Another Frostbite Victim

Just look at those geraniums! So bright and pretty and ready to get potted. I am sorry to report that these are not the same geraniums that I successfully kept alive over the winter. They are freshly purchased. I brought last year's out to the south deck about a month ago. They were watered and trimmed back and enjoying the sunshine. Until that fateful night of 31 degrees when I neglected to move them into the garage. Well, it was an experiment. And I did enjoy their green hopefulness and fragrance while it snowed on the other side of the window. Like the lilacs, there is always next year.

Lilac No-Show

How disappointing is this? The unusual progression of spring with its up and down temps took its toll on the lilac blooms. There were maybe half the buds compared to other years, and very few opened at all. 

A slightly blurry closeup of the unopened buds taken while the wind blew.

Even more pitiful compared to last year's profuse showing! The lilac's bloom is so fleeting and the first real sign of spring in my yard so it was sorely missed. Sigh. Who knows what will transpire between now and when they next bloom. Other than winter.
 

Orcing in the Rain

I don't know what y'all do on full moon rainy Saturday nights, but in this house, we watch movies. And since this rain seems to be going on forever, we thought we'd start a trilogy. But not just any film trilogy. Lord of the Rings. The special extended dvd edition. Without the appendices. You can only park your butt in a chair so long, three hours for the first installment, The Fellowship of the Ring. I must say this movie is enhanced by the dark and stormy night outside. Now to lock the doors. If you ask me, orcs are way scarier than zombies.

In Today's Mail

My new bracelet arrived today! Wrapped up so pretty, too.

Here's one side....

And the other! I'm never taking this off. I know you want one, too!  It's so much fun to have talented friends and to have the opportunity to wear their art!

Paint Job

North Dakota was an exceedingly dull place to grow up. Not that there aren't goofy people living there. This story brought to mind a paint job of another sort on the western side of the state. For a little over a year we lived in a pink stucco house on Third Avenue East in Williston, ND. On the corner at the other end of this block was a very lovely Craftsman style home with a deep front porch that was painted with a lovely cream and gold color scheme. In front of this home there was a fire hydrant, located near the street. According to city statute it was normally painted red. But the lady of this house seemed to feel that the red color did not coordinate well with her home. So occasionally, she'd go out to the curb and paint the hydrant gold. It was a constant back and forth battle, and whoever got out there and painted before it froze in the fall won for the duration of the winter. I remember the grown-ups discussing the fire hydrant painting woman. Seems she was assessed a fine by the city every time she painted it, and was sent a bill for the paint and labor to turn it red again. Words like stubborn and crazy were tossed about. At the ripe old age of thirteen, I liked her style and knew this was the sort of crazy and stubborn old lady I wanted to be. I currently don't have a fire hydrant in front of my house. But if I ever do, I think I'll do it up right with a polka dot paint job. 

Date Night

I consider myself fortunate among mothers in that my sons actually don't mind too much being seen in public with me. So tonight Reid and I went out for dinner. And what better way to instill some culture into a young man than to take him to a bar so he can hang out with some jazz musicians. Actually, it was much classier than that. The Pheasant Restaurant hosted the Jazz Diversity Project. So we had some great burgers, learned something about music history, and heard some absolutely outstanding jazz performed by five very fine musicians. I was happy to hear that Jeremy is working on the tuba section, maybe even considering throwing it out altogether. I always enjoy the left of left field conversations we engage in. The quiet of home is a blessing to return to after an evening out. It feels like a leave the windows open nearly summer night out there. Crickets and a light breeze. Hammock days will soon be upon us.

I'm Me. I Think...

You know, I'm all for giving full cooperation in providing proper ID when I go in to renew my driver's license. With the 19yo in tow, we arrived at the DPS office with paperwork clutched in hand. Birth certificates, USPS letters addressed to us, SS cards, current license and permit. But it wasn't enough. I hadn't visited the DPS for nearly a year so I was blissfully unaware that in order to take the driving test, you must call or go online to make an appointment. Okay, we have to come back once an appointment has been scheduled. But because I had a name change when I got married, I have to bring in the marriage license and the divorce decree to show the chain of custody of my own name. This is preposterous bordering on ludicrous! For one thing, they probably have the information right there in their database that establishes that I am who I am. Including the change of custody in my own freaking name. It seems to me that the documents I had along were sufficient to back that up. But since we have to go back anyway, on Friday at 2pm, I have decided to not gripe about it. I don't mind a little inconvenience for the security of all US citizens, but having to establish my marital surname is indeed same person as my maiden surname seems just a little above and beyond. They already have all that in my file in the clouds anyway!