On Father's Day and duck tape wallets

For years Darrell has carried around a duck tape wallet made by Will.  It was plain, gray, and starting to fall apart,  but Darrell still used it even though he was sure to get some strange looks or an interesting conversation.
This year, for Father's Day, Will updated his design, including a transparent pocket (on the right) to hold a driver's license. Included in the updated design was a bold new look with designer duck tape.
Now Darrell has a new wallet to carry. I'm sure this one will provide as much entertainment as the last. Happy Father's Day, Darrell!

Photo Contests

This photo, captioned The Belt, was featured in the Awkward Holiday Photo contest last year. Sadly, it didn't win. (We're still trying to figure out what it was over Jeanne's right shoulder.)










But when AFP announces its Awkward Vacation Photo contest, I think I have a winner.




And let's not forget Awkward Piano Recital.

When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer

When I heard the learn'd astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide,
and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with
much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.

—Walt Whitman

Cardinal fans span generations

I'm reposting a blog entry written by my husband after the Cards won the Series this year. Thanks, Cards, for a great post-season ride.

A poem by e.e. cummings

maggie and milly and molly and may

by e.e. cummings

maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach (to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles, and

milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles: and

may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

If you've lived in the Ozarks for any length of time, you'll realize that this isn't just a cliché. It's a way of life. Case in point, this shirt. It was not just any shirt—it was one of D's favorites. At first glance, you might not even notice that the yellow on front was mustard. You might just think it was part of the design.



But try looking a little closer.



Still can't tell?

Originally a white t-shirt with a blue screenprint, it was defaced by a huge drop of mustard at a barbecue. The stain set and became impossible to get out. It would have been easy to just replace it with another shirt. The only problem—D really liked this shirt. So, thinking outside the box, D decided to make the mustard part of the design of the shirt, and Voila!

For some reason, it reminds me of a map of the world.

Baseball, 2011

Dust, the clink of the bat, nothing distracts him
from the work that must be done.
Guarding third base with focused concentration.
he’s a different player from last year.

Last year, he first became a King midway through the season.
This year, he’s been there from the start.

Last year, his uniform was much smaller.
This year, it seems as if he’s grown three feet.

Last year, the love of the game was only part of the reason he played.
This year, it is the reason he plays.

Last year, those hot summer nights at the ballfield seemed to last forever.
This year, I know that they'll be over too soon.

Time, the blink of an eye, everything reminds me
that these summer days, his childhood, won’t last forever.
Sitting on the bleachers with focused concentration,
I realize he’ll be a different player next year.




(All photos, courtesy Aaron McGrath)