Here Ye, Here Me!

Ye Good Ole Renaissance!

Oh to go back for just a week! The sights, the sounds, the smells (well...some of the smells) the clothing, the music! I would love it.
In one of my classes, we're reading Dante's Divine Comedy.

What better way to get into the mood to read a Renaissance book, than to listen to Renaissance music? I have been listening to it nearly all day. I must say I love Renaissance music very much, though most of my friends- and sister- think I'm crazy because of that.
I found this AMAZING website where you can listen to about any type of music, and to my utter joy they had Renaissance music!

The songs that I highly recommend are: Cease Leaden Slumber Dreaming
When to her lute Corinna sings (I've memorized it and have sung it all day long), Soldier's Song (it's hilarious!), Come again sweet love doth now invite, Martin said to his man (it makes me think of Under the Greenwood Tree!), and Greensleeves.
Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Amarillo

The week before last, was when we went to see the musical Texas. Whilst we waiting for the musical to begin, we took some pictures, looked around at our fellow audience members, and were having a pleasant time.

Alas, my happiness was shattered when my dear friend Rebecca dealt a terrible blow to my poor nerves. She had the audacity to raise the binoculars to her eyes, not to look out at the lovely Palo Duro Canyon as any normal person would, but into the audience around us! I could have died of mortification.

Suddenly, she jerked the binoculars from her eyes, sat straight forward, and was attempting to reign in her laughter.

She was peeking into the private goings-on of a particular group whose face-making brought Rebecca much entertainment. But the tables were turned when they spotted her! Thus Rebecca was now the one to bring entertainment to them and they laughed heartily at her. Serves her right. ;)

***

When we got back home, my papa told us they had caught another opossum. (Recently they've caught several of the sneaky creatures in their backyard) We scurried out back to see it, and whatdaya know? It's an adorable baby possum! About the size of a small rat, though in appearance it looked more like a mouse with over-grown ears. It was climbing up the side of the cage and it's pink tail curled around the cage wire. I was brave and touched it's tail- though I must say Maddy and Rebecca were appalled. The poor thing hissed at me, but it wasn't very scary.

(Note: This is not the same baby possum that was caught)

You can't tell me that isn't cute!

So after washing my hands (NO doubt) and after getting on our pajamas, we sat down to watch Bright Star. (SAD movie, made me cry!) A little ways into it, our papa came in and told us that the Animal Control people were coming soon to get the baby opossum. We were glad for the warning. Not long after the heads up, the doorbell rang, and George (their little Maltese dog), who was sitting right next to Rebecca's head, let out a surprisingly loud howl/bark. It sounded like a lady screaming. Rebecca screamed which scared me so I screamed and jumped into her lap, then Maddy screamed and George was still yapping loudly. You can imagine we looked pretty ridiculous. After our initial scare, we laughed so hard we were snorting.lol. I am quite certain that we made that poor critter-catchin' man's night...a bit more interesting. :)

Two days later our papa took us to Cadillac Ranch where anyone can spray paint the cars. we of course HAD to buy spray paint as well. It was fun, though I must say Maddy holds the talent for artistic ideas for painting on cars. (she was so good you'd think she'd decorated cars before. hmm...lol) Me and Rebecca were pretty clueless as what to do, so we just did our initials.

All together, it was a very fun time in Amarillo with our grandparents. Can't wait to go there again!

TEXAS & Memories

Twirling skirts, men in denim, horses onstage, singing, dancing...It can only mean one thing...its TEXAS the musical!! Last night we enjoyed the musical in the outdoor theater as the sun was setting. I was thrilled. Last year, like this year, we went to see it with our grandparents and had some very memorable moments. One of them was when I was nearly killed by a grasshopper. They are terrifying!

I could only handle a drawing...even this one disgusts me. *shivers* Looking at a real picture of one caused me to gag, get goosebumps, and quickly exit the page. Besides spiders, they are the creepiest and nastiest of bugs. ick. They're one of my big fears. Sounds stupid, but I've been scarred! One time I was walking around and one jumped on my chest and stared daggers at me with its buggy eyes while I screamed and hollered. I attempted to remove the pest from my shirt yet I couldn't do so without touching it. hm. But my most memorable (and hilarious) time was last year while going to see Texas.

So there we were *dramatic pause* driving down into the canyon, and I really had to go to lady's room. I mentioned stopping to Papa but I don't think he heard me, so we passed about five bathrooms and I'm kind of frantic. *AHEM, this is Maddy, Morgan's sis. this is what REALLY happened...she kinda WHISPERED her situation to me. Of course they didn't hear from the front seat, I barely did! ahem...yes.* Finally my dear sis saw my distress and said to please stop. So we did. As I ran towards the bathroom with Nana and sister trailing behind me, Nana said to watch out for snakes. great.

