coffee mug of the day

I never go for the same mug to pour my freshly brewed coffee into.  Something that I became aware of this morning while saying to myself, “Which coffee mug today, I wonder?”

I woke up to the sound of hammering.  They are cleaning out the house next door.  I sat up in bed, climbed out, put my roommates comfy blue fluffy sweater on, (thanks for letting me borrow it, blonde headed friend), and walked straight to the kitchen.  I opened the blinds to let some morning white light in, white because of the grey clouds that cover the sun’s yellow light.  I filled the automatic teakettle with water then flipped its switch to get the boiling started.  I reached for the coffee beans and the coffee grinder above the refrigerator.  Mmmmmm….there is nothing like the smell of coffee beans.  After grinding it, I poured the bean’s soil into the glassed french press.   Once the water was boiled, I poured it into the french press and watched the fight happen between the grounds and the piping hot liquid until they both surrendered and came to a stop.  I let it steep.  Now came the critical part of my coffee making experience……

“Which mug today, I wonder?”  I can’t tell you why exactly I do this but I can say picking out the right mug to pour a fresh cup of coffee into is a fun completing factor to the new day that has begun with a cup of coffee made by my very own hands.

So, I poured the warm caffeinated drink into the mug of the day and today it became the “dad” mug.  The word, DAD, is painted onto the mug’s off white background while the handle is shaped like a pipe that a grandfather would be holding in his mouth while sitting in his creaky wooden rocking chair.  I do not know why I chose that mug today and then a different one yesterday but what I do know is that it sat well with my soul and allowed the warm liquid sitting in the mug to slide down my throat and immediately warm my insides and also awaken me for the day’s happenings that lay in front of me….

Cheers darlin' and top of the mornin' to you as well!;) 

just a small love letter to the sun

I woke up this morning to the sun streaming through my window blinds.  

I smiled.

You do not realize how much you miss something until it has been gone for a while.  Although, I have enjoyed these wintery snow white days,  I miss the spring....where I can step outside simply dressed, hear the birds chirping, feel the sun's warmth on my face, and smell the flowers blooming in the bright green grass.  I desire kisses from the sun on my nose, both my cheeks, and my forehead.....just enough color to look alive!

I miss you, dear sunshine.  I look forward to your warm return.  You will be welcomed with open arms and a wide smile!

white noise

While I was going to sleep last night, my ears were drowned by white noise. You know, the noise that is made up of no noise at all! My ears were burning for the sounds of the big city….the constant echos that I heard when I slept high in the New York hotel room. Those sounds comfort me. They make me grateful for being safe, cozy, and warm inside and in bed while knowing there are still people up and about. It gives me a sense of security knowing these people are up. It’s almost as if they are keeping watch over me.

So, I tuned my ears to start listening for the streets of my 12th South neighborhood. Yes, just a little bit smaller than the city of NY, but when it is quiet throughout the house and the only noise you hear is white noise and the occasional automatic heater turning on and off......then the tones and the humming of my neighborhood start to sound like a city that may never actually sleep.

And I feel safe and find myself drifting off into la-la land.......

ramen soup

in the middle of february, cozy on the couch in my nashville, tennessee home, watching a documentary on some local musicians and my friend sitting next to me eating ramen soup.

gray, glooming, sleepy and 28 degrees outside.  it snowed a couple days ago and there is still some white powdered evidence on the ground.  it is 11am and I am still in my pajamas and holes have definitely made their home in my green boot slippers that fit loosely on my feet.

days like this make me think and get excited about summer and the life it gives by living in the sun under the blue skies and running on the green ground……but days like this also make me grateful for the rest and the sweetness of just being and enjoying winter’s melancholy mood……

days like this calls for ramen soup……

Badger

 My name is Badger.....

"I am my own parade."

I met Badger at Ugly Mugs in East Nashville.  You may have seen him or have even met him.  Ugly Mugs is his hangout spot and many people do enjoy talking to him.  And I can see why!  He is an open book and is not afraid to tell it as it is.  

  He caught my eye after seeing him sitting outside creating a wire artifact while smoking his homemade cigarette out of a crazy looking cigarette holder you can see in the photo above.  

Born in Wisconsin, a high school graduate, he was kicked out of the army because of his fight for peace not war and in his very own words, "by the end of working in the army, I was saying 'yes sweetheart' instead of 'yes sir'!"  He has traveled the USA, making his art, never knowing exactly where he will live, making friends, making enemies (mostly with the government and/or authorities), and has ended up in Nashville where he lives above a half renovated basement which he says is more like a gaping hole that the home above will eventually ca-lapse in to.  He has been in jail several times after using government's "waste" such as broken cement and drift wood to make sculptures but also making his home in the New Orleans' "wastelands".  

  Badger's story was very fascinating! I ended up standing in the cold for maybe an hour and found both of my feet totally frozen.  Before I went back inside, I asked him what his dreams were as of right now or goals and this is what he said....

"I would like to build galleries in different cities where artists can perform and/or display their art in; a place where artists can also sleep and be fed and then travel to the next city where they can do it all over again."

I think he is onto something.....

"I like to say I have many personalities which are crazy and out there in and of themselves.....and that is why I call myself Badger.  I might even legalize it one day!"