Best Things are Free Day 19

Limits.

I'm getting older. I'm hardly a twenty-something ingénue anymore. But I can't recall, exactly, when that happened. Probably, technically, at 30.

But the great advantage of getting older is that, although you may not become what you want, you can be who you are. So much falls away. No, I'll never be in the Olympics. No, I'll never be crowned a queen of anything, not a state, nor a state fair. I'll never perform surgery. I'll never train Shamu. I'll never climb Everest. Never say never? Already have. And I'm good with it.

Because the limitations also allow focus. I know at what I'm good and that, at which I'm not so good. I know which expectations I can exceed, and those for which I will fall short.

That said, since I've crossed off state fair queen and orthopedic surgeon, I still have a long, long list of possibilities. It even includes possibilities that were not on the list when I was that wide-eyed ingéneu. I think I know what I can do.

Best Things are Free Day 18

Laughter, like a child's. 

Not the cynical snickering or sarcastic huffs or sardonic hums I have donned with adulthood.

But that sound of five kids in a swimming pool and some made up game of "hamsters with powers" and "evil frogs" (?).

Uninhibited, innocent, joyful, silly.

Best Things Are Free Day 17

Perspective.

I've been reading a few laments on blogs in which the bloggers don't quite believe they meet the standard of the "perfect blog lady". I would venture to disagree that these particular bloggers are not perfect. But I digress.

I have a really big lens for my camera. 70-200mm f/2.8 is a popular lens that I would say I recognize used in magazines and, more recently, in a few überblogs. With this giant hunk of plastic and glass, you'd think I'd use it to photograph things very far away. 

Actually, it is good for seeing things that are close, but from far away. Like so many blogs. 

It's good for zeroing in on one thing and fading out the background and environment. Like so many blogs. 

It's a liar lens. Well, okay, a white-lie lens. Okay, okay, let's just say it takes a different, narrower perspective on things.

The first photograph was taken with 50mm. That is my world. I love it. But worth envy? It is tax time, so that is contributing to the paper chaos, but, still, really: C'mon.

Now the second was taken with the liar lens from the exact same spot. See? How cool is my life!

I'll take perspective over perfectionism any day.

Perspektive.

Ich habe Smila's und Sabine's leichte Trübsal gemerkt, sie seien nicht die perfekten Blogfrauen. Ich habe meine Zweifel, daß sie diese nicht sind. Immerhin. 

Ich habe ein riesengrosses Objektiv. 70-200mm f/2.8 ist eine populäre Linse, die ich meine in vielen Zeitschriften und inzwischen auch Über-Blogs erkannt zu haben. Objektiv gesehen, meine man, ich würde das ganz weite her damit photographieren. 

Nö. Eigentlich dient dieses Objektiv nicht objektiv zu photographieren. 

Es dient dazu, das ganz Nahe von weitem zu betrachten. Wie eben so viele Blogs. 

Und dient auch dazu, den gesamten Umfeld und Hintergrund verschwimmen zu lassen. Wie eben so viele Blogs.

Sie ist eine Lügnerlinse. Na gut: fromme Lüge-Linse. Schon gut: Diese Linse sieht alles von einer anderen Perspektive, einfach.

Das erste Bild habe ich mit 50mm geschossen. Das ist meine eigentliche Welt. Ich liebe meine Welt. Aber beneidenswert? Okay, Steuererklärung ist fällig und trägt etwas zum Chaos bei, aber, ehrlich gesagt, nicht genug als meine Entschuldigung zu dienen. 

Nun das zweite Bild habe ich von der gleichen Stelle mit dem unobjektiven Objektiv, der Lügnerlinse, aufgenommen. Siehste? Wie toll ist denn meine Welt!

Es ist eine Frage der Perspektive. Die Damen, die ich "kenne" über's Nähen und über ihre Blogs (soweit frau jemanden Internetmässig kennen kann ... Hey, Langenscheidt's, "interkenneten", wie wäre's?), finde ich absolut perfekt. In der Imperfektion, perfekt. Wenn du's nicht glaubst, versuch's von einer anderen Perspektive.

Ich bevorzüge Perspektive über Perfektionismus jedes mal.

FYI: Found-Object Robot from Gammaraybots on Etsy. The lamb? Kitsch with a capital "K" from the Salvation Army thrift store.

Best Things Are Free Day 16

A place to strut in the sun and be yourself.

Occasionally, rarely, but nonetheless occasionally, a peacock will find its way to our street. 

Today was such a day.

There are a few spots in the area, in which peacocks live wild. Well, as wild as any Southern California suburb can get. Legend has it that the ancestors of these birds were imported to be living lawn ornaments in the gardens of some of the wealthier homes on the hill. Like so many of us imported species, the creatures liked the climate and stayed and nested and brooded and populated. Frankly, the property owners where these birds habitat do not much care for these finest of feathered friends. It seems the home owners find these ornithological interlopers, while perhaps beautiful (a matter of taste), to be large, rude, obtrusive and boorish. They take up too much room, strut about like they own the place and make it just difficult to enjoy the outdoors. Now, you must imagine for a minute some of these property owners who make these complaints and imagine the sizes of their homes, their cars and their egos. 

No wonder the peacocks feel right at home there, amongst their own ...  

FYI: Knoblauch skirt designed and sewn by Claudia G. ANTONIA shirt from Farbenmix, sewn by Sabine. Hey, I made the leggings!

Best Things Are Free Day 15

Faith.

Because I believe, I just do.

Well, they haven't proven gravity, either. 

Yet, both faith and gravity keep me grounded and soaring. For both, I like to think in terms of relativity and string theory. They are tolerant, inclusive, contradictory and full of wonderment. 

Happy Easter.

A short Intermezzo for an Easter Dress

I have a few thoughts about Easter, including one of the very best free things given us. And also a few thoughts about one usually very level-headed and easy-going nine-year-old boy, who threw an irrational tantrum at the disproportionate number of Easter eggs he was able to find. I'm still wrapping my head around that one.

But for now, a bit of an Easter dress and my little girl's backyard Easter adventures. Again, the kids neglected to put out carrots for Easter Bunny and, again, Easter Bunny took it upon to help himself to our refrigerator, leaving dirty paw prints everywhere. And--true story--as carrots and wilted mâche were not enough for this mythical creature, we suspect E.B. broke into the garage and tore open a bag of lawn seed, scattering seeds and E.B. droppings all over the shelves. "It's Easter Bunny poo! Mommy! Easter Bunny poo! The Easter Bunny really did come!" Easter. Bunny. Poo. I'm still laughing. 

Anna's sundress, well, the buttonholes on the straps were kind of, uh, misplaced at, um, 8:00 a.m. Easter morning, so--ta da!--tie the straps into a halter!

We'll forgive E.B. for the lawn seed mess, as he did bring us this old play stove. I'm happy to know that E.B. is not above a little thrift store shopping and even more happy, that my little girl is just as happy (or more?) with something a bit dented and rusty as with something shiny and new. And how 'bout those cuppy cakes? We had fun.

FYI: fabrics from Hilco, available from FabricBliss.

Best Things Are Free Day 14

Lovely, heavy, afternoon light.