I had a dream where I saw a bridge like this. The curve, the rivets. Then it turned into oil derricks that were pumping oil.
Oil Derrick
Originally uploaded by neillharmer.
Last night in my dreams I had a bunch of ropes that were covered in diamonds. I was using it like you would on a ship. I wrapped these ropes around a tie off.
Maybe I'm slowly getting the pieces to a puzzle.
See this work and others at:
Bloomingdales at Mall of America
Men's Dept
May 14 - June 18, 2008
"Nostalgic and Roadside America"
Open during store hours - check web site above.
James was out with his brother Paul pruning some grape vines. Two times, they stopped to talk to each other - not paying attention tothe sharp shears. Each time they each cut their thumbs pretty bad. Same thumb on both of them. They had to work bloody and silent the rest of the day.
You have to go 2 minutes into the clip where Johnnie talks about losing his hand and being a freakin' monument to justice.
I had to go see this flamingo because when I was at a show in Des Moines, IA - I was asked if my flamingo shot (below) was the same flamingo as the one above:
Oh duh No!
I had one guy telling me in Des Moines about my shot (from the Wisconsin Dells) and was pointing and saying this was the fire station and a machine shop. And he was WRONG. He was pointing to buildings in the Dells NOT stupid Marshalltown IA.
My dance card is getting full. I love that expression. Maybe a night of scotch and stories. Or BBQ. Deep dish pizza, a funny play. Gosh!
..through chemistry. Karen and I are going to have a catering service much like Seattle Sutton's. We know too many people who need to be on medication but just don't know it. So we'll bring them their food already laced with meds for depression, OCD what have you and life will be grand for everyone. Us included.
I told my therapist, as she was writing out MY prescriptions, about the idea and she loved it. She told me if you can declare family members incompetent, then you can control their meds. She said we'd probably make millions of dollars until we got sued. Then we should leave the country.
She is the world's greatest therapist.
Pat and I took the feisty old Sass to the doctor today. She had been getting more cranky and fussy about her food. She could barely walk into the doctor's office. They x-rayed her and saw cancer in her lungs and on her side, and her hips were really deteriorated. The doctor was telling us of more pain meds that Sass could go on. Pat leveled with me and said there were so many problems, and she was so old. We should let her go. I had been blocking the thought of putting her to sleep, I couldn't face it. But seeing those x rays and knowing that she must be in alot of pain really nailed it. We hung out with her and petting her getting one last foot (she puts her big warm paws on you like she's healing you) And we stayed until the end. I have not stopped crying since we left her.
She's always been such a sweet thing, so compassionate, I knew she had to have a big heart and the x ray showed it - she did, she really really had a big heart. And Pat and I laughed seeing her actual big heart. You've left a big hole in my heart, my Sassala, I'll love you forever.
Sleep well, sweetie - see you in my dreams.
I got an email today that Phil had died. I am so sad. There's a nice article here. I am so glad James and I went and had a great dinner there last fall. I can't stop crying.
James and I were on the hunt for vineyards in Missouri. Looking at the map, we saw that off the main highway was this cute town, Higbee (fun to say!) and a vineyard. We stopped in town for gas and at the gas station a personable man overheard us asking where the vineyard was. He joked that he'd see us there because his son owned it. We pulled around the corner so I could shoot some shots then headed to the vineyard. There was the son and the dad and we had a grand old time talking wine and sampling the products. We learned that they're coopers - henceforth the name The Cooper's Oak Winery. A manufacturer of fine American oak barrels. We got an extensive tour of the place - of their barrels, and all the processes it takes to make an oak barrel. There's also an antique shop and the collection of barrels that Dale, the dad has collected. They even will sell old barrels - something that James was interested in. It was such a wonderful visit . I kept asking James -"When are we going back - you know to get the barrels?"
