This time of new beginnings

Many years ago now, Deb and I, who never send Rosh Hashannah cards, found the perfect ones and made an exception. And while the one I kept is elusive among my unsorted piles, I still remember the gist of the sentiment:

At this time of new beginnings
Let us do everything in our power
To ensure peace on earth
For all people, everywhere.

Though the cards are aged, the message is eternal. Wishing you all health and happiness in the coming year.

L'shannah tova.

Autumn in full swing...

Life has slipped into the routine of the Fall semester - Mondays are free, except when they're not. Mondays quickly become meeting nights, library nights, get-together nights. Midweek evenings are dance nights that keep me sane, and keep me out late. The weekends vary with scheduled activities and the ever-beckoning laundry and housework that I quickly push aside in favor of spontaneous dinner invitations, a dance I had been thinking about but hadn't yet decided to go to, or errands that have to be done right now, immediately.

But the weather is cooling off, and pretty soon the fear of rain inside my house will disappear and lead to a bedroom painting project and the long list of other ideas - shoring up the first floor walls from the basement, pillows and windowseat cushions for the livingroom, hanging up pictures and calendars and prints everywhere!

And there are dance programs to write and brunches to plan and craft projects calling my name.

I'm glad I like being busy...

The next must-have accessory?

After seeing this great paper clip design, I think a similar concept would transfer very well to the only kind of hair clip that ever stays in my hair:

Picture these with letters of the alphabet in the same metal mounted on the top part of the clip. It would be adorable. If only I can find a manufacturer, I could make a mint...

Philadelphia murals...

One of my favorite things about Philadelphia is the huge number of murals that liven up the streetscape thanks to the Philadelphia Mural Arts program. I have many favorites, and so many I haven't yet encountered, but yesterday I happened to be parked just opposite "Crystal Snowscape," one of the seasons series by artist David Guinn. His "Spring" is my favorite, but I do like "Welcome to the Neighborhood," at the Center City end of the South Street Bridge, and "Early One Morning in the Twentieth Century," depicting the early cityscape in Welcome Park.



It's the pixelated nature, and that Seurat idea of using many small blocks of color to create a whole image, that I love. You can stand close and see the individual blocks, or stand at a distance and see the whole idea. And Mural Arts is excellent at pairing image, artist and environment. The winter images above include the rowhouses of the surrounding blocks. My favorite "Spring" extends the open space it stands next to with a group of trees beginning to bloom.



I love traveling through new parts of the city and meeting new murals. It encourages me to explore because of what new things I might find...

Happy 3rd Friday...

This evening was my favorite dance of almost any I go to: Perdue's, the 3rd Friday English dance.

As far as dances go, this one is an anomaly. The crowd is not gigantic, but is quite regular. It's not that there are no beginners, or less-familiars, but the crowd is generally knowlegable, and mostly quite advanced. The repertoire doesn't change much. There's not always live music (loving those old Disney and London Symphony recordings...). And the dance is special and magical in so many ways, has been happening for over 50 years, and these days on a typical Friday, attracts people from 3-4 neighboring states. And what's more, at this talk-through-and-go event, the caller doesn't expect that most people are even listening to the talk-through.

And we just dance. Sometimes the dance is silly. Okay, there are often wonderfully silly moments and alternate choreographies, but still great attention to interactions and intersections. And there's such joy in dancing with people who's movements you can anticipate almost to the moment. And when you're out at the bottom of the line, watching the clear pattern of the dance, and a whole line of people moving together emerge out of the chaos, you know exactly why this is home.

So much of my English dance knowledge comes from Perdue's. This is where I learned much of our local repertoire. This is why I can hear the opening bars of Miss DeJersey's and just go. This is a dance to write in on your calendar as soon as you get a new one for the year. This is a dance to rearrange your travel schedule around.

I have many clear Perdue's memories, from moving endless numbers of chairs to a rotating Fandango, but one memory in particular sums up my love of the dance in a nutshell. Many years ago now, I had a 3rd Friday evening work committment which, when I finally escaped, got me to the dance after 10pm, and in time to only do three dances. But it only took one, it was King of Poland, to relax me, to rid me of the craziness of the day, and to realign my brain from work life to real life - dancing.

You can just guess where I'll be every 3rd Friday I'm anywhere near Philadelphia...

Life is a song cue...

When I was in college I often wondered how it was possible that someone who could memorize dozens of lines of song lyrics on only a few hearings could not memorize the relevant dates of paintings in art history or anything having to do with physics.

To this day, song lyrics still come easily and much of my day has a soundtrack in the moments when I'm not directly engaged in conversation or specific activity. There's always a song in my head as I walk from the train station to my office, or when I'm in the car by myself, and that ever active brain seems to call up the words that mirror what's pre-occupying me at any given moment, or an image in front of me, and spill out those thoughts in the form of a showtune, standard or folksong of one sort or another.

There's been a lot of Joni Mitchell lately, mixed in with a healthy dose of Coope, Boyes & Simpson, and some Irene Kral for sides.

Does this happen to you? What's on your soundtrack these days?

All set...

Success! Dansk Floating Leaves series... The generally unavailable salad plates that match the other bits I got a bunch of years ago.

Ceilidh, ceilidh, ceilidh!!!

This past Saturday, out local Scottish Branch held its first ceilidh dance. Of the main group, I wouldn't call any of us ceilidh dancers; we're country dancers who do or did the classes and the technique and all of that. But the goal was to throw a fun event and bring in beginners, and the plans went forward, and...

