Quotes + Sayings

A Suburban Sign Of Spring

/ Ally Bean / 16 Comments

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“So let it be written. So let it be done.”

~ Yul Brynner Rameses, The Ten Commandments

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As I was driving back into our subdivision late Saturday afternoon, I came upon a traffic jam.  This is unusual because unlike some subdivisions, we have different ways in and out of this area.

As I sat there, not moving, I wondered what the hold-up was all about.

Then I saw the sign.  It was a handwritten sign, propped up against some large blue + white Coleman coolers.  The sign explained it all.  It said:

LEMONADE

Around this sign + coolers were three adorable, yelling, jumping entrepreneurs who had set up their lemonade stand in such a way as to get business from the traffic coming toward them in three directions.  

These were clever girls.  With oodles of energy– and the persuasive powers of a pharaoh.

So, like all the other dutiful suburbanites in the cars ahead of me, I bought some lemonade– which turned out to be red fruit punch.  And being of a kind nature, I purchased a large cup for 75¢– which was a half-filled 16 oz plastic cup.  And then, because service with a smile is so rare these days, I tipped the young entrepreneurs 33%.

Some people may believe that Spring arrives when nature says it is the right time, but for me it’s officially Spring when I spot my first lemonade stand and get suckered into buying a cup.

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Happy Spring, everyone!  It is finally here.

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2 Movies, 2 Books & 1 Inspirational Quote

/ Ally Bean / 20 Comments

As part of my attempt to live a more balanced life in 2013, I have given myself the assignment to watch 2 movies and to read 2 books each month.  Here is my March report.

2 Movies

Butter – Satirical + jumbled.  With Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde, Rob Corddry, Alicia Silverstone and Hugh Jackman in it, this uneven movie has its moments– and those moments are hilarious.  All the action revolves around the Iowa State Fair butter carving competition– and the politics associated with it.  Recommended if you can overlook the mocking anti-conservative slant and want something light [and rather pointless] to watch.

How Beer Saved The World – Informative + upbeat.  This is a short, fast-paced documentary about beer.  The narration is wonderful, the cartoon reenactments of history are delightful and the interviews with academics are great.  Recommended if you like history and smart, happy people.

2 Books

Mad About Undead You: A Zombie Apocalypse Love Story – Clever + unique.  A  mad scientist miscalculates and suddenly San Francisco is overrun with former water drinkers turned zombies.  This is the backdrop for Carl S. Plumer’s fast-paced novel about love.  Yes, love.  With characters that could easily be your friends, this slightly campy novel is a different sort of love story that made me laugh out loud.  Recommended if you like San Francisco and enjoy a modicum of gore.  [H/T to Kristen at Kristen Loves Design for recommending this book– that just happens to be written by her husband!]

Things I Wish My Mother Had Told Me – Not what I expected.  I picked up this book thinking that I was buying a book of essays written by British mums a la Listen To Your Mother.  I was wrong.  Instead, Lucia van der Post’s book is a charming, well-written guide to living an upper class, stylish life in London or NYC.  I enjoyed it, but will admit that I skimmed through parts of it that seemed too high brow for me.  Recommended if you want detailed information about where to shop and how to create a glamorous lifestyle.

1 Inspirational Quote

Winston Churchill said: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”  I’m focusing on this quote because March was not the productive month that I had hoped it would be.  In fact, there were a few days when I wanted to crawl into bed and never come out again.  Nothing seemed to go right.  With the weather.  With how I felt.  With what I said.  With what I planned on doing.

In other words, March, one of my favorite months, was a bust.  But then I remembered this Churchill quote and figured that for me the lesson of March 2013 was to just keep going.  Which I did.

I’m Twinkling Here, Said The Crow

/ Ally Bean / 37 Comments

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“Twinkle, twinkle little star,

How I wonder what you are!

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.”

~ traditional English lullaby [from a poem by Jane Taylor (1783-1824)]

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“Twinkle, twinkle little bat,

How I wonder what you’re at!

Up above the world you fly,

Like a tea-tray in the sky.”

~ Lewis Carroll [or the Mad Hatter, if you will]

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“Twinkle, twinkle little crow,

How I wonder what you know!

Up above the deck so high,

Like an ominous evil eye.”

~ Ally Bean [blogger extraordinaire who likes to rhyme]

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PLEASE NOTE: It has been brought to my attention that the stupid birds in these photos are not crows.  These birds are something called TURKEY VULTURES.  So, with the help of Zen-Den, I have rewritten my verse to accurately reflect this fact.  Here goes:

“Twinkle, twinkle turkey vulture, 

How I wonder what’s your culture.

Up above the deck so high,

Like an ominous evil eye.”

Are You Reeling In The ‘Burbs?

/ Ally Bean / 21 Comments

“The weekend at the college, Didn’t turn out like you planned.  The things that pass for knowledge, I can’t understand.” 

~ Steely Dan, “Reeling In The Years”

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So my weekend didn’t go as I planned.

First, there wasn’t any sunlight which meant that we couldn’t seal the granite counters and tumbled stone backsplash in the kitchen.  This is an annual project that we do at the beginning of March.  It takes two days in all to get it done– AND it requires sunlight to get it done right.  Naturally, it being the first weekend in March I had planned on doing this project, but Mother Nature, she be fickle.

So we didn’t do it.

Then second, I didn’t feel good– as in intestinal distress and a sore throat.  So my plan for us to attend the home show was a no-go.  The last place I wanted to be was in the middle of a huge convention center, surrounded by people and strollers.  I could only envision the worst possible scenario with me needing a bathroom now– and no fast way to get to one.

So we didn’t go.

But the weekend wasn’t a total bust.  Zen-Den watched basketball [*yawn*] and various movies that were on TV.  Movies like The Karate Kid and Catch Me If You Can and Lady and the Tramp.  While I drank hot tea, huddled in blankets and advanced to Level 15 [of 16 levels] on my iPad Tetris game.

So there’s that. 

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What did you do this past weekend?  Something exciting?  Or were you as dull as we were? 

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