suziebeezieland

hydrangeas + bunnies

The hydrangeas out back are in bloom. They haven't reached their full flush yet, but are coming along nicely. Hannah the Cat likes to sleep under them and then come in with her belly all dusty. If you walk too close to her when she's hiding there, her paw will shoot out and pat you on the ankle, or whatever she can swipe. 

Hugo the Bunny used to have a warren under the big bank of hydrangeas against the house wall. That was when he still had the run of the backyard last year. It was cool and a little wet where the water faucet dripped, and it would keep him from withering in the summer heat.

You can see the ineffectual bunny blockade we set up last spring with flowerpots, to keep Hugo from squeezing under the gate like Peter Rabbit. But he just dug a big tunnel anyway, à la The Great Escape, and has been confined to quarters ever since. (Although he gets to come in the house quite a bit, too, and visit. But I don't make him chamomile tea.)

Quarters aren't so bad, but if we don't feed him exactly on time in the morning, he gets mad and flips his bowl over and knocks his little ramp down.

I didn't know bunnies threw tantrums.

the elements of style, illustrated

Writing, to be effective, must follow closely the thoughts of the writer, but not necessarily in the order in which those thoughts occur. This calls for a scheme of procedure. In some cases, the best design is no design, as with a love letter, which is simply an outpouring, or with a casual essay, which is a ramble. But in most cases, planning must be a deliberate prelude to writing.

Did you know that an illustrated edition of The Elements of Style exists? I did not, until last week, when I was looking for a Kindle edition of it because my old paperback copy has fallen to pieces.

And now I own this illustrated copy instead of a Kindle copy. Form over function every. single. time. :)

It is lovely. Maira Kalman did the illustrations.

If you have missed The Elements of Style in your life, I guess I should tell you that the "White" author listed above is none other than E.B. White, whom you may know from Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan.

White said that writing was "difficult and bad for one's disposition," but he kept going, and this is a great encouragement to me. 

He also said "real life is only one kind of life -- there is also the life of the imagination."

Which of course is perfectly true.

Bob and Claire were both shocked to discover E.B. White was a man. I was shocked to discover that they were shocked to discover this.

swiss dot

The curtains for the small bathroom finally arrived. The first set disappeared mysteriously after they'd reached my local post office, but Country Curtains very graciously sent a replacement pair at no charge.

I wonder if my local post office is setting up a cottage-themed break room or something. They had my sheets for awhile, you may recall.

I'm very fond of swiss dot and curtains that flutter in the breeze. :)

a very happy part of my 70s childhood

Christy and I had the greatest dances for all of these songs. There was a lot of pointing. And some awesome 360s. Yep. Lots of pointing and 360s.

movie recommendations

What are your favorite movies? :) Feel free to list as many as you'd like, and to expound on why you like them.

hannah

She'd as soon bite you as look at you, but we love her anyway, if only for the comedic proportions of her grumpiness.

chariots of fire

I believe God made me for a purpose. 
But he also made me FAST.
And when I run, I feel His pleasure.

One of my top two favorite movies of all time, ever, amen, is Chariots of Fire. If you've never seen it, there is more to it than some guys running along a beach in slow motion to Vangelis music. Although that is how it starts.

Liddell, he is your future king, are you refusing to shake his hand? Does your arrogance extend that far? 

My arrogance, sir, extends just as far as my conscience demands. 

This is a good year to watch it. It's the (mostly) true story of two British runners (and their runner friends) (and a girlfriend and a sister) (and a coach) in the 1924 Paris Olympics.

I notice it is coming out on Blu-Ray on July 10 this summer. Pretty smart ... the London Olympics begin on July 27. :)

That's a matter for the committee! 
We are the committee. 

I will raise my eyes and look down that corridor; 4 feet wide, with 10 lonely seconds to justify my whole existence. But WILL I? 

I have it memorized, so if you don't get a chance to see it, just give me a call and I will spend four hours telling it to you. (Two hours of screenplay plus two hours of my enthusiastic opinions.) (I can also throw in an additional two hours of random related facts for free.)

You can praise God by peeling a spud if you peel it to perfection. Don't compromise. Compromise is a language of the devil. Run in God's name and let the world stand back in wonder. 

Oh, it's so good. You have to watch it. 

If I can't win, I won't run! 
If you don't run, you can't win.

the rose is not obsolete

The roses are doing that thing they do every spring. It never ceases to amaze me.

the new little bathroom

Here are some pictures of our new small bathroom. (There are some "before" pics here.) It has been so nice to have it usable, clean, and fresh. :) Our big bathroom is under construction right now, so this is the one we're all using while that goes on. 

I'm still waiting on curtains (the first order disappeared ... I'll have to do a separate post on Minor Setbacks and Inconveniences) so I'll take a photo of the window when they come. :) For now, I have parchment paper taped up there, which I removed for the photos. I'll probably also hang a picture or something over the towel bar ... I haven't decided what yet, exactly. But I'll keep you posted.

I got several ideas for what I'd like to do in our bathrooms by looking at my mom's bathroom and Alicia Paulson's bathrooms here and here. :)

Here is a little source list in case you want to know where something came from. I always like it when people do that on their blog posts. :)

paint: Woodlawn Blue by Benjamin Moore and Ultra Pure White by Behr
tile: Daltile
pedestal sink + bathtub: Kohler Memoirs line
toilet: Kohler Devonshire line
medicine cabinet: Restoration Hardware
tub spout + turn-on handle: Kohler Bancroft line
sink faucet: Metropolitan Chrome Widespread Bathroom Faucet at Overstock.com
showerhead: Speakman
towel rod, toilet paper holder + ceiling light: Pottery Barn Sussex line
bath mat: Cost Plus Imports
shower curtain: Restoration Hardware
towels: Lands' End Supima in Antique Violet

this momentary marriage: ian + larissa's story