Passing the baby, free delivery and Chai

James Herbert, Passing the Baby, acrylic. State of Georgia Art Collection.

- Smiling at this artwork depicting "passing the baby" in the halls of Georgia Public Broadcasting. There was much of that going on last weekend in the form of my new niece who was continually in laps or arms.

- Delivering a foreman's business cards to him at a loading dock. He had been astounded at the cost of the delivery charge, so I deliver them myself for free. He is a nice man and says sincerely, "You let me know if we can do anything for you." I believe he means it.

- Another customer is a boxed tea distributor and there is a faint smell of cloves in the hallway outside his office, giving away the kind of tea he favors - Chai.

Shadows, grown tall and wahoo

- The Bradford Pear trees at my mother's residence in Macon, Georgia, casting shadows under an afternoon sun.

- A friend reports on a trip in which she drove by the first home she and her husband ever owned. The blue spruce tree that was a gift from her parents is thriving, now more that 20 feet tall.

- A dinner at a lovely restaurant, The Wahoo Grill, in which the loveliest part is a courtyard full of trees and fountains. And fortunately, still heated. The name of the restaurant evokes excitement rather than the fish it is named after.

Pink ribbons, cherry trees and pink cheeks

- Not making the connection at first to pink ribbons like this one at my mother's residence in Macon, Georgia, I ask, "Did someone have a girl?" The ribbons signify that the Cherry Blossom festival is going on and seem to festoon everything from mailboxes to business doors.

- The festival's slogan is "Welcome to the pinkest party on earth." Yoshino cherry trees line the streets and seem to be everywhere. A local realtor discovered one of the trees in his back yard in the 1940s and it went from that one tree to more than 300,000 in a movement that caught on.

- It has been more than 20 years since we had a baby in our family and lovely baby Mina captured our hearts with her pink cheeks and ready smile. This special guest stole the show from the festival and rightly so!

Over the rooftops, tea party and another world

- Arriving the back way for a meeting with clients to find them having their own meeting at a picnic table in the parking lot. While over the rooftops a giant fish prepares to take over Atlanta.

- A meeting with another client turns into an elegant tea party, sitting at her polished dining room table and sipping hot tea from china cups.

- Walking through the remnants of a party / reception in the lobby of Georgia Public Broadcasting, in which the guests have departed and a lone piano player seems lost in another world as his fingers fly over the keys.

I hope you have a happy weekend! Peace.

Decisions, flexibility and step in time

- The food is easy - same specials every day - and whatever current sporting event is going on is featured. Mr C's devoted clientele must have a good support system inside.

- The flexibility of my cat Sophie while a bit of remodeling is going on in the kitchen during the day. Her food and water had to be re-routed to other rooms. She seems particularly pleased to discover her water bowl in the bathroom and keeps going back to visit it, as if water is especially more of a treat when it is somewhere else.

- Mulling over the wording for tomorrow's post brings up the phrase, "over the rooftops" and instantly recalls the memory of the chimney sweep song and dance sequence in the film version of "Mary Poppins." And happily singing "Step in Time" to myself on the way to work. I especially like it when the sweeps dance like The Rockettes. :)

Miles of petals, enhanced and swap

- A quick trip for work to middle Georgia, where flowering trees like this one line the roads. Open road and miles of petals.

- A pre-meeting stop at a nearby coffee shop and listening to a man (who must be a local judge) talk to the woman behind the counter about the open house that was held for the new "enhanced" jail. If desired, one could even spend the night there. No thanks, but it makes me wonder why there is so much effort to make the jail especially special. :)

- Overhearing a co-worker express his frustration with not being able to find something on the internet. I remind him of the time he fixed my broken desk drawer and locate his automobile paint distributor for him. Now he can paint his hobby "hot rod."

Too many glasses, favorite gift and bowing

- This is what happens when you answer the question, "What would you like for a Christmas / birthday present?" with "wine glasses." :) (My kitchen cabinets are being refinished today and I had to clear out stuff to available surfaces, such as the bedroom chest of drawers here.)

- A friend's smile when describing her favorite birthday gift on Sunday. Her husband played Scrabble with her.

- A young man waiting on the bus amuses himself by bowing from the waist to each car passing him.

Just so, nothing in particular and minutes

- The view, when driving by my church, of the Lenten crosses. Last year we had trouble finding the holes in which they are placed because the grass had grown over them. So this year there were handy little bushes placed just so for direction.

- Finding myself with a day off on Saturday with nothing in particular to do and deciding to stay home in my purple pajama pants all day.

- Taking minutes for a meeting in which a discussion ensued about mice being eradicated from the kitchen of the facility in question. Then disagreement about them being rats vs. mice, with hands showing the size of them. I type: "Vermin of indeterminate size were eradicated from the kitchen by M.W. using traps." :)

Canvas garden, stitched garden & history

- From the hallways of Georgia Public Broadcasting, a canvas garden, catching my attention for its quilt-like arrangement of flora. I especially like the apple tree branches.

