the long-awaited poppy

if i could grow only one flower, i'd want poppies. the ruffly foliage, the delicate petals, the ornate pods, the minuscule seeds, the colors. even the name: poppies. there's nothing about poppies that i don't love! 

i've tried to grow poppies and have failed more times than i can count. seeds, plants, seed pods from friends' gardens - nothing works. i thought i finally had a winner here, just one plant, and have been watching it closely all summer. last evening i photographed it beginning to unfurl. then i left the camera and lens on the table so i could run out first thing this morning to catch it wide open and in all its splendor. and here it is. beautiful still, but obviously, sadly, gone by. 

poppy: last evening :-)

poppy: this morning :-(

herbed butter

this weekend, while buying vegetables and bread at the local farm stand, i inquired about the availability of corn. next weekend, they said. seven more days. time to make dill butter. 

it's easy. softened butter, mixed with lots of snipped dill leaves from the garden. the dill butter is packed into tiny ramekins wrapped in foil. after a day in the freezer, the foil is removed, and the inverted ramekins are run under hot water. in a moment, out slides the frozen molded butter. quickly, it is wrapped back in the same foil and popped back into the freezer. 

until the corn arrives. next weekend. my mouth waters already, thinking of the herbed butter melting on fresh-picked, steaming ears of corn. seven more days!

glorious morning

a single morning glory, greeting the early sun. shot from the front...

and from the back. 

i like them both. 

relief

thunder, lightning, then rain tonight, with the promise of cooler weather tomorrow. intriguing the way this open sign looks through my rainy windshield as i wait in the dark for an order.

july 12 of 12: how to beat the heat

i love summer. lazy warm days, starry cool nights, refreshing air, light clothes, color everywhere i look. but it's days like today when summer is tough to take. it's hot, and for the third consecutive day. i can't sleep. i can't work. all i can do is think about how hot it is. today, i spring into action to try to beat the humidity. this month's 12 of 12 shows my attempts!

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fans, strategically placed everywhere. they were on all night, blowing cooler air into the rooms. when i wake up too early all clammy and sticky, i breathe in the morning air. and i can tell it's going to be hot again. 

it hasn't rained in days and the gardens and pots need daily watering. it's easier and better for the plants to do it in the morning before the sun gets too high. i make sure i'm barefoot when i water so i can drag my toes through the wet grass. 

a shower, the first of three i take today.  i keep the water tepid at best. nothing hot for me today - not even water.

minimal clothes. today's outfit - a t-shirt and the necessary undergarments. bare feet. i'm not going anywhere. i have shorts handy in case someone comes to the door. 

combs and barrettes and headbands. i let my hair air dry and it takes a good long time. i don't bother with curling or styling or spraying. there's no way my hair would do anything but frizz up in this humidity. may as well keep it as contained as i possibly can. besides, there will be more showers, remember?

quiet, stay-put work. no housework today, nothing strenuous. i set up in the living room on the couch, directly in front of the fan. the speed of the fan increases as the morning goes on.

lots of water. i love my britta water filter, especially when it's warm. i empty its chilled contents into another container in the morning and refill it. by midday, the water's cold again. some cracked ice, a little crystal lite, and i'm good for the heat of the afternoon. 

hand-washed laundry. just a few items. hey, it's an opportunity to play in water! with bubbles!

another fan, the old fashioned, non-electric kind. the day wears on and the sun comes in the windows. it's hot in the house, hotter still outside. i work for a bit, then sit back and fan myself for a bit. i think i doze off for a bit, too. 

more water. my mother taught me this and i do it all the time. i run cold water over the insides of my wrists. it's instantly cooling. (as an aside, doesn't that stream of water from the faucet look just like an icicle?? i don't know why that surprises me so much, but it does.)

body sprays, cold from the refrigerator. there they are, right next to the mayonaise. a spritz in the middle of the day takes away the sticky feeling and leaves a lingering floral scent. i'll spritz my pillow as well, later before i go to sleep.

and tonight, ice cream. on a hot july day like this one, nothing beats the heat like its creamy, cold goodness.

but note - i did not go out for it. it's not exotic chocolate chip or fruity black raspberry. it's vanilla from the freezer. because i stayed home. it was just too hot to do anything else.

