Buzzing By

 

 

 

Our day started off in a rather gloomy way.  A quick little rain shower on the way to school and then conditions improved.  This busy little bee was buzzing about on the balcony this afternoon.  I was snapping photos like crazy.  Thank you little bee for posing for me.  Time speeds by so fast.  One more day of school and then the weekend.  Looking forward to that.

Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday,

On the Balcony

Boy, I tell ya!  You bloggers are a smart bunch.  I never even knew there was such a thing as a scented geranium.  And thanks to Mariette who sent me a link to Mountain Valley Growers,  I now know that there are at least 24 varieties.  Wow!

I pulled a leaf and rubbed it between my fingers and it definitely smells like lemon.

I also have the regular variety of geraniums in white and red.  With their thick, fuzzy leaves, it is hard to keep them clean and they definitely do not like extreme heat so they won't last a whole lot longer.  The scented geraniums are doing really well so I wonder if they will fare a little better as the summer temperatures soar.

My tomato plants are still trying to produce even though the vines are looking rather brown and weathered at this point.

 Jingles and I enjoy our time on the balcony.  We may not have a yard, but at least we have plants that we can tend to.

Of course, I'm not very happy when she decides to squeeze herself into one of the pots and totally squashes a plant.

This afternoon, a cool wind blew clouds in which caused the sky to darken early.

 So hard to believe when I see some of you posting about another major snowfall.  Sending warm wishes your way for a terrific Tuesday.

The Last Moon of Winter

My husband told me today that there was an earthquake in Los Angeles this morning and one in Chile yesterday.  That made me think that it is probably about time for a full moon, and sure enough, there it is.  March's Full Worm Moon that arrived last night.  It is believed that the full moon does affect our weather.

Christian settlers also called this the Lenten Moon and considered it the last moon of winter.

 We've certainly had some back and forth weather over the past week.  It all started with the major dust storm that swept through last Wednesday just at the end of the school day.  Since then we've had gloom and gray, wind and rain, big puffy clouds and blue, blue skies.

 The birds are much more active when the weather is changing.  This one caught my attention because of it's beautiful sing-song.  I think it is a mynah which is a member of the starling family.

 I got quite a nice surprise yesterday when this green plant I bought months ago all of a sudden had these pretty little blooms.  I didn't know it was supposed to do that.

 Not sure what it is but the bees and the butterflies are loving it.

And there's Jingles.  She can't wait for us to get home every day so she can run outside.  Tonight she came darting back in with something in tow.  I couldn't figure out what it was but since she was looking up, I figured it had to be something that could fly.  Sure enough, I just found a huge moth in the bathroom.  It's now been released back into the world.

Hope all is well where you are and that you are having a wonderful day!

The News

A year ago we stopped watching tv and cancelled our satellite subscription.  My husband sometimes still turns it on to watch the news, but when he did so today, he almost immediately turned it off.  Who decided that the only news is bad news?  When you Google the definition of news, the first thing that pops up is:

news

njuːz/

noun

1. 1.

   newly received or noteworthy information, especially about recent events.

   "I've got some good news for you"

Where is all that good news?

Even when not in the headlines, there are sad and sometimes very bad events that we become aware of  in our daily lives.  We feel helpless knowing that we can only offer hugs and prayers.  

Despite a heel spur that is still very painful, I headed out for a walk today.  I just really felt the need to commune with nature and come to terms with all the bad news of the day.

The gorgeous weather certainly helped to lift my spirits.

May your day be filled with good news and happy things.  

It's All About the Food

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day. A little cooler than it has been with lots and lots of fluffy clouds floating by.

I took a friend out for a birthday breakfast to a new restaurant called the Cocoa Room.  Very cool place with a nice, unique atmosphere and very efficient staff.

We shared blueberry waffles and a bowl of exotic fruits along with cups of coffee.  It's nice to share because portion sizes are usually way too big and it also helps to keep the cost down.

For lunch I made one of my favorite cabbage salads. I posted the recipe here if you are interested.

