Fall Fever

I've just returned from my bike ride and I swear it was a little cool. By the way, I went over the 600 mile mark! Along with everyone else I know,  I am suffering from "Fall fever", desperately wanting the temperatures to reflect the season. Plus, I just want to open the house!

Don't get me wrong, I'm so, so grateful for air conditioning, but about this time of the year I am sick and tired of being shut up in an ice box. What is a girl to do when feeling like that? Well, what this girl did IS open the house on Tuesday. Was it comfortable? Somewhat seems like the appropriate answer to that question. What it did for me was more mental than physical. I accomplished more on Tuesday than I've done so in a week! Following my flurry of activity, I kept opening the refrigerator and admiring the whiteness of it all. So clean and fresh! Seriously, I must have opened and closed it about six times!

So, what else was I up to?

A little art project, that's what. It looks super simple above, but you may be surprised to know that a lot of thought went into that. Here's how I started:

What's it for? Well, that's a secret for now. Stay tuned!!

Music used to be a big part of my life. I need to make it more so. Not only were the windows and doors wide open, but the stereo was blasting away giving me more energy than I knew what to do with. It was during my Valencia days that my music consumption went down, and down it has stayed. Concentrating on math, biology, geology and other difficult subjects, made listening to music difficult. I was always either doing math homework on my computer, writing papers, typing up study sheets, and quiet was what I needed. It's time to get the music going around here more often!

That same Tuesday I took off for my ride before sunrise, which isn't so early this time of the year. I rode down Ferncreek to the Lake Conway boat ramp which is open from dawn to dusk. There's a longish gravel drive leading to the concrete ramp; a chain link fence on one side and a wooden one on the other borders the ramp. I thought it might be interesting to show you two perspectives of dawn over Lake Conway. So here's looking East with the fence in the foreground, which I took while wading in the water--still comfortably warm btw.

I adore how the rising sun turns the water delicious shades of purple and pinkish orange. So here's looking down the fence line:

Which is your preference? Perhaps you like neither which is okay too!

On my way home I came across this house with jalousie windows which are definitely a dying breed.

On the other hand, perhaps they will come back in style as most everything does. When I was a girl this type of window was in everyone's home, and believe you me, cleaning them was a PAIN. Mostly, as I recall, our only brother Pat was given that chore.  Sorry Pat. Of course we had to cook which happened much more frequently than window washings. Did I ever tell you that I began cooking evening meals for our huge family when I was 13? Once Maureen, who held the job before me, left at 18, I took over cooking dinner. All that early training came in handy while our four boys were living at home that's for sure. Of course, when I was 13, I never once felt like that!

Speaking of young girls, I'm sure everyone has read the horrible story about the 14 year old girl from Pakistan. If not, read this: How could they? Heartbreaking.

Comments, comments. Sick of my discussing it? Me too. Forget what I said about wanting them from you because I'm going back to the word verification. Ever since changing the setting I've been inundated with this sort of thing:


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "It Makes Me Wonder": 

My sis instructed me about your web site and the way great it is. She's right, I am actually impressed with the writing and slick design. It appears to me you're simply scratching the floor in terms of what you may accomplish, however you're off to an ideal begin! 

I will be reminding myself when I have no comments that this blog started as a way for me to keep track of my life because I can no longer rely on my memory. If you like being along for the ride, so be it. Thank you faithful readers who have been with me from the beginning!

Back to Tuesday's ride. The Golden Rain trees have shed their yellow and are now this deep shade of peach.

Who says we don't get Fall color in Florida? 

Another day at bridge yesterday, another pummeling! Still and all, I enjoy the afternoon, despite the defeats, considering it practice on my way to becoming better.  Bev, on the other hand, is not convinced she wants to spend $7 for humiliation!

Every morning and evening, rain or shine, Regina walks Argyle, her latest Welsh Corgi. Occasionally, I'm a good dog owner and Baxter and I accompany her, listening to all her stories as we walk the neighborhood. Most days she is doing fairly well after the death of her daughter, but mostly we avoid the subject. I am so, so, glad her daughter Michelle convinced her to get Argyle last year as I'm confidant he has helped her greatly during the grieving process.

Aren't they cute? 

Had enough of me for today? I thought so. Let's see what adventures I can cook up for our next installment of Camera Crazy. Again, thanks for reading....

Let's Pretend it is Fall

That's what I did last night with the dinner I cooked for Mr. Bruce last night when he finally arrived home after a harrowing week. Several of the restaurants he has going are re-models with the contractor starting after the restaurant closes. As such he sometimes stays way late resulting in two twenty hour days this week if you can imagine. I told you he was working entirely too hard. Blame it on the economy; many employers are asking employees to do more than is realistic.

Anyway I cooked some pork spare ribs with sauerkraut and potatoes with sauteed apples on the side. It was way delicious. Actually it only got into the 80's today which gives up hope it will cool off one of these days.

Because Bruce goes to New England in the fall every year he always brings back leaves--these are from last year but new ones should be arriving in the next few weeks. Driving through the Catskill Mountains in New York this week he said they haven't begun there yet, but they will...

I took the dress back to Macy's today and bought another one at Bloomingdales. I needed the sales girls help me zip it up (just the last little bit) and went outside the dressing room to find her. She did her thing, and two gay guys nearby started raving about the dress. Strangely enough a woman spoke up behind us saying she'd seen me from another department and wanted to come over to say how stunning the dress is. The only catch on this one is that it is a bandeau style which is problematic for several reasons--one, I've never worn one before and I imagine it might bug me keeping it up, secondly, I need some sort of wrap to cover myself which I'm unsure if I'll be able to find. Nevertheless when something fits me I snatch it up; whether I keep it is another story. I'm awaiting Bruce's comments.

So I see Apple has added a genius feature to iTunes. That word is thrown around a lot, but do you know the definition of a genius? I didn't at one time, but now I do. Years ago the elementary school suggested one of the boys take an IQ test. The results were relayed to me in a big conference with about seven people from the school attending--very intimidating I can tell you that much! Imagine being a youngish mother (am I keeping this mysterious enough so I won't embarrass my child?) hearing that your child is a genius, not really understanding what it meant and what we should do about it. Stunned, I went home to look up the definition in the dictionary--a person with an IQ over 140. To give you an idea what that means, schools usually teach to about an IQ around 100. Anyway we muddled our way through having a genius in the family, probably not doing enough, but the best we could.

Back to the genius feature--it appears it is sorta like when Amazon suggests that if I like a particular book then I'll probably like another. Using what I already have in my iTunes library it puts together play lists. We'll see what I think.

Speaking of books I told you the other day that sometimes I choose to ignore things if I don't want to know something--that's just what I did while finishing Middlesex. I knew it was crazy late but I just don't look at the clock; it was well worth it. Unlike The Virgin Suicides by the same author, this one gives you a bit of hope for a happy ending. I say that because although I did not read the latter book, I saw the movie and the ending is terribly bleak. I'm not usually into happy endings but the narrator in Middlesex deserved it. The title is genius--whoops, there goes that word again!
----------------
Listening to: Belanova - Baila Mi Corazón
via FoxyTunes

----------------
Listening to: LCD Soundsystem - North American Scum
via FoxyTunes