resolve

i think i am going to make "summer resolutions" since i didn't really have a resolution for the new year. what shall i do?


write (write-write)
write (calligraphy)
write (letters)
read (the eight thousand books i want to read and the four thousand i've started and stopped mid-way through)
paint
photograph
travel (all of the above would be facilitated by a nice trip, yes?)


study for my AREs
study 
study
study


ah summer. 
last day of class is april 29.

roy g biv

he looked down

from the wet clouds tonight

note to self

i've got to stop writing cryptic notes to myself in the half-asleep haze of my mid-night-perambulations. i am left wondering...

...what does "Bb shower 2" mean?

[ok that must have been some sort of reminder about my friend's baby shower this past weekend. everyone seems to be having babies these days.] [orrrr...it was a hint about something i remembered in the middle of the night about the "baseball shower" in the spring training facility renovation i am working on...]

and how about...

..."coloring/remembering dwg"?

whatever this is, i think i could turn it in to something poetic...

sweet dreams.

eat your fruits and vegetables

[carrots grown by my sister, avocados from my parents' yard, mangoes from a coworkers neighborhood. the rest i think all came from fruitville grove...]

fruits of the summer

i have been neglecting my blog, among other things in my life, for a bit now (workaholic tendencies taking over.......)

but may I just say....fresh avocado....fresh mango....

why would i live anywhere else???

yum.

Summer Yum

big zucc bread, little zucc bread

h2o melon

rinds for pickling

my first attempt at (refigerator) pickling

local yummies

Summer Evening

(grapefruit juice, from a friend's backyard grapefruits + tonic + a splash o' beefeater)

(yes, I leave my xmas lights up all year, but only turn on the white lights in the non-xmas seasons...)

Floating

After going for a jog in the balmy evening heat (which wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected – the breeze was breezy and the “feels like 89” temperature noted online was an exaggeration) I decided to go for a swim.

Thankfully no one else here ever seems inclined to swim after dark, so the pool is generally mine.

There is magic in swimming at night. I highly recommend it. (But not at the beach – I think that’s when all the fishies eat. And the sharks.)

It’s cloudy tonight, so there aren’t any stars. But after swimming a lap or two, languidly pushing the water out of my path, I slowed to a stop in the middle. Reclined back in the water. And floated.

Floating is one of my favorite things in the world. (Easily pleased? Yes.)

The breeze was still breezing and it was so beautiful up in the tops of the oak trees, blowing the lengths of the thinnest branches wildly about, while barely moving the stockier limbs. What a view, looking straight up. I felt like the trees were waking up restless their restless souls right above me.

Back on the surface of the water where I hovered, one of my favorite phenomena (and one of my reasons for my fascination with floating) occurred. Do you know that feeling, where part of you is above water and part of you is below, and the line of the surface of the water around your body seems to be the most tangible thing in the world? Arms outstretched, palms upturned, let the surface of the water skim your fingertips. The feeling of the water line pulling away, and then fingertips re-emerging is so meditative. Try it.

(I went back to take a picture of the trees and got some odd looks from late-evening dog-walkers. Wandering around barefoot in my haphazardly selected post-swim clothes with a camera slung over my shoulder…I may have a reputation as an eccentric around here…being normal’s no fun though…)

It's Saturday

After a hectic several months at my ‘day’ job (mostly 60+ hour weeks, with one solid 80 hour week in there) I finally have a weekend (a three day one, at that) that I don’t have to work.

And my Saturday has been…a Saturday. I feel so very refreshed right now.

Next step - deep breath. Sink into hammock.

I got up late (ahhhh) drank my coffee, cleaned my kitchen. First thing is my favorite time to clean my kitchen, which means I usually end the day with piles of dishes sitting on the counter. But…to each her own, right?

