Catch Up!!

Well Happy Monday to all of my favorite people!  It's been a hot minute since I've posted on here, and as I've only just today gotten my assignment to blog twice a week *gasp* here's my first of this week, September 16th of the year 2013.  What have I been up to since last I was on here?  A whole heapin' lot!  Let's start at the beginning, as I've heard it's a very good place to start.

The Trip Home

On Saturday August 24th I woke up bright and early and our new roomie Kate took me to the airport.  I arrived a little too late, however, and missed my plane.  It was a close call, and I could have probably made it if 1. I didn't have so much crap that I couldn't have in my luggage and 2. If the line through security wasn't so long.  And so I got back in line at the check in desk, smiled sweetly at the man working, and said "I didn't quite make it."  He was very obliging, telling me a flight was leaving in another hour and a half for Atlanta.  Then he went "Oooh."  I said "What oooh?"  Turns out the next flight out of Atlanta wasn't until 5pm.  And so I got to spend six hours in the Atlanta airport, where I bought a book: World War Z and had some gumbo and took long walks among artwork.

By far the coolest sculpture

 

The plane ride itself was nice, as the gentleman at the desk had given me emergency exit window seats for both flights.  On the little plane out of Asheville I sat next to this super hot guy from Salt Lake City, or at least he was super hot until I saw what he was listening to.  An entire John Mayer album.  Ew ew ew.  I finally arrived in Portland at around 7 and my Mama picked me up and I was home!

 

The next day I got to meet this little lady for the first time:

 

The most adorable five month old EVER!

 

Had a nice lunch with Matt, Anna, Mom, Chloe and Audrey, followed by a little family barbecue which my dad came to as well.  Monday mom and I went and got pedicures with my lovely friend Holly and Tuesday I visited with Jessie and little Aubrey for a good while.

 

Hello Blue Eyes!!

 

Then had a girls night with Jess, Jenn, and Janine.  The triple J's. 

 

On Wednesday I spent all day with Chloe and Audrey.  By myself!  I am such a super-auntie!

 

Chloe is getting so big!

 

 

I could go on and on about how much I love these little girls, but I'll spare y'all for now.  Suffice to say that I miss them so much and I cannot wait to play with them more in December.  They make me smile and bring so much joy and love!

 

Thursday I headed out to Estacada to visit friends, and we played for a few days.  Jenn and Lori came to play with us and we had much fun.  I did spend some time in contemplation during this last leg, mostly about how I loved visiting everyone but how I knew that home was two places now.  As in, I was homesick for Asheville.  Interesting stuff, that! 

 

It was so wonderful seeing all the people I love, so wonderful to get some sunshine and happiness in.  It's a true thing when I say that what I miss the most are the people who mean so much to me.  I also sort of miss the no humidity thing, but that's pretty self-explanatory.

 

Home to Candler

 

My kitties were waiting for me when I got home, as was little Dali (Kate's adorable little dachshund) and of course good ol' cutie-pie Rufus, my buddy.  Our house is full now, and the energy and life that came in with Kate is refreshing and lovely.  We've had tons of company, lots of big dinners with friends and games and delicious drinks.  Wendy and Steve sent me home with a bottle of Parfait d'Amore and so I was finally able to make these folks the legendary Lavender Martinis that I've been talking about for months.  We had a real honest-to-goodness fire that we made s'mores on.  With peanut butter cups.  You're welcome.  And while there has been some animosity between the dachshund and the kitties, that's been mended by super-star David who made them a kitty ladder out my window.  And he also fixed our fan, our table, and our computer.  Handy man to have around! 

 

We've had dog visitors too.  Here are David and Larry Bird napping:

 

 

Dali the Dachshund

 

One of the delicious dinners on the porch where even I helped!

 

See the Okra?  I did that!

 

 

 

Can YOU Do the Charleston?

 

Our dear Molly's birthday is this coming Thursday, so as an early celebration we decided to head to Charleston for the weekend.  We got the sweet hook-up from Molly's friend Leah and a big blue beach house for 300 for two nights!  It was AWESOME!  I even slept on bunkbeds!  (Bottom bunk)

 

When we first arrived we took a nice rainy walk on the beach.  And that water was so incredibly warm!  So different than the chilly PNW coast for sure!

 

 

 

The following day dawned warm and sunny though, so we packed up a picnic lunch and headed to the beach for reals!

