Wednesday, May 6, 2009

House Beautiful

I was in a beautiful house last night. Every once in a while it happens. This was a Victorian house on Massachusetts street in Lawrence. The owners host a concert series called Folk on Mass right there in their home. Last night Roger and Rob Scheps and Bob Bowman played there. (They were smokin'). I got to tour part of the house before the concert. The rooms were comfy, the furnishings were charming and unique and attractive. Such a house would be heaven. It would also be my undoing. Because if I lived in a house like that I would never leave it. I wouldn't go to work or anything. I'd just float from room to room, saying, "My house is awesome."

I won a potted plant at the school carnival. I don't remember what kind of plant it is, but it's huge. It's kind of ironic, because at work my boss gave me a little bamboo shoot in a tiny glass vase, and I killed it. My co-workers managed to nurse theirs into beautiful big green bamboo plants. But I kept forgetting about mine --I had it tucked away against the wall of my cubicle, and I'd forget to water it. I'd forget it was even there. The poor thing hung on as long as it could, until it shriveled up. Now it rattles around inside the tiny vase like a piece of cricket leg. So here I go and win this large plant. It's like the universe is giving me another chance. Must keep plant alive. Must keep plant alive...

I just have to say right here and now that I am truly in awe of anyone who is willing to pick up a slug. (I heard of someone who is!). We had two of them come in the house last night. This is just unthinkable to me. I didn't grow up with slugs, and we didn't even have them in creepy crawly Florida, the land of lizards and big-ass roaches. But they abound in the suburbs of Overland Park. I remember how they used to get in our old house and leave trails of slime on the carpet!

Closing thoughts: Here is the most unfortunate headline of the day--it was the title of a column written by Jane Fonda: "Adolescent pregnancy must become a priority for all Americans." I'll say no more.

9 comments:

  1. dear free...this blog piece has to rank as one of my favorites. you are at your best and dare i say,,funniest, when you are just pounding out on the page the random events and things in your life that amaze, puzzle, frustrate, horrify, thrill, or engage you! from house beautiful,to plant killer, to slimy pests.....all in one blog. so darn entertaining, i'm just smilin'!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much! You are very kind, since I'm just rambling on and on about myself. But I've been wanting to just write more freely about just whatever. So glad you find it entertaining. : )

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey! You're talking 'bout me! I really do like this free form writing you've embraced.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yep -you're the Amazing One I heard tell of --who fearlessly picked up a slug and even offered to salt it. I smile every time my kids tell me the story.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's funny: "even offered to salt it" --I did! How weird am I? I didn't think about the fact that I was torturing the poor thing. I'm glad they declined! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well you inspired me. Do you know I actually picked up one of the slugs that came in our house to put it outside? I just kept thinking, "Andi did it. And she wasn't traumatized from it. By all reports she did it calmly." So I pushed myself to do it, knowing you'd done it and you'd come through it alright.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Awesome! Wasn't the slime gross--it took a while to wash off. I kind of love those things--I just found out another person I know loves slugs and will gladly handle them!

    ReplyDelete
  8. You found another person who likes to handle slugs! I'd love to know who. I'm going to make a guess. Does her name start with a K?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nope, but I wouldn't be surprised if she was another slug handler--well, maybe. This fellow slug wrangler is one of my sister's friends. She's a twin.

    ReplyDelete