Just Gratitude, 4/19/12

Azalea indica 'Red Formosa'
Picture taken March 22 at Stratford Commons

Today I am thankful for. . .

. . .Melvin who is presently subtlely begging for the leftovers from Rudy's breakfast.

. . .Horticulture and that I get to work with, and think about plants everyday. I am looking forward to being able to garden again when I move to the cabin for my country year (or two).

. . .feeling good. What a blessing it is to feel good.

. . .lunchtime walk on the PATH at Medlock Park. The woods were green and lush from the rain, and the air was thick with the smell of ligustrum sinensis (privet).

. . .Randy at Lowes who is trying to help me locate my counter top and get it delivered.

Love in a Mist

"Love-in-a-Mist"
Nigella damascena

Today I'm grateful for . . .

. . .the "Love-in-a-Mist" that was starting to bloom at Mama's today. This pretty little annual self-seeds freely and comes back year after year. Myra planted it for Mama several years ago on Mother's Day, and it comes back every spring from seeds dropped during the previous growing season.

. . .the climbing hydrangeas loaded down with flower buds. I planted these at Mama's many years ago; I think nine years ago. They never thrived in the original location, so we transplanted them to their current location about five years ago. Climbing hydrangeas are notoriously difficult (late) bloomers, so it's especially gratifying to see these healthy, lush plants loaded down with buds.

. . .the pleasure of a good book. 

. . .this perfect spring day.

. . .Lamar and Mama doing so well and happy.

. . .baby birds nesting above the porch light at the cabin.

. . .the small stand of Solomon's Seal at the cabin which I transplanted from 110 Lamont Drive before I sold it.

Just Gratitude, 4/12/12

Chinese Snowball Viburnum from Mama's yard.
Picture taken March 22nd.

Today I'm grateful for . . .

1. feeling better after waking up with a headache.  
2. a lunchtime walk at Deepdene Park on this beautiful, cool spring day. 
3. a productive workday. 
4. successfully resisting the temptation to eat things that aren't good for me. 
5. always having more than enough.
6. the snowball viburnum (pictured above) that bloomed so beautifully at Mama's this year.

Just Gratitude, 4/11/12

Wild violets blooming at the creek.

Today I'm grateful for...

1. I got my taxes done, and I have the money to pay what I owe.
2. My range and cabinets are being delivered to the cabin on Saturday afternoon.
3. A dinner invitation! Erica's parents are here, and her mom cooked a paleo dinner. Erica invited me to join them.
4. Van was the happiest baby tonight. He was content and found almost everything funny. He said "book" for the first time while I was there. He's been making the "k" sound, but last night he put it all together and said "book."
5. My bright pink spring sweater.

Just Gratitude, 4/10/12




Josie, Melvin, and Sonny
Locked up for the Easter Egg Hunt!

 
Today I'm grateful for:

• This picture of the dogs from the weekend. And the dogs, especially my best buddy, Melvin.
• For the cabin. I'm so blessed to have it.
• My job that provides a decent income and lots of flexibility.
• For good health.
• For great friends, especially Erica.
• For Van - how wonderful to have a baby in my life.
• For family.
• For CrossFit and being strong.

Accidental Supper Club

Paleo Supper Club

Here's a cool idea you might want to try. A few close friends and I have formed a supper club of sorts. It didn't start out that way; it started with a potluck in early February. We had all been too busy to connect over the holidays, so we picked a date/time in the "off-season" when things had settled down. The plan was simple: meet at Sheryl's house and bring a paleo dish to share. We knew we would have fun relaxing and catching up, but we were surprised by the fabulous meal our potluck provided. No single person was burdened and everyone shared in the feast. We sat around Sheryl's big table, leisurely savoring our wholesome, quilt-free paleo supper and proclaiming, "what's so hard about paleo?!" We all agreed this was one of the best meals we had ever enjoyed, and before we retired for the evening, we made tentative plans for an encore. And so our accidental supper club was formed.

The encore potluck was last night at Erica's house. The beautiful spring weather provided for perfect al fresco dining, and once again, the meal did not disappoint. For starters, we shared a glass of wine and one of my skillet meatzas.  Jax brought a delicious main course of spicy pulled pork which was balanced perfectly by Erica's beautiful salad and Sheryl's roasted vegetables. Damon brought a nice bottle of wine. For dessert we shared a wholesome, grain-free, minimally sweetened apple crisp. (I'll share the recipe for the apple crisp soon in a future post.)

It was a wonderful spring evening with friends enjoying good food, wine, and conversation.  I'm looking forward to the next one.

Van loves paleo food!