Where You Will Go

Days to Remember ~ Paul Detlefsen (1899 - 1986)

The Place

Once in your life you pass
Through a place so pure
It becomes tainted even
By your regard, a space
Of trees and air where
Dusk comes as perfect ripeness.
Here the only sounds are
Sighs of rain and snow,
Small rustlings of plants
As they unwrap in twilight.
This is where you will go
At last when coldness comes.
It is something you realize
When you first see it,
But instantly forget.
At the end of your life
You remember and dwell in
Its faultless light forever.

by Paul Zimmer (b 1934)

Memorial Day ~ 2018

We die only once, and for such a long time!
[On ne meurt qu'une fois; et c'est pour si longtemps!]
Le Dépit Amoureux, Act V, sc. iii (1656) ~ Moliere (1622 – 1673)

The Gray Lady

Aaron & Bruce Having Morning Coffee
"Love this -- they look like they belong there." ~ Peggy Steele
On the front porch of our "Charming Old Town Bungalow"
Supercool Airbnb Rental House!
Aaron's Review: The house and the location worked out perfect for our recent family get-together. With family in Caney and Independence this is the ideal place for the out-of-town family members to stay. The house is very nicely updated, very comfortable and "homey," with plenty of room for 6 adults. And the location within Coffeyville is ideal, as it's only 2 blocks off Hwy 166 and shopping and restaurants are only minutes away in either direction.

My siblings and I all agreed that this will be our new "home away from home" for future family gatherings. And I know I speak for my entire family when I say, thanks for a great place to call "home" for about 10 days! One final note; Prior to our actual visit, correspondence with the owners was very pleasant and always timely. Then finally getting to meet them was an even more enjoyable experience. Great people who take a lot of pride in their town and are making a difference in Coffeyville! If I could give more than 5 Stars I would!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Review: As my brother Aaron has already written to say, my family and I had a lovely time staying in the Gray Lady for a 10 - day reunion. We had a great visit and enjoyed everything about the property!

There was plenty of room for everyone (six adults in our group) to sit in the kitchen together for a meal, to gather in the living room and look at old photos around the coffee table. We could also relax together on the roomy back deck or the front porch -- which includes a porch swing -- a feature that took us right back to our childhood! These special outdoor spots were also perfect if anyone needed a quiet moment away from the group. No one ever felt overcrowded or underfoot, which is so important when relatives are sharing a space. We all would have gladly lingered longer if we had the luxury of time to do so.

Our hosts seem to have anticipated every need, with towels, bedding, health & beauty aids, cooking utensils and kitchen supplies. They even surprised us a couple of times with fresh donuts to start the day!

Thanks again to Peggy and Ron for providing this bright spot on the horizon of Southeast Kansas! We are already looking forward to a return visit and would gladly recommend the Gray Lady to any other future clients.

Best Birthday Book

Edited by Pamela Norris

The Best Thing in the World

What's the best thing in the world?
June-rose by May-dew impearled;
Sweet south-wind, that means no rain;
Truth, not cruel to a friend;
Pleasure, not in haste to end;
Beauty, not self-decked and curled
Till its pride is over-plain;
Light, that never makes you wink;
Memory, that gives no pain;
Love, when so you’re loved again.
What’s the best thing in the world?
—Something out of it, I think.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861)

**************************

I Stepped from Plank to Plank

I stepped from Plank to Plank
A slow and cautious way
The Stars about my Head I felt
About my Feet the Sea.

I knew not but the next
Would be my final inch —
This gave me that precarious Gait
Some call Experience.

Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)

Back Cover

The Beloved (1865 - 66)
Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828 - 1882)

Thanks to my dear friend Jes for this lovely birthday present --
every painting is lush and every poem mystical!

But best of all is this poem to me composed by Jes herself:

Kitti

Rhymes with
Pretty
And Witty

And another word that does not apply.

Please accept this woeful
Ditty

Coming from my heart’s nitty gritty.

Much 💗 and thanks for my always-perfect card.

Jes

Birthday Prep

Tiara Time

"To Do" list in preparation for birthday:

1. Get Tiara

2. Get Kingdom

3. Never Say Sorry

I can't tell -- did they personalize this photo just for me?
Or is this something that I'm supposed to order in the mail?
[Like a "Sewing Kit" or a "Package Wrapping Kit"
or a "Medium Fireworks Kit"]

***************

This is "basically" an 8 - year - throw - back post,
when the idea was to type your name into Urban Dicitonary
& see what comes up. I kind of liked my result:

February 9, 2010
Urban dictionary:
"Basically a kitti is basically your dream girl." (!)

***************

To go along with ~ "No appointments; no disappointments" ~
Some good advice I received from my son Sam last year:
"Never say sorry -- especially not on your birthday."

