Special treat, special girl and new stickers

Beloved great-niece Kloie was full of pent up energy during the recent hurricane that passed through their area, and spent some of her time inside making a card for me.  I loved that it was addressed to Aunt Lynn.  She knows I love dragonflies and always incorporates them into her correspondence to me.

Dragonflies ARE awesome.  I quite agree.  I love her so much, too.

And I finally ran out of the "teacher" stickers I put on my calendar when I exercise.  So I went to The Schoolbox and bought more - frogs, sea creatures and owls.  It's the little things....

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

New Shoes, so beautiful and good things happened

This is a postcard that has been affixed to the side of my refrigerator with a magnet since last fall.  (Click to enlarge)  It was for an exhibition of paintings reflecting on the work of Flannery O'Connor at her home, Andalusia Farm, in my hometown of Milledgeville, Georgia (wish I had gone to see that).  I loved the image so much that I finally had it framed and will probably hang it with a grouping in my bedroom.  The image on the front of the postcard is from a painting by Jude Harzer, called "New Shoes" and was inspired by a line from the O'Connor short story, "Everything That Rises Must Converge."  "Even a child with normal feet was in love with the world after he had got a new pair of shoes." 

These flowers from the grocery store have been so beautiful that I finally snapped a photo of them.  (All photos taken with my iPhone these days.  Note - not sure why my dining room wall and ceiling, there in the background, looks pink, when they are painted white.)

How about that?  I exercised almost every day in June, except for Sundays, which I decided to take off.  I give myself a sticker on the calendar in my home office on the days I work out.  And that's a lovely quote by Franz Kafka on the calendar, which I hadn't really noticed until this morning, "Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old."

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

Be still my heart!, floral and plaid and back to moving

 

- Spotted on facebook - recent studies show that dark chocolate might be more effective than codeine for relieving a cough.  Be still my heart!  I have a cough that has lingered, so I am happy to test that study.  Ghirardelli vs. Delsym - a no brainer.  :)

- After 20 years of using the same duvet cover on my bed during winter, I finally splurged and got a new winter comforter.  I try not to celebrate material things too much, but I adore walking into my bedroom and seeing the floral and plaid.  It's called Cape Cod (I guess the plaid suggests that - maybe Snaggle can shed some light on that.)

- I haven't exercised since November (head cold, holidays, lazy, etc.) and started back last Saturday.  A friend challenged me to one of those Fitbit  "Workweek Hustle" challenges.  Thank goodness it is over at midnight tonight!  I'm just competitive enough that I want to win this steps challenge.  Current steps: 48,275. Competitor: 47,230.  I'll let you know how it turns out.  Meanwhile - I like to give myself a sticker on my home office calendar when I exercise.  A pretty good week, even if I don't win.  :)

Hope you have a nice weekend, my friends!  I'm behind on blog visits - it's all that exercising (excuse), but will be by today or tomorrow. 

Sunrise in Atlanta, the party continues and marching on

- My friend Jay snapped and shared this photo of the sunrise in the Atlanta suburbs on Wednesday morning.  So beautiful.  And an urban blogger snapped the same sunrise from where he lives in downtown Atlanta.  You can see his photo here.  That same sunrise accompanied me all the way to work from the suburbs to my job in northwest Atlanta.  Lovely how it all comes together sometimes.

 - The party continues at my back porch bird feeder.  Click to enlarge.  I included the floor of the porch so you can see how much seed they spill.  There are always birds hopping about there, too - eating the seed.  I think these are Carolina Wrens - I hope someone builds a nest in that box there.

 - And I am back to workout mode - inspired in part by the purchase of a Fitbit activity tracker that measures the steps I take in a day.  I'm told I should get 10,000 steps each day (I did on Wednesday!)  The badges I get by email applauding my progress are hilarious - yesterday I received this badge for achieving 70 miles so far, with the message:  "Terrific! You've earned the Penguin March badge! With 70 lifetime miles, you just matched the distance of the March of the Penguins—the annual trip emperor penguins make to their breeding grounds. You're doing swimmingly well!"  I've been compared to a penguin!  How about that?

It's Friday!  So happy - it's been a week.  :)  Hope your weekend goes swimmingly well!

A lovely sky, all lit up and in the air

- Walking in the park near my office after work on Wednesday for the first time in weeks.*  I've missed it.  And, no surprise, the leaves are mostly gone.  Toward the end of my walk, I got to see this lovely sky as the sun was setting.  You can just see a little reflection of the sunset in the creek to the right.

