violetismycolor

back from the beyond...

Well, beyond the bounds of Oregon, anyway.  I spent 4 days in Sacramento, California and thereabouts, and let me just say...hot as hell...or as I imagine hell to be.  It was in the 90's for Thursday and Friday and this is April, folks.  This is just not natural!

I did have a lovely time with my friends and relatives, though. And was sorry that fellow blogger, Marilyn, was not about...since I spent 2 days running around Davis and could have used her Marilyn-ness.  Those who read Marilyn will know what I mean...

Also, I have posted Adam's Eastern Europe photos, and the link is in my sidebar, if anyone wants to see...

IF...robot

I worked on this a little this past weekend and sort of like it.  I found this a difficult topic since I wanted to do something distinctly un-robotlike, something different. 

Anyway, I need one of these to help me keep up with the chores I don't like...like cleaning toilets.

aack...

Too much sunshine. Not enough time to blog.

I have actually enjoyed spending my last almost-weeklong surge of getting down-and-really-dirty in the garden. The weather here has been so incredible, sunny and warm. That, coupled with days of rain to soften up the garden soil, have made weed pulling and planting so much easier. And boy, is there a lot of THAT to do.

I finish up after several hours in the garden looking pretty, let's just say, dubious. I have streaks of mud everywhere, including my face (from pushing stray hairs back), and I am probably a pretty scary sight. But the satisfaction gained from having an incredibly beautiful landscape surrounding me is hard to beat.

The weather just may change tomorrow, and then I head off for 4 days in Sacramento, so I must get to the good gardening while the getting is good. Hope everyone else out there is enjoying their spring, too.

IF...spotted...

*click on it...see it even bigger and better*

So, our little maid here spotted an bunch of hatchlings.  Two came out of spotted eggs and one came out of an Easter egg.  Surprise!

photo friday...full...

*click for a larger view*

Yeah, that's right...Photo Friday and I am actually participating this week.  I couldn't resist the prompt, which was 'full' and my flowering plum is so FULL of blossoms that it is gorgeous.  Just had to post it. 

more Bonnie funnies...

Have to post what my daughter posted in her blog today...she starts out serious and moves quickly into hilarious:

First off, the three most important pieces of new information about my life that I have failed to write on livejournal due to an extended hiatus:

1) I have a boyfriend.
2) I have a summer job.
3) I got into the St. Andrews study abroad, which means I am definitely going to be abroad for a year.

So, to say things are going along swimmingly is an understatement. While #1 takes the shine a bit off #3, overall things decided to really go my way in the space of about 3 weeks. The study abroad is good (living with British students! seeing my cool older brother!), the summer job is very good (intern in a small financial advising company--interesting and challenging work!) and the boyfriend is very, very good (best boyfriend a girl could ask for).

In less good news, I have recently discovered the reason for the hideously ugly patchwork shorts that have appeared on campus. Not since the days of the dead-animal-clutching-to-your-leg boots has a fashion trend this horrendous struck the Colgate campus. Guys are wearing these shorts not only because they are from Jcrew (the official Colgate brand if there ever was one) they are also called...wait for it, wait for it...Colgate Madras Patchwork Shorts! IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND DEAR, WHAT HAS THIS CAMPUS DONE TO ANGER THE JCREW GODS!?!?!? WE WILL BUILD YOU AN ALTAR OF UGGS AND POPPED COLLARS IF YOU HEAR OUR PRAYERS AND STOP ATTACHING OUR NAME TO SHORTS THAT BUMS WOULD REFUSE TO WEAR!! On the bright side, maybe it's a good thing I decided to go to Colgate over Dartmouth, since if I had chosen Dartmouth I would have surely been blinded by the Dartmouth madras patchwork pants, something even more grotesque than the Colgate shorts, a feat which I didn't think was possible. Seriously, why are people paying $59.50 (for the shorts) to $78 (for the pants) for articles of clothing which appeared to be made by the same person who did Sasha Cohen's outfits who we all know was a blind hobo!.