And I must admit, I might have a slight addiction to microwave mug cakes at the moment.  Yesterday I posted about the blueberry mug cake I made for breakfast.  Then after cleaning for 5 hours, I decided to reward myself with a cinnamon mug cake with streusel topping.  I used this recipe, but added cinnamon and chopped pecans to the mix, substituted applesauce for the oil in the cake and used a teaspoon of coconut oil for the streusel.  It was delicious with a cup of ginger tea.

Now today, I decided to get creative and made an olive oil lemon mug cake with lemon glaze.  Boy was it good.  Even hubby agreed.

We were supposed to walk this afternoon but a sand storm was predicted so we decided to play it safe and stay at home.  Although the wind picked up a bit and some dark clouds came through, the weather never did get bad.  

And so, once again, another weekend is drawing to an end.  I hope you are enjoying yours!

Best wishes and blessings,

 

Grateful

When a new day dawns ... dare to smile gratefully.

(Steve Maraboli)

Why is is so hard to wake up at 6 a.m. during the week?

But on a Friday morning, it is such a joy?

For breakfast, I made a blueberry mug cake that was so easy and so good.  You can find the recipe at chocolate-covered Katie.

And just a quick reminder that my second post can be found at The Moksi Homes.  We'd love it if you would stop by and say hello.

As of this moment, I have no plans for the day, except maybe some crochet.

And that's just the way I like it.

Happy Friday,

Proper Thank You's

First off, I don't think I ever properly thanked Sam from farmgirlsam for the very pretty and very colorful knitted washcloth she sent last year.  I love it!

And a couple of weeks ago, I received a beautiful handmade card and tatting from Briony of crafty-cats-corner.  She was a part of my pay-it-forward post from December 2012.  I will definitely be framing the card as it is too pretty to use.

 Now today, I received a package from Tanya at Bead and Needle.  I was one of the winners in her giveaway for the Grow Your Blog party hosted by Vicki at 2 Bags Full.

 Inside was a lovely soldered necklace made by talented Tanya with images by Edward S. Curtis and beads of AZ turquoise.

It is such a unique and wonderful piece and I do love jewelry.

Apparently today while I was sitting in my windowless office we had a huge sand storm roll through that lasted for about 30 minutes.  By the time I got home, although still gusty, it had mostly cleared, with blue skies to the east and haze to the west.  We haven't had a dust storm in a while so I guess it was about time.

Thank you again Sam, Briony and Tanya for your wonderful gifts.

Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday!

Lessons From the Cat

Cats can be cooperative when something feels good,

which, to a cat, is the way everything

is supposed to feel as much of the time as possible.

(Roger Caras) 

Jingles sure knows how to enjoy her time.  After days of haze and drizzle and gray, the sun was out and she was basking in it, soaking it up. In fact, she held that last position for at least a couple of hours. Even after the sun went down, she was still there, enjoying the weather, listening to the birds and just simply being in the moment.

We could all learn something from a cat.

Unfortunately, food needs to be cooked, clothes and dishes need to be washed, things need to be cleaned and organized and tidied at home, work needs to be done ... it's a never ending cycle, one that I can't seem to get a handle on.

On Saturday I did get to spend a lovely couple of hours with one of my very best friends who treated me to a late birthday lunch.  We enjoyed trying out a new restaurant that I discovered via Instagram.  I had quinoa salad with roasted pumpkin and avocado which was really delicious.

Weekends are great!  But it's the weekdays where time is lacking.  Days never are quite long enough for everything I want to do.

My second post is up on The Moksi Homes if you would like to take a look here.  Sadly, just after Maureen started the new website, her father passed away and she had to plan a memorial service long distance, return to Amsterdam and, of course, deal with all that comes along with a death in the family.  She was thrown off course for a while but is slowly trying to get back into the routine of things.  So if you have a chance, please stop by The Moksi Homes and say hello.

I do appreciate each and every one of you who visit and leave comments.  I know time is valuable and the fact that you spend some of it with me is much appreciated.

Have a wonderful day!