCe4uJjHpOADDsHg0Pje0eldLng9uz5Y_hJDQjjMhbBMxPAIO2LWDA3xWJZX6YQ/w640-h420/IMG_7450.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div>And this.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB26ngI4F2wbYiEcckk-NG2yOUOWyoJEMoaecQXHlPYrPYKJGXphV6AaOSbl6FQghQYurnwlgje4NWXMRFis48etgeFeifEnBlNbPAMwej9bmL22kc5NAOqhGogyfe96-mNLpnIuKZvGyEHI71d6uU5rnoLv6p9KE8iRy78TNru7ok8fTodAbeKfkhVOY/s4032/IMG_7449.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB26ngI4F2wbYiEcckk-NG2yOUOWyoJEMoaecQXHlPYrPYKJGXphV6AaOSbl6FQghQYurnwlgje4NWXMRFis48etgeFeifEnBlNbPAMwej9bmL22kc5NAOqhGogyfe96-mNLpnIuKZvGyEHI71d6uU5rnoLv6p9KE8iRy78TNru7ok8fTodAbeKfkhVOY/s320/IMG_7449.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>I'm interested in wildflowers, mostly. And I'm digging out a huge new bed to be filled with things like whorled milkweed, bee balm, fleabane, yarrow, and ferns. It'll be a companion to last year's bed of native wildflowers. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtv-1oDwcsM0WGrSYJ52WkT9G5EvZrGBMkuXloNxnz1BUeGBrJO9iYcClIX281_m1TSQlz_tTXKH8NLdRkppXA1F5EWbkBe1EdskkZiFb_UiMT8e9AggCPh7jB1x6OTd7sHPMNhlEPt79lCAEQUwE5-bSwJ7laHjO_9bU-sWG989EJSRmPCwE8TGnoD4/s4032/IMG_7335.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtv-1oDwcsM0WGrSYJ52WkT9G5EvZrGBMkuXloNxnz1BUeGBrJO9iYcClIX281_m1TSQlz_tTXKH8NLdRkppXA1F5EWbkBe1EdskkZiFb_UiMT8e9AggCPh7jB1x6OTd7sHPMNhlEPt79lCAEQUwE5-bSwJ7laHjO_9bU-sWG989EJSRmPCwE8TGnoD4/s320/IMG_7335.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>But I also want the old-timey midwestern classics that my dad grew. Hollyhocks, irises, zinnias. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwiqSARVdhtZnW1-tcZUVkkaqY-05sAI2rmMGyu1sA0u3X5SzaDw93vVLBk4qtqeRgnP7YhDF6i2k3SH_dTgtbX8tsnVnyn1rectZCwTTmOMEr-RlBjtbYHhV8foEj7tMHQsfAFw7jOLyKyoiFoATp_dgYmTn60-hrY3_ru76gdx8dM1B_PvdHYb8vts/s1805/IMG_0988.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1805" data-original-width="1714" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwiqSARVdhtZnW1-tcZUVkkaqY-05sAI2rmMGyu1sA0u3X5SzaDw93vVLBk4qtqeRgnP7YhDF6i2k3SH_dTgtbX8tsnVnyn1rectZCwTTmOMEr-RlBjtbYHhV8foEj7tMHQsfAFw7jOLyKyoiFoATp_dgYmTn60-hrY3_ru76gdx8dM1B_PvdHYb8vts/w380-h400/IMG_0988.jpeg" width="380" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqjp6Rtsm6kx5zUU-UR5d3Afd1XBVd1Aa52cMb0HChI7xKwGueoMN_VRPt79axttQfbbkqC6F_0US0cmlHGb3u9ss_iohd9d4xppqygA9XvcUPcENYc45FnPTJy44lweyJPwfg5_gi1ynnmceqqjwbDpgeNxzO9PMbHTEYzYU9m2NCe7rQkcaAtlxOAM/s4032/IMG_7316.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqjp6Rtsm6kx5zUU-UR5d3Afd1XBVd1Aa52cMb0HChI7xKwGueoMN_VRPt79axttQfbbkqC6F_0US0cmlHGb3u9ss_iohd9d4xppqygA9XvcUPcENYc45FnPTJy44lweyJPwfg5_gi1ynnmceqqjwbDpgeNxzO9PMbHTEYzYU9m2NCe7rQkcaAtlxOAM/s320/IMG_7316.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And my new project is a border of big hostas--so I don't look like a all non-natives are invasive and ruining the planet fanatic. Moderation. I'm seeking balance. And butterflies like some non-native plants too. Butterflies are the goal.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtP07dSucscHYQBVIETOwkrCNCD_pK-cI540appsRoJ_RjYeqn0quV28ljRLXOQfbYjswTVRSLAucvVf5E1Clz4-KUSjuV7Q0ph6oQCmmKNm8HIAG36l8N_KRdJ43zwWVBNkTX1dR4xNf8kAIVIK4gMM_hEpIi3TVboN9T_RorIl2vS8Yid9OVj3R-W5k/s4032/IMG_7409.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtP07dSucscHYQBVIETOwkrCNCD_pK-cI540appsRoJ_RjYeqn0quV28ljRLXOQfbYjswTVRSLAucvVf5E1Clz4-KUSjuV7Q0ph6oQCmmKNm8HIAG36l8N_KRdJ43zwWVBNkTX1dR4xNf8kAIVIK4gMM_hEpIi3TVboN9T_RorIl2vS8Yid9OVj3R-W5k/s320/IMG_7409.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZyy97H2ljmtK8487lxX7DBQGbgQR-b_IUlGotK_USUN1YxIU9mnzT3sQ5UrqhdbIMxf4BPcwM5V1xjJDWiH5fn2TbIPKDkAJHqYoPJBwIdSeaf9BDDbNBxr-NbgYXr8jracNkIAXIC8w6_3hHnr2T637ccXtiOHOUwlcSbQha_HCG0eDeyjHOMpRvIA/s4032/IMG_7410.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZyy97H2ljmtK8487lxX7DBQGbgQR-b_IUlGotK_USUN1YxIU9mnzT3sQ5UrqhdbIMxf4BPcwM5V1xjJDWiH5fn2TbIPKDkAJHqYoPJBwIdSeaf9BDDbNBxr-NbgYXr8jracNkIAXIC8w6_3hHnr2T637ccXtiOHOUwlcSbQha_HCG0eDeyjHOMpRvIA/s320/IMG_7410.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I'm focused. I go out in the morning and stay out until it's too hot or I run out of energy....</div><div>Or.... a bird shows up. Last week it was this guy.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2RLe5tY0SCys2zNcMh4ovyXB7y2IIOCEFbakFDsuMfihVYLM2XpodAPH2QOxjmX9-HleOxrHQnK-Glp0biDZN7gTB91UxMxPFMdFe5t6H59WF3K0hvG4hRsoSc_VBvU2ZlSjZsiiz5NrVImhlrtELeQm9f8JKyj8dwTuQr_-n00Gki4j3gikqquuVB0/s3245/IMG_7395.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3245" data-original-width="2481" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2RLe5tY0SCys2zNcMh4ovyXB7y2IIOCEFbakFDsuMfihVYLM2XpodAPH2QOxjmX9-HleOxrHQnK-Glp0biDZN7gTB91UxMxPFMdFe5t6H59WF3K0hvG4hRsoSc_VBvU2ZlSjZsiiz5NrVImhlrtELeQm9f8JKyj8dwTuQr_-n00Gki4j3gikqquuVB0/w490-h640/IMG_7395.jpeg" width="490" /></a></div><br /><div>I love birds. But I suck at dealing with hurt birds. Hurt anything, actually. Honestly, I usually make things worse. </div><div><br /></div><div>A neighbor came over to help with the hawk seconds after I posted it on our block What's App. We called the Raptor Center, and then she went to pick up a friend who volunteers there. Meanwhile another neighbor said to throw a towel over it and put it in a box and take it there. <i>You </i>go right ahead, I thought.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing. Because flowers are more durable than birds, and I'm not afraid I'm going to hurt them. Well, I am, actually. But mostly, I'm pretty good with flowers.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHw-40fRGOecbeTKjlk7Hxh2-TPGC3eD6NCJMFAuhWylhqyGfo-LyZrnT5073ESA5i5GVQ8bShkAfp4tDqclNu1sj72xmfySApCmo_g0fGbluglbD2myy_tXxrlewjmm56KbX1sooIwf7FZa2Nhv8SiYP0TY9gaXfxWf0P3t8VeEyMdZhYAINrHXJemrY/s4032/IMG_7428.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHw-40fRGOecbeTKjlk7Hxh2-TPGC3eD6NCJMFAuhWylhqyGfo-LyZrnT5073ESA5i5GVQ8bShkAfp4tDqclNu1sj72xmfySApCmo_g0fGbluglbD2myy_tXxrlewjmm56KbX1sooIwf7FZa2Nhv8SiYP0TY9gaXfxWf0P3t8VeEyMdZhYAINrHXJemrY/w300-h400/IMG_7428.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, the crow. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I posted about it on the neighborhood Buy Nothing group, asking for help. You can't buy or sell a crow on Buy Nothing, but you can ask for help. Someone called me right away. Put a laundry basket over it, she said, and I'll be right over. I don't have a laundry basket, which might seem weird, but I don't. We put our laundry in tall waste baskets because it takes up less space in our tiny closets. So we stood guard, watching for feral cats until she pulled up a few minutes later. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is how you put an injured crow in a box: You put the box over the crow, then you slip a piece of separate cardboard under the box and the crow and lift the whole business into the hatch of your SUV. We cut some air holes in it, and then off she went, this person, while I filled out the wildlife rescue pre-admit form on my phone and made a donation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Later she called me. I was already familiar with this <b><a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/09/13/760666490/crows-are-they-scary-or-just-scary-smart#:~:text=Crows%20can%20memorize%20human%20faces&text=To%20see%20whether%20the%20crows,neutral%20face%20was%20mostly%20ignored." target="_blank">article</a>.</b> Apparently it's a real thing. If more crows come around, the vet said, give them treats. Try to get on their good side...in case they were watching while their friend got put in a box. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So am I a good bird lady or a bad bird lady? We'll find out, I guess. Before the crow got put in a box, I offered it water. In a china sauce dish, no less. And a little ball of watermelon. Fancy, right? I hope that saves me from the wrath of crows.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div></div>Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-35081718413697958112023-06-18T06:50:00.003-07:002023-06-18T06:50:36.763-07:00Apocalypse with butterflies<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7fMWQ2iLDESyf4PRnMPSQoudivN_EgdKKAbRHERhAkYAM2b2dDdJQMntfP5_iUBemRoGL_Zr8qmzErrjx01VgFrKGmgGn6CyOlytnY2s8Zx8sZMznY_Mh7t-p2vft4-fG6VA4fhp2M2X0vrrJnzm6afhmpCxQmkFcGcLeAa1PA8Ne6RoglaEuOZn/s4032/IMG_6770.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7fMWQ2iLDESyf4PRnMPSQoudivN_EgdKKAbRHERhAkYAM2b2dDdJQMntfP5_iUBemRoGL_Zr8qmzErrjx01VgFrKGmgGn6CyOlytnY2s8Zx8sZMznY_Mh7t-p2vft4-fG6VA4fhp2M2X0vrrJnzm6afhmpCxQmkFcGcLeAa1PA8Ne6RoglaEuOZn/w640-h480/IMG_6770.