Slurpppppp...

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."

~Ernest Hemingway

I am exhausted tonight. You see, some people who engage in the domestically traditional self abuse that is called Spring Cleaning, do it in, oh, say... April, perhaps May. But I am a nonconformist, so I engage in that form of self abuse in October. Every October! Without fail! And in the case of this year, that day was yesterday, so I am exhausted today, which is how Fibromyalgia works... it gets you 24 hours after you spend the day cleaning. I am okay mind you, sometimes being exhausted is a very good thing! This Friday... Spring Cleaning In Autumn Part 2! So until tomorrow, I will leave you with this...

I like to have a martini,
Two at the very most.
After three I am under the table,
After four I'm under my host.

~Dorothy Parker, The Collected Dorothy Parker

Mood: Really Tired/Happy

~Me :)

Strolling Through The Seasons...

"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep darlings, till the summer comes again."

~Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland And Through The Looking-Glass

Yep. That's a picture of autumn. Why am I posting a photo of an autumn scene, as we sit on the cusp of spring and summer? Well because it will be summer very soon... less that a week... and I am busy finishing the last of the spring cleaning. An activity I should have really began months ago, but instead chose to all but ignore until about a week ago. Now, today, and most of tonight, will be spent packing up stuff, and space bagging other things so that it will finally be done! Why did I procrastinate? Why didn't I just do it back in March? Or April? Or May? Why?

I am home alone tonight, in fact I will be alone until Alan gets home from work at 6:00 in the morning. What will I be doing all that time? Well, you know... the usual. Mostly cleaning the front closet, arranging Christmas decorations, usually a late autumn/winter activity, and for company I have The Mary Tyler Moore show on the computer. I am on Season 1 Episode 3 as I type this. I love that show! It's one of those shows that I can watch over and over and never tire of it. Especially when I am alone, and I can remember back to watching it as a kid.

Anyway, here are some new photos from the garden. I promise I will be bringing some fresh photos later in the week. No flowers... I promise. :) I hope to make it over to San Francisco later in the week. Wish me luck with that!

Red/Gold Roses
June 15th, 2013





I love the color of those roses. It's a small rose to, perfect for a bud vase. And look at that color, it's a little like having all the seasons in one place, well, except for winter. Of course, it could always rain tonight... nah... it's cool, but not a drop in sight. Sigh.

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Round Robin Challenge: Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning
By Susan Reiner

March bustles in on windy feet
And sweeps my doorstep and my street
She washes and cleans with pounding rains
Scrubbing the earth of winter stains

She shakes the grime from carpet green
Till naught but fresh new blades are seen
Then, house in order, all neat as a pin
She ushers gentle springtime in.

My Round Robin teammate Steven, chose "Spring Cleaning" for our photo subject this time around, and we also have the additional task to come up with 3 more challenge topics each for the challenge pool. The last time we did this was in November. Every 6 months seems about right to do these new challenge subject roundups. You Robins have submitted some really great ideas, I am looking forward to seeing what you have come up with this time around. :)

As for the subject of Spring Cleaning, well, see, I thought I was in a bit of a fix with this one. See, I am not a "Spring Cleaning" gal, I am an "Autumn Cleaning gal." I do everything backwards. It's just that I really like getting the house in shape before the cold winter months set in. Because of my Fibromyalgia, I am often limited in the winter in terms of my energy. My hands swell, and I am really tired a lot of the time, and therefore things can get away from me before I know it. So, what's a girl to do? Well, she does a deep house cleaning no later then a couple weeks after Halloween, that way she can take better care of herself during those difficult winter months. But that didn't help me much with this challenge.

So I thought... and thought... and thought. What to do? What to do? Yikes. Would I have to sit this one out? Hmmmm... then it came to me. I did have a bit of a mess on my hands this spring, in the form of those yucky aphids in my beloved rose garden! It was a mess! But all was not lost, in fact, I didn't have to do much cleaning at all to get rid of those intruders, I simply called in the cleaning ladies... The Ladybugs. After a brief trip to Home Depot to purchase them, I put them to work, and within four weeks, we were back to a nearly all clear lovely garden again. In fact, in the photos below, you see a beautiful, spicy scented rose I had all but given up on! Isn't she gorgeous!

Now on to the new challenge ideas!

1. Quench My Thirst

Take a photograph of your favorite beverage, in an artistic light. Include a recipe if you have created a completely unique drink.

2. Politics

Whether we like it or not, at least a little politics is a part of all of our lives. City government, state and federal it affects us all. With the upcoming elections, there will be a lot of campaign signs, and political statements being made. Photograph something that says "Politics" to you. Have some fun with it. Buttons, yard signs, a candidate's personal appearance in your town, a protest, a political bumper sticker, anything to do with politics that strikes your fancy.

3. Numbers

Photograph anything dealing with numbers. The face of a clock or watch. A cash register, a pair of dice or dominoes, a math equation, a scale, a measuring cup.

Okie doke. There are my three new subjects for the challenge pool. Now, go visit the participating Robins on the list below. If you haven't played along with this challenge yet, there is still plenty of time. You have up to one week from today, to take your photos and submit an entry. If you can't play this time around, but would like to submit some ideas, well that's cool too. Just send them to either Steven, Karen or myself. You can find our email addresses on the RR blog sidebar. Hope to hear from you soon!

Linking List

Steven... (sometimes)blog POSTED!

Carly... Ellipsis POSTED!

Karen... Outpost Mavarin POSTED!

Momma... Sandcastle Momma

Gattina... Keyhole Pictures POSTED!

Wammy... The Ellis Family Cincinnatti

Martha... Perception

Lisa... Lisa's Chaos POSTED!

Sarah... Charish Me POSTED!

Vicki... Maracas POSTED!

Angela... Chocolate Syrup For The Soul POSTED!

Marie... Photographs and Memories

Kiva... Ecletic Granny POSTED!

Kim... Nekked Lizard Adventures POSTED!

Julie... Julie's Web Journal POSTED!

Jennifer Robin... Robin's Woods POSTED!

-OndineMonet