Doing nothing, shimmering and moving on

- I pretty much did nothing but read and sleep while I was at the house by the river last weekend.  Click to enlarge to see the yellow daisies that are blooming away across the river there.  Photo taken early Monday morning as I was planning my departure.

- The water flows gently by.  It's so beautiful, the way it shimmers. 

- Can you see the two young deer munching on the grass there?  I was in the kitchen, preparing to make coffee even earlier on Monday morning.  These were both male - they had sprouting antlers.

- If you click to enlarge, you can see that the one on the left had spotted me.  They turned and ran into the woods - I was rather sorry to have interrupted the munching. 

Day is done, can't get it out of my head and more quiet

- I would have never captured this image if I hadn't been listening to the last bit of the audio book I was about to return to the library.  I was sitting in the library parking lot listening and thinking how beautiful the winter branches of that tree looked against the 6pm sky.  The real story here is about taking a quiet few moments to look at simple things around me like this.

- Finally watching the film Saving Mr. Banks, the story of the making of the film Mary Poppins.  My sister Jo and I loved "Mary Poppins" when we were children and had the soundtrack.  So I found that I knew every word to some of the songs, particularly "Let's go fly a kite."  I've been singing it all this week.  Here's a link to the scene in the "Saving Mr. Banks" in which the song is pitched to PL Travers (played so well by Emma Thompson that I forgot it was her I was watching.)

- Driving home from the eye doctor with eyes so dilated I turned off the audio book and the radio and just concentrated on driving.  And then realizing I kind of liked the quiet. 

Audio books make my long commute more than bearable.  And I tend to listen to things I wouldn't normally read.  Right now I'm listening to another Lee Child book and have a Nevada Barr book waiting for after that.  Both authors stretch reality a bit, but that's what make them good mystery / thrillers, I guess.  :)  Have a good weekend!

Special gift, the wolf moon and mighty fine

- My sister got me this vase for Christmas after I admired it in a shop in the North Carolina mountains back in July.  I had actually checked to see if it was still there when I visited in September, but it wasn't (because she had bought it for me.)  I put some flowers in it and texted her this photo on New Year's Day, saying, "Happy New Year!"  She liked that.

- The moon was huge, golden and gorgeous on Tuesday night, January 6.  A Google search tells me it was the "Wolf moon" - so called by Native Americans because of the howling of hungry wolves that often accompanied it at the height of winter.  I got a glimpse of it ahead of me through the trees, as I was driving home from volunteer work.  It kept peeking at me, here and there, until I arrived home. Click on the link here to see an amazing photo of a plane crossing in front of that moon in Los Angeles, California.

- After a long day and then a meeting at the church that was also long, a simple supper of avocado on toast.  Drizzled with olive oil and topped with a little shredded parmesan cheese - it was mighty fine.

I hope you have a mighty fine weekend! 

Berries and lace, out to sea and a beautiful day

- The photos today are from a walk at Chatuge Dam in Clay County, North Carolina, when I was there July 4th weekend.  I took so many photos, I just have to share a few more.  You would have to click to enlarge to see the wild blackberries growing on a vine there.  They looked pretty beside the Queen Anne's lace - a much more beautiful name for the wildflower than its technical name Daucus carota.  When I was a young bride-to-be, the mother of my best childhood friend made centerpieces for the tables at a party they threw for me, out of pink roses and Queen Anne's lace she picked from the side of a road nearby.  I always think of Maxine when I see them.

- The trail runs alongside a campground and I just managed to snap a shot of sailboat with its colorful sail, sailing gracefully out on the lake.  Click to enlarge. 

- About 1/2 mile left until the end of my walk when I'm at this point - emerging from the shade of the pine trees.  My car is at the end of that paved drive.  It was a beautiful day.  

This week - three sisters from three different states are converging for our annual sisters weekend.  And we're going to the place we love best - the house by the river.  There is really no way to read blogs when I'm there, so I'll catch up when I return.  Have a great week!

