What is the nature of ‘natural’?

Concern over the recent debate over Winfrey Point vs the Arboretum has me wondering alot of things.  Public vs private – who wins when natural land is lost forever; Transparency of government versus covert backroom dealings;  the overuse of Imminent Domain on long-established local small businesses…  and most importantly, how ironic it is that the most respected and idyllic example of “nature” at it’s finest, the Dallas Arboretum, is pitting itself agains supporters of a more homespun form of nature.  So what is natural? This….

or this?

let’s continue the comparisons;  What about this?

or this?

 

 

Moving is madness. (sorry, no photos)

There are hairshirts you can wear, and shards of glass you can step on.  But if you’re really serious about causing yourself pain and suffering, nothing tops moving.  Nothing.

I don’t care if they say that changing jobs (specifically losing jobs) and getting divorced is hard on a person.  That may be true.  But just try to live for several months out of boxes, not knowing where the toilet paper is, let alone your next meal or your favorite pair of shoes. 

I hate moving.  I don’t ever want to have to do it again in my life.  Okay, if I win the lottery, I might move to a groovy house in Colorado – but I’d probably pay to have a company do all the packing and schlepping.  But of course I’d have to start buying lottery tickets first, so that’s never going to happen. 

To try and get myself out of the grumps of moving, I’ve decided to try and look at the bright side.  For instance: 

You may be an ugly, sweaty mess for days on end… but at least you will be growing your hair out and nails out because you didn’t have time to sit and bite them (the nails) and you have enough length on the hair to get that Brazilian Blowout your husband purchased for you as an interesting Xmas present.  True story. 

You may be getting your car super dirty hauling endless loads of boxes and plants over … but now you know EXACTLY what the capacity of you Honda Fit really is, just in case you ever have fifteen clowns trying to get inside.  You will know that only fourteen fit.  The last clown has to sit on the hood, or go home.Preferably they will all go home and leave you alone because you’re too cranky for those damn clowns anyway. 

You think you’re so clever because you know exactly where the bread and meat are so you go to make a sandwich, only to find out someone else already moved the mustard…and the mayo, ketchup, chutney, hot sauce, etc.  So you end up having yogurt and some of those old pieces of fruit in the bin.  See?  Moving is healthy for you.  

You can’t commit to working out at the gym for at least three weeks, but you end up losing five pounds from all the stooping, walking, lifting, etc.  

You lose your mind… but you find stuff that you had already accepted as permanently missing from your life, like that weird tube of bright red lipstick.  What was it doing in the bottom of the fish-tank accessory bag?  Really?? 

You are pretty sure that the last two garage sales you had last year really did the job of cleaning out all the crap you didn’t need.  Now however, you can see you were completely wrong.  But hey, we made lots of money at those sales and maybe we can do it again!  But not until fall.  I really don’t care if the garage is full of crap and neither of our cars will fit.  We’re simply not capable of pulling it off.  We’re too old for this crap.  Maybe we’ll just have a nice big bonfire… ya’ll come over and bring your marshmallows and your Pabst Blue Ribbon, ya hear!? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And it’s Creepy Doll…that always Follows You…

I dedicate this furry-headed Creepy Doll to one of my favorite composers and song-stylers, whose hilarious tunes have kept me smiling whilst creating said creepy dolls for your enjoyment.  In case you haven’t heard him, please look up Jonathan Coulton and show him some love. 

In a town in the woods at the top of a hill
There’s a house where no one lives
So you take a big bag of your big city money there and buy it
Then at night when you’re all alone
And the house is dark there’s a noise upstairs
At the top of the stairs there’s a door so you take a deep breath and try it

And the flashlight shines on something moving just inside the door
There’s a tattered dress and a feeling that you’ve felt somewhere before

And there’s the creepy doll
That always follows you
It’s got a ruined eye
That’s always open

And there’s a creepy doll
That always follows you
It’s got a pretty mouth
To swallow you whole

So you scream and you close the door
And you tell yourself it was just a dream
In the morning you head into town cause you want to go antiquing
In the store there’s a strange old man
With a wandering eye and a withered hand
When he hands you the old wooden box you can hear his old bones creaking

And you know what you will find inside the moment that you see
That someone carved your name into the tarnished silver key

And there’s a creepy doll
[ From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/j/jonathan-coulton-lyrics/creepy-doll-lyrics.html ]
That always follows you
It’s got a ruined eye
That’s always open

And there’s a creepy doll
That always follows you
It’s got a pretty mouth
To swallow you whole

