Under a Red Roof

Let’s Pretend

May 1, 2009 in Being, Reading, Spotlighting by Colleen | 2 comments

I wish I had something substantial to say for the Spotlight, it being the day and all, but I don’t, so let’s pretend (oh goodness, how many times did I say that as a child?) that you’re my neighbor, which you kind of are, and we’re chatting over the back fence. That’s my shadow wearing my favorite hat, waving at you. Good morning!

How are you today? I hope well. I am fantastico. I awoke to Greg’s warmth next to me and a billowing bedroom curtain. Gosh, that might be the finest AM combination. Despite whatever turmoil I might be experiencing, there is always joy in being with the hubster and seeing a curtain fluttering in the breeze.

As for Spotlight potential, I am reading a book, a monster of a book, page wise, probably the longest I’ve read, Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. That’s one of the reasons why I haven’t written much this week. I’ve had my nose in that book since Monday. It is really good too, at least so far. I’m 475 pages of 1164 into the story, and boy does it have me going. Who is John Galt, and why would he start such things in motion, really, just because he can? I don’t know; it seems sort of wicked, but also pretty right on, too. I think, like Ms. Rand, I am a bit of an Objectivist, though to a lesser degree – I am also a Gemini, and this trumps all! I kind of wish I could just sit in my comfy chair until it’s done, but I’ve got things to do, like get ready for tomorrow.

That’s the other bit that’s been keeping me from writing. We’re having a party for the neighbors tomorrow. I’m calling it an “afternoon social” with lemonade, chips, dips, and four kinds of cookie – sugar, chocolate drop, gingersnap, and my triple threat peanut butter. I’ve got the dough for the first three cookies made, a batch of lemonade in the freezer, so we’ll have lemonade ice rather than diluting something so delicious, and two of the three dips ready to go. Now, I need to get some weeds pulled, the last bit of bark mulch and rocks spread in the yard, the vacuum out to tackle the dust bunnies, mop the floors, and clean the icky mess that is my stove top.

Oh yes, that’s something else special that happened to keep me from the blog. I made omelets with my friend Amber yesterday, and she got to see said stove top in all its dirty glory. We had a grand time making our delicious omelets (filled with roasted asparagus, mushroom, and Willamette Valley gouda, zowie!), chatting, and enjoying a bit of sun out in the yard. It’s funny how a person can be in your life for literally years, yet there is so much you don’t know. I’m glad we had the chance to get to get better acquainted yesterday. It’s like having a lens you thought was clear come into greater focus – the colors are brighter, sharper, and even more eye-catching. Thanks Amber.

I better get a move on, so much to do! Think good thoughts for dry weather until 4:00 tomorrow because if everyone comes, there will be fifty of us crowded in the house. After that, I don’t mind if it pours. As a matter of fact, I’d rather like it.

Have a great weekend!

Birding

April 24, 2009 in Learning, Reading, Spotlighting by Colleen | 1 comment

Remember when I told you that I liked to feed the birds in our backyard? Well, I think it is safe to conclude that I’ve taken my love for all things avian to a new level, as in I think I can officially call myself a birder. Since I first wrote about my fine feathered friends, I must say that my interest and awareness has only increased, finding my eyes peering through the binoculars (or “bins” as the veterans say) more and more.

However, what gave the stamp in my passport, so to speak, was participating in my very first Bird Song Walk this past Wednesday morning, organized by the Portland chapter of the National Audubon Society. We met at Mt. Tabor at 7:00, walking hither and yon through the park listening to and observing many a beautiful winged creature. An added bonus – the trilliums were in bloom!

Apparently it was a banner day, as we saw: a Merlin, two Red Tailed Hawks, Spotted Towhees, Orange Crowned Warblers, Creepers, Bush tits, Hummingbirds, Stellar Jays (six or seven enjoying a coffee klatch!), Flickers, Thrushes, Crossbills, House Finches, Goldfinches (American and Lesser), Sparrows, Nut Hatches, Pine Siskins, and more that I cannot recall at the moment. I remained in awe and occasionally on the verge of tears throughout the walk. That I was in my own neighborhood (a mere fifteen minute walk), among so many beautiful birds and people with such great knowledge (not to mention ears and eyes) was quite humbling.

Apparently, the Merlin was our greatest “get,” as many of the veterans had never actually seen one live and in person. It was beautiful and incredibly swift – gone in 60 milliseconds! One of the hawk sitings was rather cool, too. It was perched on a lamp post near one of the reservoirs, and remained there for the full five minutes we observed it. Once, as I was watching, I swear our eyes locked through the binoculars. I felt a wonderful sense of communion.

