There's Beauty in the Bellow

Does anyone believe that Kenneth Grahame made an arbitrary choice when he gave his principle character the form of a toad, or that a tag, a pigeon, a lion, would have done as well? The choice is based on the fact that the real toad's face has a grotesque resemblance to a certain kind of human face--- a rather apoplectic face with a fatuous grin on it. This is, no doubt, an accident in the sense that all the lines which suggest the resemblance are really there for quite different biological reasons. The ludicrous quasi-human expression is therefore changeless: the toad cannot stop grinning because its 'grin' is not really a grin at all. Looking at the creature we thus see, isolated and fixed, an aspect of human vanity in its funniest and most pardonable form; following that hint Grahame creates Mr. Toad--an ultra-Jonsonian 'humour'. And we bring back the wealth of the Indies; we have henceforward more amusement in, and kindness toward, a certain kind of vanity in rea...

Hats for the Fall Jolly Fabulous bread dough, the richest I've ever made, thanks to the Best Recipe I gave away the cinnamon rolls unbaked. But they sure turned out lovely, thanks to the precision of dental floss. The peaches were starting to turn to vinegar, so I baked them in bread dough The cake turned out too dry (The recipe was for tres leches cake, but of course I don't have any rum) But it's pretty and made fairly decent french toast. Zucchini, tomates, basil and keilbasa on pizza dough I overloaded the dough, so the middle turned out a bit soggy. But otherwise it was fabulous. I did long for some parmesan though. I'll make it again. The beauty that is Idaho

Man is not worthy of God but he is not incapable of being made worthy. It is unworthy of God to unite Himself to wretched man, but it is not unworthy of God to raise him out of his wretchedness. ~ Blaise Pascal

Create your own lavendar mist: http://www.jacksonpollock.org/

I knew them first as the chrome and ochre yellows that seemed to scream from the brush of the man who cut off his own ear. But here, so affectionate, the lionheads turned upwards to follow the movement of their beloved, until their necks are limp and wrung, their spent gold drooping heavy on their shoulders . O Lord, I cannot hear You For the ticking of the clock, For the humming of the refridgerator, For the sighing of the air conditioner. Speak, shatter these dim voices, These clattering machines With their incessant insistent grey din, Explode into the dimness of the world.

Sidewalk art: advertising the local yoga studio Crazy balloon hats Funny balloon people A rapt audience Jousting The all-important jumpy castle Some cute people Flipping hamburgers Dressing hamburgers Pretty good for just a dollar . . . and a friend A local oddity Behind the scenes: somebody ain't too interested The light is fading . . . And we got ourselves some moosick. The Afters are supposed to be a big deal. And they were pretty good. But they also came right on the tail of Pastor Wilson's sermon on effeminacy in Christian men. And I wondered what the weird hairstyles and deconstructed clothes in varying degrees of drab were for . I wasn't able to stay long enough to hear any rank cliches, but they probably existed somewhere among the general what's-the-point . But still, I enjoyed them. I just didn't find them terribly original creative. But Bryan Duncan was better--though of course he represents a whole 'nother sandwich filling of culture that come...

http://www.amconmag.com/2008/2008_06_30/article.html Good article, especially in light of Doug Wilson's commentary on food