And when you come home late the doll is waiting up for you
And when you fix a snack the doll says it would like one too
The doll is in your house and in your room and in your bed
The doll is in your eyes and in your arms and in your head and you are crazy

Now it’s late and you head downstairs
Cause you just can’t sleep and you make some tea
And the doll disapprovingly asks if you really need that much honey
You decide that you’ve had enough
And you lock the doll in the wooden box
You put the box in the fireplace next to your bag of big city money

As the smoke fills up your tiny room there’s nothing you can do
And far too late you see the one inside the box is you

And there’s a creepy doll
That always follows you
It’s got a ruined eye
That’s always open

And there’s a creepy doll
That always follows you
It’s got a pretty mouth
To swallow you whole

New York Hearts The Fish

Everywhere we looked there were images of fish on our trip to New York recently;  on the walls of a Cuban sandwich shop; on the walls of a subway in Brooklyn; on ancient Chinese dishes at the Metropolitan!  What does this tell us?  You decide.

Subway at Metrotech Station in Downtown Brooklyn

Ming Dynasty serving dish with lovely celadon glaze, found at Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Koi are a beloved image in Chinese art of all kinds.

The Best Something in New York!  Was a pulled pork sandwich or a taco?  Does it matter when they have cute artwork outside?  We only were sad we’d already just eaten when we found this little joint in the east Village.

 

Color makes me happy

Are these not the cutest things ever?  Sure, they’re tires (which is already kinda nasty in its own right) but they’ve been transformed into Art by way of a little application of paint and sweet plantings.  A good way to use those ‘llamas usadas’ piled up over on Ross and Haskell.

Upcoming Shows!

They are springing up on our calendar faster than those weird wild onions in the yard.  Here’s where the Fish are going to be in the coming weeks:

March 30, Friday – Mi Escualita Preschool, 8:00-3:00 at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church, corner of Preston and Walnut Hill (see flyer below for more)

April 14 – White Rock Local Market – 8:00 am -1:00 pm at 702 N. Buckner Blvd, http://www.whiterocklocalmarket.com

April 21 – Deep Ellum Outdoor Market – 11:00-5:00.  We’ll be under the metal awning, not in a tent this time.  Located at 2820 Indiana Blvd.    http://deepellummarket.com/

May 12 - (TBD) White Rock Local Market- 8:00 am -1:00 pm   702 North Buckner Blvd., http://www.whiterocklocalmarket.

May 19 – Deep Ellum Market (TBD)http://deepellummarket.com/

May 20 – White Rock East Garden Tour & Artisans – I hope to be on Daytonia, our fair street, however I won’t know yet. TBD.  There are nine gardens usually on the tour, with three in Little Forest Hills (our n-hood).  Times:  11am-5pm Tickets: On Sale at Casa Linda Park and at one home in east ‘hood.  Info from last year:  Http://www.pegasusnews.com/events/2011/may/22/228143/

May 25 – Pegasus Market – Friday from 11-2 at Pegasus Park in Downtown Dallas.  http://deepellummarket.com/pegasus-plaza-outdoor-market.html

Springtime in Dallas=Trip to Northpark!

Ever since kid-dom, I have associated the advent of spring with these things:  Tiny peeper frog down by the creek, fuzzy growths on the mimosa tree in the yard, and a trip to Northpark Mall to check out the spring decor.  Since there were no interior displays to speak of this year, however, I reveled in the gorgeous displays of colorful tulips and bright green grass in the newish couryard!

Even on a cloudy day, this is one beautiful place that Dallas can be very proud of.  Even the outdoor eateries have panache and style.

Did I just teleport to Europe or New York?  Seriously, this is one sweet porch.

And to top this beauty off, there are gorgeous things in the stores.  I had never been inside Desigual before, but this is my new favorite place, si!  The style is kind of Dali meets Gaudi and they share some electric koolade on a dark day in the middle of summer:

Also at the inimitable style-maker store Anthropologie, I located some terribly spring-y dishes from Portugal that have such a wonderful hand-made feel from the weight to the differences in the crackled glass glazing:  do I want some for the new house?  Do cats like to have their butts scratched?  (sorry photo gone)

Oops, I think the effects wore off on me!  I think I see some easter eggs rolling off the grass in to the Adidas store…

And then here’s our new Easter Tradition:  Shooting Peeps with b-b guns!  I *know* it sounds sort of horrific, but until you try it, don’t knock it.  Let’s face it, those things are pure spun sugar and you’ll get diabetes just looking at them…it’s better to just shoot them.  Talk about a Family Fun Adventure for your stay-cation!

Try it sometime with your family.  Just be sure not to invite anyone with a beef to share… safety first!