cowgirl booty

Not less than three days ago, I was wearing cotton or linen tops and dresses along with some form of sandals. The sudden appearance of cool crisp air this weekend sent me straight to my favorite apparel for this time of year -- a cashmere turtleneck sweater and boots! When the seasons shift into the cool and cold, I love roaming the city range in a pair of my Lucky Brand cowgirl kicks (I have two pairs in different colors they are just that comfortable) with whatever outfit I throw on. If summer is about the bangle (see June 5, 2011 blog cuff me), fall is definitely about the boot as another form of my fashion accessory declarations. In fact, I found the perfect combination of western sass and jeweled adornment last week while looking at boots online; I am too through this morning to discover that they are no longer available which tells me one of two things -- if you’re slow, you blow OR, better yet, less is already enough!

…but knowing me as I do, I will now be more determined than ever to find, rope and tie those dang cowgal boots that got away, so…

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twinkling like a star

Stars don't just twinkle in the sky, they also dazzle at our fingertips and beneath our feet in a full spectrum of colors and textures...

…take a moment as summer morphs into autumn to not only smell the roses but to star gaze at eye level which means you will need to…

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fragile

On the eve of 9/11, I was compelled to pull over on the highway to snap a shot of the Washington Monument. We were attacked on a day just like this one and a weird feeling about the Monument not standing tall as part of the DC panorama made me stop my car. It had sustained damage during the earthquake a few weeks ago showing just how fragile it is against natural causes; the thought of a deliberate attempt to destroy it gave me pause. I try not to get too emotional when this time of year comes again but there is something haunting about it being 10 years since the lives of Americans changed once again forever. The United States, particularly certain cities, is on high alert right now, which this year has left me feeling unsettled. I have no desire to be on Capitol Hill or near the White House and wonder if I will venture out onto the Mall for my morning walk. I hate feeling like this.

Americans bonded on the day of and for months following the attack a decade ago. Fragile, we cared about and for one another united by a tragedy that touched almost everyone; how quickly that desire to be one disappeared. It gives me chills thinking about how very un-united we really are, about the uncivilized way we treat each other moment to moment. I am far from naïve knowing all too well that this behavior is human nature for countless individuals but now on each 9/11 that reality becomes quite magnified for me.

So on this day as we reflect, perhaps we should also remember that a people united can never be defeated…a tall order when minds seem to opt for being small.

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let's eat cake!

When someone acknowledges my work as a source of inspiration for their creativity, I’m not only humbled, but am motivated to continue being creative. Recently, my profile appeared on Queen City Cake Studio, a blog that features cake creations by blogger Toni Johnson and others. One of the questions Toni sent me to ponder was about my favorite food. Part of my answer included the following, “Being equipped with a serious foundation for how food is prepared unleashed a desire to play in the kitchen that has never gotten old; learning how to make a palatable meal when I’ve messed something up became a metaphor for how to manage life’s messes.” As I reviewed my responses to all of her questions before I hit send, I did a double take when I read the above passage; I did not remember typing those words, but they made so much sense! The skills required to unscramble a scrambled mess of things comes with practice, a willingness to take a good look at what contributed to the mess and the patience to get it right sometimes through more attempts than we have ingredients for. But when it’s worth it, we keep working at it and isn’t it funny how things get infused into our being and where they originate.

Looking over the questions that focused on my love of being in the kitchen and my artistic creativity provided food for thought that made me sit down for a meal rather than a quick snack. I happen to know the woman who pens Queen City, have actually tasted Toni's confections and was delighted that photographs on my July 3rd blog that referenced July 4th challenged her to create this three-tiered sensation!

Makes me want to celebrate and eat some cake, which I have to go in search of so as I do...  

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photo courtesy of Toni Johnson

the happy fall

Wow! Where does the time go? Hard to believe it's September but September it is as we welcome in the next season. I love the shift of the sun in the sky, the smell of the wind as it changes temperature, and the autumnal colors across the landscape that each help paint the canvas for this time of year that we call fall. As much as I love spring, autumn is actually my favorite season. I was born in October so my birthday falls in the fall and I do celebrate the day of my arrival into this world with all the fanfare that accompanies the beauty of nature as she puts on new outfits for us to enjoy. September also signals a second celebration for me. It marks another year of creative thought, writing and pictures that is this blog, giving me one more thing to be oh so happy about.

Tomorrow I’m observing a non-laborious Labor Day, hope you are too.

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tee turns two

Even the animals know when they need to stop and stretch out the body; taking a wellness break on this last day of summer. See you in September when The Eclectic Eye (TEE) turns two!

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the day before

Mother Nature has been having her way with the East Coast this past week, first an earthquake now Hurricane Irene! When I woke on Saturday, the rains had not yet begun so I headed out with my camera (now affectionately called lumi-belle) into an atmosphere I can only describe as tropical. The wind made its presence known just as a reminder that a storm was coming noted in the ringing of chimes on porches and the flapping of my white blouse around my thighs as I stopped to capture flags unfurling in waves above my head…

…as always, the flowers called out to me to capture them in their final moments before beating rain and strong gusts would strip them of their blossoms, altering their complexions too soon…

  

…the bees were buzzing wildly about and flies were perched on petals as if they were in a drugged stupor…

…it didn’t seem likely but when I looked up, it was 10:30AM, three hours had passed and as I looked down at a big brown acorn, I felt the first drop of rain plop on my forehead…

…fortunately I was a block from home. I didn’t rush to get inside especially since I knew I would be there for at least the next 24 hours.

As I sit at 12:40AM remembering the day before, tree leaves swishing loudly and water spilling over the gutter, Irene is just really beginning to show DC exactly what she’s got. I happened to look up from my laptop to see the strangest picture on my sputtering TV screen -- a totally deserted Grand Central Station in NYC. Wow!

Here’s hoping that the eye of this storm will close without leaving behind too much mayhem but, until it shuts…

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