Like Water For Chocolate

Sweet chocolate Easter bunny.
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"I have this theory that chocolate slows down the aging process.... It may not be true, but do I dare take the chance?" ~ unknown

When I started to look for things that depicted the word "sweet", I thought of the smell of roses, the look on a sleeping child's face, the light touch of a kiss and the sweet strains of a melodic violin. But the word just kept coming back to "taste".... the sweetness of "taste".

Hershey candy coated kisses

"Caramels are only a fad. Chocolate is a permanent thing." ~ Milton S. Hershey

Nothing speaks of a "sweet" taste quite like chocolate. Yes, you have sweet potatoes and cake and sweet corn and pudding, but there is just something about chocolate that grownups and kids alike cannot resist. Mr. Hershey knew this when he developed an entire town around his chocolate factory; there the streetlights are shaped like Hershey Kisses and the air is permeated with the smell of soft sweet chocolate.

Dark Lindt chocolate, sweet but biting.

"Chocolate flows in deep dark, sweet waves, a river to ignite my mind and alert my senses" ~ unknown

Some people demonstrate an evolving taste for things "sweet" as they grow older. They look at a richer, dark sweetness with an added sharpness. Not me. Bring on the white chocolate with all that stuff that is so bad for you, but it sure tastes great!

Cold Stone Creamery chocolate ice cream with M&M's.

"My tongue is smiling." ~ Abigail Trillin, after eating chocolate ice-cream, "Alice, Let's Eat"

In Italy they serve this little sweet item called gelato. There is nothing in the world, anywhere like this gelato, especially the chocolate variety! We have tried all sorts of ice cream brands and ice cream shops and nothing comes close! (though Cold Stone is pretty good and Nyssa says that Maggie Moo's is not bad either)

I looked back at the pictures I chose for this week and it does seem to confirm my suspicions......All roads sweet lead back to chocolate! So I leave you with one final example of something really "sweet"....

1987. Nyssa's first birthday. Chocolate cake.

"Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold." ~ Judith Olney

Have a sweet, chocolate filled week and a wonderful 4th of July!

The theme for Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt this week is "sweet". You can go here to "Grab the Scavenger Hunt code" and here to join the blogroll. This really cute logo is available there as well. The link to other participants is in my blogroll on the sidebar.
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Chesapeake's Newest Home Owner or When I Went To Medical School, I Never Dreamed I Would End Up A Lawyer

"Congratulations....WE DID IT!!!!!" ~ Elle Woods, "Legally Blond"

He looks calm and collected, right! You'd never guess he has just written the largest check of his life or signed his name five hundred times over the course of an hour and a half! He doesn't look as if he has 4600 square feet of hardwood floors to dust and damp mop with hardwood floor cleaner, does he? That is because he didn't! I did! Yes, I did it with his money but I did it!

Bless his heart! He is so excited and anxious and he has called almost every day. Then the communication workers in Germany went on strike so it took almost three weeks to get a phone and he still doesn't have internet so he has to go to the opera house to use the computer and get e-mail. I can't imagine what his handy (cell phone) bill is going to be this month!

He was already amazed that I found 13 houses for him to look at and that they were all very nice and would be great to live in. Then when two of them "spoke" or rather "screamed" at him and a third, "spoke loudly" and he actually had to decide....in three days, I think it threw him into a shock. Of course when the offer was made and accepted and a home inspection made and addendum accepted and the loan application done before he flew off the next day..... he was in complete shock and I was in the Twilight Zone. Closing set for three weeks from the day the contract accepted?

And then it was here... today... Nyssa and I went with identification in hand, a notarized power of attorney and the largest single check I have ever held in my hand. I was nervous, stomach in turmoil and I couldn't figure out why. It wasn't my money or life being signed away... Then a dawn of realization... this felt like going into a legal deposition. Would the seller be across the table? Fortunately, this was a title office and the seller was doing the close in his own attorney's office, so no face to face but much faxing.... after my part was done.

When I bought my former home in Mississippi, the contract was one, maybe two pages. Now there are disclosures and definitions and tons of places to initial and check. At closing it is worse, some pages had five copies to sign! And what do you sign if you are buying a house for someone else and have to act as their attorney? "Stephen(his full name) by Sheila Roxanne __________ (my FULL name which is longer than his and he got away with his middle initial), his Attorney in Fact." Yes, I had to sign all of that for most of the pages. They allowed me to put "his AIF" on a few pages after both of the names, of course, but these were few and far between. Even the pages I initialed were hard... SG by SRP, AIF. I am surprised that I didn't write Sheila instead of Stephen at least once!

But finally, it was done! I was an Attorney for the day, something I would never have thought would happen in my wildest imagination! Only two glitches... I can't "ransom" my furniture until July 11th and..... I should have already arranged to transfer the utilities into his name or actually, my name since most wanted him to call to put it into his name alone. Our agent was negotiating two houses for Stephen and thought she had given me the page of utility phone numbers and she had not. I thought she said she would give it to me at closing. But the seller didn't have any orders in to stop the water or gas or electricity, so it should be fine.

Nyssa, Dad and I started in on the floors and putting down the area room rugs and they look pretty good! While there we experienced our first lightning and thunder show in this new home and it was great.... I should be able to get some awesome lightning pictures from those upstairs windows. More to do tomorrow! Even the delay in furniture is fine... gives more time to go through the stuff in the small storage unit and get that moved in..... so all in all a good day! Right guys!!!????

RIGHT!!!!

Now that is the enthusiasm I expected!

PS: Several have asked about my knee. It is slowly getting better, but I am keeping a knee brace on it during the day.... right now, very tired but it held up. Tomorrow? We shall see.

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The Bird Flies Free.....

...but the place you live in is that much more grey. Shawshank Redemption.
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"I am a feather for each wind that blows." ~ William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Grey feathers from a mourning dove or mockingbird, with the soft down near the point; not usually the type seen in feather beds, but still beautiful. Amazingly, the sticky green weed on which it rests is called "bed-straw"; an irritating, scratchy plant with small spines on each stalk and with round spiny seed balls that stick deep in Max's fur and adhere to trousers and shirts as one walks by. In early American times, this plant was used to stuff mattresses, but given how it feels... I'd take the grey feather mattress any time.

Submission for Photo Friday topic "grey". (end of post)

Deer In The Headlights

Nicky: "WHAT!? HOW?! NOT ME!"
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"Cats don't like change without their consent." ~ Roger A. Caras

No, this post has nothing to do with Odocoileus sp. (deer). It does refer to the reaction deer have to the oncoming headlights of a car; they freeze and stare straight at the light! Both Sir Nick and Mr. Rhett have a distinct look of amazement, fear, wonder or just plain shock!

Rhett: "NO!!! YOU CAN'T MEAN THAT!! SOPHIE WON'T KNOW WHERE I AM!!!

"The problem with cats is that they get the exact same look on their faces whether they see a moth or an ax-murderer." ~ Paula Poundstone

Rhett is not as prone to this as Nicky, although you would never know it here. Nick has been a timid soul since birth and he is shocked and dismayed if you even look at him crossly. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of this look when they move to the new house....get ready fellows! It won't be long now!

