Liquid Gold

It hurts to miss
my babies
on sad-eyed days it's
as if
I have an aching sob trapped up
in between
my belly and my ragged eyes...

I find myself wanting
Today I am missing
my grown up (for the most part) dear children.
Where are they, my babies?
My dear 'first born' chief of a boy
with endless satire and wit
(he needed me-I needed him, too...)
and my dear second born sweet girl with beauty
I never thought was possible to find
in this day
in this life
She is smart
pretty
and so discerning
She is still a wonder to me
This woman-girl
now turned 21

The years rolled by
I walked through the days
as Mother
of the Marvelous
to my sweet bright beautiful and fearless
children.
They were bounding through life.
My 'constant companions...' (as I lovingly named them)
were mostly
side by my side.
And we had our  strong 'Dada-'
the man of the house;
a man whose soul
is so immense that it fills the big planet
with peace, hope,
joy
and with love.
We were lucky 

in this regard.

I spent my days watching them grow.
And we daily 'dreamed up' things we could do....
(We had our fun!)
We walked on the beach
We read our stories
We stared at animals

Played with our food
Oh the years of plastic animals! 

Horses, cows, and dogs standing solemn 

in a line

all about the living room floor. 

Those friends!

Legos shaped projects

Star Wars

in buckets and piles

assembled to stand

as a tribute...

All the many projects

in preparation

for the great unknown

that waits ahead.

I served them by driving them some and sitting with them
and tending to their many needs...
these were all (in their own way) indescribably precious times
stacked up to complete
the person I was
I was becoming
they were becoming
we became
we saw
we went

The young man
and woman on the verge
have grown up now
for the most part
and they don't need me like they used to
at 26
and now (just)
21...

One is away-
while
the other
is
away a lot 

but she is here?

Our times-
our seasons
that were filled with love and flavor
are not unlike the misty mountain vapor
that is
bound to rise
and reassemble
over the next mountain ridge.



© Karen Powell

A Thousand Small Jobs...

So much of my time
is 'frittered away...'

with a thousand
small jobs...

Load and unload.
Refill the soap containers.
Refill the salt.
Wipe the floor.
Shut the door.

Let the dog in.
Refill my phone.
Trim my nails then
wash my hair...
Wash (and re-wash) my clothes...
Give the cats water.
Feed the lizard, Wrastle
and sift through his sand...

Then, the god-awful
cat pan.

:-O

Spring Birds that sing. :)

This Poem

I don’t want this poem crafted

with stanzas

or to end with a shocking ‘surprise’

Most certainly I do not want this poem to gob-smack

you right in between your eyes

I want this poem to be like a muzzle that sneaks up behind for a little cuddle

I want this poem to be soft, feathery, and brown

I want this poem to grow right from the ground

I want this poem to be lighter than air

I want this poem to float everywhere

I want this poem to sing a sweet little song

I want this poem to just happen along

I want this poem to vanish as you turn your head

I want this poem to greet you as you rise up from your bed

I want this poem to fly fly away

and to come back at the end of the day

I want this poem to give you a thrill

I want this poem to meet you over there on the hill

and if you're in doubt the same time next year

I want this poem to reappear.

© Karen Ann Powell

lg
:)

Happy

Easter!

lg

:)

'Yourself.' :)

Tender spring flower in Boone, NC (as a consolation for those of us longing...for spring.) :)

The only person who can help 'yourself' have a life full of meaning, is 'yourself.'

Some spring blooms in Wisconsin (last year.) 

lg

:-)

PROJECT!

Finished! Antique wedding kewpie (porcelain) dolls for Marge P.

I have been working on this project for a bit! 

These are antique porcelain kewpie wedding cake topper dolls 

that have been restored. The shiny satin fabric is from 

my great Aunt Helen's wedding dress! 

Below is a 'before' photo!

lg :)

The token must go...

So, I contend that there a but a few man-made thing-stuff items that are worthy of a photo. But here is one of them.

                                           (A 1964 red-box Parker Brothers Real Estate Trading Game Equipment; "Monopoly.") 

I recently bought a complete board game and have been waiting to show you this...

because they are doing away with a token.

                                                                                                                                       Big box, big board.

***

Yes, they have officially 'voted' to do away with one of the token pieces....

 :( = much sadness. 

Below is the link to an article.

 Click on it to find out which one,

but do tell me your...

 (1) best guess...and

 (2) your personal token favorite, too. 

And...(3) if you could 'invent' a new token,

 what would it be??

***

Token?

P.S.

I intend to buy as many of them...as I can.

(You've been warned.)

;-)

lg

Christmas...

                                                                                                                                                      pasta.

Another of my husband's culinary adventures: Jade noodles (or Christmas Pasta) 

made with spinach, leek, scallions, chives and basil...

yum yum yum yum

"Why, Hello." :)

Seeing

                                                                                                                                                                               red. :)

Flowers

...today, as I am longing...for spring.

