Day sixty - I love...this quote

The most important things are the hardest things to say. They are the things you get ashamed of because words diminish your feelings - words shrink things that seem timeless when they are in your head to no more than living size when they are brought out.

~Stephen King

I often say something very similar to this. the fact that words are sometimes just too damn small to really express feelings. 

why is that?

small words. big emotion.

seems a bit tragic, really. 

and p.s. it seems a bit ironic...I haven't really read a lot of Stephen King...but I often refer to SK quotes...because truly, the man is quite brilliant.  and I still need "On Writing" for my bookshelf.  must get. maybe birthday present to me.  

Day fifty-nine - I love...my job

seriously.

I love my job more than any other job I've ever had in my entire working life.

and I've had a lot of jobs.

because I move a lot.

but this is the happiest I've ever been at work.

I am surrounded by friends who are family. an incredible group of people who embrace the crazy of me. who love and appreciate me. people who would go to bat for me as swiftly as I would for them.

I've got your back. you've got mine. 

and that is a beautiful thing.

and kind of rare.

Day fifty-eight - I love...Astronomy

It was in 7th grade science class that I first discovered how amazing the universe is.

I desperately wanted to be an astronaut or astronomer or both from the first moment I learned that not all stars are stars.

I have been obsessed with the unfathomable wonder of distance, and light years; pulsars, quasars, nebula. Galaxies.

New space discoveries make my insides all wobbly and giddy.

I get ridiculously excited when I get the chance to talk to a fellow space geek. my hands get a bit more animated, my eyes get really wide, my voice gets a little bit louder.

space excites me! it thrills me! it amazes me.

seriously, if I had the chance to get on a rocket and fly off to the moon, or mars, or...anywhere...I'd pack my bags and go!

I'll send you a postcard. from Venus. or the Andromeda Galaxy. or Betelgeuse.

p.s.  there are currently five planets visible to the naked eye. Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn.  tonight, I was able to see all but Mercury...so frakkin' cool!

Two of my favourite space photos - Hubble deep field and The Sombrero Galaxy

Day fifty-seven - I love...hints of Spring

Spring is my favourite season.

Well...Spring. and Autumn.

it's close. sometimes Autumn is my favourite. but right now, Spring is hinting, so it's the one I'm most excited about.

There are two trees in our front yard with crazy little fireworks-like blooms popping at the ends of a thousand branches. I have no idea what kind of trees they are, but the blooms are fascinating.

and some sort of bulb flower is planted everywhere - I'm hoping it's tulips...I think it's tulips, but I could be wrong. but there are shoots of green springing up through the grass all over the front and back yard and very soon there will be a mad array of flowers vying for attention!

I hope they're not camera shy.

Day fifty-six - I love...Waterhouse

This afternoon I spent some time browsing through some of my favourite paintings.

John William Waterhouse

I love his work - it moves me. it makes my heart happy to view his paintings.

I first stumbled across J.W. Waterhouse in my early 20's.  A Mermaid.
since then I have fallen in love with Miranda - The Tempest, Apollo and Daphne, Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses, Echo and Narcissus, Penelope and the Suitors, Hylas and the Nymphs,The Lady of Shalott, The Siren, and all of the Ophelia paintings.

Today I fell in love with Boreas, Windflowers, and St Eulalia.

I love that so much of his work is based in Greek mythology. I love his interpretation of the Sirens, Nymphs, children of the gods; the loveliness of the faces he painted. There is emotion in the eyes of his subjects.

There is a magical...mystical passion in his work. and I love that.

Day fifty-five - I love...Shannanigan

it's super late for me, and wayyyy past my bedtime, but I just got home from an evening in Lexington.

I first met Shannan when she was 13 and I was 17. and her brother was trying to duct tape my eyebrows.

Several years later, Shannan and I are still friends. and her brother and I are parents to one of the coolest kids on the planet, who (ironically perhaps?) loves to create things out of duct tape. sigh. apple. tree.

So Shannan was in Lex for the past few weeks for work. I had planned to get out to see her earlier - but the last few weeks proved a bit crazy with work schedules and moving, so I didn't get out there til tonight.

there's something wonderful about sharing time and space with someone who has known you for more than half your life. someone you've been up and down so many roads with, and shared so many memories with, that it truly is like coming home.

now if she would just move here.

Day fifty-four - I love...good people

I am surrounded by wonderful people.

family. friends. co-workers.

