pink cheeked sky , Love Thy Neighbor week end of INK

Rosy cheeked  Sunday evening. Temporate and cozy wearing a layer and a half of clothing. It has been a low key week end, as usual, for me.

Tattoo parlors  organized a fund raiser on Saturday. Downtown businesses of the cool and hip  sort donated proceeds of the day to Planned parenthood.  Over $125,000.00 was raised and donated! 

People stepping up to take care of their loved ones, their bodies, their right to choose. 

The queue around the block began at 4:00 A M. Saturday's clock ran out before everyone could be inked. Honoring their customers they will extend the process of jabbing arms and butts ,injecting ink as they go, for  as long as it takes. "Love Thy Neighbor" has become a  rallying theme. Homeless housing has taken off as well....finally. some accept, some don't but at least a few are off the streets and secured under a roof.
 

There were old people in the queue as well! Bellingham community does have priorities- Planned parenthood is at the top of the list. 

"Don't let the Bastards grind you down"

 

 

Sally and Anna are driving down to Burning Man tomorrow, van well packed (we hope) first time for both of them - should be more than interesting for those two. Sally printed a photo of Douglas , our friend who died in the spring. He went to Burning man several times - LOVED dressing up  and being girlie- loved pearls and lipstick. Sally will leave the photo and our inscriptions in the temple.

I asked Dougie Wougie to haunt me, please- I would love to see him again!

Sally and Paul just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary! WOW, says I! Seems like five minutes ago we were at their wedding- I was in the bedroom with Sally getting her dress over her head and laughing uncontrollably  - there may have been cocaine involved, not sure..(liar) Anyway, Sally got this card for Paul which totally hits the mark because SALLY is the mark hitter. !!!

Burning man at our age...it just ain't right! 

So that was the week end - a good one here in the Ham, our little  bubble of sanity. Feeling lucky- it is a good little community.
 

 

 

 

crawling into seasonal change.

Autumn color, Dennis's tomatoes grown in the hottest place by the garage wall, always do their best there. The zucchini on the deck fizzled this year, zucchini - a dime a dozen in the fall so no big loss,   flowers have been rewarding! Dennis grew seven cucumbers, also by the garage, a few marigolds to ward off pests. Rabbits don't seem to like them.This is the rabbit that the neighbor threw a plate at, We call her Mrs. Farmer McGregor- anyway the rabbit scooted through the critter proof fence that she had put up a few years ago, and sat in our yard until I got too close and ZIP! back through the fence into Mrs. McGregor's yard.  The rabbit's suits blend so well with  brown end- of- summer grass, that I nearly step on them before I know they are there.

A crow left one of its feather sticking straight up like a flag. With my poor vision I thought it was an entire bird. 

Out of the corner of my compromised vision , the cosmos  were acting crazy. There was no wind , and no earth quake- with my camera I zoomed in on a charm of goldfinches bouncing around on the cosmos, eating their middle and tearing the petals off. Wild!  We have a bird feeder but I guess the cosmos are more enticing.

Flurry of  frantic activity and then they were gone. 

Weather is creeping in - temperate , mild, damp-ish. Refreshing I find, but am forewarned of the interminable darkness that comes with winter. That is the one thing , other than high cost of living here, that drives folks back to sky country. Darkness.

Daughter in law and son are now living in sunny Portugal. Her mail is being forwarded to us. She had been an interior designer in Seattle and receives that sort of magazine frequently. They are uninspiring - back to beige/brown/ muted green.- yawn-

When Austin comes here after working on the island- I am so pleased to see his car pull up- seeing him as well as his spiffy automobile , not influenced by his mom's designer influence- His car is cheerful  - visible!

Lil Stumpy came back this morning her family, all together.  happily being little raccoons in the rain. Amputation healing nicely. 

