Lacy and ethereal, the easy way out and sheer pleasure

- The lacy trees, looking so ethereal.  It seemed as if every park and front yard had a just flowering tree in it during my commute yesterday.

- Giving up the notion of making food for a communal Maundy Thursday dinner and stopping on the way home to buy something to take to it.  Lemon Orzo Salad with spinach, cherry tomatoes and pine nuts.  It was a hit!  When asked if I would share the recipe, I shared that one could get it at Fresh Market anytime.

- A colorfully dressed young girl riding full out on her bicycle, clearly with an urgent destination, but a look of the sheer pleasure in riding on her face.

That 20 mile commute begins again in less than an hour and there's always something to see.  :)  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

Five minutes of snow, the answer and so good

- I borrowed this photo so you could see it actually snowed in Atlanta for 5 minutes yesterday.  :)  I ran to get my camera and it had already stopped.  It's 30 degrees here this a.m.

- Overheard at work - a coworker got the squirrel in her attic to leave by practicing the bagpipes.

- Creamy mushroom risotto from the hot food bar at the natural food grocery and a fire in the fireplace after a long day.

Magic pie, oh say can you see and Palm Sunday

- When the invitation came to join a potluck dinner on Friday night, it came with a suggestion that I pick up a fruit pie at a bakery since I "work all the way across town."  It was just as easy to make my mom's "Magic Pie".  A cup of self-rising flour, a cup of milk, a cup of sugar, a stick of butter and a large can of peaches.  You preheat the oven to 350, letting the butter melt in a casserole dish within.  Mix the flour, milk and sugar and pour into the middle of the dish, on top of the melted butter.  Pour the drained peaches into the middle of that and let it bake for 45 minutes.  The batter rises to the top.  You may also use fresh fruit.  I added fresh blueberries to the peaches.  And it was a hit, served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

- At the end of the evening, the 11-year-old and 8-year-old, the only children in attendance, wanted to sing for us.  They settled on the fireplace hearth side by side.  What would they sing?  The 8-year-old whispered into her older sister's ear (causing a brief eye roll) and then they sang "The Star Spangled Banner."  Beautifully.

- The same two young ladies leading the procession of children up the center aisle of the church on Palm Sunday, waving palm fronds.

Coming alive, drive by and purpose in life

Click to enlarge

- It was friend Laura's idea for our book group to read "The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver, since it features Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in the mid portion of it.  The artists come alive in the book (which I loved.)  And there she is, gracing the side of our High Museum of Atlanta.  Click here for a review of the exhibition, which features both of their works.  So vibrant!  I'll be visiting that exhibit in the next couple of weeks with said book group.

- Driving by a museum surrounded by school buses on a Wednesday morning, and bursting with children.  (The photo above was taken out of the car window, while stopped in traffic.)

- "The only thing I know...is that I paint because I need to."  - Frida Kahlo.

I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friends.  It's supposed to rain here (with possible snow flurries this morning.)  OK with me - more time to read.  

First day of spring, fun at work and sticking with it

- Hycinths blooming at my condos in the late afternoon sun.  Happy first day of spring!

- A wee visitor to the printing company entertaining herself (and us) by visiting each of our cubicles for a chat, and her initial presentation of herself with a "Boo!"

- Pulling out my beloved open toed shoes for the first time and vowing to stick with them, even if the temperature on the first day of spring is starting out at 40 degrees.  :)

Chocolate bunny, the scent of pears and grits

- This chocolate bunny was purchased with the intent of putting it in a surprise Easter / spring bag for my accountant, who cut me such a deal on my taxes.  But until then, I like the way it looks just sitting around my place.

- A yet-to-be-burned candle (also pictured above) called Southern Pear.  The "scent of slowly ripening pears."  It already smells good.

- Stopping by the little market next to the Greenway park after my walk on Saturday morning and having a discussion about grits and the best way to prepare them with the shop owner.  I am looking for a certain type of grits for a recipe and he promises to look for them for me.  He says, "You are making me hungry!" as I leave.  I was, too, but enjoyed the discussion.

