BELOW: Me at Emmler's garage sale
Below, Emmler, in another of the Emmler Look-Alike series. (That's John Waters on her T-shirt.)
I'm glad she lives near the store so it's easy to bike by sometimes, since she doesn't work at the store anymore.
. . . EAT THE APPLE!
Emmler inspires me to make stuff out of nothing.
When I went to Santa Fe in February, many things had conspired to give me this message:
MAKE TOYS.
That piggy-backed on my New Year's resolution to learn how to attach things to other things.
I'd come home and rearranged my workspace so I could work on toys. For a couple months, I did that--including the Alley Protectors, partly with E.
Then I started to slack off... Toy-making didn't come to a full stop. Oh no! Penny Cooper is always on the job!
But you have to rewind the key every so often to get going again.
This afternoon I sat with pen and paper and asked myself what I want to work on.
Answer: I want to create a Girlette Calendar for 2024 with nontoxic paint, recycled paper, and no metal.
That means a calendar not printed by the company I've used the past three years.
I'll find out what my options are. Potato printing with water-based inks?
I want it to be nice though--something I can share with other people, because every so often during the year, someone will tell me they are enjoying the girlettes calendar, and that means a lot to me.
Such little efforts to be environmentally friendly may not be worthwhile in cost-benefit analysis terms. I think of a friend, for instance, who uses silk dental floss because it breaks down in landfills.
But so what if they aren't? The learning itself will be fun and good.
There's a story that Socrates learned to play a tune on a flute while he was waiting for his executioners to prepare the hemlock.
When asked what the point was, he said the point was to learn to play the tune on a flute before he died.
Play better!
Do what you do, it is not going to matter in the big deal of this effed up pickle we are in. It will only matter to you and your sensibilities. Ain't nobody getting on the train to cleaner earth and better folks- We do what we do. If you feel pretty good, then we all feel pretty good.
ReplyDeleteFAT is descriptive, like being blond. I learned that taking ASL. No judgement, like being blond, or any other description to identify a person. I am on the FAT bandwagon these days and will take some one down if it is used as a derogatory put down as opposed to description.
Your colleague's poster is....subtle?
If you need to ID me for the police, describe me thus: Fat , blond, short, smells like osmanthus, wearing a tent shaped dress with pants, blue eyes close together, lots of freckles, moves slowly, old. See, no judgement.
Looking forward to another calendar!!!
I am very much enjoying my calendar which hangs right beside me as we speak.
ReplyDeleteSometimes when I am talking to my children, I really want to say, "I did the best I could," but that seems like such a cheap shot. My mother said that in defense of certain missteps she may have made and it made me furious. And yet, I am sure she thought she did. I, however, always feel as if I did NOT do the best I could. Mistakes were made. I admit that.
God, it really can be hard to be a human.
LINDA SUE: LOL, yes, the Deaf Community talks about fat quite bluntly, I've heard from friends who are ASL interpreters.
ReplyDeleteFat is fat.
Refreshing! (Not to assume there's no prejudice there. I don't know.)
"Ain't nobody getting on the train to cleaner earth and better folks".
Ha. I should tattoo that on my arms, to remind myself.
I had to look up osmanthus--"fragrant tea olive... smells like peach or apricot" I read.
I will write on the Missing in London form:
"She's a peach in every way!"
(But I will know that you are just hiding out in London so you never have to return.)
MS MOON: Aw, Penny Cooper loves to hear you are enjoying their calendar. Thanks!
Eh, there's a lot to pick apart with the topic of "best".
Sometimes we try our hardest (give it our best), and we fail anyway.
Like Capt. Picard says,
"That is not weakness, that is life."
That's entirely different than not trying, when we believe a thing is worth trying. (Lots of things arent'!)
It is really hard to be a human!
Anytime I tried to discuss crappy childhood memories with my mom, she'd wave me off and excuse herself with "I did the best I could". Gawd, that was infuriating! I was there! She did not!
ReplyDelete