RSS feedJuly, 2011
It makes the heart stop…
By Silver Blue
…literally.
People! Enough is enough.
I realize that Americans will deep fry anything, and I don’t want to think of the increased sodium content of fried pickles (though even mainstream US restaurants such as Texas Roadhouse have them on the menu), and corn “nuggets” are just another name for corn “fritters”; bologna is a processed deli meat already high in sodium, and then to top it off with whatever a “brownie delight” is makes it sound like this is an advertisement for open heart surgery.
Good thing this “drive up” was located directly across from a hospital, yes? I snapped this photo in July 2008, in Hardin County, Ohio.
Silver Blue, who says “most” things in moderation … but this? I’ll even pass on the “moderation” bit and skip straight to the …thanks but not thanks section.
There must have been some magic…
By Silver Blue
….in that old blue hat he found…
Yes, an honest-to-goodness BLUE Santa hat. Found it at Wal-mart of all places. I’d like to think it helped bring a little happiness to some lives this past year. The magic of it’s gone now (or at least recharging for the next season, LOL!), but for a short moment… everything was right in the world as long as that hat was on my head.
Silver Blue, who is ready for summer to be over.
Things that make me happy…
By Silver Blue | 1 comment
1….when I’m feeling less like my usual Silver Blue self.
There’s my wine bottle covers from a coworker, and silk artwork from China:
(I name all my computers. The plate the the middle was from “Blue Thunder”, two laptops ago.)
Then, there’s my stained glass Valknuts. Valkwhats you say?
Custom made by an artist in Florida. (The Valknut (or Warrior’s Knot, or Knot of the Fallen) is a Sacred Symbol to Odin, King of the Nordic Gods. This “Magical Knot” was self-carved into the breasts of wounded Viking Warriors so their Souls would be carried, by the Valkyries, to Valhalla, the Heavenly Meeting Hall where the heroes would feast with their Gods forever. However, one would be mistaken to associate this symbol solely with the bloody Vikings. Norse legends harken back to a a long forgotten age where… “Life was considered the ‘battlefield’ of the Soul, and to triumphant one had to overcome the forces of darkness in one’s own life, allowing the spirit to shine…the triple triangles of Mind, Body, and Spirit leads the Higher Self to Victory over Darkness, bringing Resurrection and Rebirth.*)
Finally:
French Sauternes (a quite expensive dessert wine — the half bottle shown here can cost upwards of $100), and my Cobalt Waterford crystal wine hock.
Silver Blue, who is going back to bed, and going to shake this lethargy and malaise if it’s the last thing I do on this Earth!
(* From a bifold, Original Design by Kano Diebitsch, Copry (sic) 11-2008, puzzleringsbypepi.com)
Your life is a canvas, the colours are you…*
By Silver Blue | 1 comment
1One of the things I enjoy most in the world through my eyes is the variety of colours that Mother Nature provides. Something as simple as the changing of the leaves can buoy my heart.
From several Autumns ago, Mother Nature puts on her true colours. This, before the temps plummeted, turning us all… blue.
Speaking of blue, as you know, it’s one of my favourite colours. Hence, my mantel, decked out in my favourite cobalt. Some find blue to be a cold, icy colour, but I don’t. I find it calming, serene, soothing.
Silver Blue, who knows that there’s more to the rainbow than a pack of Skittles.
(*”White Canvas,” a-ha: “Stories are painted in lines on your face — misunderstandings and little mistakes…a chance to start over is all that it takes….you know if you do, your life is a canvas, the colours are you…”)
Left broken, empty, in despair…
By Silver Blue
…wanna breathe, can’t find air…*
History is slowly fading from view across America. Businesses are going under, and their buildings, instead of being repurposed, are being torn down.
Growing up, my summer was spent in my grandmother’s town of Kenton, Ohio.
One of the stores was an F. W. Woolworth’s, that went under long before the actual demise of the chain.
For years, it sat, like this:
Windows boarded up, or painted over. What would it have looked like had it still been open?
