9 Moons Ago

Had a nice family dinner last night here. My homemade…yes from scratch!, and no fiasco..cherry pie was really a hit. I’ve been asked to supply the recipe by my brother’s girlfriend. It’s a pretty basic one if anyone else is interested.
I guess you can call things like this, listening to music, and the writing and drawing “highs” since I do get creativity and results, but I was just used to being more “up” last year. It’s understandable I know. And I’ll get back to a place of more balance and happiness. Being bipolar is not my focus right now. That lies in being well enough to make the right choices for myself. So I try and make healthy ones. It’s worked in the past!

Here’s my poem from today’s musings:

Suburban Quiet

Summer is here.
All along the suburban street in mid afternoon is
Quiet.
Birds singing.
The hum of the air conditioners.
The grass silently burning under the oppressive sun.
The wading pool is quiet too, now that the baby has gone back home.
His beach ball floats in lazy circles atop the shallow water.
No sign of people at this time of day.
Either inside or at work, they do not witness the quiet.
Summer is here but this is just
One aspect.

A.L. Miller
June 29, 2005

This is another quick painting I did with the mouse, drawing from a pastel work called “Woman with a Japanese Parasol” by Anna Bilinska-Bohdaniwicz:

I rather like drawing this way for the time being, but I may also start to use the digital camera to photograph larger works if I decide to use pastels myself. I’m thinking of it because I want to join the Illustration Friday gang again sometime soon.
Still up and down emotionally, but doing my best to keep busy. Improving generally, one day at a time. Think I’ll go read a little too. The next book is called “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd.

I owe everyone regular mail and email, so please bear with me..I’ll get around to it next week!

My poetry is back, due to popular demand. As soon as I told people I wasn’t really going to write much poetry anymore, they emailed me to tell me that I must keep it up. So thank you everyone, for your support. I love ya’s, I really do! I’ll try to do a little drawing tonight as well..to keep my hand in it, so to speak.

Somehow the next day becomes easier than the last.
And sometimes the next day becomes a little harder.
But mostly there are improvements
Like being able to write more legibly.
To remember a little more
To string words together in a more complex
And deft way.
To make plans, even if they aren’t on paper yet.
Being able to communicate without faltering as much.
To ease back into smiling and joking.

And to cut the grass with the lawn mower.
It was getting to be a jungle out there.

A.L.Miller 2005

Love this album..it’s Coldplay’s latest and it’s the best!! The songs make me get emotional and cry sometimes…

Here is a real poem:

EROS

The sense of the world is short,-
Long and various the report,-
To love and be beloved;
Men and gods have not outlearned it;
and, how oft so’er they’ve turned it,
‘Tis not to be improved.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I wanted to thank everyone who is seeing me through this difficult time in my life. I am still getting back on my feet and it is a long process, but I’ve done it before, I just need to keep plugging away. The past few days have been better. Had a good conversation with Cameron on the phone last night and that cheered me up. Sometimes I get bored out of my mind in the suburbs..I really miss the hills of Australia. But I went outside yesterday to lay in the hammock and that was gorgeous. Robins lighting on boughs in the willow tree of our neighbour’s yard. (We call them by their rightful name..that of their business. They ARE the “Pop-O-Locks!”) The neighbourhood cats came creeping around stealthily. And I just sat and observed it all.
Planted my tomatoes and basil plants and cleaned up a little of the garden waste; not that we have much of a garden…a few flowers here and there keep it bright enough.

Inside at night I write letters and keep a large scrapbook journal and watch some TV. “House” is a great show…because I love Hugh Laurie mainly. :-D Nah..it’s a good one. And I watch Letterman and Conan which I’ve missed, mainly for the bands on recent nights..Sometimes the actors, and always for Dave and Conan themselves. Funny, but I don’t watch them religiously anymore..I got my fix.

Speaking of fixes, I just finished off the last of the iced creamy goodness that is called Philadelphia vanilla. Mmmmmm….

And watched a little of the political process on TV..kinda wish it was more like Aussie parliment..where they yell at each other and joke… But they are ALL politicians, aren’t they. Wonder if there is an honest one among them? All I know is I’m a true blue Democrat, and not afraid to say so. Amen.

But anyway, thanks for all the well wishes, love and support…I really feel it deep inside there is a knowledge of the eneregy there..prayers, thoughts, efforts, etc. That’s what friends do..and I don’t take it for granted…so …THANK YOU. And so much LOVE back to you all!

Summer Rushes In
Hot sticky humid heat hangs
The air is thick with a wetness.
The skies threatened all afternoon.
And the people below cry out for mercy.
All hell breaks loose with cracks and crashes.
Splits of champagne thunder. The cork in Heaven
has blown to the sky and rouses the guests to their feet.
It looks like this is the start of a good thing and I think to myself
As the air cools down and the rain smell rises on the draft, that it is
going to be a delightful summer and the glasses don’t have to be crystal at all.