Until they move, the boys will be hanging out at Friday's Ark hosted by the Modulator and on Sunday will travel to the fun filled Carnival of the Cats; hosted by TBIFOC. (end of post)

Fortune Cookie

Fortune Cookie. June 27, 2007.

Dad stopped for Chinese food on his way home from Mom's rehab facility. When he broke open his complimentary almond fortune cookie, he found this.

Never known them to be that specific before.... or even close, actually! Closing is 10 AM on Friday, June 29th. All is in order.

(end of short post)

Blizzard In Virginia Beach!!!

So!? This is as much of a blizzard as we usually get! It was April after all!
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"Don't knock the weather, nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while." ~ Kin Hubbard

OK, so it was in April, but it was still Spring and the snow came down really hard.... for about an hour. There was actually a dusting on the ground that you could almost measure! This was our BIG snow for the year! Sure, it had spit some and flaked a little back in January, but only for 30 minutes or less and it didn't even manage to coat the grass blades, never mind the roadway. I'm still waiting for one of those rare twelve inch snows that close the schools and flush out the old sleds in storage. All the kids make tracks over to Mt. Trashmore, the only elevation of any significance in the area and wear the snow out!

As for this blizzard... by the time I picked my brother up from the airport and started back it was over and the sun started to peek out... in less than ten minutes you would have never known the blizzard happened. The remnants indicated a light drizzle of rain at most and by noon, that too was gone; thus verifying the old adage...If you don't like the weather, just wait ten minutes... and it will change!"

Submission to Thursday Challenge for topic "weather". (end of post)

Nature's Candy Canes

"In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends."
~ Kozuko Okakura

We have daylily and Easter lilies; why not have varieties called "Christmas" or "Peppermint" or "Candy Cane"? This one grows in the beautiful gardens of the Jackson family, here in Hampton Roads.

"To analyze the charms of flowers is like dissecting music; it is one of those things which it is far better to enjoy, than to attempt to fully understand." ~ Henry T. Tuckermanz

A frilly female in red and white looks ready for the music to begin, ready to be off to the dance, decked out in ruffles and lace. Do you suppose her date has a matching cumberbund?

"In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful." ~ Abram L. Urban

Freckled geranium blossoms in a most unusual color. Usually we see red or white but personally, I love these, with their splashes and sprinkles of the two intermixed. They remind me of a variety of African violet I used to grow, with lavender flowers splashed with blue and pink.

"Flowers have a mysterious and subtle influence upon the feelings, not unlike some strains of music. They relax the tenseness of the mind. They dissolve its vigor." ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Surely this would be a Candy Cane Tulip, with red and white stripes and the sun shining through the fluttering petals. It looks luscious enough to eat!

I am sure there are many more "candy canes" in the flower world, these are but a few. Perhaps these beauties are not edible, but they certainly are eye candy!!!

News: My mom's knee is doing much better and after a week and two days back in the hospital, she was transferred back to rehab yesterday. I don't think she lost that much in the rehab arena during her hospitalization and I know the pain issue will be much less this time around.

As for my brother's house (that we will all live in), the final walk through is today at 12:30 pm. I only have one set of eyes, but do have the list from the home inspector to go over. Since I have been there several times, I have already looked at a lot of the things on the list and so far, so good. The loan packet has been completed and is to be at the title company this morning as is the survey. Closing is set for 10 AM on Friday. Hopefully, by the end of the day today I will have been able to arrange for my furniture in storage to be delivered on Monday and for the fence company to meet me tomorrow for an estimate and layout. I have to get the plans to the homeowner's association for approval by their meeting date next week!

There! Did I forget to say that my brother, Stephen, is in full swing of rehersals for The Ring Cycle at the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth, Germany? I have his power of attorney for the house, Dad has it for the cashier's check for the closing and he won't even get to be here for the momentous occasion.... or the gut wrenching two days before! As soon as the keys are transferred, I will be putting in a call to the new home owner...... send cash! (wink!)

As this is my sanity outlet... I hope to return later today! But for now....

(end of post)

Long Ago And Far Away

November sunset along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Picture by Nyssa. (Click to enlarge)

". . . these are the times of dreamy quietude, when beholding the tranquil beauty and brilliancy of the ocean's skin, one forgets the tiger heart that pants beneath it; and would not willingly remember, that this velvet paw but conceals a remorseless fang." ~ Herman Melville. "Moby Dick"

Nyssa took this picture of a calm November sunset along the Gulf Coast in Pass Christian, Mississippi; before the ravages of Hurricane Katrina destroyed the homes and businesses of the people there. The beautiful white beaches and the smooth waters of the Gulf seen here, bely the power of Nature when atmosphere and water come together. But the people here are of strong stock and unlike some neighbors to the west, have not whined and complained; they have rolled up their sleeves and gotten back to the task of living. They accept the help of those they did not know and greeted them with true Southern hospitality and graciousness. And slowly life returns to the tranquility of long ago and far away. I am proud of the people of Mississippi and their example to all of us.

Submission to Tuesday Challenge for topic "coast". (end of post)

Sunlight And Shadows

Miss Chloe: Sleepy sunbather.
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"There are people who reshape the world by force or argument, but the cat just lies there, dozing, and the world quietly reshapes itself to suit his comfort and convenience." ~ Allen and Ivy Dodd

Miss Chloe is usually the prim and proper cat with all paws tucked in and tail wrapped around her body. She often sleeps sitting up or curled in a tight ball. One exception to this pattern is her love of the sun. She will stretch out on her side in a sunbeam and warm her tummy, then turn and warm her back, moving her whole body ever so slightly with the changing light and shadows. If I disturb her slumber and feel that soft belly, I feel that deep warmth trapped in her fur. This is complete and total relaxation... I envy her.

One of my cousin Bob's cats... possibly Mama Cat!

I noticed that in photographs I took of my cousin's cats recently, their eyes were usually open and actively looking at the camera or a bird or something! In comparison, my cats often have their eyes shut.... as in sleeping. Bob's cats were rarely still, always getting into trouble and curious about everything! I snapped pictures so fast and really couldn't tell most of them apart. The Mama cat is gray and though her kittens are grown, she takes care to make sure she knows exactly where they are all the time... A mother's love can be seen in her eyes!

Miss Chloe and Mama Cat share the stage this week at Cats on Tuesday, hosted by gattina and Chloe shows her aging tummy for Tummy Tuesday over at catstuff. These girls will also be hanging out at Friday's Ark hosted by the Modulator and on Sunday will travel to the fun filled Carnival of the Cats; hosted by TBIFOC. (end of post)

Raindrops on Peonies, Whiskers on Kittens

...OK, so it is the wrong song! (Indiana peonies)
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"Let the rain kiss you.
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.
Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
~ Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967), "April Rain Song"

In Spring, when the rain comes, the humidity is pulled out of the air and condensed into droplets that fall on our gardens; we are left with a cool refreshing feeling. The sparkling droplets on this peony tell the story of life; of thirst, of thunder, of water and relief and and adorn each petal like diamonds. These are the rains I love, the drenching, slow, soaking rains that feed the earth.