This was a primitive attempt, in April 2000, to recapture the look. I could do better these days, but hey, I was in my learning phase then.
What did it look like inside? How badly had the building deteriorated?
Gee. Thanks. I can see a heck of a lot. How about some fill light?
Grainy, but better. Sad. Is that … water on the inside of the building?
Alas, indeed it is. Anything of value had been stripped from the inside (including some things NOT of value, like the floor tile — necessary, for asbestos abatement, of course. But this was spelling the beginning of the end). Even though the building really wasn’t architecturally “significant”, you can bet that it was structurally sound, and quite solid when built, unlike the shell buildings of today.
All that’s left now, however (as of 2008, when I was last in Kenton, for my grandmother’s funeral), is a parking lot:
They say you can’t go back, anymore than you can stop the wind from blowing – you can’t change the changes going on…they say you can’t go back and you can’t stop the door from closing…once you’ve gone, you can’t go back home…**
Silver Blue, who misses the way things were.
(* “Left Outside Alone” by Anastacia, ** “You Can’t Go Back Home” by Sylvia)
When Irish Eyes are Smiling….
By Silver Blue
Love Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Love the park, love the rides, love the shows. Last year, they had a rather spritely show called Celtic Fyre. Your usual Irish Step dance, yes, but with an excellent cast, and setting:
The Irish Pub.
Your humble narrator, who not only sang the introduction, but also kept the story rolling.
All in a circle, and spin!
I know it has to be hard to keep this kind of enthusiasm, show after show, day after day, month after month. But these are professionals, and they really seem to be enjoying what they do.
Somehow, my memory fails me as to what this scene was, but I guarantee you the narrator was NOT saying “I am not a crook!”
I lucked out, and was selected to sit right on the edge of the stage for the performance. The only regulation was: no flash. No problem. 🙂
Slán go fóill (Goodbye for now)…
Silver Blue, who is lost in Smaointe… (A thought…)
Give us this day…
By Silver Blue
….our daily bread.
No, silly, not prayer bread. Tasty bread. Nourishing bread. Yeasty bread. The kind of bread that comes in a bread basket.
Being bored at a lecture can set the eyes wandering, which can be a good thing if you’ve access to a camera.
Silver Blue, reminding you that life’s a buffet. Take only what you plan on finishing, however. If in doubt, sample, but don’t overload your plate.
Christmas in July?
By Silver Blue
Well, not exactly. But I’ve decided the next best thing would be to go back in timespace and share an event from Christmas 2010 – the Holiday Lights at the Botanical Gardens, Norfolk, VA. I hope you enjoy them.
[wposflv src=https://www.eyesofsilverblue.com/video/xmasjuly.flv previewimage=”https://www.eyesofsilverblue.com/eosb-bird.jpg” bgcolor1=DFDFDF]
Silver Blue, who still sometimes, with the wonder as seen through the eyes of a child, feels that it might actually be the most wonderful time of the year.
We’re two of a kind, Silence & I…
By Silver Blue | 1 comment
1…we need a chance to talk things over….*
It’s a tradition in my house to “turn down” a place setting (as the far place setting is done, here) in honour of those who cannot be at the table with me, and in honour of those who are no longer with us. A way of remembering. A small, seemingly insignificant action, but one that happens at every dinner I host, every holiday I celebrate, every get together that I participate in. A moment of silence is given while we think of those we love.
Silver Blue, who knows that with Silence & I, we’ll find a way to work it out….*
* (“Silence & I”, Alan Parsons Project, Eye In The Sky)
Gifts from the sea
By Silver Blue
Something about home cooking that can’t be touched with ordering take-away, or cooking from cans. Here, we have baked scallops (with a panko bread crumb topping), and a melange of baby corn, snow peas, and broccoli.
No heavy sauces, no obscure ingredients. Just good, simple food, full of flavour, and healthy. What have YOU done to thank your body today?
Silver Blue, who is on his sixth litre of water today…talk about flushing the pipes! LOL!
RSS