Juggling Act

I don't know about you but most days I feel like I'm in a juggling act. Should I do this, should I do that? I know, most folks are not so fortunate as I because work takes up a good deal of every day. I'm grateful that I don't have to earn a living, however, if you're new to this blog, there was definitely a time when that was not the case. Six people in a household takes lots of money; in our case very well spent.

In my former life, aka pre empty nester, I juggled the needs of four children, my own, Bruces, the house, the yard, the cooking, the washing, my paying job...you get my drift. Currently I have to decide. do I want to sew, read, garden, clean the pool, shop, cook, or more importantly take photos??? Some days I do all of them, others only one or two.

Along these lines, Monday morning I visited with Lois in the morning after delivering a print. You already know she's moving in a few short weeks. Before doing so. she wanted to give another gardener friend some vegetable prints as a thank you gift for teaching her much about growing vegetables. Because my time is essentially my own, I hung out for a bit, learning how she and Bob came to live in the house they are currently selling. During our conversation I learned that Bob, at one time, worked for Harris Corporation like our Dad. Such a small world! Of course, no visit to Lois's goes without some picture taking....

The monarch is feasting on her interesting shrimp plant. The bees were out in full force:

As you can plainly see, the sky was a rich blue. Our weather has been so delightful, a reward for  enduring the long, hot summer. This is why we live in Florida!

Before leaving, Lois cut this beautiful gladiola from her yard for me to enjoy at home. I may have shown it to you sometime in the past, but it's most certainly worth a second look:

In sewing terms, it looks like it is edged with white piping!

After lunch I ended up having to drive a print out to Bruce at the office. He'd promised a fellow to bring one; because we were chatting as he was leaving, it slipped his mind. You would think that all I photograph are pretty things, and mostly I do, but oftentimes as I sit at a traffic light, something will catch my eye. Never really know why, sometimes it's symmetry, sometimes irony, and sometimes light.

Because I was out and about, I decided to try another Home Depot hoping to find another pansy to fill out that area in the jungle. Ta da--success!

Returning home, I had every intention of planting my purchases immediately, however, as I got out of the car I heard Herb and Corrine chatting on their front porch. Both are hard of hearing, as all of us will be when we are in our 80's, thus, they talk loud enough for me to hear across the street. Because I hadn't had a long chat with her in a while, I decided then and there to head over and rectify that situation. Although she's lost at least 30 pounds, she looked quite good. Apparently she spent over $200 on new clothes from JC Penny and it showed. As is always the case, her nails were done beautifully, although this time she conceded and had it done professionally. I knew you would want to know.

Since last Friday night my desk has been covered with prints. That's not exactly true, they were stacked neatly, but there were a bunch, as in more than 80. I know, it's a good problem to have, but signing that many at once is laborious as we've discussed many times. Remember how I told you it was slow at Winter Garden? Well, I used my time wisely, finally alphabetizing my list of numbered prints! Previously as I came to each print I had to leaf through page after page, looking for the number. No longer my friends!! I spent three hours yesterday afternoon signing, however, this time it was decidedly easier. Currently I have 148 different prints that I'm selling--a lot to keep track of. Editor job is still available!


Bruce's travel schedule has wreaked havoc on my normal food purchasing habits. Rarely do I buy loads of groceries anymore, however, after pretty much cleaning out the fridge this last weekend I finally had to head to Clemons for vegetables and fruit. As I unloaded the bags on the counter, a still life unfolded in front of my eyes. Naturally, finding a camera followed.

Ok, so this isn't my counter. The brown of the granite just did not provide the contrast I was looking for. Isn't it beautiful? The colors and textures of fresh food are so inspiring. Speaking of which, while working on my sewing project, I've been searching for something to watch on tv. Looking at my handy channel guide I went to BBC America, only to discover Gordon Ramsay. My, oh my, is he something else or what? I've watched about four episodes of Kitchen Nightmares which is probably enough for me. I couldn't help but think what Gordon Ramsay would have had to say about the staff at Nick's Italian Kitchen. It was clear to us that something was amiss there.

Never one to pass up a bargain, I happened to notice on the discount rack at Clemons, large bags of peppers for only 99 cents. Carefully examining the bags, I also noticed that they were in excellent shape, unlike what you're thinking. Ditching my one 99 cent red pepper for the bag I brought it home, discovering so many peppers they would spoil before I used them. The count was 4 cubanella peppers, 2 each of red, green, and orange. Lots and lots of peppers. The solution--freeze them! Using the tray method I learned from freezing blueberries, I washed and cut them in strips, laying them like this on a baking tray before putting them in the freezer for some hours.

This way they freeze individually rather than in a big clump. After the marathon print signing they were perfect! Popping them in a freezer bag, they'll be ready for my next stir fry or whatever else strikes my fancy.

I don't know about you, but lots of times when I'm online, one website leads to another. Somehow, can't remember, I came across  Hey, that's my name! Yes, indeed, a book called Camera Crazy. How about that? Reading the description I learned his name is more appropriately used. In fact, I learned he's a COLLECTOR of cameras. Naming my blog nearly five years ago, I believe I owned one camera, maybe two. What I really meant is I was crazy about using a camera, and in fact, I still am!