Wizard of Oz Meets Foxy Loxy

It's not easy stepping in at the last minute

to play Uncle Henry in the Wizard of Oz.

but it certainly has its rewards!

Meanwhile, Carli doubled as a munchkin

and a flying monkey...

one of which Dorothy was (clearly) especially fond.

What a talented pair!

 (Meanwhile, in related showbiz news...

Bryce was no slouch as Foxy Loxy either.)

=)

photos by tendershootz

for more happiness, click below

CCR & 3 Dog Night? Outta Sight!

Three Dog Night was in rare form Friday evening.

After 42 years, the whole group is still together. And they sound great!

 Credence rocked it too, but only two of their members were originals.

 We LOVE this mountain venue near our home.

 The place is a winery by day and a theater by night...

 with lots of ambience (and a bit of magic) to spare.

Great views, too.

Except for this one, of course... *sigh*

We had lots of fun, but Friday had to be the coldest June night in California history, and I am not kidding. The wind was blowing like crazy, and the chill off the ocean was unbelievable. I had on my warmest coat with the hood up, was covered head to toe in a stadium blanket, and still froze to death. Human icicles filled the audience, and it is a testament to the talents of Three Dog Night and CCR that everyone stayed to the bitter(ly cold) end.

I suspect no one was sorry, either. (Just suffering from hypothermia.)

No worries. Frostbite was a small price to pay for the music Dave and I fell in love to...One Is the Loneliest Number, Mama Told Me Not To Come, Easy to Be Hard, An Old Fashioned Love Song, etc. from Three Dog Night...Suzie Q, Bad Moon Rising, Lodi, Down on the Corner, and so forth from CCR. Boy, did it ever take us back, waaaaay back, and we left with a heap of some old-time feeling that everything we could ever dream of lies before us...the one I used to think only the young can feel. 

Clearly, I was wrong. (Just call me Suzy Q.) Maybe the prospect of Dave's retirement at the end of this month is giving us some good joss!

=)

Curveball

I've been writing poems for the Centus almost every Saturday, so I'll go with a story this time. It's based on the experience of a nephew of mine, one who was married recently and has a great life ahead. His wife is pretty great, too. All's well that ends well, I guess...and sometimes, taking a hit can put you in scoring position. (The prompt, as always, is in red.)

∞§∞

Curveball
©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson

On the best day of Brian’s life, the Giants drafted him. He was the closer to end all closers––minor league––prospects of a rapid push to the majors. The kid’s arm was golden, and every manager knew it. AT & T Park beckoned.

His curveball won the AAA championship, sending Brian to Arizona for spring training. This was his shot; he was pitching lights out. Right up until the UCL injury.

 “You’ll come back stronger'n ever,” trainers said. “Tommy Johns did.”

Brian didn’t. The speed was gone; and before long, he was too. Closing the door for the last time, he looked around the locker room, memorized every detail.

You could have had it all, he whispered. You could have had it all.

∞§∞

You're still a great closer, Brian.
And now, you and your darling bride DO have it all.

Sue's Muse

Sue's Muse

I received quite a few private emails about yesterday's post, an old poem of mine entitled Cocooned, and I thank everyone for their interest in both me and the subject matter. Sad stuff is not the usual Sue's News fare, and I expect readers are used to coming away with a more upbeat feeling from my offerings.

The good news is that I am not in the midst of a life crisis (though I may well have been ten years ago, when the sonnet was written). In fact, Dave is retiring in three weeks, one of my sons will be spending eight weeks at home this summer, and another is visiting for the weekend. Credence Clearwater Revival and Three Dog Night are on the agenda for tonight (an outdoor concert), a BBQ is planned for tomorrow, the beach trip will be in full swing next month, and a grandchild's baptism is on the horizon. All is well in my world. And I hope it stays that way for a while!

Of course, me being me, I wound up spending large portions of yesterday musing about my creativity and where it takes me. It's true that I frequently write to inspire myself and others (partly because this blog is meant to be a legacy of thought for my progeny but also because I like to encourage people) so it's not surprising that yesterday's post would seem like a bit of a departure. Having said that, I am the most realistic of optimists, and I do like to get down and dirty now and again. The feeling of hopelessness is not one with which I am unfamiliar, and strong feelings never fail to inspire me. In fact, words and lines flow most freely when I am inhabiting either end of the emotional spectrum: the more extreme, the more easily expressed. For this writer and (I believe) most others, deep feelings fuel the fine frenzy that is writing.

Just as self-absorbed posts (this one, for instance) fuel fierce, fervent fits of f-related alliteration.

;)

Cocooned

Cocooned
©2003 Susan Noyes Anderson

He felt the world stop breathing yesterday,

and let the silence creep into his heart,

then watched as if his spirit stood apart,

recording every dream that fell away.

Dispassionate observer, cast in clay,

dazed witness to the finish of each start,

he marblized his suffering as art

gone cold, its prism colors turned to grey.

And when resuscitation came at last

(a sharp intake of breath, a gasp of air),

he sensed the life around him rushing past;

but he, cocooned within his self-styled snare,

could not escape the net that he had cast,

could not elude the teeth of his despair.




find more C posts below

Sand and Sea

The mysteries of sand and sea

mean just a little more to me

when viewed through Bryce and Carli's eyes

 before the sun deserts the skies.

 A football toss brings in some fun...

 a good laugh, ere the day is done...

and sweet reflections, by the shore...

unite these three, forevermore.

=)

photos by tendershootz

Let's Do Lunch

Klaus Enrique Gerdes

Let’s Do Lunch
by Susan Noyes Anderson

Come on and take a piece of me.

Just gnaw one off and have a chew.

I’m happy that I can provide

a meal so nourishing for you.

Tastes good, does it? Of course it does.

Sure, every inch of me is prime.

I’ve bloomed and ripened wonderfully.

Come back and bite me anytime.


A facetious poem 
for and by the recovering codependent.


;)

For Princesses Only, Please!

Saturday Centus is here again, and Jenny has decided to follow up last week's cropped photo prompt with the complete picture. In the first version, I interpreted the bottom half of the photo as a little girl playing dress-up and had some fun with it. But looking at the complete photo this week brought something else to the surface for me. 

∞§∞

Kindergarten is now in her past,

and this graduate’s having a blast.

But those heels mar my bliss.

It seems this little miss

may be trying to grow up too fast!

Some will think my concern overdone.

After all, she’s just having some fun.

But real shoes or pretend,

dressing older’s a trend.

Tots aren’t teens. Are we jumping the gun?

∞§∞

Am I just being old-fashioned here?

In my day, every girl worth her salt tried on Mom's shoes. 

But we didn't wear them to graduation.

Nor could we purchase mini versions of our own.

You see, the shoe stores didn't make them in our size.

Only toy stores did...for princesses only, of course.

(And even then, it was just a kitten heel.)