- On my grandmother's little mission rocker in my home office, a stitched garden. I do not usually have flowery things like this in my home, but I saw this pillow a few years ago at a favorite shop and loved it. Still do.

- And on the walls of my bathroom, soon to be history, a wallpaper garden. The wallpaper is coming down and the walls will be painted a nice pastel blue-green color, in keeping with the color of that treasured cabinet. I am looking forward to something new.

May your garden bloom brightly this weekend!

Shadow, unhurried and just enough

- My sister announces the arrival of her new "granddog" - Hank. A new home on a sunny day. My favorite part of this photo is the shadow of my niece's hand.

- An unhurried rainy afternoon meeting with a client in a coffee house that is only about drinking coffee and delivering finished samples.

- The coffee house puts out samples of raspberry chocolate cheesecake brownies in little cups. One perfect bite and just enough.

Ireland forever, bit of green and special glimpse

- Sophie resisted posing in her sleeping spot with an Erin Go Bragh button, reacting with great suspicion, and resolving only to pat it.

- The button was purchased on the street at the Saint Patrick's Day celebration in Savannah, Georgia a few years ago. A good, albeit somewhat raucous, time. They are expecting 400,000 people there today. I will just dig out a bit of green to wear today in honor and leave this rather cumbersome button at home. :)

- For an special Irish treat today, you might visit my friend Whitney's blog, "Glimpses of Grace" - a recent post features a breathtaking visit to the village of Castlerock, in Northern Ireland.

Vibrant, tomorrow and Meatless Monday

- Snapping this poster of Cosette in my cubicle at work yesterday while testing my camera. I picked up the poster one morning while walking through the printing plant before it was trimmed and sent away. I love her sweet, tragic face and the vibrant colors of the poster make the beigeness around it fade away...

- My mother tells me how much she looks forward to my daily call, saying "I can't wait until you call again tomorrow!" It makes me want to call more often than that.

- Sticking to my Meatless Monday pledge by eating vegetarian all day, winding up with a delightful dinner with friend Leisa at R. Thomas Deluxe Grill - a place that caters to vegetarians and carnivores alike. I had decided to order the stuffed baked potato and added the grilled vegetables and raw hummus plate at the last minute, saying "I think I just ordered a ton of food." Our very laid-back waiter says "We have boxes!" And I have lunch for today indeed.

In the shadow, twinkle and good answers

- In the shadow of Stone Mountain, the startling sight of a sea of trees turned breathlessly pink.

- Sitting at a table with a group of women at dinner, one of them departs and says, "Be good!" An elderly woman and I look at each other and she twinkles, "I'm not going to be good, are you?" "No, I don't think I will." :)

- During the childrens' sermon at church, a woman asks them, "What do we get from trees?" Quick answers, "wood" "oxygen" "paper." It makes everyone proud of these smart little ones. We were expecting maybe, "apples" which would have been a good answer, too.

Parcel, transition and orange goodness

- So much fun when a forgotten ordered book comes in a parcel. This one must be good since the line at the library is so long for it. My book group is reading it for our March selection.

- Watching the transition from winter clothes to spring. Suddenly I am seeing lighter blouses and jackets. Yesterday spotting a light blue green blouse on someone who looks so much more comfortable now.

- Two posts here and here about carrots last evening, read back-to-back, inspired me to steam up some carrots to go in my warm vegetable salad. A blast of orange goodness. Yum - and I wouldn't have thought of it otherwise.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Standing sentinel, banner day and rutabagas

- A recent New York Times Sunday Book Review featured a cover review of Danielle Trussoni's new novel "Angelology" and the review makes certain that a line is drawn between what this book is about - bad and "fallen" angels - and the angels that most associate with good. When I read the first paragraph about collectible angels that appeared everywhere in the '90s, my mind flashed to my (tasteful) collection of angels. This angel bear stands sentinel over the washing of pots and making of coffee. (And I was intrigued enough by the review that I might just read that book.)

- It rained all day yesterday, but it was the first day without a coat needed outside. A banner day indeed.

- Later at church dinner, a springy meal of ham, scalloped potatoes and rutabagas. As I am getting my drink, a young man behind me says, "Does the word rutabaga end in an "A?" I nod and he explains that he asks because of our southern practice of dropping the "R"s at the end of words.

Lured, not at all and treasures

- Finally succumbing to the lure of a Cadbury Crème Egg display and having one. It is a once-a-year Easter treat.

- Sitting for a moment with friend Bettye at my volunteer organization way past dinnertime and wishing someone would just bring dinner to us. I jokingly say, "Being single is HARD, huh?" And then we laugh because it is really OK. :)

- Picking up Szechuan shrimp on the way home, I am delighted by my fortune cookie fortune, "You discover treasures where others see nothing unusual."

