spc: the elements: air

bubbles, bubbles everywhere
watching easton catch some air, as the bubbles float away in the breeze
what fun with the puppies, a girl's best friends

see others in their elements here






i will be in MA for two weeks, so a short blogging break
when i return, i shall bring photos a plenty of all my hometown and college peeps
xxoo

a perfect day

a perfect day consists of sleeping in, waking up late.
Drinking coffee with cream and sugar.
Going to the farmers market.
Preparing a lunch of nachos with all of the fixings, including margaritas.
Eating with friends, dogs underfoot.
Fresh jalapenos.
Benedryl to sooth you your hives when you break out.
83 degrees and a breeze.
No humidity.
Mostly sunny skies.
A boat on the water.
Anchoring to swim.
Drinking Mike's.
Frosted lemon cookies.
Walking the dogs to the water.
Guacamole for dinner.
Spending time with friends and my husband.
Falling down tired at the end of the day.

from a former student

I had an e-mail today, from a parent of a boy that I used to teach. Back in my dream days of teaching at a liberal, independent school, where I could teach and learn and be creative and develop meaningful relationships. Where these things were valued...

The e-mail read as follows:

Last night, well past his bed time...he was tossing and turning and restless...I was still and quiet next to him trying to will him into stillness... all of a sudden he says... " I miss Emily." I was stunned, we haven't spoken of you in months... I said " Oh yeah? what do you miss?" He replied, " I miss her teaching." I said " yeah, she is a great teacher." He said," yeah." And then he was quiet and he went to sleep.


It brought tears to my eyes.
I miss my kids.

on baseball

so last night, todd, d, r, and i decided to go to a minor league baseball game... we are talking minor league... but it was thirsty thursday and we got drafts for $1.50, so we were there.

my, oh my.

what great people watching.

and boy, we ate.
we decided at the beginning of the game that we were going to have a new snack each inning, just for entertainment value. we made it through hot dogs, pretzels, nachos, and ice cream before we threw in the snack towel.

the best part?
Myron Noodleman.
How can this guy not entertain you?
and that's what he was there for.


and us?
well, lets just say we were entertained. :-)

Colors on my mind

After watching some fellow bloggers take on a week of colors challenge, I have been very aware of the colors around me. I haven't taken on a full blown challenge, but watering and wandering the garden last evening with Todd, I was struck by how much color there was, beside just GREEN.

There is green, of course:
lots of it...

but there's also yellows and reds and oranges...
there's so, so many shades of brown...

And when you take all these color away, there is still the simple beauty of the plants. The small miracles that they grow and flourish and protect themselves and grow more. It's a beautiful game of survival.

p.s. Todd has finally updated his blog, so check it out here, and then post a comment to keep him encouraged!

day to day

i am loving every last little thing about summer.
i am loving chilling myself to my bones in the air conditioned apartment and then warming myself in the sun back outside.
i am loving the heat.
i am loving the sun and the grass and the water and the breezes.
i am loving being home with todd all day and filling my day with optional activities.
even sharpening knives, cleaning out the refrigerator, mopping the floor, laundry, or grocery shopping seem like more fun when they are done with choice. now or later? today or tomorrow?
i am loving full pitchers of homemade iced tea.
i am loving creating simple meals with fresh foods.
guacamole. watermelon. veggie burgers. salad with food from the garden (some of it).


i am loving reading by the waterside, intermittently watching the boats go by.
i am loving the dogs and watching our puppy become one.
i am loving time with friends.
i am loving crafts and creating gifts, with thought and intention.
i am loving planning my trip to MA and thoughts of family and friends and fun and laughs to be had.
i am loving my time in the garden, dirt on my legs, spraying the hose overhead to cool off.
i am loving iced coffee and trips to the store just to buy incense.
i am loving clearance items at the craft store. dreaming up projects.
i am loving myself more with the calm and peace that i have found.

i am loving life.

things i love this week

here's my list:

• the excitement of so many new babies coming into our world so soon.
• R and D buying a house less than 30 minutes away. Yeah!
  

• Talks and cuddles with Todd until late night sleep takes us over.
• Still learned new things about one another.

• Fresh cantaloupe and cottage cheese. What a magical combination.
• Eggplant balls with pasta.
• Lunches with Todd in the middle of his work day.
  

• Planning fun girl time crafting and going to the beach.
• Planning my fun visit to Mass, and all the people I hope to see and introduce.
  

• Books on hold at the library.
• Dreams for the future.
  

• Organizing a classroom full of chaos, to make it my room.
• Summer. Summer. Summer.
  

garden update #2

so here is our first tiny, baby butternut squash.
its so fun to find, discover, notice new things each day while i am out watering and weeding and thinning and loving on these plants.
i love having a garden.

update on the growing boy

he's 5 months and he's a big boy.
he's all ears and feet and love.



and of course he has a good big buddy.
its nice to see them be such good friends.

at the beach

i thought i would post a few more pictures of our beach fun.
sarah and joe brought us to their new cottage on lake michigan and it was lovely.
we had a view of the water.
a block walk to the beach.
cool, sunny weather.
and lots of fun in the sand
and the cold, cold water.
and definitely a few frame-able photos.