Older and wiser~

~Getting older...and hopefully, wiser.~

Today I am grateful for:

~*~

* My great husband, son and daughter-in-law, and world's most precious grand-children, my totally fab sister, niece and soon-to-be new 'nephew'... And all of my other terrific family members.

* My special friends here and all of you in this blog arena that daily bring inspiration and joy.

* My two pups-Lucca and Pickle.

* My home.

* Good health.

* The special memories of my late parents.

* My travels.

* Being able to get up each morning and do what I truly love to do.

Each day we awake with hopes and wonder of what our day will bring. What are some of the things that you are grateful for?

*Wonderful update~ My son, daughter-in-law and darling grandchildren surprised me and came to spend the weekend. What can be any better than this?

Rain and Deadlines...

~So much rain~

Just a little update:

It has been raining much of this week. I think we've had enough!

Mr. G arrived home safe and sound early Thursday morning.

Thank you for your kind comments.

For those of you that asked the 'downpour' graphic and where it came from...it came from a google search.

You see, I am working on an illustration that was due late next week. After a frantic phone call from the client, it was announced that the party was this weekend not next weekend.

See what can happen when the computer is substituted for the hand-written note???

So, I'm off to complete a job. I sometimes do my best work under this sort of pressure!

Do you sometimes work better and more efficiently under a little pressure?

Not Tonight Dear~

~Rain~

My husband has been away for over two weeks on a Tarpon fishing trip to the Florida keys.

Tonight:

The Airline: Is this Mrs. G?

Me: Who's asking please?

The airline: This is "the airline"

Me: Yes?

The Airline: The flight # 1234 has been canceled, no further information available.

Me: Is everything alright?

The Airline: The flight # 1234 has been canceled, no further information available.

Me: Excuse me???

DEAD AIR!

~Rain~

No panic, these things happen and it's pouring here, so it must be due to the rain in NY or Washington-or somewhere.

Mr. G was suppose to arrive here at home tonight around 8:30. I would likely be in bed reading with the dogs near-by. We would all welcome him back home and be very happy we were once again under the same roof.


~...and more rain~

After a brief phone conversation with Mr. G, it appears that he may be able to get back at some point very late tonight or maybe 'Not Tonight Dear".

The one available flight is over-booked- but I think he may be sweet-talking someone, somewhere. He has early appointments tomorrow- which will be interesting. The moral to this whole post is not to tell you my woes.

Mostly it's because found this fabulous graphic downpour.

It is to suggest that whenever traveling late in the day- perhaps not to schedule appointments of even work the following day. Pad the vacation for one more day.

It's a much more pleasant re-entry from your vacation, gives you some wiggle room in the event of torrential downpours and it makes the dogs a lot happier when they can sleep through the night.

Welcome Home Dear! We really have missed you terribly.

Simple Salad~

~ Iceberg wedge with chunky bleu cheese~

I love salads and have one just about every day. I like the young spring lettuces, Mescalin mix, Summer Crisp, Romaine for a good Caesar, spinach for a warm spinach salad that is my husband's specially. I frequently add fresh basil leaves and some fresh tarragon to my salads when the herbs are fresh from my garden. I add just about anything to my salads. Left-overs from the night before, dried fruits, fresh berries, apples, cheeses, roasted sweet potato and butternut squash. Toasted nuts add a little crunch to salads- pignoli, walnuts, pecans are a wonderful

addition to any salad with roasted vegetables. Fresh, sweet peas right out of the pods are delicious. When the tomatoes are in season, I sometimes make a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions with just a drizzle of good olive oil and balsamic vinegar. There are no rules when it comes to making a great salad. Just use the very freshest salad makings. Frequently in the summer we have just a big salad for dinner. It's a meal in itself!

But when I'm alone, or I'm short on time~ I will always reach for a fresh, cold wedge of iceberg lettuce with some thick, chunky bleu cheese dressing. If you think that iceberg lettuce is a thing of the past or boring-try this!

Do you have a favorite salad that is your 'go to' quick meal?

*Check here for listing of great salads.

Art by Karena

~Original work by Karen~

Some time ago I won this beautiful original piece of work via The Sundown Sunday Giveaway.

Karen has a lovely blog here. If you haven't seen it, stop by. She is one busy lady. Karen is heavily involved in her art among many other hats that she wears.

She kindly emails updates on her exhibits and her involvement in the arts. Oh, if only to live closer.

My husband likes to call our painting Keys Sunset. He fishes the Keys for two weeks every May{due back home this Wednesday- yay!}

and he says it looks just like the sun setting there. So I think we were meant to have this splendid piece of work.

For now we have given Keys Sunset a home on a ledge in our living room.

Thank you Karen. We love our painting and think that you're pretty sweet too.

Generous, inspirational, lovely, up-beat, always with a kind word- that's what I think of when I think of Art by Karena.

Memorial Day 2009~

~A feast for the tummy~

~A feast for the eyes~

~*~
Memorial Day 2009

No Words Needed~

~Mother Teresa~

~Maya Angelou~

~Meryl Streep~

~Coretta Scott King~

~Lauren Bacall~

~Jessica Tandy~

~Audrey Hepburn~

~Katherine Hepburn~