Ex view, current view and lovely visit

- A favorite client works on the 19th floor of a building in midtown Atlanta.  This was their view (photo taken about three years ago.)  When I was preparing to visit her earlier this week, she told me that her office had been moved to the other side of the building.  I said, "Oh - you lost your view!"  Her reply, "But the new view is SPECTACULAR!"  Of course I took photos - see below. 

 - Here's the left side view.  You can just see Stone Mountain on the horizon line there on the left (you would have to click to enlarge.)  That's right about where I live.  So funny that as the crow flies, as they say, it doesn't look so far away, yet it takes an hour or so in traffic to drive there.  Love all the trees beyond the buildings - there are many low rise buildings and houses beneath them.

- Middle view (my hands holding my phone are reflected on the left).  :)  The big white building complex toward the lower left is the High Museum of Atlanta / Symphony Hall.  The Georgia Dome, where the Atlanta Falcons play, and home to many concerts can be seen on the upper right (click to enlarge.) 

- And my smiling client's reflection is in this shot, in which she enthusiastically sweeps her hands to talk about the view.  (Click to enlarge.)  Sometimes visitors to Atlanta think the downtown area (a couple of miles south of midtown here) seems small, but the metropolitan Atlanta area goes on for miles and miles, as is evident here. 

We got our printing business squared away quickly, so we could chat.  It was a lovely visit.  And the weekend is upon us!  I hope you have a lovely one, my friends.

Good fortune, good lunch and good dinner

- My fortune from a cookie that came with dinner over the weekend.  Still mulling this one, "For light, go directly to the source of the light, not any reflections."  I like that!  But have no idea what it really means.  :)

Two meals in one day at wonderfully named restaurants:

- Mushroom risotto from Cafe Sunflower for lunch with a client - another diner blogged about it and called the risotto "to die for" and it really is that good.  

- Laughing with friend Leisa over dinner at Sun in my Belly and during the crazy rainy commute while getting there.

The goat, once in a lifetime and pretty in pink

- When friend Janice and I sipped coffee beside some shelves of wine at a coffee / wine shop last weekend, I was inspired to snap a photo of this South African wine "La Capra", because of its whimsical label, depicting a goat carrying a tower of things on its back:  three wine barrels, a globe, a violin, a farm worker, a fork, and a big wedge of cheese with three musical performers dancing on top.  (Click to enlarge.)  According to their website, all these things are available at the vineyard / farm where the wine is produced (and there's an annual music festival there every year, too.)  Delightful and I'll bet that's a fun place to work.

- Being the first one to be seated for lunch at a cantina near work and while waiting for a client to join me, witnessing two of the restaurant workers taking a moment to dance to The Talking Heads "Once in a Lifetime" that was playing in the background.

- One of the dancers turns out to be our waiter and we admire her pink necklace, which consists of a miniature framed portrait of Molly Ringwald, circa 1986.

Because Nice Matters, getting ready and mesmerizing

- The nicest client I have has this sign in her office "Because Nice Matters" - her friend's mother gave it to her when she got this job, in which she interacts with many, many people.  She didn't need it - she's nice anyway, but I love the thought.  And it's true.

- Someone else nice:  my cousin Susan's husband Sam, who has reinvented himself in his 50s by graduating from barber school and opening an old fashioned barber shop in Fayetteville, Georgia.  This morning on facebook, there is a photo of Santa, who was there getting ready for the season with a hair and beard clipping.

- Current book:  "A Plague of Doves" by Louise Erdrich.  "Every so often something shatters like ice and we are in the river of our existence.  We are aware."  Booklist calls the novel "mesmerizing" and it is.  I'm not wanting it to end.  And in fact, there is a sequel.  Yay!

Flowers in a jar, ambiance and remembrance

- This bouquet of flowers arranged in a canning jar - an impulse buy at Whole Paycheck Foods.  It made a nice splash of color on my table when the book group ladies came over, as well as benefiting the Whole Kids Foundation, which promotes healthy nutrition in schools.  I like that they promote school gardens, too.

- Walking into a client's office, at a large non-profit organization, and loving that she has a candle burning.  "It's for ambiance," she says.  The scent of vanilla followed me all the way down the hall.  Lovely.

Flourishing, she loves them and simple gazpacho

- A few months ago I bought a "rescue" plant at friend Louise's "Garden Shoppe" in the North Carolina mountains - a butterfly bush.  It was long overdue for being planted in the ground, she said.  I opted for a large ceramic pot and it has flourished in front of my condominium.   And my new butterfly friends seem to love it.

- A visitor to the printing company can't get off her cellphone from either her husband or mother (whom I also know).  "I'm with Lynn.  Yes!  I have to go."  As she hangs up she smiles into the phone, (and the smile says she loves them).

