Hello Darklings,
I LOVE the Rain, its so moody, gothic and noir, even the wet streets at night reflecting the neon adds to the "Gotham" feeling, the dark corners, and slithery sounds of tires squashing though puddles.
Ahhh yes I had to work late last night, rain and rain, fortunately Doyle came to pick me up so I would not have to depend upon public transportation, not that I'd mind but of late Doyle is becoming more protective, if the traffic of San Francisco wasn't so congested and people driving like idiots I would enjoy going though this city, but stupid drivers and pedestrians make it difficult to seek the simple pleasures of just enjoying the city at night, in the rain, in the dark.
Driving back over the Bay Bridge (I'm sorry Darklings but I refuse to call it the Willy Brown Bridge it is the Bay Bridge and that is that), but driving over the Bridge I love the grittyness of the older part of the span, I keep hearing that song so often associated with a Mickey Spillane movie, I think it's called "Harlem Nocturn", as we drive over it, and then we go through the Tunnel at Treasure Island and bam we are on a bridge that is something out of a Star Trek Movie----Oh Darklings the aspects and designs of the 21st Century hold no charm for me. I find them boring, a sterile sameness that just kills the soul.
Oh for the designs of the old Chrysler and Empire State buildings of New York, or the Gothicness of old New Orleans, it's like that song "little houses, made of ticky-tacky, little houses all the same", then it becomes such a relief to walk into my own home, away from all the 21st century "stuff".
Oh well if people are blind to such early 20th century beauty then they are truely blind.
My Gardener was able to take care of the trees that needed to be trimmed and he is soaking the severly damaged rose bushes in buckets of water with lots of plant vitamin B to help with the transplanting into the cemetery area, hopefully they will take and come back. I'm going to the nursery Saturday, rain or no rain to select some new bushes to put into that area along with seeing if there are some annuals that can be planted to take care of the squashed plantings, until I can put in something more "permanet". Louise my cousin will be coming with me, she has in front of her cottage apartment two cement planters so she needs soil and some plantings for it to help cheer up her entrance way. I know how plebian, how mundane, but not everyone can live a totally gothic/noir life although I'd like to try.
It sort of makes me wonder about evil characters like the evil queen in Snow White or Malifacent in Sleeping Beauty, who does their laundry? Do they have to put on makeup each morning? Do they suffer from headaches? They can't always be scheming on doing evil deeds all the time, I would think it would be tiring.
Oh well, and my contractor came by while there was a break in the weather, to look over the damage to the fence and give me an estimate, not as bad as I feared and I'll see if my home owners insurance can cover it, I know my neighbor can't, poor thing, she still is in a state over it but I've been reassuring her to not worry, as a matter of fact I'm inviting her over for dinner again tonight, I am concerned about her health and I want to do everything to relax her, Belladonna and Weiner Dog have been amusing her which is good, but still since her family lives so far away Sacramento I think, I want her to be in a "good place and frame of mind".
The arborist will be coming next week to see about her tree, I do hope we don't have to have it cut down, it is still a magnficent tree.
And the weather man is saying more rain is coming, more and more---oh that means people will be in the rain during the opening of the Oakland Museum's White Elephant Sale this weekend, and I do so want to go, well I guess it will be rain coats and umbrella's or something. I love the white elephant sale, you never know what one will find. The only problem is parking, such a bear, completely horrible, but we'll see.
One of my co-workers said the only way we can break the drought is if it rains at least every other day for March, April and May, we can hope. I'd hate to think of manditory water rationing, at least my cisterns are catching as much of the rain water as possible so that should help the garden and greenhouse, I have to thank my late Great-Aunt for thinking so far ahead on that.
Ahh but now I think I'll go ahead and prepare the salad, and bake the pie for dessert, it's all put together apples and cranberries, I came across the receipe in one of those little cook books, the pie crust is pre-made but I did have to peel and cut the apples. I think it will be a good warm yet refreshing thing to have.
Later Darklings
Showing posts with label Nostalgia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nostalgia. Show all posts
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Of Nostalgic thoughts and memories~~~~
THE DISTANCE THAT THE DEAD HAVE GONE,
DOES NOT AT FIRST APPEAR.
THEIR COMING BACK SEEMS POSSIBLE
FOR MANY AN ARDENT YEAR.
---Emily Dickinson 1830-1886
I know Darklings, what a strange sentiment to start a post, but it is true, at least for myself and my sister.
Over these last few weeks, my sister and I have been involved in remembering the dead, our parents, grandparents, and our oldest brother.
We’ve been reading letters and looking at photos. The letters from our Dad to Mom during World War II have this immediacy, not that it happened 60-70 years ago, instead they leap over time and boundaries and death.
To the point where we can almost sense that they just might walk through the door, Dad yelling “I’m home, does anybody care?!!” and us children running to him and hugging him, of course we care, home would not be home without his presence or Mom’s.
Sometimes he’d surprise us with a bag of candy purchased at the candy counter at Woolworth’s, and we had to share and if there was an odd number left over, well that went to Mom and Dad with Dad giving the greater number to Mom.
