beauty confetti

ice cold and lovin’ it

August 14, 2010
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          Today my altared space is having enough ice cubes to stand in. In this photo I’m at the county fair in a contest: who can stand there the longest. Today I’m pining for just one of these little confections of cold. Our ice maker broke.           For years I made ice in trays that [...]

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kicking up water

July 15, 2010
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       Today my altared space is this bridge where we sat and took off our shoes. The water was cold and we were hot, a delicious combination. The creek babbled and we giggled.        Bouncing is more fun with someone under 5. Our jeans got wet even though we rolled them up. Our toes got [...]

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red, blue and a bright, shining white

July 5, 2010
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       Today my altared space is the unity that comes from celebrating birthdays; public and private. I have thrown a few big birthday parties, the kind where all the disparate groups in one individual’s life converge for a few hours and share icy drinks and warm bread straight out of the oven.        I’m always [...]

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a tapestry of grass

June 21, 2010
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       Today I am creating an altared space out of blades of grass. I live on a plain road with only two letters and a fraction, ¼, that substitute for a name. I live where it is so rural that the blades of grass are my neighbors. They each have a character all their own. [...]

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decadent day

May 22, 2010
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     This colorful fruit pizza is my altared space today. It reminds me there are times to surrender the rules in favor of a bit of decadence. I am devoted to the study of happiness in the month of May.        Happiness is learned as much as good manners or the multiplication tables.  I didn’t always [...]

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happiness is… a rock in my dog’s mouth

May 13, 2010
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       Today my dog’s happiness is my altared space. She doesn’t need to practice happiness, it comes natural to her. That’s why I like hanging out with her. She’s my teacher.        She loves rocks, as do I. They bring her great happiness and she collects one on almost every walk we take. The reason [...]

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april’s apple tree

April 30, 2010
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       The sleep of winter and the hydrating snow of spring will give this apple tree what it needs to come back to life. I do wonder in April though: will there be apples this year?        We haven’t lived here long. This will be our fourth celebration of the deliciousness of this tree. [...]

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the cleansing burn of fire

April 17, 2010
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       Black soot covers my shoes as I race around with a white towel turned black from swinging it to hit the grass that’s burning to put out flames. The smoke fills my eyes and it stings. It’s a day of heavy lifting and sweat. So why do I feel so clean at the end [...]

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an april caper captures family feeling

April 1, 2010
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       Last night my family snuck around in the dark and filled trucks with balloons. It was a bonding activity. We were April’s fools.        We rented a helium tank, did the requisite inhaling and high-pitched funny talking, and filled 50 balloons. Then we stuck a bunch in the front seat of each of our neighbor’s [...]

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a black and white world

March 20, 2010
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       It’s black and white outside. I love it when the snow comes and blankets the world to extinguish color temporarily. No one adores vibrant hues more than me, but that is why this rest, this monochromatic world is peace for a short while.        My world is rarely this straightforward. The raucous laughter of [...]

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lighting candles and cutting flowers

March 10, 2010
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       We arrived early at my brother/sister-in-law’s house. This is not a polite thing to do, but we are close family members.        After our arrival, while I sipped my beer, my sister-in-law, who arrived home 3 minutes before we arrived, began placing candles and snipping flowers. We chatted easily as we always do and [...]

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