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recycling

i know how important it is to recycle, even when you're off on vacation. but is it ethical to transport recyclable items across state lines??? i'd been turning that around in my mind today... but fortunately the attendants at my transfer station did not care. as i was driving away, it occurred to me they probably thought i drank all those beverages myself!

at low tide

found in a tide pool

a crab, a whelk, seastars, and barnicles

a little girl

and a ten dollar bill, now drying on the counter!

blue water iris

such a vibrant blue, growing along the path to the ocean.

the view from the sand chair

normally i walk the beach, pick up rocks, investigate shells. but today, i just sat. my sister says the definition of vacation is the opportunity to be lazy! and i am. 

keepsake

every year, during the summer, i spend some time at the ocean. every year, as i walk, i comb the beach, looking for the perfect rock. every year, i bring one home. one only. and every year, every day, i carry it in my pocket until i can get back there again. 

this is last year's rock. i'm leaving it behind as i go off to find a new one. 

july elderflower

this is elderflower. rub it between your fingers and they will feel wonderfully soft and smell delightful. every year elderflower blooms in mid-june, right around the time that school lets out. this year, here it is in full bloom on july first. quirk of nature? or something to worry about?

the new guy in town

and the little girl thinks he's wonderful! he has only been in existence since mid-morning, only stood in the garden since noontime. but i swear he's startled me at least three times as i've glanced out a window or come around a corner. in time i imagine i'll get used to him standing there, keeping watch over the carrots and the tomatoes and the beans. 

picnic

an old quilt, a wide basket filled with fruit and yogurt, some cheese and crackers, and a strawberry granola bar. all laid out at midday in the shade of the maple tree. we studied clouds and contemplated insects. we marveled at the dappled sunlight coming through the leaves and were surprised by a pileated woodpecker speeding by overhead. so lovely was the lunch, i had to fight the very real urge to just stay there for nap time.

summer's day

still i am finishing up work. but today was too beautiful a day to do anything but be outside in the sunshine with the little girl. some of the day's discoveries: an earthworm on the biggest rock in the path, a lone butterfly wing, and some rogue lettuce sprouting in the grass far, far from the garden. 

 and the perfect afternoon for  a swing in the shade.

research

still at work, three days with colleagues and in a new location. interesting and satisfying work, and there's a stipend and free lunches to boot! the view here of the ceiling in this great room with a tower. a gorgeous space in which to work. i'm still so looking forward to being finished, though. this weekend, perhaps. wish me luck!

hello, summer!

the summer solstice was yesterday. 

summer's here on the calendar. 

and it's almost here for me, too.

june 12 of 12: end of the year

a few days ago, an acquaintance made the offhanded comment that, since the school year is almost over, things must be relatively easy for me job-wise right now. that is just so far from the truth. now is my busiest time of the year, the time when i feel the most inundated with work - and the most unproductive. my 12 of 12 for june depicts the last sunday before school ends, in the life of a teacher.

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coffee is a staple these days. iced or hot, i drink it a lot. and i'm still tired. sometimes i look longingly at those 5-hour energy drinks and mentally calculate what time it could be when i finally run out of steam for the day. 

the garden as seen through the window where i work. i long to go out there, to smell the peonies or deadhead the pansies. or just sit. but the work is inside these days. i dream, knowing that in a few week's time, the garden will be my haven. 

budget is due. this is the time i decide what i will need for supplies in order to teach and run my programs next year. spreadsheets, catalog numbers, shipping costs, object and function codes. it can get pretty overwhelming. and i feel so responsible for the decisions i make and for the money i request. 

slide shows. you've seen these. highlights of the year, visual reminders of special events and lots of happy children's faces. kids and parent love these. they represent hours of work for the person making the show and, if the creator is as particular as i am, finding suitable music to accompany the presentation is hard. making it match the mood of the pictures and sync with the transitions between slides is near impossible. but it doesn't stop me from trying. 

this is bed. when i'm in it, i'm am often lying awake, thinking of all that needs doing. when i'm sleeping in it, i just can't wake up. mid-afternoon i longingly look at the pillow and think just a short nap, just a wee snooze. and i do. the crumpled pillowcase is evidence of this. 

much later, perhaps a walk - just to clear my head. i go about 200 yards before i turn and sprint back to the house and the work. a walk just seems like too much of a luxury right now. besides, like the garden, there will be time for this in a few weeks. 

take out food for dinner. i suppose it could be worse - these are supermarket deli meatballs. it's not like i'm eating cheeseburgers from a drive-through window, after all. mostly because i did that already this week. 

dishes in the sink. i just don't get to them. for days. you'd think i could take a moment to at least rinse out the milk carton. but no. 

my most recent netflix mailing, from the middle of may, sits on the living room cabinet, untouched and covered with a thin film of june dust. i try to remember my netflix password - and can't. it's been that long...

i don't call my family. i don't call my friends. not this weekend. fortunately, there is only one call all day and i don't pick up. sorry, unidentified caller. 

but regardless of what else is going on, it's never, ever too busy to babysit, just for a few hours. the little girl is the best diversion right now. just what i need to keep me sane for a couple more days. 

