Riverside is on My Mind, But It's Alright

My brother Jim sent two (new to me) JJ Frey and Mofro cds me right before I left for Riverside. (It's GREY dumb dumb! I always say FREY! Geesh lola!) This is the band we saw in November in Nashville. I am in LOVE with this album. I've coined it the new Riverside soundtrack. I found the driftwood and old fused shells on the Gulf and brought them home. Sniffle.

Lochloosa is my new favorite song. I sang it all the way home.

Yes, obviously, I made it home safely. No traffic tickets. Sigh. I made pretty good time with a few breaks here and there. This section is for my nieces and SIL.

Humor me for a moment, please. I stopped off at my usual two-hour spot which is normally full of house-hold goodies.

This is what has replaced the first floor!

What eye candy, even though I don't have daughters.

Of course, I sent a phone photo to Ellen because these dresses are just TOO adorable.

Those two young ladies (my nieces) have quite the social calendar indeed. Love them! (The girls especially--but these dresses too!) Don't you?????

They even had long formal ones also.

Oh so beautiful! I could see Jacq in this little lime and peach number!

I'm gone for three days and all my flowers are dead--but somehow still sit in the mucky water on the island! lol. Boys. Blech.

Yep, it was definitely run by men this weekend. Look at the stove! Hey, at least they cooked in my absence. I've got me some cleanin' to do tomorrow!

Look at my poor hydrangea! Remember how gorgeous they were? Why did the pink wither up and the blue is good to go? Whattup wit dat?

I bought some fresh produce on my way out of town--well, don't know where the apples are from. My newly found favorite (yet another new fav) is pink grapefruit! I used to hate the stuff. Dean and Darlene served some while we were sitting on the docks the other night and woooosh!, I'm in love!

Of course, I've already cut into one!

These are my spices from Penzey's. We've opened each one and sniffed to our heart's desire--the kid and I. I used the sweet curry and Rogan Josh on my grilled chicken tonight. Perfecto!

And more Southern delights I found at the market. Yummy.

It's good to be home with the boys. Bella is settled out on the top front porch enjoying the nice cool nighttime. And, I'm about to do the same.

A Day at the Beach

I drove to the Gulf of Mexico today just to get some sand between my toes. It was a gorgeous morning but by the time I got to the shore, the clouds had rolled in. Beautiful just the same. While it looks cold and balmy, I had on clamdiggers and a tshirt and still broke up a sweat while walking--probably around the mid to upper 70s.

There were several people fishing on the shoreline. I have always wanted to sit and watch them pull one in. I never have.

This big ol' ugly jelly fish had just been washed up. Yuk. It was about the size of my head! Ew. But kinda neat, just the same. As long as it's not touching me!

Love these guys.

I also took a drive to Magnolia Springs and found one of the most beautiful tree-lined streets I have ever seen. Sorry for the blurr.

On the way back to the river, I stopped and ordered a salad to go from LuLu's. I saw this great surfboard that my brother Jim would die for! (Please notice the Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding! OMG!! Slather it on me, baby!)

These are the azaleas I picked and put in a bowl. This is my favorite color of azaleas.

So pretty.

Watching the River Flow

What an absolutely perfect day. The weather here is spot-on gorgeous. Sigh.

Days like this make me want to be down here all the time. That is, until summer would hit with the heat and humidity. Oy.

Darlene up the river came by this morning. She called Linda, down the river, and told her come over so we could finally meet. One is as sweet as the other. Love them both already. I had to giggle and tell Dar the bonus piece of protein (baby tree frog) that came with her luscious lettuce last night. We all got a good laugh over that.

After they left, I took some reading materials and sat on the dock for a couple of hours. That's a record for me, believe it or not. I'm not one to sit still very long. But like I said, it was absolutely perfect. High 70s, no humidity and a slight breeze. Doesn't get any better, I guarantee. Hey, give that girl some lipstick! Geesh! (My "haurr!" Ulysses Everett McGill)

No boat rides this trip. I'd get stuck somewhere, I'm sure!

I went for a little ride this afternoon after I got some chores done. The place is fairly dusted now. And I needed to go to the hardware store to get a new light switch. The kitchen switch is a tad wonky. Don't want the boys to fret while they're here starting next Friday!

