Tag: HDH

Hump Day Happy

Sometimes I forget what I’ve posted about on here before, but it’s not like you all remember every word, right? RIGHT? (Other than you, Mark G. Harris.)

I don’t have many favorite memories of ninth grade Home Ec, but one of them involves Lynne’s mother, Elnora. I was finishing my sew-something-at-home project, and my mother agreed to let me spend the night with Lynne for the only time ever on a school night so Elnora could teach me buttonholes. Now I know my mother, who sewed all the time, certainly knew how to do buttonholes. Either she was tired of me and my fabric (Why did I choose brown?), or Elnora’s machine had a buttonhole function and Mother’s didn’t. In any case, Elnora taught me how to stitch buttonholes by hand, and I remember finishing up late at night when everyone was asleep, my eyes blurry and my fingers stinging from numerous needle sticks.

I thought about that incident last Friday when I was sewing–badly–deep into the night and getting frustrated. More than anything in the world, I wanted to call Lynne, wake her out of a sound sleep, and shriek, “I CAN’T MAKE THIS YOKE WORK!” She’d have deserved it, too, because of that time she threw The World According to Garp at my sleeping body in the middle of the night, but that’s a different story.

When Timothy, Mark, and I were sewing for Runway Monday, we made our own patterns. In my infinite quest to frustrate myself, I bid on and won some Barbie fashion patterns on eBay. Here, my model Faizah is wearing the result of my Friday night dementia. It doesn’t look exactly like the dress on the front of the pattern, but at least I overcame my Aries nature and FINISHED it. That makes me somewhat happy. Comment with a page number between 1 and 611, and another number between 1 and 25, and Faizah will find YOU something in this book to be happy about.

It’d better not involve sewing.

 

 

Hump Day Happy

The Peace of Wild Things

When despair grows in me
and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Wendell Berry

Happy Earth Day. The beauty and balance of our planet never stops amazing and inspiring me. Earth makes me happy. Leave a comment about your happiest place on the planet, and I’ll find something in this book to add to your happiness.

 

Hump Day Happy

My sister called me earlier today and we had a big ol’ laugh fest. My mother used to say that no one could make her laugh like Debby, and it’s true for me, too. Other than that, as Granny used to say, “I’m feeling punk.” My spirit is fine, but my body has suggested that I might want to set up my laptop in the ladies’ room and stay there, ifyouknowwhatimean.

SO… Anyone who can give me a happy ending to the tableau below, with props from The Brides, can get something handpicked by me from this book for their happiness. If you are not a storytelling person, i.e., not a Southerner, then feel free to comment with a page number between 1 and 611, and another number between 1 and 25, and I’ll look up your happy thing for you as soon as I get back from the bathroom. 😉

 

Hump Day Happy

 

 

Sorry to be so late, but today has been a little hectic at The Compound. I did buy myself an hour or so of blissful calm by handing out raw marrow bones to the hounds (as pictured above). This made them very, very happy. I’d give each of you a raw marrow bone, too, if I could. Since I can’t, if you’ll comment with a page number between 1 and 611, and another number between 1 and 25, I’ll just find something in this book for you. Bon appetit!

Hump Day Happy

Oh, no! The happiness book has fallen into a pit of vipers!

April Fools! These sweet little snakes will be delighted to slither around and find you something to be happy about from this book. All you have to do is comment with a page number between 1 and 611, and another number between 1 and 25.

Quotes about fools:

Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do. Benjamin Franklin

The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too. Samuel Butler

No one but a fool is always right. David Hare

A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool. William Shakespeare

The heart is forever making the head its fool. François de La Rochefoucauld

Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of oneself. Charlie Chaplin

Happy April Fools’ Day! 

Hump Day Happy

On Monday, Lynne and her friend Judy decorated cakes for a wedding at Houston’s restored, historic Rice Hotel. They needed a place to hang out for a few hours and get ready before returning to the wedding, and chose The Compound. It was a gorgeous day, so we ended up spending the afternoon on the front porch–joined by Tim–talking and waving cuttings from a citronella plant to keep the mosquitoes at bay.

We noticed a lot of butterflies visiting The Compound grounds. Because the beginning of spring is mere days away, it seems fitting that butterflies be the ones to find, for anyone who comments with a page number between 1 and 611, and another number between 1 and 25, something from this book to be happy about.

Sorry about the butterflies, Jandy. But they’re better than mosquitoes, right?

Slugged! In a good way.

A belated happy birthday to whytraven, who last week sent me an envelope full of little goodies and surprises, including this postcard with a picture of a banana slug of the Pacific Northwest.


He’s kinda cute–or maybe I just think that because he lives far, far away from me.

Thanks, Linda, for Mr. Slug and all the other gifts. =) Tim and I also got a package from Marika. Some of the contents of that one will show up on a future Hump Day Happy post, I’m sure. Thanks, Marika. =)

Hump Day Happy — Late Edition

This has not been my day to do anything with photos, computers, or cameras, so I’m very late posting. I found something absolutely scrumptious on Flickr. If you want to see an iconic group of Barbies, including the delectable Audrey Hepburn, check out madalosso.laura’s Icons set.

People’s ability to create something fabulous for Barbie always awes me. I felt it on Sunday night when I saw Mark’s Oscar dress for Figaro, and again when I saw Timothy’s latest creation for Nikki. In person, Tim’s classic design gives the illusion of constant movement.

 

Nikki has agreed to be a doll and find you something from this book to be happy about if you comment with a page number between 1 and 611, and another number between 1 and 25.