recently i made soup. it was to be a glorious, wonderful thick substantial soup. and i was going to bring it to a friend's house for her to have on hand when her creative process got on a roll and a few plinks of the microwave would create instant dinner. and there would be no need to stop the mind-train. and the village went wild with dancing. except, the soup was terrible. Terr-ah-bull. yuk. patooey. i thought of that soup this morning, and it led me down a path of thinking about how 1 ingredient can make or break a soup, and how 1 person, just one, can make a difference (good or bad) in a group...how one person can galvanize and draw to them, or disperse and fragment a group. and once the galvanization and clumping begins, it spreads. and this can be very very good. or not. depending on the one person. and depending on the strength of the group. but either way, a little too much salt still affects the soup. even just a little. and not enough, well, it needs something more. there is a just right amount. and that's all i have to say on that topic, except to note that i have been blessed with some damn good soup in my lifetime. new topic: my for-real fortune in a fortune cookie today: There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only an infinite passion of life. fall is here. the leaves are coming down even before they change to Full Volume Glorious. the bumble bees under my deck have become frantic, and where the mosquitos took over in the summer, my docile bumbles have now become too erratic to trust. and they are huge...well over an inch long, with fat butts and bellies. i watch from inside the screen, and toss an apple out for them. i suspect husband will soon get rid of them, as they were less friendly to him than to me...rushing toward him and veering off at the last possible second, then dancing en garde, back and forth, protecting their home. i know how destructive they can be...2 years ago, we had to remove the back of our house to get at whatever was in there. the main support beam holding up the 2nd floor of the house was nearly gone - chewed through by carpenter ants and bees. so his lack of patience with the bees is understandable, seeing as they tried to eat our house, but i just hate to see anything in nature destroyed while it's in it's own natural habitat. i have been painting (still). and it's odd - i can't find the connector cord to hook up my ipod to the speakers, so while i'm using quotes from Rumi as creative prompts, i have the only CD i can find playing: Regina Spektor. which is normally okay, as i like her music, but the combination of great philosophy and "a little bag of cocaine" playing in my ear is just a dichotomy that's a little weird. after a few cups of coffee, and some great stuff on gessobord, some creative endorphin-rushed brain cells get going. they make up new words such as "a little bag of propane, a little bag of propane," then laugh themselves silly. it's all quite distracting. Diva is healing nicely, and since she can't see her post-stitched area, she isn't embarrassed at all. kitten has begun to collage, which fills me with pride and worry. i'm not sure yet what she "distressed" in the middle of the livingroom, but i'm sure it was important. like a note from the IRS. we may never know, because, pleased with herself, she ate the dog's food, then barfed on top of her work. this cat's propensity for vomiting is downright...intentional. i believe that with all my heart. some excitement is afoot, and i hope to share some good news very soon. cross your fingers for me and ask for pure, clear guidance, if you don't mind. i am enjoying the quiet of being the only 2-legged in the house today. up at 4am and belly to the worktable. i will share some pictures later today. but now - nap time, then more paint. be well, and be Just Right.