Sunday, August 4, 2013

Sunday Morning Ponderables

Reverse Living

Life is tough.
It takes up a lot of your time, all your weekends,
and what do you get at the end of it?
Death, a great reward.
I think the life cycle is all backwards.
You should die first, get it out of the way.
Then you should live twenty years in an old-age home.
You get kicked out when you're too young,
you get a gold watch, you go to work.
You work for forty years until you're
young enough to enjoy your retirement.
You go to college, you party until you're ready for high school,
you become a little kid, you play, you have no responsibilities,
you become a little boy or girl, you go back into the womb,
you spend your last nine months floating.
And you finish off as a gleam in someone's eye.

- Norman Glass


My grandfather and his wife, on the Oregon farm, July 2011.





My Elinor Rose, on the Oregon farm, July 2011.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Destination: Calaveras Big Trees State Park

Took the kids camping for the first time in two years. There was some whining about sticky sap on fingertips and tired legs on hikes, but overall we had a wonderful time. Can't wait to do it all again next summer!

Some pics from our trip:



Song credit: In the Summertime by Mungo Jerry

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Borrowed Poetry

Let Nothing Stand 


between the elm and the boy
under its branches, between
cars grumbling at a light,
their drivers mute behind glass,
hands at two o'clock and ten,
let nothing stand between the wand
of the conductor and the breath
of the flutist, between the wind
and sweating brow of the house
painter halfway up a ladder
against a gutter of last year's leaves,
let nothing stand between holiness
and laziness, between head and groin
from which we spilled into a world
of tables and tight corners and hard
choices, let nothing stand between
the river and cliff and blue
jay that sews them together whose
eggs fill the crotch of the swaying tree
above these lines, as day rolls up 
and stars spread out, let nothing stand
between us that doesn't dissolve
with a closing of eyes and opening
of arms, and after arms are gone,
let nothing at all stand that
was once between everything,
whatever it was, the fence of years,
the fence of dollars, miles, fears
of ending the dance, between
the heart that grieves and the one
that surges here behind the elm
within your hands, be still
and follow, dear


Fitting In


soon I will fit
You used to fit in the sink,
under the desk, and in the fireplace --
where no one saw. Your broad face
fit in every frame on the wall. Blink!
in the palm of your hand
Now you fit nowhere at all,
not in shoes, tutus, boardrooms,
or brunches for ten. The rooms
of the world are small, you think.
turning me over and over
How true, how true. Outgrow a drink
like Alice did, a maze of arms and legs
sticking out windows, head in space.
This is what happens on big birthdays.
light as I am



(From The Afterlives of Trees, poems by Wyatt Townley)

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Sunday Morning Ponderables

If You Knew
by Ellen Bass

What if you knew you'd be the last
to touch someone?
If you were taking tickets, for example,
at the theater, tearing them,
giving back the ragged stubs,
you might take care to touch that palm,
brush your fingertips
along the life line's crease.

When a man pulls his wheeled suitcase
too slowly through the airport, when
the car in front of me doesn't signal,
when the clerk at the pharmacy
won't say Thank you, I don't remember
they're going to die.

A friend told me she'd been with her aunt.
They'd just had lunch and the waiter,
a young gay man with plum black eyes,
joked as he served the coffee, kissed
her aunt's powdered cheek when they left.
Then they walked half a block and her aunt
dropped dead on the sidewalk.

How close does the dragon's spume
have to come? How wide does the crack
in heaven have to split?
What would people look like
if we could see them as they are,
soaked in honey, stung and swollen,
reckless, pinned against time?


*   *   *   *

And some words of wisdom from the incomparable Patti Smith:





Friday, December 21, 2012

Merry Christmas From the Silacks!

This year's Christmas Card




By Elinor Rose Silack (Almost 4) (Stephen drew the table.)




By Evan Samuel Silack (Age 6)




By Stephen Michael Silack




By Alison May Silack

You can see last year's art here.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

October & November, Instagram Style

Enjoying some spearmint tea at the rooftop cafe of SFMOMA with my beautiful sisters.




jessica.




margaret.




been eight years, yo. woot.




Stole some caterpillars from my parents' backyard garden.




Look what I found! Two perfect little pumpkins. (Max's 4th birthday party at Fog Willow Pumpkin Farm)




(Fog Willow Pumpkin Farm)




Celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary with some beers from our dear friends, the Creegers.




