PEANUTS IN THE SINK
A new take on an old snacking favorite. We call this presentation "cacahuetes salees au lavabo" (salted peanuts in the bathroom sink.) Nothing is too cutting edge for us here at the Autism Cafe! In fact, our chef, M. Henri, is BEYOND cutting edge. Recall his past culinary inventions: Fried Honey, Oats on Linoleum, Melted Plastic with Cashews, and of course the ever-popular Cream Cheese on Window Glass!

DISTRESS
(Alternatively, this photo could be called "It's Monday.")

I am sure my neighbors and any passersby think this is The Crazy House, and that both Henry and I are inmates. When he gets into one of these horrible rages, at a certain point we can get him calm enough to take him outside, which seems to help. He sits in this horribly worn out upholstered rocking chair on our porch, keening and also making a strange reverberant hooting noise. I sit next to him, talking to him in a calm voice and occasionally rubbing his shoulders (if he isn't in a particularly violent mood.) But I also take his picture. Lots of pictures. He doesn't seem to mind in the slightest, and somehow taking pictures helps soothe ME, as I am trying to soothe him.

Anyone passing by must wonder what the heck is going on! But, somehow, it works, and Henry and I both feel better after a while.

WHITE CHIMNEY
We had some quickly changing weather yesterday. After a short but violent thunderstorm passed over, the sun came out, shining onto a backdrop of storm-darkened sky. My neighbor's chimney suddenly looked quite dramatic.

VERY TEXTURED HOUSE
I took this shot because my attention was attracted by the plants growing on (in?) the front stoop. Which, despite the battered condition of the door, leads one to suspect they don't use that entrance much. I'm entering this post in Photo Friday's challenge "Poverty". Although, when you realize that this place has intact windows, curtains, and a trash can out front, you realize its not as bad as it could be. Everything is relative.

WILD SWAN
There is something so majestic about a swan, so visually stunning that it almost seems a cliche of The Beautiful! But when I went to a well-known search engine and tried to find a poem about a swan to accompany this image, there were sparse pickings. One by Yeats, that was not applicable due to its being about a flock, one specifically about swans flying (apparently they make a strange shape in flight), some not very memorable amateur efforts accompanying soft-focus pastel photos and oh yeah...lyrics to "Ride a White Swan" by T-Rex. Hmm. Not what I had in mind.

After that long-build up I hate to put forth my own very amateur effort. If anyone knows a good poem about a swan please let me know.

CHILDHOOD
This look at my nephew H sums up a lot about the fleeting state of babyhood: curiosity, trust, experiencing the world with every sense, total dependence, mess, and, of course, heart-melting cuteness!

PROMOTION DAY
for Henry's autism support class. Not that Henry has mastered the elementary curriculum, but he (and a few others) are just getting too big to have in a mixed age class with teeny little first graders and such. It was a sweet little ceremony and party. Henry loved the musical segment of the program. As soon as the nice music lady pulled out her guitar he got a giddily happy look on his face, and at the first note he began rocking enthusiastically. Here he is shaking a percussion "egg".

QUICK PORTRAIT
sketch of a fellow train catcher, done last week in 30th Street Station, Philadelphia. I was breaking in a new sketchbook and I was very pleased to have this sleeping guy pose for me, all unaware.

NEW EGGS
I took this shot about 10 minutes ago: they don't come much fresher than this! I am chicken-sitting for my neighbor Fay, and one of the perks of the job is collecting the fresh eggs.

FROM LAST WEEK

In a photo I keep
the plump froth of peony blooms
in life, now compost.

Buson said it better:

'Peony having scattered,
two or three petals
lie on one another'.

Anyway, many thanks to my friend Amy F. for her generous gift of peonies, whose beauty truly seems beyond description in either word or paint. The camera maybe gets the closest. Just missing the damp feel of the petals and the intense sweet spicy scent.