tuesday truths...

October 16, 2018 Arlene Giddings

***
i am not going to lie…
i absolutely love these giant crows.
i can’t remember the last time
i saw a piece of art that
stopped me in my tracks
and filled me with such
strong emotion….
with such strong
sadness.

and they are made out of tires.

and yet,
so
much
feeling.

wow.

you can read more about them here…

***
our cat, casey, had 2 kittens.
no photos yet,
because,
well…really…they aren’t all that cute.

they just look like mice that
can’t open their eyes.

***
annnnd i know i can’t keep them…
we already have 2 cats that kind of drive me crazy
but
i really want to keep them
and name them
ziggy stardust
and
major tom.

***

mackintosh toffee
and
an after eight bar
eaten at the same time
is a delicious combination.

i did not come up with this
on my own
but now
i can’t stop eating it…

(even though i might have
appeared to be grossed out by
the combination
when he suggested it…heh)

***
oh…and…i have writing group
on saturday…
and I HAVE NOT WRITTEN ONE WORD
ON THAT STORY
SINCE LAST SPRING.

sigh.

which might be a good reason
for me to commit to
nanowrimo
in november….
(once i get through in
inktober in october…heh)

suddenly 19...

October 15, 2018 Arlene Giddings

this kid…

i went back and read old blog posts
written on earlier birthdays…
every year, I am surprised by his age, it seems…
every year, I am like…
how can this be?
how can he be nine? ten? 12?
17?
18?

19.
really?
nineteen.
old enough to go places he wasn’t before,
old enough to drink…

it boggles my mind.

happy birthday, bighead.
every year, I am also so happy
that you are who you are…
independent, strong minded, responsible
and so funny, creative and original…

you’ll be just fine as a grown-up, I think…
but I’ll always win in an arm wrestle.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

i missed my friday i'm in love list...

September 29, 2018 Arlene Giddings

so this is likely going to be a post
with a lot of random things
that i am currently loving
but in no particular order
because my plan
WAS to do a fall list
but wanted to have some fall photos
to go with that
but i don’t have any yet
because my plan is to go out with the camera tomorrow
(and when i say camera, i mean poor little back up camera
because my 70D broke last weekend which is causing me
great sadness…but that sad story does not belong on a
friday i’m in love list…) and
so there will be some random shots thrown in to this post
because…well…that’s what i do…
including this photo
that i love in a hundred different ways
because i found this little bit of broken poetry
unexpectedly
while climbing
onto the back of a bench
when taking maternity photos
and immediately loved it.

i know.
weird things make me immensely happy.

so anyway!
on with the list of random things i am loving today.

♥ chicken burgers. I know…that’s a big stretch for me
from my usual chicken fingers but…I’m on a bit of a
chicken burger binge. Hahaha. Last week it was chicken fricot,
next week I plan to be on a grilled cheese kick.
High-brow culinary tastes, I know. :)

♥ this show. How did I not know about this show?
I loved the pilot…I REALLY hope it keeps going.

♥ i loved this…such a great idea…somehow i suspect it wouldn’t be the
same today…

♥ i can’t even tell you HOW MUCH I AGREE WITH THIS. Play is
incredibly important (and honestly, not just for kids…for grown ups, too).

♥ maybe I’m hungry…there seem to be a lot of posts about food…
but…..this is a gift I would write a thank you note for. :)

♥ working on some new cards…a little bit of fall…a little bit of anne & diana…

♥ this guy is coming to moncton!

♥ i was invited to trivia last night at a local restaurant/bar.
Normally, if I am already in my pjs, well, I’m pretty much done
for the night but I actually changed back into real person clothes
and went out AND I AM SO GLAD I DID. I suck at trivia but the
caesars were good. Oh! And the company, heeheehee!

♥ i started this course a couple of weeks ago and am really enjoying it.
This week they are talking about meditation and I can’t wait! :)

♥ this made me laugh…and think.

♥ this made me mad…and cry…and curse…and cheer…and think.

♥ my 18 year old has me totally hooked on this song…

whatcha readin'? {book 26::goal 24}

September 24, 2018 Arlene Giddings

I am not going to lie…
I was a little dubious about this one.

If you know me, you know I am very…
ummmm…
modest? easily embarrassed? very flusterable?
so talking about this book
is going to be
very difficult for me…
(because I am apparently an 8 year old trapped
in the body of a grown woman).

So. Anyway.
What I am going to tell you
is that the book was very good…
it gave me a glimpse into unfamiliar cultures
and language….yet was able to show
the refrains that echo in all of our lives…
the complexity of mother-daughter relationships,
the fear of standing out; the fear of blending in,
the importance of friendship,
of feeling heard, feeling understood.

What I will tell you is
it was a book I was glad I read.

And yes…it is also about exactly what
the title suggests.

4 out of 5 ♥♥♥♥♥'s

NEXT UP: ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE

i wasn't going to go out this morning...

September 22, 2018 Arlene Giddings

it sounded windy, it looked like it might rain…
I wasn’t going to go.

I woke up late.
I had a little bit of a headache.
I wasn’t going to go.

But then I did
AND I AM SO HAPPY THAT I DID!

It’s funny. I go for drives
all the time…
and I have gone to this wharf
in Egmont Bay
a million zillion times
but this was the first time
I ever drove down the little
dirt road that takes you
to the lighthouse
and I literally
was so excited
that I am pretty sure
I squealed and
clapped my hands
when I saw the view…
all I could think was
HOW have I never been here before?

and how many other views
on the island
have I never seen before?

and, for the record, it was REALLY windy…
to the point that I was a little afraid to go too close to the edge
of the cliffs because I was literally afraid
of getting blown off…

all in all, a pretty good first day of fall <3