Seasons

Today is the our Autumn Equinox, exact at 14:33.
The Earth will slowly slide into longer nights, shorter daylight.

This year I'm rather relieved at this, as we'll soon be having cooler weather.
Also, with the colder nights, "cold" for us that is, The Very Noisy Neighbors tend to quiet down, much to my relief.

When I read about the reasons for the having seasons here on Earth, many explanations say something like "the tilt of Earth's axis changes, thus receiving more or less sunlight in the southern or northern hemisphere". But that is rather falacious, implying that the Earth changes its tilt, that it "moves about", from an angle of 23°plus to one side of a "vertical axis", swinging to the 23°plus on the other side.
The axis does not change: it always "points" in the same direction. It is the Earth's movement on its orbit around the Sun that causes the effect of more sunlight in one hemisphere than the other.

Below, a very cool interactive site that lets you "play" with the perspective, the viewpoint, and the Earth's orbit, which makes it very easy to see the mechanics of the seasons:

This is an image of the flash site. 

Click HERE to go there: 
http://astro.unl.edu/naap/motion1/animations/seasons_ecliptic.swf

We can help each other. We can create and hold a space of safety and support for those who think for themselves instead of avoiding them or calling them weird. We can be informed instead of uncomfortable when someone declines a burger for lunch. We can back off on threat and aggression. We can be less demanding. We can listen without judgment. We can give authentically with no expectation of return. We can receive genuinely with no assumption of debt. 

— Len Wallick Who woulda thunk it? , Planet Waves

Note: my emphasis

Good Sunday

After the rain, some sunshine and better weather — out of the emotional doldrums also.

Spent the last few day out of the house at my latest project, the new appartment of good friends, getting measurements, taking pics, and trying to figure out how to use the old furnishings, fit them, in the new apt. After a few cad (drawing, that is!) sessions in between, starting to have a glimmering!
The decorator-angel is helping.
The client has some 60's sofas, 80's sofas and tables, older fashioned pieces, some made of now forbidden rosewood.
(and lots and lots of romantic doodads, souvenirs, little paintings...)
Have to get everyone talking harmoniously to each other.

I've added a "real-time" Earth and Moon gadget to my side-bar.
I love the Moon, quite a lunatic, in fact.
I hope it doesn't make the loading here too heavy.

Under the Weather

The weather changed this week.
In the last weeks, except for a few days here and there, we were roasting, or melting, at ±37°C temperatures. At night, it would cool off a bit, but sometimes in the middle of the night, or at dawn, it would heat up again. Not conducive to sleeping well.

Since Monday, though, it's been cooler... and raining: drizzling, misting, sometimes something a little thicker, but not really rain, as it usually rains here. And on and on and on, all day long. And grey. Light grey, dark grey, grey, grey, grey.
A welcome relief.

It does make me want to hunker in at home — having usually beautiful, dry weather, rain feels like a blizzard: me no go out.
Buuut, today I have a lot of errands downtown.

So...
garner up my courage, my umbrella, my carry-all,
prepare to get wet, and go catch the bus. *sigh*

I doesn't help that today I'm having a faint recurrence of a panic attack; just enough to make me really not want to go out!. That deserves another *sigh*  [this time in italics! : )))) ]

Hey Ho! Hey Ho!
Here I go!

Update: Here I go, que nada!
The drizzle turned into a downpour.
While getting ready, everytime I looked out the window more, more, and more, water falling out of the sky.
Argued with myself severely for being such a wimp, but caved in and cancelled my 11 o'clock appointment.
Still have the 4 o'clock. Till then the rain may stop, but will have to go, any which way the rain may fall.

Update #2: Lunchtime — the secretary of the 4 o'clock appointment just called: cancelled!
Sad and happy. Sad not to have the session, happy to be able to stay in, while the rain now pouring buckets outside.

Masks

To quote Nathaniel Hawthorne from The Scarlet Letter, “No man for any considerable period can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.”

— Len Wallick, Choosing to Survive/Choosing to Live, Planet Waves

A Clock! Finally!

Ever since last year,I've been meaning to add a clock gadget on my blog(s). I don't know what happens, but something certainly does, that I do not get to finish the process, e v e r y single time.

