Obama wins, oh thank god

Obama wins, oh thank god, originally uploaded by Mr. Biggs.

with hope this will be the end of a most cynical era...
and the end of the bumper stickers that accompanied it.

photo from mr. biggs over at flickr.com

Insane! Got a brain!

, originally uploaded by beebo wallace.

God bless southern women.

the more we get to wordle

Too much fun can be had when plugging your favorite words into Wordle, a nifty and easy tool for you wordnerds of the world. I plugged in lyrics to one of my favorite Parker Paul songs, "Golden Buckeye", changed up the colors and created the image below. Too much fun. Make your own at wordle.net. Thanks to John for the idea.

paging tony danza

one thing i kind of forgot about with having a new baby is that the tired day flies by ever so damn fast. it's already 11:30 am and i'm just getting done dropping the boy off to school, checking email and putting the girl down for a nap. only 2 hours left to get stuff done before the kiddo comes home. how does this happen? and why does this happen? when i worked full-time, the day went by so slowly.

i'm carrying around that ol' stale mantra right now about not having enough time to do anything. and i know that i shouldn't really be doing anything right now other than resting and feeding the baby (and reading), but it feels quite impossible. i want the abode to be set right side up and my business in order. i guess that i need an assistant. perhaps i'll be like a 3-year-old and create an imaginary one. if he (yes, he) doesn't get the laundry done, perhaps it will be his responsibility in the end. there ya go.

catching up and slowing down

our modem died during a lightning storm a month or so ago, so we've been relying on friends for electronic correspondence and posting of all things relative to the newness in our life. i'm finally getting caught up on everything.

the whole family is well and thriving. we're enjoying our new monday-friday work freedom, though caring for a newborn and a 3 1/2-year-old is no easy task. the rewards are worth it all.

we're not sure who she looks like. she's got her own thing going on. i look forward to watching this baby girl inchworm grow.

here are a few shots from her first 2 weeks here. enjoy!

we love you, calla bea!

and baby makes 4.5

we are glad to welcome to the world, 

miss calla beatrice indie wilkinson

born 07.08.08 at 4 am in columbus, oh

7 lbs, 14 oz., 20 inches tall

a little dear to us and oh so delicious!

more posts to come now that i'm unemployed!

goodbye, dear friend

dogs get you lost. lost on a trail. lost in the park. lost in your head with all the things they do. sometimes it's not you who is lost, but them. i know too well about the agony over a dog who wanders off. but i was lost in love for over 10 years with one of my best friends. fragile, dear and sweet miss figi (sometimes called babydog, little bear or mrs. applesauce). today, i believe that i'm even more lost.

yesterday in the early evening as the sun began to kiss the sky goodnight, figi's sweet soul was released to that wonderful place we in our home now call "dog heaven". she was 13 and had been battling terrible arthritis for years. she'd recently lost most of her ability to control her bodily functions. she'd been suffering falls on hardwood floors for quite some time, and now she was falling in places that weren't safe for her. i decided that i wouldn't crate her, for that was a sentence of boredom for any animal. we'd tried medications that only seemed to serve as a buffer to an inevitable and undignified decline, though they helped so much in the last 3 years.

for the last year i tossed and turned daily (with lots of guilt) about euthanizing my beloved friend. last tuesday i was finally able to understand why letting it happen was more about love than letting go. so yesterday, i did just that. she's free now to run as fast as she can in the green fields that will always stay green. and as my son says, "she can walk again...and she's going to be better...and she won't have any more accidents or struggle." and he's right.

over the past week i've come to realize quite a few things about this great friend of mine. she'd battled a lot of odds. when i met at age 2 or 3, she had been saved by a no-kill rescue group in richmond, virginia. her skinny, tick covered self was originally found in a dirty backyard dog pen in god-knows-where. i loved her instantly--especially her pointy little ears with their wispy hairs. she also beat the odds many times over the last 10+ years by avoiding the wheels of trucks and cars, often after wandering off through an unclosed gate--by a forgetful parent. and then there were the animal attacks and terrible falls. in '99 she fell down a flight of stairs and dislocated her leg. in 2001 she was viciously attacked by a german shepherd, which left both of us (particularly myself) with a bit of PTSD. i was really never able to go to the park or walk her again without fear of her being attacked. but she weathered all of those trials--including the arthritis and mild dementia. yesterday, i realized that this dog had gotten through so much on her own. to deny her dignity in the end would be dismissive of all that she had survived.