I have so many genuine people in my life, it truly makes up for the handful of terrible no-good scaly rat infested people who have crossed my path.

the beautiful thing is that the rat people don't have to stay long in my life. I don't have to keep them around. I can shed them like a bad skin and relish in the glorious sunny love-infused people instead.

and this makes me happy.

Day fifty-three - I love...the internet

So we moved into our new apartment last Thursday, and spent the last 6 days without internet. This presented some fun challenges for me and the posting of this blog, but I successfully tackled the issue and managed to still get my posts in.

but now...I am happy to say..we have the internets again!

Hizurrah!

This is a glorious and blissful thing. to have access to my world wide webs whenever I choose!

I now love every little bitty thing about my new place.

and...my kitties are ridiculously happy as well.  They play, and sit in the window, and I think they are even smiling.

it's good. 

Day fifty-two - I love...gentle reminders

Sometimes I forget I'm published.

My friends laugh at me.

My friend Celeste has the most fun with it. This is my friend Karen, she's published!

me: oh yah. I forgot.

Or, when I updated my resume last year and sent it to my mother and a few friends for review, the response was: This is great, but you forgot your publishing credits.

sigh.

It's not that I think it's unfabulous, I think it's quite fabulous, and a life-long dream come true. It's just not something I think about every day. and I don't walk around introducing myself to people "Hi, I'm Karen. I'm published."

It's a part of me. but not all of me.

The other day, my friend Pauly posted on Facebook the following: If you don't have at least 100 books in your house then I worry for your children's future.
me: I don't currently. Because most of my books are in storage. But I have hundreds waiting for me to come get them. They call to me. Kiki........
Pauly: You know that you don't count. You are an actual published writer.
me: ‎:). I forget that part.
Pauly: And one would think that might be a bit relevant.
me: I have to be reminded.
Pauly: It's kind of hard to forgOMG SOMETHING SHINY!!!

This is truly the beauty of our friendship. Pauly nicknamed me Kiki the Wonder Ferret several years ago.

and so, because I am published, I will share another piece from my poetry collection, Three Thousand Doors, published by Laughing Cactus Press. It's a piece my friend Justen recently commented on:

Waterfalls

the sky is dripping
a woolen blanket hoisted atop the canopy
in vain effort to hold back the rain,
wool and water do not mix,
heavy begets heavy

souls are dormant
waiting patiently as the water carves
new pathways into the soil,
canyons forged from deluge,
mysteries begin and end in quiet contemplation,
silence begets silence.

A new dream founders in the clouds
while the rain recoils
awaiting the new torrent

Day fifty-one - I love...misspelled signs

There are a lot of them.

One of my favourites ever...ever ever...was spotted by my Midget about 7 or 8 years ago.

While running errands one afternoon she noticed a hand-made sign posted to a telephone pole which read: "Lost black poodle." "But," she said, "it's spelled puddle!"

By the time I called my mother to share the story of this poor little lost rainy puddle, I was in hysterics and she could hardly understand me.

It's something we still laugh about today.

This has truly been a game of ours since I was young - noticing funny misspellings on signage. There have been many phone calls and laughs over the silly things we've read.

I still text my mom when I find these mistakes. and yesterday, while driving back and forth between the apartment we were moving out of, and the apartment we were moving to...we passed a business with a printed sign out front which read: Apparell shop.

two "L's"

Day fifty - I love...more fabulous music with a groovy video

I love this song...

Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know

Day forty-nine - I love...fabulous songs with awesome videos

This song...I am completely obsessed with this song. I will seriously play it over and over. and over.

His voice, his passion, the musical layers and sounds.

and the video kind of kicks ass too.

Fun - We Are Young

Day forty-eight - I love...Hoppy

Hoppy is my Midget's husband.

and I love him. He is the brother I never had.

This man would defend me to the ends of the earth, and has, when situations have called for it. He has rescued me, driven my drunk ass home when I've had too much, bought me train tickets to come visit because they miss me.

Every single time I've gone to visit them, Hoppy runs out and stocks up on Evian for me, because it's my favourite water.

He loves me as much as I love him.

and he's truly one of the few people on this planet I know I could call if I needed anything. He would do anything to assure that I am safe and happy.

Today he sent me a flash drive full of Texas country music...which made me both blissfully happy, and a bit nostalgic for my friends.

Day forty-seven - I love...my new apartment

Day forty-six - I love...Juanita Weasel

The Bloggess has done it again. made me laugh my ass off.

Jenny, who is quite possibly my favourite online person, has a thing for taxidermy.