Weeeelll... finally, I managed to get from A to B... and the clock is in my sidebar!
I chose this one, although many nice ones there:
A clock in a delicious, roundish-shaped drop of water, dewdrop, or smooth crystal — and I love delicious, roundish, smooth shapes (just check out all the rocks about the house!) as well as transparencies; just too lovely to resist!

I also love watermelon... and pears!
Oh! how to choose?!  

 
All clocks above from ClockLink.com

At ToolShell there are also many cool clocks, as MM can attest:

Have a great day!

From an email sent by a friend, and a good start for a Monday morning:

.....have a 
GREAT Day!!! 
And Enjoy Your Daily Blessings!!!! 
Life is short! 

Forgive quickly!
Love truly, 

Laugh uncontrollably

and

Let your Light shine brightly

for all the world to see!!!!

(Original font size! To have a really, really great day!)

Earthquake

Yesteday I awoke to the news of the earthquake in Chile.

I called my friend who's son is at his girlfriend's home... in one of the most affected regions, Maule.
She hadn't heard from him yet, and of course, the whole family very worried.

A few hours later, he managed to call that all was well.
Thank the God/dess for him and his family, but so many lost family: my prayers go out to them.

With spending most of the week out of the house, running errands, etc, then this tragedy, not much in a blogging mood.

Yummmmm!

Here are some photos of food, and a recipe, that I organized last year for my facebook.

This one below, from a trip, a cavalgada (calvacade-trail ride), that Hubby and I took in 2007.
While the others rode horses (8  h-o-u-r-s!!!), I went by delicous, wellsprung, airconditioned pickup — the 3 minute try-out on the back of one of the horses was proof enough, again, that definitely I DO NOT know how to ride!

 Hot pão-de-queijo in the very early morning sunlight, 

at the stop-over fazenda

* * *

Bread! I love bread!

I didn't bake these though... (I wish!)

these are from a bakery near our home; photo at our table

My cousin Karen's pumpkin pie recipe that I begged for!

I made up the graphic presentation below... the pie in them is the actual pie she made/makes!

( I wish she lived nearby........)

click images for legible size

Ah... sleep!

Last night I finally was able to get a [better] night's sleep for the first time since having a bout of the flu,.

It left me with a very annoying, pesky, irritating ... you can see the drift... cough.
cough... cough... cough... cough... cough... cough... cough... cough... cough... cough... cough...
It has been geting better — at leats during the day; but just lie down, and there it was again.
Poor Hubbie. Poor me.

Just having this one night of sleeping better made me wake up with a whole different disposition and energy!
To celebrate, here is this video that just came in the mail for me:

(I'm here...)

I've been doing some fall-cleaning here at my blogs; and tweakings fonts, etc.
So, though not "appearing" in posts, I AM here! Have been during this weekend.

Yesterday was the last day of Summer Time.
I do love Summer Time, but I'm always happy when it's over... and then anxious for its return when the end of the year comes around again.

Although still very hot during the day, especially in the sun, at night it's beginning to cool down.
Lovely!

Enough of computer and cyberland for today!
I'm off now some food & movie: new dvd's are in the living room.

The Detective and The Sugar Bag

I grew up reading detective, or mystery, novels.

Every year, my father would bring home the new Agatha Christie, as well as any oldies that we didn't already have. My mother also grew up reading Agatha Christie, so I guess it was already in the dna.

Of all the different authors/books we had, and still have, I think Margery Allingham's, and her "people" — gentleman detective Albert Campion and the all — are my favorites.

Sometime in the early sixties, my father found and started buying Allingham's detective novels; I still love them. Every once in a while, I'll go on a binge, a marathon, and read them in chronological order, or whatever order.

Being true to their period, and of a time and and age that basically doesn't exist anymore, and of another country, many a times I come up against expressions and... things that I know nothing of, but have had to wing it in my imagination.

So, much to my surprise, a little while ago looking through a catalog of vintage miniatures, one mystery was solved! My thanks to Google!

     The soft light spread feebly over the small room, making the bed a pool of colour in the dark surround. On it, stretched diagonally across its wide expanse, was sleeping a sandy man. His compact and powerful body was fully clad save for his jacket, and his cheek was cradled against his shirt-clad arm. He had removed his shoes, and his feet, in discreetly checkered socks, were folded over one another on Minnie's print dress for the party.
     'Tonker!' Minnie stood staring at the apparition. 'When did you come back? Tonker wake up.'
     He opened one eye, as blue as a sugar bag, and smiled with singular sweetness.
     'Hullo, Minnie darling. I'm having a zizz.'
     'Tonker! What have you done with the child? Where is he? Tonker, wake up.'
     A delighted giggle behind them settled the main problem. Rupert, with Choc behind him, came in from the larger room whose fresh decorations Emma had displayed so proudly earlier in the day.