IF...speed...

*click for an even closer look-see*

Yes, it's Illustration Friday time again.  I was digging around in my pictures and found this lovely photo of Fontainebleau...a chateau used by many French Kings, about an hour by train outside of Paris.  I decided that a dog might be speeding across the lovely lawn there, probably chasing a wild rabbit...

I love Powell's...

If you've ever been to Portland, you know we have this fabulously cool bookstore called Powell's. It occupies an entire city block and is about 4 stories high.  Their claim to fame is that they carry both new and used books, so you can literally find anything there.

So, I bought several months worth of my book club's books there when we put together our list in January.  I always try to get a used copy from Powell's.  Anyway,  last month's selection was When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro (who won the Booker Prize for Remains of the Day). 

My used copy (from Powell's) was previously owned by someone who had lots to say about what he/she was reading.  It was full of underlinings of important points.  It was also full of comments ("he's in denial!" or "my suspiscion is he's actually insane" or "duh!") and also included smiley and frown-y faces for emphasis.  I felt as though I was reading the novel with a buddy...a buddy with a sense of humor!  I really looked forward to my friend's insertions. 

Now that I am starting this month's book group book, Our Lady of the Forest by David Guterson, I find that I really miss my invisible and anonymous reading companion.  I wish I could find out who he/she is so that I could tell them that I just want to buy their books directly from them. 

Alas, my current book is utterly unlined and un-commented.  :(

he's baaaack...

We called Adam for our usual Sunday morning check-in.  We were pleased to hear about his 2-week spring break wanderings around eastern Europe.  He went to Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, and Austria and found them fascinating and beautiful. 

He especially raved about Slovenia, saying that he didn't even want to read on the train while going through, because every town he saw was like Disneyland...clean, charming architecture, perfect.  He sold me.  I'm ready to go.

He saw alot of places that many people don't even think about.  Next, he'd like to go to Latvia and Croatia.  I can't wait till Bonnie will be able to travel with him and they can build these kinds of memories together. 

But I'm certainly jealous.  I would love to travel around, at my own leisure and just following my instincts.  Doesn't that sound like total freedom?  Why am I no longer 20?

old friend, good friend...

I had lunch with an old friend today.  We met at our 'orientation' on our first day at our first-jobs-out-of-college at Intel.  We liked each other so much that we decided to become room-mates that day!  Talk about impulsive...

Anyway, she was (and is) fabulous, so it was not a huge mistake.  We actually got married exactly a week apart, too.  She was widowed about 6 years ago and had to struggle with that, and having 2 young kids, too.  She remarried last year.

Anyway, we talked about life and how it changes and how you have to figure it all out again, every time it does.  We talked about life philosophies and she didn't laugh at my New Age-y-ness, like my own parents and siblings do. She may have different ideas than mine but we love and respect each other and our differences and our same-nesses (is that even a word?). 

Later in the afternoon, I went to an Open House for AcryMed (where my husband works) and saw all sorts of wonderful people who gave me hugs and smiles and all that good stuff.  It was a day of affirmations of friendship. 

So, all in all, another wonderful day on Planet Earth.  Keep bringing 'em, I like it...

IF...spring...

*click for a larger one...you know the drill*

Spring...lovely spring-y day and lovely spring-ing bunny. 

AND my spring day here is gorgeous, too, and besides working on this, I have been working in my lovely garden.  Wonderful, wonderful day!

happy birthday, honey...

Happy birthday to my hubby, John. 

Unfortunately, he has been suffering with a cold for more than a week and was not exactly in a celebratory mood.  We did get taken out to dinner by my wonderful MIL.  We went to McCormick and Schmick's, scene of our first date (and many since). 

When I called to make the reservation, saying it was my husband's birthday and mentioning that we had had our first date there, the gal that answered the phone told me about 'this sweet guy who had requested a certain table for his anniversary because it was the one where he and his wife had had their first date...AND they had been married for more than 20 years!'   That was my own husband, who had done that for our anniversary last year.  What a sweet and romantic guy!