Foos & a Rothko.
Foos marveling at Minerva Visiting the Muses on Mount Parnassus by Claude Lorrain.
Both of these were taken at the Cummer Museum, by Seth. Happy Weekend!
SaveSave
jacksonville
168
Foos finally turned 6 last month. We never do huge parties; normally its a cake, piñata, pizza, goodie bags at the park. It’s strategic on my part, I posit that if I go crazy every year, she is going to expect crazy every year and sometimes that is simply not possible. We are poor, so I like to keep expectations low, haha. If we exceed them that is great, if not there is no disappointment. This year was an even more low key affair, it was just cake and family. And you know what? She loved it just as much. I baked a version of this rainbow layer cake with candy surprise. I subbed the candy well in the middle with all kinds if different sprinkles (easier to chew) and it was a big hit and very beautiful. If you are going to try it, do follow the instructions and give yourself time to bake everything. I wasn’t happy while baking the cake until 10 pm after work, but the next day I appreciated that effort because it made things a thousand times easier.
This was also the birthday where I realized her family and friends know her so well. Though she would have loved whatever, and I always say get her what you want when people ask, she didn’t receive any frivolous toys. Instead she was gifted lots of science kits, books, clothes, a zoo membership, a candy making class, a subscription to kiwi box. All things that she needs and align with her interests. It was wonderful, and added to the feeling I already have that she is truly everyone’s child.
Happy birthday, Foos!
167
We spent our fourth piled together in different rooms of the apartment. Baked cookies and dog treats. Put up with some sass from my girl who did not appreciate me correcting her spelling of ‘etymology’ and who at some point declared that I “didn’t understand her sarcasm.” My daily dose of panic came when she choked on a piece of bacon while eating breakfast (America!), made even worse by the fact that I watched Okja the night before and was already feeling guilty about said bacon. Though we haven’t been feeling particularly patriotic lately, we were invited to a beach house by a friend, went, and had a fantastic time. Life often feels like the strangest of all experiences, but I am glad I get to do it with these people.
photos: karmathartic
166
Foos & the Fox from Seth on Vimeo.
I wanted to share this beautiful video Seth made of Foos reading and enjoying The Little Prince about two months ago. June 29th would have been Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s 117th birthday. My friend and fairy godperson, Stephanie, got her a pristine copy of that book earlier this year and she finally got around to read it. I made the mistake of letting her see the movie before she read the book and had to field about a thousand questions about the discrepancies between the two. Even so, it was truly a treat to see her enjoy it and engage with it so much.
158
We participated in the Women’s March on Jacksonville yesterday. The march was moving, and diverse; I was grateful to participate with my partner, daughter, and friends. The organizers were expecting a few hundred people and 3,000 showed up! The minute we got out of the car Foos started her chants, even though we were waiting for friends and nowhere near the march route. Her little chants of “women’s rights are super cool!” and “RBG! RBG!” while holding up her “Destroy the Patriarchy” sign had a lot of cars slowing down and many strangers smiling. This was what I needed after the disappointment of the election, the feeling of having a common goal and the support of so many people. All the photos were taken by Seth.
(except for this one! this photo of Foos was taken on my iPhone, ha!)
144
Foos admiring a terrarium by my personal succulent whisperer, Stephanie, of Sunshine Succulents. Can you spot the Bigfoot hanging out in there? Unfortunately these will not stay with me forever, they are center pieces for her upcoming wedding. Our apartment is basically a box with a million widows = we make good foster parents for her succulent babies. These terrariums test my impulse to want to water the shit out of all of my plants daily, so having them around is almost meditative. Plans to go see Kubo and the Two Strings were aborted, so I’m off to making calzones with pizza dough well past its sell by date, and to bake the obligatory pumpkin muffins, because, autumn (these!).
143
142
Apologies for the lack of posts recently. After 8 faithful years my super mac quit this life, said a prayer, and is currently in purgatory located in a dark corner of our apartment. She will be there until I figure out how to dispose of her safely. Not having a computer has been great in many ways. For example, because we are the kind of assholes who also don’t have cable, I am no longer privy to the minutiae of every day news. Now I only see something if its really, really important. Which, though a small boon, has decreased the amount of anxiety unrelated to my personal life significantly. A new computer will be had soon, in the meantime enjoy this cinemagraph Seth made of me swinging my flintstonesque feet while sitting on our dining room table. You’re welcome.
141
138
Our favorite librarian, Erin, recommended we check Creaturepedia out. We did and foos loves it! She loves it so much she has to take it with her when she goes for bike rides with her dad; so much she sat on the sofa and read it cover to cover the minute we got home. I love it too — I want every illustration framed or tattooed on my face. Creaturepedia manages to be informative, whimsical, and incredibly beautiful. We don’t own it yet, though we did buy a copy as a gift for someone else, but we added to the amazon wish list pile. Happy reading!
Photos: Seth – www.karmathartic.com
Crooked Teeth Collective 