When I arrived home, I immediately turned to my Birds of the Willamette Valley Region to learn more about each species I hadn’t known before. Normally I am not one to make such statements, but the book is a must have for Portlanders observing the myriad feathered creatures here in the city, as there is no need to search through page after page of North American birds that may or may not inhabit or migrate through the region. Additionally, each bird is very well photographed, so there is relatively little guess work. I highly recommend it.

Who knows, maybe I’ve piqued your interest enough to see you at next Wednesday’s walk! See you soon…

The House of Meetings

April 3, 2009 in Reading, Spotlighting by Colleen | 1 comment

“It is nothing.”

These were the words uttered rather non chalantly by a Russian neighbor when I expressed my delight at her beautiful carnations. I had some, and they just didn’t look like hers, despite trying several methods to make them flourish. I was bugged by the answer.

Then, I started to notice this was a trend among those I encountered from former Soviet States. It is nothing is like a mantra, the go-to answer for accomplishments large and small. I didn’t really get it until reading The House of Meetings by Martin Amis. The novel describes the life of two brothers in 20th century Russia: their love for the same woman, the wars, life in the gulag, life afterward.

The novel is a long letter from a father to his daughter, confessing his crimes, and describing his love for his brother Lev and his wife Zoya. What really stands out for me is the it is nothing aspect. The lives of the people of Russia have been so tortured (quite literally) and on the precipice for so long that nothing is truly valued, for if this were to happen, it would make the loss more unbearable. There are marriages, children, wars, rapes, thefts, and squalid conditions, but with them only a vague sense of gratitude, joy, remorse, or loss. It’s very strange.

The novel itself is a pretty swift read, smart, well researched, and even humorous at times. Though I did have to make stops at the dictionary for these words: pelf, rictus, cloacal, scrofulous, and lachrymist. Golly, does Martin Amis have an enviable vocabulary – it is something. On the whole, I liked the book it and found it rather enlightening. I appreciated the fact that it was so detached, as, sensitive girl that I am, I certainly could not have stomached the work had the narrator been passionately engaged and vividly describing the events of his life. On the other hand, I cannot help but feel sad that one could live this way, or treat others in such a fashion, as cold as the Siberian plain. I doubt I would last very long.

The Hummingbird’s Daughter

March 13, 2009 in Reading, Spotlighting by Colleen | 3 comments

I first saw this book, rather appropriately, in a shop window in Santa Fe. I was immediately drawn to the beautiful cover. I bought it as soon as I got home, though I hardly knew anything about it. I just had a feeling. Thankfully, my intuition didn’t let me down. The Hummingbird’s Daughter is a fantastic story of knowledge, power, faith, family, and healing. It is also a story of Mexico, steeped in history, wonderful food, cowboys, outlaws, and corrupt government officials.

Luis Alberto Urrea has written a grand story based on the life of his great Aunt Teresita. It is a wonderful tale of a woman achieving knowledge about her own gifts as well as the pain and power that accompanies such an endeavor, for Teresita’s gifts aren’t of the pedestrian variety. They are miracles and mysteries, the kind that illicit the distrust of the government and devotion of the masses.

As we watch Teresita grow up, learning the ways of the curandera, we also watch Mexico change. There are new people and new ways of living: some of which are simple, like the difference between a corn tortilla and wheat, others undermine and uproot all that has been known – like the simple dusty life in small rural towns.

It is part history, part fairy tale, and entirely absorbing and interesting. I learned much about our neighbor to the south while also exploring what it means to have incredible faith and devotion. As someone who is deeply spiritual but hardly religious, I enjoyed learning about the Mexican traditions that combine a bit of mysticism with Catholicism.

Thankfully, too, the text is beautifully crafted – easy to read, full of humor and wit, very easy on the eyes. I hope you think so, too.

Tags: Books

Inspired by Annie

January 23, 2009 in Loving, Reading, Spotlighting by Colleen | 3 comments

I read Annie Liebovitz book At Work a few weeks ago. Though I am not a professional, just happy to capture our everyday moments, I really enjoyed learning about how she came to be a photographer and the work itself – using strobe lighting, the various cameras, lenses, digital tricks, etc. Mostly, I liked the pictures.

As I was reading, I lamented a little on the fact that I would never likely be able to afford to have her photograph my family, but, then, as I thought about it, I decided that I could try to do something for us, Annie style.

Something I admire about her work is the quality of her not actually being there. I love the intimate photographs of people, those almost private moments. This is what I was going for in this photo. I like that we’ve just woken up and were both a bit disheveled. I like the light of the lamp and the way that Milo is itching to get away because that is really how it is at our house. We have these moments of great closeness, and then they are gone.