As I sat on the deck this morning reflecting on Good Times, I was in awe of this day seeming identical to a day and a post more than 2 yrs ago! Even down to the fishermen!! So, instead of writing the same thoughts, I am re-posting those thoughts from an early fall September morning 2009!!
A SOUTHERN CHICK'S VIEW OF SUMMER SLIPPING INTO FALL
As I sit on the deck of our lakehouse, I find myself feeling all of my senses at once. You know how it is, we go thru our days like robots. Get this done, get that done...accomplish goals that we've set for ourselves.....and do it in a hurry. But one morning last week, our weather changed. The morning air was cool, almost chilly...which is a word that is thrown around loosely in the south, for what feels chilly to us is still deep summer to folks above the Mason Dixon line! But I felt change. Breezes and smells. The look of the trees, not yet losing leaves, but beginning to let go of their grasp, while losing the deep, rich greens that they exhibit during summer months. A few cypress trees were even glowing a bit of orange when the sun hit them at just the right angle. So, I decided to sit. To feel the air. To breathe deeply so I could smell the rich aromas of the fall-like air. To look at every color of all the trees now so I can remember when the first sightings of color change would be. To listen to the hummingbird's 'buzz' for they will be gone soon for the season too, not to return until spring comes back around the corner. The only sense I was missing was the sense of taste, albeit my coffee was tasting very good this morning...but when I closed my eyes, I actually could imagine the bacon cooking at a campground full of Labor Day campers, using this last weekend of summer to quench their needs for the outdoors. And we all know, there isn't a better smell in the world than a pan of bacon frying in the outdoors on a slightly chilly fall morning!!
So, I sat down to write. To write the things I was seeing, hearing and feeling on this morning, as summer slip-slides into fall:
~the breezes push the soft ripples in the water toward the south
~the faint call of the crow soothes me in familiarity
~little American flags, on the deck, blowing in unison as a backdrop for the last of the flowering plants
~the hummingbirds sashaying in and out with such a hurried plan to get to their food; like a nursing baby excitedly searches for its mother's milk
~the greens are everso slowly beginning their ritual of turning, first to a dull lighter green, then to yellow to orange to brown
~in the distance is the muted sound of the fishermen. Talking and laughing and as if on cue....their corks plop into the water. Then there is silence among them. It's probably this therapy of solutude in the arms of companionship that keeps bringing them back to the waters
~somewhere, far away, I hear the sounds of water tumbling over rocks and falling like the twitter of angel wings into a bigger body of liquid
~soothing. relaxing. enchanting. meloncholy. therapeutic.
These feelings fuel my soul and allow me the intimacy to look inside, feel the calmness and the acknowledgement that this moment in my life is good. It's what He intended for me....this little southern taste of heaven on earth. I thank Him. I applaud Him. I ~~sigh~~ with contentment!!
and this next one didn't come from photo booth, but it sends happy chills all over me everytime I look at it......where did the time go? how did he get so grown up? Grown up enough to get married??
My new daughter in law and ms. Lilli and I!
A delicious southern meal of marinated crab claws and fried shrimp with famous remoulade! And on the drive home while secretly beaming with pride because of my boy's choices for wives, I chased a sunset all the way home! Makes one realize that we live in such a beautiful world!
What a lovely afternoon! Beautiful venue, friendly women and songs from the heart of a beautiful young college girl. This is a literary club that also is a civic organization that raises money for many things in their community.
That would be Little Diva LILLI!!! She's staying with YaYa this weekend and this was just one of our walks today!! She loves pink, sunglasses and stickers!! Oh.....and her YaYa!! All the boys are at the deer camp and her mom is having a girls weekend in Dallas. So, it's just been me n' Lilli and we've been having a blast!
She mostly liked her big ol' chunk of watermelon! 
"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile." ~~William Cullen Bryant~~
As I sit here tonight, remembering exactly where I was and what I was doing, as well as thinking of the past 10 yrs. since that horrid day...........I feel so proud to be American. Although the schlups (tried and tried to think of a nice way to name them; yet, this was all I could come up with) tried with all their might to take down the United States of America.....we have survived.
Since all the cabinet knobs and pulls are venetian bronzed color, I decided to 'whimsy' it up a bit with these cuties on the pantry doors. Also on the corner cabinet, I threw two polka dotted knobs on them that match the island doors!
How bout this for an organized pantry?? Heh, note the lack of anything in it...that to ME is organization!
Just a wee bit how it looked when the installer FINALLY left at almost 8pm on Friday night....tile still has to be installed on island and backsplash, but whoop, whoop.......I'm finally getting stuff put back in!!! Final pics to come upon total completion!! (and I promise the light will be good on those)
This is one happy mama grinnin' from ear to ear!!!!
Kick-Off? Right now!!!! Number 3 Oregon playing number 4 LSU Tigers on ABC!!!!
That looks and sounds a whole lot nicer than OMG...MY WHOLE HOUSE IS TORN UP AND THERE IS A KINDA STINKY MAN IN THERE TEARING IT ALL APART!! So.....I will stick to the "remodel" word and tell ya that we have gutted the kitchen at the lake house. (maybe I should look up the word "gut" too...nah!!) Our little heaven on the water was built in the early 70's. By some men who lived around here. Who liked their beer; therefore, not much in this house is level or straight but oh how we love it everso anyway! You know how it begins.....let's put a dishwasher in...I've had a portable roll around dishwasher for 15 yrs cuz there wasn't one in the house. Then.....let's replace those cabinet door fronts because the hinges were starting to rot off. But these were no standard "leveled" door fronts and the replacement doors would not fit. So, we went from "just installing a dishwasher" to "gutting the whole kitchen and beginning anew. SO EXCITING!! The tear down began this past monday and today the lower new cabinets are in and the countertop is going on. Hope to be completed by mid week next week!!
In the meantime, we have no working water in the kitchen, appliances or a sink, and there is hardly a bare space in the house that there is not some type of kitchen paraphenalia. Took me almost as long to unload the kitchen as it is taking him to re-model it!!!
Old 1970's kitchen, that deep in my heart, I really loved!
new cabinets that I'm also gonna SO love!