...And I really wasn't sure that anyone other than the usual suspects would show up, and they would gamely dance and we would eat our tea and go home with hours still to kill on a Saturday night.

But it didn't go that way at all. It was a fun and successful evening and I think it's worth thinking about why and how it works.

-Put people in charge who like having a good time. With that alone, it's hard to go wrong.
-Get lots of people involved in the planning. Consult! It makes people feel needed and gives them a stake in the success of the evening.
-Get the word out - hang signs and balloons, send out press releases, offer to drive the students there
-Spread out the leadership responsibilites - give many people the limelight. We had the strengh and the variety of many callers. It worked and meant no one person had the stress and the responsibility of making things go.
-Mix it up. We didn't just dance. We did some dancing, we got some water. We had a song and more dancing, we broke for tea. This way, no one died in the sweltering hall or overdid it on the hard floor.

And more. And much to think about for next time, but the event was a winner. Thanks especially to Chrissy and Nora for making it happen. Definitely the start of something good...

The free and the cheap...

Two new tray designs from Ikea, one of my air conditioned errands of yesterday. How could I leave the elephants behind?





Tonight's big score - Dansko clogs, in my size, free for nothing from Freecycle.

Summer redux...

I had a whole list of things to do this weekend, but my overall goal for today was to spend as much of the day in air conditioned spaces as possible. Over ninety degrees in September. Can we please rethink this...

So I ran many errands, none really vital, and came home with a full list of things to do with the evening, most of which disintegrated with the full force of the heat in the house. Thank goodness for a better weather outlook for the week, including a lack of rain in the forecast - bad for the plants, good for the roof (repairs to happen next week or the week after)!

Early this afternoon, I met Rachel for coffee at Infusion Coffee & Tea, just a few blocks away on Germantown Avenue. The coffee was great, and the seating options included tables, sofa and outdoor patio. The one drawback is they seem to keep early hours almost every night. This is of little use. But not always: they have events many Friday evenings that add a few extra hours. I would love a local, non-bar option with late hours, climate control and free wireless. Infusion or the Hill Tea Bar are the most likely candidates for this. Or couldn't the Trolley Car stay open daily until at least midnight? Come on, work with me here.

Or maybe I just need to invest in some sturdy, comfy furniture for the porch, and break down and buy a hi-speed connection and obviate the need for a cafe open on my schedule... Another entry on the Someday list...

Catching up...

I haven't written properly since before Camp, and weariness prevents me from doing so now, but much has happened in these weeks that are each a topic in and of themselves. I may or may not get to them later, but know there's much to say:

-E&A Week 2008 report - making good
-Swarthmore begins
-Cocktails for 65
-When it rains it pours - inside the house

I'm thrilled with the approach of cooler weather and the lovely Autumn. I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend, mostly at home, to regroup, clean up, and bleach tablecloths back to their pre-stained white - a deep breath before the holidays kick in. And best yet, I might even get to sleep in!

So to bed...

It apparently is true!

Walking from the trolley this morning, I spied these in the window of Steap. I'll have to go investigate!

My future cat?

Folks keep asking me whether, now that I have a house, I'm going to get a pet. But I'm still never home, so it's probably still not the brilliant move. However, I am partial to this cat who comes to visit when I leave my front door open, and hangs out on my porch with some regularity...

I am the luckiest one...

I can't even begin to say how lucky I feel this morning - tired, thrilled that the party went well, and all of that but mostly lucky and grateful to have such wonderful people in my life.

Last year, when I was writing up notes after my cocktail party to help plan for this year, I wrote, "get help during the day." And help I had. Susie, Emily, Dirk and Eleanor made yesterday possible and even easy. Things just got done, and done so well.

The house was packed. There was enough food. People had a good time. And then...

I was not expecting a quilt. Not in a million years. I am not often surprised, but the quilt blew me away. I can't believe it's here and was given to me but for the fact that it's hanging on my dining room wall. If any of you who sewed a stitch are reading this, a thousand thank yous. I love you all.

Party, T-2.5 days

At this moment I'm simply fooling myself that I will be able to accomplish all that needs doing before Saturday night. I will do it, of course, with help, but it will be a bit touch and go...

-Teach class tomorrow night (decide about longsword)
-Party grocery/beverage shopping
-Cleaning, decluttering (this is never-ending...)
-Prep food for 50
-Prewash all plates and glasses
-Formulate a rain contingency plan (done - it's going to rain, and if everything moves inside, I won't have to worry about lighting)
-Plate and serve the food
-Make/buy ice
-Make sure my shoes still fit (I think I'll do that now...)

Oh, and which little black dress should I wear...

To begin...

It's Labor Day for a few more short minutes. Summer is over for all intents and purposes. My semester starts tomorrow night at Swarthmore. GCD begins again on Wednesday after our August break. Fall is a time for beginnings - new shoes, new school supplies, new advenures...

To begin,
Catch your partner's eye
Before you cast off.
Just miss each other as you cross up,
But stay connected by a glance in the figure eight.
Briefly catch hands in the star, in the circle.
Linger, for an extra moment,
Then let the gate sweep you away.

Reunited, dance down the center
Holding a gaze, holding your breath.

Finally turn together,
Wrapped in the music and the moment.
Two move as one.
Begin.