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elderberry on this cloudy morning</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I wrote what follows yesterday when it was hot and dry. This morning it's cloudy and cool, and there are rumors of rain. And there you have it. Apocalyptic feelings melted by the thought of a rain cloud. I knew someone once who often advised me to view my feelings of dread like weather. </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">************</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I’m finding it hard not to catastrophize the lack of rain here. In my lizard brain, I’m more Californian than Minnesotan since I spent more than 40 years fearing the Santa Ana winds.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Seeing flames from my house during the Thomas fire and the one that came next whose name I can’t even remember was not an experience I want to have again. Masking to go outside was a thing, and this was months<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>before Covid was even a mere gleam in some Chinese market creature’s eye.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I moved here to Minnesota after those big fires and before Covid.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I love the Midwest. I love that it rains here. I love rain and a book and something hot to drink. I love rain and the way growing things look afterwards. I love the clouds and the washing of everything, and how birds sing when it’s over.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzA_avZmjYd8ukNvShiHuWjwA_GvPTnCtrlIVtxXnUzkqxmiMAZr23umZjVKJU2ElElxikVTY1nM3cwJxKJ6Vyc49UdBdEBteo7u6x6MxaWOkmf2O8rSc-w6MuYX4742BP8xBccsIayPyOAnzNB51IOEfCM3n5sOdlHqiSl6PXd6CLY8uaptmjyCKq/s2697/IMG_6729.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2694" data-original-width="2697" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzA_avZmjYd8ukNvShiHuWjwA_GvPTnCtrlIVtxXnUzkqxmiMAZr23umZjVKJU2ElElxikVTY1nM3cwJxKJ6Vyc49UdBdEBteo7u6x6MxaWOkmf2O8rSc-w6MuYX4742BP8xBccsIayPyOAnzNB51IOEfCM3n5sOdlHqiSl6PXd6CLY8uaptmjyCKq/w400-h400/IMG_6729.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Admiral butterlfy. <br />So far this year, I've seen these and blue swallowtails and monarchs. Also some yellow ones I don't know the name of.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So right now, I’m sitting in my hot and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>dry back yard, telepathically telling my new little transplanted peony that I will give it a good soak tomorrow. I’m envisioning where I will plant more plants that butterflies love, and how I will shrink my front lawn with a path for the mailman and his yard to yard shortcut, and how there will be plants for the butterflies there too, encircling him. In the end there will be very little grass. Mo’ grass mo’ problems, a neighbor says.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I don’t want an apocalypse with butterflies. I just want the butterflies. I want world peace, a cure for cancer, and a regularly employed methodology to make it rain.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-91597223848872989962023-06-13T22:03:00.005-07:002023-06-14T19:58:31.737-07:00The garden of everythingI toured a friend's garden today. It's always a wonderland. We talked plants and
then she made me a salad with greens and nasturtiums. That she grew in her garden, of course. <div><br /><div>She's a painter too. On her living room wall was a large painting she'd worked
on for months. She's busy. So busy. A complicated life. Here's my yoga
space she said, gesturing to a space between her couch and her bay window full
of orchids. I haven't been doing much yoga, I said. Me either, she said. But <i>I
have a yoga space.</i><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOmce3heutIg1_jYvgh_8KYH8JpTmu_Yowzwi9oYF5OCALJVFFau5DcXvVVG1DyH3mOZZg89k3R7d-PbgHFfvu6G0gJ3kg0Qld6c_Fj3HkqfCzsy3EvFMQY9FdZwKZxO7DZZrXtuZ1RpIiJ1UIAbtpb9Uxq1lsh9LYi8ljt85793myq-cVhvZlpcU/s4032/IMG_6743.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOmce3heutIg1_jYvgh_8KYH8JpTmu_Yowzwi9oYF5OCALJVFFau5DcXvVVG1DyH3mOZZg89k3R7d-PbgHFfvu6G0gJ3kg0Qld6c_Fj3HkqfCzsy3EvFMQY9FdZwKZxO7DZZrXtuZ1RpIiJ1UIAbtpb9Uxq1lsh9LYi8ljt85793myq-cVhvZlpcU/w480-h640/IMG_6743.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hollyhock buds. I'm waiting.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>My yoga space is in my bedroom. Or used to be. Now it's my garden. Not that I'm doing yoga out there when I step out the door, still my in pajamas and blowing on my coffee. What I'm doing is breathing. What I'm doing is looking and listening. </div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eex7xPf0Obkppdf0wwOi90XzpsZlMaFnPuir0dIsvtow_J-c1sXqrWg6ph2BT-wIF91_ase2Hi2D8WR5DtsUXU2Q9Y67fu0X-DzARPfRmiTF7_MppKHOKntNUjYbfaFGTPo22aGaOcLXZ3kc7FAxxtZvLrWdLJGqu27HewSzqvK8CP170_vyklUw/s2976/IMG_6732.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2976" data-original-width="2426" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eex7xPf0Obkppdf0wwOi90XzpsZlMaFnPuir0dIsvtow_J-c1sXqrWg6ph2BT-wIF91_ase2Hi2D8WR5DtsUXU2Q9Y67fu0X-DzARPfRmiTF7_MppKHOKntNUjYbfaFGTPo22aGaOcLXZ3kc7FAxxtZvLrWdLJGqu27HewSzqvK8CP170_vyklUw/w522-h640/IMG_6732.jpeg" width="522" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That crow is there on top of the blue spruce every day.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Was that what my dad was doing? </div><div><br /></div><div>My father has been dead a very long time. He died suddenly of a heart attack when I was 19. Nineteen years is not long enough to get to know a parent. Our relationship was just beginning to shift, and then he was gone.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVYuBZjxBBXTd0eD146Dfz0XbpvHzqfl6Rx3X-FDug9UqZfdi-0gexRo_cYYUnt0szFIk81Kdsf0yrn7LmNRGAN2G1foiDxqHYlUt3jJkRqjEXgXvnqZa6CxpldJDfkIOqzjNgoLUJxHsDSgU-l9yl_9n34ZuoyrhNLVbH-qflwKOFyXxisznXK8V/s4032/IMG_6740.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVYuBZjxBBXTd0eD146Dfz0XbpvHzqfl6Rx3X-FDug9UqZfdi-0gexRo_cYYUnt0szFIk81Kdsf0yrn7LmNRGAN2G1foiDxqHYlUt3jJkRqjEXgXvnqZa6CxpldJDfkIOqzjNgoLUJxHsDSgU-l9yl_9n34ZuoyrhNLVbH-qflwKOFyXxisznXK8V/w300-h400/IMG_6740.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuke.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Maybe he gardened not just to garden. Maybe he really <i>loved </i>being out there, looking and listening. Maybe he wasn't just putting food on the table. Maybe he was doing yoga.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyaO1v2JBUYVefyp3DOd5Gi57fp6UZcMcTaD9CRflGAYdJt4sxr2PoGAsgpRqkeLAbGqyllYL_GpGtxem77NxM-ZgPFGeO_P3ZX2lGaC8FPf3sC0FGAjsbFEAElj-JK_mzXsK-g-PqF35KDK4xFLAnmVCYPDj9igX-OpIepJI9qIcQjuMA7F6LzjP/s4032/IMG_6741.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyaO1v2JBUYVefyp3DOd5Gi57fp6UZcMcTaD9CRflGAYdJt4sxr2PoGAsgpRqkeLAbGqyllYL_GpGtxem77NxM-ZgPFGeO_P3ZX2lGaC8FPf3sC0FGAjsbFEAElj-JK_mzXsK-g-PqF35KDK4xFLAnmVCYPDj9igX-OpIepJI9qIcQjuMA7F6LzjP/w300-h400/IMG_6741.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shiny! Are all banana peppers shiny?</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It never occurred to me to ask him if he loved those plants. If he loved hearing the birds or the wind or the feel of that black Iowa dirt.</div><div style="text-align: right;"></div></div></div>Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-12967263896756283072023-06-12T21:31:00.001-07:002023-06-12T21:39:10.509-07:00I miss blogging
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDt3bNuS5tKRhEurzijxlKrDYnTkJrpNWY7-Kkt3P7AQaIfeC8NyrxpTXHOMvSp3rLMhtXVSZkCCY5zgQ1FUchtmozsYJYe3aQscC-IWWYNMippynTG_Qz7Syuj-kBCJhoi9cE2khpG3vH3sBGvJvYPuhA4N7DzaNlcGVqeUbLb-86xI9Yt72jXAdO/s1024/B9A8A0CA-E400-4ACD-B852-72839EC195AA_1_105_c.jpeg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDt3bNuS5tKRhEurzijxlKrDYnTkJrpNWY7-Kkt3P7AQaIfeC8NyrxpTXHOMvSp3rLMhtXVSZkCCY5zgQ1FUchtmozsYJYe3aQscC-IWWYNMippynTG_Qz7Syuj-kBCJhoi9cE2khpG3vH3sBGvJvYPuhA4N7DzaNlcGVqeUbLb-86xI9Yt72jXAdO/s400/B9A8A0CA-E400-4ACD-B852-72839EC195AA_1_105_c.jpeg"/></a></div>
Back in the day when this blog was titled "His Big Fat Indian Wedding," it brought me a lot of relief. It was a place to vent and to keep a real- time diary of of the carnage that ensued at the end of my marriage, a place to document the facts, and to think out loud. There was community and a certain artistry. Everyone's blog was a bit different in appearance. I liked that creativity. And the widgets. Remember widgets? I find Substack less interesting in its presentation. So I'm just gonna stay here.
I want to start reading the blogs I followed then--if they exist. I hope to blog regularly again too. I need to see my thoughts in black and white. Shine some light on/through them. Which is literally what happens to words on a screen. My life is a wreck in a few different ways right now.
I'm also very happy.