— page 70

     Mr Campion caught a glimpse of popping sugar-bag eyes as Tonker fielded this gift from God.

— page 123

from: The Estate of the Beckoning Lady, by Margery Allingham, my well-loved, dog-eared Macfadden paperback edition, 1972.    © 1955 by Doubleday & Company, Inc.

Sugar-bag Blue

Carnaval II

On Monday, Hubby and Middle Son took the afternoon off, and we went to his friend's parent's sítio, country place.
Lovely people, lots of laughter, and a... cottage!!!

The wife, two years younger than I and also an artist, remodeled the run-down, simple house into a cozy, beautiful, welcoming cottage.
They have there all I've been collecting information/pictures/desires about the last years...
   • pink dappled walls
   • white washed beams and panelling
   • roses, real and pictures
   • lavender bushes!!!
   • stone balls!!!
   • Neem trees!!!
   • and on... on... on...
Mama, I waaaaaaaaaaaant a sítio just like it, tooooooo!!!

Roosty with young galinhas d'angolas — guineafowl (Numida meleagris)

Leo The Brave facing the Guineafowl Gang
Who will run this time???

Lavender!!! My dream!

* one of them... ; ) *

Carnaval I

This past weeked was Carnaval.
A de facto holiday, if not official, so you never know what will be open or not.
The government NOT, of course!... or banks...
Some supermarkets didn't open on Monday, much to my surprise.

Youngest Son went off with friends to a beach last Thursday.
Middle Son went to a friend's country place, a sítio, alternating time spent at the factory with Hubby.
Even though we worked "normally", we did manage to get away a bit to the countryside, away from Very Noisy Neighbors that are leading me into madnesssss, and to get some good revivifying energy from Nature.

Sunday Hubby and I went to have a late lunch at a town about an hour's drive away. The restaurant is situated a few miles before the town is reached. Very simple but well prepared food, interesting conversation with the owner, and lovely views.
* Click on images to see large format!

Over the top of the Moeda Mountains, the view of the valley

 

The restaurant is way down there....

 

A waterfall, on way down the mountain

 The restaurant, Pé da Serra

 View from the varanda: mountains, roses, mandioca (the pointy-leaved plant);

in the background, waterfalls near the buildings

Drive back: horses in pasture & Serra da Moeda

Drive back, over the mountains again, view to other side

On the way back, we stopped at a friend's restaurant, visited with them and had dessert.
Hubby, strudel with chantilly and me, chocolate mousse.
(No dieting this weekend... it's Carnaval!!!)

Valentine's Day

Here in Brazil we don't celebrate Valentine's Day, but have a Sweetheart's Day, Dia dos Namorados, that is celebrated on June 12th.
For my family and friends who are in countries that do celebrate it, the following, with my love.
(... and, what the hey, also for those who don't! Love is always good)

from: The Cloud Appreciation Society  © Angelo Storari

Crochet Jewelry

My good-bestest friend from college days, Mariangela Sorbilli, is making gorgeous crochet jewelry-plus.
(the mystery of why she missing from msn answered!!!)

Here are some photos:

I don't know if/how she is selling them, but more can be seen here.
Enjoy!

A Goodbye

Yesterday, some rather sad news. A great violeiro, one who plays the ten-steel-string guitar typical of Brazilian folk music, the viola, passed away.
Thank you, Pena Branca, for all the good music you shared with us!

O Cio da Terra

Pena Branca e Xavantinho

Composição: Milton Nascimento e Chico Buarque

Debulhar o trigo

Recolher cada bago do trigo

Forjar no trigo o milagre do pão

E se fartar de pão

Decepar a cana

Recolher a garapa da cana

Roubar da cana a doçura do mel

Se lambuzar de mel

Afagar a terra

Conhecer os desejos da terra

Cio da terra, a propícia estação

E fecundar o chão

 Heat of the Earth

(my translation)

husk the wheat

gather each grain of wheat

forge from the wheat the miracle of bread

and satiate oneself with bread

cut the sugarcane

gather the juice of the sugarcane

steal from the cane the sweetness of molasses

smear oneself with molasses

caress the earth

know the earth's desires

heat of the earth, the propitiuos season

and fertilise the ground

Tea & Ladybugs

Today I haven't been able to do any whatevering for the "20 minutes"...
so far, at least.

