around here

Friday night pizza on the deck to celebrate it's (near) completion (my idea)
only it was still covered in sawdust and tools, and so
the inaugural meal turned into a bit of a griping session
okay, I admit it.... maybe I jumped the gun a little
so we ended up on the (newly clean and swept free of oak pollen) front porch
"ready, set, go!" races back and forth, back and forth
a new beer from a favorite local brewery

Saturday morning lead us, as always, to the market
friends, music, pastries, coffee
et cetera

after a trip to target
(always somewhat daunting to me because of that place's ability to suck me in,
make me ooh and ahh over (and spend money on) things I don't need)
in the parking lot,
after she was buckled in,
I realized I really needed to pee
so, right there next to the car, behind the bushes, adjacent to the woods...
I went.
afterwards, I wondered how many people would have been appalled by that
that to me, going behind the bushes in the target parking lot
(when there was a public restroom available perhaps 100 yards away)
was by far the easier and more preferred option for me
no question about it,
I've always been the "pee in the bushes" type
(just thought you should know)

wine and cheese porch party at my neighbor's place that evening
kids played in the yard (yes, I just included her in the "kids" category, yikes)
adults on the porch
talking, swinging, drinking, eating
I felt like such a grown up

we enjoyed many days of sunshine after all that rain
(and so did the tomatoes and strawberries and bees)
added the first super on one of the hives
they are looking good in there

and now the deck is done
yard and garden work is to the point of
"let's sit back and relax"
instead of
"how long before we get to the point where we can just sit back and relax?"

Sunday afternoon with friends
our girls in the pool
grown ups talking and laughing, papas and mamas
and discovering that melted truffles go ever so well with popcorn
a dangerous discovery
another baby to join the gang soon, so soon
any day, really

home for dinner
my favorite
scallops fresh from the Outer Banks
served over pasta,
and garlic and spinach from our garden
mmmmmmmm

Nana and Pipop arrived Monday morning after a long, late drive
they brought some treasures

a canoe they've had for decades
trips remembered by them, with the boat filled with their kids
trips remembered by Mike and I,  two spring break paddling trips in the everglades
not so long after we'd met
wow, was that really over a decade ago?

a dollhouse for Claire
built for one of her cousins by neighbors of her late maternal great grandparents
it is perfect, and she loves it so

slow, easy days filled with cooking, laughing, and catching up

Nana and Claire are returning from a long stroll to and around town
a stroll that gave this mama time to hang around,
paint my toenails (something I'm not really so sure about, and haven't done in years)
write this post,
and listen to the Otis Redding pandora station nice and loud.

cheers~