Lovely having Austin staying with us for a while. He will eat anything  that I cook, especially having worked all day, being very hungry,   having to commute so far- Up at 5:30 AM, returning around 8:45 pm...YOUTH can do anything! Anyway I have been cooking for a change, since Dennis can not eat anything I have let any so called cooking skills take a back seat. I have forgotten how. 

Today - dark, cool, rainy, restful....no plans, a snooze maybe. The shift in weather takes some adjustment. 55 degrees at the moment, 86% humidity, dark and drippy but not a cats and dogs day. A gentle nudge into seasonal change.  It feels a little like jet lag.
 

 

 

 

 

 

more color samples, autumn flowers, Another death and a rebirth

Is 80 the magic number? One day after Dolly died , Tim followed! 

Dammit. 

Yesterday I went to the thrift store and  to Home depot which I have been boycotting due to their idiocy ! Anyway, I dropped in to get more paint samples ,and I must say that BEHR offers more  pure colors than any other plus it is a one coat job.  BUT any company supporting Trump and this fascist state can do without my dollar. Samples are free.

Here are the samples , the bright ones in the middle are BEHR. The top larger sheets are Glidden, lifeless and flat  but good for a garage door maybe. 

The flowers and trees at Home depot are gorgeous. Change of season, mums and sunflowers , abundant and plump. I will not give them my coin though. As I was rifling through the color samples, taking two at a time to use in crafts. A woman asked me if I needed help- "Oh, no thank you, I can manage..."Was I intimidated or shamed, no, I was not!

At the thrift store (senior day/30% off) I bought a Icle Pickle one-handed magic bag for $3.00 The bag is made of good quality velvet and wood with a wire thumb switch to do the magic. It came with a few tricks- silk squares of every color, large and small- a whole spoon and a half spoon and two playing cards that will magically change from KING of diamonds  to QUEEN of diamonds. It must have not been used much- in perfect condition. 

autumn at depot.

There was a stack of 1954 and 56 Bellingham Heralds, old new papers when news papers were a thing. (thrift store) The pages are huge, the ads are huge, the funnies are not funny and the social page is hilarious. 

" Mrs. Higgen, of 312 Forest street, hosted a monthly bridge club in her beautifully decorated home. She served Jello Supreme  including berries from her garden,  on her mother's china brought from Austria, coffee/tea and a log roll. In attendance  were."...(listed the women)

Grace Kelly leaves the USA for Monaco  and her wedding to the Prince. "Prince Rainier expects her to abandon her acting career" 
 

OMG, you guys-  The old one eyed auntie came to the deck with her three in tow plus THE Baby that lost its arm!!! WHAT?  I can not believe it!! That baby's arm has healed into a fine stump. I thought for sure it was dead as the mother has come these past few days toting only three of her offspring and NOT the injured baby!  WOW look at that! Clean as a whistle that amputation, fur growing and wound sealed. 

I watched her picking up chicken and grapes like a pro. Healthy and hardy. 

 So overjoyed -lump in my throat and something  likened to  welling tears in my eyes ( but that could just be my wonky vision)!   LOOK!!!

Her Mom did it! I swear Raccoon Moms are the BEST and the aunties that take the load off for a while. Raccoons are miracles of nature, they are!

Ok then, I can quit moping around and celebrate- I will also celebrate the life of Tim - My all time favorite Doctor!

 Cheers everyone!

 

 

 

Maniac in Ace Hardware, Dollar store $$$, and an odd looking rabbit.

 Went to ACE hardware today to look for the best blue I have ever seen- but had to settle for a "maybe" blue. I have a plan. 

This bit of horror is motion activated and can be alarming if not expected. The young man in the paint section has murder on his mind. This horrid thing has been driving him nuts. "nothing that a hammer would not fix",  says I...In the right store to find one!

I love these larger paint sample cards. I think I can use them in a crafty way. The colors are superb.

 I went to the dollar tree next door to ACE. I spent $66.00 which is a hell of a lot but there were so many possibilities and christmas shite - I just know it will be gone fast. Now is the time to load up on ribbon for the year.  I bought packets of small canvases and glue- always useful. Anyway, It's not like  buying a boat that never gets used is it? $66.00 is pittance in the scope of things. 

