Flower Power: Yellow Irises

The other day I noticed that our small bed of irises has started to bloom. We have noticed the buds for a week or so and I was excited to see they had bloomed at last in all their sunny yellow glory. They are a bright spot in our backyard among all the green. I look out my kitchen window and see them dancing against the old wood fence; and then to the right some tiny hot pink flowers, just under the bird bath where the crows hop and peck. And behind that a short row of Rose of Sharon Double Purple along the side fence by the shed.

Whenever I see irises I think about Mike. I think he would be able to tell me what breed they are and probably a few random, little-known iris facts. I smile and think of his annual Iris Crawl and remember the picture of him literally crawling on the ground by his huge bed of irises along the fence by the road, laughing. He can't tell me about my irises now and he won't be hosting another Iris Crawl. But I like that they remind me of him.

Mike

This morning I woke up crying.

As my body emerged from the cloudy surface of sleep back into consciousness of time and bedsheets and hungry cats, I was aware that I had been dreaming about Mike.

I was standing with him and Emma and Griffin outside in the sun - we had taken them for the weekend and met back up with Mike on Sunday afternoon. He was wearing his signature jeans and smiling a lot. He was holding a cup of coffee in his left hand.

He was telling me about the kids' Christmas - they spent it in Europe and he was so excited for them - Emma was smiling, too. Then he was talking about the kids coming back home in January and then saying that he had done ... something ... with them in January. I can't remember what it was though. But as he was saying this I felt something telling me that January didn't quite make sense. I looked at Em and she wasn't smiling anymore. I put my hand to my mouth and felt tears welling up as I realized why none of that was real and then everything sort of went blurry and black and I felt like I was being pulled away.

He isn't here anymore ... it was ... just a dream.






Kevin and Mike in Denison, Mary Karam Gallery. 03/27/2010



Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day.

Everyday is Valentine's Day if you love someone or have a friend. Remember them every day, not just 2/14. 

Write a note (yes, handwritten), send a postcard or a small gift - just a little something that reminds you of that person and brings a smile to your mind. Remember them and be with them while you can. Bake their favorite cookie, hold their hand, listen when they need an ear and be there whenever you can - hopefully they will be there for you, too. 

Care. Give. Understand. Empathize. 

Make every day an expression of care and love to the people you care about and love most of all. 

[1] Threadbare - 'Snuggle', 2008 @ http://meaganileana.com/home.html [2] Russell & Bethany - James Moes Photography @ http://blog.jamesmoes.com/ [3] Ban.do Heart Shoe Clips @ http://www.shopbando.com [4] Mike Kury, 'Firefly'. I miss you, cousin. http://www.ro2art.com/euclid-art-house---catalog.html

Dishes!

Lately I have been discovering some great vintage dishes (as in, kitchenware, plates, coffee pots) that I absolutely love. Some of them I collect, some of them I simply admire, some take me back to my grandma's dining room table in Arkansas eating THE best enchiladas. Ever.

Here is my current (and working) list of favorite kitchenware patterns and makers and a few insights about where I have discovered mine for reasonable prices ... and a few pieces of nostalgia to mix things up a bit.

1. Homer Laughlin China: Fiestaware - I collect this as my 'every day' dishes. Honestly I don't have any 'special occasions' dishes so my Fiesta is quite literally every day. I like the eclectic idea of having multiple colors 'going on' at once in my kitchen - I guess partly because I have never had a 'favorite' color and partly because I just like the fun of picking an orange dish and green mug together or a purple bowl with a blue dish. I have never been one for matching things really - even less so as the days pass. I collect my Fiesta 4-piece sets at Macy's when they are on sale.

2. Anchor Hocking Milano in Honey Gold - I love this glassware! My cousin Mike helped me figure out what they are called - I never knew who made them until he told me. He was an avid collector and expert on vintage glassware - my 3 vintage Jadite cups and saucers are a gift from him. My grandma had these and I remember when I was little drinking sweet peach tea out of them. I found a few at a yard sale a couple Summers ago - a few tall glasses and one short glass. I love the warm gold color of the glass and the lumpy texture in my hand.

