southern drifting

take friends.

on the road

add a little elvis (and some antiques)

and some laughter along the way...suddenly cloudy skies, turn to blue and and the world seems so much brighter

 

and you find that seafood and cupcakes seem to be a natural combination.  especially when combined with air stream trailers.

and sunset and moonrise together is the most glorious combination.

 

  

 

...

there are so many dreams in the world.  the dream of peace, safety, security, having plenty to eat.  those dreams make the dreaming by me seem so small and insignificant. 

i read a passage in a book last night.  the character talked about how the stars didn't make her dream but made her feel small and lost.  and i thought how sad that was.

when i look at the grand expanse of space - i see beauty and wonder.  and i search for shooting stars to wish (dream) on.  but no matter the condition of below ... i think one thing is common - the desire to dream (deep down, sometimes way deep).  there are people that are scared of dreaming - their dreams have been ripped to shreds and they keep their dreams locked up tight.  even then, i think they dream.  then there are people that dream despite their scars.  there are the dreamers, the wishers, the glass half-fullers...the ones that cultivate hope and wonder.  i look to those people to cast their rope out to me when i'm feeling small, scarred and scared.  those life preservers.

and still i swim in this grand sea of life - never wanting to give up on dreaming.  staring up at the great big sky and making wishes. 

knowing the trick

 

 

 

the roses are still beautiful on my window sill at work.  and i found myself stopping today just to stare at them in the light.  though my desk is far from perfect (or clean), i found a stride today and plowed through a ton of tasks by simply making a list and doing them one at a time.  it was the old 'covey' method of do it, delegate it or toss it.  don't knock the man, it works when you're determined.

as i left the office, i noticed the dogwood tree is full of buds - i can't wait for the blooms.  and the moon was hanging there in the blue, blue sky.  my heart skipped a beat at the beauty of just that moment and all was right with the world, even if it was just for a moment. 

driving home was a bit easier today as i knew i got more accomplished than the day before - and i remembered to breathe.  that's the trick you know, breathing.

if this is tuesday it must be a meeting day

roses on my window sill at work.  i bought 2 dozen of these (latin beauty) at sam's on sunday and i've barely seen them.  yesterday i met with folks from 10:00 a.m. until 7:30 last night and started all over today from 9:30 until 5:00 today.  great meetings, productive and all that jazz.

i'm exhausted.  tonight for dinner i stirred up some goat cheese spread and had a couple of pitas.  it was all i could do for the night.  tomorrow i will go through the lists of stuff to do and breathe.  hopefully i will have time for lunch and potty breaks for the first time in two days.  challenging - yes, frustrating - yes, but on the other hand it's exciting too.

i tried catching up tonight with some of you - love the happiness that i read today - there was a lot of it spread around.  there are so sad times too and i'm thinking of those folks and hope they can feel the warmth.  mandy had me thinking a lot about saying 'yes' and about old friends.  sometimes by virtue of being alone, my time seems to be subject to other people's lives...sometimes that matters and sometimes it doesn't.  it's a lot of something to think about.  

and...i lost my lens cap somehow today.  and it was my spare.  guess i'll be going to the camera store tomorrow - that's always dangerous.  *smile*

spring preview

we got teased this weekend with a preview of spring - it was beautiful.  there was kite flying - well attempted kite flying (the wind wouldn't cooperate), eating fries outside, a movie, dinner with friends, breakfast with friend, shopping, a new phone and lots of other beautiful things.  and i broke down and bought a fuji instapix.  i couldn't find a polaroid that was reasonable and the fuji seems to be a fun alternative.  i'll let you know when i get it. 

weekends like these remind me that i'm truly lucky in my life.  it may not always seem that way, but i am.  and i'm grateful.

observations.

it's hard to believe it's been three years since i made a serious commitment to learning photography.  i miss taking classes.  a lot.  but apparently not enough to drive a three hour round trip once a week. 

most bedroom linens are either too busy or too plain.  none seem to be just right for me.  though i have have gotten closer today.  of course i will change my mind by tomorrow morning.

i'm really, really glad this week is over, though monday and tuesday will be a tough couple of days.  i'm a good organizer but there is some chaos that refuses to be organized so i'm learning to deal with those issues lately.  it's wearing on the soul at times.  but i have people to make me laugh, so it works.

i had a random thought that i've lost my edge from when i was a myspace blogger - it was anonymous and most people didn't know me by any other name than .  (dot)  but i think age will dull a person's edge too.  now people know my name and where i live so i try to live by the thought that my nieces and nephews could find this one day - what example would i want to set for them.  yes...there were a lot of things i would never wanted them to read on myspace - i'm glad i'm a bit duller these days. lately anonymous has taken on the personality of a bully (no, i was never a bully) and i don't like that.

