yard photos from Ad

My fabulous and very talented husband took these photos on our yard this week. Does anyone know what the tiny purply-blue flowers are called? They're very small and crawly and seem to be taking over a section of the yard. The coal scuttle was a yard sale find - I love it and think the geraniums look very nice in it! The woman who was selling it actually used it in her house when growing up in Newfoundland; they burned coal when she was a kid.

bee bum for Beth

A bee bum in an apple tree in Tatamagouche. I thought of you, Beth!

Tata pictures

Tatamagouche

I spent the past couple of days in Tatamagouche for an in-service - what a beautiful spot! And there's the coolest bed and breakfast there that is in a train. I woke up at 5:40 the first (beautiful and sunny) morning and went for a walk around 7:00. A deer trotted out of the woods in front of me on the trail which runs along the water; she stopped, I stopped, we looked at each other for a seond, and off she bounded back amongst the trees. It was a magical morning, for lack of a better word. I also very strongly smelled a skunk, saw some kind of carcass and later in the day a grouse nearly flew straight into my face. And that evening, there was the most incredible rainbow out across the water. It was very fat. Amazing! I also learned lots from the other teachers, and all of that work-related stuff. It was a splendid couple of days, but there's no place like home. Onions are doing well, honeysuckle is open, the petals are starting to fall from the japanese cherry and the quince trees, and the birds are going crazy outside. Pictures coming up!

cherry tree

Another beautiful day, and our cherry tree is in bloom! How exciting. In other news, I gave blood this week and didn't pass out or even feel like it, for which I was thankful. And I filled the bag in 10 minutes, which I thought sounded quite impressive. Also in other news, my Mount Saint Vincent diploma, confirmation that I actually did complete my Master's degree, arrived on Friday. Ahhhhh.

another yellow tulip

on graduation day

On graduation day
At taxidermy school
I distinctly saw the eyes
Of the stuffed moose
Move.

That's from 'A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag' by Gordon Korman - my favourite book by him, methinks. Every time I hear the words 'graduation day' or 'taxidermy school', that's what pops to mind. So what's the connection to today, you ask? It's my graduation day from my Master's program! I have a lovely sense of accomplishment. Yesterday was my fourth anniversary of being married to my fabulous husband and we're going away for the weekend... the sun's supposed to come out (it's about time - it's been raining all week) and we'll have a lovely time on the beach. Ahhhhhhhhh.

new lens

I took these today with Adam's new macro lens. If you remember any of the previous quince blossom pictures, isn't there a striking difference in colour between the forced blooms and the natural ones? I just can't get over how beautiful a flower is - and how I have nothing to do with it being so amazing.

handmade update

Updates on the natural body stuff I made recently and how it's working:

Olive cleanser: Very nice. I use it in the morning, and use jojoba refresher from The Body Shop after, to get the residue off. In the evening, I use SpectroDerm. My skin is much less dry than it was - a very good thing.

Lemon Almond Hand Cream: Also very nice - reminds me very much of Burt's Bees cuticle butter. Quite greasy, but it absorbs after a few minutes. I think it would be nice on the feet before bed with a pair of socks.

Simple shampoo: Never really thickened. The recipe called for 'soap flakes' and I used grated soap that Annie and I made, so I think that may have had something to do with it. Not a high enough soap-to-water ratio, methinks.

Eye makeup remover: Very good. I just have to be careful not to use too much and get it in my eye. A tiny tiny bit does the trick! (Side note: As I was on my way to buy new makeup remover pads, I decided that I would use washcloths instead. They can be used more than once before washing, and they won't be adding to a landfill. Another tiny thing that can make a difference.)

Also, I made some olive moisturizing lotion yesterday. I used it last night and didn't really like the texture (super greasy) but my skin felt wonderful this morning. I'll try it again tonight.

bumper sticker vomit

DO NOT TRUCK THIS END

I saw that on a sticker on the back of an electrical company's van today. Can anyone tell me what it might possibly mean?

In other news, I saw more vomit from a student yesterday. Different student. She has a concussion, unfortunately. We were on our way back to her classroom, I was asking her to use her monocular to look at a class display on the wall, and up it came. She was (understandably) upset and the first thing she said was, "I didn't even know it was coming!" Kind of pitiful. Kind of gross.

tequila sunrise

lotv

Some of our many lilies of the valley have opened, and they are perfect. Adam dug up two tiny (and very dirty) bottles in the garden, and that's what I placed the flowers in. And they smell wonderful. I'm at home today, feeling pretty gross. I caught some kind of cold-y bug (from one of my students, no doubt) so I thought I'd keep my germs to myself. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow, and Adam won't catch it.