I do a lot of things to scrub off the crud so I can see the happiness. It's fairly easy to do that in Minnesota in the spring. Super easy if you like to garden. I'm crazy about flowers. And vegetables. Trees too. Last spring my partner and I planted a native wildflower garden in our parkway. Thirty-some two-inch plants. Don't expect blooms the first year, I told him. It's all about putting down roots.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ihDqd5wusQN7P0XvZe-dDuXTgSic25v88PVJVxxOrJMIQ7wTzjZGd3tW51oKWEkbwl7_b-bjkrr57-2dernzCJrDRsLX2vlYnH4Y7CQdigZt8ZkYXRuG0B1qypf5l45zPxv1Uvl9319CiGdz5UeRp1qzZ9j_3JKTGvYRbwzxD8tDo3SdS98Y3yyT/s4032/IMG_3940.jpeg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ihDqd5wusQN7P0XvZe-dDuXTgSic25v88PVJVxxOrJMIQ7wTzjZGd3tW51oKWEkbwl7_b-bjkrr57-2dernzCJrDRsLX2vlYnH4Y7CQdigZt8ZkYXRuG0B1qypf5l45zPxv1Uvl9319CiGdz5UeRp1qzZ9j_3JKTGvYRbwzxD8tDo3SdS98Y3yyT/s400/IMG_3940.jpeg"/></a></div>
This year there will be flowers. In fact, some have already completed their first bloom cycle. Here is what is in the wildflower garden:
Hairy beard tongue. How did it get its name? I don't know. The stems are hairy. No beard and tongue though. Thank god. There's probably a story there somewere.
Orange butteryfly weed.
Whorled milk weed--which is quite bossy and spreading all over. That's fine for now. Next year I might be out there with a weed whacker.
Blue sage. The wild rabbits stole one these immediately after planting. There were then three left. Two were regulary dined on as soon as they poked their stems out of the cold dirt this spring. We covered them with cages. Yep. Here the bunnies roam free, and the plants are put in cages.
Anisse hyssop.
Prairie smoke.
Wild petunia.
Golden Alexander.
Jacob's ladder.
Stiff goldenrod.
Wild blue asters.
I chose these plants because they are attractive to birds and butterflies--and good for the whole business of pollinating. I love the idea of having native plants in my yard. Many of the plants that were here when I moved in are native too. And I'm trying to grow the things that my dad grew when I was a kid. Hollyhocks, irises, zinnias. I was always super proud of those flowers when I took a bouquet to school for the May altar which was devoted to the Virgin Mary. I have absolutely nothing to do with a church of any kind nowadays--and haven't for a very long time. My yard is my church. I feel serene there. I feel worthwhile. That my efforts will yield something good and beautiful.
Here's an ecoprint from the wildflower garden. The ecoprinting was my first attempt. I plan to do more of it.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxYGem1xbI-m0UhR8JRo4KoSAWOTJgFXlqIBpNK_oMIKIq1v7cttWFzRan_IxwtN-cHWZ0Cmf1ZY9Ytkw-p1QWKjUrmodchgvaxdsZPQ-icFBRkPs0rFWrpetba3EzXZUg42SCg7B25uaurxFLYTXk9DfU4Heq9Pm08DLZwxmwSSUpy0Pm2wJFpyh/s4032/IMG_6653.jpeg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxYGem1xbI-m0UhR8JRo4KoSAWOTJgFXlqIBpNK_oMIKIq1v7cttWFzRan_IxwtN-cHWZ0Cmf1ZY9Ytkw-p1QWKjUrmodchgvaxdsZPQ-icFBRkPs0rFWrpetba3EzXZUg42SCg7B25uaurxFLYTXk9DfU4Heq9Pm08DLZwxmwSSUpy0Pm2wJFpyh/s400/IMG_6653.jpeg"/></a></div>
Mostly, when it comes to art, I make collages.
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Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-3045346575571062182022-07-28T20:08:00.006-07:002022-07-28T20:26:15.937-07:00The dining room table where I shared meals with my mother and listened to her many stories moved with me from California to Minnesota in 2019. My mom was three years gone by then, and the table did not fit in my little living room/ dining room after I made my second Minneapolis move.One afternoon we borrowed a hole saw from our neighbor, and the once stately dining room table became a patio table.
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It was a classy addition to the backyard. Then this happened.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQhGfI723GCij19e1XimPKk7pBmXBOYdQ-8ezpfEo9qfKpGVq6ntZNQ1k6fK7iSh0URxXweGn3XvdCCbKFu7R7x0bHvKnUivCpiilrPm6nNRsJUbCfKoZdNuCOQFHtrIv06An7vQ3PQTY6G-UUIcuS3rrtYsmuoRKpzBUZS7ndWSH6r4wysHItETG/s4032/IMG_3867.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQhGfI723GCij19e1XimPKk7pBmXBOYdQ-8ezpfEo9qfKpGVq6ntZNQ1k6fK7iSh0URxXweGn3XvdCCbKFu7R7x0bHvKnUivCpiilrPm6nNRsJUbCfKoZdNuCOQFHtrIv06An7vQ3PQTY6G-UUIcuS3rrtYsmuoRKpzBUZS7ndWSH6r4wysHItETG/s400/IMG_3867.JPG"/></a></div>
My mom had a lot of skills/pastimes/hobbies. She could knit, crochet, sew, macramé, fix things. And she was an expert trash-picker. A gold pocket watch, a wooden baby cradle, a big box of very nice baby and toddler clothes, a gold ring with a giant genuine amethyst. Books, paintings, antique dishes. What she didn't keep, she gave away or sold at garage sales.I've inherited the trash-picker gene, but now with the existence of my local Buy Nothing group, I get to browse through other people's cast-offs without lifting the lids of their trash cans or stalking the alleys.
We got a little Buy Nothing patio table after the tree fell, but I've been watching Buy Nothing for the past couple months for a bigger one. Here it is.
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Getting it into my hatchback was a bit dicey. Good thing that bag of clothes for Goodwill was still in the back seat, so we could tie the hatch shut.
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The past couple of days the table has been undergoing a transformation.
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My mom would be so thrilled.
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And soon I'll be giving away the little table on Buy Nothing. I love how that works.
Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-64208416979189358752022-06-06T20:29:00.054-07:002022-06-06T20:58:23.070-07:00A glass of red wine in memory of Dan Paik<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<p>Dan left this world 8 years ago.<p>
<p>Eight years is a very long time. <p>
<p>Let's say you have a baby. This helpless creature eight years hence can tie their shoes,
understand the rules to a sport or a game, ride a bike, make toast, do math
problems with fractions, maybe they will even have mastered the multiplication
tables. Eight years feels like a miracle when you watch a person becoming more
and more of themselves.<p>
<p>Eight years, I guess, is just eight years when someone
disappears from your life. It's a blink of an eye or an eternity, depending on
how you're feeling at any given moment. But no matter how you feel they're still
gone. It's mysterious, this absence that's also a presence.<p>
<p>Unless I'm so tired that I sleepwalk into bed, I have a
word or two with the dead. My parents, Dan, a certain friend or two on one
night, some others on another night. Then I tell myself that I'm okay. That I
mostly did good during the day. And I specifically tell my mom that I won't be
coming to see her. Not yet. I remind her that she got to live to be 91, and I'm
not ready to leave here yet. I tell her this because in the weeks after she died
I had two very vivid nightmares where she came back to get me. I want her to
know that I miss her, but that I'm staying in the world of the living for now.<p>
<p>It's been more than a year since I dreamed of Dan. I'm pretty sure I'll dream of
him again. I just don't know when. Meanwhile, here's a memory with a
<a
href="http://leavingdivorceville.blogspot.com/2013/01/put-your-arms-around-something-as-big.html"
target="_blank"
><b>dream </b></a
>in it.
Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-64713260934748674882022-05-16T21:37:00.005-07:002022-05-18T13:24:51.351-07:00Planet Earth and Her Shadow<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtQFbPBgWlZpUbFFmll5sPQxCHzw7sFPnhIY3Jm39_hqjKuQmPN5J77M3qz7OcpHjh8msibpl3V5gSi4mC54-cd5VLSXZ4UOZNUDr9w-nYeAxp0KK8pVervpPft-SDxoQoMcP2Iyd4tRY2YI2P5plCFc-xzt0L3XlxUuHIp_N7XXCVMZTDoOt0yvc/s4032/IMG_3932.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtQFbPBgWlZpUbFFmll5sPQxCHzw7sFPnhIY3Jm39_hqjKuQmPN5J77M3qz7OcpHjh8msibpl3V5gSi4mC54-cd5VLSXZ4UOZNUDr9w-nYeAxp0KK8pVervpPft-SDxoQoMcP2Iyd4tRY2YI2P5plCFc-xzt0L3XlxUuHIp_N7XXCVMZTDoOt0yvc/s400/IMG_3932.JPG"/></a></div>
Our planet has a rather insubstantial shadow, don't you think? A mere veil. Not at all like our own shadow on the sidewalk, say.
I love lunar eclipses. You can look right at them without going blind.
The next full moon lunar eclipse here where I live won't be until November--and it will be at an inconvenient hour--which is to say when I hope to be asleep. There won't be another until 2025. Who the heck knows where I'll be in 2025. Still on the planet Earth, with a little luck.
Speaking of luck--<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVZBixrOIMGW0Ve4di_ycrEm3X-e9Q52Uj3hi1KJrF8fibcq_8fDMnL6rDfc1FWQrknQcJ_kg3zdxBOjAfRk82Bxc_0PP1tEZuDFWVjgOBt79bnLtJqNr3CJ2IdWbO9-AeJocWKgp6iy5rtmaYt__trkFqFm9xV3hMN4ozimbJTbu-t6OPQaFyxGO/s4032/IMG_3855.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVZBixrOIMGW0Ve4di_ycrEm3X-e9Q52Uj3hi1KJrF8fibcq_8fDMnL6rDfc1FWQrknQcJ_kg3zdxBOjAfRk82Bxc_0PP1tEZuDFWVjgOBt79bnLtJqNr3CJ2IdWbO9-AeJocWKgp6iy5rtmaYt__trkFqFm9xV3hMN4ozimbJTbu-t6OPQaFyxGO/s400/IMG_3855.JPG"/></a></div>
If a tree falls on your house, will you hear it? Maybe. Maybe not if the tornado sirens are wailing and the wind is roaring and you're in the basement with the weather channel turned up loud. Yes. There were some big noises, but I have to say I didn't really yell, OMG a tree just fell on my house!!! But it didn't sever our power line (not even our party lights!) Didn't take out the air conditioning or any of the ductwork. Didn't break the window or put an actual hole in the roof for rain to come pouring in. That said, I'm super frustrated with the insurance company. But mostly grateful that I'm not looking for temporary lodgings.
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Sadly, my old table did not survive. In what seems like another lifetime when this table lived in my dining room, there were many fine meals there with many fine people. Two of the finest of those people are no longer on the the planet. They seem as far away as the moon. And yet very, very close.
