Rainy Morning

Some years ago I was dealing with an illness that kept me homebound for a few months. I took a leave from work and faced long days that involved scheduling naps, counting the minutes until Ellen & Oprah, and trying to spoil myself in ways that I had never before had the opportunity. I am so blessed to have my health back now. And there is only one residual effect from that experience that I go back to daily. Breakfast in bed. Everyday. Not eggs benedict or french toast or even any kind of toast, which would just be a mess. No. Every morning I get up, make a pot of coffee and while it brews put together a bowl of (crumb free) stonyfield farms vanilla yogurt with fresh raspberries sprinkled on top. Then I climb back in to bed for a few blissful moments of reading blogs or watching the Today show while I luxuriate in my breakfast in bed. It is particularly delightful - and maybe a little drawn out - on days like today when there is a nice rainfall outside. This is a ritual I highly recommend. A lovely way to pause and enjoy before the craziness of the day sets in.

Ah, the library....

Let me first begin with a confession. I have been on the run, lived on the lamb (whatever that means, if I'm even getting it right...), ran from the law. Or, at least the law if the law were the library. I have what some librarians might consider an unhealthy love of books. Unhealthy especially when the legitimate owner of the book is the public library. But that whole legitimate thing has never gotten in the way of me writing my name in big letters at the beginning of a book I could not bear to return to its rightful owner. A rightful owner that probably never even really appreciated what a gem it so freely loaned out to anyone with a card - and can I say that they give those cards out far too easily? In fact, maybe it's even purposeful entrapment - who knows what nefarious motives lurk behind the woman whose main communication with her patrons is "shhhhhh." It began with "Touch Blue" - a book full of incantations and spells that was too special and rare to return, so I hid it under my bed in second grade, confessed to my mother that I'd lost it, and still have it on my bookshelf to this day. li And it continued after that, threatening my high school graduation because I owed on unreturned books, making me delighted that a move to a new area meant starting over fresh with a new library, turning over, as it were, a new leaf. I would become a good library citizen, but then a book would enter my life that I couldn't bear to turn loose of.

But I came clean. I went to the library about a month ago, confessed to my loss of their paperback copy of Martin Dressler over 6 years ago, paid a paltry fine of less than $15 and became a member of the library in good standing once again. And I've vowed to stay clean this time. I would not be a recidivist!! I am a changed girl. I belong to my public library. A trip to the library still leaves me a little breathless. Really? I can just take these with me? And read them and all you ask is that I bring them back when I come in for more books? There is a stack of 5 books by my bed. God help me if one is too irresistable. Fortunately, I now have Amazon to get my back if I get in really deep with a book.....

back in the saddle.....

We've heard that before!! This time I am serious about blogging. I am going to do it everyday. At least I am going to write tonight as I wait for a Stevie-special pizza (super thin crust with mushrooms, leeks, artichoke hearts & fresh basil) to come out of the oven. So here's the deal. I am going to quit complaining about my failure to do anything and blaming it on the world for not presenting me with enough opportunities, and I am going to begin taking advantage of all the amazing opportunities that are there.

Weekend one worked out beautifully! Tower Grove farmer's market on Saturday morning and a basket full of fixins' for ratatouille, sichuan braised pork (okay, I need to pick up a few specialty items from Global foods, but that will happen later this week), and BLT's. My favorite chair and the end of the Red Tent - did I mention that I was ready for it to be over, so much, in fact, that I think I only read the topic sentences of the last 50 pages?? A stroll through the dance festival on Grand until the sky opened up. Photos of an amazing rainbow from the car - me: "slow down, I need to get this" him: "this guy's right behind me!" me: "seriously, just pull over and let him pass".....is he really the only one in this relationship to use "!!" marks? Not likely, but that is the tenor of the conversation to the best of my recollection. Anyway, got some amazing photos, which we reviewed as we sat at the bar at 'scape while we waited for Liz and Robert to join us and drank a wonderful "old vine" garnacha - mmmm.

Liz an Robert arrived with books for Ready Readers and full of fun conversation. Can I just say that I LOVE LIZ?!!?!!!! Amazing swordfish...am I allowed to confess that?? 'scape is all organic and such...would they be serving a politically incorrect swordfish?? I don't think so. Anyway, that was my thought process in ordering it and, man, it was great! A little Israeli couscous and beurre blanc with some citrus hints....have I just revealed my lack of knowledge? Is a citrus hint essential to beurre blanc? Whatever. It was great. I should have stopped right there, but couldn't resist convincing everyone that a trip to the CupCakery was a required conclusion to our evening. Can I say I was right? I had the "island" special - really just a yellow cupcake with vanilla cream and coconut topping. Wow. Reminded me of all the lamb Easter cakes that were great, but disturbing because I wanted to eat the head, but didn't want to eat the head. Forget about that. Loved the cupcake.

Stevie went to the Rams loss....I mean game....today. I took the dogs for a march through the mud at Queeny Park, bought some beautiful red mums for the pot on my front porch, and went to a little local art fair at Francis Park with Peggy. Delightful! Perfect weather, nice sized crowd, and nothing I couldn't live without. Now I am waiting for the season premiere of Amazing Race. I know. Such a big, cheap weekend!! Stay tuned (as if!!), more to come!!

My nephew Cory

Maybe the childless just have a special soft spot for their nieces and nephews, but I think even if I was Kate with sextuplets and a tv show and a philandering husband that I would have to stop in admiration of the wonderful young man that my oldest nephew Cory has become.  He is in town for a few days and I got to spend the afternoon with him.  He is centered, humble, accepting and humble.  Wow.  Did I mention that he is also darling.  See for yourself.  I may be biased, but I think my observations are unassailable!!

Shout for Joy!

Another teensy bouquet

This title is simply subterfuge.  I am really just seeing if I can upload/download a picture from my flicker page.   If there's a picture accompanying this, it worked.  If there isn't, well, it didn't and I will have to continue to puzzle over what I am doing wrong!

Happy Mother's Day

As I spent yesterday afternoon planting tomatoes at my mother's, I realized how much I enjoy laughing and how I don't do enough of it with my mother.  I wish I knew why we don't make more of an effort to make one another laugh when it makes all the difference in our memory making.

Getting Serious

Am I serious enough about this to treat myself to a little Mac? Something that will leave me NO EXCUSE for not writing. I've spent the last few years telling myself that my time is better spent reading, but I am never happier than when I am writing something that brings me closer to myself. But if that's the goal, why a blog?? Why not. I am going to the Apple store tomorrow and we will see where that leads. In the meantime, here is a picture of the lemon meringue pie I made to make me think of springtime when the weather is refusing to do its part.

Here it is - my teensy bouquet of frittalaria. I didn't feel hopeful about these bulbs and planted them in a neglected (that is, even more neglected than the rest) area of my garden/woods. What a perennial delight and surprise that they perservere with a few blooms every spring.

Wine flash

It can't be good to have a wine flash that feels like a hot flash with just a touch of nausea. And then I get all self-righteous. "Is this the benefit I derive from watching my calorie consumption all day long just to have a single glass of wine followed by this college reminiscent feeling of 'wow, where did this ick come from?!???!'." Time to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and remember the days when a glass of wine had no effect at all......

Beginning again....

Hmmm......writing is something I am drawn to, but terrified of. But of late, I've been inspired by photography of simple beauty on other websites. That is where I will begin again. Today I took photos of frittalaria in the sunlight. Once I can figure out how to upload, they will appear here. That will be my inspiration to begin again........