the door blew open

It's been swinging between opressively still and stinkin' humid, and briskly breezy around here, the past few days. I was walking Cricket yesterday morning, and it was raining, and I was sweating anyway. Ugh. I do like the brisk breezes better.

Last week, though, a big gust blew our front door open and I went out to take a look at what the hillside was offering.


Bouganvilla is my new favorite flower. I love the papery, delicate petals, and the real flower, which is the little cream center. We only have these lipstick red ones, but I've seen a combination planting of this color and magenta, that's heartbreakingly gorgeous.


Some potted jade, hardy stuff, that jade, resisting my neglect, and tinged with a little blush. Little Rainbo, the deceased cockatiel used to love nothing more than to get out of his cage and chew our indoor jade plants into oblivion. I guess that succulent plant was a tasty treat to him.



Our mystery citrus, which has refused to set fruit up to this point, in spite of blossoms. I was hoping for a lime, for the cocktails and cooking, but it's thrown its full effort into making one orange.

Finally, the plumeria tree, which is my great Hawaiian botanical love. Fragrant, shady and proof enough that sometimes, it's downright paradisical around here.

Other breaking news...Eleanor is off the needles but unfringed and unblocked for now. Pictures coming soon. I got a job at my same old school (hmmmm...) as a reading and math resource teacher. No problem, I'm okay with it. My own space, and working with much more collaborative teachers than last year. Still...my summer vacation ends in a week. One week!!

After all the swirling drama of my headachiness, I was diagnosed with arthritis of the cervical spine - not very advanced, my course of the muscle relaxants went well and I've been pretty much pain free. Of course I'm also kind of stress free these days, so go figure. I've been getting massage, and am feeling pretty fine - hoping to maintain it for awhile.

Summer has flown by, a flurry of snorkeling, clacking needles, and lots of dog training; today I had a private obedience lesson with Cricket, in which we worked on aggression issues, focus and general compliance. He was pronounced "trying very hard, he's so responsive, he's in the game". Ahh, Cricket, with his funky charm, Dogtor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde himself. The private lesson was well worth the cost, and we have some things to work on for a few weeks.

I am submerging with the ongoing re-reads of the Harry Potter books, books I meant to be finished with last week. I'm starting "Half-Blood Prince" tonight. Fortunately (foolishly) I ordered book 7 from Amazon, and I seriously doubt I'll see it here before mid week, so I'll be off the internets til all this is resolved. Til then, it's all Harry, all the time.