The horses were out to pasture. This is right around the corner from Riverside. Sigh. The old pecan trees are a lovely sight.

And, of course, the travel cat is doing well. I promised the kid I would post a pic of Bella. Ew, icky nose Bell!

She tries her best to stay clean.

Happy Saturday everyone! Spring forward tonight! Grrrrrr.

Take Me to the River

I decided to drive down to Riverside yesterday and here I am. While this is actually Mobile Bay (I haven't taken any of the river yet), the river is just as beautiful, if not more so.

On my way down, I decide to stop off in Birmingham, AL for the first time. I had an aching to see the Penzey's Spice store in person and I wasn't disappointed.

It was well worth the searching all around Birmingham for it.

I made another stop which was definitely not worth it. I read about Pepper Place which is where Dr. Pepper used to be bottled. There were a lot of shops, but nothing really special that I could find.

I did like the sound of biscuits though. Of course. But, I didn't get any.

Today I did my walkabout town and the flower boxes are in full bloom. I love the different seasons here.

Looks like it was a good Mardi Gras here. Ya think?

Tonight, our neighbors gave me some freshly picked lettuce out of her garden. I sat down to eat it and I noticed this little guy. Do you think he jumped off the lettuce? Gee, I hope I didn't eat his little brother or sister. EW! He was the dickens to catch, but I finally did and put him outside. These little guys are just too cute. This was the youngest tree frog I had ever seen. He was smaller than my pinky nail! (You can barely see a penny in the upper-left side of the photo!)

The weather is gorgeous. I only wish every one else was here with me.

Bella's Baby Bibs

I finally finished all of my baby bibs, cleaned and ironed them. Then look at what happens. Bella decides that this is her nest. Of all the places she can lie in this house, she chose the bibs! Gee whiz. Do you think she's even supposed to be on this table at all? Nuh uh. Bad little kitty.

I couldn't help but giggle though. She fit perfectly on them. And I bet they were warm. Perhaps I should make her a little nest of her own. Do you think she would enjoy it as much? I doubt it.

I'm happy they are finally done and out the door to my new nephew. It's always a lot of fun shopping for cute novelty fabrics these days. So much to choose from. Even the terry seems to come in better colors recently (which is what I line each bib with).

Yay. Another project checked off my list. I'm making myself proud.

Fleurs

There are flowers everywhere! And, I can't get enough of them! I found these hydrangea at Costco earlier in the week. A tad early for hydrangea but that's ok. I still adore them. After the flowers are spent and the weather is warmer, I'll plant them in the back and wish for the best. Anything put in the back of the house fends for itself. Sometimes they live, sometimes they die. But I have a perfect shady spot, that gets lots of water, under the willow. So, we'll see. (Yes, I definitely need to find some pretty pots to put these in. That plastic has to go!

Today, the hub and I had to do a little grocery shopping and these hyacinths just jumped in my buggy! I especially liked the Easter egg colored petite pots.

Forced hyacinths always take me back to when the hub and I were first married. We lived in Georgetown and I worked at USA TODAY. Around the corner from our office was a fabulous garden shop that sold flowers and seasonal forced bulbs. That first spring, I had more hyacinths in the front parlor of our row house than the law allowed. The entire flat was always full of fresh flowers. The smell always brings back wonderful memories. It was fantastic being DINKs (double income/no kids) for the first couple of years.

Mom planted all the bulbs once I was finished with them; and they still grow in her yard today, as far as I know.

I finally decided I needed some fresh flowers in the kitchen and ordered from Flowerbud.

I decided on the ranunculas. They arrive in buds and it's always a joy to watch them all pop open.

The colors are spectacular, just what I needed!

So pretty and fresh.

Even the outdoors are beginning to pop. While some of the daffodils in the back that gets all the sun are opening, the front are still in their cocoons.

This is my little driveway corner. I always try and keep it cheery so when we drive it, it's good to be home.

I found these pinwheels a couple of weeks ago. I always get the plastic ones each year and they just don't last. I think if I keep these well oiled, they may just work out a little better.

This is what a Tennessee snow storm looks like. Tehe. All that's left of a beautiful night of falling snow. Oh well. Probably just as well with all the flowers I'm anticipating outside, right?