Just for today (hopefully)...I am feeling weepy.
Outside my window...a sparrow in the weeping cherry tree.
I am thinking of...and grateful for, my mom.
I am thankful for...Cate and I going to church today.
From the kitchen...contentment, as dishes are done and kitchen is closed.
I am wearing...black capris and a black striped, sleeveless top.
I am creating...time for a decorative painting class.
I am going...to sit on the porch and try to be calm.
I am reading...Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.
I am hoping...to figure things out.
I am hearing...a few birds as they head home for the night.
Around the house...Bob, me, the pooch, and the wretched TV.
One of my favorite things...the end of the day.
A few plans for the rest of the week...preparing for vacation.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

My view of the lake from the bedroom window when we're on vacation.

Raise your hand if... you are officially done the school year for TWO WHOLE MONTHS!! Two whole months...it's like winning the lottery!

And, raise your hand if... you treated yourself to an I-survived-the-school-year-gift...an Emotions bracelet with two beads! I did! I also treated middle daughter to a bracelet and 2 beads, with a new bead for the youngest. The oldest daughter isn't interested yet, but that's ok. Maybe later. I have no business spending the money, but it felt good and I needed to feel good. How shallow is that?!

Well, it's either time to make supper or time for the porch...supper, porch, supper porch. Hmmm.....

School's Out! (and other thoughts)

Raise your hand if... you are ECSTATIC that school is over for another year!! YAY! Me too! One more day of meetings tomorrow, but after that, D.O.N.E.

I just started a list of the around-the-house things I want to get accomplished this summer and I hope, no I plan to be able to cross them off one at a time. Example: 1) clean off the front porch; 2) print photos from last fall; 3) put those photos into the albums: 4) make a rug from recycled plastic bags; 5) cross stitch; 6) paint 4 or 5 signs; 7) make a square wreath, etc. etc.

You get the picture. Nothing overwhelming, but all of it requiring time and focus. And heaven knows I'd rather spend my time and focus on the porch with a book!

Anyway, did you see what I added on the sidebar today? I put in "Notes from the Universe". Perhaps you've heard about them, perhaps you even receive them. They are wonderful! You can receive them up to 5 days a week via email and I tell you, they make me chuckle! I love them!

I guess it's time to call it a day. America's Got Talent starts tonight and I might give it a try again. Last time around, one of the finalists was a duo-two brothers who played wild violins. I had seen them at the Big E and actually have their CD AND their autographs! They didn't win first place, but I'm hoping they were noticed and signed somewhere.

Night everyone. Sleep tight. :)

New Books

Hi all. I am so excited...I have SIX new books and there is very little that excites me as much as new stuff to read!

I just finished a really good book, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. The story is told by the dog, Enzo, about his life and the life of his family...the ups and downs, the traumas and the joys, the love and absolute devotion. Enzo has a very cool outlook on life and hopes to come back as a man in his next life! It was a smooth read; I started it Saturday night and finished it this afternoon. It's a great weekend book. Give it a try why don'cha. :)

I just started Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand and so far, so good. I'm only on chapter 3 and already I "know" the characters. That's what pulls me in...seeing the different levels of the characters. Well, that and the colors on the cover.

I also have The Love Season by Elin Hilderbrand, Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman, The Inner Circle by Mari Jungstedt (I liked the cover of this one), Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli and last but most definitely NOT least, The Secret Things of God by Dr. Henry Cloud.

I can't wait to dig in! We leave for a week's vacation on July 5, so I'll either have to read very slowly, or find a whole new crop of books to take. I usually read 5 novels over my "week at the lake"...talk about relaxing!

Anyone have any suggestions for vacation reads? I do love a good ghost story, but the camp that we rent is very big, is out in the absolute pitch darkness of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, and I am the only "grown up" there...I'm also afraid of the dark. So, no ghost stories for vacation! Ok...off to read myself to sleep. G'night.

They're Baaaaack!

Oh deer. Bambi and Faline are back again tonight, and they got much closer to the house this time. They just sort of stood their ground when we went out this time. My 3 daughters were with me, and I can just imagine what the four-legged intruders were thinking. "That crazed woman is back and she brought her young with her. We can take them....they don't look that scary."

(I don't look scary? Are you nuts?? You should see me before I put on make-up in the morning! Sheesh!)