I went to Hibbs Farm & Garden for some organic potting soil. I have to say, when they closed the garden section at my Target I was upset, but I think it was really a blessing in disguise. I have this great garden center/nursery just down the road from me, but I’d always go to Target because I had to go there anyway. Got my potting soil (their selection is broader than just the MiracleGro I could find at Target), spied a very handsome man working there (I’ll have to go back more often!) and returned to my balcony.

Repotted mint bequeathed to me by my sister (so I can return her pot to her finally). Got three good plants out of it! Potted jade clippings from my parents to replace mine the squirrels massacred. Planted some more jasmine seeds (hope they weren’t too dry – I’ve had them for a while now…carried them around in my purse for a couple of weeks because I kept forgetting about them. Good thing they didn’t sprout in there!). Swept my balcony (long time coming) and swabbed pollen off as many surfaces as I could.

Finally picked up my package from Aquarian Bath at my apartment office. (Long hours mean the office is generally closed by the time I get home. One day I’ll have a house with a front door mat postmen can oh-so-subtly drape over my packages so that I don’t have to wait a week to retrieve them.)

Discovered pool is open again – woohoo! Summertime is here with a vengeance. (Why wouldn’t you re-marcite in the winter when people don’t want to swim?)

Went to the library down the road to continue reviewing/studying for the Arch History class I am teaching at the end of summer(!). No domestic distractions. And much quieter than the downtown branch. This one has a reading garden too (with lots of butterflies - a plus if you don’t find them creepy).

Finally went to the Fruitville Grove Market and discovered they have, not only yummy produce and breads and things, but also local eggs! I’ve been trying to find local eggs for a while. Success at last.

Enjoying a glass of truly fresh FL OJ, all the pulp included.

And about to sink into that hammock.

Happy Saturday to you.

(This guy has been with me for a while.)

Weeki Wachee Weekend (was wonderful)

First, let me start by spelling the name of the spring correctly…it’s not Weeki “Watchee” as I’d typed in my last post. It’s Weeki Wachee. And it’s plain fun to say – give it a try! The name means “winding river” or “little spring”.

Saturday morning my sister, my niece, and I ventured out (after visiting a farmers’ market to take advantage of one of the last weekends of strawberry season) and up 75. We took our exit and everything was peachy keen, until, for the third time, our mapquest directions told us to turn L on Cortez Blvd/SR 50. Third time. In a row. We’d never left Cortez Blvd/SR 50. After seriously doubting the accuracy of the directions, and one wide u-turn we realized, yes, you turn on the same road three times. Really, who planned this town?

(Strawberry goodness)

Alas! We got there and snagged a primo parking spot and made our way in. The first show was just starting – it was the Mermaids of Yesteryear, which featured mermaids from the past decades back in the water in a sort of behind-the-scenes show – fun, right? One of my favorite shows ever is Pushing Daisies, and throughout the day, but especially during this show, I kept thinking of Aunts Lily and Vivian, the retired Darling Mermaid Darlings. I was so happy the mermaids of yesteryear were back in their tails – they seemed content to be diving and dancing.

(Darling mermaids)

Aside from being a fairy-“tail” (oh, I love being cheesy) attraction that caters to the young and young-at-heart, the setting of Weeki Wachee is a slice of lovely, shady, quiet Florida. I really do love this state. Well, it was quiet except for the very vocal peacocks roaming around. These were not shy birds. They had no qualms about snatching sweet potato fries from hungry tourists.

(I love his lovely blue)

We snacked on our own fries (keeping one eye on the peacocks), wandered around the lovely grounds, took photos in the mermaid props (of course), and peered into the natural springs. Is it just my native Floridian blood, or is 74.2 degrees just too chilly to call swimmable? Though the swimming hole was full of people…perhaps snowbirds?

(My sister - the mermaid queen, me - the…king? My niece, who loves the camera, was being uncharacteristically camera- shy and didn’t want to pose…)

(Mermaid Me...ooh lala)

(People more cold-tolerant than me)

Next, the feature mermaid show had my niece (and me) captivated. I think when you’re little you probably don’t even notice the breathing hoses, but even through my thoroughly jaded adult eyes, the mermaid show was as I had imagined it would be 20 years ago - full of wonder. The show was a rendition of The Little Mermaid - a little bit H.C. Andersen, a little bit Disney, and a little bit Weeki Wachee original - and it was just right. We even got to meet the mermaid princess after the show!

