summer rain

It has been raining every day for nearly two weeks. There are the big swollen drops of summer rain. Crashing storms. Tremendous lightning. And hail. Some days it is a mild plunk, plunk of slow and steady drops. Today it is gray and looming again. Maybe some distant thunder or maybe the stillness before a storm passes over.

Before Summer Rain
All at once from the green of the park,
one can't quite say, something is taken away;
one feels it coming closer to the windows
and being silent.

Out of a grove, persistent and strong, sounds a plover,
one thinks of a Saint Jerome:
so intensely rises a solitude and fervor
out of this one voice that the downpour

shall listen. The walls of the great hall
with their paintings retreat from us
as if not allowed to hear what we say.

Reflected in the faded tapestries
is the uncertain light of afternoons
in which one as a child was so afraid.

RAINER MARIA RILKE

friday feature : : chroma

Perhaps enough said.

Ok, maybe for those outside of Rochester, Chroma means absolutely nothing. Its an indie dance party hosted by fellow alumni from Rochester's only Protestant Christian Liberal Arts college and attended by many of the same who all pretend they went to SUNY schools instead. RWC? What? Never heard of it ;) Held at the Bug Jar on Monroe Ave, the dancing is fierce, the sweat flying freely, and the DJs spining all night long. Good way to say farewell to a tedious work week and get ready for the weekend.

See you there...

are you gonna be my girl?

This Jet song is a favorite and I love it even more as a typograhpy dance!

listening

Some new favorites in rotation:

Greg Laswell

Mason Jennings

My Morning Jacket (some of Evil Urges, not all! mostly Look at You, Librarian, and Touch Me I'm Going to Scream)

Amos Lee - new CD Last Days at the Lodge, he's on Leno tonight!

The Weepies

I'm not going to lie, most of these came my way courtesy of RJR.

getting over my fear of pink...

...through peonies! More love for yesterday's market yield. I have three glorious blooms in my living room. The spicy scent has me swooning. I used the interweb to see what fragrances might use this aroma as a top note and came up with Stella in Two Peony by Stella McCartney. Like many other good things I love, it seems like this parfum may in fact be out of my budget. Alas, I will have to savor the fleeting scent of this season instead.

herbs, berries, and uncle sam

The Troy Summer Farmers Market was wonderful! Part of that was due to the splendid weather the Capital District enjoyed today. But, by and large, the harvest glory had everything to do with the bountiful array of vegetables, baked goods, plants, flowers, and fruits overflowing from the booths.

See for yourself...















My own table overflows with organic goodness! 12-grain loaf, peach muffin, two peony stems, quart of strawberries, five basil plants, one rosemary--all for twenty dollars. God Bless Upstate right?! If this was Brooklyn, I'd be a few twenties short by the end of that visit!



Oh, and did I mention that Troy is the "home" of Uncle Sam?

friday feature : : troy farmers market

Will be visiting a local market tomorrow. According to their materials, the Troy Waterfront Farmers Market has over 60 vendors ranging from the very popular Buddhapesto to the more obscure Homestead Farms. I am just getting to know Troy, NY. It is a rambling, retro styled city along the Hudson whose glory days were clearly in the industrial age. Yet, as many cities are experiencing, there is a burgeoning rebirth connected to the waterfront. We celebrated the boyfriend's birthday there at Brown's Brewing Co. on Wednesday and thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the city. I also enjoyed my Cherry Raspberry Ale!

Happy weekend!