Friday, July 13, 2018

Poetry Friday and Bits and Pieces of Our Days

Eeeek! Has it really been a month since I posted?

Summertime and the livin' is easy? Or summertime and we're-so-busy-I-don't-have-time-to-post?

That depends on the week.

Ramona did two theater camps in June, so those weeks flew by. Atticus bought our thespian some lovely flowers, and they lasted for ages:

What is the purple flower? Some kind of ornamental cabbage?

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Ramona and I experimented with baking vegan chocolate chip cookies and we discovered that aqua faba (translation: chickpea liquid) is an excellent substitute for eggs. (These were as good or better than my usual recipe.) Yum.



Speaking of all things vegan, how did Omaha get so lucky as to be the landing spot for Isa Chandra Moskowitz's incredible vegan restaurant, Modern Love? Atticus and I recently tried it for the first time and the food was crazy-good. I could eat their gnocchi carbonara all day, every day.

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In pet news, we decided to try a thunder shirt for our poor, anxious doggo:

"Okay, it's kind of helping. Do you have it in another color?"

And we're all truly, madly, deeply happy that fireworks season has passed.

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We did an overnight at our favorite state park. I like to call this kind of getaway "camping" because the trip requires that I pack insect repellent, no make-up, and we must all be on constant alert for ticks. Combine these factors and I can pretend, in casual conversation with other midwesterners, that I enjoy camping. But in reality, I am deeply appreciative of cabins that are equipped with air conditioning and coffee makers. 

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And now, for the point of this post -- Poetry Friday! 

I shared this poem a few years back, along with a story about the swallows that nest on our front and back porches. We love them, despite the mess they create. They've made their peace with us (almost no divebombing to speak of these days) and we happily accept their messes in exchange for the joy they provide.

Happy midsummer, and here's to further mash-ups of easy livin' and too-busyness!

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Swallows
by Leonora Speyer

They dip their wings in the sunset,
They dash against the air
As if to break themselves upon its stillness:
In every movement, too swift to count,
Is a revelry of indecision,
A furtive delight in trees they do not desire
And in grasses that shall not know their weight.

They hover and lean toward the meadow
With little edged cries;
And then,
As if frightened at the earth’s nearness,
They seek the high austerity of evening sky
And swirl into its depth.

(This poem is in the public domain.)

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The Poetry Friday round up is at Poetry for Children

10 comments:

tanita✿davis said...

I LOVE those cabbages, btw. They weather beautifully in the snow, even. And that purple just perks things up midwinter. They grew them in Glasgow.

I snort at your Getaway Camping and pretend I don't see the tent in my garage in a ...box. *cough*

Tabatha said...

I hadn't heard of aqua faba but I'm intrigued. Your cookies look delicious.
Your camping photo is lovely -- enjoy the rest of your summer!

tanita✿davis said...

ALSO, I forgot to say how ENVIOUS I was of your proximity to Isa Moskowitz!!!!!!! You lucky, lucky ducks!

Linda B said...

I love those cabbages, too, but have never seen them in a bouquet. And I love camping, have done a lot with my students but not for a while. I hated the ticks most of all. I'm on my way with family to Costa Rica, not fond of scorpions either, what we'll watch for there. The poem is lovely, I like the POV, the "little edged cries" when too close to earth, so go winging back up. Now I'll think of that when I see them, Karen. Happy Summer! And, those cookies look delish!

Linda Mitchell said...

I love this line best..."As if to break themselves upon its stillness" such a beautiful image.

Summer brain...it's a thing!

Mary Lee said...

What a summer you've had!

Sally Murphy said...

Oh: "high austerity of evening sky". How perfect!

Sylvia Vardell said...

Love this glimpse into your family life-- including cookies!

Buffy Silverman said...

I have heard about using the chickpea liquid and think about it every time I drain a can! Glad to know it worked in your cookies. Thanks for sharing the swallows.

Kay said...

I a passing along the vegan tip about chickpea liquid to a friend whose daughter has decided to eat vegan. I don't know if she's tried it yet for an egg substitute. I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer as much as you have so far.