House of Love

On the Chalkboard This Week – February 8, 2009

Posted on 8 February 2010 | Comments

Tangled Up In Blue

Early one mornin’ the sun was shinin’,
I was layin’ in bed
Wond’rin’ if she’d changed at all
If her hair was still red.
Her folks they said our lives together
Sure was gonna be rough
They never did like Mama’s homemade dress
Papa’s bankbook wasn’t big enough.
And I was standin’ on the side of the road
Rain fallin’ on my shoes
Heading out for the East Coast
Lord knows I’ve paid some dues gettin’ through,
Tangled up in blue.

She was married when we first met
Soon to be divorced
I helped her out of a jam, I guess,
But I used a little too much force.
We drove that car as far as we could
Abandoned it out West
Split up on a dark sad night
Both agreeing it was best.
She turned around to look at me
As I was walkin’ away
I heard her say over my shoulder,
“We’ll meet again someday on the avenue,”
Tangled up in blue.

I had a job in the great north woods
Working as a cook for a spell
But I never did like it all that much
And one day the ax just fell.
So I drifted down to New Orleans
Where I happened to be employed
Workin’ for a while on a fishin’ boat
Right outside of Delacroix.
But all the while I was alone
The past was close behind,
I seen a lot of women
But she never escaped my mind, and I just grew
Tangled up in blue.

She was workin’ in a topless place
And I stopped in for a beer,
I just kept lookin’ at the side of her face
In the spotlight so clear.
And later on as the crowd thinned out
I’s just about to do the same,
She was standing there in back of my chair
Said to me, “Don’t I know your name?”
I muttered somethin’ underneath my breath,
She studied the lines on my face.
I must admit I felt a little uneasy
When she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe,
Tangled up in blue.

She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe
“I thought you’d never say hello,” she said
“You look like the silent type.”
Then she opened up a book of poems
And handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet
From the thirteenth century.
And every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burnin’ coal
Pourin’ off of every page
Like it was written in my soul from me to you,
Tangled up in blue.

I lived with them on Montague Street
In a basement down the stairs,
There was music in the cafes at night
And revolution in the air.
Then he started into dealing with slaves
And something inside of him died.
She had to sell everything she owned
And froze up inside.
And when finally the bottom fell out
I became withdrawn,
The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keepin’ on like a bird that flew,
Tangled up in blue.

So now I’m goin’ back again,
I got to get to her somehow.
All the people we used to know
They’re an illusion to me now.
Some are mathematicians
Some are carpenter’s wives.
Don’t know how it all got started,
I don’t know what they’re doin’ with their lives.
But me, I’m still on the road
Headin’ for another joint
We always did feel the same,
We just saw it from a different point of view,
Tangled up in blue.

Bob Dylan

11 Questions – February 7, 2010

Posted on 7 February 2010 | Comments

This weeks guest in the House of Love – Gillian Flynn Editor in Chief of Riviera San Diego Magazine.

What fragrance provokes the most profound memory in you?

Skunks. We had a lot of them where I grew up in NY, and I’d roll down the car window when we’d smell one on the parkway. I traded my scratch-and-sniff sticker collection to obtain as many skunk stickers as possible. It was a cinch, considering everyone wanted bubble gum. I adore underdogs. Or would that be under-skunks?

What is your comfort food?

My homemade meatloaf. It’s a take on Bobby Flay’s balsamic-glazed recipe. I’ll eat it three days in a row. Cold. Warm. Any which way.

Of the six senses (ESP included) which is the strongest for you?

Sight. I’ve worn glasses since I was 8 (my first pair was purple) and I never take vision for granted.

What is your daily daydream?

I am a realist to a flaw. I never understood girls who mapped out their wedding and named their children… when they were still single.

If you found a hundred bucks on the sidewalk, what would you do with it?

Look around to see if anyone dropped it.  I’m a Pollyanna that way. I tell cashiers when they give me too much change.

What is your existential bliss?

Being offline.

What are you hopeful for?

Less abbreviation. The demise of the “look at me” generation.  A sincere curiosity in our elders; ask your parents and grandparents about their life. See them in a youthful light. Learn your history.

What is your greatest vice?

Cigarettes. I should have lived in the ’40s when it was glamorous.

What is your greatest virtue?

Empathy.

What do you want from life?

A novel.

Does Heaven Exist?

It will be come as you are! A calorie-and-celebrity free zone.

Busted!

Posted on 4 February 2010 | Comments

Pay attention to the guy in the background on the left about 1:07 into the clip.

Apparently, he didn’t get the memo.

Musings of the Delivery Guy – February 3, 2010

Posted on 3 February 2010 | Comments

We are in the emotion business.  Our job is to ameliorate pain, enhance joy, deflect anger, express gratitude, create WOW! in a space or simply be a place of love and beauty where folks can be safe .

I know it’s a lot to ask of a florist, but that’s our philosophy.

This stanza from “It’s All in the Game”  say’s it best I think.

Once in a while he won’t call

But it’s all in the game

Soon he’ll be there at your side

With a sweet bouquet

And he’ll kiss your lips

And caress your waiting fingertips

And your hearts will fly away

I love that song, especially when Van Morrison sings it.

But then there’s Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust”.

And now the purple dusk of twilight time

Steals across the meadows of my heart

High up in the sky the little stars climb

Always reminding me that we’re apart

You wander down the lane and far away

Leaving me a song that will not die

Love is now the stardust

Of yesterday

The music

Of the years

Gone by

Sometimes I wonder why I spend

The lonely nights

Dreaming of a song.

