Pretty Things

"Only pink, hearts and flowers are pretty."
-Imogen, 3, today, with a dead-on description of her current style

She asked this afternoon
if we could change
the Strait of Juan de Fuca
from blue
to pink with hearts and flowers,
so it can be beautiful.

Her "Maiden" Name

Wikipedia now has an entry on the name "Imogen," saying it's circuitously derived from "maiden." I wrote about this a year ago.

Image: Painting of Imogen from Shakespeare's "Cymbeline" by Schmalz, Wikipedia.com

Keep Washington Green

Remember this?

Genius Mom

I was inspired reading Yoky Matsuoka's story.

Photo: Matsuoka + Family; John Lok, The Seattle Times

On the Homefront

The City of Seattle has opened up its grassy parking strips to increase space for growing food locally, The Seattle Times writes.

Photo: Jake Harris and Michael Seliga of Cascade Edible Landscapes; Mike Siegel, The Seattle Times

The Truth of Who You Are

Feeling will get you closer to the truth of who you are than thinking.

Eckhart Tolle

To The Sea Again

Port Angeles City Pier, Sunday

Sunset

Port Angeles,

This Evening

Arts in Action

It's Arts in Action in Port Angeles

all weekend!

Breast-feeding Protected

Sunday is an important day for families in Washington when a law protecting the rights of mothers to breast-feed in public goes into effect. Better late than never, seattlepi.com reports that "[m]ore than 40 other states" have already implemented similar laws.

Photo: Scott Eklund, seattlepi.com

Frozen in Time

Immy and her cousins get treats from the Popsicle Queen, Port Angeles,
Wednesday

Twins

Cousin YaYa and Immy model the matching pajamas that YaYa's Grandma made for them,

Wednesday

Snakes at the Library!

Reptile Man brought a menagerie to
the Port Angeles Library,
Wednesday

Happy Birthday Uncle Al

Imogen took charge of wrapping Uncle Al's birthday present last weekend. She chose snowman paper and a daisy bow, even cutting a "skylight" in the top of the gift wrap. Plus, Immy independently designed and made the two handmade cards taped to the front (I wrote "AL" on a scrap for her to copy, and she cleverly used it to wrap that card with).

How to be Idle and Blessed

Imogen, Today

From "The Summer Day"

By Mary Oliver

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,

which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

Girl's School

Immy set up a school all by herself.

Thursday

Tot Chef

Imogen made me a salad this morning. She is forever serving up amazing dishes. I love that about her.

Skywriter

Tuesday

Newsy Susie

"I'm going to read the newspaper, just like mommies and big girls."

Imogen, age 3

Monday

New Friends

Imogen poses with her friend Jared as he introduces her to the chickens and rabbit in his Port Angeles yard.
Thursday

One Meaning of Love

Imogen and I exchanged "I love yous" a couple days ago. Afterward I asked "what does 'love' mean?" She answered "for making new friends."

Giacomo 2004-2009

Our beloved bunny Giacomo is gone. He was a fun rabbit with loads of personality, who came inside our house, let Imogen push him around in a stroller and provided us more entertainment than we ever expected from a little bunny I rescued with his mom Poppy more than four years ago. He was born on Christmas Day in 2004, I rescued him Memorial Day weekend 2005 and he didn't survive a night on the loose July 10. We'll miss you Jackie! We loved you.

Independence Day

July 4, Forks

On the Bright Side of Life

"This sure is a nice library, isn't it?"
-Imogen, yesterday at the Port Angeles Library

Sunny Bunny

Imogen with Giacomo

This Morning, Port Angeles

Dream on a Grand Scale

My friend Jocelyn let me know of a public art project that sounds magical and is perfectly free. It's called Lullaby Moon, described on its website as "a year-long invitation to Seattle to explore a world of dream. A celebration of the night sky, the series of performance events brings bedtime whimsy and wonder to parks and other public spaces throughout the city, enlivening and enlightening the dark time of each month. Performances take place on each new moon for an entire lunar year."

Lullaby Moon performances--large-scale, site-specific and participatory--are staged by Lucia Neare's Theatrical Wonders, who ask "What would it be like to live in a place where joy was in the air? A city where citizens were invited to dream on a grand scale?"

Remaining performances in 2009 are July 22, August 20, September 18, September 19 and October 18. Locations and times are announced shortly before each event on the website.

Photos: lucianeare.org

Tiny Big

"I sure am a little, tiny big girl, am'n't I?"
-Imogen, 3, this afternoon

Our Hills, Our Heaven

Scenes from the Hurricane Hill trail today
Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park

Pigtails

This Morning

One Girl in a Tub

Rub-a-dub-dub
Wednesday

This Is What Mattered

This Afternoon

Happy Father's Day!

"It all begins with showing up."

-Bill Gates Sr., Showing Up for Life

Wholly Loved

A couple of days ago, Immy and I were hanging out in her room and she said to me, "I love you with my whole heart," and she made the shape of a heart with the fingers of both hands.


Photo: Fleurrr, Flickr.com

Bubbles & Bikes

Saturday afternoon,

Saturday evening

Pitch-Perfect Politics

Auto-Tune the News takes bits from the news and C-SPAN and, using Auto-Tune pitch-perfecting software and edits, creates videos that are hilarious. Watch #5 "lettuce regulation. American blessings." 

Summerina

Imogen, this morning

I made a green rosette from thrift-shop ruffle to cover an ink stain on this velvet pinafore dress.

"Summerina" is a word Immy made up today. I think it's a spin-off of "dancerina," her word for a dress.

Painted Lady

Today

T-shirt Mike

He's a local dad and talented screen printer.

Check out his samples.

Photo: tshirtmike.com

Intiman Hires Gen-X Director

Her name is Kate Whoriskey and at 38 she's about to lead Seattle's Intiman Theatre. She's a new mom, a wife and proof to me that Generation X has finally arrived.

Photo: New York Times

The Dinah Shore Era

Imogen was saying "dinosaur" the other day and it sounded like "Dinah Shore." When I thought more about the name Dinah, I had to admit I am a product of our American culture. As a kid, when singing I've Been Working on the Railroad, I envisioned Dinah Shore hanging off the train, blowing the horn, her blond hair flying in the wind. "In the kitchen with Dinah"--in my mind--she was a twirling, aproned housewife holding a banana cream pie in one hand. However, I just looked the song up on Wikipedia and it says "Dinah was a generic name for an enslaved African woman." I was sadly mistaken.

Photo: Nelson Riddle Music