Monday, February 21, 2022

Glad I Blog

Willow. She lays eggs that are blue green. Pretty, like her.

This year, so far, I've been blogging a lot. A lot a lot. It's partly the safety valve thing, where I can let off some steam, sort my feelings/thoughts/desires. It also helps me, later, because I keep track of things. Seriously! The blog has become our own Wiki page of family history, and we refer to our archives often. It's a gratitude journal, where I can center my thoughts on the best moments, the pleasures and good things that make up my days, and revisit those good things, too. It's a meeting place, and while this has been kind of hit and miss as far as statistical success, I am glad that I can connect with people I know, people I am getting to know, people far away, and it's free from ads, agendas, demands, expectations, deadlines. No one has to read Chickenblog, and I don't have to post, or justify nor explain why I write, or what I write. This experiment or exercise, this long letter, open journal... whatever this is, Chickenblog will be 20 years old, soon. If you are a regular CB reader, brace yourself! I will not be able to resist getting very sentimental, and reflecting some, on this strange journey. And even though I have known some frustrations and disappointments, foremost in my thoughts are all of the amazing connections, friendships, gifts, exchanges, and benefits I have enjoyed through Chickenblog. Maybe those are the posts and memories I should share and reflect on... a trip down memory lane of all the times I have been blessed and honored and surprised by the goodness of connections made over the Internet. I have a particular curiosity about behavior and culture, about changes in culture, and so I think that the experiment of blogging, for me, for society, has been fascinating, and now in the midst of a global pandemic, there are new and stranger elements to observe and process... at its best, it's all been amazing, and strange. I think we will be processing these years for the rest of our lives. I am kind of glad I have been, low-key, taking notes.

Geoff needs a vacation, friends. He needs to get away, literally, figuratively, magically. Max, too. Max might take early retirement. That's how I put it, sympathetically kidding, when I see that he's entered the work world in a very unprecedented and exacting way. He likes his work, and appreciates everything, but it's been strange and strenuous. They both are doing a lot, and working from home, as good as the benefits are, is not without some challenges. Fortunately, Max has D & D for sanity and balance, and Geoff has been escaping through creative expression, like assembling watch faces and framing them under glass. I call his piece "Face Time." He has more art plans, extensions of his earlier works, his Art Blocks. My own creative pursuits have been... well, they have not been. I am stuck in a long dry spell, but I am toying with the idea of making our backsplash, around the bath sink, a mosaic. But probably not. I can't decide. I do like looking at the glass and tiles and stuff. A vacation might do us all some good.

Bird House Notes:To all of the people not masking... please cover your face when you cough, sneeze. Please don't wipe your nose over and over again, and then use the same hand to grab merchandise off the shelf, and put it back, over and over again. You are old enough to know better. You are... well, gross. I imagine we are all gross, unwittingly, from time to time, but can't we please make an effort to keep these viruses, fluids, droplets, contaminants, cooties, to ourselves? It's so disheartening how little we (collectively) seem to have internalized about caring for others. Sorry. This is not the kind of chirpy news I like to share, but good grief: I just had to vent. February 21, 2022

6 comments:

Ruth said...

I'm glad you blog, too. I have always wondered at your ability to write well so seemingly effortlessly. I don't understand what the clock faces are. Is that a poster? It's very cool, anyway. The Bird House notes....so well said.

Little Dorrit does... said...

Wow - the 'Face Time' piece is soooo beautiful - it's a perfect illustration of the saying "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts" isn't it? Hooray for the collector's eye!

The Art Blocks also blew my mind! They remind me of the found object assemblages/sculptures my Dad used to make (although Geoff's are more high-tech with the little screens). At one point in the mid-70s we lived near a saw-mill in upstate NY and he used to pick up discarded bits and chunks of wood and hand sand/carve them, make them into plinths/collage them together with other things he'd picked up. I can still picture one which had a bird (made from a sawdust and wood-glue mixture) perched on top.

It must be great to have 20 years of your blog to look back on, especially because it includes so much of your day-to-day life. It's a real family treasure trove.

P.S. I'm kinda hoping you go with the mosaic (just based on the photo of all the potential bits and pices that might go into it) but I'm sure whatever you decide on will be fab.

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

Ruth, if I had merit badges or made proclamations, you would be getting one... you have hung around from the beginning. Thank you for the support; you've been encouraging, kind.
Geoff has been collecting old things/odd things to use in projects, and these (watch faces from the Ukraine) he decided to affix to a velvet backing and frame. It does look like a poster, photographed top down like this!

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

Thank you, Amelia... on Geoff's behalf. I will be sure he sees your comment. What a great way of putting it, too, about the whole being greater. I am familiar with the expression, but you've made me really appreciate why it makes sense. And I am so glad you like those Art Blocks, because they are really cool, and I sort wish the whole world would take a moment to appreciate them. I am sure I have video of them on Instagram. Video really shows them off! Do you have any of your Dad's creations? I would love to see those. The process is as compelling to me as the results. I love that he was being creative and resourceful... it's such a gratifying combination!
I probably should have been braver or more patient. I went with a conventional option, and let Mike do the work. I think I was concerned that going at my pace, it would take *forever* to get done. Mike is almost done with all of the bathroom, and it's looking so pretty and polished. I think I will take all of my groovy odds and bits and make something fun, but It's a happy relief to see the bathroom so close to completion and looking good, too.

Janece said...

Geoff and your creations are so fun and inspiring! And the groovy odds and bits - you could create into a framed hanging piece of art for your bathroom... as an idea.

I can't wait to see the healthroom when it is finished. I'm so happy for you and Geoff to have a finished, intentional, welcoming space.

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

Thank you, Janece... it's super super close to completion. Actually, the heavy lifting is on me, now, because I need to restore everything from our bedroom and figure out what stuff is _worthy_ of going back into the healthroom!