Not so with the Summer rain that seems to add as much water to the air as it releases with hot steam rising off the sun baked pavement. The air after the rain is as muggy and heavy and oppressive as before and we feel its weight. No, I don't care for the Summer rains, except as relief for the flowers. Give me those cooling, refreshing rains of Spring.

Submission for SeeItSunday topic "rain".

News Update: Mom has been in the hospital for a week now. For a while it looked as if they might have to go back in to her knee incision and irrigate and debride the wound. However, it looks as if she had some excessive bleeding into the soft tissue that is resolving slowly but steadily. Antibiotics have been given as she did have some fever and blood is a perfect culture medium. (Sorry to those who are grossed out by medical language.) If he is satisfied with her progress, she will likely be transferred back to the rehabilitation facility on Monday for at least two weeks there. Basically, she is bored.

The house closing is still set for Friday so this week is going to be hysterical. Nyssa and I bought rugs, room size rugs for the downstairs so the furniture in storage can be moved in. I can't remember what it looks like, the furniture so this should be fun. Walk through is Tuesday or Wednesday. I have many phone calls to make and estimates for fencing to get and I must, really must hear those magical words.... "the loan is approved and set"... no later than Tuesday!

I feel stomach knots coming on again. Rug pictures and story will follow sometime this week!

(end of post)

Nature Shines

"When hope is not pinned wriggling onto a shiny image or expectation, it sometimes floats forth and opens." ~ Anne Lamott

A shiny red apple to sweeten the day.
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"And pluck till time and times are done The silver apples of the moon The golden apples of the sun." ~ William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939) Source: The Wind Among the Reeds, 1899

For the Photo Hunt theme today I decided to look beyond the shiny coins in my pocket and the shiny gold in that ring, the shiny beads hanging from Nyssa's rearview mirror and that shiny stethoscope in my mother's hospital room. Today, I thought about the shiny, glistening and gleaming aspects of nature. It surprised me a bit at how varied and numerous they are. We start with the shiny red apple... and that old adage "An apple a day keeps the doctor away", unless of course you happen to live with one.

Shiny stones form a solid rainbow of color.

"The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time." ~ John Muir

Dull and lifeless stones are brought to life by time and water, whether in a rolling stone polisher or in a mountain stream. Smooth and shiny, even the words flow perfectly together off the tongue.

Shiny golden dragonfly with gossamer wings.

"Clouds of insects danced and buzzed in the golden autumn light, and the air was full of the piping of the song-birds. Long, glinting dragonflies shot across the path, or hung tremulous with gauzy wings and gleaming bodies." ~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930)

This was one of the most beautiful dragonflies I have ever seen. The body a metallic gold and the wings almost invisible between the veins; both shone with the reflected light of the sun. This shiny metal effect is in such contrast with the gorgeous rust brown accents on the thorax and those huge eyes. God's artistry at work, even in the small details.

One of the shiny Fairytale pumpkins from my flowerbed/yard garden.

Pumpkins
Pumpkins tugging at their vines,
Pumpkins growing round and green.
Pumpkins hiding in the leaves,
Pumpkins shyly, smooth and clean.
Pumpkins shining in the rain,
Pumpkins plumping in the sun.
Pumpkins blushing underneath,
Turning orange, one by one.
~ Heather Mitchell Amey

Yes, I grew pumpkins in a flowerbed last year and yes, they got out of hand and spread... well they spread everywhere; into the side yard, the front yard and for a while it looked like they were going to take off into the neighbor's yard and on down the street. This is one of the ten pumpkins that resulted. This one weighed around 17 lbs and made many pies. In fact we still have some frozen ready to make three more or perhaps a little pumpkin bisque. If you should want to see the progression you can go here and simply click on the links to each post... starting with number one of course. Oh, and yes, I have planted the seeds... some original, some from the pumpkins from last year, a white pumpkin and I threw in some cantaloupe seeds saved from an exceptionally sweet one last season just for fun. Vicki thinks I should transplant them to the new house. We will see. They have a homeowners association there and I don't know how they feel about pumpkin vines streaming out into the wildlife preserve... but the wildlife would love it!

Moonshine reflected in the ocean, a dance of light.

The shining silver moon
Is a coin hung in the sky
To pay the old Dream Maker
Whenever he goes by.
~ Jane Yolen

One of my moonrise photos from the first week in January. Sunset and moonrise were within five minutes of each other, so we braved the cold wind and were rewarded with the most spectacular sight. While the sunrise deals in pastels of pink and blue and lavender and the glistening reflection is that of gold, the moonrise works its magic in deep, rich navy and royal purple and ebony with shiny silver and diamonds glistening on the waves. Breathtaking!

The theme for Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt this week is "shiny". You can go here to "Grab the Scavenger Hunt code" and here to join the blogroll. This really cute logo is available there as well. The link to other participants is in my blogroll on the sidebar.
(end of post)

A Wish For Wings That Work.......

....the dream of flight.
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"I believe that if one always looked at the sky, one would end up with wings." ~ Gustave Flaubert

To soar above the earth with wind in your hair, unencumbered by gravity, floating in the cool breezes; who has not at one time or another dreamed of flying with eagles!? Such are the things dreams are made of. What dreams are on your horizon?

Submission for PhotoFriday topic "dream". (end of post)

Miss Scarlett: New and Improved

Miss Scarlett. 2005. Corpulent kitty.
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"I simply can't resist a cat, particularly a purring one. They are the cleanest, cunningest, and most intelligent things I know, outside of the girl you love, of course." ~ Mark Twain

Miss Scarlett has been a pear shaped kitty all her life. This picture was taken in 2005 after she moved from Mississippi to Virginia. She had a hard time reaching all of her parts and the other kitties loved to torment her. Also she was very dark in her coloration, almost black... with those white tummy spots of course. Then in early 2006, she began to lick ice and turn around and around and walk back and forth all day. It wasn't obvious at first but soon we realized that Miss Scarlett was losing weight and in the process, losing her pear shape.

Miss Scarlet, December 2006.

It eventually became obvious that this wasn't a normal weight loss. She had at her peak, weighed almost 16 pounds and was beginning to feel like a feather when picked up. She couldn't sit still and kept running to the litter box. Her fur looked ratty and she began to have that waif appearance. Something was not right. Then I found the pink tinge in her urine... first just on occasion, then all the time. Miss Scarlett was sick.

Miss Scarlett hits bottom at six pounds.

She still seemed to eat well, but even that started to wane. At the vet, she had lost from 16 pounds to 6 pounds over the course of a year and a half. He tested for diabetes... nothing. He tested for thyroid disease and it was not abnormal but borderline. Additional tests showed hyperthyroidism and she was started on thyroid suppression. Two weeks of treatment and still she didn't gain weight and all her symptoms were the same. Finally we checked an x-ray to rule out tumor and found two large bladder stones! Poor Miss Scarlett, no wonder she couldn't sit down and moved all the time. She was in pain and couldn't get comfortable, yet through it all she purred up a storm.

Post-op patient. Poor Miss Scarlett.

