Monday Monday, outdoor time and big batch

- I woke this morning thinking of this song and so, here it is. According to the "Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits" - it was the 198th number one song on the Billboard charts and "For years, John (Phillips) maintained he had no idea what the song meant." I think it is just the best Monday song I know.

- My shedding fern's delight that it got to go outside for two days of 65 degree weather this weekend.

- Waking up to the lingering scent of vegetable soup simmering. It was time for more "Big Batch Vegetable Soup" yesterday and kind of fun to have a freezer clearing batch of soup. It turned out to be more vegetables than broth and sure was tasty.

First effort, Triskele and traveling top

- A call came in to the printing company a few months ago with the question, "Do you print hardbound books?" Yes we do and this is my first book with a dust jacket, delivered to the client yesterday. And it has a good message for children, I think (although I might have targeted it toward both, or either, parents.) :)

- The mate to this earring is lying somewhere on the sidewalks of New York - probably Times Square. I lost it on a trek from the theater to my niece's apartment last December. It is a Triskele - a symbol used to symbolize the Druidic Threefold Sister Goddess: Fotla/Eiru/Banba. I emailed this photo around to vendors specializing in Celtic jewelry with no luck and then found another pair on (of all places) ebay. An almost perfect match. So I hope someone found that lost earring, has had it made into a necklace or something and that it brings them good fortune.

- Jannie Funster sent my prize winning package last week, containing CDs, lollipops and this cute top. The top immediately put me in mind of friend Whitney and I impulsively mailed it to her (with Jannie's blessing). She blogs about it here and I have dubbed this top that came from Texas, to Atlanta and is now back in Texas, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Top.

I hope the weekend brings good things to you, my friends. And I hope it is happy.

Another day, good to be home and Jen's wedding

Photo by ALM

- Niece Amanda's photograph of the lake on the plantation at which she is the office manager in the Florida panhandle that she titled "Just another day in paradise. :)" I am so glad that she loves her job. It is perfect for her.

- Another cold, rainy day in the ATL, but it was lovely to come home to a fire in the fireplace, an easy dinner of a big salad and a Netflix dvd of the series "Moonlight."

- Hearing client Jen's description of her upcoming wedding: a traditional gown (displayed on iphone), no veil and purple shoes. No attendants. She is delightfully unconventional, so I love this peek into what her day will look like.

Chasing away doldrums, energy and winter trip

- These big beauties came from the warehouse club store and I couldn't resist buying them. They smell and taste so good and are just the ticket for chasing away the doldrums of winter.

- Calling a friend on an impulse. She is out of work and says she is floundering; I needed inspiration to make sales calls. The phone call worked out for both of us - she said it brightened her day and her bright voice gave me the energy to reach out to voices on the telephone.

- Another impulse call last week to friends Barbara and Norman, a very active elderly couple who have sort of adopted me. They were leaving in a few minutes for a flight to Chile, where they would board a cruise ship for a sail around South America. I have loved thinking about the special time they are having and look forward to the postcard I will get in the mail.

Resting, cup running over and joy to the world

- These dogs, hanging out in the sunshine, while their owner shopped on Saturday.

- A neighbor takes the opportunity to tell me all that is going wrong in her life as she is getting into her car. But before she backs out, she rolls her window down and calls out, "It's all good though, my cup runneth over!"

- From an article about my favorite movie reviewer, Roger Ebert, who can no longer speak or eat as a result of cancer surgery to remove his thyroid, comes this quote from him that sums it all up for me, "I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn't always know this, and am happy I lived long enough to find it out."
Jones, Chris, "Roger Ebert: The Essential Man." Esquire.com, 16 February 2010, http://www.esquire.com/features/roger-ebert-0310

Thomasville, downtown and brick paved streets

- Visiting my mother this weekend in her charming new town of Thomasville, Georgia. I must be destined to be affiliated with towns that end in "ville." :)

- This small town has a busy downtown with all the store fronts full. Antique shops, specialty shops, even a local dairy selling their cheese. I make a quick trip downtown to find a plate hanger and find just the friendly shopkeeper to help with that. Now I know how to drive to two areas.

- The streets still have the original brick paving. A peaceful, relaxing couple of days in a sleepy, but progressive town.

Dad's bowl, the moon and dose of cheer

- This is the bowl that my father used to put together his bread dough - he referred to it as his bread bowl. One of his friends carved it for him and carved the rolling pin, too. I still can't believe I got to have it. A late evening tap on the door last night revealed the UPS man with a package containing the iron display stand I ordered weeks ago and had almost forgotten about. The bowl was well-used and I might just have to see if I can follow in dad's footsteps and make bread myself.

- When I turned onto Midvale Drive yesterday morning on my little journey to work, the full moon was perfectly framed between the trees on either side of the road. I got glimpses of it here and there during my drive.

- My co-workers love a particular kind of candy that comes from Wal-Mart called Cinnamon Discs. So I steeled myself for a lunchtime visit to this mega store to stock up and encountered the most cheerful checkout man ever. I thanked him for his cheerfulness - I needed a dose of that right about then and told him so. He told me it was his first day and he needed that compliment right about then, so it worked out for both of us.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, my friends!