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Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-87789511469394511202021-12-31T12:51:00.027-08:002021-12-31T13:14:16.708-08:00A Sheep in Wolf''s Clothing<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyv6vPb1mjDDPWWZNCf67DJC8Y6aQo4uCh7SQOXmXUy7zkPnvfCJc8D6h1ZAdipuvJRWeLFEfrYDjQtZdwU7qUcaLRHnBJgVGlGqCEeOL_q0bS6oQI4LLY5nvne8UZeu4HEjJsWWJxZxoz6-4uUrd1zDJ-wF7SulrAXTQgl5Mbls2GuyqAZn6EotHW=s387" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyv6vPb1mjDDPWWZNCf67DJC8Y6aQo4uCh7SQOXmXUy7zkPnvfCJc8D6h1ZAdipuvJRWeLFEfrYDjQtZdwU7qUcaLRHnBJgVGlGqCEeOL_q0bS6oQI4LLY5nvne8UZeu4HEjJsWWJxZxoz6-4uUrd1zDJ-wF7SulrAXTQgl5Mbls2GuyqAZn6EotHW=s400"/></a></div>
Not like this. This is a wolf in sheep's clothing. And believe it or not, it's from a front yard Christmas display in my neighborhood. It could well be some pop culture commentary that I am unaware of, but I think it's more likely political commentary. Some sheep are marked red. Others are blue. I mean, it's weird and kinda scary, right? Maybe also a little funny? Here's the whole thing.
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The driver of the team of sheep is Planet of the Apes meets the Grinch. And the baby. I don't know what to say about the baby.
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Anyhow, here's a happy thought. What if Omicron is <b>a sheep in wolf's clothing.
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</b>
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/28/health/covid-omicron-antibodies-delta.html" target="_blank"></a>https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/28/health/covid-omicron-antibodies-delta.html
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<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/dec/18/is-there-any-good-news-at-all-on-omicron-yes-there-are-small-signs-of-hope" target="_blank"></a>https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/dec/18/is-there-any-good-news-at-all-on-omicron-yes-there-are-small-signs-of-hope
Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-18522119442950319262021-12-18T14:25:00.004-08:002021-12-18T14:29:52.975-08:00Comfort and joy to you<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6dmODvVGCnA-vCbgkByyXelnvvuO1vM21Mrb1Gd5_gKSZhbAgeESmcmejS_WAxT6AeRlvs0Z6CwW0jKzYvZ1K6Z0w52O6TGA2SHaLpNjlxkA9b1Zh_o6tx6zKz4g-MUr9-16M1hQutAR-nI3zM7tFX9CAVOHDhvpp7FDe_LQ9u1OFOaYVdrj6RBYL=s4032" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6dmODvVGCnA-vCbgkByyXelnvvuO1vM21Mrb1Gd5_gKSZhbAgeESmcmejS_WAxT6AeRlvs0Z6CwW0jKzYvZ1K6Z0w52O6TGA2SHaLpNjlxkA9b1Zh_o6tx6zKz4g-MUr9-16M1hQutAR-nI3zM7tFX9CAVOHDhvpp7FDe_LQ9u1OFOaYVdrj6RBYL=s400"/></a></div>
And how about some joy to the world while we're at it? Oh, wait. Yeah. Supply chain.
Well, I have a Christmas tree inside and another one outside. I look at those lights a lot.
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I settled on my New Year's resolutions today. 1) Be excedingly polite to everyone I encounter. 2) Walk every single day in January, no matter the temperature.
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I will not follow this trail out onto Lake Harriet, but I am lucky to live in such a beautiful place with a lovely creek that leads to the lake, and I will walk, even if it's so cold I can only go a little ways. I actually love winter if I don't have to drive in it. And I've made up with my Yak Traks, which last year I thought didn't provide quite enough traction. Somehow I feel very secure in them now.
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Hope you're feeling secure in some way, dear reader. I hope there's joy in your world and comfort too. Let your light shine.
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Here's a poem I heard yesterday.
<a href="https://onbeing.org/programs/danez-smith-im-going-back-to-minnesota-where-sadness-makes-sense/">https://onbeing.org/programs/danez-smith-im-going-back-to-minnesota-where-sadness-makes-sense/</a>Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-16383412388452846152021-10-13T14:22:00.000-07:002021-10-13T14:22:19.880-07:00Breaking up with Mr. Zio<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tYX274cHf_UiNTJa5mQn3ThL63HJALnuFi7TMkUlM0BxKQmGx-IB86cGWS3tJAWLmNsNbSg5QlTodqYwQN_umlHhsSCbai714gGJYL6CIhen7222oKVRi-18f9gFM7IvdlFvDu5I7bw/s2048/IMG_3076.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tYX274cHf_UiNTJa5mQn3ThL63HJALnuFi7TMkUlM0BxKQmGx-IB86cGWS3tJAWLmNsNbSg5QlTodqYwQN_umlHhsSCbai714gGJYL6CIhen7222oKVRi-18f9gFM7IvdlFvDu5I7bw/s320/IMG_3076.jpg"/></a></div>
Mr. Zio is my heart monitor. We've been close these past two weeks, investigating all of the pings and rattles. Anxiety? Not anxiety? Who knows these days, right? But tomorrow, I peel him off my chest and send him packing in a box. Such wonders modern medicine provides! I'm a little fuzzy about what happens after that, but I'm sure there'll be some sort of report.
How are you, dear reader? What's pinging and rattling in your life? I'm obsessed with making collages. No art background. Just pandemic online heart-saving classes. I'm mystified by the glues and finishes. I like my finished work to be smooth. I don't want wrinkles. I don't want shine. But I put together these masterpieces with all kinds of snippets, and some papers like one type of glue with other papers like another.
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These two collages seem to me to be about luck. Luck feels like such a mover and a shaker to me these days.
I'm planning a party--a missed major milestones party. I've ordered food and cakes (one cake for each of the four big occassions we've missed.) My son and his family are traveling from Phoenix. Hey, Southwest Airlines, I'm imploring you NOT to cancel that flight. Because 38 tacos. Because four cakes. Because I have not seen them for more than two years. I'm just so shocked every time I think or say that. <i>More than two years.</i> For god sake, dear pilots, I've already put the extra boards in the table.
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Dear everyone, wishing you luck with your endeavors.Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-53764110679479196152021-09-21T14:40:00.003-07:002021-09-21T14:40:40.392-07:00Thanks for the memories--and your martini recipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTphr_U29oJVArP4WRy8AF6uppQTSp1r6QjrgKRae2zKl_txA7-WWOjFc9Ty9zvouJYNuGsOOtoip1Pp9Xo5XSUoFAZIi3U-gerpjRCHVKFBVhdDTRke7xG8PnvCve15i9LESwcGhC68/s2048/IMG_2921.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTphr_U29oJVArP4WRy8AF6uppQTSp1r6QjrgKRae2zKl_txA7-WWOjFc9Ty9zvouJYNuGsOOtoip1Pp9Xo5XSUoFAZIi3U-gerpjRCHVKFBVhdDTRke7xG8PnvCve15i9LESwcGhC68/s400/IMG_2921.jpg"/></a></div>
It was my mom's birthday a few days ago. I had a martini and bought a lottery ticket--which is the way I celebrate now that she no longer enjoys these earthly delights.
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It's an odd feeling to have both parents gone. Sometimes I feel like a pale balloon, disconnected from the people who landed me here.
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A dear friend sent me this book,"Heartwood" by Barbara Becker. It arrived on my mom's birthday. I've just begun to read it. Here's what the author says about the title which comes from the name for the central core of a tree.
"...this supporting pillar no longer participates in the life process of a tree--transporting and storing water and nutrients. Although dead, heartwood will not decay or lose its sturdiness while the outer, living rings of newer growth sustain it. In the perfect ecology of a tree, the dead become the heart of the living, and the living nourish the enduring essence of the dead."
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So that's what I was doing with that martini--nourishing the enduring essence of the dead.
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Every night as I settle into bed in my freshly painted room, I think of my dead loved ones. And how it is to love the dead. It's so different from how we love the living. To be able to touch. To be able to talk. These are the profound joys of the living.
Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-54605764042730756622021-08-23T11:18:00.052-07:002021-08-23T15:11:58.089-07:00Well hi, Come here often?<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiW4dPQAMbdkX9urkGj7h2vxciAcXePZp47qSv-g9gm39osRRuyoj6BUp4r8jabd93wL-A4hrfebl54TD1RJiHKsmhikscEyptgzR-mEgSRTjUVukSf6HLVCCwHOVZDIOxetXMpRxf1cU/s2048/IMG_2844.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiW4dPQAMbdkX9urkGj7h2vxciAcXePZp47qSv-g9gm39osRRuyoj6BUp4r8jabd93wL-A4hrfebl54TD1RJiHKsmhikscEyptgzR-mEgSRTjUVukSf6HLVCCwHOVZDIOxetXMpRxf1cU/s400/IMG_2844.JPG"/></a></div>
That's the outfit I've worn almost every day for the past two weeks. I've been painting all the trim in my house white, wiping out the 70's golden oak, the 50's weird not-gray-not-brown, some previously painted white trim that was a dull, thin grayish white, punctuated with drips. It's all going to match now. No drips, no cracks, no nail holes. I've used up almost an entire tube of caulk.
I had a terrible case of buyer's remorse when I bought this house. The narrow hallways with its seven doors of chipped 1950's veneer, the doorway trim with a single coat of white paint slapped on. The dark armed light fixture lurking like spider on the eight-foot hallway ceiling, the crowing achievement of bad choices.
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Today I'm wearing real clothes. I hired a professional painter to do the bay window in my living room and the hallway ceiling, which has a new light fixture now. He saw the work I'd done since he came to give the estimate a few weeks ago. "You could have done this yourself," he said as he brushed paint on the window seat. "If I was hiring help,I'd hire you." See? Someone might actually pay me for one of my skills.
But I want to be DONE with painting. I have one more room's worth of door and window trim to paint--and a couple of baseboards in my kitchen. I'm going to stain my super cool 1950s wooden front door a reddish brown that will look awesome with the little landing pad of slate tile in my entry way. Then that's it.
I'm going to make art and write. I'm going to make a handbound book with handmade paper of my 33 Divorceville collages (which you can find on my Instagram page if your interested.) I'm going to make bigger collages and more paper and bind books. And it is my intention to publish an essay or a piece of fiction on Medium.com once a month. Maybe twice. But I write as slowly as I paint, so maybe just once.
Medium has a new thing going on. You can subscribe to my page. So when I do write once a month, you'll get an email about it. This means income sans paintbrush. You can subscribe here: https://demanuelclemen.medium.com
After you get to my Medium.com page look for the little "Get an email.." message at the bottom? Click there.
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Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-29298173020163684562021-05-26T21:06:00.000-07:002021-05-26T21:06:48.549-07:00Thanks for the nectar<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPio68OuL3kejeiV84U4g0fmpBgUor_14IWh_feorPLB3w1Rp5v4Nfw1SphIARg7YGquP_VcL8iQzCe1zK74BoRbnNII52CLHPnpYAnzKXgPBF1IEp8hfA-E9uyKX6xrv1KK_26TtWwKk/s2048/IMG_2460.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPio68OuL3kejeiV84U4g0fmpBgUor_14IWh_feorPLB3w1Rp5v4Nfw1SphIARg7YGquP_VcL8iQzCe1zK74BoRbnNII52CLHPnpYAnzKXgPBF1IEp8hfA-E9uyKX6xrv1KK_26TtWwKk/s400/IMG_2460.JPG"/></a></div>
I didn't know that a peony bud and a black ant were the perfect couple. Thanks to a phenomenon called biological mutualism, the ant sips a tiny bit of nectar from the bud without disfiguring it, while the peony benefits from the ant's predatory nature as it wards off other insects that can harm the flowers.There are so many surprises in a garden. The biggest surprise will of course be actually harvesting fruits and vegetables.That's all some weeks away since the last frost in Minnesota is sometime around Mother's Day, and things are just getting started.
