finnished

a saturday afternoon project

two saw horses made from cast-off picture frame moldings made the legs...

an old wood door made the top...

a "new" dining room table, all from reused material!

you know what i mean...

it's the new phrase. everyone is using it and it is driving me nuts- you know what i mean? you know what i mean? you know what i mean?

sometimes using this phrase is legitimate: explaining the difference between terms (squatting vs. bivouacking) or to bring clarity on a subject/instructions. but for the most part is seems that people use it for a filler. it's the new uhm...... uhm...... uhm! you know what i mean? here is an example:

so i was at the store the other day, you know what i mean, at the meat counter, you know what i mean and the guy asked if i wanted Havarti and i'm lactose intolerant and it just baffled me, you know what i mean, i'm at the counter going to get meat and the person asks....

perhaps, it is attempting to be inclusive. since you weren't there for the event the speaker talks in a way to make you feel apart of it regardless if you want to be included or not. for example a person is talking about visiting a relative that you've never met in a place you've never been.

aunt Bess makes the best pies, you know what i mean? the crust is so perfect and flaky, like those biscuits that my great aunt May made but you now buy in cans, you know what i mean?

while perhaps you too might have had an aunt who made excellent pie, you didn't have aunt Bess' pie. we are becoming lazy, empathetic speakers.

it is funny how these phrases become integrated into everyday speech. once you start noticing them it will drive you crazy. for a while everyone, including myself would incorporate the disclaimer "just" when praying.

"Lord, just bring world peace..." "just revive us" "just...." "just...." "just..."

as if God only did that then that would be enough? or the phrase "for real?" or how about "seriously?" because we could no longer decipher if truth was being said?

these are the things i think about at times. i need a new hobby, you know what i mean?

last weekend....

last sunday my grandfather kilpatrick and my uncle john came down for a visit. it was a very enjoyable time. they drove four hours, stayed five and drove four more hours back home. i think they must love me. my grandpa is one of my best friends. we are pen pals. he and i get each other. i attribute my love of the outdoors to him. he is almost 90, still drives a car, has his own house, goes to wood working class twice a week, volunteers at the local nature center and makes a wicked meatloaf. he brought me some treats. yum. yum. can you tell what everything is?

black liquorice, lemon drops, beef jerky, pistachios, wheat thins
thanks!

he said something towards the end of their visit that was very intriguing. it's been playing over and over in my mind this week. i don't know if i should mention it or not, but it won't escape my mind so i'm letting it out. it is something a bit frightening, something a bit haunting. it is something a bit mysterious but at the same time wonderful and ever so beautiful.

he told me that my grandma jackie has been visiting him. it's happened twice. he has awoken from a doze in the afternoon to find her sitting on the couch in the same room as him. i asked if he talked with her. he said that he did, but that he couldn't recall what about. regardless, both times were very pleasant. he then proceeded to remind me that this coming wednesday (now past) marks the tenth anniversary of her death.

i don't know what to make of this. i believe him. i'm just wondering what, if anything it means. my grandpa is a widower twice over. i'm curious why it's my first grandma, my real grandma and not virginia, his second wife, who passed away last spring. i wonder if it will happen again.

just a thought

i wonder if someday chemotherapy will be seen as foolish as bloodletting is today? just a thought.

the most recent works (up at the show too)

The Show goes till October 14, check it out if you are able.

Put up a Parking Lot

No Passing Zone

Sunflowers, AKA Van Goghing

Crab Tree Exuberant, Early Spring

and more....

i've stumbled upon something that is so strange...

This past weekend was spent with friends who will be soon departing the area. Erika Hydeen invited me to attend a Marching Band Field Competition and in turn I invited Morgan to attend. It was crazy. It was fun. It was something completely foreign to me, but Erika, who has participated in said glamorous events in high school, schooled Morgan and I thoroughly on the inner workings of the competition. We witnessed the top ten bands from the Tri-State area perform. Orange city's band received third place. They were really tight. Good sound, not garish, and they utilized the entire field. Some bands went all out. They had sets, and the color guard had costume changes. At times it was like watching a musical rather than a band competition.

This band's performance was about a mountain climb up Mt. Everest.
In the background one can see the large photos they had on display.
The song had four parts: market place, base camp, white out, and summit.
During the white out, the color guard ran around with long white banners every where.It was effective. It was over the top.

The guy in the red polo is a judge. These guys walk around on the field during the performance and take notes. To my surprise i didn't notice any of them getting trampled. The judges are very nimble folk

On Sunday i spent the day at Erika's parent's house in orange city doing batiking. We spent a long time on them and they are still not finished (over eight hours). Oh well. It was a good refresher and has inspired me to continue the craft, which I'm sure my mother is happy about. She thinks I'm the best at it, which of course is true. Mom's don't lie. It goes against their nature.

Here's Erika by some of the batiks in progress.
She's happy because her small batik turned out the best.

let's review

since i didn't do too hot of a job posting this summer here are few photos of what occurred this past relaxed summer.

sister kristie's grad from PA school, yeah!