New friends, nice job and weekend fare

- The just placed bird feeder outside my mother's bedroom window has made her at least 100 new friends. A fat robin senses motion from the window and flies away, but returns when he feels it is safe.

- A Girl Scout positioned outside the drug store, with smiling mother and fidgety little sister just behind, asks shyly if I would like to buy cookies. I select a box of the kind she recommends based on the nice job she does presenting them.

- From Mr C's sign: Corn dogs, tots and the Oscars...C'mon

On the way, Pollyanna and jewelry swap

- In middle Georgia, the Bradford Pear trees have buds on them. A sure sign of an explosion of blossoms on the way...

- Asking my mother if she would like to play a board game, she says she would and for me to choose. I pick Pollyanna, "The Glad Game" - a form of Parcheesi. It is a race/pursuit game that my grandmother loved to play and passed down to her children. It is fun to get out the old familiar box that is so falling apart that I must tape up the corners of the box once again.

- At a party, friend Missy admires my earrings and says how well they would go with the necklace she is wearing. I say that I have been admiring her earrings, as well, so we spontaneously swap earrings and then go to look at ourselves in a mirror. My earrings were bought on sale for about $10 - hers are silver ones she got when she was living in Colorado. Each of us thinks we got the better deal. :)

Last day, 88 friends and dessert before dinner

- I love The Rolling Stones and him, too. Andy Warhol signed this print and so did Mick Jagger. The last day of the Warhol "exhibit" here.

- I have a facebook account with 88 friends and don't know how that even happened, because I hardly pay it any attention at all. But loving this message from my niece in Portland, Oregon, who is clearly displaying her southern heritage with this wall posting: "Thanks for my birthday call - i bout died of joy (as my mom would say!)"

- An evening meeting with a group of women ending with a lovely dessert - a springy trifle with delicate layers of sponge cake, custard, mandarin oranges and cherries. Yum. And before dinner, too. :)

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Snowjam 2010, funner menu and daily laughs

- Mr C's gives a tongue in cheek nod to the freak snowfall we had on Tuesday. It started around 10am and ended in mid-afternoon. The rain washed most of it away by the evening. But it is our third snowfall of the year and we do get excited by it.

- This gave me a bit of a chuckle. The Nestle Crunch hotline at 1-800-295-0051 has gotten a bit of internet buzz, so I called it. Call the number and when asked if you want to continue in English or Spanish, just wait. That’s when you’ll get a third option. :) Then just follow the trail by pressing 4 … then 7. It’s their "funner" menu.

- The operations manager at the printing company thanks me for giving her daily laughs. I cannot think what it is I do to be funny, so that is what makes it a good thing, I suppose. :) I will send her the Nestle Crunch hotline today.

Lunar landing, missing the curling and flora

- Andy Warhol combined two photos that Apollo I astronaut Neil Armstrong took of Buzz Aldrin, Jr. during the lunar landing mission to commemorate a historic event that still seems like a miracle to me. Warhol's initials appear in the visor.

- From Mr C's sign: Miss Curling yet? Trivia 7:30pm. :) I did not photograph it, but still fun. I do kind of miss the curling.

- My company printed a 12-month calendar for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. I remember to turn it to March this morning and read an interesting fact: A total of 85,729 trees, shrubs, flowers and bulbs were planted to beautify Hartsfield-Jackson in 2009. Perhaps you will see them out of your airplane window, should you pass this way...

Legends, peaceful reading and contentment

- More from the Warhol Myths and Legends exhibit. Hmmm...myths or legends? Mickey Mouse, Howdy Doody, Santa and the Wicked Witch of the West.

- A bit of insomnia during the night and finally getting on the computer, knowing your blogs will be there waiting. And enjoying a half hour of reading before peacefully going off to bed again.

- Friend Kim is dreaming of spring by re-potting some plants, and mentioning the mess it made on email, goes on to say, "But now the plants are all very grateful (I like to think when they get into the new sized pot they stretch their roots and sigh with contentment.)"

Diamond dust, collectors and popping in

The Shadow from Myths portolio, 1981.

- Bonus to an on-the-road meeting day - getting to see the Andy Warhol exhibit on display at the Madison Morgan Cultural Center. This silkscreen print, with actual diamond dust that depicts Warhol's own face and shadow, was my favorite. The original Shadow was an unseeable hero on a popular crime drama radio series in the 1930s.

- The exhibit, called Myths and Legends, is from the private collection of Wes and Missy Cochran of LaGrange, Georgia. They are wonderfully unassuming art collectors - he has a stone masonry business and she is a retired school teacher - and like to keep their artwork on display to small town galleries.

- From the meeting, driving on down the road to Milledgeville on a blue sky day to check on the family home. And then popping in to visit friend Susan at The Red Door antiques shop. She looks at me with astonishment because she was just that moment talking about me to another friend.