(Lovely mermaid)

(My sister and niece [being oddly camera shy again] with the mermaid princess!)

We concluded our outing with a ride on the river boat (we almost didn’t make it because, unfortunately it seems, some people have no manners, and have no problem jumping in front of entire lines of patient people to make sure they get theirs…). We saw a bald eagle, an osprey nest, a deer, and some kayakers along the way.

(The chilly water did actually look inviting by this point in the day – it was a tad warm in the sun.)

What a beautiful, magical day.

PS - my sister wrote a guest post on our friend's blog SHDesignFL - check it out too!

Sunday:

Somewhere between Friday and this afternoon I think we crossed the threshold from Spring to Early Summer. Spring is a short-lived season here and it's over before much of the rest of the continent has found relief from winter (it's still snowing up north??).

The bugs' chirping is suddenly of that summer cadence. My ceiling fans are on. The sunlight seems yellower. And my wardrobe is anchored by tank tops and flip flops. (Well the flip flops are a year-round thing...)

But the evenings at the beach are still tipped with an edge of cool.

How's your weather?

1,000,000 Leaves - Nos. 100-203

I am not a very precise person. I have dreams of drawing those botanical illustrations that you see in thick-papered pretty coffee table books. I am thinking my hands just don't do that. But we'll see - I have 999,797 more leaves to practice!! (These I drew in my sister's garden.) -Cherry Tomatoes – Approx. 15 leaves -Blue Plumbago – 9 leaves -Roma Tomatoes – 6 leaves -Marigolds – 16 leaves -Spearmint – Approx. 48 leaves -Little Pink Weed Flower – 10 leaves

Dashing Through the Snow...

I have officially begun my Christmas shopping. I am a nut, I know, but the opportunity presented itself... So, in the holiday spirit - when you do you start buying Xmas Cards? And do you actually manage to mail them all out before the big day? I've got to get in the holiday frame of mind so I can be prepared when the holiday greetings flurry begins! Also - I need ideas for calendars. Last year I did "Sunny Days of 2010" which was well received. I may do another Sunny Days, but I want to have a couple themes for customers to choose from. What do you like to see handing on your wall?

Summer in Florida -

You live for that brief crispness after a storm when it feels almost-cool on the breeze. There are brief flashes in your mind of a leaves changing color and feeling chilly in your Halloween costume. Then you realize fall barely happens here and that summer should be enjoyed in all its lingering glory.

I love those storms that don’t quite clear the air, too though, and that leave the afternoon warm and muggy (as opposed to hot and muggy). Call me crazy but I do enjoy the humidity…I don’t think I’d do well in the desert.

Walking down the sidewalk, you pass an overripe mango that fell to the ground and is perfuming the air with a musky tropical sugar smell. And you take your flip-flops off to walk through the puddles because, who wants to walk in wet shoes?

Summer Colors

My parents' wonderful yard. I love wandering through with my camera when I visit.

Southern Comfort

Smell the Jasmine (these little tiny buds with a sweet mild perfume, which no one can remember the exact name of...)... ...and Magnolia (just about ready to bloom)......and these pretty Bay Rum buds... ...oh and the pretty green of banana leaves in there too! I love summer.

Summery Sun Shining

The chirping of insect fills the air and I know it is summer. The calendar might not say so, but the whirring ceiling fans in my apartment confirm it. The soft breeze is so welcome on my bare shoulders, when it seems just yesterday I was piling on sweaters. Spring is a short-lived thing here in Florida; it is a mere stepping stone to get to summer. But it is still early enough that the sun doesn’t yet seem to bake and/or melt everything its rays fall on. Let the sun shine: ...off to the beach I go...