Wednesday, July 2, 2014

And Somehow, I Have Green Toenails


I did something today that I feel very guilty about.
I went and got a pedicure all by myself.
I know. I KNOW! This is what my daughters and I do together and I have broken faith. I don't know what came over me. My back ached, my hips ached. I thought about those chairs that massage you. I thought about the ecstasy of having someone tend my feet. I pulled into Elegant Nails and before you know it, there I was, my feet in the water, the chair set to "percussion and kneading."
It was heaven. I swear to god, I almost cried.
The women who were working on me and the guy in the next chair talked together in their own language. I know some people think this is rude but I don't. I love hearing their talk, it rises and falls like birdsong. I don't even care if what they were saying was, "Look at this woman's feet! She must be the offspring of a chicken and a mule! Her feet are like hooves and talons!"
"Oh, you are right! I have never seen feet so ugly in my life!"
Etc.
Nope. Did not care.

And I chose what I thought was a sort of teal for the color but no, it is green and I like it.


"Thank you," I told the lady when she was done. "You have given me new feet," and I tipped her well. 

Been thinking about Stephen all day long, and Ina May too. I wonder how it is for her today. I hope her children are around if she wants them. I was tying up my tomatoes this afternoon and wondering if she was maybe out, tying hers up. It seems to me that she is the kind of woman who, even the day after her husband dies, might look out the window to notice that the tomatoes have gotten gangly and need tying and simply put on a hat and go do it. 
But of course I do not know nor is it any of my business. 
Still, I thought of her and her husband. I am a little surprised at how sad I've been.

Lily and the boys and I ran errands and went to lunch. We went to the Chinese buffet which is Owen's favorite because he loves the noodles. And the soup. The clear broth kind. He is a basics kinda guy. 
I looked around the restaurant. It struck me with great force that people who go to Chinese buffets are not on the whole, the most attractive people in the world. 
That's so rude. 
Fuck it, it's true and besides, I was there too.
And of course there are exceptions. But still. 
I saw one guy who was probably a fine looking guy but he'd obviously just come off the job and if the amount of dirt all over his clothes was any indication, his job is to bore holes through the earth with his body. 
I swear. 

Oh well. We had fun. 

I'm about to go cook up some fresh tomatoes and basil pasta with eggplant and peppers. Bring on the nightshades! And artichokes. 
I love the eating in summer. Hell, I love the eating any time.

Here's something I decided today- anyone who proclaims themselves as a spiritual guide or leader or preacher or teacher or whatever and who doesn't have eyes that twinkle with the joy of life is not a true guide or leader or preacher or teacher. 
The Dalai Lama is a good example of what I'm talking about. 


So. That may be a Ms. Moon guideline. Not that I'm apt to go off and follow anyone any time soon but I'm just going to tell you that anyone who tries to tell me what their god wants me to do or how to live who doesn't have a big-ass grin on their face half the time, who doesn't get the Ultimate Goof, is not someone I'm going to give ten minutes of my time to. 
No way.

Here's some flowers.



Love...Ms. Moon

16 comments:

  1. God, I love your advice.

    And as for people at Chinese food buffets, clearly you've never eaten at one in Los Angeles, where EVERYONE, EVERYONE, EVERYONE is morphing into a hipster.

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  2. I'm all the way up at the other corner of the country and no folks who eat at the chinese buffet up here are not attractive at all.

    but my kids love that place. maybe i'll take them this weekend.

    you are a beautiful chule. or micken. your toes are awesome

    xoxoxo

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  3. I so agree with you on the eyes that twinkle thing.

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  4. As usual, I am trying to lose weight. We went out for Chinese food tonight, my first time in months and I only had one small plate. As I get older my appetite decreases but my ass increases. When I was young(er) I could easily eat three plates!

    I don't mind when someone speaks their native language. I have trouble speaking just one, let alone two or three.

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  5. Pedicures....I had no idea how wonderful a pedicure (and manicure!) would be. It took me to my late 40's to have one. Crazy. Me, the au-natural woman would not go to some nail salon. I would not color my nails...ever. Ha! And then I found how wonderful it was to sit there and be pampered (some better, some so-so but all good with the warm water and the chair as you so aptly described "percussion and kneading".) Color I still take at least 5 minutes to decide upon because there are just too many to choose from!

    Dalai Lama....yes...a humble, happy man...all goodness pours from him...

    Don't talk tomatoes...mine are in a quandary of whether to bring forth fruit or just blossom only. I think I need to place a photo of the Dalai Lama next to them with his illustrious smile. Hope perhaps given then.

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  6. The Dalai Lama does an amazing job of living his philosophy.

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  7. Oh I love that picture of the Dalai Lama with his rainbow umbrella! I have no time for anyone of any religion who thinks they need to tell me what god wants or thinks, as if I can't figure it out by myself. who made them the freakin' authority on what god wants? and I don't mind people speaking in a foreign language around me. in fact I like listening to music in foreign languages because I don't have to try and figure out what the are singing about, I can just listen to the music and the emotion.

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  8. Thank you Sweet Mary, for the flowers and the smiling Dalai Lama and yes, the beautiful toes! I went and did the same thing last week. Wandered into the salon as if in a trance and emerged with purple toes.

    I'm sorry about your teacher. What an amazing life and what a wonderful gift to have known him.
    xxoo

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  9. Elizabeth- I saw no morphing hipsters at the buffet yesterday unless you count Owen and perhaps you can. He does rock the skinny jeans.

    Michelle- Sometimes you have to take your kids to the Chinese Buffet because it does make them so happy. And you know, that's a pretty easy one to do.
    Love...Ms. Micken-Chule

    Juancho- Sad but true. With dirt ground in.

    Angella- Don't give me any stern guys. Save the despair for someone else.

    Birdie- There you are! I'm glad to hear from you. I'm with you on the language thing.

    Ellen- I know. It's hard for us old hippies to allow ourselves such decadent luxury. But, it's a beautiful thing. My tomatoes are being sucked rotten by the stink bugs but amazingly, some of the yellow varieties seem immune. You need more bees to set the fruit. That could be the problem.

    Steve Reed- And yet, like Martha Stewart or Ms. Paltrow, we must remember that these people have entire staffs at their disposal to help them in their endeavors.

    Ellen Abbott- I agree with you on ALL of that!

    Yobobe- Well, I didn't really know him although I did spend a few hours in his company once at a sunrise thing in Tallahassee. I came away from it feeling like he had smoked an awful lot of dope in his life. And as he so freely said, "Did I inhale? I never exhaled!" But I did indeed know him from his writings.

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  10. You know, some days, or some places, everyone just looks weird or ugly. I've noticed this before. It must be a trick of the light!

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  11. Jo- Not in this case. Light had nothing to do with it. I promise you.

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  12. Love the toes! And I must agree with you on the Chinese Buffet thing. The people are...well...a bit...umm...challenged in the attractiveness department. BTW, did you know the Dalai Lama's birthday is coming up on July 6th? Random factoid for you.

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  13. I did go with my wife once to get a pedicure. It was interesting. The foot massage was the best and all the scraping they do. But I haven't clamored to go back.

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