It's Jay's birthday today.
He's 39.
It's been a hard year for him.
He gave me my two most precious gifts ever.
He's got great arms.
He's an amazingly talented builder.
He's gone, so we are going to celebrate when he returns.
We're sad and we miss spending his special day with him.
He's a pill.
He is loved.
Happy Birthday, Jay!
Never cared much for poetry. I think I'm too dense at to get it...you know...REALLY get it. They way the author intended. I still have my doubts, but I realized the other day, like any other piece of good art, it's a gift to be enjoyed individually and interpreted individually. So, I just read those stinking words and interpret them any ol' way I want to! So there! However, even before I started reading more and more, I always liked this one.
PHENOMENAL WOMAN
by Maya Angelou
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can't see.
I say
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Here's one.
So was my other gram. Unbelievably so. I miss her. Incredibly glad there are many other Phenomenal Women in my life.
Here's a segment I like to call Friday Funny. I'm sure it's going to be the first in a long series of friday posts of things that amuse me. (Or, more likely...this will be the only post I make this month.) Hey, I'm tryin' ok?!
Two funnies for u:
This 'sheres redneck calamari. From my friend Heather. Yep, it's what's for dinner here in Eastern Oregon!
Funny. Yes, very. Why? Dunno.
HAPPY FRIDAY. Love and Sunshine...
Sam
One of my favorite bloggers of all time is PDub (The Pioneer Woman). Thanks to Jennifer, I read her blog almost daily. www.thepioneerwoman.com Her site is so refreshing to a fellow mommy with too much to do, and living a country-fied kinda life. Anywho, when she mentions something that is really too much, something that makes your toenails curl, something that is OUT of your comfort zone or is just entirely TOO embarassing, she says it makes her "hiney cringe". (What exactly, would that look like...?) Ick. Anyway, I have had two hiney cringe moments as of late. One, last Thursday at 7pm, and again this Thursday at 7pm. Ug.
I love to sing, but only after two or more glasses of white wine, and only with my louder than average, belt it out and drown out all others, rockstar of a brother. Then and only then do I feel comfy singing. But I have two of my dearest friends that sing in the community choir here in The Big. They have for years, and say it's really good for the soul. Well, I have been WANTING to for ages, but was soooo AFRAID! I don't read music. I don't sing. I know nothing. So, I went and let 'er rip like I knew what the hellllll I was doin'. Don't get me wrong, I'm not fooling anyone. Just last night, our conductor said I need that to be "mezzo forte". Ok, big guy, comin' right up. I can mezzo forte with the best of 'um. (Mezzo usually isn't my forte. Sorry. Couldn't resist. Bad jokes are my defense mechanism when I'm scaredy.) Anyway, the first week all of the Italian notations from the conductor and on the page of Clingon in front of me, I was getting pretty slapsticky. I was NERVOUS!!!!!!!! I asked my darling gorgeous talented operatic soprano friend standing next to me..."J, this says 'Tutti' on it....are we supposed to now start singing the theme song to the Facts of Life?" Got her good on that one. She was cracking up. Anyway, concert is first weekend in December. Only three more rehearsals left. Pray for me, k?
So, baby boo was feeling ill yesterday, so I stayed home with him. While I was sad he was sick, some days you can literally feel childhood slipping away, giving way to adolescence, puberty, college, marriage, his retirement...you kno? It's all too much. So, I was honored to have a chance to sit in the chair, cuddle him under the fuzzy pink throw and watch cartoons for hours. It sure helped him feel better. Daddy and Sissy went to run errands in the evening and we were having a Jenga tourney. While watching the World Serious. I said, "Oohh, honey, Chase Utley's up. He's hit like seven homers in the series so far, he's got two on, and if he knocks this one out, it would make a three run homer." Sure enough, that pitch. Schmack. Outta the park. It was funny. T got a huge kick out of it. Then he said "I was praying and praying." Powerful boy, that one.
This other person currently living in my home read my blog. For maybe the first time ever. After the exciting tales about the summer that the kids and I had enjoyed... his beef? I commented that the "real spark plugs" of the family had done the siding removal. Not good. So, maybe I will stick to postings about nothing. How about this "Back to School" gem from my sissy, sent to me in an email.
Btw...Which aisle is patience on? I need the bulk/economy size.
Anyway, get a load of this..
How to fail a test with dignity.
Notice the memo line.
Took me just a sec on this one... :)