I bought crafty supplies, pretty cool stuff, rather, it might be after I play with it for a bit. I have hopes. 

I have been lusting over the Queen Mary 2 , crossing the Atlantic rather than flying. It is a much  more civilized  way to go, The price is not that much more , though I would have to get to NYC from here...It is just a big dream at the moment due to carrying CPAP machine, and  eye jabs. That is a hurdle. 

-Life is but a dream, sweetheart...-

The nasturtiums are finally unfurling and man, are they bright!

 

Sad beige does not stand a chance in my environment !  Vanilla trending, don't you know-Everything- houses, cars and interiors are all the same non color these days. Same same safe lack luster. 

Rabbit by my window  -  grey and beige  suit looks good on him , I guess- but a baby's room??? I would say that is child abuse.

 

Mermaid princess disco party, we did not eat the dogs and the cats

 

The gate ,left opened ,welcomed neighborhood visitors to the most splendid Disco, Mermaid Princess party ever held on this planet. 

Many children filled the yard in various interpretations of fancy dress. My favorite was a little boy named Shiloh, never falling out of character. He is a  Tyrannosaurus, consistently. His Mom said that he has even refused to clean his room...because his arms are too tiny...That is the best imaginative excuse ever! 

The sun came out for the afternoon , About ten large pizzas were consumed along with fruit and veg, cupcakes, apple crumble and ice cream. 

 Disco was in the living room separated from the normal world by a silver  curtain. To enter one must have their hand stamped by the Boss Of The Disco (Flora) and must also get a stamp to exit. Emmett had the most stamps of anyone- on hands, face and arms. Not that he entered and exited the most, just that he likes stamps. 

  

There was some dancing going on but mostly there was play- One child pretty much stayed on a wild rocking horse in the center of the disco. Some children just rolled around on the floor. Some avoided that room altogether preferring outdoor play. All of the kids were little gems- the parents ;cooler than cucumbers- a good time was had by all. 

The dogs made out like bandits-  children left half eaten pizza, dropped in favor of found plums on the ground.  Presents were opened, SO MANY!!
 

Candles blown out, wishes made, a MOM made crown worn. 

AND THEN- the neighbor , unaware that Flora was having her Birthday in the yard- used his GD jackhammer right there across the fence to remove concrete. He was wearing sound cancelling ear protectors so could not hear the children yelling at him to stop, nor noticing the Dads lined up at the fence trying to get his attention. It went on far too long a  FUCKING JACK HAMMER!!!  One of the smaller kids, a baby really , was sent screaming and crying in fear ( painful  sound abuse ) across the yard . There was no where to go to avoid that damned hammer!

I think that John finally went over to Jeff's to ask politely if he could postpone his jack hammering activity until 6:00, when the party began to dissipate.  

I said my goodbyes, hugs and kisses and "I love you's" - " see you at the next Emily event...That woman can organize a party like no one ever!  Two little children , so many events - child camps and activities during the week, plus working,  plus going to school to achieve her Masters Degree in biological sciences, plus keeping up  household maintenance -plus PT, plus the gym, plus getting groceries and dinner on the table for her family. Plus the usual shite one has dealing with youngin's- doctor visits, illnesses, sibling disagreements...you know how it goes.....the girl is unstoppable, I swear ! There is  minor  concern about "burn out" - Emily is  strong and so together I trust that she will know when to just say "NO".

 

Leaving you with "Grandad Ben, from SouthHampton, as white and toothless as any good Brit should be"; a sunflower that popped out suddenly, and a refreshing bit of rain  to ease your parched brains. 

 

Another cool morning up here in our bubble. Quiet Sunday drizzle.

Joanne died the morning of Flora's Birthday and as Fresca said -"Seems like a fair exchange" .

Oh, and the little raccoon family returned minus the injured baby...It went to be with Joanne I reckon.