Toadally

Gerry and I have gotten a lot of mileage out of this parking joke! We thought it was pretty funny the first time we heard it, and since then we have repeated it numerous times, gradually incorporating it into our private jokes - scape.
So, when I saw this birthday card,
I knew it was perfect for Gerry!

Inside: "Wishing you a birthday made - to - order!"
Then signed by me: "All others will be toad!"

And he got this one for me!

Inside: "TILL I CROAK."
Then signed by Gerry: "All others will be toad!"

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GER!
How fun having our birthdays only a week
apart so that we can extend a theme!

Blue Goddess

Floraison
by Ferdinand Hodler (1853 - 1918)

View Into Infinity

Emotion

Spring, 1901 (& after)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hodler's elegant blue dancers seem appropriate to so many
events that we observe and celebrate at this tme of year:
May Day, Mother's Day, Graduation,
Memorial Day, the Summer Solstice,
even the Fourth of July!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For a further look at Hodler's enchanting blue goddesses
see my recent post (& profile pic)

"Mr. and Mrs. Blue Sky"
@ The Fortnightly Kitti Carriker
A literary blog of connection & coincidence; custom & ceremony

Easter Cartoon for Mother's Day

"The Role of Women in the Resurrection"

Cartoon by Naked Pastor David Hayward
April 2, 2018

I've been saving this cartoon since Easter
to share on Mother's Day.

Yet another excellent reminder to
Take Back the Day! because we're Not There Yet!

Might I also recommend
God's Word to Women
by Katharine C. Bushnell
&
A New Gospel for Women:
Katharine Bushnell and the Challenge of Christian Feminism
by Kristin Kobes Du Mez

Even in California

You Have to Wait for Spring

Santa Clara in March:
The Rain

The Fog

At Last A Blue Sky

Newport Beach in May:
Cloudy in the A.M.

Sunny in the P.M.

On the Grill Pan

First full week of May --
perfect weather for grilling --
or for grill - panning!

September 5, 2015

February 20, 2017

We are cooking animals.
“The beasts have memory, judgment,
and all the faculties and passions
of our minds, in a certain degree;
but no beast is a cook.”

― James Boswell (1740 - 95)
from The Journals, 1762-95

May Bee

Lilac Inspiration

Lilac Progress
[I totally stole this idea from my friend Jay!]

On Wednesday I found a big fuzzy bee stuck in my basement sink. I carefully rescued it and transported it to the safety of the great outdoors.

Yesterday afternoon, I saw a bee exactly like that in the black currant bushes right outside my backdoor -- and same thing again this morning! Do you think it's the same bee? Maybee so!

One small step for the environment.

And a happier existence for one humble bumble bee
in our currant and lilac bushes!

May the Fourth Be With You!
A Song for the Day ~ "Rio" ~ Previously

May Day Paradise

FIRST OF APRIL

FIRST OF MAY

To One In Paradise ~ Alan Parsons Project

If I could see the sky above
And my mind could be set free
As wild white horses reached the shore
I'd stand alone and oversee

And if the bush before me burns
Should I turn my eyes away
And still the voices I can hear
As clear to me as light of day

I believed in my dreams
Nothing could change my mind
Now I know what they mean
How could I be so blind

Cold sands of time
(Winds that blow as cold as ice
Sounds that come in the night)
Shall hide what is left of me
(Come from Paradise)

I've been through times when no one cared
(Words that were mine)
I've seen clouds in empty skies
When one kind word meant more to me
(Shall last as a memory)

Than all the love in Paradise
I believed in my dreams
Nothing could change my mind
Till I found what they mean
Nothing can save me now

"And all my days are trances,
And all my nightly dreams
Are where thy grey eye glances,
And where thy footstep gleams—
In what ethereal dances,
By what eternal streams."

MIDDLE OF APRIL

To One in Paradise ~ Edgar Allan Poe

Thou wast that all to me, love,
For which my soul did pine—
A green isle in the sea, love,
A fountain and a shrine,
All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers,
And all the flowers were mine.

Ah, dream too bright to last!
Ah, starry Hope! that didst arise
But to be overcast!
A voice from out the Future cries,
“On! on!”—but o’er the Past
(Dim gulf!) my spirit hovering lies
Mute, motionless, aghast!

For, alas! alas! with me
The light of Life is o’er!
No more—no more—no more—
(Such language holds the solemn sea
To the sands upon the shore)
Shall bloom the thunder-blasted tree,
Or the stricken eagle soar!

And all my days are trances,
And all my nightly dreams
Are where thy grey eye glances,
And where thy footstep gleams—
In what ethereal dances,
By what eternal streams.

Previous May Day Posts
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2016
2017
2018