Anyway, joke's on them! My son covered both pumpkin plants with netting earlier today! HaHa! Unless of course these are smarter-than-average deer and they figure out how to get through the netting. Or worse yet, they can't get through the netting and begin acting like teenagers--stamping their hooves, tearing up the ground, lashing out at anyone that comes close to them, heads spinning on their necks, unintelligble words spewing from their mouths (sorry, got carried away there)...then we're in real danger! We could have crazed deer running rampant throughout the neighborhood! THIS COULD BE THE BEGINNING-OF-THE-END OF PEACE IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH!

Risking Life and Limb!

Oh. My. Goodness.  Just a few moments ago, I risked life and limb, LIFE AND LIMB I TELL YOU, to chase this, this critter away from our 300 pound pumpkins!!  (Ok, so they aren't actually 300 pounds yet, but they could be, if this duo would leave them alone!)

Our dog, Lucy, gave the signal...a single bark followed by tense waiting = deer alert; three or so aggressive barks = cat alert; tons of jubilant barking = someone's come to visit us and I must lick them to pieces alert. :P 

Well, once we heard the official deer alert, I grabbed my camera and scooted outside. There, at the back edge of the yard, was this beautiful, dainty, majestic mama deer, grazing right beside the mama rabbit.  Awww, such a maternal feeling. 

We watched the deer stroll around--she did some personal grooming, sniffed the pear tree, then left her calling card. "Oh look honey, it's like Wild Kingdom. How cute."

Then, this formerly beautiful, majestic, and dainty creature began snapping off and chewing the leaves of the pumpkin plants!  The same pumpkin plants that we're trying to grow in order to win a ribbon at the Big E next fall!  HORRORS!!  Someone stop that damn animal!! (those words actually left my mouth).

I started moving rather quickly towards the deer...in the rain, in the wettest part of the yard, without shoes, risking slugs...and, well, she, uh, she didn't care.  She just stood there, slowly snapping off leaves and chewing them.  What the...?? 

When I got within 30 or 40 feet, she began to ever-so-slowly (and quite obnoxiously I think) stroll away, as if to say, "I'm not really hungry anyway." 

Just when I thought I had succeeded in claiming our land once again from the marauder, out of the blueberry bushes comes....BAMBI!  So now there are 2 marauders, 2 intruders, 2 predators, and neither of them is very impressed with this middle-aged woman, barefoot and wet, with a camera, saying something profound like, "Shoo deer...get away from those plants!"  Oh puhleez, they said in unison.  They did. I heard them.

You know, life in the suburbs just isn't what it used to be.  We are at risk for all kinds of crazy things!

Pandora Lust

Howdy. Well, I've fought it for a long time, fought being just like everyone else, fought being "one of the bunch". I don't like being a "cookie cutter" gal. But...I have to confess, I'm kinda sorta beginning to want a Pandora bracelet! (GASP!) THERE! I said it out loud!

I'm really beginning to like the idea of wearing that rainbow of color, especially when it does that musical "clinking" as your wrist moves. I was thinking that maybe I'd decide on a color theme, maybe just all blues and greens. Or maybe all blues, greens and pinks. Or maybe just any color that makes me feel good when I look at it. What to do, what to do.

Or maybe...hey...maybe all the chakra colors! There...that would make it just a teensy bit different than the bunch, wouldn't it? And maybe I'd get a faux Pandora instead so that I could still afford to pay the mortgage and buy food.

Whew! Now I feel a little better about it. See? I have to justify spoily things before I do them; but honestly, I can usually justify anything if I set my mind to it, especially if I reallyreally want it! :)

Hi there and as always~TGIF! Today's even better because it marks the last full week of school for us...only three days next week, one of them without any kids.

It was a crazy day today and once I got home from doing errands (because I can never ever get away without doing errands), I was mentally exhausted! I dragged my sorry self out to the hammock with a blanket and a new book (The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein), where I ended up dozing for a bit. Talk about a quiet break.

Once I woke up and my eyes refocused, I was able to enjoy the peaceful surroundings of the yard...there was a small flock of robins, the mama rabbit grazing, and lots of new growth all over the place.





This is my small lavender patch. See the large whitish plants? Those are "Nana Lavender" and are supposedly yellow! I can't wait to see that!





This is the small garden located near my cottage. See the large lavender plant? That was a gift from my youngest daughter's boyfriend and if he was trying to butter me up, it worked. :)



This is, quite obviously, a brick. I happen to love bricks; maybe because they have come from somewhere else, they've "lived another life" so to speak. We have stacks of bricks here and there, just in case I want to use some. It drives my husband and son crazy, but that's ok.




