HOW NICE !

When last I left you...

I was contemplating what on earth the man had planned for 

our first anniversary.

Given his choice of a folding canvass camp chair

for my birthday last year...

I truly did wonder.

Not that a canvass folding camp chair is not a great gift!

I am not ungrateful for it at all.

It made me laugh because of the conversation prior to the gifting.

A conversation that was about not knowing what I might like.

Being a silly rabbit who lives up to her name...

I wanted the man to figure it out.

But also not being stupid...

I gave a bevy of hints.

 Little did I know that the man is totally hint proof!

I left catalogs with pictures circled laying around.

I made comments about things on the TV in ads.

I talked about how much I liked this or that.

What sort of books that I liked or wished I had.

As fate would have it happen...

I also mentioned in irritation when the chair I was sitting on

decided to pinch my leg, 

that I  hated that chair...

and would dearly love to burn it in a bonfire!

The exuberance of my excitement of that moment

got through to the man.

He picked up the mail just after my declaration

and saw an ad that had a photo of a folding camp chair on the front.

The light bulb in his head shone brightly!

And so it was that I wondered, 

indeed, 

what words might have escaped my lips and inspired...

 heaven only knew what...

sort of surprise...

 would come

on May 21st from my dear husband of one year.

Like I said, do not get me wrong about the chair incident.

It proved to me that my husband did indeed hear me when I said things.

Certainly not a romantic gift, 

but one based on his desire to give me what I would like to have.

What could mean more?

And yet, it gave me a great curiosity as to what was coming.

He refused to even hint.

Last weekend arrived.

We spent Saturday most in the yard.

I trimmed vinca and removed blackberries.

I have the scratches all over to prove it.

Meanwhile,

he mowed and weed whacked .

When we had finished and I sat having a nice ice tea...

He informed me that I was to shower.
Well!

He would put the rest of the debris into the utility trailer
while I accomplished my task.

I had no problem at all with that part.

After his shower followed mine 
and most of my crazy hair had dried into ringlets...

he told me to get into the car.

I figured it out.

I was fairly sure that we were going out to eat...

something he really does not enjoy that much as a rule.

I wasn't sure if it was Red Lobster or The Fish House.

It was at Red Lobster.

We had a lovely diner with appetizers and adult beverages.

I opted for a margarita and he, 

something tall and blue.

Then we returned home with doggie bags in hand.

Roxy was ever so glad to see us...

even if the doggie bag was not for her.

The rest of that evening was spent in an enjoyable pastime.

=:]

I assumed that the anniversary was over.

I didn't think much about that happening two days before

our actual anniversary day.

I know the man had to work on our anniversary and 
it made

sense that this had been the big surprise.
I was certainly satisfied with my lovely evening with him.

Sunday we went to a bbq at a friend's home.

After that the man opened up my gift to him...

(I had to wait for it to arrive.)

It was a Babylon 5 spin-off that he did not have.

He was thrilled.

Phew!

I did okay.

Onward to reality.

Next year it would come again.

That night the man went to work at his usual midnight.

I managed to oversleep in the morning.

He snuck in before I woke up.

I did not hear him at all.

Normally I wake at every tiny sound.

But I didn't.

So on my real anniversary...

I rolled over and opened my eyes to

flowers!

Not just any flowers...
but a vase of the flowers that were in my wedding bouquet!

Chrysanthemums, my favorites.
The right colors and kinds.

 

How's that for romance?

 

Springing along...

I thought the warm weather would never arrive.

At least not before I lost my sanity.

But it did.

Yay!

The signs of true spring are everywhere.

Plum trees have already lost their blooms and the cherries are in full display.

Bulbs have given us so many different reasons to smile.

And the utility company is busy trying to trim back all the 

new and winter growth from the power lines.

Roxy lays and grumbles out the screen door.

Most days begin with the sounds of weed eaters and mowers.

We are doing our own share of these activities.

=:]

  I bought a pair of these funny long handled sheers.

Our vinca borders the driveway and the walkway.

Believe me...

kneeling on concrete with a pair of hand sheers is not the way to go...

if you want it to look like this:

 We are happy with our new toy.

Meanwhile...

I sent a picture to Turkey.

 His seeds have sprouted well!

He was so excited that he was mad when mom said that

they could not jump in the car and drive down to transplant them

into "Turkey's Garden" immediately.

(That's a flowerbed that I told him would be his garden.)

From forward to back;

nasturtiums, zucchini, yellow squash, bush beans and

at the end, cayenne pepper.

Hard to tell by this picture, but most have at least raised the soil

if they have not broken the surface with green.

In another flat are lisbon onions, roma tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno peppers

and cucumbers.

This is how I enjoy spending my time.

I know that gardening is not for everyone and can be a bore.

I'm not particularly good at it, but I love doing it.

All that fresh air and sunshine.

Lovely.

Meanwhile on other fronts...

I am soooo excited!

We just rented a cabin for 3 nights up in Dumb Potter's Hell.

Randy has a 4 day weekend coming up...

yes, Memorial Day.

We opted to use it for the trip.

Many of the people I know have not met Randy.

My kids know him, but not my friends or my father.

So they are planning a big barbecue the second day that we are there.

We were careful about when we planned to leave and return...

we want to miss as much of the holiday traffic as possible.

Randy will sleep while I drive...

that way he can be perky when we get there.

And I can't believe that our first wedding anniversary is

coming up on the 21st.

When I asked the man what he wanted to do for it,

he gave me a mysterious response.

"It's already planned.  All you have to do is wait for it."

I wonder what it is?

 

 

 

ANTS

Yes, those are ants... and I hate ants!

While they might look like clever trained ants,

they are all gathered around a drop of Terro...

ant poison.

=:]

R.I.P. you little buggers!

I have been on hiatus.

I had a hormone imbalance that made me feel 

fairly sure that the men in little white coats

were on their way to collect me.

Thankfully it is fixed now and I am once more

the relatively happily crazy yet not ready to

institutionalize...

me.

Lots of things have happened.

We had another new grand daughter...Z.

She is like all new babies,

sweet and constantly sleeping and eating.

I love the way she smells.

=:]

Things are rocky in the family right now.

The man and his kids are at odds.

I am trying to stay out of it.

But I do not like to see the man upset.

It makes me want to be involved and let some

choice words fly.

But today it is beautiful and I have

moved my lap top onto the patio again.

I began my day with a wonderful steaming cup of coffee...

out here...

letting the fresh breeze make my frizzy hair flit around.

Watching Roxy run around like a nut with her stuffed duck.

Soaking up the sunshine that feels so very good.

I don't think there is anything more relaxing,

or more soothing to my nerves.

(except for the ocean)

I decided to take all my little thoughts

and curse words and write them on paper.

Tonight,

when darkness falls

and I have lost the support of the sun...

I'll put my scraps of anger into the fire...

and let the ashes float away.

Hopefully they will take the anger with them.