Fruit

Everything existing in the universe is the fruit of chance and necessity.

~ Democritus

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Orchard means "garden yard." And I just recently learned that there is such a word as "orchardist." It's when someone points out what they are growing. "Orchardist is apples." See also, "orchardat" as in "Orchardist is apples. Orchardat is apples, too."

 

Tone

I write because I like to write. I find joy in the texture and tone and rhythm of words. It is a satisfaction like that which follows good and shared love.

~ John Steinbeck

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For someone who gets told "Watch your tone!" a lot, Leslie hardly ever watches her tone.

Beauty

The beauty and the suffering are equally true.

~ Anne Patchett

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Know how Medusa turned people into stone because she was so ugly? I think sometimes really beautiful people make us freeze in our tracks, too. We can be stunned by anything extraordinary.

Also, I would like for Sharon Stone to be in a movie with Medusa and then she can be the first person turned to stone because that would be hilarious. 

She could also star in a Rocky movie. 

I have a lot of ideas for Sharon Stone's career. I'm a helper.

Door

Big doors swing on little hinges.

~ W. Clement Stone

- - - - -

You never know what you might find behind the doors you open. Like when we opened the door to a cabin we stayed in I said, "Oh, this is very 'Tuesday Morning,'" and Leslie said, "That isn't very nice." I don't know if she meant it wasn't nice to the cabin owners, or if it wasn't nice to Tuesday Morning. Regardless, I think it means she isn't going to be a spokesperson for Tuesday Morning. There goes another huge tub of money.

Sheesh, Leslie!

Unusual

A liar's goal is to make up one that's half as good as real life's usual unusual.

~ Allan Gurganus

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What is this? A robot? A reel-to-reel tape recorder? A sushi?

Some weird dental pattern?

I don't know. 

I like that there are still mysteries in the world. 

Also, I the word "usual" comes from the word "use." I wonder if that means the unusual is unusable. 

(pause)

I don't think so, everyone. I've used some unusual things at times. 

(pause)

Of course I've probably used those unusual things to do unusual things.

(pause)

We don't need to discuss the details.

Interesting

Good marriages are never as interesting as bad affairs.

~ Anne Patchett

- - - - -

I think before you commit to a relationship with someone, you should ask to see their elementary school report cards. That way you have a sense of what you're in for. For example, on my first grade report card, Mrs. Martin wrote, "Prefers to work alone."

Truer words were never written upon any of my report cards. I feel like that might be helpful to know about me.

Tomatoes

I don't care what anybody says: Nothing is better than a tomato you grow. There's something about it that's different than a tomato you can buy. It's a great thing.

~ Tom Vilsack

- - - - -

We didn't plant a garden this summer. We have some asparagus, some wild strawberries, a boysenberry bush, and a pomegranate tree. However, we magically had some tomato plants start up - like we had the magical little watermelon last year. Unlike the magical little watermelons, we were able to harvest a LOT of the tomatoes. So many we had to get creative with what to do with them.

So, as fall approached, we made some cinnamon tomato crisp. It would be great with the tomato shake-ups my friend Demesia and I conceptualized after a visit to the fair a few years ago. 

Jumping

Might as well jump.

Go ahead and jump.

~ Van Halen

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There's nothing like jumping with exciteness. 

Because exciteness is not a word.

 

Excitement

Get excited and enthusiastic about your own dream. This excitement is like a forest fire - you can smell it, taste it, and see it from a mile away.

~ Denis Waitley

- - - - -

I think maybe Denis is an arsonist.

 

Cars

All of those cars were once just a dream in someone's head.

~ Peter Gabriel

- - - - -

As I was driving home one day, I saw a man who had pulled over to check out a car that was for sale. It was parked near the road outside of the post office/grocery store parking lot. I only saw him for a moment before the light changed. What I saw him do, however, made me curious. The only thing I saw him check on the vehicle were the windshield wipers. 

(pause)

I am not and do not pretend to be a car expert. However, if I was considering buying a used car, I am confident that the windshield wipers would probably not be the thing I would prioritize. I probably wouldn't even look at them at all.

Perhaps he knows something I do not.

(pause)

Actually, I have to believe there are a lot of things he knows that I do not. We're not the same people, after all.

Bread

Without bread, all is misery.

~ William Corbett

- - - - -

I saw someone on social media the other day who said, "This sourdough bread changed my life." I was happy for her, and also I wondered what her life was like before.

Memories

Maddie: Why do you only have terrible memories?

Mother: That's why I don't tell you much.

~ The Lady in the Lake 

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The quote for this post is from the Lady in the Lake on Apple TV. I don't know if it is in the book the show is based on or not. 

(pause)

The fact that I haven't read the book may be a terrible memory for the author of the book. Well, next time she thinks about it. The first time she thinks about it, it isn't a memory yet.

 

Found

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths.

~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

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The other day I saw a sticker that said, "I found the evil I was looking for!" It was perfect. 

Then I reread it and it actually said, "I found the email I was looking for!"

Sigh. In life you will find lots of disappointments.