The melody haunts my reverie

And I am once again with you.

When our love was new, and each kiss an inspiration.

But that was long ago, and now my consolation

Is in the stardust of a song.

Beside the garden wall, when stars are bright

You are in my arms

The nightingale tells his fairy tale

Of paradise where roses grew.

Though I dream in vain, in my heart you will remain

My stardust melody

The memory of love’s refrain.

So beautiful don’t you think

So what’s the point you might ask?

Well, it’s really to remind myself of the need to remain positive.  As the Delivery Guy I see many, many entrenched businesses closing, and many For Lease signs.  As the official Dog Walker, I see in my neighborhood many homeless families who shower every day, collect recyclables and manage to feed themselves and the dog on that meager allowance.  It’s pretty easy to get into a funk these days.

I (We) have to continually count our blessings and realize that our power to make a difference in peoples’ lives is in what we do.

And it’s not always for money.

Our effect is at arms reach and we strive to reach out every day, but sometimes you need an Angel to help you through.

A little shop story:

A few weeks ago a gentlemen came into the shop.  A bespectacled, furtive young man dressed in a heavy coat, knapsack and knit skull cap.   The kinda guy that makes you a little nervous at first blush, I don’t think he really meant to come in but was drawn in for whatever reason.  He wandered around the shop for awhile asking questions about the flowers, and finally decided to purchase a couple of roses for two little girls who were special to him.

A week later he came by when the girls were out and he mentioned to me that he wanted to speak to all three of us in person as something had happened to him during the time he arrived and the time he departed.  Me being who I am got nervous again thinking that he may have had some complaint, as he did mention to me that he spent more money than he’d planned too.  I tried to get him to explain, but he insisted on coming by the following Wednesday and speak to us all in person.

Well, he came by today dressed pretty much the same as the previous two weeks.  I didn’t interact with him, Thea had left and that left Carla to deal with him. They spoke for quite sometime, I really didn’t hear what they were talking about but Carla was misty eyed after he left.

I mentioned to her that that was the guy from last week who wanted to speak to us all about an “incident” that occurred while he was here.

What did he say?  I asked.

He really didn’t say anything about it.  He just said he appreciated the kindness and attention the girls showed him and:

“Let’s just put it this way, you’ll be my florist until I die”.

THAT was our Angel.

Arms reach.

Pay it forward.

Ciao!

Happy Anniversary Che Bella!

Posted on 2 February 2010 | Comments

8 years ago today, we started our journey to provide San Diego with the finest florals available.  All of us at Che Bella wish to thank everyone for their continued support and we look forward to providing many years of quality design to you.

Where’s the champagne?

Amazing

Posted on 1 February 2010 | Comments

How long do you think it took Pink to learn this routine?

A week?

On the Chalkboard This Week – February 1, 2010

Posted on 1 February 2010 | Comments

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

ee cummings

WHITE RABBITS, WHITE RABBITS y’all.

What’s wrong with this Picture

Posted on 31 January 2010 | Comments

Read more about here.

Our Backyard

Posted on 31 January 2010 | Comments

There’s a coach’s clinic at the ballpark today.  Wishing I was back in little league.

11 Questions – January 31, 2010

Posted on 31 January 2010 | Comments

Sandra Ainslie Montiel, Executive Director of the AjA Project and our favorite Socialist,  is kind enough to offer her answers to the 11 Questions this week.

What fragrance provokes the most profound memory in you?

The scent of a mans shaving cream mixed in with the scent of coffee…while I’m half asleep in the morning…I don’t know if it provokes a memory but it is a scent that I associate with being in love.

What is your comfort food?

Pot roast with potatoes and carrots, like my mom used to make before she passed away and my beautiful friend Laura makes for me when I visit her. Also anything with potatoes in it: mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, potato chips, French fries…me and the potato have a thing going.

Of the six senses (ESP included) which is the strongest for you?

Touch. Touch is my love language.

What is your daily daydream?

I have so many! To be in Tunisia crossing the Sahara with my Bedouin guides when a band of Taureg sweep in, carry me off and make me their queen…fast forward…. I am still in the Sahara standing on a running horse while balancing a sword on my head and blue veils dancing in the wind…

If you found a hundred bucks on the sidewalk, what would you do with it?

I would pick it up, look around and if I didn’t see anyone looking for it I’d put it in my pocket. Then I would treat a friend to dinner. I wouldn’t feel bad about it at all. I would choose to think the universe wanted me to have it.

What is your existential bliss?

To be in a beautiful place, do a great yoga class, sit with a truly peaceful mind and have love all around…and then a glass of red wine.

What are you hopeful for?

I am hopeful that a meteor will land on Arnold Swarzenegger!

What is your greatest vice?

Red wine, red wine and red wine…oh yeah and still more red wine.

What is your greatest virtue?

Loyalty. I am fiercely loyal and devoted to those I love.

What do you want from life?

Love and laughter

Does Heaven Exist?

I believe in a higher plane of being…call it what you may; heaven, nirvana, enlightenment. I believe it is a place of calm acceptance and not one of judgment. That said I will be there; in a beautiful place, eating pot roast, drinking wine, with a lot of friends, loving, laughing and buying a round with the hundred bucks I found all while balancing a sword on my head!

keep looking »