When all else fails, (there's) flowers.

:)

lg

Milygge

Upon contemplating the concept of hygge, and ferreting out how it *might* apply here, I have come up with some (native) Milwaukee hygge-isms, if you will.

I have given it a lot...of thought.

Here is my indigenous list:

1. Milygge, pronounced 'Mil-uu-gah' or 'Mil-ew-ga' is what we Milwaukeens conjure up to generate our cocoon-like feelings of safety and well-being while in our car (in which we spend a lot of time.) It looks something like this:

Driving down the interstate in my salt-stained car whilst contemplating the Packers and...sunshine. (Wait, aren't they the same thing?)

2. We Milwaukeeans readily practice Cheeygge, pronounced 'Chee-uu-gah' or 'Chee-ew-ga'  to sustain us and bring enlightenment during the long, long winter months. This involves consuming voluminous portions of all types of cheese (good cheese; Weyauwega cheese, Union Star cheese, Cady Creek cheese, All Star cheese, Shullsburg Creamery cheese, to name but a few) by candlelight, near the telly (most likely with the Packers or the Packers pre-game on) while donning our (most likely) green and gold knit stockings. (Here is a more exhaustive list of our cheese.)

3. This next one, we have down. I mean...for real. We do this any time and basically, well...almost anywhere. Yes, we regularly practice Brewygge, or 'Brew-uu-gah' or 'Brew-ew-ga'  throughout the long, looong period of winter darkness. We usually combine Brewygge with sausages, fine mustard, and buns.

lg :)

O.K., let's hygge.

Cabin tucked deep in the Appalachians in the winter; photo by KAnniePowell

O.K...so let's hygge.

The Danish art of 'Hygge' is all the rage in circles of those convivial souls trying to cultivate a (home) life that nourishes the soul. In fact, I ordered a book about it. :)

Here is a blurb that might (?) be helpful from wikipedia on the subject. (I had to correct their misspelled words. Does anybody else ever notice that?) :)

****

"Hygge is a Norwegian word with a unique definition[1] (although very similar to the Dutch word Gezelligheid). "Hygge" as a noun includes a feeling, a social atmosphere, and an action. The word is also used in compositions as "Julehygge" (Christmas-hygge). "Hygge" is also a verb e.g. "Let's hygge" and as an adjective e.g. "A small, hyggeligt house with grass on the roof".

The noun "Hygge" includes something nice, cozy, safe and known, referring to a psychological state.[2] "Hygge" is a state where all psychological needs are in balance. The antonym of hygge is uhyggelig, which translates as 'scary'.[3]"

Collins English Dictionary defines the word as "a concept, originating in Denmark, of creating cozy and convivial atmospheres that promote well-being'.[4]" (Source for all above along with additional references: Wikipedia; here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygge)

****

In case you are wondering, 'hygge' is pronounced with the French 'u' nasal sound in the middle and phonetically a bit like this as follows. (There is a LOT of debate about the phonetic pronunciation!)

Ha ha! :)

Phonetically: 'Hygge' or 'Hu-gah' or 'Hew–ga.' (But get the French 'u' sound in there!)

     

   

Let's take a break and above is a bit of 'hygge' for you. Meditate here.

(Another) great quote..

                                                                                                               the road of life.

I'm applying to life's many problems and its never-ending issues...

"I'm going to have to science the sh*t out of this."

                                                                (by Matt Damon as Mark Watney in "The Martian;" * mine)

(More) nuts

                                                                                                                            to chew on.

15.) (For those who are unemployed) I deserve to be employed and paid well for my time, efforts, and ideas. Each day, I am closer to finding the perfect job for me.

16.) I am courageous and I stand up for myself.

17.) My thoughts are filled with positivity and my life is plentiful with prosperity.

18.) Today, I abandon my old habits and take up new, more positive ones.

19.) Many people look up to me and recognize my worth; I am admired.

20.) I am blessed with an incredible family and wonderful friends.

21.) I acknowledge my own self-worth; my confidence is soaring.

22.) Everything that is happening now is happening for my ultimate good.

23.) I am a powerhouse; I am indestructible.

24.) Though these times are difficult, they are only a short phase of life.

25.) My future is an ideal projection of what I envision now.

26.) My efforts are being supported by the universe; my dreams manifest into reality before my eyes.

27.) (For those who are single) The perfect partner for me is coming into my life sooner than I expect.

28.) I radiate beauty, charm, and grace.

29.) I am conquering my illness; I am defeating it steadily each day.

30.) My obstacles are moving out of my way; my path is carved towards greatness.

31.) I wake up today with strength in my heart and clarity in my mind.

32.) My fears of tomorrow are simply melting away.

33.) I am at peace with all that has happened, is happening, and will happen.

34.) My nature is Divine; I am a spiritual being. 
35. My life is just beginning.

(Please do note: all above items are not my original thoughts, they are written by clinical psychologist Dr. Carmen Harra.)