swing low sweet chariot

I used to love this old swing and spent a fair amount of time on it in summers past. Jay may recall a summer when we took on the repainting of the frame as a weekend family project. Jay always has total recall of the things that we forced him to do when he was young. In recent years it has become a bit of a hazard.



So on Sunday B took it down. He said he could break it apart with his bare hands.



Another Miranda lawn fixture gone. Next to go will be the crumbling BBQ pit.

in the beauty of the lilies

food fest

On Saturday I got up and made yummy French toast, donned my exercise rags and went to the BAC where I actually enjoyed my workout. I was dreading it a little because I hate morning exercise. But the total body class went smoothly and my run wasn't hard albeit a bit boring due to my iPod losing it's charge after the first mile. After working out I hit the farmer's market. Cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes and a new kind of leafy green lettuce that grows in a head shape and keeps well according to the farmer. He asked me to report back how I like it.



Two chocolate bars....one dark chocolate with sea salt and the other between milk and dark. The heavy grainy bread included cocoa in the ingredients. We tried hard to like it but the more you chewed it the worse it tasted and I threw it out. Don't put cocoa in bread unless you also put sugar. It tasted just bitter and wrong. The sweet dessert biscuits were wonderful and went well with the berries I picked from our bushes. I used the fromage in a batch of honey lavender fromage cookies.



After lunch I spent more than an hour picking the berries. Just a few years ago I would get maybe a half cup...just enough to sprinkle on a bowl of cereal. My yield this time was a half gallon with more to come.














For dinner....grilled pork chops with maple rub and the yellow squash and zucchini from the market. We also had the sweet biscuits with berries but I was in a hurry and didn't make it pretty, so no photo. Then we watched John Travolta in From Paris With Love. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone.

living the dream

Now that I am on the wrong side of 55 I've been questioning my life lately. Have I really ever accomplished anything? Have I ever really made a difference in anyone's life? Have I ever really done anything to be proud of or make someone else proud of me? By now shouldn't I be rich or famous or rich and famous? Shouldn't I be living my dream? But what if I never had a dream or couldn't remember my dream when I woke up or wasn't able to identify my dream or had too many dreams to be able to pinpoint the one I wanted to live? What if my dream was a nightmare? What if I am living my dream?



I wanted to live in a castle and work at something all day that was exciting and thrilling. But I do have a home to return to each day after performing work that I like (maybe not love). There are people in my life who I love and who love me. I have music to listen to and books to read and meals to cook and a beautiful world around me for my viewing pleasure. And if I live as long as my grandma and my great-grandma, maybe a whole nother lifetime to make a difference.

brothers

B and I spent the past two weekends at Jay's house while attending the Rochester International Jazz Festival. Jay had this photo posted on his fridge and I have always loved it. Sam was just a baby. Both kitties look a little dazed and confused.

is this mayberry?

On one of the days I was in Illinois, Mom, Deb and I decided to partake of tea at the LaTeaDa tearoom in Clinton. Dolly, my faithful Google navigator, guided us there. We doubted her several times but she knew exactly what she was doing. The tearoom room was packed and our lunch was great, but Deb and I sat and fantasized about how we would improve upon it. We redecorated the space, redesigned the menu and the tableware. I should have taken pictures. We based our decorating on the beautiful yellow and brown stained glass windows that would compliment my extensive collection of lustreware teapots. Our desserts would be adorable and beautifully presented.

After lunch we took a slow ride through Clinton where I saw and fell in love with my dream house.



Deb meandered slowly around this house that took up a whole block so that I could oh and ah over it while I photographed it.



As we were slowly rounding a corner we suddenly spied a truck behind us. This is a small town and there isn't a lot of traffic. Deb turned the corner and let the truck pass.



After I had satiated my thirst for photos of the house we continued to drive through Clinton taking in the architecture. City Hall and the Catholic Church. As we drove past City Hall a man pointed to our car and yelled to the police officer across the street, "Jake, this is the car that was holding up traffic." Mom and I heard him and reiterated this to Deb. Deb thought surely he must not have said this until Jake starts cruising behind us in the Clinton police car. We turned a corner, Jake turned a corner. We started heading to the outskirts of town and Jake escorted us.



A small town Mayberry moment (more like ten minutes that we were harassed by Jake). Deb was a bit irate and terrified as she was the one doing the driving. Mom and I were also uncomfortable. I hope Jake didn't scare them away and they will both come visit me when I move into my dream home.

treasures

Treasures I found in gift shops on a recent trip to Illinois to visit my family include a hand beaded coral necklace.



Ayala Bar necklace



Sweet Romance necklace



exquisite Chinese glass earrings



and these inexpensive but unusually beautiful John Fashion shoes. These I can't wear to work.



but these I can.