Now, you may be asking, "what's with the canoe?" I'll tell you...my middle daughter leans toward adventure. She and her best friend have been longing for a canoe, actually, a few canoes. They found this one on Craig's List, but it happened to be in New York State (we're in Massachusetts, by the way). Now, you or I might think that driving to New York would be just silly to get a canoe...but off they went. And here it is. Ladies and Gentlemen....meet "The Tipsy Gypsy".

Raise your hand if... you had a wonderful Reiki session today on the Amethyst Biomat. Yeah, me too. :)

Just think yellow daisies!

Raise your hand if... you've spent hours this weekend on the hammock til late at night, enjoying the night-sounds, breathing in the night air, and watching the fireflies. Yeah, me too. :)

More and more fireflies appear as the night gets darker. They're like sparkling bits of glitter, spilling out of God's own hand, fluttering down through the darkened leaves and onto the Earth. Another of His gifts to us.

Antique Cars

Had a good time down at The Taste and, lucky for me, today was the Antique Car Show, not last night! I loooove the old cars from the 40s, 50s and 60s. My husband was not able to come as he can't walk more than the driveway yet, so I took some photos to share with him. Thought you might like to see some, too. Now these were cars!

See this guy?
















Here he is again...hmmmm.

Good Saturday morning to you! And may I say...I love a weekend!

The sun is shining, the birds are chattering to each other, and a bunny just stopped by the front yard...such a wonderful way to start the day. Yes, I did say "start the day", even though it's already 9:00 a.m! It's been a looooong week, so when I saw the clock say 7:00 a.m. today, I rolled over for "one more minute".

We're on the countdown towards the end of school, only 8 more school days left, 7 with kids. I do love this job, but towards the end of May, my (and everyone else's) mind gets overloaded, short-circuits, and shuts down. It's a good thing we have time to re-fuel before the new batch of middle schoolers arrives in the fall.

Anyway, today I'm off to "The Taste" as our hometown calls it. Every year for the past few years, our town has hosted an event on the town common which involves a bunch of local restaurants and their wares. For a price (a mighty hefty price), you can sample food from any or all of these eateries, mingle, enjoy the music and chat with other townfolk. I don't usually go as I'm not real fond of crowds, but my on-the-go friend Nina and I are heading down there today. If I remember, I'll bring my camera.

As my first coffee is finished, I'm off to officially start the day. Enjoy yours.

Raise your hand if... you thought about "change" ALL DAY today, and that it actually made your stomach do flipsandrolls when you thought about the "what-ifs" and the possibilities and then you thought to yourself, "What the heck? What have I got to lose?" and then you decided to take maybe one teenytinylittle baby step and even THAT scares you! Me too!!!!

Soul's Restlessness

Hi. Anyone out there ever feel as if you’re not following your soul’s true path? Ever feel as if your life is like a leaf just sort of meandering downstream, bumping the shore here and there, hitting rocks, being stagnant, getting stuck in whirlpools? I do.

I was whining to my friend Michelle, my very favorite Reiki Master, and boy, did she have a kick-in-the-butt answer for me! She told me that this restlessness is my soul’s way of telling me that it’s time for change, but that “I” am fighting it all the way, hence, the restlessness. My soul is ready for me to wake up and follow, but the “I” is scared to death. She knows I do NOT like change of any kind and that I fight it--I fear change.

I have based most of my life-decisions in fear which has brought me to where I am now, restless, churning and scared to death to change, but all the while knowing the time is near.

One of my greatest fears is dying with regrets; yet, without change, regret is what’s left. I need the change, I need to follow my soul’s true path…yet I need to feel safe. Can you say “rock and a hard place”?

Just for today...I am done eating.
Outside my window...dark, chilly, damp night.
I am thinking...about planning Chelsea’s graduation party.
I am thankful for...my family.
From the kitchen...quiet.
I am wearing...black capris, sleeveless top, and slippers.
I am going...to shower and hit the hay.
I am reading...Velvet Elvis.
I am hoping...to begin writing a book this summer.
I am hearing...Bob and Chelsea discuss beagle puppies.
Around the house...Animal Planet sounds.
One of my favorite things...the end of the school year!
A few plans for the rest of the week...just getting    through it.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing... …it makes me smile to see this beautiful gem!

Raise your hand if... there are only 12 school days left and you think that's 11 days too many! Yeah, me too!

New Art Blog

Good morning. Just wanted to introduce you to a new art blog. This man has amazing talent and a great personal story as well. Check it out if you're in the mood for perusing some beautiful works.  You can find John at What's New from the Studio.   Enjoy!

And now, I’m off to paint the bathroom (yeah, right).

