May 1, Blue Bottles, Swine Flu

May 1st - starting another month - already.

On the first of the month I check my calendar and begin to make lists. Sometimes, like this morning, I check my photo files to see where I was this time last year. Do you do that? For me, its an important part of living my story - pulling the threads up and through.

Last May: The first week-end last May Jim and I were in NC visiting with Mama. That's bittersweet. Reminding me this is the first Mother's Day without talking with her - but, wait a minute - I talk with her all the time - and did I mention? I am telling a new story about her this coming week.

On the way home last May we stopped to investigate interesting shops near the Court House in Pittsboro.

Just look at these shoes. Aren't they snappy? I was sorry they weren't my size. So I photographed them and left them for some other lucky person.

I am trying to do that more often- in the interests of paring down and frugality. Take a picture and leave it.

Now here is an example of snapping a picture and taking it too.

Blue Bottles - that's why we were in those stores. I was collecting blue bottles - to make a blue bottle tree.

But I never did get the blue bottle tree made. The bottles are in a box in my studio. But this year - its going to be different.

The other day Granny Sue reminded me of the blue bottles when she showed her new blue bottle tree and gave some pointers - use corks. If you don't know about blue bottle read this - a post Granny Sue wrote a year ago - all about blue bottle trees. I really appreciate the way she includes history and story when she gets going.

Can you tell all my bottle are old Milk of Magnesia bottles? That's all I could find. Was all of NC dyspeptic? I know my grandparents always had a blue bottle in their medicine cabinet.
So, I was very glad to find THIS essay on Granny Sue's post. Explains a lot about blue bottles and makes me want to water my roots and wallow in all things southern.

Swine Flu - Jim had an appointment at GW University Hospital this morning. Glad that we went in and left smiling an hour later. While we were there I heard more sniffling and coughing than I have heard yet. I felt vulnerable.

When we mentioned this to a staff member she told us: "I heard someone call in on a talk show during a discussion about Swine Flu. They said, " I don't eat pork. Does that mean I don't have to worry about getting the Swine Flu?"