She had her surgery done the end of March and had to wear this collar for two weeks. But then she started to eat her new diet. She ate well and took her thyroid medicine and she began to sleep for an hour or so at a time. No more blood in her urine, no stones to irritate and while she is still quite active, she can be found more often perched resting on the top of a towel or on the back of a chair. She has become more assertive, claiming her place in the sunroom. She has gained about 4 pounds and now weighs a normal Siamese weight of 10 pounds. Her coat is once again lustrous and healty looking. One interesting change has been in her coloring... she no longer is dark with almost black fur all over, but has a delightful light cocoa shade to her body, with only her points darkened.

Miss Scarlett today... a new and healthy kitty.

I love her new look... and I think she does too.

Miss Scarlett is boarding Friday's Ark at the Modulator with all the other cats today and on Sunday she will stroll over to the Carnival of the Cats, at This That & The Other Thing. I think she is craving a bit of cotton candy!

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Ice Blue

Blue pansies. Norfolk Botanical Gardens.
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"A certain blue enters your soul." ~ Henri Matisse

It has been hot and humid and stifling for a few days, but these baby blue pansies have that cool look for a hot summer day. A front has come through with rain and now winds from the north, so cooler temps for a few days.

We are nine days to closing on the new house. The appraisal is in, the insurance set up in the works, the business end of the loan almost done, the homeowners association papers delivered, a survey ordered and funds being transferred. I still need to do another measurement for the refrigerator and decide on a couple of models to send for Stephen's approval and Nyssa will help me did through some discounts rugs and perhaps go to an estate sale in search of temporary floor coverings for the hardwood floors. Next week I will arrange for my stuff in storage to be set up for delivery. My stomach is still in knots, this seems so surreal.

My mom is still in the hospital on high powered antibiotics, her knee and leg seem less warm, less red and less swollen. She is bored and a little blue. We should know by tomorrow or Friday whether they will have to go back in. No positive cultures, only minimal fever... both good signs. She was scheduled to get out of the nursing rehab place the day we closed on the house, but that will be pushed back now. We just have to wait and see. One day at a time.

Submission for Thursday Challenge topic "blue". (end of post)

A Fleeting Signpost

A vapor trail in the sky at sunset.
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"There are no signposts in the sky to show a man has passed that way before. There are no channels marked. The flier breaks each second into new uncharted seas." ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

The vapor trail of a passing jet, the only signpost to say... "someone is passing this way". It will quickly dissipate and so five minutes from now, someone standing here will never know. Thus the sky changes from moment to moment; the clouds come and go and so change the colors, from navy to red to blue to black to grey. Like life, the sky is always changing, never static for very long and though we may desire to freeze moments in time, this change is as it should be. Without the fleeting nature of the sky, how many beautiful and rare and unique sunsets would we miss? Without the progressions of life, what beautiful and rare and unique memories would be lost?

Submission for Lensday topic "sky". (end of post)

Mr. Rhett Takes Center Stage

"The cat, like the genius, draws into itself as into a shell except in the atmosphere of congeniality, and this is the secret of its remarkable and elusive personality." ~ Ida M. Mellen, American writer

On a hot day, Mr. Rhett shows a little tummy.
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Mr. Rhett is feeling left out. His lady friend, Sophie appears to have forgotten him. His sister, Scarlett has recovered from her surgery and has gained three pounds while her fur coat has become silky and smooth and lighter in color. She is a picture of health. She also gets special food and attention and he tends to sulk. His grandma has been gone for two weeks having her knee replaced and his grandpa has spent a lot of time at the hospital and rehab center with her. His mom (that would be me) has been carrying on like a crazy woman with house hunts and taking care of other things around here. I would also be the one who gives more attention to Scarlett. And the girl Nyssa is off doing research for her Geology Honors Program and being a summer RA. No wonder he feels left out!

He asked if I would tell you some of his better attributes... besides the fact that the camera loves him... that is obvious! So...

Mr. Rhett has a strong profile.

Mr. Rhett is steadfast and strong as seen in his profile. He is ALWAYS there to greet you at the door with meows and head butts to let you know you are missed. He ALWAYS wants to make sure you are not cold and does this by snuggling up next to you in the recliner or by perching on your lap in bed or by curling up on your feet at the computer. Rhett is ALWAYS a bearer of gifts... sometimes he doest steal them from the drawers, especially socks, but he always leaves them near your feet. True he recycles presents, gives them over and over... especially the soft balls, but it is the thought that counts.

Mr. Rhett often has something to say.

Mr. Rhett is polite. He always speaks when spoken to and in a soft voice. He will, however, speak his mind more forcefully if he feel his point is extremely important and will punctuate his conversation with paw pats on the arm or leg or whatever body part he can stretch himself up to reach. This is most often associated with the opening of a can of stinky goodness. On occasion, he thinks he is a dog and lets loose with a low growl. He doesn't sing like Clover, but he does enjoy live piano music and sits with the performer, lending moral support!

A sensitive soul.

Mr. Rhett has a sensitive soul. He feels for the downtrodden and the picked on and will fling himself into the middle of an altercation at a moments notice. Unfortunately, this most often results in an escalation of hostilities but he does try to be a peacemaker. Rhett understands the hard times and knows loss as his mother died when he was only five weeks old. He comforts his humans in their times of pain and makes every girl and woman he meets feel like the "only woman in the world". Mr. Rhett really is as suave as his counterpart, Clark Gable. And yes, the camera loves him.

Rhett deserves the full attention this week at Cats on Tuesday, hosted by gattina and shows his tummy for Tummy Tuesday over at catstuff. (end of post)

Flummoxed Flowers

Confused Easter lilies bloom in June!
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"The simplest things give me ideas." ~ Joan Miro

My Easter lilies are blooming! Are they confused? Here it is almost officially summer and they have finally bloomed. These are the lilies we planted last Easter after they had bloomed in their florist pots. They multiplied; now where one plant was placed in the ground, four grow. They grew tall and green. But they didn't bloom at Easter! Perhaps this is their time, special, unforced by the conditions of a greenhouse.... so I just enjoy. Apparently, so does Max... I saw a bit of tell-tale orange pollen glow on his nose this morning. Bless his heart, he forgets they make him sneeze.

Mom had to be taken back to the hospital today for a scan of her leg. Swelling had gone down a bit but recurred and they are careful to screen for any deep vein thrombosis. I am not sure when we will hear a report, but hopefully this is a temporary problem.

Two weeks to closing on Stephen's house... well, our house. I have no clue as to how long it will take to move in, combine things and sell this house. Makes the head spin! Where will I put my pumpkins? I have a pile of papers from the homeowners association to wade through.... perhaps they have a ban on vegetable gardens. Actually there is an oval plot of ground in the middle of the cul-de-sac and I think it would make the most fantastic community garden space!!! Will take picture next time I am out there!