- I got to my car in the nick of time, just before it got completely dark.  I loved seeing this lit up house on the hill as I stretched.  And there were more beautiful Christmas lights to see as I made my way home.

- Opting for bakery cookies to take to my circle meeting last night - Lemon Shortbread cookies and they were a hit.  A business who makes it their business to supply cakes and treats has moved across the street from the printing company.  It's a beautiful thing to smell the scent of cakes baking in the air every time I come or go from work.

* It's been raining so much that I've been exercising with Leslie Sansone at home, but still love my walks outside.

And here's another beautiful thing - it's Friday!  I hope this weekend is filled with beauty and delight for you, my friends.

So long October, trick and like an old friend

- So proud of my workout calendar that I am posting it for all to see.  I give myself one of those teacher "good job" type stickers for the days I have a three mile walk or work out to an exercise video indoors.  As you can see, I waffle most on Monday and Friday, but I made it a couple of times on those days.  :)

- Funniest Halloween Day experience:  a printing client said she gives an onion or a potato to teenagers who come to her door for treats who are not wearing a costume.

- A beloved old knit night shirt resurrects itself from the back of a drawer.  I had completely forgotten about it and wore it last night.  It feels like an old friend.

It's November!  Time to start on a new calendar and I just did my workout, so I get a sticker.  My boss says she can always tell when I work out before work, because I'm so energetic and chatty.  :)  I hope you all have a marvelous weekend!

A rare sunny day, tunnel and train trestle

- It has been such a rainy summer here that this bit of sun was welcome on Wednesday afternoon, the only afternoon this week I was able to walk in the park.  I'm getting well acquainted with Leslie Sansone and her "power walk" DVD that I do at home on rainy days.

- This wooden "tunnel" goes through the train trestle.  There's a children's playground on the other side.  See the train going by above?

- And just at the entrance to that little tunnel, I looked up and snapped this image of the train going by overhead.  This was no passenger train, it was full of train cars with goods that make our lives better.  I love to hear the rumbling when it goes by.

I'm looking forward to seeing family this weekend.  It's Monroe's first birthday!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Eleanor's bench and flowers, heart and not real

- My Sunday morning walk up the street on which I live was broken up by a few stops along the way.  This bench dedicated to Eleanor Monroe sat in a Memorial Garden of the elementary school halfway up the street.  (Update - note the top of the bench - she was School Secretary from 1971-1991.)

- Here are some of Eleanor's flowers.

- Just up the street a bit, this - I wonder if DD and BB are still an item?

- This creature and her identical, but earless, partner, startled me the first time I took this early morning stroll.  Viewing them from down the street, I thought they were real.  :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Henderson Park, Lake Erin and suburbia

- Looking for an alternative place to walk last Saturday, I wound up at Henderson Park - near my neighborhood.  I had read there were walking trails, but was not expecting the total woodsy isolation of these trails.  Beautiful, but oh so quiet.  Imagine my surprise when I finally emerged out of those woods and came upon...

...this beautiful lake.  I found out later it's called Lake Erin (probably after a developer's wife or daughter.)   About halfway around that lake, I was plunged into woods again. 

- Sigh.  I thought I'd never make it back to the soccer field parking lot where I left my car.  :)  I followed the general direction of the curve of the lake, which I could see glimpses of here and there.  But after about a mile through the woods, I saw a clearing up ahead and was suddenly standing on a neighborhood street, surrounded by brick houses.  My car ended up being about 1.5 miles from there.  So my afternoon walk turned into a hike, but there was so much beauty in that hour, that seemed like two.  And due to the isolation, probably the one and only time for that adventure.*

* Someone is likely to tell me that I shouldn't be walking in the woods by myself like that and I agree!  :)  Back to paved sidewalk walks on the weekends.

S is for Shrub, Soup and Saturday!

 

- Does anyone know what this shrub is?  Just curious.  It seems to have a slight fragrance, but the scent does not seem like Tea Olive to me.

 - There it is again, down on the right.  I took a noon time walk on Friday at the park near my office to clear my head.  That's Peachtree Creek - lovely on an overcast cool day. 