i've been soaking up the olympics and i'm a big cheese - i have to admit that i love rooting for usa and get tears in my eyes when these kids do good.  though our country has more than it's share of problems, i think it has a lot of good things too.  

tonight my youngest nephew is going to his second dance and his first with a 'girlfriend'.  good thing i'm not around to embarrass him.  his mom took him last night to buy a new shirt - a tradition started by my mom.  we always got a new piece of clothing for occasions like this.  i can remember wearing a white dress to a valentine's dance and she bought me a shiny enameled heart pin to go with it.  he's making the memories of his  life right now.  today at lunch the girls talked about their dances and we all laughed.  i swear my mom told me that i would get pregnant if i let a boy french kiss me.  lordy....i can remember freaking out the first time thinking about that.

it's supposed to be in the high 50's tomorrow - i trying to resist the urge to break out the flipflops and shorts.  ( i know, i know)  but then the cold rain comes back on sunday.  i feel a picnic coming on...and kite flying.

grumpy winter

 this is the time of year where you're so worn down and weary with old man winter that you want to drop kick him back off to the frozen tundra from whence he came.  give him back the dull brown and gray landscape and tell him to pack up the dead branches.  take back the the dreary, gray clouds and send along the fluffy, cotton candy that brings the promise of spring.

and then you realize that it's not happening for another few weeks.  no matter how much the fat robins taunt you as they hop through the front yard looking for fat worms that haven't quite awoken from their slumber.  and yes, robins are horribly cute with their red vests....part of you is a bit irked that they are a bit early for the party.

and don't get me started on the tulips.  i mean they're my favorite flower and all that.  but do they have to be such showoffs? okay...okay...okay, maybe that is what keeps us all sane in february after all.  so forgive me if i'm a bit grumpy that they get to wear all the pretty colors while i have to hang out in blah-town.

do you think we could petition the daffodils to pass the hurry spring message along?

happy anniversary to me...

hello.  i trust you had a beautiful weekend.  hopefully filled with all things wonderful, bright and beautiful.  my weekend was intense, crazy and a bit wonderful too.  snow fell, then it melted and then the skies cleared and the world looks as if the snow never came.  i look back at pictures from friday and today and i'm shocked.

it was an anniversary for me - one year since i moved back home.  one year since a life changing event occurred.  looking back at the year, a lot has changed in that time.  i've emerged completely into a full family life, i have a challenging (rewarding, frustrating, intense, fulfilling, crazy...) job that is keeping me on my toes, i live in a house and not an apartment - complete with different responsibilities, and so many more subtle things.

oh the things i could talk about if we could settle down for a cup of coffee, but meetings beckon me.  i want to catch up with all of you.

thoreau is right

snow in alabama

 

  

  

  

 

a snowy day at home....and a surprise from my sweet brother

walking in the rain

i've always loved that saying. to me, it says a lot about life and our experiences. one of my most vivid experiences with that thought is when i was in high school and dating my 'to-be' husband/high school sweetheart. it was in the fall and the state fair was in town. i was giddy at the thought of holding my sweetheart's hand, walking through the sawdust, kissing at the top of the ferris wheel, sharing a cotton candy and perhaps, him winning me a cute stuff animal. the night came and so did the rains, almost as soon as we arrived at the fairgrounds. 

needless to say, i was crushed. absolutely crushed. my upbringing was pretty strict and i only got to have date night on friday nights by my parent's decree - their logic was that it was a safer night. (ha!) i gazed longingly out at the midway - my sweetheart gritted his teeth and insisted we walk in the rain. to me, it was one of the most romantic thing ever.

it was dashing around the puddles, huddling under tents and sharing a caramel apple. it was kissing him in the rain - it was him paying $25 to win me a silly stuffed cat, it was the tinsel of a foolish girl's dream. my mom simply smiled when i got home - she had her own rainsoaked evening with my father to recall.

conversely the next day, my sweetheart told me how his shoes were ruined and he caught a cold. i should have known then how it would all turn out. *chuckle* that's what happens when you mix a hopeful romantic with a logical, practical, to the point kinda guy.

dangum spammers

well, boo guys - i can't tell you how much i dislike captivas and now i have to go back to using one since i'm suddenly getting bombarded with spam.  idiot people - those and the people that send viruses are just such losers really.  *sigh*  i apologize - i had really streamlined the place because i wanted the blog to be quick and easy to navigate and read.  i thought about not allowing anonymous comments - but there are some people that come from wordpress or other venues so i didn't want not to hear from them.

so, this weekend....valentine's day huh?  yeah.  that's about all i have to say about that.  if only i could convince the love of my life to move to montgomery and stop calling me at 2:30 in the morning.  my day could be sooo much the better.  *laugh*  i will  rather focus on the fact that it's the last week of carnival and fat tuesday is coming one week from tomorrow.  you know what that means?  40 days of lent.  you know that means????? it's 47 days until good friday - one of the recognized signs of spring.  here in the south, good friday is the first day of planting for the veggie garden!  spring...yes, spring.