Sometimes comic books, one for each of us, and we’d rotate them, I still have all the “Classic’s Illustrated” issues, it was how I was introduced to the classic novels, until I could read them properly.
The modern graphic novels don’t have that style, and do not address the proper novel form.
Sis came across the old slide pictures, but we’re not sure where the projector is, and if the lamp in it works, but once it’s found we’ll test it out.
Yes Darklings, we saved everything from our parents and grandparent’s houses, the houses had to be sold to settle the estates, and we were pretty much scattered because of our jobs. But we put everything into storage, bit by bit we’d pull a few things out and decide what to do, when a box had been gone through we’d mark it and put it back in storage until it could me moved.
But now with my Great Aunt’s house and its space, we’ve been able to get a lot of things out of the storage units, and go through them more comfortably. Sis is going to use quite a bit of the furniture from our parents and grandparents in her house which is good, our brother didn’t need it as his wife had her own ideas of decoration and given how active the boys are it was considered best.
But looking over the photo’s, were we really that young, I ask. But I was so glad to miss the worst of the hairdo’s and clothing, neither I nor my sister could get into the paisley stuff or beads, and peace symbols, leather and fringe, it just seemed so tacky. And it was a good thing that we learned to sew, I could never imagine exposing my knees in mini-skirts, although they are nice looking knees, but I felt that when one flaunts too much, one is just “giving it away”.
But the Beatles---not too long ago, at one of the movie theaters they were showing “A Hard Day’s Night” and hearing that first cord of opening music, I found myself being transported back to being a teenager enjoying the infectious enthusiasm of those 4 boys from Liverpool.
The other night I heard Gary and the Pacemakers singing “Ferry on the Mersy” and the tempo and beat of the song had me floating to another time, when one didn’t have the worries that one has now, you were free floating like a bobbing cork on the ebb and flow of the make-believe river, and could take deep breaths of freedom.
But our parents and grandparent’s houses are gone, torn down, one a parking lot, the other a part of a large apartment complex, the neighborhoods have changed, its not the same, stores that were there run by Mom and Pop’s who knew our names, all gone, some torn down, some burnt down. They exist only in our minds and memories.
I think that is why I fight to keep my Great-Aunt’s house preserved and kept up, a bastion to another time, another era, a period of grace and elegance and a certain amount of stability.
I asked my sister when did things change for us, and she said “JFK’s assignation, Vietnam, Watergate, Woodstock, pot and protests, Patty Hearst’s kidnapping, children controlling adults.” Then she remarked “Our dream finally ended we grew up and faced reality when Dad then Mom died and we were in essence orphans, for our parents were the one’s that prevented us from seeing the grave our own mortality.”
She was right and we try to pass on and preserve that graciousness that unruly child/adults try to rip away.
There is really no such thing as progress, only change and sometimes time marches backwards in a strange way, the concept of light rail, echoes our trolley cars, people buying old pre-1965 cars, those who restore old things like typewriters and telephones, various historical preservation societies, and re-enactors, the concept of Retro design, community gardens an echo of the old Victory Gardens, being organic means growing and putting up your own food, re-cycling was like “metal for Victory”, getting points on your credit card was like Green Stamps and Blue Chip stamps, save up enough and you could get something and so on.
Oh this trip down memory lane can be fun, nostalgic and sad at the same time.
And for now, well Darklings I am feeling much better, but I still get a little weak and light headed, so although I’m over the worst of it, there is still some after effects, I’ve been able to go into work but just half days for now, next week I’ll be pulling full days some of the staff did come down ill in spite of precautions.
I’ve been so wanting to work on the stove, but Sis told me to take it easy, it will be there, but I do want to start tackling it at least a little bit this weekend. Just do a little at a time, once it is properly cleaned and working then the kitchen will be back in order the way it should be, and I’ll be very, very happy.
For now I look at Doyle asleep in his favorite chair, Wiener Dog curled up in a hidden nook of it, Belladonna curled up on the couch hidden under an inexpensive throw blanket to keep her warm, its in the low 50’s outside and nippy. Sis is re-mounting some of the photo’s that have come loose and labeling them, a good thing to do.
And now I’ve heard the timer go off, dinner is ready, Stew tonight, hearty and warm, Doyle brought home a loaf of French bread, Louise has just arrived home from work, I’m glad I’ve only put in a half day, and several of Sis’s clients cancelled, they too have the flu, so we were able to have the early evening to relax, and now time to fill our tummies.
Later Darklings
DOES NOT AT FIRST APPEAR.
THEIR COMING BACK SEEMS POSSIBLE
FOR MANY AN ARDENT YEAR.
---Emily Dickinson 1830-1886
I know Darklings, what a strange sentiment to start a post, but it is true, at least for myself and my sister.
Over these last few weeks, my sister and I have been involved in remembering the dead, our parents, grandparents, and our oldest brother.