yesterday we took one last good walk together without fear and with lots of gratitude. i think that she had decided that it was going to be a good day for her--or perhaps her body did. she didn't have any falls and was able to walk with me in the park for a good hour and a half, curling her feet through the lovely trees and trails. the weather was perfect with a touch of wind that kept us cool. we ate turkey and cheese sandwiches (she had 3) under a beautiful tree and sat by the river (her choice) to watch one last time. then we went home. the spring flowers that surrounded her time at the park made it all the better.

i tried to make her last moments meaningful. the walk made her tired and the tranquilizer that the vet gave her brought her to the afternoon nap she had probably been waiting for. i lit candles and brought in flowers. the room was beautiful. our good-bye so peaceful. everyone allowed me to cry, a lot. but most importantly, though i got to say everything i needed to her beforehand. i apologized for the times i had been angry at her, especially in her most recent condition. and i got to tell her that i was so grateful for all that she'd given me in this life, which included her total unconditional love.

the last thing that i got to say though, which i don't know i had really realized until that point, was that i was thankful to her that she had made a space in her life for me. it's always obvious that dog owners are making space in their life for dogs, especially those that they rescue or get from a shelter. but it's a foreign idea that somehow dogs give themselves to you...make space in their little lives for you. those last words i spoke to her marked probably the one moment in my life when i have felt the most gratitude. and there she goes again...giving me more.

i will miss her so.

photos are from our time together yesterday

do...not...destroy...yard...erp

"what has the world come to?"

when we bought our house in 2003, the place was decked out and ready to move right in. all the walls were painted in a generous color scheme, lending itself to the feeling of being in a greenhouse/christopher lowell wet dream. no, it was lovely. and most of the color is still there, downstairs anyway. we've done a pretty good job covering up the other poo/natural colors that wrapped the walls upstairs. we showered them with lovely pinks, greens and blues. and i feel fine about those choices. painting is easy peasy. however, when you take on a house that really don't need taking on, there's really only one way, other than paint to do it...

destroy it.

and that we did. not anything inside, really. paint is all we really know how to do as of now. and moving furniture. and pooping on the floor. the prime place of our damage to date is in the back yard. the back half, the selling point, the oasis of our home, the hot spot for boozin' and firing up the fire pit has taken the hardest hit. not really because we wanted to, but because we just couldn't. this 5-10K of well-spent urban opulence (potential, with high maintenance) is what we inherited from the two men who owned the home before us. and we killed it. we had a pond, a well landscaped yard, a nice brick patio, a boozin' spot. almost all gone before our eyes.

this winter we realized that we'd neglected it to starvation and ugliness due to the fact that we weren't really using it at all. didn't want it. it didn't fit anymore, especially for a couple with a 3- year-old and an old dog who pooped everywhere. some recommended that we level it and start over. others said not to touch it. i was one of those, fearing that another potential buying couple might take a look at a boring grassy lump and turn right away. the yard was the main selling point. and it is, if you're into that stuff. i reasoned that anyone into a sexy back yard (or a sexyback yard) just isn't going to buy in our neighborhood during these po' times. with that, we decided to revamp the lump and keep it sexy but for the kids and sod it on up. so here we go. first milestone is to clean it all up. then we'll turn to sod king to give it a wig. then the face lift.

"...And what have my people done?"

i hope that something beautiful and useful will come of the mess we have made. i send to the universe my apologies to walter and ruben for ruining what they spent so much time cultivating. thankfully, they probably don't care and are busy flipping another house somewhere else...or not.

5 years

Mother's Day Proclamation - 1870

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

kate walsh the singer, not the doctor actor

i heard this gal on public radio about 10 am this morning. she has a sweet voice that reminds me a wee bit of harriett wheeler (former sundays lead), but less forced. she does have a sugary voice, but it's totally tolerable. we all need sweet every once in awhile...maybe. i do anyway, hell with all these mean girl hormones raging through my body every day.

anyway, if you like harriett, elizabeth mitchell or very early shawn colvin, you will like this kate walsh girl. check out her little place on verve rekkids. quite loverly. paul, i will be stealing your itunes cards soon, so you bets finds em.

photo swipered from verve.

Karl Rove can Kiss Our Ass!

photo by the super gergy McGerg Huma Abedin

I'd been grappling over who to vote for in the Ohio primary elections for a few months. I love Obama's optimism and am inspired by his words...and of course, those who love him. We have his photo on our fridge and his book on our shelf. And we dream of him taking the White House back from the good ol' boys. I love Michelle and her ease with talking to the people. However, I also love all of the good about Hillary Clinton...and ALSO dream of her taking it all back and cleaning stuff up. Karl Rove said that women wouldn't vote for her. Well, I told myself many years ago that if Hillary ran, I vote for her. I know that for some, she's part of the problem--and not at all part of the solution. But for me, she seems to have some good solutions, including health care for everyone. I agreed with the sentiment of a friend that I just couldn't look myself in the mirror and not vote for a woman--especially now that I'm having a girl of my own. So Tuesday, Hillary got my vote.

