george w. bush called me today.
okay, it was just a recording - to remind me to send in my absentee ballot (?)...but still.
i love how he is still so clueless.
wait - on thinking about this some more - does this mean he wants me to vote in person and send in my absentee ballot? hmmm...
"vote bush. resteal the election"
happy now mumsy?
the entries are now officially in order again.
now, i'm off bed to my new KING size bed - on my NEW 1000 count egyptian cotton sateen sheets....oh, the luxury of it all....sigh...
go on - yer all jealous of that aincha...i can tell....
dot
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dash
dash
dash
dot
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help!
i am being held hostage by real=life events!
send reinforcments ASAP
out.
"All they could see was sky, water, birds, light and confluence. It was the whole morning world. And they themselves were a part of the confluence. Their own joint act of faith had brought them here at the very moment and proceeded. Direction itself was made beautiful, momentous. They were riding as one with it, right up front. "
-Eudora Welty (1909-2001)
american writer
(Egad! How perfect it that Mumsy!?)
Well obviously, Ms.Welty must have had a HamFam meeting of her own somewhere in an earlier life - perhaps the Green Ghost (now known as The Official Chariot of Confluence) was there....
but only the Slacmeister could ever really know for sure....
And so it would be, that the History of Confluence would repeat itself - yet once again. This time the proposed slacsetting was - why, none other than the infamous and newly renovating, HamFam!
(formally known as the Flemish MacGhillacutty or something...)
(Tour note: The long term mission is to confluence at every known diner with catchy names)
And so the Queen set out upon The Quest of Confluence (Part Deux) with a half tank of gas, a semi-reliable cell phone (ask Kat), and a smeared copy of mapquest directions.
She steadily maneuvered the Floramobile over
rolling pastures,
past barns,
and cowfields....
...but after careful consideration, decided NOT to pass the Caution WIDE LOAD rig on the winding and rolling little country road.
(For "they" it seems, are always moving houses on wheels - on the days of confluence...)
The Slac, The Kat, and The Common Queen arrived in sinc - as if they were
an olympic synchronized swim team -
- Mumsy however heard the beat of a different drummer and decided to take the longer and more lost - HamFam via slow boat to China, route...
Finally the confluencers were well=met!
They kissed and hugged and laughter could be heard for miles around - and all this before the refreshments were even served. The Hamfam lived up to true diner food reputation - featuring chicken croquettes, meatloaf, and liver n' onion specials.
Satisfied that this was, in fact, a bona-fide diner - the confluencers confidently ordered from the chef's specials menu instead.
The food was good, but the company was even better. The only thing missing was a selection of the ever-eclectic, Slac-crooner, on the booth's personal juke box.
After tapioca and rice pudding and corn chowder - (of course!) - the confluencers walked toa nearby park to muse about geese and ducks, renegade aquatic bird feeders and their subsequent ploppings...(the bird droppings, not the old ladies..)
Even so, mostly laughter and smiles echoed through the much acclaimed Allentown park system as the confluencers settled upon a setting for a photo-op.
Sunflowerkat, was in charge and ready -
... impishing enjoying watching Mumsy, Slac, and the Queen maneuver over indigenous rocks....(insert inside joke here)...
and as Kat set up - the Queen snapped her own pictures....(notice slac wearing the official tee shirt from confluence one - babymae you were missed!)
Mumsy is the official Grande Dame of Confluence - having traversed the nation in hopes of meeting fellow journalers (sometimes as ships passing literally in the night)...and is a wonderful person and beloved friend.
The Slacmeister is above all- the gentle man of gentlemen, and the Official Stallion of Confluence - and is simply - brilliant in his uniqueness.
And what of this new Sunflower of a Person - Kat? Oh, she is just perfect. Open and breezy - and full of light and laughter. Like a true Sunflower - she follows the light.
What a honor it was for me to be in such company. No, really...
The smiles say it all, eh?
"This was the simple happiness of complete harmony with their surroundings, the happiness that asks for nothing, that just accepts, just breathes, just is."
~ Countess Van Arnim (1866-1941) english writer
hi ho..hi ho...its off to fun we go -
and the mumsy in tow.
at the hamfam or the famham for a bit of flan and ham p'haps.
translation to follow laytah...
"Life bears the memory of its aquatic origins. Every living creature, animal or plant...even man...is above all a form of water."
~Jean Dorst, Water, 1990
How comforting it is to be able to return to a place that time cannot hold. Such an ageless place - this shoreline. Where land and her inhabitants can return - like long lost children returning to their waiting mother. With a longing unhampered by gravity or the weights of worry we run to her. And of course, she welcomes us with her ageless mystery and secrets of pasts long forgotten. And she envelopes us eagerly with her salted arms and frothy hair, and tosses us happily toward the sun - then back toward her heart - joyful of our return.
And so again, I lived as in my childhood - sun-kissed and sandy, lulled by the exhale of endless waves crashing upon the shoreline, and of the winds twisting through my hair. Again mesmerized - by the bewitching spell she always held for me. I gazed far over her - the enormous, and beautiful breathing sea, to witness again the familiar curl of her breaking waves and frothy spray, and tasted her salty air. And then I followed the trails of ghostly sands - blowing grains of time over shells and seaweed and the towels of sleeping sun-worshipers. I listened intently to the cry of distant gulls soaring high on graceful wing and heard the rustled conversation of the grassy dunes. What wonders were all around me...