My Georgia kitchen, passing the dogwoods and more books

- Very early on Tuesday morning, I got absorbed in David Lebovitz's latest blog post, about the making of his new cookbook.  I've been reading his blog for years - he is an American chef living in Paris.  I need another cookbook like a hole in the head, but ordered it.  I just had to.  But look at how many I already have.  Maybe one more won't hurt.  :)

- The dogwood trees are blooming and really, on the wane already.  I pass one after the other when I'm driving, thinking how I should pull off residential streets and get out of my car to get a beautiful photo of them.  But in the spirit of my blog, things are good, not always perfect, so I snapped this beauty in the midst of power lines and storage business when I was parking somewhere yesterday afternoon.  I love how they pop up like that all over town.

- Tuesday is my long day - I go to volunteer work after my paying job.  We record publications and books for the blind there.  And this week is volunteer appreciation week, with the most exciting part for me being the stacks of books we could purchase for $1.  Here's what I got (see above stacked on the leaf shaped platter):  "Mockingbird" by Charles J. Shields - a portrait of author Harper Lee, "Cumberland Island" by Charles Seabrook - a history of the island off the coast of Georgia, and "Celestine - A Granddaughter's Reminiscence" by Celestine Sibley Fleming - a portrait of the late Atlanta journalist Celestine Sibley.  I used to read her column every day - it was a perfect start to the day.  And this was a perfect (almost) end to this one:  forking over my $3, not eating the appreciation cake, getting my recording done and heading home with takeout dinner.   A lovely day.

Saturday morning visitor, madly leafing and down came the rain

- The luxurious feeling of watching a movie on a beautiful spring Saturday morning.  My walking buddies were both out of town and the pollen count was extremely high, so staying in felt justified (and luxurious.)  :)  The cardinal there on the railing came to visit, first landing in the terracotta pot, then hopping on the railing.  He was probably seeing his own reflection in the glass, but it looked for all the world as if he was looking at me.  (Click to enlarge.)

- The end result of all the pollen is worth it though - the trees are madly leafing out.

- A spring rain, that came in on Sunday, and then has settled in on Monday morning, washing away the yellow stuff.

Vintage bouquet, overlooking and warming up a little

- This bouquet was called a "vintage" bouquet - not sure why.  I love purple and blue together, so I was hooked.

- Beautiful fall color on these trees overlooking the empty parking lot of my church.  I was there for a quick meeting with just one other person, and while I waited, had this beauty to keep me company.

- Temperatures in the 40s this morning and not 20s and 30s.  :)

It's been a long week, but it's FRIDAY!!!!  Could I be more excited?  I don't think so.  :)  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and that good things happen to you.

Belated view, growing up and bright star

- View from my aunt and uncle's back porch in Franklin, North Carolina - taken in October when I was up there for the folk school festival.  I had no photo for today and this one seemed like a beautiful choice.

- Running into a former coworker from 2005-08 at the grocery store and finding that her little daughters are in 7th and 9th grades now.  Amazing how that happens.

- Walking into my church for my circle meeting with the busiest woman I know (she really is.)  She points out an especially bright star in the sky and wonders if it is a planet.  I wouldn't have noticed it and was grateful for the quiet moment with a friend looking up at the sky in the crisp, cold night.

I hope amazing things are in store for you this weekend, my friends!

Walk along the lake, peace and purple mountains

- Saturday walk beside Lake Chatuge.  I love this trail that goes over the dam, through the woods and beside a recreation area - three miles total.  A perfect distance for a walk and it was fun watching all the activity on the water, too.  (As always - click to enlarge the photos.)

- Fishermen and a fisherwoman (in the middle) fishing off of a bass boat.  The air in that area had a slightly sweet / fishy scent that I remember from fishing on a lake with my dad years ago.

- A working farm not far from my sister's house by the river.  Those wild yellow daisies seemed to pop up everywhere this trip.  My favorite thing, as always - the purple mountains in the distance.

In search of tomatoes, sun-drenched and greeting committee

- After a brisk early morning walk with friend Janice, I stopped by Doug's garden to see if there were any tomatoes.  There was no one in sight, so I stood for a moment and took in the sun-drenched welcoming area.  If you click to enlarge, you can see the hand lettered list of vegetable offerings.  My favorite thing about the picnic area is the seat from a car thrown in, for a little extra added comfort, I guess.  :)

- The sun works its magic over the lily pond.  Doug, a rather taciturn man, stepped out of his house with a cup of coffee and started calling for his helpers.  I asked if I was too early and he shook his head no and went back inside, as a smiling young lady rounded the corner.  I remembered her from last time.  She and her dog Bobby lead me to the tomatoes.