A few weeks ago I didn't know what any of these things popping out of the ground were. I can name them all now, and I've learned not to believe everything I read about them. Dame's rocket and Solomon's seal are a weeds (a.k.a.wildflowers with a propensity for spreading) according to some, but I'm hoping they pop up again next year. My goal is to have a garden full of native plants, very loosely choreographed--a bit shaggy around the edges where it meets a lawn that, I hope, will be taken over by wild clover.
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Going outside is the first thing I want to do in the mornings, or at least walk around looking out all of my windows. It's a kaleidescope out there. A turn of a calendar page changes blossons to leaves, or a blooming redbud to a blooming Japanese barberry. One day the pinkie-sized flowers of the false starry lily are replaced by lillies of the valley.In a week a dead looking stump transforms into a grape vine. Soon the ferns will be knocking on the windows asking to be let in.
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Bob Dylan is 80, and in a couple months I'll be asking where all the flowers have gone.
Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-50483256160062216072021-05-16T14:51:00.012-07:002021-05-16T16:56:04.847-07:00The Ephemerals<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9mDJLwN1LNyRn-y1F71sZGrnNVp9WLKV9rltoyJO_wfWdaJ3Q4vNpu2UMCT6e7Q8Z0nfPWWInh8bHyMsBkJ-YPEpNXQA1wyFYNVPR7JZOvNzHkM4dUKHy_OzqPDZ7BEtKn1lDEAkLk0/s2048/IMG_2296.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9mDJLwN1LNyRn-y1F71sZGrnNVp9WLKV9rltoyJO_wfWdaJ3Q4vNpu2UMCT6e7Q8Z0nfPWWInh8bHyMsBkJ-YPEpNXQA1wyFYNVPR7JZOvNzHkM4dUKHy_OzqPDZ7BEtKn1lDEAkLk0/s320/IMG_2296.JPG"/></a></div>
Plants known as ephemerals respond readily to spring's early warmth and fade back into the earth during the heat of summer. So I've read anyway. I bought my house in December. The yard, as far as I could tell, was grass bordered by curving beds of gravel. How Zen, I thought. Maybe I'll make hypertufa garden orbs, grow some herbs and vegetables in some big pots and call it a day. It's been a cold spring in here Minnesota, but in the last couple of weeks green things are rocketing out of the ground. There will be no room for garden orbs. I'm trying to make sense of it all, using an app on my phone to ID things and marveling at the fortitude of the plants pushing their way through a thick layer of black garden cloth and gravel.
I'm also trying to make sense of the death of my friend Shanna, who left this Earth by her own hand not quite two weeks ago. As another friend put it, depression is a murderer and a liar. Shanna pushed her way through a layer of darkness, and I was in a writing group with her as she blossomed. I never shared a meal with her--or even a drink or a cup of coffee--our common ground was writing and struggle. Her own rough life gave her a nose for the sadness and pain of others.Shanna emailed me more than once when I was at the bottom to tell me to see her therapist. As I remember it she followed up with a phonecall. I went to the therapist. I made it out of the bottomless hole I was in.
Shanna made it out too. She wrote a novel,<a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/06/oh-you-pretty-things-shanna-mahin" target="_blank"><b>Oh!You Pretty Things</b></a> a few years ago that got all around fine reviews. She moved. I moved. We weren't ever see each other/talk regularly friends--and time and distance, well,you know how that goes. Things happened that I don't know about. Then Shanna got Covid in November and shared her struggle on Facebook. She was super sick. I posted on her wall like a zillion other friends. I PM-ed her now and then to not clutter up her wall of well-wishes, so numererous were the messages from friends and fellow writers. But she didn't get well and became a long-hauler. And overwhelmed by Covid and god knows what all, she took her life.
Muffin and cupcake, she'd call me and the other writers in our group. Sweet cakes and sparkle pie. Shanna was a secret sauce of heart-aching empathy cut with wicked wit and profanity. Honestly, there was no one fucking like her. Not even close.
I haven't felt like doing much this past ten days. I pull weeds and put comments from my fellow writers into the appropriate folders for the essays I'm trying to finish. I cut out images for collages, but don't make anything. I look at the Virgina bluebells in my gardern and think the word ephemeral. They'll be gone soon, I guess. But you wouldn't know it to look at them right now. Ephemeral. Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-44688814625492724552021-04-27T09:35:00.001-07:002021-04-27T12:53:53.517-07:00Partying with the dead--reefer and potato salad<p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Pi-mkXiyApgA5U50Z69WQaXD6sLEoM8-Aloz67B_MqJI7J7F1axSBJJw6MDBLE012nE3WcovcEg-D7J-SPGDigE9Ik5sctmHMGovfDEGmiBbD9S_sJYvvPeGGVfKsfcFt0Et9s26A4I/s2048/IMG_4277.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Pi-mkXiyApgA5U50Z69WQaXD6sLEoM8-Aloz67B_MqJI7J7F1axSBJJw6MDBLE012nE3WcovcEg-D7J-SPGDigE9Ik5sctmHMGovfDEGmiBbD9S_sJYvvPeGGVfKsfcFt0Et9s26A4I/w400-h300/IMG_4277.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The spread from my mom's birthday party in 2012. I think there's potato salad in one of those bowls.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p> <b><i>A dream: </i></b><i>Dan's daughter came to visit. I was living in a house on a hill, not unlike the first house I ever owned in the Sliver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. The slope down to the sidewalk was so steep that when people walked by you could only see the tops of their heads. "Hey you're in town!" a friend of Dusty's said to her as he looked up and caught a glimpse of her through the open window. We cranked the window fully open and sat on the window seat as she introduced us, describing me as the woman who tried to keep her father alive. Tried and failed, I thought.</i></p><p><i>Later more friends came over. Friends of Dusty's, friends of Dan's. People I knew and people I didn't. They talked about a house they were buying together. You have to come see it, someone said.</i></p><p><i>But first there were guests to feed. Dusty went out to buy potatoes so we could make potato salad. I already had two bags of potatoes, but that was okay. We'd make a lot of potato salad. We piled the potatoes into a pot and put it on the stove on low and went out to look at the house. Dusty explained that when Dan was alive I wanted to buy him a house so he could stop working. (</i>In real life, back in 2010 or so, I thought about buying a loft downtown near little Tokyo and figured he could live there if he wanted.) <i>The house that Dusty and her friends were buying was not a house exactly. It was a former event venue. The bathrooms were huge with numerous stalls. The women's bathroom was painted fuchsia and silver. "Great for parties," someone said. Next we squeezed into a room piled high with furniture. "This could be our dining room table," someone said as we edged around a dark carved table big enough for a dozen or more. On top of it were two ornately carved boxes with dragons rising up from their lids. "This is where we'll keep the reefer," I said. </i>(Really, I said that in the dream. Hahahaha.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5nPZCuIav8prYRA1TyPtUPAvwlUC9Z39D1u9hS3Af-ZjIuW4IN4FFW_T1_K3EfALHpj7DZp8aXquMJ6AqTqiYUUyPp2gCL1GvlYxeWZXtpyZii68CJEtJYyt-Td6Ds8a04BI0GAxK4I/s249/Unknown.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="249" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5nPZCuIav8prYRA1TyPtUPAvwlUC9Z39D1u9hS3Af-ZjIuW4IN4FFW_T1_K3EfALHpj7DZp8aXquMJ6AqTqiYUUyPp2gCL1GvlYxeWZXtpyZii68CJEtJYyt-Td6Ds8a04BI0GAxK4I/w200-h163/Unknown.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p><i>Back at my house, we checked on the potatoes and took them off the stove to cool. People and more people. Drinks in our hands. And there he was--Dan, sitting next to me. No one but me seemed to notice him. "You're chewing gum," he said. Your brothers must be visiting. You always chew gum when your brothers visit. </i>(God, dreams are weird.) <i>I reminded him that my brothers lived far away and almost never visited. </i></p><p><i>"But they did visit recently," I said. "When our mother died." Dan's mouth opened into a silent O. </i></p><p><i>"What!?" he said. "Oh dear you, come here so I can hold you." He wrapped his arms around me, and I tried to figure out how all of this worked. Was I supposed to let a dead loved know when another loved one joined their ranks? And how was I supposed to do that exactly? How did moving from the land of the living to the land of the dead work? Who could I ask? Meanwhile Dan held me, and the sensation of his black polar fleece jacket was so familiar that it made me sad, remembering when he wore it when he was alive. And that was a mystery too. How did he get his jacket back? It was given to me after he died and I wore it under my coat last winter in Minneapolis. I lost it on a bus because I got too hot hurrying to the bus stop and tied it around my waist beneath my wool coat. A block or so after I got off the bus I noticed it was gone. I went back to look for it but never found it. I am puzzling through all of this reality about the lost jacket in the dream, and I can't figure that out either. There are all these things I don't know--- the mysterious world of the dead and how they are notified when others die. How they get their lost clothes back. How they come back to visit. I can't figure any of it out. </i></p><p><i>"I wish you'd come back more often," I said. "Come back to visit because I miss you." My face was wet with tears. </i>(And indeed it was when I awoke.)</p>Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-48875560667396892442021-04-09T15:53:00.001-07:002021-04-09T15:53:35.309-07:00Full-immunity day<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUs8RUztXVYoL_MRXEFB8_fZBw8FBvAtKMIS-kEgbsgkPT9Le23nufA1qL4Jdl9MlRzl_0cLOVTvhoM6BwgmJutXXqp3jCSueDjvGO_nL_n9oNR-8FCc25mpWGSG0khlsU_kzBMO99ilE/s2048/IMG_2077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1482" data-original-width="2048" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUs8RUztXVYoL_MRXEFB8_fZBw8FBvAtKMIS-kEgbsgkPT9Le23nufA1qL4Jdl9MlRzl_0cLOVTvhoM6BwgmJutXXqp3jCSueDjvGO_nL_n9oNR-8FCc25mpWGSG0khlsU_kzBMO99ilE/w640-h466/IMG_2077.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I'm now as immune from Covid-19 as I can be. It feels great. It will feel even greater when everyone I love can say the same.<p></p><p>My new immune life will not be like my pre-Covid life. I have no plans to fly or go to the theatre--the idea of doing those things makes me profoundly uncomfortable right now. I have no plans to dine indoors until Minnesota has reached full herd-immunity, and sadly, I won't be hanging out in a bar right now--unless there are sidewalk tables--or maybe if everyone is older (and presumably vaccinated)? But, I'm gonna do a lot of other stuff. So much stuff. </p><p>And in case you're wondering if I make any happy collages, I do. See above.</p><p>And here's another one. But I'm posting my 33-divorce collages on Instagram one at a time. It's the final purge of all that.