When This Old World Starts Getting You Down

Not to be outdone, Gus also rose. Up on the roof.

Pardon my Easter humor but I attended mass this morning at the little Episcopalian church in our hood and they handed out buttons that read: " Salvation. He nailed it".

When did Easter get so hip?

And how did Gus get up on the roof?

So many questions, so little sun.

I Love You Alice B. Toklas

This is such a random story I don't know why I'm compelled to tell it.  None the less.

My given name is not Jane. Instead it is a lengthy stream of saints names, that was unfortunately shortened to Peggy. Peggy was a burdensome name for me. I had an aunt of the same name I didn't care for plus Peggy always seemed to be in or about to get into trouble. By the time I hit my early twenties I'd had it with the trouble making Peggy.

One day I was reading The Autobiography Of Alice B. Toklas when I read this sentence: "Jane Heap came to tea today".

I was struck by the simplicity of the name. And she didn't appear to be a trouble maker.

So I stole the name. And used it happily for years until the IRS sent me a letter inquiring, well you know, what happened to me and who was she and why did we share the same social security number.

So now I used my given name for my legal affairs and am Jane to everyone else. And neither one of us has much of a reputation.

Recently I connected with an old friend from ghost town days via facebook. When I met him I had the goat named Luna, a dog named Chutney and I'm pretty sure my face was painted. Maybe with rainbows. Anyhoo, he still refers to me as Miss Heap.

This always makes me smile.

Unlike the fact that we're still waiting for spring.

Told you it was random.

Ah The Places We'll Go.

We appear to be suffering from cabin fever a la casa. In spite of Gus's best efforts I slept till 7:00am and after making my latte and feeding the critters, we all crawled back into bed to do a little reading and watch the snow come down.

The Tasmanian devils seemed to understand this was something new, they stared and stared, tails twitching in unison,and then they beat the stuffing out of one another. Then they stared some more.

It's 3 hours later and they haven't gone near the front door to mew pitifully and beg me to let them out. Or to break themselves out.

 Instead they have turned the house into a race track. 

For an unknown reason the roommate has had a small bag of  unopened dog kibbles in her room.

They were discovered and ripped open with gay abandon and sharp little kitten claws. Then left, unloved, lying in the middle of the floor.

The assumption being " Don't worry, Jane will clean it up". "Wheee, let's go toss litter around the back room".

Jane has done all the appropriate snow cleaning and cooking: steel cuts oats that require 40 minutes of simmering and a big pot of turkey and black bean chili. 

Jane also gets to walk out of here about 1:00 for lunch and shopping with friends.

See you later little suckers.Don't even try looking all cute and innocent.

Bipeds rule.

And hold the keys to the kingdom.

Drag Into Spring

Possibly the only signs of spring in Northern Virginia are in my casa.

So I feel I must keep my flowers in the house refreshed.

A stem of lilac from California gets the party started.

This gives me the scent I've been missing.

Now for a dash of color.

A vivid orange ranunculus and a piece of ammi.

And finally the dogwood I mean magnolia, god break ups make you stupid, branch I've been nursing along all week has come into flower.

Excellent. I think we're ready to turn up the heat, make a cup of hot green tea, and enjoy the season.

30 degrees Celsius? Nice day

30 degrees Fahrenheit? Freaking cold,
The weathermen are suggesting we don't even leave our houses on Sunday it will be so nasty.

The groundhog lied.

Flowers In The Green House: March 2013

For the newly single Sunday can be a hard day.

If it's warm and sunny then the garden beckons.

But when the skies and grey and the air chilly, it's best to stay inside and fill the house with green(s).

The roommate, the Colonel, is in the Army reserves.

When she's not marching off to the Pentagon, she's home in South Bend, Indiana with her family, working at Notre Dame University.

And we all know nobody celebrates St. Patrick's Day like the Fighting Irish.

So to ease her loneliness I brought her a potato planted with clover.

Cause nothing says Erin Go Bragh like an Idaho.

