Saturday, April 07, 2007
As I poked my head from the covers and wiggled my legs to see exactly how solidly the cocker spaniel cocoon had enveloped me during the night, my eyes focused out the french doors to my balcony towards Sol Messer Mountain. The sky was floating with swirling eddies of snow.
It's a good day for some housekeeping.
Link Love
I've been a bit remiss in spreading the link love that has been so generously offered to me. Please allow me to correct this oversight with my humble apologies. Sometimes when I'm in the midst of a story cycle or getting some research off the ground, I can be most churlish.
Bonnie @ bkfrogma
Bonnie and I met during my Buzznet days, so she's one of my oldest blog friends. I started the blog here, getting the first round of story cycles off in 2003. These stories are pretty rough but tell of my first year here in the mountains and my experiences getting the farm off the ground. Mostly they are about the amazing people who embraced me here. I felt my writing was missing something so I took off to Buzznet for a few years to do some photoblogging and satire. Writing from photos helps me tune my descriptions and think more visually.
Bonnie is an urban gardener, sailor and kayaker extraordinaire paddling the Hudson from Manhattan. She works for a huge corporate media giant...sort of like I used to, but in publishing rather than cable news. She has gorgeous photos of places we'd all rather be.
She wrote a lovely post all about me and the Easter Story about Friend Scott. I'm very honored that she did this for me.
Pissed-Off Housewife.
What can I say about Housewife? She's the Jewish mother we probably all should have had so that we would have turned out better. She's opinionated, shamelessly judgemental (in somehow a good way...not sure how she does it), and the least L-Alien from L.A. that I know.
And I'm absolutely terrified of her and slavishly do everything she tells me.
See, I have this nightmare. I'm as sure as the sun rising tomorrow that I could lick Hershey's chocolate syrup off of any surface in Housewife's home(including the carpet) without ever having to think about the 3 second rule. Me...ehhh...not so good a housekeeper. The kitchen is more my thing. In my dream, someone knocks at the door. At this moment, there are baby goats in the house, the dogs have gotten into the trash strewing it from one end of the house to the next and I, myself, am in nasty old sweat pants, bra-less and eating cheap ravioli out of the can with my fingers. To my horror...it is Housewife and her trusty side-kick Mrs. D and they have come to perform one of those awful TV housekeeping interventions on me.
I'm telling you...I wake up shaking in my bed with a hankering for clorox.
If you don't read her...you probably should. There are just too many funny, sad, angry, heartbreaking things in her blog. And they are all mixed up in a truly endearing way.
Hilarious posting today called:
Everything I've Done is Public Record
What's not to love about stoned teenagers, the press corps and a dead iguana?and she kindly mentions me in these:
Why I read blogs instead of magazines...
Rosie and Momma and the other Mrs. D.
If you think that people are born good....
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Snakes in Church Update
I'm almost done reading Jimmy Morrow's book, Handling Serpents: Pastor Jimmy Morrow's Narative History of His Appalachian Jesus' Name Tradition. All I can say is "Wow." For me, as a writer, every sentence is a story all of it's own. His editor, Ralph Hood, has done a superb job. I really want my own copy for my library and I can't wait to digest all of it, then ask Jimmy about some of his beliefs and the history. Actually, I'm really interested in talking with Pamela, his wife. There is a wonderful photo of her handling a really big rattler.
Here's an excerpt:
U.G. Prince and his son, Charles, brought serpents back into the service. Charles got anointed to handle the serpent. He went outside to the parking lot, opened the car door, and got the serpent box out. He opened it and reached inside, got the serpents out, and took them into the church. Members that had not handled serpents for twenty-two years took turns handling the serpents. U. G. told Charles to go to the car and get the "deadly thing" --it was Red Devil Lye. U. G. got the jar and drank it down in the name of Jesus Christ and several more people also drank the lye. (p.42)Scott called this morning. He's spending Easter weekend with his family. I had been thinking about Scott in terms of our snakehandling expedition. I'm an Episcopalian and we are pretty much immune to the anointing thing they talk about here. At least I am. Scott...I'm not so sure of. I'm going to be majorly pissed if I end up carting he big snake-bit ass to the hospital.
I'm also still looking for one of these: ZOOM H4 Handy Digital Recorder Or something like it. Preferably used and donated but functioning. It seems a shame to go in there and not get some decent quality sound. If you know any sound techy types...I'm desperate for something to take into the field that will work with my computer.
I'd reserve judgment but then I'd disappoint you....
So I'll publicly declare your terrific-ness.
Even made a cobbler tonight as a nod to your food porn, forgot how yummy they can be!
Landsakes, cupcake: I was coming over to tell you what kewl friends you got and here she is: stoned teenagers? Republicans? Poor Iguana: RIP. Hi, POH!
As I said privately, April 4th has had a different meaning to me the past thirty nine years.
Landsakes, cupcake: I was coming over to tell you what kewl friends you got and here she is: stoned teenagers? Republicans? Poor Iguana: RIP. Hi, POH!
As I said privately, April 4th has had a different meaning to me the past thirty nine years.
That was just such a great story. Really just gave me chills.