Well, this morning I had a rather unimpressive list of stuff to do. Now that the day is waning, I can honestly cross off, well, none of it. Instead of doing my "chores", I organized family photos, then took myself outside and played with my colored pencils. I did have my camera with me, though. (duh!)



We have only 2 deep magenta peony plants and they are both in bloom today. For once, there was no torrential rainstorm to batten down the flowers and we can enjoy them much longer.








While my son was puttering out back, this ginormous dragonfly landed on him...it was HUGE...and kind of prehistoric looking, too.





We had a really nice visit from Bob's brother, his wife (my bff) and their youngest daughter who turned 13 today!

I'm glad that I knew enough not to try anything complicated today. Sitting out back, enjoying the soft breeze, the day, and my family, proved to be the right idea. Here's hoping you have a good evening. :)

Morning. My goals today are truly exciting...prep the upstairs bathroom for painting, vacuum cobwebs out of my art studio, vacuum cobwebs out of my head, and NOT yell at anyone. I'm a tad cranky, can you tell? I get this way when I'm flustered. Evidently, I'm reeeaaaaaal flustered. :)

I saw my first firefly of the season tonight...he was fluttering around, blinking three times in succession, then waiting. Perhaps he was waiting for an answer to his queries....anyone out there? Where do I go next? I'll follow you if you show me the way.

I am filled with those same questions tonight. Anyone out there? Where do I go next? I'm feeling a little bit lost these days, terribly unsure of my soul's true path. The only thing I know for sure is that I'm restless, my soul is restless.

I stood outside in the dark and just listened, just sort of felt the bigness of it, and realized how small "my world" has become. I mean, I'm no world traveler, but it feels as if I live in a small box and that I just keep going from corner to corner, day after day. It feels as if I'm losing whatever it is that makes me "me", like I'm letting my soul down.

If I were a firefly, I'd be the one blinking, blinking, blinking....anyone out there? Where do I go next? I'll follow if you show me the way.

Rainy, chilly, and Friday-yay!

Hi there. It's just past dusk, my favorite time of day, and I just came in from meandering around the yard. I put up a fence around the newly planted cherry tomatoes and cukes, checked on my lavender plants, walked way out back to check on the pumpkin plants and our new blueberry bush, watered the new planting of impatiens, weeded the peonies and cut a peony bouquet for the house. We always put the new bouquets of peonies outside for the night in order to get rid of the ants, so it'll be on the back porch tonight.

Did I tell you I planted some lavender last summer? I did...and one of them is called "Nana" lavender. I think it's yellow! I'm not crazy about its scent, but since my kids call my mom Nana, I planted it. I met an herb lady last summer and she taught me this saying about lavender...the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year the leap!

Well, as I'm past exhausted, I think it's time for a shower, a good book, and bed. Only 14 more school days til summer vacation starts, and I can't wait! When I was "just a parent", I didn't understand how much this job takes out of a person mentally. Now that I'm in the school system, I totally get it, to say the least. Have a good Friday Eve! :)

My First Re-purpose Project

Raise your hand if... you did your first re-purpose job today which involved four cans of spray paint! (coughcough)

When my oldest daughter moved home from college, not only did she bring a beautiful diploma, but she brought tons and tons of house plants! You may think that's nothing to fret about, but when your house is about seven square feet in size, you fret.

For about a week now, I've been trying to figure out what to do with the abundance of plants and the non-abundance of space. (Is non-abundance a real word?) What to do, what to do?




Anyway, when I went outside this morning, I spotted this thing, this bright RED thing, we've had for months and months. It was used as a display rack of some kind at the photography studio our middle daughter works at, and when they decided to get rid of the rack, we adopted it.




While walking past the garage, surprise surprise...I had a thought! So, after four cans of spray paint and a little lightheadedness, voila--I have a new plant stand for the abundance of house plants!

Home Again, Finally

Hi everyone.  As they say at Cape Canaveral, “the eagle has landed”, and by “the eagle”, I mean my husband!  He’s landed here on the couch, with the dog curled up at his feet, and about 90+ staples holding him together!  

As far as the dog is concerned, her life is complete with her master home again, finally.

As I wasn’t expecting Bob home til later this week, I am totally unprepared, food-wise, for anything for him. So what am I doing about that?  Why, what any self-respecting wife would do…I’m posting blog photos! 

Here are the peonies, in their full glory!  Only three days ago, they were “thinking about” making an appearance, but here they are, a little gift from God to welcome Bob home…and that scent, that magnificent scent!

 

And then I looked up. :)