Life is beautiful

Ok, calm down now. I know posting three times in one week is something that’s a little out of the ordinary for me right now. But there was a time in my blogging life that I wrote on a daily basis taking off only for weekends.

Speaking of weekends . . .

 

Last weekend I went to Alisa’s senior thesis at the university she attends in Philadelphia. She’s studying photography.

Alisa is the granddaughter of my friends, Jeff & Karen.

 

She is a great kid.

Very talented.

Very cool.

 

I am not a fan of crowds. I could handle them much better when I was younger but it really gets to me now. The place was packed and full of tiny rooms. After I visited Alisa’s exhibit and looked around a little, I found a quiet place outside in a little courtyard. The wall to the back of me was full of plants and a fabulous tree that kept me dry in the rain. The other three walls were hallways with glass walls that framed the courtyard. I could sit there and people watch while the rain fell softly around me.

It was really nice.

 

Then we drove to a bar to meet up with other friends who were already there to celebrate Alisa’s accomplishment. The bar was across from the Keswick Theater in Glenside.

Several women came in from the show across the street and mistook my friend, Karen, for a wild, zany woman who sat near them at the show. They had the wild and zany right and Karen just went along with playing the persona of who they thought she was. They gave us tiaras because they were so taken with Karen.

 

And then she kissed everyone.

It was a fun night.

 

Our breakfast the next day.

Oooo lah lah.

It was so nice to have a bloody mary (or two) on a lazy Saturday morning.

 

 

This evening, taken from the front porch.

 

Life is beautiful.

 

And that’s what I have to say about that.

 

Home at last

Readers of this blog may remember the Valentine's Day love story I posted about my teacher friend, ALISA and her family. If you haven't read it, please do. It will warm your heart.

Well, I'm happy to report that STEVEN has finally returned from Iraq and is now home with his family, who are all smiles in this picture I took of them in front of our school this afternoon.

Alisa is the happiest I've seen her. Ever. And she's a pretty up person to begin with. But today, it made my heart sing to see this family reunited and Alisa, please forgive me, but you said the sweetest thing today. And I hope you don't mind me repeating it here.

Today you told me that the very best moment, aside from seeing him again, was when everyone had fallen asleep last night and you were still lying there awake. And you were so happy because everyone was where they were supposed to be. For the first time in such a long time. And the sound of your house was a safe quiet sound. Like snow when it's falling.

I thank God for bringing Steven home safe and sound to you and Courtney and Chris and Grace. And thank you Steven, for everything you and your entire family have sacrificed for our country. Amen.

A Valentine's Day Story

When I started this blog, I told myself I'd never publish a post involving my workplace, and then something happened today that just made me feel good. And I wanted to share it with you. All day long at the school, delivery persons were bringing Valentine surprises for faculty and students alike. And then, at the end of the day, when most of the teachers had already left, an elderly gentleman who I recognized from one of the better florists showed up, out of breath, but seemingly proud of himself that he had arrived 'on time'. I didn't have the heart to tell him that the recipients had already left for the day and thanked him, telling him I'd call the teacher over the intercom right away. I did, but to no avail. She'd already gone. Some of you readers may remember ALISA from a previous post when she won one of the Weekend Guessing Games. And when I called her on her cell, she was well on her way home. I told her about the delivery and when she asked me if she should return, I told her that yes, it would be worth it if she did. You see, Alisa's husband Steven is in Iraq and I knew these gifts must be from him. I got the little school camera ready because I knew he would appreciate it if he could actually see his children and his wife and their reactions to the lovely bouquets of flowers he'd so thoughtfully sent. To each of his girls, Courtney and Grace, he sent a single lilac-colored presentation rose, and to his son, Chris, a box of candy with the instructions that he should "share this with your sisters, now." And to his wife, my co-worker and friend, Alisa, the biggest bouquet of red roses that I'd seen all day. The look on their faces alone made me realize how much I enjoy this little holiday. Its positive message of love makes me feel good. I hope it does you, as well.

And we have a winner

ALISA is the winner of Weekend Guessing Game #3. Her guess of CORN STALK was the correct answer. Alisa lives in Maryland and is a teacher, a mother of three and wife to Steven. She's also a crack shot with a firearm and is a true country girl. That's probably why she got this answer so quickly. Yeah, that's it. Bamboo was an excellent guess, as was a segmented stalk, and I can see why some thought of a mushroom. But it really is a corn stalk. A dried up, old corn stalk. So congratulations to you, Alisa, and please, let us know how the fame affects you and changes your life. Past-winners Renee and Judy have both reported that the notoriety has been astounding. Just wanted to warn you.

What would you do for a Klondike Bar?