- A simple recipe for gazpacho from Ruth Reichl.  I had abandoned my plan for making gazpacho last Sunday because of all the tomato peeling, seeding, straining and cumin toasting (which interfered with sofa sitting.)  :)  This one is wonderfully simple and easy and sounds delicious.  Click here for her post.

Sweet mystery, better than cake and Irish in spirit

Three things that made me smile this week:

- This clock that belonged to my mom and dad sat on a table in their living room for at least 30 years (or more.)  It has never worked, so when it ended up with me, I placed it in the new bookcase.  Yesterday, I decided to take it to the clock repair place near my office and a very nice man "fixed" it in two minutes by popping batteries in it.*  He thought at first that the chiming mechanism was broken, but then it miraculously started chiming.  He sent my clock and me on our way without charge.  (Lovely.)  And now I am puzzled and amused that it could have worked all these years and didn't.  A sweet mystery.

- Mina, three-years-old on Monday, got to go to the Baltimore Aquarium for her birthday.  When asked what the favorite part of her birthday was, she replied, "The fish!"

- Telling a client that I didn't want to disturb her holiday on Monday by bringing by a printer proof.  But she says her husband's office didn't close either, so therefore it was OK for me to come by.  She says her husband's office is inexplicably open for the King holiday, but closed for St. Patrick's Day.  Here's the funny part - they are based out of Iceland.  :)

*Here's how you know someone loves their work, he smiled briefly at me, but turned his full attention on the clock before I even sat it down.

Blooms and a bee, superstar and project fund

- The leaves are changing here in the south, but we still have blooming flowers and plants, too.  Here a bee takes advantage of the nectar in this beauty that belongs to my neighbor.

- A favorite printing client tells me we have made her look like a superstar by getting her organization's brochure printed so quickly.  I tell her she's a superstar anyway.

- An unexpected check comes in the mail - I have over paid on property taxes.  It will go in the bookcase building project fund.

Peaches, kitchen window and commuting fun

- After reading somewhere that the peach crop is about tapped out for the summer, I stopped by the produce stand at the end of my street to buy some.  You'd think a gal from Georgia in a state known as "The Peach State" could get some Georgia peaches, but these beauties from South Carolina will do just fine. I like how that one on the left still has the leaves on it.  The tomatoes are from a client's garden.

- Photo taken of my kitchen window while watering outside plants in the dark yesterday morning.  I liked how my fake lavender plant on the windowsill cast shadows on the window pane.

- I labeled this photo, taken with my iPhone, "Mishap" because it didn't really capture what I intended.  This was in the 7am hour yesterday on I-85 south and there were ethereal clouds surrounding the tops of tall buildings in the distance.  We had come to a momentary stop and I snapped the photo before we rolled again.  Alas - you can't really see the buildings, but you can see the mileage on my odometer and that I need to get an oil change.  :)

Last commute of the week today!  I hope you all have a lovely weekend and find good things around every corner.

Update on Saturday.  I didn't know about the morning's events in Colorado when I posted this.  I just want to add that I am sure everyone is as sad about it as I am.  I'm so glad we have each other and my heart truly goes out to the families of the fallen.

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!

Poinsettias, abundance and snowman

 - These poinsettias displayed to dramatic effect in the swanky office building a client works in.  I've never been a fan of these plants, but they look beautiful here.

 - Mr C's got in the spirit of things on a rainy Thursday afternoon. 

- My coworker Joanne is a glass artist and actually blew the glass for this snowman ornament.  Love his orange carrot nose!  She made them for her clients, but I was lucky enough to be given one at the end of the day yesterday.  Probably because I kept admiring them so openly.  :)

I wish you an abundance of holiday cheer this weekend, my friends! 

Eeyore, I choose purple and good answer

-  Delighted by a Christmas Eeyore spotted on a very nice client's desk; my favorite character from the Pooh books.  He says his mother gave it to him and he brought it in to work.  Eeyore resides in the southeast corner of the 100 Acre Wood, an area marked as "Eeyore's Gloomy Place: Rather Boggy and Sad" in the land where the Winnie-the-Pooh characters reside.  My client doesn't seem particularly Eeyore-like to me, just quiet, with slightly sad eyes. 

- Another very nice person - Jennifer the dental hygienist, who lets me choose the color of my new toothbrush.  Purple, I say.  :)

- From friend Jerry: "My son asked Santa for an iPhone and he replied, '...my elf workshop doesn't make iPhones, the Apple Company doesn't allow us to make them and they are really expensive.'"

I hope the weekend brings you delight, fun choices and good things, my friends.  Have a great one!

My pleasure, great service and the goodbye girl

A windy drizzly day, but the trees sure are beautiful...