(end of post)

Danger Comes In Many Forms

Not your usual "danger" sign... but to the boys basketball team...
(Click picture to enlarge)

"Live in danger. Build your cities on the slopes of Vesuvius." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 - 1900)

"You have a cough? Go home tonight, eat a whole box of Ex-Lax - tomorrow you'll be afraid to cough." ~ Pearl Williams

Danger comes in many forms. This brings to mind an incident I heard about at my college, many years ago. The boys basketball team had been irritating the cheerleaders for weeks, playing little pranks on them and generally making life miserable. Someone decided to teach the guys a lesson. Knowing that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and that teenagers had hollow legs and would eat anything, a cake was baked. It was a very special cake, big with three layers and a deep dark chocolate. The top and sides were lathered with rich chocolate icing and words of encouragement were written on the top. It was left in the boys locker room with a note that read.... "Enjoy". And they did. Within minutes the players had consumed the whole thing.

Of course, they had a long bus ride to a weekend basketball camp the next day. No one ever really knew who baked the big box of Ex-lax into that cake, but you can be sure that there was quite the "volcanic" eruption going on during that bus ride! None of the cheerleaders ever admitted involvement, but the team was careful to treat the them with respect from then on. Just the suspicion seemed to straighten the boys out.... that or the purging constitutionals they all had!

Yes, danger comes in many shapes and sizes.

Submission for Shutterday topic "danger". (end of post)

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

An outfit is not complete without a little cat hair!
(Click pictures for larger views)

"Cats are just little hair factories." ~ James Davis, DVM

Willow (left) and her brother Nicky are gigantic blobs of hair plodding about the house. Unlike the Siamese, they aren't concerned with appearances; they don't feel that each hair must always be in place. In fact, much of the time they appear disheveled as if just coming out of a whirlwind. It seems to be too much effort to keep all that hair perfectly groomed anyway, so why not go for comfort?

Nyssa before and after the big haircut.

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play in your hair." ~ Kahlil Gibran

Last summer, Nyssa's hair was as on the left. This past January it had been cropped to the length on the right. She sent her long ponytail to Locks of Love, an organization that makes wigs for children undergoing chemotherapy for cancer or other blood disorders. This was the biggest change in her hair length in years. I've always envied her hair. She has that texture and body we all want and tried for years with body waves and spiral perms to get. When left completely alone to dry, her hair forms those lose ringlets, all on its own. And yet with just a bit of blow drying and flat iron action she can show up with straight as a stick looks. Absolutely, NOT FAIR! I can work mine with a hot air curling brush for thirty minutes, step out into the yard and in five minutes have little pieces curling up and I don't mean into those nice long curls.... mine turns into a frizz fest. Again, NOT FAIR!

Only a certain number of perfect heads exist.
God had to give the others hair.

"Bald as the bare mountain tops are bald, with a baldness full of grandeur." ~ Matthew Arnold

My cousin Ken has a receding hairline, several men in the family do. He is amazingly brilliant and excited about all sorts of different projects and hobbies. He is an engineer and has worked for Porsche and other car manufacturers. He has been renovating his home in Atlanta and taught himself carpentry, plumbing, and all the other skills needed. He refurbishes and rebuilds old and rare pianos; Stephen has him working on one right now. He is interested in all sorts of scientific fields and researches the history of Europe and the US, antiques and historical documents. And he loves cats. An amazing man!

Hair for all seasons; and you can keep it by your bed
.... or on the dining room table.

"If wise men were hairs the world would need a wig." ~ Unknown

My mom has thinning hair... so do I, but just in one spot. As long as I can remember she has been adding hair pieces to give fullness and hide those thin areas. Many years ago now, she gave up trying to blend her own hair in with the "extensions" and started wearing wigs. Over the years touches of gray have been added to "keep things natural". On this occasion her friend had come over and styled all the wigs. They take their places of honor atop these styrofoam heads. You should see us go on a trip. A wooden platform with a protruding nail holds the styrofoam head with her "good" wig. On a trip to Chicago back in 2005, we didn't count on the 40 mph winds whipping through the streets next to the hotel in January and the head went flying... literally. Fortunately, someone caught both the head and the hair...

Not too long ago I was driving down a four lane parkway near here and saw one of these lightweight heads bouncing down the center line... no hair attached. All I could think was, "Oh! No! Someone's lost their head!" And the moral of this story is?

"Hare today, gone tomorrow"

The theme for Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt this week is "hair". You can go here to "Grab the Scavenger Hunt code" and here to join the blogroll. This really cute logo is available there as well. The link to other participants is in my blogroll on the sidebar.
(end of post)

When Do You Rest?

A hummingbird feeds in mid-air, its wings but a blur.
(Click picture for larger view)

"A flash of harmless lightning,
A mist of rainbow dyes,
The burnished sunbeams brightening
From flower to flower he flies."
~ John Banister Tabb

The hummingbird does rest, occasionally still on the branch of a nearby tree; but only rarely. The nectar draws him in to feed and hovering, almost still but with wings always in motion, always active. Then to a vantage point he flies, to wait and watch and guard his territory. Fierce are the battles, back and forth, around and around the nectar. I often wonder that he has time to dine..... fast food, indeed!

Submission for PhotoFriday topic "active". This "hummer" will also take a ride on Friday's Ark, hosted by the Modulator. (end of post)

Out Of Order

Try to picture this without the snow.

"A story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end... but not necessarily in that order." ~ Jean-Luc Godard

This story starts at the middle. Although I wish it started at the end, I'm sure that there will be more to tell in the future, but since the future isn't here yet... well, you see the dilemma. The real beginning would be when I was still a child, but then, that story has already been told. So we begin with the middle.

First, you must be able to visualize this scene without the snow. Yes, it is quite cool here currently, in the low 60's and damp and drizzling, but there is definitely no snow. In fact, last Friday, when the event happened, it was the hottest day of the year so far with temperatures reaching the high 90's. I could have taken a picture of the mailbox this week, but I have been avoiding the object.

With Mom having her knee surgery and my brother coming into town on the same day and with me, still looking at the last of the house possibilities.... June 4th was a blur. The 5th, 6th, and 7th weren't much better and with the whirlwind house search and decision and negotiations that tied one's stomach in a knot and then inspections, loan applications, power of attorney and the strange disconnection of Stephen buying a house... well, by Friday I was pooped out! I took Stephen to the airport for his early morning flight back to Washington DC and then on to Vienna and anticipated a few hours in bed. However, my dad had quite a bit of stuff to take to the rehab facility for my mom, so I went along to help.

Several hours later, we arrived back home and I was hurrying to get all the animals fed and off to Newport News to meet up with Nyssa. I walked down the driveway to the mailbox and somehow, the tip of my tennis shoe got stuck or my feet were flying too low, or something.... as I grabbed to open the mailbox, I lost my balance and though I stumbled half way down the street to the neighbor's house, trying to get my feet back under me... I fell.... hard. Actually, I think I fell on the curb rather than on the street itself, but my right knee hit, as did both hands. It was one of those "trip over the flower pot and go sprawling" moments (an earlier middle part of the story). Instant sharp ..... PAIN! My hands are scuffed and I know my knee is scuffed although it didn't tear the jeans!

My 79 year old father hobbles down the drive and wants to help me up.... right! I didn't want him down too as I knew I couldn't get both of us up again and right at that moment I just wanted to sit and catch my breath. Of course, a neighbor saw the commotion and came over to ask if I was OK. I finally got the courage to get up and thankfully was able to stand on my leg, so no broken bones. But, the knee was a bit crunchy or perhaps crackle is a better description... but only if you pressed on it. I knew ice was in order but it was time for me to drive to Newport News.

