Never Tell Your Wife …

Filed Under humor, lil things, love | 4 Comments

… Catfish photo, courtesy of the Eldredge Elementary School (RI) website. that she looks like a catfish - unless you’re okay with the fallout. Sometimes my husband says the darndest things, and I don’t mind. Sure, I was puzzled - but oddly flattered - when he said that my face reminded him of a bee’s. Okay … what do bee’s faces look like, anyway? But I’ve always liked bees as much as any insect, so whatever. Then, when I started growing my hair out again, he told me I looked like a lioness. That agreed with my idealized notion of myself, so I kissed him for that one. But then, when I had braids, he put one of them off to the side of my nose, and remarked playfully, “You look like … a catfish.” Needless to say, THAT was a mistake.

Instantly, I recalled childhood memories of giant, murky colored catfish with blubbery, hairy lips lying dead on ice at the fish markets in Queens. The association (in my mind) of catfish with bottom feeders and cheap eats, made my face contort. . I kept sputtering, “A catfish? A CATfish? What?! You think I look like a … What are you … what are you … what … how can you SAY THAT?!”

He didn’t know what hit him. It wasn’t until I Googled up a photograph of a catfish for the LH, that I saw a little light go on behind his eyes, as he realized the error of his ways. Now, although I’ve forgiven him for it, and was never genuinely angry, I love to bring it up every few days. “You told me I look like a catfish.” And he always protests, “No, I said you reminded me of a catfish ….” Mmm hmm.

I’m thinking that for Christmas, I’ll put a photograph of a catfish in one of those nice “My Darling Wife” frames, and give it to him.

*photo of catfish courtesy of webpage of Eldredge Elementary School in Rhode Island.

Popularity: 53% [?]

May

25

The Birds

Filed Under lil things, local, new things, small happinesses | 4 Comments

Winter Wren, courtesy of Wake Robin Learning Center And yet another new preoccupation - one as mysterious as my sudden appreciation for the color purple, and seahorses: I’ve become enamored of the bird songs enveloping my house during the daylight hours. The sounds aren’t new, but my love for them is. Some mornings I wake up and just lie still in the bed, growing more and more breathless as their songs increase. Throughout the day, I’ll pause - half disbelieving. It’s as though someone is piping bird calls directly into my house. I feel like a Who.

I mention the birds to hubby, and my family across the street, but no one else seems to be thinking about them. Further investigation is needed, but through online research of photography and mp3 files, I believe that we are surrounded by warblers, brown creepers, robins, chickadees, wonderful winter wrens, a small number of blue jays, and a handful of hummingbirds. And possibly sparrows. Previously, they were to me, “chit chit” birds, “swee” birds,” “trilling,” and “weow whistling” birds. If I even thought that far. I am keeping my ears open for a meadowlark, though I think I may have to venture to a nearby forest for that one.

As both a city girl and a woman who operates almost entirely at the conscious level, I have no real notion of what all this “signifies,” if anything. I’ll continue to explore this interest … until its prominence in my mind wanes or leads to something more. It is really strange to think you know yourself, only to be possessed in this way.

*photo of Winter Wren, from the Wake Robin Learning Center at NWNature.net.

Popularity: 47% [?]

May

14

Sumer is I-cumin In …

Filed Under happiness, pregnancy | 6 Comments

Towels hanging to dry at La Montana School in Guatemala, 2005

Quick updates - Was without computer for a week, then my grandmother (Nanny) has been in the hospital since Saturday (hopefully she’ll come home tomorrow). An ultrasound last week gave us the good news of a baby GIRL.

While Baby Osuna is kickboxing her way to rock-hard abs, hubby and I have narrowed the list of possible names to less than five. And I am at 20 weeks and counting, which means: halfway there! Was also thrilled to discover that the 30 pound weight gain in the first three months has slowed down to only four pounds in the last four weeks. I was very much afraid of gaining 100 pounds during the pregnancy - and not just out of vanity: I’m not due till the end of September, and we don’t have air conditioning in this house, which has many large windows and south/west exposure. Right now it isn’t even 70 degrees, but the t-stat reads 79.

The next 15 days in the Portland area are forecasted to be warm and sunny. It began today. Tomorrow we see sunshine and 87 degrees. Then 91 degrees. Then 80s and high 70s through the end of the month. Time for lemonade, smoothies, fruit salads, and ice cream - can you tell where my mind is these days?

I will resume posting again soon - maybe even this week! I have really missed it. For now, I have to get back to paying the monthly bills, listening to John Mayer, and thanking my lucky stars that I have a partner who is cooking me up a delicious dinner of rib-eye and portobellos.

***Sumer is I-cumin In

(lyrics translated from 14th c. times)

Summer is coming in, loudly sings the cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo….
The seed grows; the meadow blossoms, and the woods alivens anew.
The ewe bleats after the lamb; the cow lows after the calf;
The bull leaps; the goat capers*; merrily sing cuckoo!
Well sing you, cuckoo–don’t ever stop now.
Sing cuckoo, now..

Popularity: 44% [?]