fresh: self portrait 3

i think this image says it all: fresh air.

Some of my favorite people: Highlights from a recent visit

crabs

and pools


and boats


and festivals in the park


and may day celebrations


and golf cart rides

and more boats

and more swimming

and flowers


and bubbles


and fires
and smores

fresh: self portrait 2

fresh miracles of nature all around us.

check out other fresh portraits here.

sushi lessons

my new friend L has proved to be a myriad of wonderful things.
she is a great gardener and plant lover
she is mom to easton's very best puppy friend
and an extraordinary dog sitter
who takes pictures of the dogs and leaves us a slide show.
she is a wonderful conversationalist and listens to all of my ramblings
i mean, all of them,
and can just laugh and tell me that i am funny.
she is a sushi pro
and loves to cook just as much as i do.
she can hang out with todd and i in all of our glory
and she is always up for anything.
for all of these reasons... she's become a wonderful part of our lives.


so this roll's for you, L.

Earth Day

so i have finally come around to my long awaited resolution to compost.
we bought a bucket with charcoal filter.
we bought a recycled plastic compost bin.
we put it all together.
and now we fill it up.
right now, its a fun project, and the worms are happily munching away.
by fall, we hope to be able to fuel out soil before we till it all under for the winter.


a special thanks to R, who helped with the building from a kit
and the gave me moral support to paint my garden stone.
well, she took pictures, too.
but its always nice to be cheered on in life.
i guess that's what friends are for.

fresh: self portrait

fresh cut grasses
just smelling them means spring.

for other fresh ideas, click here.

the garden planting: year two

tilled soil.
fresh air.
sunshine and sunscreen.
dogs romping.
good friend helping.
footprints in the soil.
dirty bare feet.
patches of green.
cool breezes.
new kneepads.
sore muscles.
water bringing life.
tomatoes. cilantro. basil.
beets. green onions. lettuce.
spinach. squash. zucchini.
cucumbers. watermelon. parsley.

"To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves." Gandhi

simple gifts

conferences can test a teacher's capacity for handling stress.

i survived my day with
regular coffee
sliced oranges
a beautiful bouquet of flowers
ibuprofen
chinese food
a coke
and a simple gift of fresh asparagus.

its the little things that keep me going.

Happiness

its been a while since i have really reflected
and taken a moment to think about
what i am grateful for.
today, it is:

• a job that leaves me with a little energy at the end of every day
• spring blooming all around me
  
• an amazing husband who gives me gifts just to make me feel beautiful and loved
• baby showers with good food and friends
• the excitement of a friend bringing new life into this world... soon...
• rows of colorful fabrics
  
• finishing a painfully difficult unit on fractions
  
• the earth warming underneath my feet
• eating 5 fruits and veggies a day
  
• accepting a summer job that will keep me active and out of trouble... and my pocket a little fuller
  
• more projects coming to life
• impending visits from friends and family
  
• green, green, green
  
• cute-alicious dogs that make me smile every time i look at them
• work-outs that burn
• movie nights curled up on the couch with jalapeno pizza
• concerts in the week ahead
  
• a successful fundraiser, when all was said and done, with over $1500 donated to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, by my class
• colorful windsocks in the wind
  
• music and laughter
  

Dogsitting, again

the dogs have made good friends with our good friend's dog, lula.
she was here dogsitting while we were in CO and took these photos.
this week-end she's back staying with us.


lula and easton are only 2 months apart
so they play like the crazy puppies that they are.
mollie only tries to keep up, poor old lady.


sometimes they share,
sometimes not...


but breaks in play are very uncommon...
there's a hush now as they chew on new rawhides,
but i am sure that the peace is only momentary.


and then of course, there's mealtime.
ahhhh.....