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_bwsox8yQzVRmQuZ_ZyFdJ2R7bO0NC9Pvx79myzBhFV_fa1ozJt-ljqyMRxLwUOG0XKHYujwYfXQkmMhYCbTi9FtpoD3AJmeo9BTrciSitmcG9OlT-mCd5VdtDyib_gTDGpuInTh5u4/s2048/IMG_2117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1486" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_bwsox8yQzVRmQuZ_ZyFdJ2R7bO0NC9Pvx79myzBhFV_fa1ozJt-ljqyMRxLwUOG0XKHYujwYfXQkmMhYCbTi9FtpoD3AJmeo9BTrciSitmcG9OlT-mCd5VdtDyib_gTDGpuInTh5u4/w466-h640/IMG_2117.jpg" width="466" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-2991048581685652942021-03-25T13:41:00.000-07:002021-03-25T13:41:14.269-07:0033 Collages....about my divorce<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOYgc-nMGhUMT3Q0yzJXyDTzukXzMSzuDr9ULKk4VGHw0bKe9XQ3fGoRR6qIS8PHwM1wI_5O_BpI97fg8JgWqOTlo6g_Bv__dz911wDZFyELkKXrwJm5YVfx3dQmeOxTDV5VeDwyzK2Q/s2048/IMG_2074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1942" data-original-width="2048" height="606" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOYgc-nMGhUMT3Q0yzJXyDTzukXzMSzuDr9ULKk4VGHw0bKe9XQ3fGoRR6qIS8PHwM1wI_5O_BpI97fg8JgWqOTlo6g_Bv__dz911wDZFyELkKXrwJm5YVfx3dQmeOxTDV5VeDwyzK2Q/w640-h606/IMG_2074.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I've been over the break-up of my marriage so many times I've lost count. Over means over--until that feeling is over. And then there you are again. In it.<p></p><p>When I found out that the Someone intended to terminate (in fact <i>had terminated</i>) my alimony at the end of 2020, I dropped into feeling it all again. Add in a pandemic, a quarantine, and a recent interest in all things book arts--and here you have it. One collage for every year spent with someone I never really knew. </p><p>These individual collages are not meant to each sum up a particular year, but simply reflect my thoughts and feelings in the moment of making them. </p><p>And of course, <span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">“These are works made of paper. </span><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Any similarity to actual persons</b><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">, living or dead, or </span><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">actual </b><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">events, is purely coincidental.” </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I might add that life often feels as fragile as paper and seems quite dependent on coincidence.</span></span></p><p>In a day or two I hope to sign the official paper that says I expect no more alimony. It turns out that the Someone is not only completely retired, he's in ill-health. </p><p>As this final collage of the series reflects, I'm ready to move on.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3ULddcI_ORLLt89XlrWZ1xSTHB0BD4-abEkeYlDH6drf45ayOVlxoQ0j4gFwj6yPNlsIuYd0sM95wmu0i-VFGRB9U-DykgHX7LBzu1bwXqPnWUgFxqpMIs2iinWCNai8foc01UdbxMI/s2048/IMG_2075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1420" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3ULddcI_ORLLt89XlrWZ1xSTHB0BD4-abEkeYlDH6drf45ayOVlxoQ0j4gFwj6yPNlsIuYd0sM95wmu0i-VFGRB9U-DykgHX7LBzu1bwXqPnWUgFxqpMIs2iinWCNai8foc01UdbxMI/w444-h640/IMG_2075.jpg" width="444" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Light a Candle and Move On</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-13397907726801556922021-03-11T13:27:00.000-08:002021-03-11T13:27:24.258-08:00You can't always get what you want<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfxv9rki1pyq71HvJRUzgvxc80Pqz0DbRgqsW1KvzjcT0Rb0Nk6sCq0ClP2BSf25NzymcqPDsSUA8e8LBvuEC2nBPE_D6w5i6sC43CLHYa0d71WF4_eM9UNe_fk3G6E1kWLsOoQE71jdk/s2048/IMG_1901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfxv9rki1pyq71HvJRUzgvxc80Pqz0DbRgqsW1KvzjcT0Rb0Nk6sCq0ClP2BSf25NzymcqPDsSUA8e8LBvuEC2nBPE_D6w5i6sC43CLHYa0d71WF4_eM9UNe_fk3G6E1kWLsOoQE71jdk/w480-h640/IMG_1901.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />This squirrel wants birdseed. <p></p><p>I want some more years of alimony. </p><p>Neither is going to happen. </p><p>My bird feeder is a Brome Squirrel Buster Plus. The Ferrari of bird feeders.</p><p>As for the alimony, once upon a time it, too, was pretty high-powered. Now it's sitting in the junkyard. </p><p>I'm okay with it. Really. (No, this blog has not been hacked. It's me. Denise. The person who ranted all through her 41/2 year divorce proceedings and beyond.) I'm glad I bought the spendy bird feeder before the Ferrari ran off the road. </p><p>And here is a postcard from Divorceville (No, it wasn't a wonderful time and I don't wish you were here.)</p><p><i><span style="color: red;"><b>Expulsion</b></span> (5x7 </i>original collage with magazine papers, handpainted paper, and construction paper)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkte3FUf2jlt8TPPpLyEzvRDEm-Nqlv5R40H0IbpbJututU0UiekBZ3Wc8qmUYRZkyhhqTGOxmltPZYV1qC0nxikqLP3x6JnNjC4nwwQFr4jh_76m9Z2UH9Md-7yLorh78BNAjRmw3sw/s2048/IMG_1976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1466" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkte3FUf2jlt8TPPpLyEzvRDEm-Nqlv5R40H0IbpbJututU0UiekBZ3Wc8qmUYRZkyhhqTGOxmltPZYV1qC0nxikqLP3x6JnNjC4nwwQFr4jh_76m9Z2UH9Md-7yLorh78BNAjRmw3sw/w458-h640/IMG_1976.jpg" width="458" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-29424132425288627102021-02-25T12:24:00.004-08:002021-02-25T12:24:31.729-08:00You don't have to stay married forever<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeaCWekBK1dQVemuiebBI60YHdfkn9VQK1KPuf8tNf-Pzhn7gL80xi_dwvE2VNThNyHca0NqsHCKofq8_HUExQcCTdTS0C0sggIVXm2wXoQqflkVGhQGQkDI5BX2P46-oNEE0Mgkk34Q/s2048/IMG_5741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeaCWekBK1dQVemuiebBI60YHdfkn9VQK1KPuf8tNf-Pzhn7gL80xi_dwvE2VNThNyHca0NqsHCKofq8_HUExQcCTdTS0C0sggIVXm2wXoQqflkVGhQGQkDI5BX2P46-oNEE0Mgkk34Q/w480-h640/IMG_5741.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />But divorce is just another word for infinity.<p></p>Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-88852163653945842762021-02-13T17:36:00.007-08:002021-02-13T17:39:09.166-08:00<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZQRQOZozE4Ak_xH7BsB_ktZQpf3aY3k6q7YjuDrVIcw02k9vsgKtHx-PzYdSiz5B46h6Tg6ANuwsrjzXTAZitD2JBF1Dr8gtUmaPrz_XpysGCqchxyHnnl4NbFRZTUQ5Jpqz_Wz_DwE/s2048/IMG_1929.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZQRQOZozE4Ak_xH7BsB_ktZQpf3aY3k6q7YjuDrVIcw02k9vsgKtHx-PzYdSiz5B46h6Tg6ANuwsrjzXTAZitD2JBF1Dr8gtUmaPrz_XpysGCqchxyHnnl4NbFRZTUQ5Jpqz_Wz_DwE/w480-h640/IMG_1929.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It's cold here. Dangerously cold--if you are caught out in it unprepared. Right now it's -8. With the windchill -24, and it is predicted to get as cold as -30 or -40 this weekend. I just took the garbage out, which is one of my most favorite things to do in this Covid winter. I get to walk on the pathway through my backyard, past the big tree, and down the steps, and across the driveway to the alley where the all the cans are. An unpredicted plus that I did not realize when I bought this house is that the garbage cans never need to be moved. They just sit there on the border of my driveway and the alleyway. No wheeling in and wheeling out. A small good surprise.</p><p>I have hit the Covid wall, which is much in the news lately as we all realize that even when vaccinated we can still get sick or transmit this vile illness. I am not yet vaccinated, and my provider's website had not been updated in ages. It's stuck on 75 and older. Maybe I will be 75 by the time they update it.</p><p>I am alternately happily busy making handmade paper, mending, making collages, writing, swearing at the TV, and watching my fancy new squirrel-proof bird feeder....when I'm not wondering what the hell my purpose is on this Earth. Just in the last few days I've seen chickadees, juncos, finches, hairy and downy woodpeckers, and the cardinal you see in my very amateur photo. Oh, and I made my first attempt at ice luminaria, pictured at the top of this post.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hUcCxGresbX1USKjvl8fL1Ke6PK5SgR9xU6hBqoHNwYQb0QD7JcHK7q8bQIrguiTqlL-wYKM265dCc3jr1J2KLh8wtXctF3ItI_9dWztTMezdIeDKl2JWW45fO6EYOHHMebXuCRAmlA/s2048/IMG_1920.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hUcCxGresbX1USKjvl8fL1Ke6PK5SgR9xU6hBqoHNwYQb0QD7JcHK7q8bQIrguiTqlL-wYKM265dCc3jr1J2KLh8wtXctF3ItI_9dWztTMezdIeDKl2JWW45fO6EYOHHMebXuCRAmlA/s320/IMG_1920.JPG" /></a></div><p>The wildlife situation is so much fun here on ground level. Every morning the first order of the day is studying the tracks. Rabbits. Squirrels. And I think that is a raccoon print below. I welcome all creatures. They are out there in -40 surviving. When the temperatures began to drop a few days ago, I watched squirrels paw up leaves and carry them in their mouths to insulate their abodes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiN6x-ieSWjg2nFxrv000LqJrsnnf1vypyaUS0uW96ddsWIicoujOQLApDHYBlQ-P3vPL-XotqcGDdPkQQbXIgU9RjKcKn2IwaiC-fuSa4pcHaQZ-fVpj8gPeb_3rMvDcywHS49fsGio/s2048/IMG_1914.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiN6x-ieSWjg2nFxrv000LqJrsnnf1vypyaUS0uW96ddsWIicoujOQLApDHYBlQ-P3vPL-XotqcGDdPkQQbXIgU9RjKcKn2IwaiC-fuSa4pcHaQZ-fVpj8gPeb_3rMvDcywHS49fsGio/w300-h400/IMG_1914.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p>A not-so-small bad surprise is that the someone cut off my alimony. I've consulted with an attorney, roamed around here a few nights past my bedtime, spent a whole day in bed, spent another couple of days counting all my pennies. All that has been helpful--but the most satisfying thing has been collaging. It's just that I can't really send this type of card to anyone. So I'm going to put a couple here.</p><p><i>Humiliation</i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5YyQC2xSfg2n1mw-IvmCauZYXm0_Nf86fBJKFGtrEGK7QrsKS84sYe4oG2-PZFs-pa_GOK4iItZzFjYqUr1O48PqoQZlMAGYFShJJUNWYkIPW1X1wEbC7xM_ZRgkPKHf-RxaDs-XI2FU/s2048/IMG_1921.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1456" data-original-width="2048" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5YyQC2xSfg2n1mw-IvmCauZYXm0_Nf86fBJKFGtrEGK7QrsKS84sYe4oG2-PZFs-pa_GOK4iItZzFjYqUr1O48PqoQZlMAGYFShJJUNWYkIPW1X1wEbC7xM_ZRgkPKHf-RxaDs-XI2FU/w640-h458/IMG_1921.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><br /></p><i>Kick in the Head</i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBC_EvADjhvpg6_q28fwD5hJkhKqHRU5RZf7d0WYR3j2ElkcbtEGOSHH-mkNkP8fxm2aCGeemuLu-VkEjEEeWy3BtyuPQ5fMdDQJ6rxP9vyA8xpwCHANBAcnGDfTyunuc5yL_QMVv6y4/s2048/IMG_1925.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBC_EvADjhvpg6_q28fwD5hJkhKqHRU5RZf7d0WYR3j2ElkcbtEGOSHH-mkNkP8fxm2aCGeemuLu-VkEjEEeWy3BtyuPQ5fMdDQJ6rxP9vyA8xpwCHANBAcnGDfTyunuc5yL_QMVv6y4/w640-h480/IMG_1925.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Here's a quote about collaging by Terry Tempest Williams:<strong>"If the world is torn to pieces, I want to see what story I can find in the fragmentation. I have taken to making collages. I want to see whether a different narrative might arise from pouring over American magazines, tearing them up and putting them back together in a shape that makes sense to me. When everything is coming apart, the art of assemblage feels like a worthy pastime"</strong></p><p></p>Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-12689703997745134882021-01-23T15:08:00.004-08:002021-01-23T15:08:17.131-08:00I love coincidences<p> Several months ago, pre-election, when I was on a book making binge, I made this.