tasty

When my niecelet was in her twos, her uncle taught her how to say "TASTY" when eating something delicious.  That adjective would have applied to the divine fraaaahd pickles that I had for dinner to celebrate my two years in Texas.  And despite the teen clerks sneering at me ordering the grain burger, it was one of the best vegeburgers I've had~crunchy with wild rice.  I shall return to this fun place.

cute as a button

Quite literally.  Received a fun care package in the post and have been relishing goodies all weekend.

Some stylish bamboo flats.

two years, too fun

Two years ago today, I rolled into town~not knowing a single person nor having a solid job.  Now?  I've got a fun & creative groups of friends and colleagues and have had such fun exploring a new city/region.

This quirky city fits me well.

 

Here's to my third July in Texas.

 

Going to celebrate tonight by hearing sassy legend, Rosie Flores & dining on fraaaahd pickles.

June Joys

Joys~the sun was out and I was not at work and could enjoy a hefty urban hike this morning.

And just as quickly, it wasn't.  But I made it home prior to the deluge.

Perhaps it's time to splurge on a new pair of socks?  And perhaps this seems like an odd joy, but I am happy to live anywhere where I can walk outside on a daily basis.

And finally!!  My little pepper plant has decided that it has been long enough between blossom time and put out the first wee pepper this morning.

Texas? What with the torrents & snails, am confused

 Decided the walk could wait for a few moments.

The teeniest snail I've seen.

 Here it is, next to my toe for perspective, (and no, I did not step on his relative).

Beautiful little butterfly.

in between

The wild and drenching thunderstorms, have been exploring more city streets.  Such an interesting variety of architecture and plant life.  The above photo doesn't come close to capturing the charm of this floral fence.

A home in the forest or a forested home?

Shiny penny found~note to self: it is now summertime, so picking up metal objects off the afternoon heated asphalt is to be done with caution.

my induction to a mythical (or what I thought perhaps was) food

In honor of a local friend's birthday (and in gratitude for moving assistance), I finally sank my fork into this marvelous concoction of a spicy brekkers.  Oh my.  Now I am officially hooked and will need to be finding some more of these.

out & 'bout in the 'hood

Clarity~always a good thing.

 Cool & classic.

 Bridge whimsy.

Sigh~this just opened, four days after I moved away from this neighborhood.  Ah well, it's much closer than the CA or VA stores that I know.

midsummer joys

It's about a mile's meander to the large Central Market~mainly through quiet and flowering 'hoods.   Must remember to reinstate my Pike's Market rule of buying only light produce.

A quietly glorious kick off to summer 2014.

so, the chocolate section at Central Market?

gather ye something

So deeply relieved to see the backside of this week.  Happy to report that nothing got broken on this move and that I'm enjoying walking around the city.  Enjoyed the traditional Free Thursday that most national museums offer and got to stare at my room o' pennies for a bit.

The glories of the scent of warm roses in the June sunshine.  Little blessings.

settling in

 

One of the first things I found in my boxes as I sliced open all the carefully placed packing tape.  Notice the glamorous view of the parking alley.  

Always nice to have friends who waft to international conferences~have never had saffron in my kitchen before~eager to try it in a recipe or two.

Found a penny on the first moving day and a nickel on the second~if this rate of inflated findings continues, it would be a good thing.

 Still waiting for them to get this stove/oven up and running. 

So thrilled to find a package in my first batch of mail~beautiful scarf (which I somehow don't seem to have a photo of.  Yet.) from my adopted godmother.

Bogart got over his moving tiff very quickly when he found the rug is in the path of the a/c unit.

Doesn't show well, but this is sparkly bits of glass along the sidewalk to the main street.

 

And I now have HOURS of bubble wrap therapy ahead!

bwa-ha-ha~for all the music teachers out there~or any parents who have endured this 734 times...

As I have BANNED this from my studio, I about cried during this clip.  Enjoy.

The Fonzie's life advice

LOVE.

impeccable timing

Oh yes.  When did the first tomato of the season decide to ripen?  On the day of the move.  A happy Father's Day to the wise man who taught me to love gardening.  I perhaps did not appreciate that trait when I was 9, but I do now!  Thank you.

be it ever so humble

Snippets of the new place~it's a bit shabby, but the address is exactly where I want to be, so it'll work for now.

The startling pink bathroom!

And best of all???  I have a gas stove again!!!!!!!

poetic response to school violence

Don't really want to add to the cacophony of opinions and exclamations out there right now~will just say that while training to become a teacher, never EVER thought that I would need more of a combat sort of curriculum to survive in my career.

exactly

Uh-huh

There are some who have crossed my path lately that would allow me to believe this sign is necessary.

I won't name names

but some of us are not pulling our weight with this move.  Monsieur Bogart is thrilled that all the bookshelves are empty and has taken to naps on a variety of shelf heights. 

and with a dip

summer 2014 begins.  Took a little packing break for the first swim of the season!

a little Anne for Throwback Thursday