- Bobby was a puppy last time I stopped by in February.  He came over for a head rub, then took up his post in the driveway.  I chuckled that I had to drive around him when I left with my tomatoes on this sun dappled morning.

Stone steps, young visitor and the home stretch

- It was so humid outside yesterday after work that you could practically see the humidity, but I went for a walk anyway.  Love these natural stone steps I've passed a hundred times before.  At Tanyard Creek Park, Atlanta.

- Just around the corner, they've recently installed these man-made steps.  I like the natural ones better, but on a day when it's not so humid, I might add a trot up and down these steps for added workout results.

Just around the corner, a wee boy in plaid shorts and baseball cap was standing alone.  He waved and I waved back.  He announced he was going to get to play baseball.  "Who is with you?" I asked.  He pointed and a woman deep in conversation with another was just out of sight.  On my return trip, he was hitting a ball with a plastic bat off a baseball tee, with the women (probably nannies), now seated on the grass, still not watching.  I gave a silent arms-raised cheer for his good hit when I went by.

- My favorite part of the walk yesterday - my car was almost in sight at this spot and it was over!  I was drenched in perspiration from the humidity, but still glad I did it.  I always think of this as the home stretch when I walk here in the afternoons.

Wherever you are this weekend and whatever you do, I hope good things happen for you.  

Just because, pure magic and cyberspace messages

- Picking up a $5 bouquet of flowers at the market, just because.  And putting them in a vase I once gave my mom for Mother's Day.

- Friend Judy, on her way to Hilton Head, South Carolina nine hours ago, posts on facebook:  "Look at that crazy big moon!"  Which inspires me to step outside at 5:45am to see the moon.  It is crazy big!  Beautiful and glowing.  And the birds are enthusiastically singing, having this time mostly to themselves, except for a lone woman looking at the moon.

- Facebook inspires mixed feelings, but there have been so many good and beautiful things posted the last couple of days:

- Friend Ann posted a beautiful tribute to her Aunt Juliette, who has passed away, "She was loved by everyone who met her."

- Second cousin Anna posts this surprise this morning:  "Saw baby Doodlebug sucking its thumb for the first time today on ultrasound.  At 13 weeks, he or she now has fingerprints--amazing!!!--and is "fearfully and wonderfully made."

- And a young lady, Lara, I used to work with at my corporate job, posts about a coworker who is departing for another job:  "I am so incredibly happy for her, but also sad.  I will miss her face and it's reminded me of all those I've worked with in the past that have touched my life in one way or another."

Amen to that!  I am so happy to have you all in my life and cherish your comments.  Have a lovely weekend, my friends!

Chickens, mushroom and squirrel underpants

- I laugh at myself for even posting this picture, taken out of my car window with my phone.  There were chickens pecking away on this front lawn on a very busy midtown Atlanta street.  You can see them there in the upper right - some brown specks.  They're there.  Really. 

- This giant mushroom appeared on the side lawn of the printing company.  I imagine some bug party going on under this natural cabana at night when all the working people are away. 

- And something wacky posted in my hairdresser's home salon.  He and his wife feed the birds and squirrels indiscriminately, so why not come up with wardrobe, too?  Those are actual little tighty whities.  :)

Here in the states we have what is known as Labor Day weekend, so I'm off Monday.  I'll be in the mountains, sitting beside the river, doing some reading and relaxation.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend wherever you are.  (I'll be playing blog catch up on Monday when I'm back.) 

Rhododendron gardens, lake view and reflection

- More images from the Sunday before Memorial Day.  I love walking in the Rhododendron Gardens in Hiawassee, Georgia.  Oddly - it's at the top of a tiered parking lot for a park that has fairgrounds for art and craft shows and a country music hall.  You'd never the gardens were there if someone hadn't told you.  That's my car there waiting for me beyond that beautiful gate.

- At the bottom edge of the gardens, is a spot in which you can view water fun on Lake Chatuge and the Blue Ridge mountains in the distance.

