be careful what you wish for...

So, as of last Sunday, we here in the southeastern coastal area of North Carolina were 16 inches behind in our rainfall for the year.  That's roughly 25% of our usual 60 inches per year.  Water is expensive around here, so I was trying not to do too much watering, other than the potted plants, and I was lamenting the fact that my garden was really starting to show the effects of 90 degree temps and no rain.  Not bitching or complaining, mind you, just sort of lamenting.  Anywayyyyy...

Early Sunday evening it started to rain.  A little.  Then a lot.  Now it's Thursday, and it hasn't stopped yet.  We've received 20 (yes, that says TWENTY) inches of rain in just over three days.  And now, to add to that, today is windy as well.  Know what happens when there is a little bit of wind after 20 inches of rain?  Trees blow over easily, for one thing.  I have three ginormus 80 year old oaks and a handful of other big trees in my yard.  So I've been awake since 4am - watching.  So far so good, I'm happy to say.  But when I went outside this morning to look at things, I noticed something weird in the pond - several big, huge "bubbles" under the pond liner!  After the bf got into the pond, we figured out it is...water.  Under the pond.  The water table is so close to ground level around here that water is now seeping UP out of the ground! Yikes!  The wonders of Mother Nature!

This is a little league ballpark, not too far from my house.

One of the main highways going in and out of town. 

You might call this taking life's lemons and making lemonade.  This street was closed to traffic, so hopefully these kids were safe.

All of the above photos are from the local TV station (WECT).  I haven't been out taking any pictures!  So... the good news is - NO MORE DROUGHT!

what I did this weekend...

It started raining last night and hasn't stopped.  That's a good thing, as we were 15 inches (maybe more) below normal and going into drought conditions around here.  But before the rain started it was a beautiful weekend.

Friday night started with 108 Sun Salutations on the beach, followed by watching the moon rise, wine and some tasty snacks, all with half a dozen lovely friends. For those who don't practice, a sun Salutation is a series of yoga poses done in a particular order.  Doing 108 is an ancient tradition, usually done at New Years, the change of seasons, or some other special occasion, such as a birthday.  Why 108?  Seems to be a lot of different answers to that, but the one I kinda like is that in sanskrit there are 108 names for God.  Anyway...it was nice.

Saturday morning I was too sore for my usual yoga class, but I did go downtown for the Farmer's Market.  I ended up walking around a little bit, and had my camera with me, sooo...

One of the vendors at the Farmers Market.  It was crowded, so I didn't get any close ups of the beautiful veggies they had to offer.  I ended up taking home some tomatoes (mine have all died off from the heat), some zucchini, some fresh, homemade mozzarella, and some blueberry bread.  Most of the time I make my own blueberry bread, but I was HUNGRY!

When I get to the end of the market, here I am.  There are several street musicians around here all the time, not just during the market.  I work around the corner from here and see this guy every day.  He comes up with some hysterically funny songs that he makes up as he goes along.

The downtown area is on the riverfront.  The Cape Fear riverfront.  So as you walk along, the market is on one side of the street and the river is on the other.

This is one of my favorite houses downtown.  Yep, this is someone's house.  I've never seen it, but I hear it's just as beautiful on the inside.

Home again.  It was another gorgeous night, so we sat outside, under the new string lights we put up for the upcoming party.

Sunday morning brunch.  Cinnamon french toast with toasted walnuts in a cinnamon and brown sugar glaze, with bananas.  Yum.  My plate on the left, bf's plate on the right!

We worked in the yard and on projects all day, then just as it was starting to rain we got this done.  This is two slices of a cypress tree, brought home by the bf and put together with those little "butterfly" things you see, then installed on three poured concrete legs.  It is a piece of art and is so beautiful I had to lay down on it in the rain.

 

So pretty!  The "butterflys" are ipe (type of wood).

Then we went inside, had some beans and rice for dinner, watched a girl we know who was competing on one of the Food Network cake shows, and then went to sleep with the windows open and the rain coming down.

oh happy day...

I'll be busy this weekend, trying to get some things done in the yard, as we get ready to host a wedding rehearsal dinner for 25, in just two weeks!  Still so much left to do, but my main focus right now is keeping everything green until then.  Not an easy task, as we are currently experiencing a 15 inch deficit in rainfall (to those of you in western states, that's about your average yearly rainfall - our yearly average here is about 60 inches) and still having 90 degree daytime highs.  And I still have cooking to do for this little shindig, too!  I'm cooking (vegetarian) Mexican, and will be trying to make flan for the first time!  I'll post more about that in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, here are a few things that made me happy today...

Always loved this photo - just a cool little getaway spot to sit and read, or maybe just to sit and think.  Don't remember where this is from - maybe Cottage Living?

My little Jack.  Although I didn't take this photo this morning, this is how he looked when I left the house - sleeping on the couch with his head on a pillow.  He "arranges" the pillow just the way he wants it, before he lays his head down.  Yes, he's fat (or as his vet says, "happy").  Don't judge.

An idea I'd like to modify for one of our existing patios...someday.  Wouldn't this be a great place for a nap?  Not that I nap...I have a really hard time falling asleep in the day time.  But the cat would love to nap here, I'm sure.

Hang in there Hydrangeas!  They looked pretty sad and droopy yesterday, but after a quick watering, this is how they looked this morning.  Pretty soon they will turn green (pretty!) and then beige, and then they'll dry up for the winter.  Sad.  But they'll be back next year.

Artwork from Etsy.  Unfortunately I didn't note the name of the artist, and it's no longer on the site.  Beautiful, right?

