❂ Weekend Plans? May 23-25, (26 Memorial Day - US) 2014 ❂

Weather permitting I'll be cleaning up my beds and planting herbs and veggies. Tried to scale back a bit this year as I ended up with an overabundance of certain things last year. For example I had so much white eggplant I couldn't even give it away fast enough.

What will you be doing?

I didn't know eggplant came in white. I bet it is very cool looking.

The husband and I are going to the coast on Saturday. Sunday I hope to get in a bike ride or a walk up the local butte. And my mom just asked me to go over on Monday to help her with her quilt blocks for this month. There is a new technique in it and she's worried she won't do it right. No worries, mom, it took me three tries to get it right. :)

I think it's going to be overcast and rainy, so maybe I'll try for that elusive waterfall in western NH. Maybe hang with some family if they get the lake house open. Monday going to a group kayak trip on a lake I've never paddled.

We are on our last leg of travelling to NC to visit Jim's folks. We're camping at 'South of the Border' at the moment, and should be at his mom's house by early afternoon.

We're staying there for a couple of weeks. No idea what anyone has planned (if anything) for the weekend. But we'll be visiting everyone I'm sure.

I'm doing a photo shoot at the new branch of Sherman's Books here in town at 8a tomorrow, and then hope to spend the rest of my long weekend with books and cats and maybe some grilled deliciousness if the weather cooperates.

Nothing too special: today I have two exercise groups to do (Yay me! trying to get more fit), tomorrow there is absolutely nothing planned so I expect I'll either go visit IKEA which I've wanted to do ever since moving back into my house... months ago...., Sunday I'll open our HOA library for some Silent Reading, and then join in with a few folks for a little picnic and some music making; and finally, on Memorial Day there are no plans so I'll probably read! Yay for reading.

ETA: if I'm feeling free and easy I might just get the camera and the tripod out and attempt to revisit my hobby.

Tonight we are attending a BBQ thrown my my son-in-law to mark my daughter's departure from Ireland where she has spent the first twenty-five years of her life. (Sniff! Sniff!) My son-in-law is kidnapping her and dragging her screaming and shouting (not) to Geneva and ultimately to Boston.

The rest of the weekend will be spent taking down my wife's election posters and, hopefully, celebrating her election to the local council. Voting is in progress as I type and the count starts tomorrow morning at 7am.

This is going to be a busy, and highly emotional, weekend.

Oh, wow! Yes, that does sound like an emotional weekend, pgmcc!

I'm keeping this weekend quiet as next week involves travel to Boston and it's already a short work week with Monday's holiday. But I am promising myself that I will read one whole book over the course of the next three days. I don't know which one, but I am going to finish a book. Oh, and I'm going to bake what the British cookbooks call a madeira cake. (Heavily oriented towards butter so cholesterol levels will be elevated.)

>8 jillmwo: It is called a madeira cake because it was designed to be eaten while drinking Madeira wine from the island of Madeira.

I hope you enjoy it.

>2 catzteach: I've grown 2 kinds of white eggplant in the past couple of years. A regular one that is the same size as the purple, but is a lovely cream color and an Asian white, which is much slimmer and very mild in taste. I enjoyed them both immensely, but the plants came in 6 packs. I'm going to seek out a single one of the regular white this year, I think. And maybe one of these, as well.



>7 pgmcc: Big hugs to all of you. that is tough, but so exciting for them.

>8 jillmwo: I'm rooting for you. :o)

There will be cooking, there will be cooking, reading, relaxing. On Monday, I will be visiting the cemetery to remember those who gave their lives for our country.

More sorting and sharing in Mom's house, and going with her and my sisters to decorate graves.

The libraries near my folks' house have their book sales this weekend, so I'll be buying and then lugging cartons of books. And then hopefully adding them to my LT.

I just made arrangements to buy a collection of orchid pots, growing media and lights from a person who's giving up the hobby, and I'm picking them up tonight (Friday). It's likely far more than I need personally, but I know people who have orchids (my brother-in-law and Northernstar to mention two) and can share around what I don't need.

Saturday is the Horticultural Society plant exchange and sale and I'll be there in the morning, selling memberships and probably buying plants. I never get organized enough to dig up anything to exchange, but maybe tonight... Rest of Saturday will be gardening and maybe a trip to a couple of garden centres to pick up stuff I'm short of.

