Lazy Sunday...

We're just chillin' at the Shout-macher household. As, we all tend to be so loud, that's our new nickname.
I'm nursing a bit of a cold or something, so I'm still in PJs and hanging out on the couch. All the boys are asleep.
We decided to go to the ASPCA yesterday to "peruse" the dogs. Life's to short to keep saying, "one day, we'll rescue a dog." So, we went. Of all the dogs there, the first one we saw was the one that Silas ran to. She is black, with dark brindle paws. Medium length hair and is described as an Australian Shepard mix. I'm not sure I go along with that, as she has the brindle. Seems like she has pit/boxer/mastiff or something that carries that trait too. She had just been picked up that day, so we couldn't let her play with Otis to see if they'd get along ... doesn't matter, he loves other dogs.
We have to wait until Wednesday to see her family finds her. I sure hope, if she has a family that's looking, that they find her. I hate to think how heart broken they are. If that's not the case, she will become ours, as we are first on the list. We'll see what happens.
Until then, we wait...
xoxo
Anna

Lastly...

The Shrink

"Do you smoke?"
"Just a little."
"Do you drink?"
"Quite a lot."
"Dirty jokes?"
"Oh, I piddle."
"And, you gamble."
"On the spot."
"Do you steal?"
"When I am cheated."
"Do you cheat?"
"When I am down."
"Do you deal?"
"If I"m defeated."
"of those that lie?"
"I wear the crown!"
"Well, that's all, then."
"Are you sure, sir?"
"Oh, I'm sure."
"No more to say?"
"You're a fool."
"Is that my worst sin?"
"My point precisely."
"For that, I pay?"

And another...

Shall we make her your tight lipped trollop,
Your faded wallflower, black and white?
Shall we veil her in a dizzying silence,
a cumbersome calm, a galloping peace?

And if she screams to be burned,
best to quench the fire with her wet-words...
with silken tip-toeing
and cotton-lipped hymns.

Shall we make her, drunken, climb Jack's bean stalk
and nimbly cut Rapunzel's hair?
Shall we crown her with a crown of barbs
and chill her red-hot blood?

And if she pleads for wings to fly,
Oh, let us not forget
to band her and brand her
And pray for her QUIET return.

Lost poems from years ago...

That's right ... just found my book of old poems that I wrote. I'm growing some balls and gonna post them for everyone to see even though I've not shared them in nearly 6 years. I'm so old. And I'm not a fan of sharing these, so much. But I've been told by several people that they'd like to see it. So, I'm gonna share with them and you:

Too Much

Too much
whining
dining
days in bed.
Hands
Tongues
You in my head.

Too much
reading
bleeding
This round's on me,
Cue ball, roll call
Let's wait and see

Too much
odds, our ins
our words, my life.
Folding
Scolding
Do hand me that knife.

Our new neighbors...

It's hard to tell from this pic, but we have a huge family of raccoons living in a huge evergreen in our backyard. We've known that they are there, as we have seen the "march of the raccoons" here and there. But, they were out last night in full force. This pic is grainy. But, that raccoon was only about 12 feet away from me at one point and the guy is like 2 or 3 times the size of Hank, my cat. If you know Hank, you know he's not a small creature ... that is, if you've been able to get a glimpse at my sweet, but feral boy.
In any case, I went back out tonight, and "Big Boi", as I'm calling him, was back out. He sat on a limb a few feet away from me while I chatted with him. I'm sure he's telling all the raccoon friends that they should be lucking that they aren't crazy like that bald-ish lady that talks to the trees.
xoxo
Anna

Inauguration Day!!!!

Well, the time has come ... FINALLY. Change is upon us and it seems, after seeing the nearly 2 million people at the inauguration, that this is long overdue. I've never seen a crowd that large. I've never seen a crowd of a hundred people be that still and present and quiet. It was amazing. Silas and I sidled up to the TV. I had a mimosa, he had a an OJ spritzer. Sandi, Jeff, and Rob dropped by for a while to celebrate. An amazing, amazing day.
I was not a fan of the poem read at the inauguration. I'm sure the poet is brilliant, but the poem didn't, to me, capture the magic of that moment. The benediction, however, was amazing. It was truly inspiring AND funny ... imagine that: a sense of humor in the midst of a political venture. Brilliant.
xoxo
Anna

Edna St. Vincent Millay...

KIN TO SORROW

II

Let the little birds sing;
Let the little lambs play;
Spring is here; and so 'tis spring;-
But not in the old way!

I recall a place
Where a plum-tree grew;
There you lifted up your face,
And blossoms covered you.

If the little birds sing,
And the little lamb play,
Spring is here; and so 'tis spring-
But not in the old way!

xoxo
Anna
p.s. Happy Birthday, my girl.