The Ciel Show

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Sunday, March 18, 2018

Alice in the news...

Remember little Alice, the black and white gerbil? She has been seeming a bit obstreporous of late, intent upon attacking her water supply. It is a moderate-sized test tube in a metal framework that keeps her from getting at the rubber stopper which would have no good done to it by her sharp little teeth. A glass tube, slightly curved, feeds water down through the stopper. It is about 3 inches long, and she can lick at the open end to get water. If you watch her at it, you will see a bubble rise... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 11:08 AM | add or view comments (2) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Life and Time

The sudden surge of the kids in the US raising their voices and acting on their convictions has raised memories from the days when my idealism was strong like theirs, when I despaired at not being heard, when I felt so much essentially wiser than the adults around me... Now, at the other end of the time-line, I love those kids, but also appreciate how life and time shape the child to the elder. I wrote this a few years ago, making my way back to the Northwest after dropping Charlie off at school... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 7:55 AM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Springing forward...

The doves have committed to another family-raising on my deck light fixture: there are eggs in the nest! This year I won't bother them so much, just have plans to set up a 3-panel wicker screen across the deck to give them more privacy. And there will be photos of this year's deck garden, as I have located the recharge cord for the camera at last, and it is powering up even now. Speaking of the deck garden, we are in another spring phase, with balmy temps not even reaching down to freezing... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 9:42 AM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Oh, and by the way... It's here!

The Tolkien-themed spring issue of Faerie Magazine arrived in my mailbox, full of lovely art, very interesting articles (Hobbit recipes, Elven hair-braiding, Alan Lee's artwork, one of the very best of those who have illustrated Tolkien's work)and, right there on page 53, my poem, SYMBELMYNE. That is the name of the white flower that grows over the tombs of the fallen kings and knights of Rohan, and its name means Evermind. Even here the glimmering simbelmyne grows in the ghostly pale green... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 12:25 PM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Dog and Cat

Yesterday morning I was downstairs taking a spider out of the bathroom with great care--a black widow who has been lurking in the trash basket for a while, by the size of her!--and heard Milo whining a little outside in Charlie's back yard. When I came upstairs, there he was, pawing on the glass door to my back yard, and grinning as he does... He must have leaped the 4' fence between the yards! Charlie had left Milo in the yard to have him around and contained while clearing out the garage, had... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 7:43 AM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

The next house

My daughter in the Seattle area and her husband have put in an offer on a house, now that one of the two they owned in the UK has sold. Since she first moved in with him back around 2001, I think, they have lived in six different homes. Every one has been Rather Nice, or at least Very Interesting. Several older houses they moved into with the intent of staying long enough to change some things, to rennovate and improve. So far, though, they have not stayed long enough in any of them for those... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 8:40 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Gardens in the morning

Yesterday and the day before I watched a British series about gardens: A well-known professional gardener helping people design and create new gardens around their homes. So not suprising that I dreamed of gardens, and had one in my head that begged to be drawn out when I woke, before it got away. So that happened this morning. During the drawing session, there was a THUMP! on my glass door beside the bed. I got up and opened the curtain... No one on the deck, but a definite pigeon-print on the... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 7:47 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Another lovely spring day

This year it has been alternating winter/spring all through January, February and March so far. The doves are making moves on the nest that sits on the light fixture on my deck--well out of the winds and precip, whatever it is, though the nosy neighbor leaves something to be desired. If they do raise a couple more chicks, I will again have to arrange the deck for the day they leave the nest. Last year, the time came that they were about ready to leave, but that very day the winds were so strong... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 7:16 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, March 5, 2018

Weekend Shenanigans

This past weekend was another pop-culture convention: WhimsyCon! Sounds like fun, doesn't it? It is mainly Steampunk and other fantasy themed, with folk strolling around in costume and attending entertainment, creative, and educational sessions. There was a vendors hall and a small art show/auction--my favorite part! I always try to get to the shows where the potter Peri Charlifu has his work on display and on auction. I have won a number of such auctions, and have a fine and growing collection... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 9:07 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, March 3, 2018

Milo, more...

Milo really enjoys car travel, sitting up in the front, gazing out at the world. He sits on Charlie's lap or beside him,and when he gets tired of the view, he lies down with his head on my knee and has a little snooze. The other day we had some errands to run, and took Milo along. These pictures are of when Charlie got out to go into a building, then came back after around 10 minutes. https://flic.kr/p/224DAY3 (click left from here) Today we are driving up to Denver for another fan convention,... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 6:47 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

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About this Blog

I'm doubtful the events of my life will be of great general interest, but I'd like to share a little more of me to the several of you on Blogit I've come to feel are real friends, and the many I imagine are potentially real friends. We'll see how it works out. ______________________ all my words and images posted on Blogit are copyright 2005-present, all rights reserved.

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