Side note: I am NOT a country girl. But I'm also NOT a city girl (can't stand the city). I can't handle bugs, but I can tolerate snakes...sort of. Also note worthy- I was wearing one of those maxi dresses that are nearly floor length (bad choice to wear in the canyon!) This in mind. I will finish my tale.

So I'm thinking hope I don't get eaten by a big snake, or bitten by a poisonous one while flinging open the door. I scanned the ground. It was all clear. I go to a stall door and as I shut it behind me, I turned and EGAD RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME is the BIGGEST grasshopper I've ever laid eyes on!! You can be sure I let out a yell that might have made even the walls of Jericho tremble. My poor sister and Nana, thinking I was being mauled by a villainous snake came running in yelling WHAT'S WRONG?! I could not answer (I'm still screaming) because to my absolute terror the foul beast was inching upwards to a more suitable position to pounce on me (I knew it's evil intentions, to be sure!) while staring at me with it's big, empty eyes. I reflect, now, and think, wow, that's stupid I kept screaming, my mouth WIDE open and everything, when that bug could have leaped into my gaping gullet. Thank the Lord that didn't happen. I might not have recovered. So while screaming it backed up far enough where I was able to fling back open the stall door and leap for safety. I don't think I've ever moved that fast before. I gasped with relief and Nana and Maddy stared at me looking terrified and I told them that a bug just about killed me (it's true). Of course, Maddy gave me a look of contempt that spoke louder than words, and Nana goes to inspect this "killer bug". She agreed with me saying it's the biggest grasshopper she'd ever seen. I then chose the stall furthest away from Creepy Bug, tho of COURSE after thoroughly inspecting it for no more hidden terrors.

I went to wash my hands at the sink (and surprise, surprise, no soap)and while rinsing them, I thought, what a funny looking counter with black dots all over. I leaned down closer for a better look. My goodness 'twas no mere specks!!! It was bugs; some dead, some still twitching! I yelped and flung myself backwards. Utterly disgusting. And then, as we were walking towards the door, I saw a hornet flying around above the door and I was like, OH NO! because flying insects with stingers just seem to know about my loathing and fear of them, and so they ALWAYS dive bomb me! no joke! I said something and Maddy's like, no big deal. leave it alone and it'll leave you alone. not so. I took a deep breath, determined to be brave, and suddenly it flew right towards me, buzzing loudly. I screamed, flinging my sister out of my way (she was going slow as Christmas), hiked up my long dress to my knees and flew out the door like the devil himself was after me. I finally made it to the car door (yes, I did check to make sure my family made it out alive) then sank into the seat, thankful that I was still in one piece. My papa said he heard me screaming even from inside the car. hehehe, oops. Once everyone was back in the car, me, Nana and Maddy burst out laughing for at least five minutes. Good times.

Thankful that nothing happened like that this year. Though we did have some good laughs!

TO BE CONTINUED....;)

Next time - a creepy critter, and vandalism to Cadillacs.

Cousins

This week has been spent at our aunt's house. While doing all sort of fun things like tag, hide-and-go-seek, and cops and robbers with my cousins Will (9), Grant (8), and Brock (4), I have learned an INVALUABLE lesson. :)

Lesson

(Learned while playing cops and robbers)

I's a little scary being the robber, in a cramped position in a tall, cardboard box, where unseen spiders might be lurking, being paranoid because you think you hear the "cops" sneaking up, seeing their shadow pass by, being found, chased, and eventually tied up to a chair.(I should know as I was dubbed the robber) If any of my friends are thinking of going into the criminal profession (which I certainly hope they aren't!), I don't suggest it. It's tense and NOT worth the price you pay.

Get an honest job.

