Tastes like summer, spirit and gonna be a hot one

- The poet Pablo Neruda in his Ode to the Watermelon, called it a "fruit from the thirst-tree.  It's the green whale of the summer."  I love the cold, crisp feel of it as I snack on it at work.  It tastes like summer!  Even without seeds.

- The spirit behind this sign at a community center for children, "What we CAN do is more important than what we CAN'T do!"  Amen to that!

- Giving all the outside plants a liberal watering this morning since it's supposed to be 103 degrees today in Atlanta.  (What's that about?)  A good afternoon to skip the walk and have a pedicure.  :)

Have a great weekend everyone!  Be safe and stay cool!

Beauty in the midst, operation smile and good tip

- A dragonfly hovers over the hood of my car as I crawl toward work on I-85 south during my morning commute.  Possibly not remarkable except as a reminder that there is beauty even in the midst of a congregation of cars.

- Encountering so many morose employees lately when I'm out shopping that I decide to smile at everyone who does a service for me.  And so far it's working.  I am getting a return smile at least 90% of the time. :) 

- Rubbing a walnut over scratches in your furniture will disguise dings and scrapes.  This astounding tip was shared by Sandie on her blog.   I read the tip on her Saturday post and immediately went to get a walnut to rub over the scratch on my dining room buffet (made by a careless repairman.)  And it worked!  Amazing.

Irony, dreaming and peaceful activity

- The irony of this fun sign.  This garden has a plethora of blooms.  More photos from the banks of the Hiwassee River.

- I dream of the cooler air in the mountains during the humidity we're having in Atlanta right now.  Might be time for a visit again soon.

- The sparkling morning light on the fishing hole.  I also see fly fisherman walking up the river sometimes, but never see anyone catching fish.  Perhaps that isn't the point.

Miracles, soaking it in and the Hot Light

Two quotations caught my eye this week and are the first two things.  

"There are two ways to live:  you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle."

― Albert Einstein

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.”

― Alice Walker, The Color Purple

- Another of life's wonders - the Hot Light was on at Krispy Kreme Doughnuts when I stopped to get some for the crew at work.  I might have had one of those hot doughnuts myself.  :)  Yum.

I hope you weekend is filled with miracles, beauty and wonders.  Have a great one!

Errant leaf, marking the spot and back porch visitor

- An errant leaf on the trail at Tanyard Creek Park in Atlanta.  I love how it joined its concrete impressed brethren at this spot.

- On another walk up the street where I live, these old mile posts must have provided important mapping for past travelers.

- After the walk, the sun shines on a spider's web on my back porch.

I am so excited about the new look of my blog!  Thank you to fellow A to Z Challenge traveler Lisa Campbell for designing it for me.  You can find Lisa at her All Things Campbell blog here.  Her contact information is on her blog.  Cheers to Lisa!

Watching, the boardwalk and walking friends

- A black and white cat takes a break from watching for the resident scampering chipmunk to peer down at another early morning plant survey.  See him there in the window?

- The feel of a boardwalk during a walk with friends at Lilburn City Park.  We decide it reminds us of being at the beach.  They call this the Camp Creek Greenway Trail.  It's certainly green.

- Laura brings her smiling dog Dorrie to walk with us.  Dorrie scores two dog biscuits from a man on the trail who has a bag full of them, just to treat the four-legged friends he meets on his way.

Early morning greeting, stretching and work snack

- An early morning survey of my outdoor plants gets me caught outside in pajama pants and t-shirt by the newspaper delivery woman.  She lifts her hand in greeting as she drops the paper at neighbor Marion's door.  I wave back, saying I was looking at my flowers.  "Pretty," she says, and doesn't seem at all amused at catching me in sleeping attire.  I'll bet it happens to her all the
time.

- My plant nursery friend in the mountains, who sold me these herbs, wasn't sure they would get enough sun in my kitchen window, but they seem to be doing just fine.  I love the ethereal look of the thyme as it stretches toward the glass dragonfly. (Click to enlarge photo.)

- A mid-morning snack of brie and red grapes.  I love the taste of the buttery brie combined with the tang of the grapes.  And much better than getting into the vending machine at work.  :)

It's the weekend already!  I hope you have a great one.

Purple flowers, birds on a pedestal and a frog

Some random photos from my recent trip to the river...

- That's my sister and brother-in-law's vacation cottage in the background.  Their neighbor is a master gardener and I love wandering over there to walk her garden.

- Birds on a pedestal.  My car is always mugging for the camera.  :)

- This frog looks astounded that I would have the audacity to wander around while its owners are absent.