- The upside of having a cold all week is going by Chick-fil-A for chicken noodle soup at lunchtime. Delicious. But the best thing, they respond to your request at the drive-through-ordering-thing with "My pleasure." And say it again when I thank them as they hand out the soup at the window.

- Stopping by the Wal-Mart car service center for an oil change and an employee who is off duty, and only there to pick up his paycheck, rings me up at the counter because he spotted me waiting. More excellent customer service.

- My client, who I usually see at her home, brings her baby into the printing company. Wee Claire immediately waves and says, "bye bye" to me, since I am the one always leaving.

Sometimes it's the little things that will make my day, like hearing "my pleasure" or someone who goes out of their way to help. And a cute baby never hurts. I hope good things happen to you this weekend - let me know in a comment if they do.

The fabric, lucky day and that's what it's all about

- Passing miles and miles of cotton growing in south Georgia last weekend, many times seeing it growing up to a farmhouse's front door. I never get tired of gazing at it - it's a big deal down there.

- A client I visit at her home has made too much soup and sends me off with a ziplock bag of it. It's a thick tomato soup with pasta in it and just the ticket for lunch back at the office for a gal with a cold.

- A quote that I like: The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects the wind; the realist adjusts the sails.

Inside, jazz hands and three hugs

- The geraniums had to come in last night since there was a frost warning. I admire how they are still gamely blooming in October, with some buds yet to open.

- My client's baby has learned some sign language. My favorite: the "jazz hands" that mean "all done!" And she reportedly uses it to her advantage; today used for not wanting to go in her crib for a nap. :)

- Meeting three friends for my urban book group meeting and getting three hugs when I leave.

Have a lovely weekend, my friends. Stay warm!

Enchanted cottage, his laughter and a good walk

- This enchanted cottage that is actually home to a landscaping business. It is across the street from a non-profit client and I love how they always have color in the front, no matter what the season.

- A coworker's laughter when I ask him if he watches "Dancing with the Stars." I like to make him laugh, just to hear his laugh - it's great. I explained that The Bangles were on the show Monday night and I thought he would enjoy them. More laughing.

- Parking a mile away from another client's office and walking there, so I can enjoy the cool morning air. And stopping on the way back to the car to pick up a sandwich for later. It's a good one: egg salad on one slice of bread, tuna salad on the other, with a dark green lettuce leaf in the middle. It's so pretty when cut in half and yummy.

Delivery, made me laugh and birthday noms

- Personally delivering a small print job during afternoon rush hour and feeling a little beleaguered after the hour it took me to drive it to a woman's home in the outer 'burbs. But the look on her face when she saw her baby's birth announcements made it all worthwhile. She was delighted and he is a fine looking fellow, isn't he?

- A bumper sticker on the car in front of me reads, "I hope God isn't too picky." :)

- It's my sister's birthday and I am traveling to Thomasville, Georgia to celebrate with the family tonight. We are going to a place in which she says the salmon was so good last time, she told the waiter that she wanted to "lick her plate!" I hope they have that this time.

Have a lovely weekend, my friends!

Out of town, future chefs and rumble

A last look at summer on the first day of autumn...

- Calling a client and hearing music, chatter and tinkling sounds in the background. She says, "Do you mind calling me back next week? I'm in Barcelona."

- Students from the culinary school near home in their white chef coats, looking ghostly in the darkness as they walk from the bus to get an early morning start to their day.

- The rumble of a helicopter gliding through the darkness overhead, red and blue lights twinkling.

Sights and sounds - some from far away. I hope beautiful sights and sounds are in store for you this weekend, my friends!

Pete the cat, orange nails and networking

- Pete the cat. Last weekend he was finally banished to the back porch by my sister, who considered him a little too frisky for inside that day. It looks as if he decided to spend his time wisely, by doing a bit of grooming. (Photo a little fuzzy because it was taken through glass.)

- Meeting a potential client for lunch and having a delightful conversation with her. Her nails are painted a vivid orange, which seems curious to me, but I don't ask. Just before parting, she shares that she is going to a place this weekend that takes their football seriously - Auburn University. The Auburn Tigers will play Utah State on Saturday and Auburn fans will be all done up in orange.

- A head clearing late afternoon walk in the park near my office and then talking to friend Jerry on my drive home (using hands free device). We share networking tips before hanging up. Dinner and couch were calling. :)

First time, another dragonfly and peace

- After a late afternoon appointment at the Chattahoochee Nature Center, walking down to the lake because I never had before. I love the boat house nestled in the corner there.

- An electric blue dragonfly flies up to greet me on the way to the lake, buzzes about for a bit and flies away. It's dragonfly week.

- Earlier in the afternoon, joining hands with a dear, dear client and friend for a moment of prayer and walking away feeling refreshed and at peace.

I hope you have a happy and peaceful weekend, my friends!