Glorious weather!

Photo by Kristi K-L

Photo by Kristi K-L

Today is a day to drop everything and head to the beach. You can sit under an umbrella covered with SPF 50 if you want, but you've just got to go. Bring your Kindle or your needlepoint or that pile of magazines you've been waiting to read.

Need a book suggestion?

The Glass Room by Simon Mawer

Restless: A Novel by William Boyd

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay - Please read this before you even contemplate going to see the movie.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - I know this has been around for a while but if you haven't read it you might like it. It takes a while to get into so give it a chance.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese - I know I have recommended this before but rather than having you sort through past blogs I am putting this within easy reach. Again, it takes time to get into it.

Needlepoint - a favorite hobby

Needlepoint is something I have been doing since I was a young girl. For me it is almost a meditative exercise because I can completely zone out the outside chatter and just stitch away.  I have done it on airplanes, in the car line at pick-up, waiting for the doctor, and when my young children had their baths. As well, I usually needlepoint when I am watching House or the news so that I don't feel like I am completely wasting time while watching the TV. And, so those hours on the beach can be called productive, I needlepoint at the seashore (ok, Long Island Sound, but seashore sounds so much more interesting.) I've stitched belts, a rug (!) and countless doorstops.

I have gone to many needlepoint stores over the years and right now have settled in with a favorite: House of Needlepoint in Darien, CT. (Tel.:201-655-9112). The ladies I know are Beth and Mabel and they are great and excellent at finding just the right fibers and colors for your project. They are always interested in seeing how you're coming along with your piece. When I visit I inevitably buy a couple of Christmas ornaments to stitch so, as you might imagine, my Christmas tree is full of needlepoint treasures.

By now you've figured out that I am more of a Holly Hobby type of person rather than a rocket scientist. It's okay, I am happy this way.

Today may involve gardening and so I might take some pix to show you.

Landscape design

I consider myself to be a novice gardener. I love to play in the dirt and try to make the garden look pretty. My garden is truly a work in progress. 

But, when I need professional advice I go to Mary Liz Campbell. She is a true landscape designer. She'll come over for a consultation and before you know it she has sketched out a plan on her graph paper pad. Then she'll either do the whole thing for you from beginning to end or else give you some advice about doing it yourself. Right now I am saving up for a project that is just too much for me to handle alone. We'll need some real muscle for this.

http://www.marylizcampbell.com/

A day for reflection

A nice time of year for the hydrangeas

So sad about Amy Winehouse. The life of an addict is very difficult and getting cleaned up is a real challenge. I would encourage everyone to read more about it and try to understand addiction instead of being judgmental about this poor girl's end.

I have recommended these books before but will do so again with the hope of educating people about addiction:

Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff

Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

Overcast is not the worst thing imaginable

I know it's not a very pretty day but at least it's a bit cooler. It is a great day for cleaning out the garden. I am going to take out some plants that are not doing well and leave room to plant something else as soon as it cools down a bit. Good day for weeding and deadheading. 

A friend told me how to take a cutting of a hydrangea and put it in root tone - it's not called that but it's called root something. First you take your cutting, not too many leaves above the cut. You dip the cutting in water and then in this magic powder.You make a hole in the earth with a pencil and stick your cutting in there.  She has started many, many hydrangeas this way. I am going to give it a whirl.

More ladybugs en route - mine have flown the coop.  I was supposed to spray them with Seven up which would have weighed them down for a day or two so that they would be more likely to stay in my garden as opposed to someone else's. I couldn't find the spray bottle the last time. Now I am armed and ready for another ladybug release.

It's great to take pictures of the garden on an overcast day because when it's sunny out it is hard to see every little detail.

It is also a fine day to spend at the multi-plex, going from movie to movie. I've never done that but this kind of weather could push me in that direction.

Keeping cool

Rose of Sharon

HOT, HOT, HOT!

As hot as it is today I just know I am not going to be able to resist going outside to do a bit of gardening. I mean, how long can one stay cooped up inside with the air conditioning?  It just gets on my nerves after a while. Yet another reason not to live in Texas, not that I was seriously considering that insane idea.

My plan is to go out and work as long as I can stand it, then come back in and sit in the cold shower for a while.

I had dinner with friends last night, mostly the younger generation, who are absolutely delightful. One must make sure to spend time around the younger set as I believe they keep us up-to-date with the latest trends, etc. and hopefully keep us from turning into grumpy old ladies.

If anything inspires me I'll take a photo and post it.  

If you're choosing to stay indoors you can find something to read. If you have a Kindle you don't even have to leave your armchair to get a new book:

Kindle, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology

The essence of summer

My sister, Martha Marlette, painted this heavenly picture.  I believe it is in oil. I just love it and think it captures the essence of summer, our very favorite season.

A Trip to the New York Botanical Garden

This one is native to Brazil - I LOVE the colors.

I'd love one of these right outside my kitchen door.