My new shoes!  They're from American Eagle (not a place I normally shop!) - VERY comfortable and only $19.99.  And no animals were harmed in the making of these shoes!  Since I wear jeans to work most of the time, I think I will get a lot of use from these.

So there you have it.  I am wishing y'all a VERY happy weekend!

it's sinking in...

We have a loooong list of things we'd like to do around our little cottage..."someday".  Some of them will never happen.  But adding a half bath to this one bathroom house is one that will.  Someday.  We have a small laundry room/pantry off the kitchen, and with a little planning (well, actually the planning is already done!) and a lot of work, it will be easy (yep, easy!  Easy for me to say, anyway!)  to add a 4x9 foot half bath right off it.  Weird size, I know.  But the only way we can do it would be to put the pocket door in the middle of one long wall, with the sink on one side and the toilet on the other.  This is the only way it will fit here, and here is the best and least expensive option for us.

I've been thinking about this little bathroom for a while now and this is what I'm thinking:

Obviously mine wouldn't be this wide and wouldn't have counter top space on the sides - but I love this look.  And...I'm thinking the bf could make this out of concrete.  That man is a concrete genius.

via The Inspired Room - Also love the idea of using a big, deep, old style laundry sink, set on top of a concrete counter top.  And since it's right off the laundry room it might come in handy for that as well - I know it would come in handy for washing the dog!

 

 

Anybody got any other ideas?

back to earth...



Joshua Tree National Park
Not one of my photos - I'll post some of mine when I get home.



Our yoga retreat is over.  For this year, anyway.  Four days of hard work and bliss with three of the most amazing women on earth (and maybe a thousand other amazing people).  I learned a lot, mostly I learned how much I have to learn.  About life, as well as about yoga.  I was so inspired by what I saw and heard.  I'm encouraged by the thought that each one of us can do something to improve the world. And I loved learning about the different types of yoga around the world, some of which I'd never seen before.  And Joshua Tree! Beautiful. Would love to have tried some hiking out there, but no time and it was hot.  For the next two days I'll be visiting family, but I'll be back when I get home.

*namaste y'all...

*Namaste, loosely translated, means "I bow to you".  It is often said at the end of a class, by the teacher to the students, students to the teacher and student to student, as a way of recognizing others and saying thank you for being part of my practice.

I'm leaving for California on Wednesday.  Mostly to visit my mom and family.  But the first four days of the trip will be to Joshua Tree for Bhakti Fest!  Bhakti Fest will be four days of yoga, music, hiking and vegetarian/vegan feasting with one of my (biological) sisters, my ex-sister-in-law (who I consider a sister), and a very dear friend who is coming with me from NC.  I am so excited!  Yoga is my passion.  For those of you who don't practice (but maybe you're curious?), yoga can be so much more than just exercising or stretching.  If you let it, and become open to it, yoga can be a way to learn about who you are and how you belong to the universe.  Yoga can be a way to learn about loving yourself and every other being (human or not) on earth, to learn gratitude and how to recognize pure joy, and how to live in the moment - this moment - and not to wallow in the past or worry about the future.  My life has changed in so many wonderful ways since I started practicing eight or nine years ago.  And it's all because my attitude about life has changed.  Oh, and my biceps are loving it, too!  Namaste.

A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost...

M. Garrity

Every year, when Mother's Day rolls around, I thank these two lovelies for making me a happy mother.  And if the old codger wasn't there this would be this years Christmas card photo!

This is my gift to the world.  If I never do another good thing, I could die knowing my time here wasn't wasted. How they turned out so well I'm not quite sure, but I am so fiercely proud of these two.  Schyler, on the left, is the younger daughter and Kendra, on the right, the older, although many people ask them if they are twins.  I'm always flabbergasted when people ask that, as I can see their individuality so clearly!  They are as different as night and day, which is usually the case with children, isn't it? Kendra is sort of preppy, classic and very feminine, Schyler edgier and tattooed.  But both are smart and as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside.  And no, they weren't always this close (they're five years apart, so when Kendra was a pre-teen Schyler was still "a baby" and "a brat"), but I am so happy they are now.  When Kendra went off to college I mentioned to Schyler (13 at the time) that she was coming home one weekend. "I know" she said.  "How do you know that already?" I asked.  "Kendra and I talk on the phone every day", she answered.  One of those moments a mother never forgets.

I watched...and I'm glad I did!

I watched the first (possibly only?  HGTV doesn't have it on their schedule at this point) episode of Emily's  new show, "Secrets From A Stylist".   For those who didn't watch, Emily is the winner of what can only be called the worst freakin' season of that gawd-awful show, Design Star, which I'll admit I saw most of...what does that say about me?  Don't answer that!  I have to say it wasn't terrible. It was a little confusing at first, since she redid the living room several times to show the three different styles she was trying to incorporate.  She also did some other rooms, although we only saw one recreation of each of those rooms.  Emily is engaging and cute, with a quirky sense of style that I like.  I hope HGTV decides to make it a regular show - maybe I'll start watching them again.  Anway...here are a few things that I liked.

How cool is that metal chest turned coffee table?

Love the wallpaper!

Dark gray grasscloth?  Yes!  One of the things I really liked was that Emily carried the color palette throughout the house.  All photos from hgtv website.

Around here, a couple more projects to finish up in the garden.  We are hosting a wedding rehearsal dinner in our garden, the first week of October and those last few projects will be done.  Are you reading this, bf?  As soon as they're done I will post pictures, because the new gate is going to be awesome!  Until then...peace.