- This is Red Lentil Soup with Lemon, made from a recipe from Joanne's delightful blog, "Eats Well With Others." Here's a link to the recipe. You are supposed to use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the soup, but my experience in doing that turned comical. I was holding the bowl of the food processor next to the pot of soup, filling it up, when the blade floated out of place and soup started running out onto the countertop and floor. Oh my! After some fast salvaging, the soup remained unpureed. :) But it still tasted just as good. As you can see, from the line around the bowl, I had already eaten a little before photographing it. The rest went into individual portions in the freezer and I had some for lunch at work just yesterday. Blissfully good.  And made last Saturday morning.

It's not only Day 19 of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge and the letter "S", but it's also Saturday!  How I love Saturday - especially Saturday morning.  Waking up slowly, deciding between coffee or hot tea, poached eggs on English muffins.  Watching something peaceful on TV or reading.  Saturday is my most favorite day of the week.

Thanks for sticking with me this far on the challenge.  We take Sundays off during the challenge, but I'll be back on Monday with the letter "T" and three more things that give me pleasure.

L is for Love, Light and Life

Click to enlarge

- These markers only recently appeared on a bridge at Tanyard Creek Park in Atlanta - odd for a city park.  But I think "For Bill who is most loved by Martha 1978-2012" is a lovely sentiment.  The man walking away from me on the bridge told me that he heard that Bill and Martha were engaged on this bridge in 1978 and always considered it theirs and that Bill had recently passed away.  A love like that deserves to be memorialized.

- Day three of my return to walking in the park, on a light filled lovely day.

- A friend and her husband were engaged on this spot in the dog park area of Tanyard Creek Park.  On this day, the park was filled with neighbors, assorted romping dogs and baby strollers.  A blue sky, 70 degree afternoon dedicated to living life.

It's day 12 of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  Three things that gave me pleasure.  Happy Friday, friends - hope to see you here tomorrow!

Sunset walk, love and the 'burbs

- Taking a sunset walk at Stone Mountain park on Saturday; a brisk and sunny day.  I peeled myself off the couch and went at the 11th hour (so to speak.)  The sun was setting just as I was five minutes away from my car. 

- A man pushes a woman in a wheelchair on the pedestrian part of the street at the park, a feat in itself, since the last stretch is all uphill.

- Stopping by the grocery store after and running into five people I know.  That's why I like living in the suburbs.

Midday stroll, rumble and memories of fishing

- Having a 45 minute walk at my favorite park (Tanyard Creek Park on Collier) at lunchtime yesterday.  I changed from my suit jacket to a hoodie, cranked up the iPod and enjoyed a midday stroll.  The bonus was the extra energy I had all afternoon.

- The rumble of a train overhead on the trestle and watching the end of it before it disappears.

- My coworker is wearing a t-shirt that depicts a fishing tournament and he is surprised to learn that I used to fish with my dad sometimes.  Dad said I wasn't a true fisherwoman since I wouldn't touch the fish or the bait, but oh my, the thrill of catching a fish can't be beat.  And most of all I loved sitting by the lake on an early Saturday morning idly chatting with dad or just sitting in companionable silence.

Cat vs. Piñata, memories and beautiful noise

- Something fun for Friday/weekend - Cat vs. Piñata.  I love that this was one made just for cats  (you'll see.)  The maker of the video posted it on YouTube with this message:  "Made this piñata for our rescue cat Charlie to help him celebrate Cinco de Mayo tomorrow as well as his one year anniversary of being ours. Like so many shelter cats, Charlie was on the verge of being euthanized." 

- I was lead to this little video after viewing a film called, "What do books do when people aren't around?" from my county library's blog.  It can be viewed here.  It reminded me of that old cartoon that shows a kitchen at night with the salt and pepper shakers dancing, and all the cutlery in motion, etc. and they scramble back in place when the humans come back.

- A late afternoon walk in the mostly silent park, until rounding the corner and a sight to behold:  the swings full of squealing laughing toddlers in motion.  The mom and nanny brigade surrounding them all smiles. 

I hope your weekend includes some fun and laughter my friends!  Happy Friday!

A walk in the park, around the corner and a jewel

- It's just a walk in the park. And at a beautiful one, too. My favorite Tanyard Creek Park in Atlanta, just around the corner from the industrial area where I work. My after work walk included this stroll over the bridge that runs over Peachtree Creek.

- And a golf course named after a famous golfer, Bobby Jones, is on the path, right around the corner. Click to enlarge the picture and you can actually see some late afternoon golfers.