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNBrBeSB7LXdNcUeG_J54TH8uIaW_NAamqSRbkrhPtz2FYo7QfRwW1wZEUNtUHxO0TeEs1hXxHfkKrGMJ-ScOqYP68Z5Ul5ISUuBtHiZO01h1zUaqATru10vhFjio4UQNrPXFgI1Pvn8/s2048/IMG_1849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNBrBeSB7LXdNcUeG_J54TH8uIaW_NAamqSRbkrhPtz2FYo7QfRwW1wZEUNtUHxO0TeEs1hXxHfkKrGMJ-ScOqYP68Z5Ul5ISUuBtHiZO01h1zUaqATru10vhFjio4UQNrPXFgI1Pvn8/w480-h640/IMG_1849.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It's a flip book in the style of the Exquisite Corpse game.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5M0IptsL8lescC7TSndl2Ajgb971zK3ectHAPCMPboiNbtv4sTB8ixkfsNGMRCjO5tys4BSnAzYO_l9t2OPgPVW2y_yTl_QU046OCX2Gk8oKfwmOqoZL6MD-Kk3flXXdDmZNFjrL550/s2048/IMG_1850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5M0IptsL8lescC7TSndl2Ajgb971zK3ectHAPCMPboiNbtv4sTB8ixkfsNGMRCjO5tys4BSnAzYO_l9t2OPgPVW2y_yTl_QU046OCX2Gk8oKfwmOqoZL6MD-Kk3flXXdDmZNFjrL550/w640-h480/IMG_1850.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The pages are divided into thirds. Each whole page depicts a person, and when you flip a section of the page, part of the person can be changed into someone else. Fun and games, and my mind saw a message just in the format. Walk in someone else's shoes. Get inside someone else's head. Feel what's going on in the heart of someone that isn't you. I thought the book needed a few words though so I excerpted several lines of a poem called, "In This Place." Turns out it's a poem by Amanda Gorman. I had no idea, back then, how appropriate that would be.</p><p>In other news, I am in <i>this</i> place--my new house in my new study where everything finally has a place and I no longer have to excavate a bin from beneath a bed to find a certain piece of paper.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnJTPtCpgQnpjnYlldFsTJhtRwcOzbVzAIMNmtIFTcLNAL7JW6lJui_V9s9a4xGtHkyS9TtA1xcsSFF4o6OiAnQKJ4kAatyz8CvvRsCailz7XvzF5gzRBQvDYrVSfPW2vlWDW7rV6_KE/s2048/IMG_1848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnJTPtCpgQnpjnYlldFsTJhtRwcOzbVzAIMNmtIFTcLNAL7JW6lJui_V9s9a4xGtHkyS9TtA1xcsSFF4o6OiAnQKJ4kAatyz8CvvRsCailz7XvzF5gzRBQvDYrVSfPW2vlWDW7rV6_KE/w400-h300/IMG_1848.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Here are the other books I made during the book making binge.<div>And the sturdy deep shelves with room for books and my never ending collection of stuff.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYjyF4sn92WpRy9NvftKramMwCIBAPmtvYtMN0c3f1KTvXnZ02fMQgEEAozcLtjyzayeJHVftJ5jryMH1ypODMHaHmMBSkn18EVwuS6vzmjXeM1v48nGdoKsNNMBe8wwA0Xv9gMIJ3Xc/s2048/IMG_1847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYjyF4sn92WpRy9NvftKramMwCIBAPmtvYtMN0c3f1KTvXnZ02fMQgEEAozcLtjyzayeJHVftJ5jryMH1ypODMHaHmMBSkn18EVwuS6vzmjXeM1v48nGdoKsNNMBe8wwA0Xv9gMIJ3Xc/w640-h480/IMG_1847.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The tiny closet is a wonder. There's room for my handmade paper, my hand-marbled paper, and all the stuff I use for collaging, plus the usual crap one keeps in a filing cabinet. Things like a final decree of divorce, mediation agreements, new divorce advice, tax forms, etc. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheWXxdAbTSlyzFZeR1SXh57yri1JojtdTZO_eqRDBJO0xNL-J3GMih7iUHCi6hvBgbwg88w6D6s43KekFcj1vZ9HXzcbxpH4vsdgbwxs2JY9G45ZQlevFd_2NvPkALWCbt_A6L8KeBg50/s2048/IMG_1845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheWXxdAbTSlyzFZeR1SXh57yri1JojtdTZO_eqRDBJO0xNL-J3GMih7iUHCi6hvBgbwg88w6D6s43KekFcj1vZ9HXzcbxpH4vsdgbwxs2JY9G45ZQlevFd_2NvPkALWCbt_A6L8KeBg50/w480-h640/IMG_1845.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><p>A long while ago, there was <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://leavingdivorceville.blogspot.com/2013/07/wishes-and-coincidences.html" target="_blank">this coincidence</a>. </i>Life is so mysterious and interesting. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-6197193103100414972021-01-20T13:58:00.002-08:002021-01-20T13:58:30.850-08:00Pernickety Lemon makes an Inauguration Day blossom<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEfGjz2QRpLUQiTc5cWWLcnPlp8qo6xZ7uEGYCdtDh3dpxl4CUnifqrMif0QLKmDJ9FyLFiZ-Rt8E6OS9SG_H0XEEGoTDnIZw16agCgbqU1LzDsaJIHMDORBz6RNsr2MkfRbOmw_kVng/s2048/IMG_1840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEfGjz2QRpLUQiTc5cWWLcnPlp8qo6xZ7uEGYCdtDh3dpxl4CUnifqrMif0QLKmDJ9FyLFiZ-Rt8E6OS9SG_H0XEEGoTDnIZw16agCgbqU1LzDsaJIHMDORBz6RNsr2MkfRbOmw_kVng/w300-h400/IMG_1840.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p>About 10 days ago I awoke to find Persnickety's leaves turned upside down and feeling as thin as tissue paper. We were all worn thin. So thin. Persnickety is working on a blossom now which seems all wrong for winter in Minnesota, but I'll be glad for it and see where it goes. Joe Biden really wasn't my choice for the Democratic nominee, but yeah, I'll see where it goes because I felt like blossoming when I saw our vice president sworn in this morning. </p><p>Pernickety is quite the sensitive thing. The ups and downs of moving and open windows due to Covid and people come to fix this and that in my house have nearly done her in. I've had some ups and downs with the Someone recently, and Persnickety and I have been sisters in distress. I swear to you that while my gut was roiling this morning, I remembered my intestinal upset immediately post marriage break-up when I thought I most certainly had cancer and would be dead in weeks. I had that same terrible feeling, and I thought to myself, well...maybe the someone just responded to my email. He had. </p><p>You might note the draft stopper thing on the windowsill in the photo above. It improved the texture of Persnickety's leaves almost immediately, and the very next morning after I put it on the sill, the leaves turned themselves right side up. I'm going to be holding one of those against my heart.</p><p>And I'll be studying Amanda Gorman's poem from this morning's festivities. I thought her reading of her truth-telling poem was flawless.</p><p>The Hill We Climb</p><p>by Amanda Gorman</p><p></p><div class="field-items" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">When day comes we ask ourselves,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">where can we find light in this never-ending shade?</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">The loss we carry,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">a sea we must wade</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">We've braved the belly of the beast</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">We've learned that quiet isn't always peace</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">And the norms and notions</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">of what just is</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">Isn’t always just-ice</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">And yet the dawn is ours</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">before we knew it</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">Somehow we do it</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">Somehow we've weathered and witnessed</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">a nation that isn’t broken</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">but simply unfinished</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">We the successors of a country and a time</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">Where a skinny Black girl</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">descended from slaves and raised by a single mother</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">can dream of becoming president</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">only to find herself reciting for one</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">And yes we are far from polished</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">far from pristine</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">but that doesn’t mean we are</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">striving to form a union that is perfect</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">We are striving to forge a union with purpose</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">conditions of man</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">but what stands before us</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">we must first put our differences aside</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">We lay down our arms</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">so we can reach out our arms</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">to one another</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">We seek harm to none and harmony for all</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">That even as we grieved, we grew</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">That even as we hurt, we hoped</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">That even as we tired, we tried</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">Not because we will never again know defeat</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">but because we will never again sow division</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">Scripture tells us to envision</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">And no one shall make them afraid</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">If we’re to live up to our own time</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">Then victory won’t lie in the blade</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">But in all the bridges we’ve made</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">That is the promise to glade</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">The hill we climb</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">If only we dare</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">It's because being American is more than a pride we inherit,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">it’s the past we step into</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">and how we repair it</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">rather than share it</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">And this effort very nearly succeeded</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">But while democracy can be periodically delayed</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">it can never be permanently defeated</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">In this truth</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">in this faith we trust</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">For while we have our eyes on the future</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">history has its eyes on us</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">This is the era of just redemption</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">We feared at its