Beach Inspiration

Another beautiful day here albeit hot!  We are already hitting the 100 mark during the day.  My college boy in Colorado is complaining about the fact that they got more snow when it is supposed to be springtime.  I know many of you are in the same boat and would like Spring to come and stay for awhile.  I'm definitely not ready for it to end as it will just get hotter and  hotter and hotter from here on out. 

I spent the morning with a friend and her daughter.  We first had coffee and then, since neither of them had ever been before, we headed to the same beach  I was at yesterday.  I actually found a cute little pink terrarium buried in the sand so brought it along for Renee to collect shells and seaglass.  After bringing home my own beach treasures (and after taking a much needed shower) I was inspired to crochet based on the colors of the day.

 

Spring Break certainly has been good for my creative side.

Happy Thursday!

   

RAK at the Beach

Today I spent 2 hours wandering up and down a small beach area practicing random acts of kindness.  I picked up three bags of trash (no litter laws and people seem to think it is okay to just get up and leave their garbage behind).  Smiled and said good morning to everyone I met (something unheard of in this culture for the most part).  And gave money to a couple of street cleaners (they work long hours for little pay).  My reward was joy in doing something nice without expecting in return.  Plus, I got a healthy dose of Vitamin D, fresh air for mental clarity and the sound of lapping waves to soothe the soul.  

 I also found two heart rocks.  One embedded in the sand and one that I brought home.  I'm always on the lookout for them but never have any success.  Perhaps it was a sign.

Of life's two chief prizes, beauty and truth, I found the first in a loving heart and the second in a laborer's hand.

 Kahlil Gibran

Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday,

Treasure Hunting

Whenever I am out on my walks, my eyes are always peeled for treasures to bring home.  Smooth stones that can be transformed with crochet.  Feathers. Leaves and weeds that can be pressed.  Anything of interest that catches my eye.  I find that doing that turns my walks into an adventure rather than a chore.

 Yesterday I even found a perfect little tile and a stick that can be used for hanging either a cross-stitch or crochet project.

This evening I happily painted and crocheted and have started a nature journal, too.  I'm no artist, but I'm having fun and that's all that matters.

 

Happy Tuesday!

Walk With Me

Yesterday I took a nice long walk around the neighborhood.  An hour and a half to be exact.  Meandering slowly up and down streets capturing beautiful things.  Plants and trees, bushes and bees, butterflies and flowers.

It was everything a walk should be.

 

And yes, I also walked along the new walking path.  I honestly just can't get over it.

I do hope that everyone who takes their children there teaches them that artificial grass and trees are a novelty.  Not the way of the future.  This Counting Crows song is on my playlist as I walk and is one of my favorites.  

I think of it every time I walk by the new walking path which most people think looks nice, but since when is artificial normal? It will not provide shade or the absorption of heat in summer.  It does not provide shelter or food for feathered friends and insects.  It will not purify the air.  And there are toxic properties to it that I am sure will be leached when the extreme heat of summer sets in, not to mention the amount of glue that had to be used to tack it down.  I just wonder if anyone on this project really did their homework?  

I promise I won't mention the walking path again.

As you can tell, it just really hit a nerve with me.

Wishing you all a wonderful day surrounded by all things natural and beautiful.

Spring Break Has Sprung

Of course, as is always the case, I left the office 2 hours later than everyone else on Thursday.  A straight 6-1/2 hours at my desk trying to get everything done, but finally, I could officially say that Spring Break had begun.

Lunch out with hubby and then an afternoon walk was a nice way to start it off.

 The refurbished walking path closest to our house is open and tonight they had a grand opening.

But no matter how hard I try, I just can't like it.  An instragram friend from Egypt called it visual pollution which totally sums it up for me.  The artificial grass, fake trees and the vibrant walking path are not soothing or peaceful or appealing at all.

Thank goodness we still have the other walking path.

So far the weather hasn't been the greatest.  Very windy yesterday and just rather dull and dreary for the most part. Yesterday was spent in the kitchen experimenting and cooking.  I made my very first herb bread using fast rising yeast.  The recipe is from my China Study Cookbook so it is vegan, no added oil.  I used zaatar in place of the herbs since we have a lot of it on hand.

(Zaatar is a Middle Eastern spice blend of dried herbs, sesame seeds, sumac,

salt and other spices.  Each country has its own mix.)

It turned out great!  I made a curried vegetable soup to go with it and used olive oil and balsamic for dipping.

I also cooked up some fresh beans that I bought last Saturday at the farmer's market.

My husband and son loved them which was a surprise to me.  I cooked them with diced potatoes in vegetable broth and seasoned with garlic powder and black pepper.  Simple and delicious.  I also made a fiesta cornbread, another recipe from the cookbook, also vegan, no oil.

 And finally, mujadara and salad with dried mint.

Friday seems to my day to cook up a storm.

Today I did some much needed (much hated) spring cleaning.  7 hours of it to be exact.  Ugh!  But if I do some every day, I imagine I will feel better in the end.  At least that's what I tell myself.

We walked for an hour tonight and made sure that we passed by our neighbor's house with all the beautiful flowers.  Very much needed to clear the unappealing walking path from my mind.

My reward after today's hard work was an ice cream sandwich also bought at last week's farmer's market.

It's vegan and paleo and absolutely delicious!

I plan to blog hop and crochet the rest of the evening.

Hope you are having a super Saturday!

Best wishes,

Birds From The Balcony

One of my favorite things to do on a good weather day is bird watching right from our balconies.  Fortunately, we do have trees around us and in the morning and late afternoon the birds are quite busy chasing each other, singing their songs and flying from tree to tree.  To me it is a very peaceful time.  Of course, it's also a chance to use my Canon to get up close and personal without them expecting a thing.

 

When I first looked at the above pictures I gasped.  The red stains made me think that somehow the birds had gotten hurt, but when I realized they all had the same sort of stains, it finally clicked.  I had recently been finding berries on the balcony and wasn't sure where they were coming from.  Sometimes the boy upstairs throw things from the roof so I suspected it was from him.

 It finally dawned on me that directly off our bedroom balcony is a tree filled with berries.  I hadn't paid much attention to it and don't ever recall it being loaded with so much fruit before, but the birds are obviously having a field day with it.  Turns out it is a mulberry tree.  

 I've also noticed in the past few weeks a lot of baby birds.  Even though they are about as big as their parents, they are still being beak fed and learning how to fly.  So sweet!

Tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. I will have even more time for bird watching.

Spring Break begins.

10 days of blissful freedom.  

I'm so excited.

Hope you are having a great week.