Lovely

A staghead fern - fun to see in its "native" (pretend) environment.

Blueberries

Today the weather is very cool and crisp, just like I have always imagined the weather is in the book Blueberries for Sal.  It is a very cute picture book for the younger set.  Now, if I had boys I would still read it to them but you'll note that it is a book about a little girl.


After you read this book you'll be ready to make some cobbler or a pie.  For that I refer you to housetohaus.blogspot.com, a very good cooking blog written by someone near and dear to me.

Surf's up

And, lucky you if this is what you're looking at today.

Playing in the dirt

I guess you could say that I am a "dirt gardener"  I really get into it - digging up bushes, transplanting this and that.  I had always imagined gardening would involve going out with some clippers and a quaint basket and cutting some flowers as well as doing a little bit of pruning. Well, not me.  Today I started a plan for making an ugly spot look good. It's going to take a few days and a lot of work but after being laid up for so long with the bum knee it is fun to be active again.

I have never been good at delegating but when the super came by while I was wrestling with an old evergreen shrub I asked him if perhaps the lawn people could take this mother stump out for me and he said certainly, why kill yourself? Funny, sometimes all you have to do is ask. Delegating is something I'll have to learn if I want to advance at work so I'll just try it out at home first.

Plus I had a good conversation with work about starting back there and long term plans for my job.  So that was fairly uplifting.  Well, actually, it was very uplifting. I work in a cooking store which will remain nameless so that I will be able to tell you stories about work that will make you laugh very hard.

I've read about a dozen of Michael Connelly's books about Harry Bosch, detective. But I thought I should go for something meatier and took a friend's recommendation on Restless. It's about a spy in WWII and I think will be quite good. Here's the link: Restless: A Novel.

I cut the gardenia bloom and brought it in. It never ceases to amaze me that one single bloom can be so fragrant. My room smells wonderful.

Hazy, hot and humid

No gardening today.  It's just too damn hot. That hose will have to stay curled up until another day. I may have a beautiful gardenia bloom to show off tomorrow or the next day.

Had a delightful picnic last night with friends.  I was in such a foul mood beforehand because of stupid people being stupid.  Once I saw my friends and we all sat around hors d'oeuvres and then dinner, all was right in the world.

I gave my kayaks to some deserving people who will thoroughly enjoy them. It's nice to know there will be a happy couple paddling around out there.

A perfect beach day!

I am heading out to the beach today. I have a slight feeling that I may be blogged out.  I mean, maybe I've said all the things that were on my mind. Or maybe I need to shake it up a bit and have a more interesting life about which I could blog.  Not sure...

But, for today, a couple of grammar issues that make me crazy.

You're means you are.  Your means it belongs to you, such as your belt or your hat or whatever. So this is a pronoun.

It's means it is.  Its means your dog has fleas on its back. I guess that makes it a pronoun.

And, the one that makes me crazy.  I'll be ready in a couple OF minutes, not a couple minutes.

Somewhere along the line we've lost there are. There are a lot of picnic tables, NOT there's a lot of picnic tables.  This there's expression is slowly making its way into the vernacular just as how are you and you say good.  No, no, no.  That would mean you are a good person.  When someone asks you how you are you say fine thank you.

These things don't keep me up at night but they drive me crazy when I'm awake.

Family

Yesterday I was pretty busy with gardening and somehow a long list of errands. I ran into some family I hadn't seen in a bit and it left me with a warm spot in my heart. That's all this world is about - your family and your friends. And it is up to each of us to make the effort to keep up with our relationships.

Summertime

Top picture from Kristi K-L - I just love it. Second picture from something I came across somewhere...

Favorite summertime fun:

Planning a picnic and deciding that it will be just us few pals. There is nothing to compare to the ambience of sitting at a picnic table with friends, chatting about everything and nothing.

Oh, we have it down to a science, different courses parceled out. Everyone brings what they would like to drink, someone brings deviled eggs (a big Hit), salad, meat, tablecloths etc. So the burden doesn't fall on one person trying to organize the whole shebang.

There are tons more things to love about summer and I'll be adding to the list.  Make sure to get out for a walk today, even if it is for just 10 minutes.

P.S. Part of every day should be spent reading. I am currently addicted to Michael Connelly books because who knew about him before now and didn't tell me? It's not braniac reading but I am enjoying them. Anyway if you have your Kindle and take it to the beach be careful not to drop it in the sand while reorganizing your chair position, and then step on it as I did.  Kaput goes the Kindle and I half expected to have words and letters falling out of it onto the beach but they just stayed stuck in there.

'Tis the Fourth

These pictures sum it up pretty well - Happy Fourth of July.  The first picture is borrowed from Andy who does love the boating life.  The second is borrowed from the Principality of Monaco.  I hope they don't mind.


I am heading to dinner on a terrace where we will be able to see all the fireworks up and down Long Island Sound. Should be a nice show.