Sunday, March 31, 2013

hiatus




Going to be off-line while I'm at an enforced conference in Houston.  Little irked as there were two lovely choral conventions IN Texas this year and I wasn't allowed to attend either because I'm required to go to this one.  Which has nothing for me professionally.  And this conference also causes me to miss my high school reunion.  

But I shall quit kevetching and enjoy the days away from querulous students.   And it's always fun to wander in exploration of a new city.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

fresh


My jasmine showing signs of spring.


Bogart trying to decide between lemon thyme, oregano and box basil to freshen his morning breath.

Friday, March 29, 2013

blissful



After a lovely alarm-clock-free morning, as soon as the rain passed through, I zipped down MoPac to see what was blooming at the Lady Bird Wildflower Center.  The courtyard looked vastly different from the Christmas luminaria event--which was the last time I was here.


Happy little turtle family greeted me at the front fountain.


Bench of enchantment.  And perhaps splinters, but charming.


I crawled in the patch of the famed bluebonnets to get up close/personal with one of them.



The only movement I saw in the moth/butterfly shed.





While I primarily associate my grandma Dunston with sweet peas, these come a close second in conjuring up memories at her home.


Back to the window which I captured in July.  Today's visit was much more pleasant as it was well under 100 degrees.


Austin used to give away glass mulch for free--with the gales that blast through here, the usual fluffy stuff doesn't stay on the ground or in the pots.



A new preservation trail opened by UT.  Must be a fun way to research one's dissertation.




Climbed the tower this time to enjoy the view.  Not all of Texas is barren and dust-filled.



Looking north towards Austin.






Hard to see here, but the little guy was watching me.   A couple of little kids were shrieking behind me because they thought this was so cool.


 Adore arches.  And if they're covered in blooming vines?  All the better.


Another charmingly placed bench.  Ya'll really must come and visit!



My favorite things about Texas all in one shot--the limestone structures, the rolling hills, the huge oak trees and wide open skies.


Thursday, March 28, 2013

bouquet


An unexpected handful of happiness from one of my 1st grade sections!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Chag Sameach


Chag Sameach (KHAHG sah-MEHY-ahkh) Hebrew. Literally, joyous festival.  

While I am not Jewish, I am happy to embrace any holiday involving candles and/or good food.  While at the Mediterranean market yesterday--getting that delish feta for my broccoli--I decided that some pistachio baklava would serve nicely as unleavened bread.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Honk!TX


Only in Austin could a festival this wacky spring up.  Yes, there are certainly other quirky towns around the country, but the longer I live here, the more I'm convinced that when people hear music or any kind of gathering, they rush to their closets and find the weirdest combination of clothing and then join the party/parade/festival.


For instance, these neon blue-wigged women--they weren't playing any instruments and they weren't dancing with any of the bands.  They were just straggling down the street.  Maybe they got caught up in the parade on their way home from a fun Saturday night?



Anyway, it was a cool & breezy day with gorgeous sunshine and baby leaves showing off their bright greens.



The bands were quite good and in a town over-run with guitarists, it was nice to see/hear other instrumentalists.





These bumblebees tied with the following group for my favs of the day.


Sunday, March 24, 2013

ESL


When the alarm went off, I cursed myself for agreeing to teach early on my weekend.   However the morning was marine foggy and the south campus of ACC was easy to find.  Was delighted to find a beautiful classroom that would be my grammatical home for the next five hours.



I would cringe at needing to run a choir rehearsal for five hours, so I had some trepidation about working with ESL students for that long.  But the teacher had prepped the first couple of hours and then I broke out the Scrabble game.  They had never played, but they took off like crazy with it.  This word combo was from their second game--the one man played 'oil' and created three additional words!  I rarely can do that.  The entire class period zipped by and I had to tell them to leave.  (mainly because I was ready to EAT those tiles--having class from 9-2 is not good for steady blood sugar.)  

Anyway.  Am grateful to remember again that I adore the teaching profession and how much fun it is to be in the classroom.




And as I had just seen some lovely cupcakes in my sister's blog (you really must see how her son helped her out), I stopped by this store on my way home.  To call it a factory is a misnomer as it is teensy wooden house with fun tables on the porch and a pastry case with only three little shelves.  I ate the lemon cupcake too fast for a photo, but it was delish!  Whipped lemon topping, lemon zesty cake AND a surprise lemon creme filling.  The p-nut butter one is for brunch/paper tomorrow morning.


Saturday, March 23, 2013

pithy


wonder if I'd have the nerve to say this to the next baggy-clothed child I see?

Friday, March 22, 2013

dependability



While I'm not thrilled with the flow of monies into my little Honda, I am grateful for the thousands and thousands of both miles & hours that it has run.  Just realized today that I've had it almost a decade and it has carried me to many jobs, driven up/down the West Coast numerous times, gone from the western to the eastern coast.  And back.  And then from Seattle to Austin.  With only minor repairs and upkeep.  

Am also grateful to find an honest mechanic who is fixing everything.  Here's to the next 100,000 miles!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

joy of napping



Pretty much.  One of the best aspects of holidays is retreating back to a childhood rhythm of days.  Sleep when tired.  Eat when hungry.  Walk for fresh air and adventure.  Looking forward to a mini-break next week when I may return to these sort of days.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

she did it anyway



Continuing with my focus on words this week, heard a stunning phrase yesterday.  (yes, it has most likely been said around me prior to this, but somehow it sunk in with this hearing.)

'She did it anyway.'

I would like to write a meaningful reflection on this--but between the neighbors' excessive love of thumping stereos and the thunderstorms rolling through, it's been a period of sleep deprivation and the clever words are not here.

So, it will remain the simple phrase for you to reflect upon and mayhaps to say into your mirror:

she did it anyway.


Valkyrie 

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

delight in words


Have always loved words and enjoy a well-crafted sentence.  Found one last night in the AFAR magazine describing a hotel:  'it was like a Four Seasons, minus three of them.'