.380 day 355

bare me. ratty t-shirt and hair pulled back. a forced fast from specific technologies. my phone, my computer, getting way too much of my energy. i began on this day. no junk foods. exercise. yoga. morning prayers. stillness. being 'present' with my toddler, versus, just being...here.

there is a line in one of my favorite films (2 days in paris) where marion, a french photographer, says, "by constantly taking photos, you're taking yourself out of the moment". you're removed from the experience because you're solely viewing it through a lens. on some level, i agree. there must be balance. a way to savor and snap your experiences from a distant, yet, immediate place. on another level, i don't. as i've been able to see some moments in such a light, it's like seeing them for the very first time.

this challenge is/was great. its forced me to experience life, daily, through a lens. but not so great when i am overly concerned with meeting my quota and not as concerned with seeing things at all. so...i took a necessary break. i still snapped daily and jotted down a few words down for memory sake, but i didn't edit and i didn't upload. un-synced my instagram and deleted every social app from my off of my phone. 7 days letter, i am returning to this challenge, as it's nearing its end, to begin to say goodbye to it. i'm excited. my blog will just be my blog again. no challenges. no format. no conformity. no rhythm. and most importantly for the sagittarius in me: no commitment.

.379 day 354

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one of my greatest fears...is my child growing up...here.

.375 day 350

(i had to search to find some "before" photos)

i followed the natural, irregular pattern of the original design

 but i'm thinking of lengthening the right stitch for symmetry. 

(though, i kinda like the artsy, hand-sewn, non-symmetry of it all)

i've used nail polished before to paint on sunglasses. 

works even better on fabric and doesn't wash out.

.374 day 349

yesterday's fmsphotoaday theme was "in the background". 

i end up using the second one, with the little monkey blurred in the background.

i had to use the first two pics i shot, because toots snatched them away dramatically  before i could take any more. 

"these are MY monkeys"! 

(for the record: only one of them is hers, but, in a toddler's mind, everything is theirs...because they SAID SO)

.373 day 348

pre-run of my block's upcoming flea market was cut short due to the massive amount of bees swarming above us. a hive, bigger than a basket ball, teetering pretty close to falling, went undetected by anyone for the entire summer. undetected, until now, due to it's weight pushing a branch it's built upon lower to human view. if it falls, we're all up shits creek. a hive this large houses hundreds, close to one thousand, bees at a time, bees that will be hella pissed at whoever is closes when it drops. so, we packed up what didn't sell and postponed 'til after labor day. toots is probably the only one super happy about that, as she was boldly reluctant about selling toys and cars and clothes she's grown out of to anybody. 

i was able to get a picture of the cutest, furriest baby bee on a flower bed in the front of my lawn. 

i've never seen a baby bee until now. they don't even have stingers, yet.

we call her 'cousin essie'. not due to actual relation, but to her southern flare of familiarity. 

jeffrey a.k.a mystikal

(i wonder if he tires of me calling him that)

if there is any neighborhood pow-wow in the morning, you're sure to find kim with a mug of coffee in her hands.

finally got a picture of kim's illusive teenager, c.j. 

yup, good ol' uncle harold again. 

we're headed to my cousin-in-laws birthday dinner as soon as i get dressed.

(if i can focus enough to actually do so)

the first leg of revamping these boring canvas slip-ons. 

i added that button today, by tomorrow, they will be a whole different pair of shoes.

pics coming soon.

update: click 'here' to see finished product.

.372 day 347

he was my favorite uncle growing up and now, he's tootie's favorite, too.

in my family, there is no child, grown or growing, who doesn't love my uncle harold. a pisces, like both my parents, he has a unique gift of forming exclusive bonds that makes every one of us feel like we're his favorite, too. for one cousin, he was her silent hero, sneaking her away from school to attend her paternal grandmother's funeral when her mother wouldn't allow it. this is who my uncle is. an unsung hero who has no idea his impact on us all. a war vet who, after vietnam, returned to the states scarred, tainted and broken. he spent years battling demons and we spent years battling with him, and he never ceased to being our personal champion.  

for me, he is the sixties. he breathes the seventies. every struggle and every triumph of those eras rest in his stride. he gave to me my first and only authentic copies of a black panther newspaper and a vintage life magazine featuring a grieving coretta scott-king on the cover. he listened quietly, eyes closed, head nodding when i learned my first few guitar chords and clapped smoothly, proudly, when i finished.

these days he's everybody's favorite everything. if he isn't baby-sitting one of his 10+ grandchildren, he's over our house mowing lawns, fixing pipes, reorganizing our garage, killing spiders, moving furniture and doing whatever anyone needs with no hesitation. upon cleaning, i came upon a pile of vhs tapes stored in the basement and knew that only he would share my same excitement. as we rummaged through them, pulling out classics and reminiscing over memories, toots jumped and rolled and flipped in the background screaming out to her "uncle hawol" to watch her toddler performances. i smile. another generation of babies to love him even more than we do. he is that blessed. because he is that great.

he's such a beautiful weirdo. him and my father were a lot alike.

their birthdays a day apart, they are, both, recklessly free spirits who offer the world too much of themselves.

they actually lived together for a while. that's how cool he was: he shared an apartment with his sister's (my mom), then, boyfriend.

he bought over a recent newspaper highlighting my cousin char (above) cleaning and primping and planting a brighter tomorrow.

(she calls me her "littles", and at 32, i still blush every time that she does)