a glimpse of color

Remember Johnny’s guitarist friend who went through the Hotze regimen, and after he made it to the other side, he could see colors again? Well, I can see a glimpse today. I don't feel 100%, but while stepping out of bed this morning, I thought to myself, "Why, I feel less death-like today!"

The sun was shining. Cherub tomatoes in a silver colander, in the sink, were red. Russet potatoes in a wire bowl looked bountiful. Scrambled eggs, fresh spinach, those tomatoes, and walnuts tasted like forbidden Halloween candy. I stepped outside to snap a picture of my three favorite pumpkins flooded with sunlight, and the climate felt perfect. My brain actually felt semi-intellectual vs. stagnant. I said aloud, very giddy, “Thank you, Jesus!” I pulled on socks and slid across the bamboo floor, quite childlike. [not Tom Cruise-like] Harley was startled - the cats are accustomed to my moping.

I feel twinges of ick, but I’m doing my best to ignore them today. This blissful day when I heard my husband strumming the guitar (we both want to learn) and practicing scales on his keyboard. When I'm inclined to sing along with favorite songs. When I have sincere plans to take on this recipe. When I discovered that Wendy Reed, "the honey lady", makes a bar soap called Mulled Cabernet - the color coming from organic grape skin & beets, scented with cinnamon and clove oils. When I don't care that the cats are mimicking two little human boys, chasing each other up and down the stairs, 'round each floor, hissing and play-fighting. Does spanking cats work?

Fun mail from yesterday is an extra bonus. I sent in empty yerba maté bags and bottle caps, and Guayakí sent me a free gourd & bombilla set! You will hear more about my gourd adventures on The Sustainable Scoop later. From The Curiosity Shoppe I received new notebooks for medication-lists, decorative bird matches for guests (or me), and oversized vintage matchbox labels for random sticking. I love that shoppe. They wrapped each item in brown paper, secured with their logo-sticker.



And while browsing a library book - Contemporary American Realism since 1960 by Frank H. Goodyear, Jr. - I realized that I’m a big fan of Realism. Next week I’m interviewing a Classical Realist, so today [I postponed the interview] I wanted to familiarize myself with Realism alone. Google these names to share my awe: William Bailey (see below), Neil Welliver, Andrew Wyeth, and Jamie Wyeth. The book contains many more Realist artists. Shoot. We've already renewed that book twice; it is due back at the library today. [we used Johnny's library card before, so we used my card today - I can borrow the book a few more weeks!]



Seeing as today is Errand Day, along with the usual library-coffee-Whole Foods run, I think we’ll pop into Target to see what they offer in the way of patio furniture and wooden bowls. We're geeked up about sharing candy with the neighborhood kids tomorrow evening, in our first house. Johnny didn’t want to hand out crappy candy, so he purchased several bags of high fructose corn syrup-chocolate goodness. Thus, I need a proper bowl to hold the sweets. And, we need outdoor furniture because this weather is too lovely to be sitting inside all day.