Jumble Sale
Lots of neat stuff to sort through
My luck at rummage sales, garage sales, yard sales and (for my Brit buddies) jumble sales is abysmal. I NEVER find anything of value. I ALWAYS tote home some worthless junk. Clearly, I lack the “shopping gene,” but it’s more than that. I seem to actively repel items that might be useful, or lovely, or at least priced right. How else to explain why I will arrive at a sale, find nothing much, and come away with a random cheap and breakable item I don’t even need, whereas a savvy friend will unearth, FROM THE EXACT SAME SALE, a rare Stradivarius violin, a priceless piece of Qing Dynasty porcelain, and a First Edition Bible (signed by the authors)?
So…I choose to look at this newsletter as my very own jumble sale, and you’re invited! I search and scour and pore over a wide assortment of goodies each week, just for your enjoyment/edification. Think of “E-Musings” as a big card table in your neighbor Mrs. Smith’s driveway, and you get to browse for the gems. Happy hunting!
MUSIC: “BLACK ON GRAY” BY ROSE SEYFRIED
Digging through Rose’s discography, here’s a song I love. Take a listen!
VIDEO: SHARI LEWIS’ 101 THINGS FOR KIDS TO DO
Sometimes, when I’m feeling nostalgic/weepy, I travel back in time to my now-adult kids’ childhood days. I recall, not the tantrums and back-talk and slammed doors (not that there EVER were ANY), but the sweet and cuddly times (of which there were LOTS, honest). I loved master puppeteer and ventriloquist Shari Lewis on TV when I was a kid (and she was too!) and my own beloved offspring felt the same (Rose even had a Lambchop puppet of her own). Shari produced this treasure trove of magic tricks and jokes and crafts and and and—well, this video saved many a rainy day at the Seyfrieds'. We had it on VHS, of course! Shari left us much too soon, but her legacy of fun lives on…
POETRY: DAVID WHYTE (and do check out more of his work!)
Here’s a beauty by one of my favorite contemporary poets. David hails from Yorkshire, England, and now lives on Whitbey Island, Washington State. For all the times on our life journeys when we feel as if we’re out of options, out of luck, out of hope— well, guess what? We’re not leaving. We’re arriving someplace new, and full of promise.
THE JOURNEY
Above the mountains
the geese turn into
the light again
Painting their
black silhouettes
on an open sky.
Sometimes everything
has to be
enscribed across
the heavens
so you can find
the one line
already written
inside you.
Sometimes it takes
a great sky
to find that
small, bright
and indescribable
wedge of freedom
in your own heart.
Sometimes with
the bones of the black
sticks left when the fire
has gone out
someone has written
something new
in the ashes of your life.
You are not leaving
you are arriving.
ESSAY: ON GOD’S REFRIGERATOR
Who among us has a totally unadorned fridge door? Whether it be kiddos’ art, or postcards, most of us have messages from loved ones on display. Here’s my latest for Living Lutheran magazine, a gentle reminder that YOUR PICTURE is on God’s fridge—and you belong there!
Image Living Lutheran with iStock images
A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS:
I know that many bloggers, newsletter writers, etc. delight in plugging this or that product, from expensive cookware to…expensive clothes to…expensive everything else.
You won’t find these luxe items here, no sir! But I will happily share some inexpensive (even free!) things that are worth buying/hanging onto…
THE THREE “P’S”—Paper and Pens for Peter. Our resident Picasso needs nothing more than these to delight him for hours (and hours). My kiddos liked to draw, but not a one had half of Peter’s attention span. For peace, quiet and the knowledge that he’s spending time SO wisely, one ream of plain copy paper and some regular ballpoints can’t be beat!
SMALL WHISK AND TINY RUBBER SPATULA—You may feel you’re in Easy Bake Oven Land with these miniatures, but lemme tell you, when it comes to making salad dressing (whisk), or scraping the laaaast bit of mayo from the jar bottom (spatula), the minis bring it! Plus they are adorable!
RE-READING (OR, HORRORS,, READING FOR THE FIRST TIME) BOOKS YOU ALREADY OWN—Face it, the moolah spent on these tomes is past history. But why compound the guilt by never reading the books you buy? I am totally talking to myself, she of the 20+ books languishing on my Kindle, and the thirtysomething “real” books on my shelf. Here are a few literary treats awaiting me, already bought-and-paid for:
**10 (count ‘em) novels about spunky women during WWII—I confess that I have these plots and characters and authors all mixed up, amazing though they undoubtedly are. I’ll try again!
**5 memoirs by celebrities in whom I am only marginally interested. Really great celeb memoirs like Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime have spoiled me for Kandy: The Kardashian Knobody Knows. But Kandy might be the next Danielle Steel! Gotta check it out… (note: I made this one up)
**3 books I ordered when I was still working at church. I didn’t think I needed to read Left Behind, even ironically, but might as well give it a whirl! Who knows? I might be enraptured by it:-)
FINALLY USING UP THE WEIRD CONDIMENT OR SPICE THAT YOU BOUGHT EONS AGO FOR THAT ONE RECIPE—They say, “Nothing tastes as good as thin feels” (ugh, btw), but the reality is,”Nothing feels as good as polishing off pantry items tastes!”—and bonus points for whipping up a fenugreek and candied violet salad!
BLOG PREVIEW: RIBBIT!
Confession: I am an amphibiophile. I love frogs in all shapes, colors and sizes. I used to wonder why they held such a powerful appeal. Nowadays, I don’t question my affection for little hoppers—I just enjoy them. Join me over at Working Title as we munch on some frogs legs (kidding! Kidding!)
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
Can I get this Miles Davis quote tattooed on my arm? I need the reminder daily. Wrong notes only stay wrong, if you stop there. It’s the going on that makes all the difference—in music, and in life. Stay cool, my friends!