Good friends, good books and the weekend!

- One last photo of Seaside, Florida, during the walk / run to benefit the Seaside School two weekends ago (sigh) with good friends.  So beautiful with its seagrass, dunes across the way and that stand of trees.

- But back at home, finding nothing whatsoever at all to do after a busy, busy day at work, leads to a contented settling in to read, which leads to a nap instead.

- "Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life."  - Mark Twain.

I'm still pondering that quote.  Love the good friends and good books part, but the sleepy conscience bit has me scratching my head.  :)  Here's what my conscience is happy about - the weekend!  I've worked hard and can't wait to get started.  I hope yours is wonderful, my friends.

Lunchtime bonus, it will be OK and morning coffee

- This bag from Chipotle Mexican Grill held my lunch one day (burrito bowl - so good.)  I stuck the bag under my desk at work for future use since it has handles.  (Handy to have.)  The opportunity came yesterday when a coworker brought me a stack of books to take home to read, and when I loaded them in the Chipotle bag, I saw the fun message on the side.  Big dreams, small dreams - it's all good.

- Thankful for all the recent home office organization when the letter from the IRS came.  I knew exactly where my 2011 tax return paperwork was.  And thankful for a wonderful accountant, who returned my anxious call on her off time.  The heart pounding stopped when she told me it would be OK.

- The first meandering into my kitchen in the early morning to get coffee going and that first warm mug at my home office desk.

Love is all around, sweet moment and lovely tradition

- Love the sentiment on this car tag.  :)  Taken on Friday afternoon at the mission parking lot while there for a meeting.

- A heart clutching sweet moment on Saturday morning:  18-year-old neighbor Corbin (who is blind and autistic) calls out to his departing dad, "I love you!"  "I love you, too, buddy."

- At book group on Sunday evening the hostess (who has a wonderful late-in-life second marriage), says she and her husband have an wedding anniversary tradition:  they have lobster at home and watch the film "Amadeus."  Lovely.

More from the Florida gulf, gardens and the beach

- Are y'all tired of Seaside, Florida yet?  I took so many photos that I just had to share some more.  One lone person braved sitting on the beach there in 40 degree weather - all bundled up, I'm sure.

- We saw these fountains made from big ceramic pots everywhere.  This garden courtyard was lovely.

- Loved the shadow on the wall here and that someone left a dish out for a kitty.

- A beautiful, serene place with a Mediterranean feel.  The town was used for filming the movie, The Truman Show.  Now I need to go back and watch that again.

- Back at the beach, this bird posed patiently while I fiddled with my camera.  Click to enlarge.  :)

- Beauty amid the dunes.  Sigh - I love that place.  I'm a new fan.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  I've got a good book, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, that I can't wait to read.  There's beauty in being at home, too.  

Seaside, rooftop view and the excuse for going

- This trip began with a discussion several months ago during one of our Saturday walks, about a doing a 5K Run (in which we would walk) to benefit the school above.  And then this tidbit:  It would be at the beach and one of my weekend walking group has a house there (that is for rent all the time, except we could get it that weekend.)  I was in!

- I loved Seaside, Florida, with its brightly painted houses, just a few steps to the beach.  (This is not the house we stayed in, just one that caught my fancy.)

- Here's a rooftop view, across other rooftops, of the ocean.

- And we did that walk on Sunday.  I came in 783 out of 945.  OK with me.  :)  It was a lovely day and a lovely venue.

- This photo was borrowed from facebook - all others are mine - of the walk / run along scenic highway 30A.

- The best part - just being with friends, getting away and seeing lovely, lovely sights like this.

Off I go, awesome bag and holiday

Nieces Abby and Amanda gave me this awesome bag for Christmas a couple of years ago.  Abby monograms anything not moving.  :)  I'm off on a holiday and will catch up with you on Monday!  Have a great weekend and stay warm!