50 Minutes of Terror

Today on our way to my Aunt's house my mother decided it was time for me to practice driving since I've had my permit for almost a month. On the highway. *gulp* So my first time to really drive was today. She pulls off the side of the highway (thankfully its out in the middle of almost nowhere, so not too many cars) (but more 18-wheelers!) My heart is beating fast. My hands are getting sweaty. My breath quickens.... and I'm not even in the drivers seat yet. Pathetic.
I climb over into the drivers and as I buckle up and put my foot on the brake she explains how to get back on the road without killing myself. I manage to get onto the highway. I set cruise control (God bless the person who came up with that!) on 60 mph instead of 70 mph. I have never driven this fast before!
So I have a bad habit of being dramatic when scared (hard to believe, right?!) and a BIG 18-wheeler (I mean, they're all big, but they seem SO much bigger when you are actually the one behind the wheel!) starts getting closer to me and I squeal as it passes me, and I started hyperventilating. Mom reminded me to stay calm, keep in my lane, and to take deep slow breaths.
Eventually, more cars come up around me, everyone passes by me, and I wondered, how long have I been driving?? I guessed around 20 minutes so far, each second longer than the last, each minute a miracle we're still alive. I ask mom how long it has been. She checks her watch, and replies that it has been...get ready for this.... ten WHOLE minutes. My jaw nearly dropped. TEN, only ten?? It felt like an hour. Then my dear little sister pipes up in the back saying what I was thinking. ONLY TEN MINUTES?! FEELS LIKE FOREVER! precious.


Side note: One of the first times I drove (I mean not on the highway, but on a country road) I was driving down this dirt road and my sister was present at the time. A car WAY down the road appeared and I yelled, "A CAR!!" freaking out, thinking for sure I was going to be killed. She hasn't let me live that down.

OK, back to my terrifying time.
So I'm feeling pretty confident about going 60mph. That is, until I see a van pass me, with a scooter on the back! A disabled person is going faster than me! Definitely one of my low moments. That and when I ran over a beautiful, big butterfly that innocently strayed into the path of a novice driver. :'(
The whole time I'm driving I keep my arms perfectly straight, determined not to relax lest it kill us, so my arms start to cramp. I eventually feel a little more at ease after 30 minutes. Yet I was still nervous that someone would get ticked off at my slow going and flip me off or blare their horn (I swear, if that happened I would pass out or have a heart failure) Thankfully that never happened. Whew!
I'm driving and I see a sign for Sonic, where Maddy really REALLY wanted to get a hot fudge shake. Unfortunately the sign said EXIT NOW. I nearly missed it and didn't put on my brakes fast enough for my mother. Thus I kind of cut the corner fast. Plus, there's someone behind me, RIGHT behind me (as if I'm going too slow or something! psh! psh!...ahem...) And the stop sign is right below the exit, so I nearly don't brake enough again. Mom tells me just to park the car so we can switch seats. I climb over into the passenger seat and my arms just plopped into my lap like Jello. No joke. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow morning, my arms are going to be soooooo sore from keeping them so tense today. After my mom begins driving, I attempt to text my friend with my noddle-like hands, which didn't work so well. As i lift up my Charles Dickens book to read, my arms flop around. So I just decide to sit still, my limp, tingly arms slowly reviving.
I cannot believe we survived.

Aspirations

I looked up in the dictionary the true meaning of aspiration. The title I was shooting for was not to mean the pronunciation accompanied by breathing out as was one of the meanings, but rather, the desire or ambition to achieve something. It's my dream to someday create beautiful, historic gowns with soft, delicate fabrics, or heavy brocades and lovely laces. As for now, I work with cottons, yet even cottons are attractive.
These pictures are courtesy of a museum online (unfortunately I have forgotten the exact place, since our internet has been out for a week or two!) and their AMAZING collection of dresses. I like trying to imagine what each lady who where the original owners of these dresses were like and what they looked like. These are my favorites of but a few of the many, many gorgeous dresses.

This 1700's dress is adorable, and is made of cotton :)

Wish fervently we still wore this style of dress! or at least still have the option of wearing one like this without being considered "out there"

This bodice is sooooo lovely, I wonder what kind of fabric it is??

Morning dress from the 1850's. A nice cotton once again! (huzzah)

This Dinner dress from the 1870's (and the one beneath it from 1885) makes me feel crazy happy. *sigh* Oh the days when we could wear this to dinner! The soft pastel colors, the detail around the neckline and sleeve hem, the ruffles are all so perfectly feminine and delicate! I honestly would pass out if I ever got to wear something like this!

Like I said above, I feel the same way about this dress. I ADORE the belt!

Ok, the lace peeking out at the left shoulder and appearing under the bows in the skirts make me happy! the style is the norm for the late 1800's, but just the details of the lace and where they appear is just completely different from any paintings or pictures that I've seen from that time period, that it makes it a favorite!

lovely, lovely dress from the 1914's - 1917's

Evening dress from the 1950's. unfortunately there were no pictures with color, but the description said it was a pale blue with dark blue details. I'm sure it was absolutely breathtaking in the glittering lights at a party with the accessories! *sigh again*

I can imagine perfectly what the lady who once wore this looked like...