Gus put his own stamp on a little green vase with a rose, hydrangea, mums, deciduous huckleberry and rosemary.

He's deff following in my footsteps. 

We put a vase of ranunculus and scabiosa in the bedroom.

In the living room a garden rose was left to open next to a magnolia branch.

Then we sat back and waited for some St. Patrick's Day magic.

And sure enough, along came a leprechaun.

And suddenly the room was full of rainbows and lucky charms.

He's magically delicious don't you know.

Spring Forward: FITH Invite

I am so going to miss my bus if I don't get a move on.

But I wanted to extend a hasty invite to March FITH.

We've got a cold and rainy weekend coming up.

So let's all have something to look forward to on Monday.

You, me, flowers,colors, scents, maybe kittens.....

 If we post it it will come.

Planning And Dreaming

I am savoring a rare moment of happiness.

I had a great workout and though I know pain is in my future, my present is flooded with endorphins, and poppies.

And I've been taking care of business lately which gives me that fabulous tho probably false sense of being in charge of my day to day affairs.

Does anyone remember my backyard berm that used to hold 8 30' Leyland Cypress?

They may have sucked every drop of moisture out of that berm thus condemning any other plant to a swift death.

They may have swayed scarily in every high wind we had and threatened to topple over onto a neighbor's house whenever a little hurricane passed our way.

But they shielded the house from an alley, the people who congregate in said alley and help to block out a hotel one street away.

Now they are gone and all that remains are 8 stumps, a nasty chainlink fence, people in the alley at night smoking cigarettes I hope, and that hulking hotel.

It is not pretty. I have stared out the window and fretted. I have stomped around the backyard, phone in hand and bitched about the stumps and the ugliness that remains. I have worried and refused to look any longer.

And then I finally called a bunch of tree services and got several estimates for stump grinding and removal.  And it appears to be an affordable service.

Once they are gone?  Then I can think of what to plant where and how to regain my garden and my serenity.

I'm gonna get my pretty back.  As God is my witness.

Stay tuned.

On Blue Bayou

Well now that I've come out of the closet, so to speak, we can revisit Florida.

If we were on texting terms this is the message you would have received from me on Sunday:" It's freakin' freezing".  Nuff said.

Monday was a beautiful springlike day. Not unlike Virginia yesterday, but with delicious foods, 9 hours sleep ( let's hear it for blackout blinds), surprisingly long dog walks, well surprising to one who is used to walking a lab. But these little guys can really shake a leg.

  But they slowed down long enough for me to get some pictures of the flora.  

It's always so amazing to me to see the product, shipped to us to use in flower arrangements, growing in nature.

Clusters of dates, Spanish moss hanging about, philodendron leaves and stag horn ferns growing up/into a tree. There was hibiscus, nasturtiums, cherry tomatoes, oleander, birds of paradise, rhododendron and euphorbia cactus blooming.

And the view out the front door? A bayou. 

A bayou. I didn't stay longer why?

The Full Monty

I keep trying to write a post but first I have to read yours and then Gus is in the mood for love which means I have to lean over and scratch along his whole length stretched out on the rug just beyond my reach. This takes time and flexibility.

But I'm back, just to let you know I can really shake em down. Name that tune.

Well it wasn't easy the flying thing, tho if you had seen me at the airport you might not have known and if I can find the picture Susan took of me and my hostage seat mate I will post it here.

I'm the blonde.

Much love and many thanks.

Next up: the flora and fauna of Florida.

xo Jane

Fly Me To The Moon

Aim Higher.

 That's my motto for March. I stole it from the roommate who is doing The Happiness Project.

Aim High...Fly-Fight-Win is the  motto of the Air Force, appropriately enough, since I'm on my way to the airport.

Where I will be flying, fighting fear and winning self respect.

I expect to feel like a rock star when I get off that plane.

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right?

Okey dokey, I'm outta here.

One, two three.....

 

Y'all better be the wind beneath my wings!