I found what was called a cold pack in the freezer. As I got in the car, I put it around the knee and tried to secure it with the velcro strips. Unfortunately, one of them was stuck and when pulled, it ripped the material and suddenly a thousand little white 1mm pellets started flowing from the hole into the floorboard of my van. So that was out. By this time it was rush hour so the trip took longer than expected and the knee was throbbing. I got a bag of ice at the restaurant and kept it elevated there then hit it with more ice when I got back home.

Saturday and Sunday were pretty bad... ice and heat and ice and heat and foot up. Monday, it felt almost like new and I wore a knee brace to the new house for the termite inspection. However, the deep muscle bruising has now arrived along with the swelling and sausage toes. From the purple, red, blue, yellow and other assorted mottled colors, it looks like the lateral calf muscles are banged up and the subcutaneous tissue of the shin, as well as the lower inner thigh. The knee area is also quite the colorful mix. It is now beginning to itch... this usually means it is starting to get better.

You know there is something fishy about this whole thing. When Mom had her other knee done a year and a half ago, Dad fell the Friday after she went from the hospital to rehab. Of course he hit on his buttock and had a horrible bruise from his waist to his knee. (Lost his balance and sat on the edge of a ceramic coated metal bedpan he was retrieving from the attic to take to Mom.... don't ask.) Now, on Friday after she is transferred from the hospital to the same rehab for her second knee, I fall and bang myself up....yes, fishy.

All I can say is... I'm glad she only has two knees. I'm not sure what would happen to Dad and I if she had three! As for the rest of the middle and beginning of the "stumbling saga that is my life". Well, it will just have to wait.... I've got to get this foot up!

(end of post)

City Lights, City Nights

City nights, hot and humid. New York.

"Cities, like cats, will reveal themselves at night." ~ Rupert Brooke (English Poet, 1887-1915)

My mind is going a mile a minute, things moving faster here than a speeding subway train and more activity than seen in Times Square. Stephen is not having the typical "buyer's remorse", I think that is left to me... and I am not really buying the house. So much to think about and only two weeks to do it. I don't remember my previous house purchasing experiences being this way... but times have changed. Help! I need to step back, take a cleansing breath and hide in the nearest cave.... oh, say, for about three months or so. I feel as if I am in one of those "Live comes at you fast!" commercials!

Oh, yes. The whole "why are you limping" thing is a very long story.... It will commence in the next post.... perhaps. I will say that my knee looks a little better than Mom's... no incision, but bruised.

Submitted to Tuesday Challenge for topic "night". (end of post)

God Paints In White

White tulip. Norfolk Botanical Garden.

"White ... is not a mere absence of colour; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black ... God paints in many colours; but He never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white."
~ G. K. Chesterton

"Like the musician, the painter, the poet, and the rest, the true lover of flowers is born, not made. And he is born to happiness in this vale of tears, to a certain amount of the purest joy that earth can giver her children, joy that is tranquil, innocent,uplifting, unfailing." ~ Celia Thaxter, An Island Garden, 1894

The sun was bright this day and made shadows of petals on petals; leaving the background darkened to black with the light. I can feel the warmth of that sun in this picture.

As for an update regarding my mom, she is now in the rehab facility and will be there for at least 21 days. Dad makes his trips back and forth a couple times a day and I am headed in that direction. The hard core therapy starts tomorrow. She is supposed to come home on the day we close on Stephen's house. Moving will be a slow process for both her and the house. All in all, I think she is doing a little better with this knee than the first; perhaps that is because she knows what to expect. So, now I am off to have lunch with them there and explain to her why I am limping. Joy.

Submission for SeeItSunday topic "white" and PhotoFriday topic "purity". (end of post)

One Two, Buckle My Shoes

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes-and ships-and sealing-wax-Of cabbages-and kings-And why the sea is boiling hot-And whether pigs have wings." ~ Lewis Carroll (1832 - 1898)

Shoes attract cats with the dangling buckles!

Usually, our cats simply ignore shoes, or sometimes sleep on top of them if they are fuzzy or use them for toy repositories. (see below) But then, our cats are so laid back , the true definition of "couch potatoes", that they appear almost comatose at times. Not so with this cat. Another of my cousin's crew of five, perhaps Chubby, he found the orthopedic sandal quite the plaything. I don't think he has seen anything quite like it before.

Colonial clodhopper. Williamsburg.

These were the shoes worn in Colonial times, leather and made by the cobbler in town. Today, Colonial Williamsburg keeps the trades from the past alive. At the cobbler's shop you can watch as he builds the sole of the shoe, cuts the leather, sizes the shoe and attaches all together. At Christmas, the town decorates in a similar manner as they would have then with wreathes made from dried flowers and fruit and many with touches of their trade; the tin worker with small cups, the bridle shop with bits and reins, the toy shop with cards and wooden blocks, and here, at the cobblers a shoe.

A diamond studded silver flip-flop.

I remember wearing flip-flops to the shower at camp and in college dorms, but they were usually white or green or yellow. The color palette of today was not available and the wide range of styles with thick soles or thin, prints, flower and rhinestone embellishments, were certainly not out there. Now, the flip-flop is a staple in the wardrobe of every teenager and many adult women as well. I dare say it is also worn by quite a few men although they probably have a much more macho name than "flip=flop". Nyssa wears them rain or shine, hot weather or snow... and she tends to inherit them from other girls. She has a pair of black flip-flops that are so thin and worn... the color has rubbed off onto the bottom of her feet, leaving them black. It will take much scrubbing to get it all off.

So, because of her love affair with the flip-flop, her grandmother got her one for Christmas. This is the sterling silver variety, encrusted with tiny diamond chips and guaranteed never to stain the bottoms of her feet black.

"Mr. Rhett! Get you head out of my shoe!

As I said earlier, our cats only care for shoes as sleeping mats or toy repositories. Here, Rhett has lost his purple ball... well, it was his own fault. He dropped it in the shoe and thought he could get it back quite easily but didn't count on it rolling down to the toe of the shoe. So his only recourse was to stick his head fully in the shoe to find his toy. He was eventually successful though a bit wobbly from the aroma!

The theme for Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt this week is "Shoes". You can go here to "Grab the Scavenger Hunt code" and here to join the blogroll. This really cute logo is available there as well. The link to other participants is in my blogroll on the sidebar.
(end of post)

Shell Shocked!

"For a man's house is his castle." ~ Lord Edward Coke

The man and his castle.(Click picture for larger view)

I started the search with a pooled list of at least sixty homes in two cities; then eliminated ALL houses without a downstairs master bedroom. Then I had to visit the remaining houses. Some felt too closed in, some wasted space and many had poorly thought out floor plans and others were simply too out of date, requiring many thousands of dollars in upgrades and the headaches that go along with that. But some were drop dead and love at first sight gorgeous..... although, none were the 100%, everything you could possibly want, bells and whistles home. I kept so many on the list, but slowly and surely and with comparison and contrast and the infinite wisdom of an energetic realtor, I managed to narrow it down to nine homes in Chesapeake and five in Virginia Beach.

