I'm (Going to Be) Melting...

In my pompous little opinion... there's a time for style and there's a time for comfort... and, unfortunately, in the Godforsaken humid muck of the Summer little do those two meet... (did I ever mention I'm not overly fond of the Summer?) A couple of years ago, I found the most perfect go-to piece of hot weather apparel ever... white capris... with pockets... roomy pockets (LOVE pockets... and a big shout out to bridal designers who incorporate pockets into their gowns... genius!) 100% crisp cotton... no spandex, no poly... perfect weight... drawstring waist (cotton ribbon... not corded) no elastic, no buttons, no zippers... I wore them literally to shreds... can I find a replacement? ...apparently not... in linen maybe, but I don't have what it takes to pull off that perpetually-wrinkled linen look... (wrinkles bother me... what can I say... I have issues...) So the countdown begins and my annual search resumes... wish me luck...

Chalk One Up for an Urban Gardener...

I was looking out my kitchen window this morning and noticed my neighbor's lilac bush literally bent over with blossoms... it prompted me to go out in my backyard and check mine... It turned out that it was in bloom too... not quite bending under the weight of flowers... but blossoming nonetheless... actually, three blooms to be exact... I had to clip one and bring it in the house... lilacs and lily of the valley... nothing in the world can fill a room with scent the way they can... (my lily of the valley are still all green leaves at this point, but they look happy and hardy and I hope to see some little white bells any day now.) I actually might need that basket I bought to haul all the bounty from the garden to the house. Hopefully, when that time comes, I'll still be young enough to lift it...

All This and Heaven Too...

In this day and age with its ever-increasing lack of customer service, it is so absolutely delightful to be able to spend my hard-earned dollars where my patronage is not just acknowledged but genuinely valued. Everyone who is lucky enough to walk through this door Heavenly Metal and experience this wonderfully funky little shop will encounter exactly that. Utter consumer bliss. The shopkeeper is as fabulous as the goods she sells. If you are in the drivable vicinity... make the time to drop in... you will be so happy you did.

Did I Drool on the Deli Case?

Do you have one of these? Don't tell me... I'd rather not know... you see, jealously would rear its ugly head and taint our relationship... I made my first visit to a Whole Foods yesterday. I had heard of it, but since there isn't one near, I'd never actually shopped at one. It was a foodie's nirvana... amongst all things wondrous was a sign advertising a Saturday breakfast buffet... BREAKFAST+BUFFET... and I missed it... but I got everything else... oh, yes indeed... so if you are fortunate enough to live near one... forget shopping there today, I've left the shelves empty!

Wish You Were Here...

A lovely day trip spent shopping...

dining... a little walking and a lot of talking

with a great friend.

I even remembered my camera

and this is the only picture I got...

while driving past... from the car window...

on the way to the freeway... headed home...
(no travel magazines will be knocking on my door anytime soon.)

The Miracles of Modern Technology....

What would have once required an hour or so, a sketchpad and several sharp pencils (not to mention a large umbrella)... was recently accomplished with a small turn of the steering wheel, a last minute flip of the wipers and a quick one-handed snap of the camera through my momentarily dry windshield... I pass this house daily on my commute home from work... and I've been thinking its gorgeousness just cries out for a pen and ink portrait... and thanks to a few modern conveniences on one rather rainy day, I have a detailed modern "sketch" to work from...

In Memory...

...I'm saying this is the South.

And we're proud of our crazy people

We don't hide them up in the attic.

We bring 'em right down to the living room and show 'em off.

See, ...no one in the South ever asks you

if you have crazy people in your family.

They just ask what side they're on.

~Dixie Carter as Julia Sugarbaker, Designing Women

Spare Change Shopping...

Other than being a bit chilly this morning, it was a perfect day for getting out and about... blues skies and birds singing... and get out and about is exactly what I did. I stopped in at two estate sales and came away with these treasures... The books and cook booklets are mainly for art projects... and the gravy boat... ah, that gravy boat... it was a "must have" and figure out what to do with it later purchase... Small plant perhaps? ...Or possibly rolled washcloths along with some tiny bars of soap? Something will come along and put it to perfect use, I'm certain... because you see, this isn't the first "must have" that's made it's way home with me...

We'll Have Our Usual...

My brothers, sister and I often spent weekends at my Grandmother's house. My sister and I one weekend... my brothers the next. Gram would take us to the market and let us choose whatever we wanted from the entire store for our dinner. In those days, that was a rare treat, because at home you ate what was put on the table... period... no negotiating... no microwaving different meals for finicky palates. On our weekends, I would ordinarily coerce my sister into letting me decide on the main course, while offering her the choice of desserts. She usually caved under pressure and let me have my way... which meant we ate Canadian bacon and au gratin potatoes... for weeks. Upon reflection, I owe a VERY belated thank you to Sissy (and Gram) for being gracious enough to eat the same dinner over and over and over again without so much as a whimper... a roll of the eyes once or twice maybe... (Sissy, that is... not Gram).

You Smell Nice...

Have you ever taken one of those "what does your perfume say about you" type quizzes? Not me... I know what my results would say... "You're an odd duck in this world of lotions and potions."

And I would have to wholeheartedly agree... I selected my first "serious" fragrance when I was nineteen... for some reason my nineteen-year-old nose decided on Chanel No. 5 for my nineteen-year-old wrists... I wore it for three years (still shaking my head over that one)... (I mean it is a little on the m.a.t.u.r.e side as far as fragrances go)...

Later, I spent years bouncing from scent to scent... from florals to citrus... and back again... a veritable fragrance floozy. Finally, I settled down a bit and currently am madly happy with my one and only Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana...

Happy Easter...

You Don't Say...

It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool...

than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

~Mark Twain