I wasn’t myself today. I felt overwhelmed at work because I was trying to get a large project finished at my desk, which is in the school office in the center of everything. I’m putting together our school directory and it’s full of advertising and is extremely time-consuming. I even snapped at two of our parents.

I didn’t mean to and I hate when I do that. (But better them than the children!)

It wasn’t until I drove up the driveway and arrived home that I began to really feel better. An e-mail from a friend made me really smile. Hi, Alisa! (She noticed I wasn’t myself today).

And tea always helps. I sat outside and chatted with my husband for a bit and then came in to get the camera. And as I walked through the dining room, I remembered that I’d wanted to show you the jar I acquired over the weekend.

I bought it in the gift shop at one of the garden centers nearby. I fell in love with the colors when I first saw it over a month ago. It’s very autumnal.

And all the embellishments are very interesting, as well. I love that old-fashioned writing. And that date. This house had already been standing for a hundred years in 1869. Well, half of it had, anyway.

The new addition was put on in 1810. To find out more about the house (it isn’t much, really), visit the tab on my sidebar, entitled “About the House”.

I do have some questions for you today. I hope you’ll play along.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1. What is your absolute best asset?

2. What is the best thing that has happened to you in the past week?

3. What do you usually use to mark a place in a book you’re reading?

4. How many times do you hit the snooze button in the morning?

5. What was the last thing you put a postage stamp on?

See you in the comments, my friends . . .

PS ~ I’m all out of Klondike Bars. Sorry.

I won something! Oh, and a giveaway here.

A few days ago, I stopped at my mailbox and was surprised to find a little package out there. It's always nice getting something other than bills, isn't it? My husband thinks I'm buying all these things that come to our house, and I keep assuring him that I'm winning them. Fellow blogger, Charmaine Manley, over at High Desert Diva had a recent giveaway to celebrate the 100th person to sign up to follow her blog. Readers were encouraged to leave a comment and the winner would receive a surprise gift in the mail.

And I won this gorgeous Iris Art Deco candlestick! Thanks, Charmaine!

Folks, Charmaine is an interior designer and her design site is beautiful.

And now I've decided to hold my own giveaway because I, too, would like to celebrate the 100th person who has signed up to follow this blog. The 100th person to follow this blog is Maggie Gem so I'm giving a shout out to her. Hi there, Maggie!

To enter this giveaway, readers are asked to leave a comment on this post telling me what's the best way to contact you. I'll draw the winner of a surprise gift on Friday.

And just because I can't resist, I'm posting another photograph in my texture series. Kacey wrote me to say that she's liking this new addiction of mine sooooo much better than the mushroom addiction I had last summer. Hey, I like mushrooms, Kacey. They stay really still when you're trying to photograph them, too.

Speaking of Kacey, head on over to her Photo of the Month contest. This month's theme was "Cold". You get three votes for this contest and there's some great entries tis month. Check it out!

And finally, to my friend and co-worker, Alisa (the real country girl around here). I miss you at work and hope you know how much we all care. Heal pretty, girl.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Big girls don’t cry

A walk in the yard late this afternoon left me feeling much better. This, after a day at work that kept me busy and my mind off my sore finger. I took a pain pill after driving home with almost-clenched teeth. The ibuprofen had worn off hours ago and I knew I could make it until I got home where the good stuff is.

And by good stuff, I not only mean a pill that will take the edge off the pain, but just feeling good being home. I felt better almost immediately. After a short nap, I ventured outside with the camera and my giant finger. These clothespins caught my eye. I added a texture from Joy St. Claire. I just love her beautiful textures. They make me happy.

As I passed by the pansies in the window boxes, this little blue one caught my attention. It had just rained and the sky was that pretty early evening color that it gets after a light rain.

Rabbits are eating our lettuce and collard greens and my husband is lamenting the fact to me as I type. He’s got the garden fenced off but they use their wiley ways to get in. Please don’t tell him, but I don’t really care so much. There’s so much lettuce out there. I try to understand how much it upsets him, though.

I’m just glad it’s the weekend. I don’t even care that it’s supposed to rain for the next week straight.  However, in 3 or 4 days, I’m sure I’ll be singing a different tune.

My friend, Dlyn is having an awesome Giveaway and not only that, but she’s going to make it a regular feature on her blog. She’ll be giving away a beautifully framed print. Good stuff.

I hope there’s an old movie on TV tonight. Something like the old Thin Man series featuring Nick and Nora Charles. Those movies are so fun. Or maybe I should just buy them.

Ok. Time for finger rest.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

PS ~ Alisa, I think of you always. You are in my prayers.

One of those days

Did you ever have one of those days where upon awakening, you just know you're in a good mood? It's as if the planets are in align and forces are at work, plying their magic to make you the recipient of joyful sprinkles of stardust and happiness.