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and the ultimate example of how busy and distracted i get in june? i only took 11 pictures. sigh. my 11 of 12 for june. july will be so much better. 

the loaner

my car is in the shop for a day. while the service department is  working on it, the dealership has given me this loaner to drive. it's my car, a few years older and just different enough to be unsettling. first off, it's an automatic, not a five-speed. having my left foot still and stationary takes some mighty effort and i have to consciously fight the urge to brake with it. at one point, after pulling off the road for a line of screaming fire trucks, i hold down the brake (thinking it's the clutch, of course) and try to give the car some gas to get going. and i couldn't figure out why on earth i was going nowhere, spinning wheels even! as if that's not bad enough, the radio presets look and feel just like my own - but of course, they are not. someone else's cds are in the player. and i had to get out of the car and shut the trunk after i unwittingly unlatched it while trying to open the gas tank door. i'm so looking forward to having my comfortable old car back - and soon!

cool colors

small snippets of time spent in the garden this weekend and i am finally making some headway. i have made the bold move to try to eradicate the oranges and most of the yellows in my perennial garden, leaving only pinks, violets, blues and whites. cool, soothing hues with no mid-summer riot of color. not certain i can bring myself to do it, but i sure am going to try.

rose-colored lupine - white chrysanthemum - purple iris

spring evergreens

glancing out the window, i was taken by the brilliant green tips of the new growth on the pines at the edge of the woods. such a contrast to the mature "ever-green" growth that's been there for a year's time. 

the perfect post

remember that book, the perfect storm, the one about the confluence of weather systems in the north atlantic that ended so badly for a boat full of commercial fishermen? that's a morbid example, but i am always fascinated when things fall into place to create something remarkable or memorable. when ducks line up in a row. when the chips fall where they may, and it works. when it was meant to be.

this is my 1,000 post. i've seen it coming for a few weeks now and have been thinking about what i would post when the time came. unable to come up with anything epic, i'd sort of decided to just let it happen - flowers, stars, little girl antics - whatever was going on at the time. no fanfare. then began the convergence of several posts by bloggers i read.

first, on sunday matt conlon at =]V[= posted his 200th post (congratulations, matt!). way back when, i was one of matt's first followers and still look forward to reading his blog for his tech information, his  references to new england, and for his wacky humor. as part of his celebratory posting, matt put up an award, free for the taking, and i thought maybe i should grab matt's award and use it for my 1000th post! hmmmm.

and lo! Gail Underwood Parker at Upbeats and Downbeats sent me an award: "Because she is always there with a photo to inspire, to calm, to focus, and thoughts to catch my breath...." isn't that a lovely sentiment? thank you, Gail!  truly, i am not one for awards, mostly because it's expected that the recipient  pass them on and that means choosing from among too many of my favorites. but this honor came at such a serendipitous time, that i'm going to go along with it. not sure yet how i'm going to pass it on, tho...

finally on wednesday, tabor at one day at a time posted a "virtual love letter" to her readers that struck a chord with me. in it, she said "If we (bloggers) had met at a wine or ice cream bar our outspoken ideas may have halted the minute we found our differences. But with blogging we slowly learn that we are all so VERY much alike in spite of our politics, religious beliefs, sexual preferences, and taste in cooking." very true! i am not at all an extrovert and i wouldn't even have gone to that wine or ice cream bar! without blogging, i never would have met so many amazing people.

when i started to blog, one thousand posts ago, it was mainly to force myself to look for and take a photograph a day. in time, the post's writing became important to me and i was thrilled to find family and close friends actually liked what i saw and thought. with the blog of note award in 2010, readership and commenting soared to the point where it was almost overwhelming. and now, i am left with a comfortable circle of friends and readers that i love to post for because, even though we come from different backgrounds and circumstances and from all corners of the earth, in tabor's words, we are very much alike! I am humbled that you choose to come back here time and again - and i sincerely thank you so much for that.

lastly, a special word to my very first follower, bob walto. thanks for sticking with me all these years, bob. i hope you're reading still.