Take for instance, the delight of the sandpiper's eternal waltz - transfixed by constant running to and from the water's edge in search of food. Their partner - the spill of Oceania gliding upon the shoreline...it was hard to tell who led - and who followed - that primordial, but oh, so perfect, dance...
How wonderful it was again to sink painted toes into powdery soft and sun-warmed sand - the remnants of an ageless battle of a sea against shells, against coral, and stone. As if a gentle massage, the rhythms of the sea soothed my very soul. Serenity flowed as easy and as steady as the breeze. To be able to breathe in renewal, refreshing and relaxed somewhere between the ocean’s edge and the sandy fingers of the wind swept dunes - was to read, to sleep, to swim - and to bathe in eight minute-old sunlight. Who really, can ask for anything more?
miss smartypantzjessi sent me this - isn't she great!
now, if i can only find mountain laurel around here -
hey gang - we're going on vacation this week - so will see you all when I get back -
ah - going to catch meself a few rays, and if i'm really lucky a load of sand in my bathing suit...
but, the ocean calls to me - so of course, i must answer...
madam glinka will have to defend the realm whilst I am away - so you know what that means - that's right - let all hell break loose...just have the place cleaned up by the time I get back...
Ah, yessireebob, - that - was totally fun!
(and probably annoying too, to some) -
"Doing what?" you might ask -
Why, entering an audio entry (okay... entering more than one audio entry) in Vivvie's Anniversary Voice Recording journal!
"You're kidding right?"
No, I sure am not...Go ahead gang - go over and hear for yourselves...
READER ADVISORY: This post Rated R - For extremely gross content. Sorry gang...
Okay, so there I was following this guy in a pick-up truck today while driving home. We eventually came to a stop light and so had to wait for the light to change.
And so I sat waiting patiently - scanning the area - listening to the music - thinking about what things I still had to do when I got home...you know, random kinda stuff like that - when I suddenly zoned back to the guy in the pick-up truck - and seriously couldn't believe what I was seeing via his side door mirror...
"Oh really, Flora, why?"
- Well, let me tell you folks -
Because I caught that guy doing something I haven't seen done since early grade school...and can I tell you - No wait - I really can't even begin to tell you how much I was grossed out...but dammit - I'm willing to try...
Now, I've seen a lot of gross things in my life - seriously gross medical things in my line of work - but damn, this guy took the cake - and not just a piece - but the entire cake - eewwww!...he still makes me shudder...
Are you ready folks? I sure hope so...
So here was this GROWN MAN - in his thirties - seriously digging into his nose - only to retrieve a series of goodies - which he then quickly ATE!! Not once, not twice, hell - not even three times...
No wait - don't lose it yet - it gets even better....
I sat stunned - held perversly captivated by this slob against my will...All I kept thinking was - "oh....my....gawd."
And then - "OH...MY....GAWD!!" - for our little booger picker decided that just a couple of little nuggets wasn't enough for his afternoon snack - Oh noooo! He went right into blowing snot rockets into his bare hand and then licking THAT off!!!
I couldn't believe it. I sat there gagging - yet still unable to take my eyes off him...
Gang. He just didn't stop! The light changed and he started on his merry way - and for a good mile he just kept blowing snot rockets - eating them, - then back to picking - and eating, (I swear to you I lost count how many times) and then of course - he simply washed them all down with a bottle of water...
I so wanted to scream out the window at him - "Hey Buddy! - I hate to interrupt yer little chow time, but - damnnn - that ain't a new habit yer sportin now, is it? Oh no...why that's a habit you've been doing every damn day since preschool, haven't you!...Come on - Admit it!!! Cause no one new to that particular kind of pastime - has their system of boogie picking down to the refined technique that you do now, eh?
"Why yer just the goddamn King of Boogie Picking of All Recorded Time now, aincha fella! - hot damn - just look at you! You sure are proud of it! So proud that you don't give a rat's ass who sees you doing it - or for how long they have to endure seeing you do it!!"
"Why hell - yer just the well-greased, snot making machine now, aincha?! And worse - you go home and kiss yer babies and yer little unsuspecting wife with that filthy, slimy, snot licking, foul mouth of yours - now doncha! - YOU BIG GIGANTIC SLOB!!!"
"Do you realize that you are more gross than any puddle of shit - or any puddle of vomit - or any stringy mucousy blood clot - or any gut spilling, eviscerating patient, that I've ever - in my entire career - had the pleasure of taking care of?!!
"WELL - HUH? DO YOU? NO? -
WELL CONGRATULATIONS - BECAUSE YOU ARE!!!"
So just beware - any of you closet, boogie eating nose pickers out there - that's what people think of you when they catch you in the act.
Next time - use a tissue, fer Chrissakes!
or better yet - get professional help!!
Sigh -
Thank you - I feel much better now after ranting about this.
Whew - Sorry I haven't posted lately gang -
All is well - just busy at the Floralilian compound - got my hands in a million and three projects at the moment which must be completed before we leave on vacation this week -
I hope this note finds you all well and seriously caught up on all of the journal land festivities - I have a lot of ketching up to do meself -
From what I have already experienced - everyone has done such a fantastic job of contributing! Can't think of a better way to celebrate this magical community - thank you all - how wonderful a place is this?
I wanted too, to show my appreciation to the Blogmother, our Miss Vivvie - for her eternal inspiration - by flying the Vivvie Award:
She's just the best and most deserving of this, eh? I sincerely think we all are the better for knowing her....
Thank you, and Congratulations, Vivvie!
