Farm Animals

This week has been a week full of farm animals.  First, I saw some guinea hens on Lamboll St, which was such a shock!  I wouldn't have been surprised around hipster central, but south of Broad caught me completely off guard.  

Then, I got to go see a pig!!!  Perhaps it started with Petunia the potbellied pig, my kindergarten class pet, but I have always had a fondness for pigs.  Let me be frank; I fawn over pigs as much, if not more than other animals, and one day, I will own one.  My friends practically had to drag me away from this precious one.  I felt like David Sedaris when his mother told him "take a good look at yourself!"  I was laying on the ground, totally oblivious to my circumstances, trying to get Pippa to love me.  She was just so cute!  She has yet to be named, but I'm voting for Pippa.

Pippa eating some spinach.

(She chews really loudly.  It's adorable.)

Eating anything she can find.  

(The wet spots on the lens are from her nose - she's quite a curious creature.)

Her itty, bitty hooves! 

Reunions

My favorite part of the holidays (aside from baking and subsequently eating far too much) is seeing old friends.  You get to visit with people you haven't seen in months, and you become a tourist in your own town, letting your friends appreciate to being home.  This weekend, we meandered south of Broad, watched boats sailing by, pressed our faces against windows, wandered into abandoned yards, and ended our day eating fudge and gingersnaps in the park waiting to make a surprise visit. 

Moments of Beauty

Some days are more rushed than others, so it's always nice to be able to meander somewhere with no real purpose or destination.  I notice that even though I'm accustomed to looking at the world with a keen eye, when I'm on task with something else, I observe from with more restraint.  It's the difference between noticing something and commenting to yourself "how nice/interesting/awesome" while you continue about the task at hand, and stopping what you're doing to fully appreciate the moment of beauty you've stumbled upon.  

Here were some much-needed moments of beauty from this week.

Ginkgo trees aflame.

Perpetually.  Amazed.

What a cute little mailbox!

Anyone watch Fringe?

Family

We always go up to The Country around Thanksgiving and Christmas time.  It's a lovely family tradition.  I learned how to drive a stick shift, which was a lot of fun.  Once I've mastered the car, I get to learn the tractor!  We took a lovely walk to the 'Indian Campground', where we always find shards of pottery.

I also put together the most awesome puzzle: pieces of family gravestones!  Perhaps I'm just a bit of a morbid person, but I'm fascinated by so many aspects of death, particularly graveyards and gravestones.  I suppose because it's one of the great mysteries.  It's something that we can speculate on til we're blue in the face, but we'll just never know.  But one thing is for certain: these pieces of stone mark the bones, the final resting place of my ancestors, and I owe it to them to put them back together, in honor of their lives.  

Next trip, I hope to go to the gravesite and find more pieces.

Surfing

Ever since I was in Hawaii this summer, I've been dying to really learn to surf.  It's my goal for 2012.  I've professed my love of the sea before, and any time I see surfers I'm just insanely jealous of their connection to the water.  I want it.  I want it so badly.  I dare anyone to watch this video and not want to learn to surf.  





(via Aubrey Road)

Today's Love: Music

I have been practicing music daily for the last week, and it has really helped me.  It puts me in a sort of meditative state, where I can truly relax but also focus on doing something productive.  I have always harbored a secret desire to be a professional tambourine player (I mean, really, what could be better?), and learning the guitar will give me a little bit more street cred with the tambourine, no?