Moving day...

Before the dog days of summer take over, I'm making a move:

http://artlifeandpoetry.wordpress.com

is my new home on the Web. Please come see me there, and keep up with me.

Porchblog

With the table finished, glossy sheen marred only by debris borne on a summer breeze, I felt it a good idea to sit out here to work a little on this digital diary. My dog Beau followed me outside, and he has perturbed more than a few neighbors by barking as they passed by our patio. This morning, I swept the concrete slab. It really needs to be sealed and painted, but as my daughter pointed out, ti wouldn't have the character of whether and rust stains, paint drops, and a mysterious mark related to drippings of garbage that th upstairs neighbor left on his balcony.

Don't ask. I haven't.

The miniature botanical garden I have in assorted terra cotta and ceramic pots sways charmingly in the June air. Unfortunately, so does the artificial plant-like structure in the corner. I want it to leave. Ah, punny. In its place, I'd like a chiminea where I could put a couple or three candles to burn in the evening. There just a few other odds and ends that I'd like to toss in the rubbish: two rusty metal bolts that John brought home from a job, two rusty half-spent propane cylinders for a camp stove, and the rusted base of a hurricane lantern. There may be a theme in that last list.

A couple of well placed citronella candles, and this would make a nice little spot for an evening dinner. If only I invited people to visit, it would be pleasant for entertaining too.

One of the most disturbing images...

At DixieLand Fun Park today, the kids and I saw this game, Spider Stomp. The pictures on it were so disturbing. Spiders and people in crazed mayhem, joyfully awaiting destruction and death: it's just not right! (Photo Credit - Marie Cécile on an Insignia 10Mp NS-DSC10A)

Page, Marie, and I were seriously buggin' (pun intended) on the creep factor of this arcade entertainment. It wasn't a video game, it was like those whack-a-mole games only without a mallet. You just jump up and down on these raised red spider bodies. A couple of little tykes walked up to play it while we had sodas, but those two lost interest. After they left, Page walked up and finished off the game. He won one of those prize redemption tickets.

Suddenly those mechanical claws that reach for stuffed animals but always drop them at the last second don't seem so bad.

Beach Complements on the Patio

What this family needed was a little summertime project.

When my step-mother was here, we put some new plants in my barren porch post. However, once they were green and pretty, I just realized how decrepit my old wooden table appeared. Yesterday, I stopped at Home Depot and bought primer and two colors for the table: Glidden's poolside blue and ripe apricot. The finish is exterior high gloss, though I'm sure enamel would have been better to handle outdoor use. My kids helped me prime everything, though as I painted colors, there were several places that lacked the primer coat. Of course I had to pick a slightly complicated arrangement of colors, and most likely there are places that have a stray brush stroke of the wrong color. With the apricot and blue, it's a bit like being at a little seaside café.

As I finished painting, a neighbor came to my porch fence and asked about the table. She wanted some ideas for an old dinette set she has. Her conversation ended with compliments on the table. Then as I took photographs, my table and chairs had another little visitor. I think there were a few more compliments from that guest.

Painting with my children was fun, though I don't think I'll quit my day job to startup a new family business. Proviso! If you have upstairs neighbors, watch for dripping bags of trash placed over head. They can ruin a paint job and a hairdo! Anyway, this service set for four will make a pretty little spot to sit on sunny days...after the paint cures a bit. There's also hope that the Fingerhut craftsmanship from more than a decade ago will hold out a little longer.

Longest break here in a while, I guess

To my faithful followers, the elite minority that you are, I do live still. School, both where I teach and where I study, continues for just a couple more weeks. The real summer break will come in mid-June when my grad courses take a little break. During that time, my little troop will travel to France to meet up with my sister and her gang. The Swanson-Bogle-Rodeles group will hit Paris, and I'm sure France will never be the same. I'm not sure how easy it will be for Lalo to find Tobasco while we're there, but I'll do my best to help him order dishes that are très épicé or at least bien piquant. Once I can work it out, some photo blogging of l'Hexagone will occur here, too. In the meantime, I've got a little more work to do before my summer rest arrives.