I discovered this great set of glasses and 96oz pitcher at an antique shop in Denison last Spring and wish I had gotten it - I love the cheerful ball pitcher!

3. Metlox Wild Poppy - Thanks to Kevin, I found several pieces at an estate sale recently and discovered after a little web browsing that they are worth quite a lot more than I paid for them. The coffee pot alone sells for about $50 online. Such a fun, colorful pattern. I have 4 dishes now and I use them intermixed with my Fiesta plates.

4. Hull Drip Glaze Pottery - I adore this pottery. I grew up with the French Onion Soup Bowls (with handles) and a few serving pieces. I am not sure how much I liked them when I was young, but now I love the old-fashioned look and color. I found one lone bowl for myself at a garage sale for a few dollars - a small price to pay for nostalgia. It is now my designated tabbouleh bowl. ;)

5. Mikasa, I'll call it 'Yellow F9300' since it is IMPOSSIBLE to find any actual name for this particular design on the internet - My mom had the whole set of Mikasa French Countryside (white) when I was growing up. I found this great creamer and sugar set online but I am not so sure it's actually French Countryside. I have found this design and color online listed as 'French Countryside Yellow', 'Italian Countryside' (which it most definitely is NOT), and several other random names; when I look up those names in Google to find other pieces in the collection I have no luck - apparently none of those are the actual name so I am still in the dark as to what I should call it. All that to say, I love it and think it's darling and vintage, whatever its name really is.

Late breaking news: Omg! I figured it out! It's called Mikasa 'Countryside Yellow'! Thank you, Replacements.com ... not sure how I missed that before. *at last*

Happy Christmas, hopefully

This year I have not been much in the Christmas 'spirit'. I was excited to put our tree up for the first time in our new house and I love it. I love the glimmer of the tree, I love the bright lights along the eaves of the house whenever I pull into the driveway after dark. I love hot mochas with Kevin and Christmas cookies and watching the cats play and sleep under the tree. I love watching 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'A Christmas Story' and in a way trying to recapture (or capture for once) a different, happier feeling that Christmas is supposed to evoke. I'm pretty sure after 26 Christmases that the feeling of the Christmas spirit, of joy and magic in the air isn't so real as I hope - just make believe. I guess it's just made up by adults to make the very youngest of children feel like there is something wonderful about life and something to look forward to - cuz us grown ups are looking for it, too. Reality and the truth about false expectations sets in and we realize Christmas is just another man made holiday like the rest and just an excuse to buy things and eat more sweets than usual.

This Christmas Eve, my cousin Mike passed away. He had cancer and was fighting it hard for a couple of years. He leaves behind two wonderful young children and many, many friends and colleagues.

He is missed and will be missed as time passes and the truth of this reality sets in: he's not there anymore if I want to text him or have him over for dinner. I won't be at his house anymore drinking boxed wine and laughing about something trivial or talking about his next art show.

I feel angry and sad and shocked and uncertain. I am not sure what I feel or how to feel but I am pretty sure I have a conglomeration of feelings and conflictions going on all at once.

A pretty sad thing to dwell on at Christmas. We're supposed, I guess, to think about family and love and Jesus and lots of good food and company. It's next to impossible to do that when life's razor-sharp ability to sorely disappoint our expectations kicks us in the butt when we let our guard down just a little and dare to hope just a little.

Today Kevin and I are having turkey and mashed potatoes and peas for lunch and I'm drinking some Chardonnay. There's something ironically happy about the Christmas music playing in the background and the cats playing with each other. The lights are still on, the music still plays, and people still talk and live with one another. It just helps you appreciate a little more, I suppose, those people that you care about while they are here for you to talk to and see with your own eyes.