- If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see the slowly turning spinning wheel just below an observation deck.  This is such a peaceful place, with its memorial benches around in which you can sit and reflect.  The story of how the gardens began is lovely and can be read here.

Surveyor, down by the water and Georgian

Taken with iPhone

- An early morning walk around Cherokee Lake in Thomasville, Georgia on Sunday morning. There were a few quiet walkers at 7:00am, as well as this guy, who found an awesome perch on a skinny stump.

- In perfect choreography, "Down by the Water" by The Decemberists comes up on my iPod just as I set off around the lake.

- A couple, strolling with their dog, slows down to let me pass. The woman asks, "Are you Georgian?" I tell her I am, but just visiting that part of Georgia for the weekend. They are from upstate New York and visiting their daughter, who has just given birth. They like Thomasville well enough to be thinking of moving there. There is serious humidity this particular morning, so that's saying something. :)

Magnolia, another day and fragrant hair product

- A sun-dappled magnolia blossom on the tree in the courtyard outside my mother's front door in Thomasville, Georgia.

- On the way down on Saturday, a truck in front of me on the state highway going south swerves to avoid hitting something. It's a turtle, in no hurry, and it makes it to the shoulder of the road to live another day.

- Just before I leave to come back north on Sunday, beautiful niece Abby shows up to visit her aunt and grandmother. We hug and say "you smell good!" to each other at the same time and laugh.

Rescue, hanging on and treasure

- My rescue plant on a Saturday morning on the back porch. My neighbor picked it up from a pile of debris awaiting the trash collectors at the university hospital in which she works. Someone had vacated an office and abandoned the plant. She brought it home and asked if I wanted it.

- One raindrop still hanging on after the Friday night thunderstorm that popped up.

- 60 Minutes and the rebroadcast of a story from last January showing an American treasure, Wynton Marsalis, in Cuba. Marsalis and his band mates found common ground with musicians in Havana. "They just have a lot of people who can play," Marsalis told Morley Safer.

Scattered, making it was half the fun and relief

- The blossoms dropped and are now scattered to the universe by the diresome storm we had Friday night. The word "diresome" in honor of the dialect used in the 19th century Hawaiian section of "Cloud Atlas" - currently reading.

- Making a birthday gift bag for someone who could use a gift right about now - a bottle of chardonnay, a solid dark chocolate Easter bunny and a bag of York Peppermint Patties. I tell her that you know you are good friends with someone when you know the exact brand of wine they like and what kind of candy they prefer.

- A meeting that was expected to be difficult comes out alright.

Comeback, private dances and opportunity

- There was lots of rain, thunderous thunder and lightening popping around all weekend, continuing on into this morning. But between raindrops it was lovely to see all the greening up.

- A migrating flock of geese in their customary V pattern flies into view during a commute while classical music entitled, "Private Dances" is playing on the radio. A perfect synchronization.

- Discovering a dish of chocolate Easter candy on the coffee table at Marjory's home during (suburban) book group discussion. Friend Shelley and I deliberate over our choice and agree that life is too short to let a candy eating opportunity pass by. :)

Here comes the sun, stuck and mooned

Early Sunday morning by JMM

- My sister found peace in this rising of the sun on her farm property. I feel peace just looking at the photo.

- My young friend Kathleen, who was handicapped by an accident and must depend on others quite a bit, sent a "forward" about sisterhood - one of those things about friends needing each other and that you must send it to 10 other women, etc. I noticed that she sent it to nine women + her 20-year-old brother and remarked upon that in my reply. She said, "The reason I also sent it to my brother - this is because he's been, mostly "stuck", going thru this with me, but he has always been there for me, even when he was the "annoying lil' nerd" that he used to be! But, I AM his sister, so we're stuck with each other, whether we like it or not, for life!!"

- Having a look at the moon when I emerge from a meeting after dark. Facebook friend Arch posted a photo of it, along with this message, "This is the last full moon before the spring equinox, 2011. March 19, 3:28 GMT (10:28 p.m. EDT), distance from earth: 356,813 km (closest in last 40 years and for the next 19 years), percent full: 99.4 ... Consider yourself mooned!"