Monday, she posted this. Which I love. but even more, I love...specifically...this:

There is also this. Which I desperately want. and...my birthday is coming up. (hint. hint.)

and p.s.  I totally got permission from The Bloggess to steal this photo. she rocks!
and by "she" I mean both Jenny AND Juanita. 

Day forty-five - I love...my Ri

I was just sitting here pondering three different ideas for tonight's post, when I received this text from my son:

"Hey mom, wanted to say that I love you and I hope you are having a wonderful Valentine's Day."

ummm...this wins. this is what I love most today. My boy is the best.

ever.

Day forty-four - I love...legal graffiti

The Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX.

These photos were taken the week before my son moved to Seattle - June 2010.  (That's him with the beautiful long, curly hair)

Day forty-three - I love...unexpected photo cool

sometimes I take a shot thinking it's going to turn out a certain way, and it translates completely different through my lens. Sometimes these turn out to be huge photo fails - other times, I get a bit of coolness out of it.

like my camera said, surprise! I'm gonna give you this one!

thanks, camera.

2010 - keg

2008 - keg

2011 - keg

2010 - keg

Day forty-two - I love...sea grass

I am in love with the smell of sea grass baskets.

the scent is completely heady; intoxicating to me.

I'd like to have enough that my home would smell like sea grass when I walk in. that would be lovely; blissful.

Not sea grass - but I like it...so I put this one in the mix - Amarillo, TX - June 2010

Port Aransas, TX - March 2009

Port Townsend, WA - September 2010

Port Townsend, WA - September 2010

Seattle - November 2010

Seattle - November 2010

Day forty-one - I love...boats and ships

I haven't been sailing since I was pregnant with my son - about 16 years ago - but I still have a great love of boats.

one day, I'd love to sail across the Atlantic. but for now...pictures of boats and sailing will have to suffice.

Edmonds, WA - August 2008

Port Aransas, TX - March 2009

Port Aransas, TX - March 2009

Port Townsend, WA - September 2010

Port Townsend, WA - September 2010

Port Townsend, WA - September 2010

Port Townsend, WA - June 2009

Port Townsend, WA - June 2009

Port Townsend, WA - June 2009

Day forty - I love...flowering things

For myself I hold no preferences among flowers, so long as they are wild, free, spontaneous. ~ Edward Abbey

Flowers don't worry about how they're going to bloom.  They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful. ~ Jim Carrey

You belong among the wildflowers, you belong in a boat out at sea, Sail away, kill off the hours, you belong somewhere you feel free. ~ Tom Petty "Wildflowers"

Keeping my unintentional, but rather "phun" Photographic Phebruary theme...some phlower photos I've taken: 

Abilene, TX - May 2010

Edmonds, WA - August 2008

International Peace Gardens - July 2010

International Peace Gardens - July 2010

Shoshone, Idaho - June 2009

Port Townsend, WA - September 2010

Somewhere in the middle of Nebraska - July 2010

Buffalo Gap, TX - May 2007

International Peace Gardens - July 2010

Day thirty-nine - I love...shadows

A a week or so ago I wrote about my love of trees. 

today I'm going to share my love of tree shadows.

About the same time I started my laughter project, I also started taking photos of tree shadows when the trees are bare of leaves. 

Albany, TX - April 2010

Amarillo, TX - March 2010

Minot, ND - January 2011

Abilene, TX - August 2009

I love this one because it is a "K" - Abilene, TX - August 2009

Abilene, TX - August 2009

Abilene, TX - August 2009

Abilene, TX - April 2010

Abilene, TX - April 2010

Day thirty-eight - I love...laughter

A few years ago I had an idea for a project.

I envisioned a wonderful little coffee table book full of quotes, poems and photos of laughter. I even had a title ready "The Best Medicine."

I don't know if I'll ever do more with it, but I still love the idea. and rather than let it go to waste, I'll share the beginnings of it with you now. (these are not necessarily the best quality photos - but these were the baby steps of this project - and the joy supersedes the photographic quality)

The Best Medicine...

Day thirty-seven - I love...shooting toward the sky

so, like I said a few days ago, I love to lie down on the pavement and shoot straight up the edges of buildings, structures, etc.

I don't always lie down on the sidewalk...sometimes I just stand super close to something and crane my neck skyward and shoot...

anyway, here are some of those shots:

Abilene, TX - August 2010

International Peace Gardens - July 2010

Port Townsend, WA - September 2010

Downtown Seattle - September 2010

Port Townsend - June 2010

St. Mark's Cathedral - Seattle, WA  - September 2010