FIVE FEET!

As those of you who have observed thirteen year-olds will attest, kids at that age grow ferociously quickly.
Lately, Boo has been mostly morphing into a young woman (holy human biology!) and not necessarily putting on height, a fact that has made her irritable and caused outbursts like:
“I’m doomed to be short – I’m NEVER going [...]

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Photo F-Friday

I have a plethora of green things on the verge of flowering, but happily, I also have blooms. Veering from the true philosophy of the first F, ie floral, I am substitution another F, folial as in leaves, although I am not certain that it’s the correct word!
Mostly, it’s because of these simply stunning leaves [...]

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My mind is making me nuts: a list

Certainly it’s not a unique phenomenon, but lately my mind doesn’t shut up and I have found myself waking from the clamor of my thoughts.
Constantly.
So, not only is the insomnia making me whiny (sorry!), but it’s doing dastardly deeds to my thinking and my ability to NOT angst.
What am I thinking about?
1. Job: WILL I [...]

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Ten Things Tuesday – Summertime!!

Yes, I did promise I would review the best things about the speeches I have heard from some very talented students, but I have just experienced a GLORIOUSLY sunny and gorgeous weekend and have shifted into high-gear summer thinking, so I will postpone the speech list until next week. Also, Mrschili and her sister [...]

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Apple cake

Two years ago, in a frenzied search for something new to bake for my family, I stumbled upon a recipe for an apple cake. Entitled, “Grandma’s old-fashioned applecake,” it has never failed to arouse drool and requests for seconds. As I type this, I have two cakes in the oven for the birthday [...]

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Photo F-Friday

So many things are THISCLOSE to blooming, others have since faded and still others are just maybe, perhaps possibly going to floral out; here I speak or type specifically about my peones, now 4 years transplanted and taking their sweet time recovering from the ordeal of transplantation and forgiving me. OOH, they have buds! [...]

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Ten Things Tuesday: BAD speeches

Having taught public speaking now 4 times, I have heard a variety of topics appallingly handled, and some beautifully. For the purposes of this list, I am going to tackle to perfectly awful first.
What NOT to do in an informational speech
1. Superficial AND inaccurate is NOT the way to go. For instance, [...]

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Gotta get that garden planted…

Here in the Northeast of the United States we have a ridiculously short growing season, already upon us.
My delightful and ready to get dirty family and I are almost but not yet quite ready to plunk tiny seeds into well-prepared rows. There is work to be done! Much of that [...]

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Spring Flowers

My magnolia tree is young yet – it hasn’t got the size it needs to be truly magnificent, but those blossoms are amazing, aren’t they?

I’m not actually certain what this is, but I’ll be photographing it all season, so I’ll figure it out when it gets bigger.

These are wild irises!  We found them growing in [...]

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Trials and Tribulations of a friend

When I was in the seventh grade, I became friends with one of those people whose smile is infectious, whose warmth and kindness and quick wit makes her the sort of person who stands out from the murk of adolescent bullshit and backstabby bitches.
Back then my friend always went out of her way to celebrate [...]

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