Flattery will get you everywhere

A beautiful sunny day here at Nutwood! Not exactly balmy, but after a visit to the store, I walked around and picked some some good-sized limbs that had come down after our high winds a few days ago. I was able to be out without a jacket, and it felt good to be outside and do a little yard work. I'm in the mood for Mexican, so tonight it's nachos! Or as I like to call them, snachos. Not sure where that came from.

Guess what I got at the grocery store? Pomegranate juice. As I gaze deeply into my crystal ball, I foresee pomegranate martoonis in our near future! (And yes, I've already found a recipe.) When I serve them, I shall wear capris and ballet flats while we listen to some groovy tunes on our hi-fi stereo. I suppose martinis aren't all that retro these days, are they? They're quite the rage now. We even have a martini bar in South Bend, Indiana. And that's sayin' something.

I was very flattered to be pimped highlighted by a couple of bloggers I respect very much. Rebecca at Provocation of Mine(d) is a remarkable writer, and she mentioned my blog in her entry today. I can't begin to tell you how pleasantly surprised I was, and I thank you, Rebecca. You're a peach!

Lori of Dusty Pages has passed along the Kreativ Blogger award to me. Thank you, Lori! Lori and I share a love of words, their origins, uses, etc. Be sure to check out her shared blog I Stand Corrected, in which she was kind enough to add me as a writer. (Which reminds me, I really need to work on an entry for it! It's been a while.) I had received this award a while back, but Lori's bequest comes with an assignment. As I do with all awards, if I read you, it's for a reason, and I pass this award on to you. The homework involved looks like fun, so I'll do it! I'm supposed to write about seven things I love.

Only seven?! Okay, you all know the usual suspects: Ken, of course! (Awww!) My family. And Sheeba. Music that RAWWWWKS! Movies. Route 66. Birds wildlife cats books conservation art Googie signs ancient Egypt politics...I've written about all these things here many times, but I'll try to dig a little deeper and be a tad more specific, or at least go beyond the usual.

So here we go, and thank you again, Rebecca and Lori. You are both women of distinction, and I'm proud to know you.

1. Sitting outside on the deck on a warm summer day, when the sounds of outdoor activity subside. It's a weekday, so there are few cars going by, and the neighbors aren't running their lawnmowers or chainsaws. The only sounds are those of the birds and a gentle breeze ruffling the leaves. I never feel so at peace when I'm in that place and just look around me, and listen, with delight. If you were to see me at these moments, you'd see an idiotic grin on my face, with my head tipped back.

2. Sometimes when doing that, I'll get lucky, and a hummingbird will come up and hover in front of my face. Their little eyes sparkle and seem to ask, "Who are you, lady? And are you the one who feeds me? Thanks!" The air is stirred by the rapid beat of their tiny wings, and no matter how many times it happens, it still amazes me and makes me hold my breath until they fly away.

3. Being out in the garden and hearing a rustle in the marsh grass a few feet away...looking up and seeing a big-eyed and big-eared doe looking back at me.

4. Driving with the top down (the Mustang's, not mine) on a warm summer night, singing along to a cool song.

Gee, do you think I'm ready for summer? It really is my favorite time of year, and I'm excited that it's getting close.

5. I love it when Ken asks me, "How do you spell...?" and tells me a word. I spell it out, e.g., "R-H-Y-T-H-M" and then say the word: "Rhythm." It's like a tiny, pretend spelling bee. And I always win!

6. Learning something new. Finding out more about a subject. Researching for an entry (yes, sometimes I really do some research!). Traveling to a place I haven't been before and learning about its history, or traveling to a place I have been before and finding out something new about it. It's the thrill of the hunt, and I'm hunting information. (Be vewy vewy quiet.)

7. And we're back to summer: having the bedroom windows open at night, feeling the cool breeze, snuggling down into crisp cotton sheets, and hearing the frogs "peeping" out in the ponds. For me, it's like a sleeping pill courtesy of Mother Nature.