papillon

Did a spot of gardening today; a very short stint as it was broiling hot.

But I was delighted to find a butterfly garden next to one of my dad's garden plots.

I didn't get a shot of this gorgeous blue butterfly with his wings open.

la magie du jardin

Spotted the first little pepper today.

Love how the jasmine is twining itself around the railing. With the intense heat we've been having, it has grown about two feet in two weeks.

the commuter's life

Sunday scenes

Met a friend for coffees; it was 84 in a cafe with the a/c blasting. But I met another artist friend through her and we're starting a book club this autumn. Grateful to slowly be building community in this busy and bureaucratic region.

Grateful also to have parents nearby who shop at Costco and insist on sharing their bounty. Fruits are bountiful and flavorful right now. As always, the weekend was far too short, but it was a pleasant one despite the soaring temps.

hello from hell

 Or, at least an outward feeling of it. 109 today where I was, and that was one of the cooler spots in the region. So deeply grateful for working a/c and fans of all kinds.

And while we didn't take any photos (gasp), it was a good day with the entire family gathered together. It's surreal how quickly the Littles change~it is like watching one of those NatGeo specials where you see a flower bloom or a tree grow. 

The cicadas are shrieking with summer joy and it's time for slumber.

to health

Began the day with a candle lit for a friend's surgery.

And ended it by juuuussst getting to my parking garage as the horizontal rains came.

summahhhtime

I actually didn't lose it, I removed it from my car. When it's so hot that your car is warm in the parking garage, you know that it's time to remove anything remotely meltable from your car.

TGIF

While I don't know that I've ever wanted a work week to last longer; I am doubly grateful that this one is over and behind me. Doesn't seem that long ago that this little courtyard was filled with snow.

Brand new tangerine/mango candle from Trader's to celebrate the end of this week and to send up good wishes for a friend's upcoming surgery.

May your weekend also be filled with teeny delights.

botany dramas

Linda and Fionna~two Colombian students who just met 

We introduced the students the wonders of a root beer float as a summer time treat today~it was a hit. Most of them had never tasted root beer before and had certainly never poured soda over ice cream!

My pepper plants are not at all shy about letting me know when it's time to water them.  I noticed blossoms on them today! Soon, I shall know exactly what kind of peppers I'm growing. 

Because these are certainly NOT sweet pea leaves. Once they blossom and set, I'll discover whether they are some kind of squash or perhaps, cucumbers. It will be a mystery harvest this year.

high/dry

When I woke this morning, I kept checking all my clocks~phone, stove, analog clock on the wall~because it was so pitch black that I was sure that I was awake far too early. 

But no, it was the correct time to be out/about and off to work. I pulled into the school's parking garage juuuuust as the first rain drops hit.  Very grateful that I park on the upper level and that the students/staff who started out, all arrived safely.

You've probably seen some news reports by now, but we just endured some record-breaking rain fall. I am grateful to be safely home to wait out the next batch of rain drops.

since sliced bread

Here's a fun factoid about this day:

Sliced bread was sold for the first time on this date in 1928. Up until that time, consumers baked their own bread, or bought it in solid loaves. Otto Frederick Rohwedder, a jeweler from Davenport, Iowa, had been working for years perfecting an eponymous invention, the Rohwedder Bread Slicer. He tried to sell it to bakeries. They scoffed, and told him that presliced bread would get stale and dry long before it could be eaten. He tried sticking the slices together with hatpins, but it didn't work. Finally he hit on the idea of wrapping the bread in waxed paper after it was sliced. Still no sale, until he took a trip to Chillicothe, Missouri, and met a baker who was willing to take a chance. Frank Bench agreed to try the five-foot-long, three-foot-high slicing and wrapping machine in his bakery. The proclamation went out to kitchens all over Chillicothe, via ads in the daily newspaper: "Announcing: The Greatest Forward Step in the Baking Industry Since Bread was Wrapped — Sliced Kleen Maid Bread." Sales went through the roof. Rohwedder not only gave Americans the gift of convenience and perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but he also provided the English language with the saying that expresses the ultimate in innovation: "the greatest thing since sliced bread."

glints of

I've given up trying to take photos of full moons, fireflies, and fireworks; thankfully, there are many images taken with professional cameras, so I can have images of all of those magical things.

While it is almost too sultry to get a full breath, I am loving the cicadas and fireflies of southern Julys. And I have a new appreciation for whomever invented ceiling fans.

"the world is not respectable;

 it is mortal, tormented, confused, deluded forever;

 but it is shot through with beauty, 

with love, 

with glints of courage and laughter; 

and in these, 

the spirit blooms."

~George Santayana

day trippin'

Took la maman on a belated Mother's Day outing to Alexandria. We wandered through the waterfront and the Torpedo Art Factory. 

A sumptuous silk quilt; completely not needed on this day where the humidity almost outstrips the temps.

The flower baskets were flourishing, even if we weren't.

Alexandria's courthouse finally has a new roof, it's been under construction since I visited with Trinity students in 2016. 

Back to my fav Vietnamese place for lemongrass chickens.

Stripy umbrellas, light house tower and glass lanterns~while I've not been to Nantucket (yet), this restaurant makes me think of it. 

sprinkles & sparkles

Not an auspicious afternoon for parades and grilling, but the storm passed and there was delicious potato salad, homemade apple pie, and many many sparklers.

Trying to smudge the mosquitos away.

I refrained from taking photos during the large fireworks display~I will say it was quite stellar for a outlying town and best of all? The commute from watching the pyrotechnics was walking to the elevator and stepping into a/c. Zero traffic.

red/white/blue

It's been a good week for these particular tricolors~watching the World Cup and cheering for Norway, France, England, and the US and today's school wide picnic.

We had a truly fun time; tons of food, outdoor games and best of all? Good mixing and intermingling amongst the nationalities.

Yuon (S.Korea) and Jovana (Serbia) become friends.

Did you know that you can pour three colours of batter into a pan and it will stay separate? One of the teachers brought this gem.

My watermelon went quickly on this sultry afternoon.

Our fun faculty and admin team.

And if all this joy wasn't enough? Today I got to turn off my alarm clock for FOUR days. Haven't done that in a very long time.