BUT, in the spirit of doing something enjoyable that I haven't done in a looong time, I made myself some tea.
I believe I haven't made any since moving...
I mean some nice black tea, that I have been avoiding as it tends to keep me awake at nights. I do drink tea all the time, but herbal, and in a practical way... in a plain glass.
To make it a special treat, I used the rose mug my sister gave for my birthday last year.
I did have to make the tea in my old hideous teapot, and being hideous of course Does Not Break!
I used as a cosy, and to hide it, a dishtowel I got a few years ago in the town of Araxá, where there is a lot of sewing handicrafts. I just couldn't resist the ladybugs. So fat and roly-poly.
 

I do wish I hasd a scrumptious cupcake to go with it, and not the cloth kind either!

She did it!

By george, she did it!

That is, I did it!
I sewed/darned my shorts!!!
(Sort-A-Sew™ and Sort-A-Darn™ are my trademarks!)

I have to explain: I'm not a sewing person.
I learned some stiches as a child (a ve-e-ery grubby sampler which followed me in my moves for years), which I have already long forgotten how to do.
When about fourteen or so, I taught myself some embroidery, and embroidered a drawing I had made as a gift for my friend's mother (I framed it... the back was an unbelievable mess).
Ah, yes! There was Home Ec when thirteen: a green jumpsuit, and a dress with miles of very-slipery-cloth self belting, that the teacher had to finish as it was Too Much for me. Those were the days of the minis and micros: micro-short jumpsuit and a minidress, with those godawfulll trillion miles of "ribbon" ties.
I actually wore them quite a bit!

So, since the last millenium, my sewing basically consist of sewing back on fallen buttons (a bloodbath, as always pricking my fingers), sewing the inner seams of  my trousers, pants for us in US, and sort-a-darning/sewing of little holes that decide to appear in well loved garments. Sewing , therefore is a major psychological undertaking, if not in practice.

When I finished yesterday, I felt happy, and so saintly!
There are no pictures, as with the very hot,  HOT  h o t  weather, I've been using them direct. From the fixin' they went directly in the washin'.

So, Fiona, thank you for the 20 minutes... if nothing else, I got my shorts back!

But I'm already thinking of what I'll do today!


PS And thank you, Fiona and Gerry, for the comments... they are also inspiring!

Not punk, nor punk....

Neither of the punks!
Came down with a full-blown case of the flu!
Summer flu... which should be a contradiction of terms.

Yesterday, finally awoke feeling a human being again. To be sure, a weary, noseblowing, coughing being.
Better if a coffee bean.   haha... humor also severely affected.

In the meanwhile, all the stuff taken from study, piled neatly, and not so neatly, is  s t i l l  in the living room, as well as the half-opened shelving packages.
Shall I put in another *sigh* here? I do sigh a lot.   *sigh* for this, too.
Tomorrow I hope to be up to finishing the org-orgy, started last week. Today, I see I'm still a bit low. (NOT another *sigh*!)

Yesterday, I finaly made it to the comp, and visited some lovely blogs, that make one feel even less-abled-bodied, as all very crafty, and making-of-things.
I found Attic24, where Lucy is going through those not-unmixed-joys of the first month of a new baby. (Babies made also in these crafty blogs!)

I especially enjoyed looking through Laundry Etc, with her many recipes for jams.

Today, I found SilverPebble. And discovered through her the existence of metal clay! Something exciting to think about, and perhaps the means to get those pendants out of imagination and into reality.

The last blog of yesterday, and the first of today, Marmalade Rose, gave me a boost, and is really inspiring — to do 20 minutes a day of your craft/art/whatever.
Plus, she has the most delicous non-fattening pastry!

images © MarmaladeRose

20 minutes a day is something reasonable, possible, even in a end-of-flu nothing-in-its-place state.
Not quite my art, or craft, but right after lunch, I AM going to sew my beloved shorts, coming undone at the seams!

Off to a late lunch now.