hope that cheers you up.

snowed out

this is as close to snow as i want to be, the falling bits of bokeh in this shot. this afternoon, dc airports remained closed and we are snowed out for the conference. my wishes were answered when i wished that they would tell me before i got to the airport. so instead, i got run errands and spend the day making some things for next weekend. i discovered the joys of a martha stewart doily punch and went rather wild making paper ribbons. of course my fingers are cramped tonight. *smile*

i watched the super bowl with family - my one professional football game of the year. was it me, or did the commercials seemed rather lame this year? the only ones that i liked where the baby cow/clydesdale and then, of course, the e-trade babies. (milka-what?) seemed like there were a couple of 'hangover' ripoffs in there.

hope you're safe and warm wherever you are.

at the chime of a city clock.

i opened a new post and sat there.  wondering what to say or even sometimes how much to say. 
  not that i really have a lot to say...besides the clouds are gray and dreary.  and i'm worried about sitting in an airport all day on sunday. 
as i fly off to the north.  or as i call it - the great white north.  even though they say it's still below the mason-dixon line and southern living often posts little articles about it.
and i thumbed through pictures though i haven't taken a lot lately and the ones i liked, i've already shared. 
and i took a picture of my breakfast as i read through a new-to-me book of prayers.  i picked it up because it had the word "mockingbird" in the title and a cute little drawing of a mockingbird on the cover.  but the prayers drew me in and though i don't really talk about religion much, i felt a kinship with them as they seemed to be simple talk from a person that is struggling every day to be a good person.  and i liked that.  as i read, i thought me too.
and i have a lot of thoughts lately of being quick to judge - judgy mcjudgerson - sometimes that's me - sometimes that is the feeling i have of other people.  and as i've written before we all do these things and perhaps some of you struggle with that too.  it's heavy on my mind today.  a message from the universe i think since i'm struggling...too often i find when especially confronted by an issue that it's a lesson that i need to learn for myself. 
  being a socialized introvert i'm struggling too with the sudden urge to curl into myself and hibernate.  not unlike phil who saw his shadow and decided to take a few weeks more.  in doing this, i turned my calendar and reminded myself - it is only six weeks until spring.  that means in a few weeks that japanese magnolias will begin to bloom and daffodils will peek and give the all clear for other flowers to follow.  the grass will come forth underneath this dull brown carpet.  so, i firmly put my feet forward instead of the curled position. 
  it's friday and i'm tired and though i shouldn't complain after a ten month vacation, it's been a roller coaster this week.  but i have a sense of accomplishment too that we had a good kick-off to our project. 

i leave you with a small list of things that are good today

- a job well done and a completed task list

- the bowl of grits, eggs and cheese i had for breakfast

- a blue dish of creamy chocolates

- listening to nick drake while i'm typing

- ginger mandarin hand lotion

- ribbon bookmarkers in my books

- vintage prayer books

 

take it on the run baby...

i've been on the run for two days and will probably be on the run for a while as the workgroups gear up for a may 1st deadline.  when i'm herding over 100 cats from group to group, i have to laugh at the questions i get (and the answers i can only say in my head).  where do i park?  (a parking space is generally good) do i have to feed the meters (well, depends - do you like parking tickets?)  my name is not on the list (because you actually signed up for another group, not this one)  you get my drift.  so my photography has been mostly limited to quick morning shots with my sweet window light.  (hope you're not tired of it anytime soon)  i had a thought on the tip of my tongue but it suddenly slipped away.  hate it when that happens. i'm sure i will remember it about 3:00 in the morning.  i apologize for the lack of line spacing but blogger has decided if i hit return that it wants to put a 2-3 inch gap in the post.  weird.  i'm using the 'new, improved' editor but it still seems to have some kinks.  

so....the weekend was good, the meetings are going well (in spite of the silly kinks and questions).  i'm flying to dc on sunday for meetings all day monday and tuesday and flying back tuesday night.  i have to lug the laptop so i suspect my dslr will get left behind.  these are the days you love an iphone.  hopefully the snow will let up before i arrive (otherwise it's dinner in the hotel).  how i wish it was cherry blossom time so i could see that just once in person.

sweet dreams....

i wonder

there are some things you find along the way and you wonder what the story is all about.  i did anyway. 

do you ever get to the point where you're whelmed?  not overwhelmed because, well that just sounds like you're done...but just whelmed where you're filled to the brink? this week i feel whelmed.  i've been struggling with the bureau of silly questions and the department of tedious affairs for a couple of weeks.  the classic case where you think you're being very direct with instructions and such and you still get one pedal of the bicycle going.  yeah.

bill withers is on my mind today, in particular "lovely day."  hope you have one