May Day & Murphy's Law

MAY DAY........MAY DAY....ahhhh the visions of youth dancing around the Maypole.....I can still recall last year when in an attempt to engage my 93 year old mother in "blogging",she told her own tale about May Day....what lovely images her story conjures up..I can almost smell the lily of the valleys.

Our May Day was a little different this year, as was Arbor Day

and Easter,
and well just about every day the last few weeks. We have begun to embark on a journey that no homeowner wants to....renovating, beginning with a new window in the den...
...and trust me any work in an 85 year old home is filled with surprises......

Take AC...no not Atlantic City, although had we won a million or two it would be easier to begin working on our "home". We do not have duct work....we have working ducks
.... but no duct work. That means that in order to install the central air conditioning, we have to have ducts run throughout the house, the closets, the walls, and anywhere else they feel we need them.

Why are we doing it now, after living here for twenty years? Well we currently have not one but SIX window units, and for all of you who think that if you live 3 blocks from the ocean that it is a cool breeze that you feel on hot summer nights...WRONG!

Sorry Charlie, but it is warm air...stagnant warm air. Also after the electric bills from last year, we decided to bite the bullet and get it installed. It gets a little insane turning the window units on and off, with the fans, all day long for Mom who is hot, then cold, then hot..no wait that's me now ;o) (hint hint)

That's where Murphy's law comes into the picture ( and the picture I will be referring to is none other than, "The Money Pit"

Right after we signed the contract to finance our major purchase, we had a storm here....and the roof began to leak....and then the hot water heater began to leak...and then my brains began to leak...I know that my brains leaked as well, because I saw Becky and Gus running away with them in the yard, trying to find a place to bury them
......that would be in the deep holes that we dug for the two trees we were planting for Arbor Day.

So here we are....with new trees, a new hot water heater, a repaired roof and awaiting the destruction of our home..be it ever so humble,as Dorothy said, "There's No Place Like Home!"

Being Aware

Often times we tend overlook the simple pleasures in life...

....the natural beauty that is all around us....

........joy that is always close by...

......a visit from an acquaintance......

.........an opportunity to take in a moment of peace.....

....if we pay close attention.....

......we will see that God's love is all around us...

..sometimes we just have to look even closer.....

.....No matter what...His love is always present.......we just need to be quiet..and listen...

"Be still, and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10

Happy Spring On Blue Monday!

Can you feel it in the air?

I thought that it would NEVER return!

How long have we been waiting for it?

Can you EVER remember waiting with SUCH anticipation?

Was it worth the wait?

It certainly was!

SPRING IS HERE AT LAST!!!

We all hope that you enjoyed the weekend and finally were able to dig in the dirt....
except for you G-Dog ;o)

****** AN ADDED NOTE****************

Carrie @ Cottage Cozy was kind enough to let Angus and I know about Blue Monday!
I wanted to share my little cup and saucer set with you all for my first Blue Monday contribution.

I found this at a really neat thrift shop...almost thirty years ago, when we were on Martha's Vineyard ( yep..you can find a thrift shop there ;o...and yes you CAN stay there on a budget ) I can remember where I found it and when I found it and how happy it made me feel! We had already purchased our first home and were naturally going with a nautical theme decor...PERFECT FIND!
Made in England, it was part of a collection of Port of Calls..best $2.00 that I have ever spent on a souvenir!


Our contribution will be a set of 4 blue themed flower note cards with envelopes.
They will feature the pretty myrtle blossom, in the final picture of today's post!
Working on Mr. Linky and the blue bugzzzzz buzzing on the pc ;o)
Giveaway ends midnight Sunday March 29th....Good Luck Everyone!!!!
Click on the BIRDIE TEXT for more Blue Monday info :o)

I am SOOOOOO behind on posts !!!

As you can tell I am in the garden, trying to savor the sweet rewards of Spring. Roses never look or smell as good as they do, the first few weeks in Spring ~ I guess after a long sleep they have reason to look smashing :o)



We are just about ready to start the second half of the backyard project. If you look at where the old posts are you will see waaaaaaaaaay in the back, the first transplanted grapevine...our missiion......to become true winos ~LOL...seriously, this is the year of the berry and the grape. Pretty soon our mulberry trees will be weeping tears( errrrrrr make that berries ) of joy.



Chipotle-Mulberry Sauce:

1/4 cup red raspberry vinegar
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 cup crushed mulberries
1 chipotle in adobo, minced

In a sauce pan, combine the vinegar, garlic, mulberries, and chipotle and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and puree if you want a smoother sauce. This will be intensely purple!

Use to glaze the chicken or ribs, but if you do them on the grill watch carefully because the sauce is sticky and will burn quickly.

Makes about 1/2 cup

Let's see, what else? Well, they make an awesome cobbler, but mush up a bit too much for a pie unless you mix them with rhubarb or peaches or maybe even apples. Well, that's my opinion, anyway, my Grandpa would argue, he loved mulberry pie. If you do make it, be sure to cook and thicken the mulberry filling before filling the shell so the crust doesn't get too soggy.

I also think they'd make a pretty lavender colored ice cream, and might be good if pureed and strained and added to lemonade.
Credit for this smashing recipe given to ANNIE at:http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cooking/msg0415122012507.html
Now Gussy dog........GET OUT OF THOSE BERRIES!!!!

Flower bulb delivery today!

Well here it is almost Friday and Gussy Dog and I are waiting for the mailman. He PROMISED that our new bulbs would be here today ( and not a moment too soon !) As our battle with Ginger the squirrel continues, we will attempt one more time to replace missing summer bulbs......yes she may be winning the battle, but we will win the war....I think.