Penny Commerce

Ella will remember the Ice Cream Man.  We never had one, because I grew up on the edge of the hood, in the 70s, where a fella with iced goodies and a pile of money might get shanked.  We did have a little convenience store up the street called Park-It-Market and someone tried to rob it once but the owner was a black belt and he beat the crap out of the robber and held him until the police came and nobody ever tried it again.  The place is still there, though I don't know if John still owns it.  In grade school, I used to get $1.00 every day for an .85cent lunch.  I'd save the other .15cents ever day and on Friday I'd take my .75cents up to Park-it Market and pour over the candy.  I could afford two .35cents candy bars or one candy bar and six smaller candies.  A Peppermint Patty was always in there, and the smaller stuff was crap like Bottle Caps, Laffy Taffy, and Bazooka Joe Bubble Gum.   But on very rare occasions, I'd buy just one whole bag of circus peanuts using up all the money.  I never could save up two weeks at a time.

Childhood Memory

Goody Two Cups

I was supposed to take a photo of a bad habit. Since it seemed too difficult to capture myself yelling "Shit!" in front of the children, I opted to turn to the few cups of coffee which without, I get seriously crabby. (I know lame, but the truth is I'm too tired to try to make a habit out of things that are bad for me.)

Fruit

I've taken soo many photos, my old Casio Exilim 7.2 is busting at the seams.  It doesn't always turn on and the battery only stays in when the little door is shut because the piece that holds it in broke off.  I always liked that it fit in my pocket and turned on super fast allowing me to get pretty good pictures because the action is fast and even the flash is pretty fast.  But I've always thought the quality was sort of poor.  I think I was spoiled by my clunky old Fuji.



My Fuji Finepix 4700,  I pulled it back out to take photos of my dying camera, and I snapped this one of Jack and confirming it's quality is better.  It uses hexes instead of square pixels and creates a clearer image with less computing (2.4MP.)  It also has a higher ISO which I love, especially snapping a busy toddler.






I took today's photo with my phone but I intend to do some wonderful things with my trusty hex-pixeled Fuji.

First Plumb

Art Cars at Trader Village

From a low angle

 

Little Jack Corner

Jack likes to sit on my art box and look out the window.  It's his quiet thinking spot.  It's not often he is still and reflective.  Like his uncle Joe, he is usually either going full blast or sleeping.  I like that he has a place he's decided is his own.

Partly Sunny

Something Green

Because of the drought, there is a lawn watering restriction in effect.  I don't mind, it's less lawn maintenance when the grass doesn't grow.  Though playing in the yard worries me because it's not as soft and lush as I'd like.  Oh, the sad problems of the first world I deal with.  I hope for rain.

I only have one thing I do in the day that is imperative and scheduled.  I mean of course it's important to upkeep the household and the health and well-being of the children, but if I skip folding the laundry there is none to yell at me but me. My only Monday through Friday must, is picking up the kid and the neighbor kids from school in the afternoon. It only takes ten minutes, unless it rains.  On days it rains, apparently, everyone runs around the school asking each other if they should let the kids go or not, despite the form I signed that said "the kid will not melt in the rain, nor will she shrivel up in the cold and I'll let her outrun the tornado if need be, just let her go out the door at the end of the day" or something like that.

Today I stood under a tree in the school yard trying to shield the baby from the freak ten minute monsoon blowing through by wrapping my body around him and his shivering blue lips while the grade schoolers peered out the window and across the field at their waiting and drenched parents.  After which they only released kids to the parents who trashed their shoes trudging across the big field of mud, with baby in arms and mascara running down their cheeks like a Tammy Faye Baker.  Yes, there was more than one of us that said to each other while walking up to the school "Oh look at this freak little grey cloud." "Maybe it'll rain for five minutes or so." "This could be fun!" and "Shouldn't be too bad.  Good for the plants."  

***

Middle Class Problems
First World Problems
First World Problems Rap

I Had to Make Some

Texas Clouds 09/28/11

What I Wore

Grey Shirt over white tank,
favorite grey mini skirt, red flats,
red hair tie, red sunglasses
and a one year old. 

Mercurial

Me 9/26/11

***

When the power goes out, everyone gathers up underneath me. Candles lit, we hold each other for a good long moment before everyone is calm.  I make a mental note to buy a big battery powered lantern and decide a game of Crazy Eights is in order.  I use a flash-light to find a deck of cards that the baby hasn't taken a bite from, all the while stepping over the dog who keeps manically placing herself at my feet.  We sit at the big dining room table and arrange candles.  Light is bouncing off the ceiling and fanning out over the room.  We play two hands of Eights and lose ourselves in conversation about how unfair second grade can be.  The baby is trying desperately to eat the seven of clubs.  We forget who's turn it is.  We run our hands quickly through the little flame and then dip the tips of our fingers in the candle.  I pepper the fun by telling a story about a kid getting hurt playing with fire.  We negotiate a group expedition to the bathroom and back.  We eat cake. We attempt another hand of Eights.  Every appliance in the house jumps on all at once and soon I am sitting among empty cake plates, finger prints cast in wax and abandoned playing cards.

30 Day Photo Challenge