We’ve been reading letters and looking at photos. The letters from our Dad to Mom during World War II have this immediacy, not that it happened 60-70 years ago, instead they leap over time and boundaries and death.
To the point where we can almost sense that they just might walk through the door, Dad yelling “I’m home, does anybody care?!!” and us children running to him and hugging him, of course we care, home would not be home without his presence or Mom’s.
Sometimes he’d surprise us with a bag of candy purchased at the candy counter at Woolworth’s, and we had to share and if there was an odd number left over, well that went to Mom and Dad with Dad giving the greater number to Mom.
Sometimes comic books, one for each of us, and we’d rotate them, I still have all the “Classic’s Illustrated” issues, it was how I was introduced to the classic novels, until I could read them properly.
The modern graphic novels don’t have that style, and do not address the proper novel form.
Sis came across the old slide pictures, but we’re not sure where the projector is, and if the lamp in it works, but once it’s found we’ll test it out.
Yes Darklings, we saved everything from our parents and grandparent’s houses, the houses had to be sold to settle the estates, and we were pretty much scattered because of our jobs. But we put everything into storage, bit by bit we’d pull a few things out and decide what to do, when a box had been gone through we’d mark it and put it back in storage until it could me moved.
But now with my Great Aunt’s house and its space, we’ve been able to get a lot of things out of the storage units, and go through them more comfortably. Sis is going to use quite a bit of the furniture from our parents and grandparents in her house which is good, our brother didn’t need it as his wife had her own ideas of decoration and given how active the boys are it was considered best.
But looking over the photo’s, were we really that young, I ask. But I was so glad to miss the worst of the hairdo’s and clothing, neither I nor my sister could get into the paisley stuff or beads, and peace symbols, leather and fringe, it just seemed so tacky. And it was a good thing that we learned to sew, I could never imagine exposing my knees in mini-skirts, although they are nice looking knees, but I felt that when one flaunts too much, one is just “giving it away”.
But the Beatles---not too long ago, at one of the movie theaters they were showing “A Hard Day’s Night” and hearing that first cord of opening music, I found myself being transported back to being a teenager enjoying the infectious enthusiasm of those 4 boys from Liverpool.
The other night I heard Gary and the Pacemakers singing “Ferry on the Mersy” and the tempo and beat of the song had me floating to another time, when one didn’t have the worries that one has now, you were free floating like a bobbing cork on the ebb and flow of the make-believe river, and could take deep breaths of freedom.
But our parents and grandparent’s houses are gone, torn down, one a parking lot, the other a part of a large apartment complex, the neighborhoods have changed, its not the same, stores that were there run by Mom and Pop’s who knew our names, all gone, some torn down, some burnt down. They exist only in our minds and memories.
I think that is why I fight to keep my Great-Aunt’s house preserved and kept up, a bastion to another time, another era, a period of grace and elegance and a certain amount of stability.
I asked my sister when did things change for us, and she said “JFK’s assignation, Vietnam, Watergate, Woodstock, pot and protests, Patty Hearst’s kidnapping, children controlling adults.” Then she remarked “Our dream finally ended we grew up and faced reality when Dad then Mom died and we were in essence orphans, for our parents were the one’s that prevented us from seeing the grave our own mortality.”
She was right and we try to pass on and preserve that graciousness that unruly child/adults try to rip away.
There is really no such thing as progress, only change and sometimes time marches backwards in a strange way, the concept of light rail, echoes our trolley cars, people buying old pre-1965 cars, those who restore old things like typewriters and telephones, various historical preservation societies, and re-enactors, the concept of Retro design, community gardens an echo of the old Victory Gardens, being organic means growing and putting up your own food, re-cycling was like “metal for Victory”, getting points on your credit card was like Green Stamps and Blue Chip stamps, save up enough and you could get something and so on.
Oh this trip down memory lane can be fun, nostalgic and sad at the same time.
And for now, well Darklings I am feeling much better, but I still get a little weak and light headed, so although I’m over the worst of it, there is still some after effects, I’ve been able to go into work but just half days for now, next week I’ll be pulling full days some of the staff did come down ill in spite of precautions.
I’ve been so wanting to work on the stove, but Sis told me to take it easy, it will be there, but I do want to start tackling it at least a little bit this weekend. Just do a little at a time, once it is properly cleaned and working then the kitchen will be back in order the way it should be, and I’ll be very, very happy.
For now I look at Doyle asleep in his favorite chair, Wiener Dog curled up in a hidden nook of it, Belladonna curled up on the couch hidden under an inexpensive throw blanket to keep her warm, its in the low 50’s outside and nippy. Sis is re-mounting some of the photo’s that have come loose and labeling them, a good thing to do.
And now I’ve heard the timer go off, dinner is ready, Stew tonight, hearty and warm, Doyle brought home a loaf of French bread, Louise has just arrived home from work, I’m glad I’ve only put in a half day, and several of Sis’s clients cancelled, they too have the flu, so we were able to have the early evening to relax, and now time to fill our tummies.
Later Darklings
 |
| It is good to get together with people you love. |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