Note:  I use the awesomely free download of Picasa to edit my photos, and for the frog photo, used an effect called Lomo - meant to imitate the look of photos taken with the Lomo Toy Camera.  According to Wikipedia, the Austrian producers of the Lomo camera, discovered what they call "Lomography."  They were "charmed by the unique, colorful, and sometimes blurry" images the camera produces.  
Here's what it looked like before.  Fun, huh?:

Plan B, tagalong and Bear

- The view from my front door early on Sunday morning.  I love my Sunday morning walk, but closed the door with a contented sigh after seeing that it was raining and opted for Plan B - coffee on the couch.

- Attending a dinner on Saturday evening that was nothing short of stupendous.  Friend Susan invited me to go with her to a chef's dinner she had bid on at a silent auction and won.  Six courses that took four hours before it was over.  My favorite - the grouper topped with a crabmeat stuffed squash blossom that had been breaded and sauteed.  And bananas foster for dessert.  Yummmmm.

- And knowing that we all like dogs, toward the end of the meal, the chef and his wife let the dogs inside.  One of them was a stray, a dog named Bear, who is a love.  He surfaces from under the table and looks up at me with an expectant look.  "No scraps from me, my friend."  So he settles down and lays his head on my foot and falls asleep.

Wonderful, cherry pie song and wee visitor

Click to enlarge photo.

- A delightful lunch on Wednesday at The Bone Garden Cantina with a delightful client.  We both love the food at this place, whose entrance is marked by a sombrero wearing, guitar playing skeleton.  She shares with me the news that she is going to be an aunt for the first time. We are very different in age, but have similar personalities.  And as we talk about the wonders of being an aunt, we both tear up.

- Stopping by the fun Starbucks at Peachtree Battle Shopping Center on Thursday for a latte and in an impulse at the drive thru - a little cherry tart.  The young man sings a little cherry pie song to me as he hands it out the window.  I would have taken a picture of it, because it was so cute, but it was gone in two bites.  :)  Yum.

- A wee granddaughter visits the printing company with her grandpa for the day.  She is very shy, but loves to come there for the day with him.  When she comes to say goodbye, I ask her if she has any games at home.  "I have Chutes and Ladders!" she says.  We plan for her to bring that next time so we can play.

I hope good things happen to you this weekend, my friends!  Have a great one!

Rhododendron gardens, lake view and reflection

- More images from the Sunday before Memorial Day.  I love walking in the Rhododendron Gardens in Hiawassee, Georgia.  Oddly - it's at the top of a tiered parking lot for a park that has fairgrounds for art and craft shows and a country music hall.  You'd never the gardens were there if someone hadn't told you.  That's my car there waiting for me beyond that beautiful gate.

- At the bottom edge of the gardens, is a spot in which you can view water fun on Lake Chatuge and the Blue Ridge mountains in the distance.

- If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see the slowly turning spinning wheel just below an observation deck.  This is such a peaceful place, with its memorial benches around in which you can sit and reflect.  The story of how the gardens began is lovely and can be read here.

Mimosa trees, lovingly stolen and good to go

- A walk on beautiful Saturday morning with two friends and a bonus that it was a new park (to me.)  At the end of the trail, we have a discussion about Mimosa trees (seen here.)  We all like them, but I remember my mother always said they made her sneeze - I guess it was those fuzzy blossoms.  Here's what the internet says, "Originally from China, Mimosa or Silk tree was introduced to the United States in 1745 and cultivated since the 18th century primarily for use as an ornamental.  Mimosa remains a popular ornamental because of its fragrant and showy flowers."  They sure seem to be blooming in abundance around metro Atlanta right now.

 - My cousin Emily wrote this note to her mom (delightful Kay) for her birthday.  Her brother, father and her wee nephew weigh in on the good wishes, too.  :)  Emily wrote:  "Mama was feelin' loved! Everyone wanted to steal my note!"

- Giving my cat carrier to friend (also named) Lynn, who is collecting carriers for a 12-hour drive to Cleveland, Ohio.  (She is moving there and driving with four cats!)  I tell her that she may want to wash it since it probably still carries the scent of my Sophie (who passed away two years ago).  But she sends the picture above after she gets home with it - Scooter adopted it immediately.

Shiny, happy people, friends and honeysuckle

- This house near my office on busy Defoor Avenue has always caught my eye.  But on Thursday, I was sitting far enough back in traffic waiting for the light to change to take a photo of it.  It looks so happy with its bird house, star, flag, hydrangeas and porch swing.  I'll bet happy people live there.

- Later, during my walk, this guy and his smiling friend were eyeing a rather large turtle off to the right of the sidewalk.  The three of us wondered why it was so far out of the creek, but left it to journey on as we also went on our way.

- A whiff of sweet honeysuckle surely spells the beginning of summer.

Yes - I love the city, too.  I think my sojourn to small towns the last two weekends make me miss that life, but there is much to love in my ATL, too.  I hope you have a sweet and happy weekend!