oprah & liv have a birthday

these two lovable people shared a birthday yesterday. other than that...not much resemblance.

{hat by lauren}

: : made a mighty wind with the parachute.

: : made birthday cards & valentines

: : introduced liv to pizza

: : let her eat cake

like a red rubber ball

this post is alternately titled, "WHO CARES?"

this is day 3 of wearing my speedster-nerdo orthopedic inserts. for the past 2 years or more, i would rate my foot pain at a steady 6-8 on a scale of 1-10, where 1= "i'm aware i have ankles" and 10 = "i can't walk." as it grew worse, people started noting the so-called "hitch in my giddy-up" and i realized i've been limping through most of the day.

i finally visited a couple of physical therapists, one of whom visibly shrank back when she saw how far my feet rotate in an apparently unhealthy direction. this is probably the result of ligament damage from various sprains. fast forward through more doctor visits, shoe fittings and orthopedic assessments to:

ZERO PAIN! i just feel like i should say thank you. so, thanks, "Stellar Prosthetics," for your excellent work with foam and cork. and thank you, New Balance, for your wide shank stabilicore running shoes (of which i may have made a bit of fun).

{also happy to report that liv & i have recovered from another stomach virus. getting ready for a bright & healthy february 2010. wishing you the same.}

spotted playing together

in other news, all my problems are over. this week i picked up a pair of custom-made snazzy nerdo orthopedic shoe inserts to correct the freakishly long and flat arches of my horrifying feet. from now on, if i'm going anywhere, i'll be running...

in still other news, i have chocolate in my fondue pot but nothing to dip. it's a nice problem to have; and nothing my fingers can't solve.

last news of the day: i've made a huge mistake. tried to compile a bird mix without including anything by Fleet Foxes. here's a late addition.

to keep me honest

poetry is sometimes described as lightning flashes of intuition. who said this first, i can't remember now. if i experience lightning flashes they are often in the form of resolutions or projects.

E.g.,

resolved: cover all doorknobs with purple faux fur.
resolved: send handwritten letters every week.
resolved: conserve water/flush toilet only for a dooce.

of course i don't actually do these things (except for, ahem, that last one). but while blinded by the flash of lightning, the ideas seem not only brilliant but absolutely crazy brilliant and necessary.

Liv's birthday is coming up next week and i've been trying to think of something special i could do for her. she doesn't need any more bunnies, though heaven knows i will keep finding them for her. my idea is to write her a poem; and to write a poem for each of my girls on their birthdays. from now on. i'm writing this one down so i will for sure be accountable. until or unless i delete this post. i know how to do that.

"rain in january"

I woke before dawn, still
in a body. Water ran
down every window, and rushed
from the eaves.

Beneath the empty feeder
a skunk was prowling for suet
or seed. The lamps flickered off
and then came on again.

Smoke from the chimney
could not rise. It came down
into the yard, and brooded there
on the unlikelihood of reaching

heaven. When my arm slipped
from the arm of the chair
I let it hang beside me, pale,
useless, and strange.

{by jane kenyon}

overheard on NPR

the button on my left toolbar leads to a shop: buy a handmade item and all proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders in Haiti. can't afford to buy right now? donate something you've made. more info at crafthope.com. the need isn't going to end (ever) and it's easy to feel defeated; but our efforts, be they ever so small, may matter too.

in my car tonight i heard these words from scott simon of npr's weekend edition:

"It's moving to hear so many stories of so many Haitians bearing up with bravery and grace, and it's impressive to see the world dispatch so much help to Haiti. Medical search-and-rescue teams have arrived from such distant and dissimilar places as Iceland, Israel, and Fairfax, Virginia. Food and medicine is being sent from as far away as China, and as close as Canada and Cuba. In fact, the Cuban government is letting U.S. medical evacuation planes, which are military aircraft, fly over Cuba to reduce travel time. Catastrophe has at least temporarily overcome animosity.

The U.N. Secretary-General, U.S. cabinet officials and prime ministers are beginning to visit, bearing pledges of aid.

But when the famous faces have gone home, the bright lights packed up, and much of the news snaps back into normalcy, Haitians will face some of their darkest, most desperate hours. The struggle to survive, to build lives with clean water, safe food, medical care, security, education, and real opportunity, will be as urgent, if not as dramatic, as rescuing people from the rubble and ruin. Haiti will still be a great human emergency. It will last a lifetime."

Copyright ©2009 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved.

"my lil' bird has a lil' bird"

yesterday Little walked around talking to the imaginary bird on her index finger. the bird's name is kanji, she explained. oh, and kanji has a bird named chachi. sometime during the day i also overheard a conversation between her and grandpa in which she played both parts. miss grandpa much?

i used to tell Bim i was excited to hear my girl talk to me using actual English words. could any idea be more hilarious and absurd? indeed. the reality exceeds expectations.

we're back from holiday travels and missing the snow. Little taught her classmates to make snowballs out of sand at preschool yesterday.

double sigh (one sad, one happy). we've traded the "frolic architecture of snow"* for the ever verdant scenes of southern california. Lauren stayed home with a napping Wee yesterday so i could take Little on a date to the Huntington Children's Garden. we had so much fun that Little actually levitated. (beat that, bim.)

*ralph waldo emerson

in honor of my little bird's little bird's little bird, i will send a CD of our favorite bird songs to the first 5 responders to this post. (to get you through the long, cold winter.)

Blackbird: Sarah McLachlin
Over the Rainbow: Judy Garland
Winter's Come & Gone: Elizabeth Mitchell
Little Wing: Elizabeth Mitchell
Beautiful Bluebird: Neil Young
Wake Up Little Sparrow: Lizz Wright
Mockingbird: Peter, Paul & Mary
The Littlest Birds: The Be Good Tanyas
Yardbird Suite: Charlie "Bird" Parker
Birdhouse in Your Soul: TMBG
Flightless Bird, American Mouth: Iron & Wine
Fly Me to the Moon: Diana Krall ('cause birds fly.)
Gulf Coast Highway: Nanci Griffith
Top of the World: Dixie Chicks
Songbird: Eva Cassidy
Skylark: KD Lang

not necessarily in that order.

(any other bird song suggestions?)

new year, new doorbell