Amazing Weather!

Language... has created the word "loneliness" to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word "solitude" to express the glory of being alone. ~Paul Johannes Tillich, The Eternal Now

What a gorgeous weekend we've been having, and rumor has it this amazing weather is going to stretch into next week! YAY.

DD and DH went boating yesterday. It was a little hazy out, but plenty warm and quite humid. The lake water, though, is still quite cool -- maybe 60 degrees. DH called me at just after lunchtime and said, "Your daughter is swimming."

I asked him if her lips were turning blue, lol... she had a great time -- swam for a few hours, helped him catch a fish (our freezer is filling with salmon and trout) and just enjoyed the day.

I did, too. I had a good "alone" time -- days that are few and far between, so greatly valued. I realize that there will probably come a time where I get LOTS of alone time after DD is grown, but right now the breaks are necessary for my sanity. I'm a person who prefers to be alone rather than in the company of people, at least for long periods of time.

I took the dog for a long walk in the morning, before it got too hot. Watched the "Bones" season finale (and cried a little). Had lunch (a "snacky" lunch -- one of my favorite things about being by myself is not making MEALS) and then went outside to edge more of my gardens. I love having flower gardens ringing the house, and having little gardens in the middle of the lawn, but there are days I wonder about my sanity. I spent two hours outside and only got two gardens done: Bailey's memorial garden and my biggest woods garden. Of course, I did spend several minutes pretending to be a statue while at Bailey's garden -- that's where I keep my bird feeders and if I held still enough, the birds would come eat. I watched a downy woodpecker couple, a few tufted titmice, a white-breasted nuthatch and several chickadees (who probably would have come even if I was doing the cha-cha... chickadees are brave) from only a foot or two away.

Spent the rest of the day doing what I had to do: building the webpages for next week's LASR/WC/Aurora stuff.

I squeezed in a little writing, too.

It was a good day.

Today -- agility competition. DD asked me again last night, "Dakota is good enough to win the gold medal, right?"

Yes. She it. As long as she makes her contacts and behaves. Is it wrong to hope that the one Border Collie that's truly stellar makes at least one little mistake?

As long as my camera doesn't give up the ghost, I'll have some video for you tomorrow.

:::fingers crossed:::

Speaking of cameras, I need a new one. I know several of you really enjoy picture-taking. Can you tell me what cameras you have, and what you do and don't like about them?

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Your Interpersonal Intelligence Score: 55%

Your Interpersonal Intelligence is Average You do well in most group settings, but you also need time to recharge. So while you can work with people during the day, you may crave your alone time at night. For you, it's all about balance!

How Does Your Interpersonal Intelligence Rate?

Ah-yep....

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A Good Day

Language... has created the word "loneliness" to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word "solitude" to express the glory of being alone. ~Paul Johannes Tillich, The Eternal Now

We had a pretty decent day, weather-wise, yesterday. Partly cloudy with two short but intense rainstorms. DH and DD went to the lake and stayed for the fireworks, leaving me blessedly alone. I haven't had a real "alone" day in so long I don't remember. It was wonderful. It's also amazing how much happier I feel when the sun is out.

I took walks with the dog. I took pictures of DD's chalk pictures, because she'd worked so hard, and the rain would wash them away.



I admired my echinacea that is just beginning to bloom.



I watched "P.S. I Love You" because I knew so many people really loved it ... but I didn't. I couldn't get past wondering why her dead husband had even loved her -- she was mean and nasty to him all the time and he spent every moment apologizing or groveling to her. She wasn't nice to her mother or her friends. Basically, I really did NOT like the heroine at all. So, the rest of the movie just didn't work for me. It was good in concept, and I liked the idea, but I didn't like the execution.

I also worked on the computer, of course. I even did some writing -- practice, really, more than something I would use for publishing (though one never knows what will happen). I recently had an editor tell me I needed to add more description using all the senses... that some of my writing could be much richer if I just slowed down a bit and made sure people could see, taste, touch, smell, hear what was going on.

I remember taking a class when I first joined WVU about a million years ago that concerned this very thing. We had to write a short story using all the senses. It was a challenge to write those things in without them feeling false. Fact is, we typically use sight and hearing and sometimes forget the rest.

So, yesterday I went back to school and practiced. And it was good.

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In Pillar Place: Swallowtail we have one more pillar making her pupa (Fiona). I had her make it in the small box with the lid, because I'm worried she and Greg (our last pillar) are over-winterers. If they aren't, fine... that box works for them either way. But the bigger one without the lid would NOT work.

I hope they aren't going to over winter. *sigh*

No monarch eggs yet. I wonder if they weren't able to fly up here due to the lousy weather. Will keep you posted. Monarchs are so much easier than swallowtail to raise.

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Sunday Smatterings

"The future starts today, not tomorrow." - Pope John Paul II

Spent the day alone (except for the dog, and resolved to put her in doggy day care the next time DH and DD go fishing). I'm terrifically behind in updating my own website and the LASR one, and am also helping a friend with line edits on her WIP. Plus, the weather was lovely and the green, growing things called my name.

In between all that, I watched "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers". I think my mom ended up with "Return of the King" on the move. We had a tendency to buy only one copy of movies we both liked when she lived here, but this is proving to be a real problem now. I'm making a list of the movies I wish I (still) had -- like the original Star Wars series on DVD (funny thing, that -- I have the real original Star Wars series on video, then the updated ones. How many times am I going to have to buy the blasted things?), and now "Return of the King", and the first "Pirates" movie. I'm sure there are more. OH... "Titanic".

Oh well. I'd trade all the movies in the world to have my mom close by again. *sigh*

In any case, I thought I'd share some flowers with you -- photography credits go to DD.

This is some unknown flowering tree I got from the Arbor Society ten years ago:



And the small-leaf rhododendrons are blooming:



Dakota smiles for the camera (I think she's pretending to be a bulldog - she's been hanging out with her English Bulldog friend, Bugsy, too much):



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What Your Blue Outfit Means

You're a classic girl with an impeccable sense of style. Down to earth you project a loyal and honest persona. You are sweetly feminine - a strong, tough guy can't resist you. Designer match: Prada Signature accessory: Fur lined leather gloves

How Your Favorite Outfit Tells What Kind of Girl You Are

I chose "blue" cuz I'm normally in jeans, LOL. But, fur-lined gloves? Uh, no. I'm beyond "anti-fur".