Yes, I know I'm weird. But for some strange reason, when I woke up this morning, I was really happy. It was as if all the bad stuff that began last June had never happened at all and I actually really felt that maybe life was going to be okay, after all.

And surprisingly, the day continued in that vein. My favorite songs played on the car radio on my ride to my job. Little things that I did worked the first time I tried them. Everything went smoothly at work. An entire classroom of second graders wrote me thank you notes that nearly had me in tears. I's been their guest reader the previous day and one child wrote "you read to us with such expression. I can tell that you really like to read. I bet you were a good reader when you were young. When I grow up, I want to read like that."

Good stuff. And good sentence structure, as well. I was very impressed and quickly wrote them all back telling them as much.

In the afternoon, I went outside to see my friend and co-worker, Alisa, who had come to collect her children. She's been out on medical leave and it was so good to see her smiling face. While we were standing out there, I felt something gently plop on my head. At first I thought it was beginning to rain, but looking up, I saw seagulls. I'd just been the recipient of seagull poop! Not to gross you out or anything, but it was very runny, so no worries. Besides, everyone knows it's good luck to have a bird poop on you.

Driving home, I seemed to make every light. And when I got home, I actually stopped to collect our mail from the box out on the main road. I don't like getting the mail because it's usually depressing with all the bills. But today, we got a letter from Social Security. I pulled into the driveway, stopping the car. With trembling hands, I opened it, thinking I'd have to appeal, but received a nice surprise. My husband's disability has been approved.

And Lost is on tonight.

Life is good.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

PS ~ Please excuse the sappiness. It's just the stardust still at work. Ha!

The magic is inside you

 

It’s Sunday night and I’m watching Birdsong on Masterpiece Theater. It’s a beautiful production. I took several hundred photos beginning on Thursday but they are all for events held at our school. I just finished processing the first set of them and it’s late and I’m tired . . .

These are images I took this weekend using my camera phone with an app called Little Photo, which was recommended by a person who left a comment here. I checked my apps before I downloaded it and saw that I already had it. And then I remembered that my friend, Alisa, had told me I should get it. How I had forgotten it all this time is beyond me, but it’s par for the course where I’m concerned.

 

Sitting and reading in the side yard on Saturday afternoon. I thought it was going to rain and was surprised at what a nice day it turned out to be.

 

I hope the lawn service comes this week.

 

He sits with me.

He’s my faithful companion.

 

Coming up the driveway Saturday morning.

: : :

I sat a the dinner table last night with my son. We had finished eating and my husband had already left the table. We were just sitting and looking at the view outside the breakfast nook window. All the cardinals come at dinnertime and we watched as some of the males took seeds to their lady friends. I turned to my son and mentioned again how lucky we were to live here and retold the story of how we had come to acquire the position of caretakers for this old manor house on the hill.

I told him that I couldn’t believe how everything came together and how I was in the right place at exactly the right moment and I said again how luck played such a big part in it. And my son said, “and magic”.

 

Every time I come up this driveway, I believe in magic.

 

George loves to go for rides in the car when I run errands (as do most dogs, come to think of it). When I open the back hatch, it cheers me to see his furry face.

 

It’s been raining all day which is a wonderful thing, although this image is a little freaky -looking.

: : :

And now, because inquiring minds want to know, I have some questions for you ~ on a Monday rather than a Friday.

1. How many states have you lived in? How many countries?

2. When was your first kiss? And who!

3. How do you react to people begging at intersections?

4. Are you still friends with anyone from grade school? How about high school?

5. If money was not a problem, what is the one thing you would splurge on?

See you in the comments, my friends . . .

Bittersweet

It’s late as I write this and I’ve just returned home from the house of a co-worker who hosted a Silpada jewelry party tonight. Have you ever been to one of those? The jewelry is beautiful and you want everything you see. I ended up getting a belt for myself.

I would have liked to have a few belts of something else, if you know what I mean. But I was the designated driver and the roadways were dark and unfamiliar. And it was raining.

So no belts for me.

Soup for me, though. Maryland crab soup. I must admit that I ate two bowls. Alisa makes the best crab soup, letmetellya.

George is doing much better. Thanks to so many of you for the advice on the flea allergy dermatitis he has.

:: ~ ::

If you have cable, tune in to the Food Network tonight. Pioneer Woman has been challenged to a throw down by Bobby Flay and they’ll be cooking up a storm in an hour-long Thanksgiving-themed show to air Wed., Nov. 17 at 9 PM (8 PM Central). Check it out! It should be fun.

You can read about it {here}.

And on that note, I wish you all a beautiful Wednesday. I’ve got a hair appointment in Hoitytoityville after work. Woot.