What a happy camper!

Then Stephen flew in from Europe on Monday... I was a nervous wreck! What if he didn't like anything I chose for him to look at? What if we couldn't get all this done in three days? What if he thought there weren't enough on the list to look at? I took many, many pictures of the houses and had a packet on each one with all the particulars, MLS sheets and made a spread sheet for each city to show the facets of each home in a way that was easily comparable. We started at 10 AM on Tuesday...and he spent almost 45 minutes in the first house. My main questions to him were.... is it spacious enough, is the kitchen satisfactory, is the yard satisfactory, is the layout ok, and most importantly, does the house "speak" to you?

Entering a new world.

By the end of day one there were three top contenders. Day two brought elimination of one home because of the Dryvit stucco issue and another because of less than great workmanship. One was just quirky and fun but had obvious water issues. Then we saw a house with all the bells and whistles, the pool and fence and a .75 acre lot. It was 99% perfect with fabulous kitchen, great layout and he loved the colors. The house didn't just "speak" to him, it "screamed" his name! It was a bit more costly but had been on the market since November so he decided then and there to make an offer.

Thus began the part of real estate that I would not be able to do... the negotiation! Back and forth with the seller giving very little until finally our realtor was disgusted as was Stephen. She gave our final offer and gave them three minutes to get back as we had our number two choice waiting on the other line. He would accept our offer if we used him as the mortgage lender!!!! Well! That not only was unacceptable, it is illegal! He is a mortgage broker and while we could have asked him to do the loan, he cannot demand it as part of a contract agreement. We turned him down and moved on. This seller lost a sale because he wouldn't come down $13,000. Turns out it was the fourth time he had mangled his chance and lost the sale.

The number two choice became our number one choice and after a few exchanges, our offer was accepted, but only verbally. We had a home inspection the morning of day three and had to write a supplemental addendum to the contract. Then it was the sit and wait and see if more back and forth would be in store. He didn't want to do a fence so Stephen dropped that but he had to agree to a drop in price. We had to agree to an earlier closing than expected. Not sure if we had a ratified contract, we headed to the loan officer and as we finished up there, he received a call from our agent.... As they say on House Hunters, "the house was Stephens"!!! Sighs of relief all around!

And there was immense quantities of light!!

So this is it! Stephen is happy! Oh! And the agent of the first house called back with another offer by her seller... this time he wanted to accept our offer if both agents would wave part of their commission. His agent just wants to get rid of him, ours was willing to do it so we would get the house. But both Stephen and I said, "NO WAY!!" This seller would have been a pain in the behind the entire time, unreasonable, difficult to deal with and most likely would use every detail to get out of the contracts. And in three more months when I drive by his house and see a "For Sale" sign still there.... I will just smile smugly and drive on "home".

By the way.... closing is set for three weeks from today!! Arrrrgh! Move in will have to be done slowly... much sorting and discarding and selling are in order as we strive to combine 2.5 households. But Stephen is pleased, Mom and Dad seem pleased and Nyssa is smug because she "called it"! (She said he would pick the one he finally did.)

Of course, now Stephen is on his way back to Europe and I sit here with power of attorney to sign and do all the details. Another inspection Monday, insurances, utilities, etc. Sigh! Oh yes! Now another house to sell... it never ends! I just have to remember these sage words of wisdom:

"Unless you move, the place where you are is the place where you will always be." ~ Ashleigh Brilliant

Yes, wise words indeed!

(end of post)

Tickled Pink!

Pink peony. (Click picture to enlarge)

"The beauteous pink I would not slight,
Pride of the gardener's leisure."
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,
"The Floweret Wondrous Fair" (st. 8)

Well! It is official! My brother has purchased a house here in Hampton Roads... Chesapeake to be exact. It was choice number two but not by much and as the owner of choice number one decided to quibble over $13000, he lost his third contract offer. Stephen is tickled pink. Nyssa said he would choose this house and she is more than thrilled. Mom fell in love with the outside and wanted just to stay when she got inside. I thought it was great and hoped he thought the four bedrooms would be to his liking and that the yard would be large enough for him. So. I will be back with more details later. Now we have inspections to attend, measurements to take, loan papers to do, powers of attorney and all other sorts of things..... have to be done today! Stephen flies back to Germany tomorrow morning. So off we go........ again!

Submitted to LensDay for topic "pink". (end of post)

Still Looking!

"Any houses down there?"(Click picture for larger view)

"I'm looking for the unexpected. I'm looking for things I've never seen before. ~ Robert Mapplethorpe

Today was a whirlwind. Armed with a spreadsheet of information on each house and a packet with pictures and MLS sheets, we took Stephen to nine houses in Chesapeake. From 10 AM to 5 PM we looked and poked through closets, bedrooms, kitchens, dens, master bedrooms, bathrooms, upstairs and down and at the end of the day.... he narrowed the contenders down to his top three. But wait! Tomorrow is Virginia Beach. While there are only four main contenders here, there are the models in Heritage Park to think about. So, we are still looking. Hopefully by early tomorrow afternoon, we will have it down to a top three total and return for a thorough look. Stephen thinks he might be able to make a decision and perhaps make an offer by tomorrow night or Thursday morning. Believe it or not... my top three today are the same as his and in the same order. Are we in sync or what? Things went smoothly with only minor delays..... hopefully the same tomorrow!

And as for my mother's surgery...

"Ankles are nearly always neat and good-looking, but knees are nearly always not." ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

She was wheeled into surgery on time! Amazing in itself! In a couple of hours the procedure was done and she now has a new knee. This time they gave her sedation and spinal anesthesia and her blood pressure hasn't been such a problem. The hospital has a new orthopedic floor and all the rooms are private, with a futon bed so dad could comfortably stay overnight with her.

Stephen, Nyssa and I went down to see her this evening. She has had a low fever and is still quite loopy from the pain medication, but that is to be expected for the first two days post op. The plan is for her to be transferred to the rehab facility on Thursday but she will have to be off her pain pump. She will be there for about a month and then have rehab therapy at home and as an outpatient for about three months total. A heartfelt thanks to everyone sending up prayers for her speedy recovery.

(end of post)

Not Your Average "Manic Monday"

"I don't know how they keep the choices down on "House Hunters"; I under stand why; I just don't know how they do it..... my head is spinning!" ~ srp

A dream of castles in brick and stone.

No this is not just another Monday or even another Manic Monday as the Bangles would sing. (I am dating myself here) Perhaps this would better be called Manic Monday Gone Wild. I have waded through fifty or more MLS sheets, done uncountable numbers of internet searches, walked through and examined over 25 houses personally and narrowed the search down to 9 top contenders in Chesapeake and probably 6 contenders in Virginia Beach.

Let there be light!