The Ohio Primary Rally was held Tuesday night in downtown Columbus--and quite perfectly right next door to my office building--so no parking! I jumped in around 7:30 pm and took it all in for a good 3 1/2 hours before she arrived. I was impressed by the good mix of women and men at the event. I took an opportunity to find a few of those men and capture their images (sorry for the poor quality of a few of them). There was definitely a lot of women of all ages in attendance. I had a chance to sit with a group of iconic middle aged broads for Hillary. Go hot flashes! I was pretty tired the day after, having stood for a good 2 hours with available seating now and then. But it was an wonderful time to be in Ohio Tuesday night with the growing baby girl in my belly, dancing around to the cheers and noise and probably wondering who the hell let all that extra estrogen in.

press in the hizz

NBC's Andrea Mitchell in the hizz

chiseled menz for the Hillz

more awesome menz for the Hillz

prego me for the Hillz

Octo-Astro for the Hillz

the Hillz...Killz!

Happy Birthday, Ol Man

Dear Sweet One,

You're still shiney and sweet after all these years. I'm so glad to know you.

xo,

Your Wifey Wife

oh tina fey, why must you make me think even more?

Robin Morgan's well-travelled words on Hillary Clinton first jolted me a bit from my leanings to Barak Obama. I know too many women who are in my place...feeling the need to support her, but unsure. I do know that I hate her ever so slight anti-choice leanings she started on to gain more support from conservatives. I also hate that she voted for the war in Iraq. I also hate that she's played it old school to get political power. But I still don't know all about her. Or him for that matter. There's plenty to read, and I need to do it now, in order to get myself right about these two.

Tina Fey didn't help me last Saturday night though. She is right...bitches get stuff done. But will it be the good stuff? How can we tell? Looking at her track record, she did throw a lot of weight around during Bill's presidency. But is it enough? What do we really need?

Bear from cafepress.com/gigglechick

dear tiny-baby-girl-yet-to-be-borned,

i do not have enough hours in the day to sew you pretty embroidered dresses...well, as splendid as this one anyway. i should secretly have your gran buy it. but i will learn soon. just taking a peek into the world of wee-girl-wear facinates, terrifies and delights me all at the same time. embroidery classes await me!

xo,

your lady above

we'll be great in 2008

here we go again. i'm going to try my bestest to keep up with writing. being pregnant (but in the second trimester, thank goodness), having a full-time job, a 3-year-old and a super duper husband to tend to takes up quite a bit of time. but it's good to write. i need to write...more. it's good to write...write...write. if only the screen sounded, felt and looked like paper.

i'll be back!

best news of the day

One of my all-time favorite bands, Ida, will release a new album at the end of January '08. According to Pitchfork, the band recorded the Lovers Prayers album in the Catskills-based home of Levon Holm (who used to play in The Band). I can not wait until January to hear this sweet music. Hopefully a well-connected-to-the-music-world fairy will send me one in the mail. Otherwise, I'll have to wait in agony!

sew, mama, sew! handmade holidays

so very excited about all of this! if i only had all day long to craft and craft. i wonder if the fabric store will let me barter mopping the bathrooms for fabric...

it's coming, it's coming

we've decided to hand make most of our christmas gifts this year instead of running up ridiculous amounts on our credit cards. so the weekend of hollerday crafting will begin tonight! i've been getting some inspiration from uncommon grace and soulemama lately. i also found a handy list of diy holiday gifts over at family fun. and now that i'm over my fear of sewing, i think i'll be ready to dive in and make all sorts of goodies. yippie!

even a 12-year-old knows how to pull a burt reynolds

to the left, my son parker. to the right, my nephew wesley--in disguise. he is probably the coolest 12-year-old around. smart, witty, so so so kind, generous, best friend to his sister, and moreso, friends with everyone. one of the most wonderful persons on the planet.

these were taken this summer at their joint birthday party. one of parker's gifts from me was a set of mustaches for accentuating his pirateness. note the pirate t-shirt from wesley's mom jen...matches perfectly with his friends in low places hat. anyway, we finally downloaded photos from that day this week and they've been a blast to look at. it was a pretty poignant day for me (i was in the middle of a miscarriage) but the photos of these terrific boys help me to remember just what a great celebration that was...and how awesome it is that they are here in this life with us. their existence is a true gift.

The Swedish Chef vs The Chicken

thank goodness for both the chef and the pigs in space!