CELEBRATIONS

 

Here's my pretty picture blog post starter and as per usual, if it's outdoors, Milo is photo bombing.  These are not day lily's, they're some sort of perennial type  (Help, Beth!) that bloom for weeks.  I'm looking at bulb catalogs---already, and I'm going to add in some additional colors. I love that these come up where my tulips have died off.  It's hard to see but I have my wee little lilac right in the center.  As it grows it will bloom right after the tulips and daffodils.  Excuse the weeds in the forefront...may do a bit of ground cover or low growing flowers here.  Any other suggestions? 

 

 

 

I continue to spend a lot of time outside but it's mostly just relaxing or putting the sprinkle on my garden bed under eaves.  I like watching it go back and forth and the steam rising from the hot ground.  Yes, it hit the 90's here this week.  I simply need that restful time and clean air and the dogs do, too...although in this weather I watch them closely and get them in when they start to pant.  Have I talked about this already?  My mind is gone.  Seriously. 

 

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I wanted to show you this sweet little Morning Glory sprout...a volunteer most definitely.  They grow every year up my porch railings about 10 feet away.  All from dropped seeds from the previous summer.  And this little guy is growing in one of the many cracks on my 80 year old concrete patio.   It's starting to wind around the leg of my old baker's rack (which I had planned to sand and give a new coat of paint on this summer).  Today I decided to help my little sprout along and pressed a little potting soil in and around it and sprinkled some water from the dog bowl.  Wouldn't it be a hoot if it bloomed?  I've read that you can sprinkle thyme seeds in cracks of your stone or pavers or whatever you want.  Add a little sand or potting soil to get it off to a good start.  When you walk on it you have the sweet release of it's scent.  Since we will probably never get this patio redone, that might make things more nice. :)

 

 

 

In a last ditch effort to trim down---at least lose some water and puffiness, we are eating salads as much as possible.  No true recipe here.  Just a mix of baby lettuces, some cous cous, shredded seasoned chicken that I did on the stove in a cast iron grill pan and then tossed with a lemon/herb vinaigrette.  I had some rolls leftover from some sandwiches we had for lunch Sunday and I wanted to use them up so I drizzled olive oil on them and grilled them right in the same pan where they picked up the herbs. I know the bread was a bit overdone but it was good.  I think I've dashed my hopes of being a future Foodie Blogger/Photographer. ;-)   I could rave about this forever.  I meant to add some black beans for more protein but forgot.  Play with this.  Omit the chicken if you'd like. 

 

 

 

These are the shoes I finally decided on for my niece's wedding Saturday.  My dress is a long black light weight knit (Michael Kors), with a low V-neck and cap sleeves that slip down a bit over the shoulders.  An empire band of about an inch or so wide and simple pleats just below.  We have a wonderful local gal that does alterations on the side and since I'm only 5'2 I have to have everything hemmed.  I had her take it up just below my calves and I really wanted a sort of  "statement" shoe and to elongate my body.  Am I overthinking this?  I think not, I know what looks right on me.  As for that heel, since it's chunky I'm good.  If it were thin, forget it.  I don't roll that way anymore. 

 

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I scoured a few stores and a mall this week (enjoyed the air conditioning).  I finally ordered these on Zappos as I knew was crunch time.  I have always loved Zappos for their next day free delivery, I think that's why they were so popular.  Well, no more.  It's free delivery for 5-7 business days but most online shops have free delivery almost always or for when you reach a certain dollar amount on your order.  To get these in 2-3 days I had to pay $15.00.  Never again but I was afraid I wouldn't get them in time. 

 

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Things took a turn on Tuesday morning when my sister in law passed away.  Suddenly perhaps, although she had been ill and quite frail for the past few years.  She was the wife of The Husband's older brother.  Phil is 64 but Jean was several year older...still 71 is way too young for me.  She injured her back years ago and then re-injured it several times more.  Surgery was not an option and she became less and less active due to the pain and difficulty getting around.  It makes me sad because she was always on the go.  We used to get together for lunch every once in awhile and as couples for dinner.  And then of course holidays.  I will tell you more about her at a later time and I want to find some pictures of her from my many bins.  I will tell you she was an extraordinary woman.  Her diminutive size was juxtaposed by her sarcastic wit and throaty laugh.  Her career centered around teaching at schools for the deaf.  When I first met her I was a little frightened--she was outspoken and a bit brusque.  At some point we came to understand one another and I found that she was actually a bit shy under this demeanor.  I came to love her so much.  She really had a heart of gold.  She once rescued three Bassett Hounds in one day from a pet shop when she found they were going to be euthanized due to their age (14 months), and size. They were her best friends right up until the end. 

 

Sadly, she developed pneumonia last week and then suffered a heart attack.  She may have been able to live on a ventilator which I dare say she would not have wanted.  But her organs began to shut down and she went peacefully with Phil and their son Flip (Phil Jr.) by her side.  She was here at our BBQ on the 4th of July.  They were elated to tell us that Flip and his wife were expecting their first grandchild.  I'm so grateful she was alive to know that.  Okay-tears falling. 

 

The memorial is tomorrow night so we will not be leaving for Louisville tomorrow morning as planned.  Instead bright and early, early, early Saturday morning (I hate getting up early and have been know to hit snooze and hide my alarm or cell phone under the mattress).  And I have a hair appointment near the hotel at 3:00 that I can't miss.  With the cast...what can I say.  My hair has been a mess for over a month and you ought to see me try to put on make up! 

 

I had an appointment to have X-rays and hopefully get the cast off tomorrow morning.  Dr. B told me three weeks.  Tonight I got a phone message 'after hours' to call and reschedule my appointment for unknown reasons. I wanted to cry.  It's not so much that I want to be healed and get out of the cast.  I can understand if the fractures aren't healed but I truly wanted at least a new cast.  This feels and is so disgusting.  I've of course gotten parts of it wet so it looks dingy and I have chafing and a rash on my arm and calluses and blisters on the base of my thumb where it rubs.  I go through  cotton balls like crazy, stuffing them in the cast trying to buffer all of this craziness.  And now I have to go to Louisville for three days like this?  And Martha Stewart may or may not be there (Jaime is a Senior Editor at Martha's wedding magazine---it might figure, at least a lot of press). Can you imagine her wrinkling her nose if she meets me and gets a whiff of the cast?  I'm going to call the clinic tomorrow and inquire about another physician and/or the possibility of simply having this cast taken off and a new one put on.  I just can't believe my rotten luck. 

 

I'll close now.  Tomorrow we celebrate Jean's life and Saturday, 350 miles away we celebrate the life of a sweet couple.  And as usual, for me and my life lately it seems, there's a path that twists and turns in ways that I can't always seem to follow. 

 

See you next week with some good stuff, I hope!!!  And Happy Weekend (almost!)

 

Jane xx