- The creek at the other end, bordering the dog park, in which a rousing game of frisbee involving multiple neighborhood dogs was in progress. The park was the scene of a famous Civil War battle, The Battle of Peachtree Creek. It's difficult to think of such a battle going on in this hidden jewel of a place.

I hope hidden jewels are in store for you this weekend, my friends. And I hope it's a great one!

Self-portraits, traced hands and daisy festival

- Seen on the bulletin board at church - "I love my church" from young Kiera. Love all the self-portraits of her friends below it.

- A group from the church goes every year to build a house in Mexico for a family - this time for a single mother and her five children. The house is just one room, made of cinder blocks with a roof, but much better than the shed they were living in. Love the names in the traced hands.

- On Saturday, going for a walk at Stone Mountain Park and wondering why there were so many cars trying to get in there. It was the 43rd Yellow Daisy Festival with miles of arts and crafts for sale. I did that once. This day I was just content with walking while listening to music.

Fall is in the air, blueberries and having a walk

- Yeah, it is!

- Washing some North Carolina blueberries for my cereal and popping a juicy looking one in my mouth. It is so sweet. And I vow to find more to freeze for the coming winter.

- A line of mallard ducks crosses Bobby Jones golf course, interrupting play. Golfers stand bemused beside their carts as they watch the 12 ducks walk in single file across the course.

Photo taken with iPhone - someone forgot to charge her camera battery. :)

New shoes, more food and book group

- Being custom fitted for running shoes at this place, at which I found that feet that used to be 8.5 are now 8.5 and 9, respectively. (How did my left foot get larger? A good question, that, but explains the discomfort of my old shoes.) I like how they have water outside for passing runners / walkers and water for passing pets, too.

- A friend tells me over lunch what a huge appetite her college son has and how he is eating up her paycheck while home for the summer. While we are at lunch, he texts her to bring home more chips and salsa. Although she tells this story with an exasperated smile, it's clear that she loves having him home.

- Looking around the cool coffee house at my urban book group and its members present, a graphic artist, an oncology nurse, a furniture builder (this day), a potter, and me, printer girl, and the unique perspective each person brings to the book discussion. It is also interesting to see what each buys to eat or drink: cupcake, cupcake, nothing, hot tea, latte. I'm the latte, but wanted the cupcake. :)

It's Friiiday!!! Yay! Hope your weekend is good!

Happy 4th!, memory and feet don't fail me now!

- A favorite quote: It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have these three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence to practice neither. Mark Twain

- A favorite memory from July 4, 2009: Spending the 4th of July in my home town and sitting on the post office steps at noon to call my sister in Florida. Suddenly the bells of Sacred Heart Catholic Church begin to play God Bless America and My Country 'Tis of Thee to an otherwise deserted downtown, making for appropriate patriotic background music.

- Making a new memory: Sometime between 8:45am (my start time in the "T" heat), and 11am, I'll be mostly walking the Peachtree Road Race. I decided to dedicate each of the six miles to people in my life. I loved that support you gave me when I announced I was running (mostly walking) - I'll let you know how it went! :)

Stone Mountain, lessons and savored moments

- I had to go back to my blog archive from the fall of 2007 to find this photo. It was taken with my phone one day, during a period of unemployment, after a walk around this granite mountain - called Stone Mountain. There's a sidewalk all the way around it, multiple attractions within its park and many people climb it - some every day.

- My friend Ronnie closes his veterinary office for lunch, drives to this park and walks up the mountain, runs back down, runs back up and walks down. Five days a week - I'm exhausted just writing about it. But he is the most fit man I know at the age of 60.

- My friend Janice* and I had a conversation about my race training plan early last spring and so she gave me a folded piece of paper at church the other day, saying it made her think of me. I fished it out of my purse yesterday and read it, just before leaving work for the day. It was this article - I have found it online, first printed in January 2011 in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. I shared it with a coworker and posted it in my cubicle - to be read every day. I love its life lessons and her main points:

Lesson One: There is big value in feeling small.

Lesson Two: Everyone needs to stand on top of something.

Lesson Three: Some moments are meant to be savored, not seized by the lapels.

Ahhh - that third one is my favorite. So after a not particularly good day, I felt a renewed sense of how much I have in my life and went on my way.

* p.s. I emailed Janice to thank her for the article and she replied, "I can't remember if I told you but I had the big 50 birthday this year, and after reading the article, decided to walk up Stone Mountain 50 times. I have completed 23, maybe tonight will be 24 if the weather permits."