Sunday morning I'm volunteering at a family event at the local nature centre. I shall be talking about worm composting. After that, more gardening.

>14 tardis: Ooo - I saw the posting about that orchid stuff, and was going to ask if you were interested. I'd love to take some of it off your hands.

I'm going in the local hospital foundation "bed races" tonight with a team from the fire department, I'm the bed rider. We won in our class last year. It is a fun event, involving pushing a hospital or homemade bed on wheels down the street, around a corner and back to the start. To add challenge, there is a task to perform at the halfway point. Saturday I'm going for a run, then working in the garden. Sunday may be a hike or more garden work.

Going for a long walk with my sweetie tomorrow as she preps for the final leg of the AT. We'll be enjoying the first weekend with both of us in town in a long time.

>4 majkia: What part of NC?

>3 Bookmarque: " if they get the lake house open." - Magical words, in my opinion.

Well, I was going to have a blow-out party on my ridgetop, but guests were falling out for various reasons - mostly car issues and then a broken ankle. grounded a whole family. So I decided to drive to Pittsburgh and spend the weekend with sisters and dad. I had to cancel my Christmas trip to PA because I was having car issues in December.
So we'll eat and drink and pray for each other, possibly go see the nesting eagles, and also make the pilgrimage to IKEA.
Meeting my sister's new grandbabies is the highlight.

#16> Eastern, Williamston, east of Rocky Mount, west of Hatteras.

So I went waterfall hunting again today, but the light wasn't cooperative. While waiting for the light to change (which it did, for about 5 minutes...more later), I found an early blooming Indian Cucumber. It's a type of lily and edible, but I have yet to try it.

I'm singing in a couple of concerts, and playing alto sax in another.  I kinda just feel like curling up and reading rather than going out, but at least tomorrow's concert is in the morning, so I can just get it out of the way.  I also have some serious gardening to do.  I have pictures, but I haven't been sharing this time around.

Went kayaking today, but didn't take any photos. Was a group event and the lake was completely surrounded by houses and allowed power boats so was extra choppy even with the prevailing winds. Ugh. The people were nice enough, but I won't paddle that lake again.

Anyway...I'm relaxing with a glass of Eagle Rare and processing shots from Sunday. This is the light I was waiting for when I shot that flower above.



It actually started sprinkling when I was messing with the flowers and I practically RAN to the waterfall. So glad I didn't wander far. The cloud lasted about 10 minutes and then...no more clouds. Oh well, at least I got a couple decent images from the trip.

Band concert went well.  We were tied into the Memorial Day ceremony, so I didn't have to worry about my carpool leaving without me.  Some people don't like staying for such things, unfortunately.  And, despite applying sunblock and wearing a wide-brimmed hat (band-issued), I have a nice red streak extending from the jugular notch to the back of my ear.  The trajectory of the sun was totally trolling me.  It isn't too bad, though.  Warm to the touch; not painful.  It'll barely be visible, tomorrow.

ETA:  Bookmarque, that is an awesome photo!

Bookmarque, that is an awesome photo! So say we all!

As for me: I finally posted review of complicated book, watched the start of baseball game, went to (crowded!) pool (where kind gent shared his lane) and now? Glad the A's won: will hang up swimstuff, make/eat dinner, watch our DVD of "Victor/Victoria," a splendid movie.

>21 Bookmarque: You take the most amazing moving-water pictures!

Love the photos, Bookmarque!

>23 Esta1923: - I thought of you this morning when my dream was interrupted. In my dream, I was in a bookstore and I saw the complete collected works of Ivan Doig, all for only $13.99! There was no way I would pass that up. :)

Thanks peeps. I've practiced this type of photography a lot. There's just something wonderful about a brook in the woods!

Yesterday I discovered that the men in my house were abandoning me for the evening. It was my day of cooking for the week, so I took the opportunity to invite my dear friend over for food, margaritas and movies. We purchased 84 Charing Cross Road on Amazon Prime to watch together. I had shared Q's Legacy with her, and only realized when we were partway through the movie that she had never read 84! Of course it went home in her purse to read.

My favorite line in the movie last night was where Helene Hanff bashes Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare. I had that same reaction!

>20 justjukka:

How's the air?

>18 majkia: That's one of the very few places in NC that I haven't been. Hope you're having a great visit.

>21 Bookmarque: It captures both the gentle motion and the utter stillness. Lovely.