Fresh air, gentle soul and warrior for peace

- Spotted in the New York Times Book Review:  “My father was a very disciplined and punctual man; it was a prerequisite for his creativity. . . . No matter what time you get out of bed, go for a walk and then work, he’d say, because the demons hate it when you get out of bed, demons hate fresh air.” — The novelist Linn Ullmann, in an interview with Vogue, discussing the influence of her father, the filmmaker Ingmar Bergman.  Good advice, that.

- As you can see, my head is still in the mountains.  I am always struck by the sheer niceness of everyone I meet there.  There was even a polite and well-trained dog, all alone, along the road on the drive back to the house.  As I approached, he flattened in place on the side of the road, until I passed.  When I looked in my rear view mirror, he had stood up again and was on his way.

- There have been many tributes to Dr. Maya Angelou, during the last few days since her passing, but I love the words of her family, about her passing, "She was a warrior for equality, tolerance and peace."  I can't think of a better description than that.

Photo 1 - the walking path alongside Chatuge Dam on Lake Chatuge, Hayesville, NC side.  Photo 2 - beside the Hiwassee River.  Photo 3 - taken at the antique shop in old town Lilburn, Georgia, that I frequent on Saturday mornings near home.  Time to go to work, but it's the weekend!  Hope you have a wonderful one, my friends.

Fun distraction, celebration of life and hello living room

Love this!

                      

- I can't wait to share this with the biggest Elvis Presley fan I know - my friend Ronnie.  This wee one must have a DVD player that she gets to watch while riding in the car (niece Abby has found that helpful with Monroe on long car trips, although he generally falls asleep watching it - maybe that's the point.)  Anyway - it gave me a chuckle this morning.  Stick with it - it's a fun five + minutes.

- Attending a funeral home visitation that sounded for all the world like a cocktail party, as I approached the room.  It turned out to be a true celebration of a life ended too soon.

- Getting stuck in a terrible traffic jam that clogged side streets in the suburbs - a very unusual thing really.  (It was due to a gas main break on a pivotal intersection.)  Not that that is a good thing, but in the 2.5 hours I was in it, there was only one ridiculous person (behind me, of course) acting like a fool (horn blowing, etc. #pointless).  What I liked was that everyone else sucked it up and dealt with it.  When I finally saw my living room at 8pm, I wanted to give it a hug. 

I hope life is being good to you today and that you find someone to give a hug to (even if it is your living room.)  :)  Have a great weekend!

Good stuff, good friend and tea for two

- Friend Laura made some cream cheese stuffed muffins and shared a couple, still warm from the oven.  They made a delightful little breakfast and I loved how pretty it looked on my blue and white dish.

- Staying out until after 10pm on a weeknight for a lecture and late evening dinner.  The best part was just hanging out with friend Leisa, the walk to our cars on a cool autumn night, and the chuckle we had over being out so late.  :)

- And waiting in a line at the drug store for 10 minutes, just to buy bandaids, when the woman in front of me suddenly breaks into a soft shoe dance as the musak in the sound system in the store starts playing "Tea for Two."

I love it when someone gives me a reason to smile.  I hope that happens to you this weekend, too!  Hope it is lovely!

X is for Xenodochial, Xyloglyphy and Xilinous

- It was my pleasure to be xenodochial (hospitable to strangers) in hosting a family of chickadees in my back porch bird house.  I loved watching mom and dad chickadee coming and going with pine straw and other leafy bits to make a nest.  It was easy to tell when the eggs hatched, because mom and dad set about bringing food in to hungry little beaks.  I last saw them on Wednesday morning.  Then on Wednesday evening, with a pang of sadness, I realized they were gone.  But I expect they'll visit my back porch again and hopefully remember the kind woman who left them alone back there except to quietly water plants.

- Back when I had two cats (both gone now), people often thought it was a good idea to give me cat related paraphernalia as presents.  Not that I was ungrateful, but it was mostly cutesy stuff I wouldn't put out in my house.  I still have a couple of those items packed away and might post about them sometime.  But the item above, a lovely example of xyloglyphy (wood-carving), is one of my favorite gifts ever.  I love how the artist captured the lines of a cat's haunches as she lay sleeping.  (Gift from beloved friends.)

