The unexpected plot twist is one of the happier experiences of life, and I love giving myself over to a story to the point where I’m entirely flabbergasted when a twist arrives. In this age of social media, it gets harder and harder to have such surprises, but they are one of the most enjoyable aspects of entertainment. To a certain extent, I suppose that’s why I like to surprise people – by wearing something people never thought I’d wear, or doing something they’d never think I’d do, or surprising them in some other unexpected way. 

The plot twists of life. 

Little jolts that spark some semblance of notice in even the most jaded world. 

We are on autopilot more often than not, going through the motions, rushing through the days, and only the most adventurous among us take the time and effort to give striking difference to the differing dates. 

There’s been a project in the planning stages in my head for the past five years or so – a behemoth, multi-pronged mess of a project that has been evolving, eroding, and rebuilding itself in my mind. I haven’t quite decided if I’m going to do it, and it’s unclear whether that’s laziness or fear. 

If it’s laziness, I simply won’t do it. 

If it’s fear, I’ll do it harder than I’ve fucking done anything in my life. 

May is here, and living has taken precedence over documenting life here. I’m behind on it too – behind in the garden, behind in the yard, behind in the plans for summer – but right on time in the living, and that rarely happens. On with the weekly blog recap…

Troye Sivan in a jockstrap, as apparently we missed out on International Jockstrap Day. 

Get a peep at this.

Can former altar boys be chosen as the Pope?

As Boston beckons…

… and spring has softly spung.

May we begin.

Weep not for the weeping larch.

A May cherry day.

Spring is here.

A rushed spring.

You and the night and the music.

A peacock in everything but beauty.

A fine-feathered fairy’s tale.

Deeper meaning in the tail of a peacock.

The softness of a Sunday.

Growing gains.

Purple intensity.

Dazzlers of the Day included Jean Smart and Jeff Urbanczyk.

In my much younger years, this sort of flower would have appealed to my love of the gaudy, bold and audacious. 

To be honest, it still speaks to the part of me that loves super-saturated color and striking contrast, but it’s not for our yard. Fine from afar – in distance and time – but up close and at length, it’s just too much.

Mellowing happens to the most drama-loving among us. 

Pastels are as cliched a sign of spring as florals are, and I love them in spite of their ubiquity. I’ve never been one to deny myself an indulgence, and I’m puzzled by those who do. These spring blooms will be gone and forgotten much too soon enough. Pansies are especially fleeting – their preference for cool weather means they struggle in the heat of our summers. Their glory happens now. 

In the air, the perfume of the Korean spice viburnum ignites the excitement of the nose – the flowers are not as flashy but the fragrance is exquisitely potent. 

“The fairy tale offers the child hope that someday the kingdom will be his. Since the child cannot settle for less, but does not believe that he can achieve this kingdom on his own, the fairy tale tells him that magic forces will come to his aid. This rekindles hope, which without such fantasy would be extinguished by harsh reality. Since the fairy tale promises the type of triumph the child wishes for, it is psychologically convincing as no “realistic” tale can be. And because it pledges that the kingdom will be his, the child is willing to believe the rest of what the fairy story teaches: that one must leave home to find one’s kingdom; that it cannot be gained immediately; that risks must be taken, trials submitted to; that it cannot be done all by oneself, but that one needs helpers; and that to secure their aid, one must meet some of their demands. Just because the ultimate promise coincides with the child’s wishes for revenge and a glorious existence, the fairy tale enriches the child’s fantasy beyond compare.” ~ Bruno Bettelheim

“The child, so much more insecure than an adult, needs assurance that his need to engage in fantasy, or his inability to stop doing so, is not a deficiency.” ~ Bruno Bettelheim

“Just as people behave to me, so do I behave to them. When I see that a person despises me and treats me with contempt, I can be as proud as any peacock.” ~ Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

“A child who has learned from fairy stories to believe that what at first seemed a repulsive, threatening figure can magically change into a most helpful friend is ready to believe that a strange child whom he meets and fears may also be changed from a menace into a desirable companion.” ~ Bruno Bettelheim

“Far from making demands, the fairy tale reassures, gives hope for the future, and hold out the promise of a Happy Ending.” ~ Bruno Bettelheim

~ The Divine Diva Tour: A Fairy’s Tale ~

1. Pink Frilly Fairy: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three
2. Homage to Herb: Part One, Part Two and Part Three
3. A Purple-Hued Interlude
4. Style & Panache: Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four.
5. Purple Puff Confection: Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four.
6. A Blue-Hued Interlude
7. Fuchsia Fabulousness: Part One. Part Two and Part Three.
8. Bad Boy Bangs: Part One, Part Two. and Part Three.
9. Vanity Under Where: Part One, Part Two. and Part Three.
10. Sugar Plum Ballerina: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.
11. A Pool Frolic: Part One, Part Two. and Part Three.
12. A Cemetery Interlude: Part One and Part Two.
13. Powder Blue Fur Doll: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.
14. A Milky Interlude 
15. Rock Out, Cock Out/ Hang Out, Wang Out: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.
16. Cocktail Cocktale: Part One and Part Two.
17. A Fairy’s Interlude: Part One and Part Two.
18. Willy Wonkers: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.
19. A Peacock In Everything But Beauty: Part One.

When spring is late, everything happens at once. 

All the flowers bloom in quickly succession.

All the trees leaf out and turn the world chartreuse. 

All the animals and insects fill the air with bug and bird song. 

All the earth lets out a glorious sigh of beauty and release. 

Unpredictable, tumultuous, moody and sometimes unnecessarily dramatic, spring has a way of taking us on a rollercoaster, filled with twists and turns, corkscrews and drops, and pure, intense exhilaration. The best method of making your way through it is to relax, let it take you where it wants to go, and  embrace the moment. Sometimes those moments are stormy and messy, sometimes they are beautiful and tender, and sometimes they are everything all at once. We want to make sense of such a jumble, but spring doesn’t always want us to make sense of it. 

Let us have a little song then, nothing too heavy, nothing too dark – just enough to lift the spirits and set spring on whichever way it chooses to go. 

The coral bark maple reaches its chartreuse hands upward to the sky, emerging from its slumber, radiantly reflecting and welcoming the sun.