"Gater-bait"

As I was enjoying my morning ritual pot of tea on the side porch and reading the latest news from The Week, Stretch started barking incessantly in the yard. Annoyed, I got up from my post to reprimand him. Instead of the usual squirrel or cat, Stretch was barking at two construction workers from next door who were taking a break. The workers were leaning over their deck, watching Stretch, clearly amused by him.

"What's his name?"

"Stretch."

"That's a good name. We jus' been callin' 'im Gater-bait."

Nice. Should I be amused or alarmed that these very country Cajun workers have dubbed my wiener dog "Gater-bait"? Hmmm..... Well, he is the sweetest little gater-bait there ever was, though :)

Easter Pieta

This picture was taken back in 2007 when Paul & I were in Florence. While touring the Duomo Museum, I was particularly drawn to this unfinished sculpture by Michelangelo called Pieta. Originally intended for Michelangelo's own tomb, he attempted to destroy the sculpture after detecting impurities in the marble - making it difficult to work with. Pieta means "pity" in Italian and depicts four figures: Nicodemus, Mary Magdalene, & the Virgin Mary taking down the body of Jesus from the cross. It's said that the figure representing Nicodemus is actually a self portrait of Michelangelo. The obvious aspects of unfinished sculpting (& the only one I can point out) is clearly seen in the one-legged Jesus. Michelangelo carved this between 1548-1555 when he was in his 70's. That's a ton of work to just give up on! It's a "pity" his Pieta was never completed as he intended ;)

Wishing everyone this Easter season a renewed spirit,
with Hope that shines,
Joy that celebrates,
and Peace that lasts!

30-day challenge?

Yesterday I read that the dryer is the 2nd-most energy consumptive household appliance after the refrigerator. And apparently, the most frivolous (so they say). That got me thinking.... can Paul & I live without our dryer? For one month, can we dedicate our clothes to the sun and fresh air? Are we up for this challenge? This will mean of course, a little more planning on our part. There will be no more marathon clothes washing (and drying) at 9pm when we realize that we're all out of scrubs for the next day. And just how will it impact our energy bill? I don't know, but I'm willing to find out. Paul & I are both a little skeptical and perhaps a little apprehensive about the inconvenience this dryer-free way of living will cause us. But, it makes us happy imagining the smaller carbon footprint we will be creating for the next 30 days. Bring on the sunshine!

Little Bee

Rarely is a book able to keep me up at night reading. My usual form is to fall asleep after ten minutes or less of reading. Not the case with this one. I consumed this book like it was a delicious cocktail during happy hour. That should say something, right? I don't want to give away too much, as the book sleeve begs you not to divulge anything-- except this: It's about two women who meet one fateful day on an African beach. One of them must make a terrible, terrible decision. Two years later, they meet again. And that's where the story starts. Fabulously written by Chris Cleave (his 2nd novel), the story is told from both woman's perspectives. And now I'm ready for his first novel--Incendiary. I just checked it out from the library :)

This Valentine's Day....

LOVE SOMEONE.

Merry Christmas!

On this eve of Christmas Eve, Paul & I wish everyone a very merry Christmas-- filled with family, friends, & good times. Love to you all!

Who can't resist my wiener?

The following pictures were taken the last weekend of November when Paul's parents came in town to visit. As we were all walking on the beach late one afternoon, Stretch soon became the attraction of some excited kids. They were giddy with excitement to see a little, black weenie dog zipping around the beach. The kids quickly surrounded him and wanted nothing more than to pet him. It's like he was a little good luck weenie-god that everyone wanted to rub :) Stretch was such a good boy and patiently let all of the kids shower him with love.