Some were easy.... no first floor master bedroom... immediately to the discard pile. Others are much harder. My brother has very specific wants.... five bedrooms (he may have to give on that), gourmet kitchen (and that too), lot large enough for a pool and hopefully a pool, adequate bedroom size for the others, a sunroom and/or screened in back porch.... the list goes on. I have done my very best and fallen in love with house after house... see, I am not a good one for this job! How did I ever pick a home all by myself from scratch in two days when moving to Mississippi? Oh, yes... I was 17 years younger and very naive.... that's how!

Yes, the Vikings discovered America! So did the Jenn-Aires.

So today I need to see three or four more houses in Virginia Beach and finish my spread sheet and packet. Did I tell you I was making a spreadsheet? No? Well, I am the spreadsheet queen so yes, I made one for each town. The houses listed and all the specifics of price, square footage, pros, cons and even a rating category, placed where they can be compared back to back. This in addition to individual house packets with the MLS sheets and any print outs of all the pictures I took when viewing it. Yes, I have Chesapeake completely organized, Virginia Beach is more up in the air.

Cool down for the summer. Salt water pools are all the rage!

But that is not all. Today, right now in fact, my brother is winging his way across the ocean to arrive, hopefully not that jet lagged. I don't know exactly when. Nyssa wants to tag along tomorrow so she will show up later today. I hope he is not too cranky tomorrow and I can help him keep them all straight.

In addition to all the house hunting whirlwind, my mom is having her other knee replacement... and should be going into surgery within the hour. So there is juggling of that and getting people to sit with her because I am sitting with my brother and it is really, really a mess. If I survive this week... I can survive anything! So forgive me for not being around the past few days and for not coming around the next few days.... this should even out by Friday!

Oh, yes! One last thing. If Stephen cannot find one house in all of these that he can live in and with...... then he is on his own with this house hunting business!!!!

"Dear Lord in Heaven, please watch over Mom in her surgery today and guide the surgeon's hands. Let her pain be as minimal as possible. Oh! And please.... don't let Stephen decide to build a house from scratch.... Thank you! ~ Roxanne."

PS: If only the above pictures were all contained and wrapped up into one house! Sigh!.

(end of post)

I Spy Something Blue

Finding a bluebird again. Williamsburg.

The White Cliffs of Dover
There'll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover,
Tomorrow, just you wait and see.
~ Nat Burton

I had not seen a bluebird since leaving Mississippi until a recent journey up to Williamsburg. The little College Park has strategically placed bluebird houses and this beautiful creature was busy preparing his nest with his female companion. In this area they must be studying the habitats and patterns of the bluebird, for both this fellow and his less colorful mate had leg bandings in place. So now, my mother is vindicated in her purchase of that well constructed bluebird nesting house.... I guess we no longer have an excuse to get it put up. They are gorgeous birds!

Submission for Shutterday topic "bird". (end of post)

Where Art Thou?

Still Life—Violin and Music, 1888
William Michael Harnett (1848–1892)
(Click all pictures to enlarge)

"It is the complexity of melody which makes music beautiful, just as negative spaces make a painting work. When next at the easel, remember we are making music for the eyes."
~ Mary Kilbreath

Music is art for the ears and no instrument evokes more emotion than the strings, the violin. In one moment it can be carefree and lively, cavorting with the square dancers as they twirl around the floor with their partners. In another instant the violinist brings forth great strength and resolve in sharp, short draws of the bow and loud discordant tones; one pictures the charge of a warrior! Then above the din, a melody emerges... sweet, soft, hauntingly sad; a melody that reaches into your deepest soul and the tears flow. Itzhak Perlman and his violin paint a picture of horrible loss and pain with those beautiful but wrenching notes in the theme from Schindler's List; and we weep. Almost any emotion can be painted with the sound of a violin under the master hand and this artist has painted us a violin; an image so real we might reach out and pluck it from the frame to make music the whole night through.

"People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within."
~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

I loved the colors in this stained glass example, but cannot find the name or the artist or origin presently. It is on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as are all the works photographed here. The museum was very careful to have lighting behind each piece of stained glass, to bring out all the deep jeweled tones and they are stunning!

"In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it."
~ Michelangelo

Sculptures beg to be touched, to have fingers feel the cool of the marble or the bronze. To touch the same stone as the master Michelangelo and know that his hands felt the same smooth curves and edges as yours... amazing! The museums in Italy don't allow this touching.. but it was not prohibited in many areas of the Metropolitan. I really liked this piece, but again can't seem to find the name right now. She looks to be resting with her head on her bent knees; maybe she's worked hard in the field, or run in a marathon, or lifted babies up and down or any number of things and now she rests. Or perhaps she has lost a loved one or a friend or life has just become too overwhelming and she hides her face to weep. Perhaps the sculptor simply let her story be born in the eyes of the individual beholder.

Jungle Tales (Contes de la Jungle), 1895
James Jebusa Shannon (1862–1923)

"Painting is an adventure to an unknown world. New ideas and concepts develop along the way." ~ Ratindra Das

In this last painting, a mother sits reading to her two daughters, apparently the book is an adventure story of the jungle. The girls are on the edge of their seats in anticipation of the next word; the little red head has big blue eyes wide with excitement. Jungle stories have danger, exploration, exotic animals; and what holds more mystery than a lush green rainforest or traveling up the dark waters of the Amazon? One might think that these adventure stories would have been encouraged and read only by the boys during the 1800's... this mother is obviously progressive; yes, girls love adventure stories too!

This was just a sampling of the fabulous art at the Met. I didn't mention the tapestries, jewelry, gold and silver works, clay, fabrics, and book sections... much less the extensive Egyptian exhibits... If you are ever in New York City, don't pass this museum up!

The theme for Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt this week is "Art". You can go here to "Grab the Scavenger Hunt code" and here to join the blogroll. This really cute logo is available there as well. The link to other participants is in my blogroll on the sidebar.
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Wishful Thinking

Squeaky stares, lost in thought.
(Click pictures to enlarge)

"The trouble with cats is that they've got no tact."
~ P.G. Wodehouse

More of my cousin's cats this week. This is Squeaky, who warmed up to us a bit after a few hours. What is a little kitty to do on a cloudy day? She sits, staring intensely out the screen door, with a dreamy look on her face.

Her ears snap to attention and her gaze shifts upward. Her slim body tenses and that tail twitches back and forth. What does she see that has her so quiet, ready to spring?

The low "hummmmmmm" of a hummingbird sipping on a little nectar just outside the screen door. Not to worry; even if the door were open, I don't think Miss Squeaky is fast enough to catch this darting creature!

Squeaky and her "hummer" will board Friday's Ark today over at the Modulator. On Sunday, she will be introduced to the Carnival of the Cats, hosted this week by Justin's Random Thoughts. See you there!
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I Have A Little Shadow....

Well, not so little sometimes.

My Shadow

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow--
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an India-rubber ball,
And he sometimes goes so little that there's none of him at all.

He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close behind me, he's a coward you can see;
I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Everyone feels like a shadow sometimes... not really there, a figment of the imagination. Sometimes we wish we could be shadows; to slip in unannounced, seen but not recognized and able to fade away when the sun goes behind a cloud. To be a shadow, sometimes comforting... sometimes lonely; just remember... you can't have a shadow without the sunshine!

Submission for PhotoFriday topic "how I see myself". (end of post)