- This is how your cotton clothing begins, in snowy cotton fields like these seen on a drive through south Georgia.  It's lovely to see a xilinous (of, like or pertaining to cotton) industry like this thriving again in Georgia.

Note:  These "X" words are brought to you by this website: http://phrontistery.info/x.html.  Hopefully I've used them correctly in these sentences.  I was seriously stumped on X words having anything to do with good things and so was happy to find this site.  And I managed to find three positive words beginning with X - most of the others had to do with dryness, disease and ill-tempered women.  :)

Day 24 of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, featuring the letter "X".  Three things that give me pleasure.  

Happy Friday and see you tomorrow, I hope. 

Mountain girl, laughing and kindness

Fire's Creek, Clay County, North Carolina

- Loving my few days in the mountains and deciding that I'm a mountain girl at heart.

- Laughing with sisters until my throat hurt.

- Grateful for the kind stranger who got my car started when my sister and I were in the middle of nowhere, trying to get home.

More tomorrow...

Fields of green, mirror baby and Miss Elmera

- This grove of pecan trees was so beautiful, with its leafing out, fields of clover and wildflowers that I couldn't resist pulling over on the Georgia Florida Parkway (near Albany, Georgia) to photograph it during a weekend road trip.

- A toddler is delighted to be standing on the restroom vanity (with her mother holding on) - she points at herself in the mirror and says, "That's my baby!" Her mother says, "No, that's MY baby!" "Noooo - that's MY baby!!!" And on and on - lots of giggling as they leave.

- A 96-year-old woman confides her age. She is sharp as a tack and can see, hear and get around perfectly. She thinks it was all the farm living - she lived alone on a farm until last year. What I admire most is her spirit; she is friendly and gracious, with a ready smile and delightful personality.

Dogs at work, Dakota and a kind stranger

- I've blogged about Replacements, Ltd. before - they are a great resource for replacing china, crystal and silver pieces you might want. But I love that they have a "bring your pet to work" policy. This "Carolina Traveler" piece shows what a great place to work this truly must be.

- My mother reporting that a young lady visiting her assisted living facility is named Dakota. What do I think about that name? I reply that I think it's very cool.

- Driving a vivid green Volkswagen Beetle rental car while my car is in the shop. A woman at the gas station comes over to tell me how cute it is. She is just in time because I cannot figure out how to get the gas cap off. She figures it out* and waves a smiling goodbye as she drives away with her husband.

* Push down, then turn. Oh. :)

It's Friday! Happy weekend, my friends!

Shining through, the long way and before the party

- The sun shining across this Celtic cross, hand carved by a church member. It held a place of honor at my church's annual service known as the Kirking of the Tartans, where we celebrate our Scottish heritage.

- A Saturday trip down to my home town of Milledgeville, Georgia, to check on the family home. The best part turns out to be taking the long way back to Atlanta, through the lovely little towns of Social Circle, Mansfield and Monroe. Monroe, Georgia was named after James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States.

- A little girl inside the bakery twirls around to show off her sparkly party dress. It is her birthday and she and her mom are there to pick up the cake for her party - a large heart-shaped cake with pink frosting.

Bus stop, rosy cheeks and bursting

- Sitting at the intersection of Deering Road and Peachtree Street and smiling at the sight of friend Karin Slaughter's poster advertising her latest book at the end of a bus stop shelter. Only ten years ago she was running a neighborhood sign shop and dreaming of being a published author. (Slightly fuzzy photo because of the zoom and from hurriedly taking the photo because the light had turned green.)

- Three rosy cheeked skateboarders complete with helmets, sitting side by side on the bank beside the condominium mailboxes, munching big red apples.

- Waiting for a flu shot along with two men, both of them bursting to talk. Since I spend so much time doing nothing but talking during the day, I welcome a quiet few minutes, but instead join in the conversation, remembering that I always learn something from speaking with random strangers.