...Pat and I went to the Humane Society of St Paul. We were thinking of adopting a dog. The other dogs were trying to sell themselves by barking and jumping up and down. "Get me, adopt me" they seemed to be saying. We saw this one dog. She was dirty and skinny and was at the back of the kennel with her head down. The little sad dog had given up. Not working it at all. It brought tears to my eyes - this Charlie Brown Christmas tree dog and I turned to Pat to see tears in his eyes. We took the dog out for a walk and she brightened up. Getting away from the noise made her much happier. We took her home and put 20 lbs of Science Diet on her. This is that same sad doggy 10 years later playing in the snow. Miss Sass. Happy Birthday girl.
Let me start off by saying I have to pee - alot. My close friends are never shocked when I have to go - they're more shocked when I don't. I also have a fiery nature. Also I am loud and outspoken. Often times my feistiness shows itself in the many bathrooms I find myself in. It seems in Minnesota what people call Minnesota Nice is actually this weird passive-aggressive shit. A few weeks ago, I was out with my book club - a bunch of really fun ladies. We were picking on Mike, the black waiter. Maybe there was wine involved, but I don't remember. When he came by to see if we wanted dessert, Jenny, gave him a wink and said sort of lasciviously, "I'm thinking of something...chocolate." I hated to miss out more of that humor but I had to go pee. Damn wine. There's a long line - all because one the stalls was out of paper. I walk over to the cabinet under the sink - there's a gorgeous array of rolls and I grab two rolls, one for each stall. Those Minnesotans just can't do it. They can't ask for paper, or get a staff member to get more if it runs out. Or even just check that someone is in the stall. I feel it's my life's mission to educate the fine people I encounter in the bathroom.
I'm like a Johnny Appleseed - spreading not apples but toilet goodwill with a dose of assertiveness throughout out the land.
Or find a way to stop peeing so much.
We took Maks to Matt's bar for one these bad boys. There is a fine art to eating a Jucy Lucy (yes, it's spelled like that.) You need to wait. Patiently - that's why the basket of fries. To kill time waiting for the burger and molten cheese to cool. We kept trying to warn Maks. He took too big a first bite and the cheese oozed out - all over his pants. Then he kept taking bites around the burger - making even more of a mess. Ah well.
Then we went to (sigh of resignation) Mall of America for some mini golf. He's a competitive little thing. He'd be so gleeful if he shot better than me or James. He'd exclaim - "You lost!!!!" And I'd think, no - I won. Because he was having a good time and laughing.
Driving back from coffee, Patrick somehow got on a rant about Colin and the harvest gold corduroy pants. I'm trying to think how we went from ripping on a badly designed billboard to Colin but it's lost to me. Long long long ago, Colin - of the pants, who was three, was running around Patrick's family's house. The harvest gold corduroy pants were filled with the world's biggest and stinkiest dump. That's pretty much the whole story, but Patrick likes to go one that Colin is probably still wearing those (you have to always say the whole color) harvest gold corduroy pants. With the big dump. And Colin has had a hideous diaper rash for something like 30 years. I had one of those laughing fits where you cannot talk or breathe. I was punching Pat because I couldn't talk. And he kept ranting. It was funny and I guess you had to be there.
My sister and I made up some silly dance to Crocodile Rock when we were young. When I was older my mom, of all people, recognized Elton John in a restaurant while on a vacation to L.A. with my family. I was more bold, so I approached Elton John with a napkin and pen and told him we (I pointed to my scared shitless sister) used to dance to Crocodile Rock. He autographed the napkin and said something like it seems you've survived so far. The best part
of it was when we got back to the table I turned to my sister and asked her (mockingly) " Oh wait, did Elton John sing Crocodile Rock?" And she gasped! I just laughed. Simpler times.
Happy New Hampshire primary! Go Hilary and Go Obama. Why not. We're all from Chicago. Good luck.
I watched the movie, "Big Fish" tonight. The whole movie is great. A movie about stories, tale tales, love, losing love, finding love. Great quotes, "Sometimes, the only way to catch an uncatchable woman is to offer her a wedding ring." I pretty much cried all the way through it. I'd pause, get more kleenex and then the waterworks would start back up. I'm not sure why. 