inception</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">We did not feel prepared to be the heirs</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">of such a terrifying hour</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">but within it we found the power</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">to author a new chapter</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">To offer hope and laughter to ourselves</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">So while once we asked,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">Now we assert</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">We will not march back to what was</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">but move to what shall be</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">A country that is bruised but whole,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">benevolent but bold,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">fierce and free</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">We will not be turned around</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">or interrupted by intimidation</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">because we know our inaction and inertia</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">will be the inheritance of the next generation</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">Our blunders become their burdens</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">But one thing is certain:</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">If we merge mercy with might,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">and might with right,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">then love becomes our legacy</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">and change our children’s birthright</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">So let us leave behind a country</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">better than the one we were left with</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">we will rise from the windswept northeast</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">where our forefathers first realized revolution</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">we will rise from the sunbaked south</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">We will rebuild, reconcile and recover</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">and every known nook of our nation and</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">every corner called our country,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">battered and beautiful</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">When day comes we step out of the shade,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">aflame and unafraid</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">The new dawn blooms as we free it</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">For there is always light,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">if only we’re brave enough to see it</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;">If only we’re brave enough to be it</em></p></div></div><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /></p><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2c30; display: block; font-family: "Graphik Web", Helvetica, Arial, "san serif"; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></div>Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-13688384269378827382021-01-01T19:09:00.000-08:002021-01-01T19:09:02.484-08:00Persnickety Lemon moves from a condo to a house<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYjxzttzopYRtpuh-3ITLEhYOpFehMCM7Cqa-kwywRBUh87k0Fg3UyvlqBqf5eoWs8upryAtak8UTAUP_50Od1IKOl8gVZMRjs4V7sVjDO8eZBuqlv8VS3F2X2cEV0ylvXCn-vPOOa54/s2048/IMG_1773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYjxzttzopYRtpuh-3ITLEhYOpFehMCM7Cqa-kwywRBUh87k0Fg3UyvlqBqf5eoWs8upryAtak8UTAUP_50Od1IKOl8gVZMRjs4V7sVjDO8eZBuqlv8VS3F2X2cEV0ylvXCn-vPOOa54/w300-h400/IMG_1773.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p>I bought a lemon tree this past spring and set it on my condo balcony where it grew taller and and blossomed. It wasn't thrilled when I brought it inside just before the first frost. I noticed it was beset with white fly, and so sprayed it with sulfur in my condo bathtub. Twice. It protested. </p><p>Then <i>I </i>protested, deciding condo life was not for me for a myriad of reasons. My brother M. didn't seem surprised when I told him. "You need dirt," he said. My daughter C. said that I was one of those people who just need to be "in charge of my shit." Okay. </p><p>So Persnickety Lemon and I moved. Moving is never fun. Moving during a pandemic is fraught with complications.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfzir425OCV6DGERSO_T9TyOrTW3LC4RmWPc4bbbkZXVdfPCjv_BpzYNHEKniRsIOQoOgRyE-Sdw1-YAIWoz0L26aCoE8n8cdXfC0IihnDK7HICbJWBPaSkAkDoHiKJhcfFn6p1Mp52Q/s2048/IMG_1751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfzir425OCV6DGERSO_T9TyOrTW3LC4RmWPc4bbbkZXVdfPCjv_BpzYNHEKniRsIOQoOgRyE-Sdw1-YAIWoz0L26aCoE8n8cdXfC0IihnDK7HICbJWBPaSkAkDoHiKJhcfFn6p1Mp52Q/w300-h400/IMG_1751.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p>I stood on the balcony while the movers took everything away. I opened all the windows in the new house while the movers brought the things inside. Persnickety Lemon does not have a parka and was not happy about the open windows on moving day. Or the open windows the day the painters came.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZ_ebMZwu4he6rx52I6TtleVIqwi0wgUMz1QE24DPlftzFQd73e5Sw8Pe4zY458LQj900YeVA7oamHY0m8RF-zitz1lgF96JfKx6-WQG1z3kMkNco4dPps1bcbSCOngrjo2CjvL-TGbk/s2048/IMG_1775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZ_ebMZwu4he6rx52I6TtleVIqwi0wgUMz1QE24DPlftzFQd73e5Sw8Pe4zY458LQj900YeVA7oamHY0m8RF-zitz1lgF96JfKx6-WQG1z3kMkNco4dPps1bcbSCOngrjo2CjvL-TGbk/w400-h300/IMG_1775.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p>I am not happy that my furniture is way too big for this little 1950s house and that the dining room table fills the whole main room and the only place for a couch is in the basement. But I'm going to make some changes. And Persnickety Lemon is going to get some new leaves.</p><p>There are many things to like here.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguy4QG2Hjo4F2IsGYCIBx7Ev3kMPXubwbyl6g0BxEnSDzCXSquvKVwMSnsKkIa6_Tgwfgeb2YecY6s9A4daP4PfJF5N5gjIFjCc8zHp3WU03bOoqfmfaVpivlEwR528WvW9I5O6KP4SYc/s2048/IMG_1762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguy4QG2Hjo4F2IsGYCIBx7Ev3kMPXubwbyl6g0BxEnSDzCXSquvKVwMSnsKkIa6_Tgwfgeb2YecY6s9A4daP4PfJF5N5gjIFjCc8zHp3WU03bOoqfmfaVpivlEwR528WvW9I5O6KP4SYc/w400-h300/IMG_1762.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Like the sunrise in my picture window.<p></p><p>And my utterly charming backyard with its sturdy shed. I can see that red door from my bedroom window, and it looks like a beacon of possibility.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZqVDPx5-0JFDYO9qqr9LhGEnVpMtnsf1rCDwLAEJhOuHoeuyydmfpjX1SK0k4pG2u16f41BeQX_1yo_Eey7gkKF-Y1xNx5huXt70Z2rkT2w7s-nMq9Z4PzIFV0PzLbb3OEvHSzqDkPk/s2048/IMG_1767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZqVDPx5-0JFDYO9qqr9LhGEnVpMtnsf1rCDwLAEJhOuHoeuyydmfpjX1SK0k4pG2u16f41BeQX_1yo_Eey7gkKF-Y1xNx5huXt70Z2rkT2w7s-nMq9Z4PzIFV0PzLbb3OEvHSzqDkPk/w640-h480/IMG_1767.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>Happy 2021 to you. I wish you good health.</p><p></p>Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382277614743623418.post-22101013213853648382020-11-21T17:28:00.009-08:002020-11-21T17:32:02.007-08:00Squirrels of the Future<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsVU50GFGicpsLpGwWMrUu6Qmh1JXXufQpf_9PWFucglRGaFDNiJJt79tYuTSpURbJtXRmIimwz8E2Grhjm-AYxcEb9sXoTkfXIYAsuYwh_aX9dsKF_oPveo1F0mlyUH7BStDtbOh-rs/s2048/IMG_1606.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1787" height="533" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsVU50GFGicpsLpGwWMrUu6Qmh1JXXufQpf_9PWFucglRGaFDNiJJt79tYuTSpURbJtXRmIimwz8E2Grhjm-AYxcEb9sXoTkfXIYAsuYwh_aX9dsKF_oPveo1F0mlyUH7BStDtbOh-rs/w640-h533/IMG_1606.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> I've never really liked squirrels. When I was a kid we had a next-door neighbor who fed the squirrels in her yard. She fed them Dubuque, Iowa's very fine Betty Jane candies. I can see her out there in her flowered housecoat with a box of chocolates, a squirrel eating out her hand. It seemed like things could take a turn at any moment, and I didn't want to witness it. <p></p><p>My very first house in L.A. had a pecan tree. We never harvested a single pecan. My daughters, however did enjoy watching the squirrels strip it bare. They'd sit at our kitchen table and laugh out loud at the squirrels' ridiculous gymnastics. I was less than thrilled. I wanted to make something with those homegrown pecans.</p><p>Post divorce, the very first place I ever owned by myself, I had an apricot tree. That first apricot I harvested was the best apricot I've ever eaten. It was the last apricot I enjoyed from that tree. The squirrels also ate my lovely ruffled pink hibiscus. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgueA9L2c31tysbjPUcUu-83r0YkY-nUD1pVFux0LA2F7JTCtWnCrhTD9_bFuT55WJ0Kxa0I2aEGVZ2axDIh2AnYdzf_IgKqti8FUhkMcJttMhmkwsyYCtXDeSmcKpc0YKIbepO5XzVP4g/s1137/IMG_3166.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1137" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgueA9L2c31tysbjPUcUu-83r0YkY-nUD1pVFux0LA2F7JTCtWnCrhTD9_bFuT55WJ0Kxa0I2aEGVZ2axDIh2AnYdzf_IgKqti8FUhkMcJttMhmkwsyYCtXDeSmcKpc0YKIbepO5XzVP4g/w400-h353/IMG_3166.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I tried everything. Bird netting. Cayenne. Nothing worked.</p><p>When it came time to move my mother in with me, I sold that place and bought a house that fit her needs. There were no squirrels there by the ocean. Until after DJT was elected. Then things changed. I gave those interlopers names--Evil Bannon and Kelly Ann. They pigged out on the bird seed and destroyed my geraniums.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4tyStiDdxcE3cEMeH9uhav00gsUZGsaXlNuOXjPMinDlv7MZzkm1XREmw3S9v2XINd6v8REhWsKOZwbTiUmfLdLzH96vOzg6yPfYQTZas1s1dW6Cg5AFDqSAgX7xdqzIYBwyAaqvqgY/s2048/IMG_0509.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4tyStiDdxcE3cEMeH9uhav00gsUZGsaXlNuOXjPMinDlv7MZzkm1XREmw3S9v2XINd6v8REhWsKOZwbTiUmfLdLzH96vOzg6yPfYQTZas1s1dW6Cg5AFDqSAgX7xdqzIYBwyAaqvqgY/w300-h400/IMG_0509.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p>Minneapolis is overrun with squirrels. Last year I saw a pure white one. On my walk the other day I watched the fat one at the top of this post for quite awhile. Do you know why he/she is fat? Because they're planning for the future. That's right. The future. That squirrel knows it's going to get cold. There'll be less to eat in our snowy landscape. Calories will harder to find. So the squirrels are chowing down. So they'll survive. Because they think there will be a future to survive for. I love that squirrel and all of their fat friends. I love the idea of planning for the future.</p>Denise Emanuel Clemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.com3