Monday, April 18, 2011

Another Beautiful Spring Day!!

Good Morning Everyone!  I've gotten so spoiled being off work these past few days! I'm afraid I'm going to have a rude awakening tomorrow morning when I return! Ha Ha

Just received a call from Laura; they've begun the boarding process!  Isabel was already getting bored (despite numerous precautions to keep her from doing just that!), so Laura thought it would be a great idea to call Gummy!!  The first thing Isabel said was, "We're in a HUGE line of people Gummy!"  When I asked what she thought of the ship, she said, "It's HUGE too Gummy, and it's white and red and blue!"  Her voice was so excited, I immediately felt myself grinning from ear to ear!  Before they left yesterday morning, I thought she was going to burst, she was so full of energy and excitement!  She should sleep good tonight, although getting to that point in time will certainly prove exhausting! Poor Laura!!  I hope she's rested up for this!

Here are a few more photos I took this morning.  It still amazes me that for someone who hates working with "technology" (i.e., computers and cameras) as much as I do, and hates having my picture taken, I've certainly wasted no time in thoroughly enjoying this blog, as well as learning to take much better photographs!  I look at everything now with "new and different eyes".  And despite what I thought to the contrary, I still keep another "personal" journal!  I was a little concerned that blogging might force my hand written journaling into the background.  In actuality, having this blog inspires me to more creativity, which leads me to more personal writings (in my hard copy journals) as well as here!  Of course, being off work certainly helps too! :)

Changing subjects on you now.  What do you think of this new and simpler blog template?  I think it looks a bit "cleaner"; less cluttered and perfect for the spring.  I'd love to hear your thoughts about it!


Nigel was so sweet to pot these for me!  The two in the terracotta pots in the front are a different kind of basil, with small leaves.  Still edible, with that same familiar and TERRIFIC basil scent!!  The red flowers in the back are geraniums!  I love them, although no scent at all.  It's just something about their "look" that attracts me!  Can't explain it any better than that!

 Ta Da!! Phase 2 of the Ladder Decoration Project!!  This is just a primer, so don't think it's going to look anything like this when we're through, cause it won't!  I promised Isabel I'd let her help, but I decided at least to get the primer and perhaps the base coat on before she returned.  This way, we can immediately start having fun with the actual decorating of it when she returns.  This is my plan to help keep her mind off the fact that her Mommy returns to Afghanistan within a few days of that.

Lovely angel, keeping watch over us!  Someone asked me the other day if I collected angels, and my immediate response was "no".  I guess I don't think of myself as collecting one or two specific things.  It's more of having anything that particularly appeals to me.  Angels are just one of many things.  I aso love rabbits and birds, old glass bottles, pewter, blue and white china, toile fabric, and pretty much anything else that's beautiful.  I like what William Morris said, about not having anything around you that wasn't useful or beautiful.  I'm sure he said it much better than I just did, but you get the idea.

Lousy photo, but again - you get the idea!  Isabel and her friend Payton were over the other day and I finally thought of something to do with these wooden butterflies I purchased on deep discount about two years ago.

Voila'!  Of course Isabel wanted to know why I asked them to hang some of them upside down, to which I responded, "Do butterflies only fly upward? If so, they're going to get really bored!" 

Yes, I do love angels, and these "Pinks" (which really are called "Pinks" by the way).  Another name for them is Dianthus.  See!  Even the "hoity toity" gardeners use my naming methods sometimes! Ha Ha 

Such a sweet face!  She came from an old house on the side of the road in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, several years ago, when I was visiting my dear friend/companion/sister, Sherry Craig.  I remember seeing her outside in the yard, amid all kinds of "stuff" for sale, but her sweet face captivated me and I had to have her.  So up she went, into the car and back to Madison, Alabama, where she's resided ever since!

This photo is what I mean by "seeing things with different eyes".  I had no intention whatsoever of taking this photograph this morning.  But when I glanced back to see what had caught my attention, I thought how peaceful and serene it looked, so I immediately went back for my camera!  There is so much beauty all around us every day that we become immune to it, or perhaps desensitized would be a better word.  Then suddenly something catches our notice and we see things differently.  And here it is!

Last photo - and the FIRST rose of the season!! Well, at least it's the first one I've spotted in our garden. It's scent is absolutely wonderful! That typical "good rose smell" that always draws me over for a closer look!

Well, that's it for now.  It will more than likely be several days before I'm posting again, so have a lovely week and take good care of each other!  Love, Hugs and Blessings! Jan