Week's End - Italian Flowers

These flowers will prevent a cascade of photographs of blue dresses, Cary Grant, Mad Men characters, & other faiblesses. (Yes, I am working on Italian Stuff, anyway.) The Design*Sponge post prompted me to look up from the laptop. There on the desk is the same terracotta planter thingy & I have a glass bottle inside. So if I can totter up to the farmer's market (near Chompie the Shark, see below) tomorrow, I will do my poor-writer version.

Design*Sponge has inspired me to do several smart things this last year. (No small achievement, believe me.) A few recent ones: finally, fer cryin' out loud buy the missing manual for a sewing machine; rescue a (fake) wrought iron plant stand in a laundry room; refrain from tossing out an entire bed because surely something can be done with the headboard. I bought the terracotta all on my own because I love plant pots. Now, I'll get a ton of spam with those words in it; sorry suckers, I have tight spam control alerts on.

Have a great weekend, wherever you are (& where are you, anyway?)

[flowers via Design*Sponge, many more--including Italian travel pix]

Week's End - Time to Go Home

Listen, things are just so awful in the news (everywhere) that my silly self--even with gallows humor--can't quite get it together tonight. (And I'm still trying to hypnotize Julie into downing pills.) So here's a stunning textured shot of via Roma (in Cambiago, Lombardy) by Olga.*

The title...it reminds me of an hour, probably golden, when it's getting on time to go home. Before you make la passeggiata in the evening. Or it's really, really sad. Or both. Song in mind, same title by the great Chris Smither. If that elicits a big 'huh'? Oh lord, click the link.

Sunday update: Worlds Collide Dept. Sudanese elections beginning Monday--though boycott growing. Those of you who check in at Giulia Geranium looking for updates - it's on spring break. Please check the usual suspect sites, Julie's Twitter account (juliethecat or under my name), & follow the string. Reuters Africa is a good place to start.

buona notte

[*The Benevolent Postcard Society blog had an Olga shot posted by Lori, our fearless leader. Hey, I try to include everyone. Some of the work is Creative Commons; this one is not. Via flickr mail, Olga & I had a bit of a chat & she gave me permission to use it. Mille grazie, Olga.]

Felinity in Black & White & Color

Writing in heated exile (no not in Hell, you devils). Complicated feelings & I feel some essays (at least one) coming on; a pile of poems to revise. One new one. I couldn't do without Julie, that's for sure. The fuzzy photograph was an attempt to use the new laptop's web camera before we lost all power (& heat). The four-legged redhead has mostly regained her high spirits; however, she has refused a request to hop off the bed for a re-shoot. I don't blame her.

High winds still, maybe some more snow in a day or so. Not thinking about it now. I hope we can go home on the weekend. Our hosts have been great & I've tried to repay in tulips & two dinners cooked (so far). Also I created a little pop art installation of retro mini Coke bottles with pink baby carnations & green button mums (culled from otherwise dead bouquets). All in a row, on a windowsill. It seems to have gone over fairly well.

[Dr. Zhivago still by Ken Danvers, photographer for David Lean's film via BFI.uk.org/Catherine Deneuve & Coke bottle via LIFE archives/ridiculous webshot of GG et moi via a Toshiba laptop. The Italian book collage is from a scan I did for Giulia Geranium. Maria Caterina di Perugia gave the book to me on one trip back to the States. Now that we are staying at her house, I thought it would look cute over here. Maybe I've posted it before, we'll see what pops up.]

Blue typewriter, 2

Another vintage blue Olivetti by Peter Lindberg, of Stockholm. This is a Lettera 22 for you Olivetti-philes (who probably already knew that). ciao