Just a small peek

I finally opened my graduation photo files from Sunday evening. Took me long enough, I think. I don’t have much of anything to share with you but at least I started working on them and the few that I can show you are below.

 

I would never share photographs of the students at my school without permission, but these are mostly taken from behind. After the ceremony that is held in the auditorium, the seniors proceed to one of the outdoor courtyards where they wait in a receiving line and are greeted first by the faculty and then by all the guests.

When there were only a dozen or so of them, as it was in 2003 when our son, Matt, graduated, there are now over 30. This makes the line much longer, but it is what it is. I like this one where they are all waiting. The girl in the foreground is the fourth and last in her family to graduate, beginning with her older brother in 2000, I believe.

Our salutatorian is the little blonde you see, and that’s my friend and co-worker, Alisa, who is giving her a hug. This year’s graduating class was in kindergarten when I started at the school.

 

My friend and co-worker, Christine, with two of her daughters. They live in the development right through the trees off our property. The one on the left takes care of our plants when we’re away in the summer. The one on the right is home from college. We had trouble getting them all together for a family photo because there were so many people.

 

You see? Their daughter was graduating this year and we couldn’t find her older sister for the shot, so I took one without her. We call Christine’s husband “Saint John” partly because he’s a great guy and partly because he’s in a houseful of womenfolk.

And that’s all I got for you today.

So how are things in your neck of the woods? It’s supposed to be super hot here on Wednesday. I may have to invest in a kiddie pool.

Kidding.

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around . . .

I haven't been able to write for the past couple of days. I think someone maybe hit the nail on the head when they suggested it may be my thyroid medication. The dosage was lessened last week, so that’s true. Combined with the near week-straight of rain that we’ve had, my bandaged finger, and my life in general, it took a tree to make it all come crashing down. Literally.

I live in an old house on 20 acres. There are many trees on this acreage, and I see the surrounding woods reaching out and taking so many of them with the vines they send forth. It’s sad, actually. One such tree had died years ago. Many years ago. It’s close to the house, too and should have been removed immediately but it stayed here, gathering honeysuckle, wild grapevines and the dreaded of all vines, poison ivy.

After the deluge we’ve had the past week, a big part of that dead tree came down in a storm Wednesday night. And when that section came down, it split the lilac bush that was growing next to it right in half. I’d venture to guess that the lilac is at least 40-50 years old.

My husband told me that he could take care of the section that had come down. He said it would give him something to do. So I went to work and hoped that he’d be careful with his chainsaw. And when I came home, the tree was still there, untouched and still lying over the pack patio as well. He said that it had so much poison ivy on it that he couldn’t even think of touching it and I don’t blame him. I think a professional needs to come and haul it away and take the rest of the dead tree with it. It looks terrible and is my view now when I sit at the breakfast nook table to eat meals.

And surprisingly, it made me so sad. I couldn’t believe how much a simple tree falling could affect me! But it took the lilac bush with it and I’m just afraid that it will lie there for a long time before anyone comes to do something with it because of all the poison ivy growing on it. It’s an eyesore and I won’t even take a photo of it because it bothers me so much.

I mean, it’s not just the tree. There’s more but I don’t want to get into it. I don’t think my husband would appreciate it.

So today I went to the mall. It was not a very fruitful mission, although it was a long mission. I must have tried on 18 pairs of khaki capri slacks and not a one suited. The power went out while I was at the bra store, they didn't have the camera lens I was looking for at the camera shop and a host of other little things that were bound and determined to get me down but I persevered. And in the end, I got something for my mother-in-law for tomorrow and I got myself a pedicure. It was heaven, even though the gentleman who did my tootsies had a shirt that proclaimed that he was The Man from Nantucket. No lie. Lawsie mercy.

Then I came home and poured a vodka and grapefruit and went online and bought this after receiving an e-mail announcing it. It’s Sephora’s Sun Safety Kit. It’s a collection of trial-size SPF 13’s from brands like Philosophy, Bare Escentuals, Murad, Korres and Smashbox in a little backpack. It’s a $110 value on sale now for $22.50. And it delivers a 100% net profit donation to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

And I also splurged and got my favorite shampoo in the world, Ojon. And I can’t wait to wash my hair using both hands. I mean, I can’t wait to everything using two hands. Typing hasn’t been too awful but everything else from making a bed to searching for keys to trying on khaki slacks has been slow. And annoying.

So that’s why I haven’t been able to post, or much of anything lately. I know there are those that have it much worse than these little things and my heart goes out to you.

And that’s all I have to say about that. (Name that movie line).

Love, and until tomorrow my friends,

Doris, I hear you. I think of you often and wish you well. Alisa, I don’t know how you do it sometimes. All the time.