A lovely day for reading in the park.




We headed out in search of overcast afternoon couch snuggling supplies, but were met with this instead. Bah.




Pretending she's a kitten curling up for a nap on the bench outside the library.




"The Cop Stars" by Evan




Stephen and I were able to get away for a night to celebrate our anniversary. (Thank you, Grandma Kim!!) We went to Wine & Roses, an inn/spa/restaurant in Lodi. Don't let the cheesy name or lackluster location fool you, this place is WONDERFUL. We had tickets for the Autumn Harvest Wine Dinner and ended up sitting with the owner, her sister, and their friend, a regular of the hotel. We had THE BEST time and can't wait to go back again some day.




At the Harvest Dinner (Wine & Roses)




The party continued after dinner in the lounge, with live music. The pianist pictured here is a regular performer at Wine & Roses. Her name is Kim Nejak and not only is she an incredibly talented musician, she is a warm and friendly soul as well. We talked for a long time. I even sang at one point! It took a LOT of encouragement from everyone to get me up there, but I did it! I sounded terribly squeaky and breathy and quiet, but I DID it!! The best part was that Stephen was so excited and proud and couldn't wait to tell the kids. My little fan club. Love those three. :) Oh, and the song that I "sang" was Rainbow Connection.




(Wine & Roses)




A recent white board scribble of Elinor's. I think she said it is a girl with a doll, but every time I look at it, I can't help but see it as a giant baby monster carrying a person back to it's cave. It makes me giggle.




Some of Evan's school work. I love his enthusiasm! :)




caterpillar caterpillar




caterpillar girl



Right here, there should be a photo of the first butterfly that hatched from our jar of caterpillars. But I accidentally deleted the photo. If you're interested, here it is on Instagram.




We made butterfly masks to celebrate the wonders of metamorphosis!




Yay, metamorphosis!




I bought a new hat, but I'm thinking it's far cuter on Elinor.




It was probably a bad idea to buy all my favorites. 




Happy Halloweeeeen!




Can you guess what I am?




Putting this makeup on reminded me of a musical I was in in 3rd grade. It was Andrew Lloyd Weber's Cats, but called Kits, with the songs re-worded to fit the new title by my amazing teacher, Mrs. Latone. I had some truly great teachers growing up. I feel very lucky to have had that. Also, meow.

We're a motley crew.




"Trick-or-Treating" by Elinor




"Me and Evan playing soccer under an apple tree" by Elinor




I opt for an absentee ballot because I like being able to fill it out at home, but I drop it off at a polling place on Election Day because a) dropping it in the mail makes me nervous, and b) I want the sticker! :)




baby girl caught a bug.




this again.




Elinor wrote her name for the very first time!




Elinor's answers from her Thanksgiving "interview" at preschool. Evan and I cracked up when we read it. Love her answer to the third question. Ha!




Two children, four cats, and zero flowers inside; pouring rain outside. What's a butterfly to do?




This girl takes puddle jumping VERY seriously.




Cousin Tyler came to visit for Thanksgiving, all the way from Apple Valley in the high desert of Southern California. In this photo, Evan is trying to tell everyone the names of all the different types of drums, but Tyler and Elinor just want to make NOISE! :)




Two peas in a pod. (Stephen and I learned later that these two were removing drain covers and filling the drains with oranges. Little stinkers!)




Stephen had to work on Thanksgiving this year, so he wasn't able to join us for dinner at Maggie and Jayme's house. However, since he was working in the neighborhood, he was able to swing by in the engine to say hi!




The kids were in heaven.




















me n my handsome hero of a hubby!




After Stephen left, Evan felt compelled to draw.




Giant mama mantis layed an egg sac on our porch wall. Can't wait to see them hatch! The wonders never cease.




I let Sammy into the garage during a big storm and later found him napping in Elinor's car seat!




Elinor's first time roller skating! (preschool field trip) At one point, she fell and hit her mouth (!!) on the floor. She was crying and bleeding but refused to take a break. A future in roller derby?




We had so much fun. Can't wait to take her back!




Gabby & Elinor




At The Rink with my favorite skate date.




Evan came home from school with three awards! 1) Star Student Award for 100% completed homework thus far; 2) Spelling Award for 100% on 5 out of 5 spelling tests; 3) Star Reader Award for reading 62 wpm (they're apparently supposed to be able to read 60 wpm by June). Evan was soooo proud of himself!