 

Kate, Leah, and Molly...beach ready!

 

Me on the beach!  Check the sunshine people!

 

Kate letting the sun worship her!

 

My legs and the surf...ahhh

 

We hung out just us girls that night, having had a boy with us the previous night.  (Adam, our friend who was watching Rufus, joined us for some drinking and relaxing.  The porch at the house is completely screened in and even has a ceiling fan!)  I got to know Leah and her friend Carrie well.  All in all it was a lovely girls weekend.  On Sunday it was HOT and we walked Rainbow Row and the Battery in downtown Charleston, then headed home.  We had planned on going to a concert that night but it got postponed, which is just as well.  We were beat!

 

 

 

So that's what's been going on in the life of Shanti.  Playing hard, and now it's time to get to work.  I have three writing assignments for the next two weeks:  Blog twice a week, finish my short story, and write ten pages on my third book.  I'm going to be busy!  But don't worry, I'll squeeze some fun into there as well.  And writing again feels so darn good all on it's own.

 

 

Until next you hear from me, which will be soon!

 

 

Shanti Elena

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 









Finally! I got some writing done! Chapter Three begins!

Hello friends!  Last night, at a bar, surrounded by loud people and hanging out with football fans, sipping Angry Orchard Cider and listening to 90's rap, I wrote four pages of my short story!  Woot!  Obviously I just need a totally inappropriate atmosphere for the muse to strike.  So here it is, the next installment.  Enjoy!


The antiseptic smell woke me, the smell that always reminded me of hospitals.  My eyes were heavy and when I finally got them open I shut them again with a curse.  It was bright as hell.  I tried to lift my hand to my face but my arm wouldn't budge.  I risked opening my eyes again and glanced around.  I was strapped to a gurney in a white room.  Tubes led from my arms to a bag of blood that was a quarter full.  Were they giving me blood?  But no, my blood was dripping into the bag.  They were taking my blood.  Of course.  But I hadn't thought they'd do it so humanely.

I tested the bonds.  They were tight, metal.  No Velcro for me.  My legs were shackled in a similar manner.  Resigned, I lay back against the gurney and waited. 

The metal door sweeping open pulled me from my reverie.  The woman with the clipboard and the white suit would have been pretty except for the alienness about her.  She moved too fast, her face was too ageless.  Her eyes, bright blue, were just like Frank's.

"I see you're awake, Noah," she said in clipped tones.  She checked her clipboard, then glanced at the bag of my blood.  "Almost done.  Then we'll move you to a more comfortable location."

I cleared my throat.  I wasn't sure what to say.  "You...aren't going to drain me?" I finally got out.

She smiled.  "Heaven's no, Noah.  We wouldn't be that wasteful.  And the boss wouldn't like it."

The boss.  They had a boss?  Well, it made sense that there would be a leader of sorts.  The name on the Treaty had been simply the letter H. 

"If you aren't going to kill me, then what am I doing here?  Why take me?  And what about the boy and the old lady?"

She tsked at me.  "They are alive, though how long that will last depends on you I believe.  Now, no more questions.  Your blood pressure is going up and that could affect the process."

After checking a few more things: my temperature, my blood pressure, my heart rate, she left the room.

I was confounded.  They didn't want to kill me yet they were taking my blood?  The lives of the civilians depended on me?  To what purpose?  What did these creatures want with me?

When the bag was mostly full she returned and deftly removed the needle from my arm.  She took my blood away almost reverently, stuck a needle in my arm that brought a warmth coiling through my veins.  She closed the door behind her.  I tested the bonds again.  They hadn't loosened in the slightest.  I didn't let panic overwhelm me.  Whatever she'd given me began to take effect, and I drifted off before I could make any plans.

A gruff voice jolted me awake, either that or the drugs they'd given me had worn off.  I'd never had much luck with sedatives.  I glanced to my right and instead of the "nurse" of earlier two males leaned against the wall staring down at me.

They were of an age, if vampires could be defined by that.  They'd probably been in their twenties when they'd turned.  The one on the left had a scruffy beard and dark curly hair.  He wore jeans and boots with a loose black shirt which his arms were crossed over.  His body was heavily built, and the glare he was sending me should have maimed.  His companion was shorter, slighter, clean-shaven.  His hair was lighter but also curled.  His expression was curious, almost eager.  His clothing was more clean-cut, his hands in his pockets.  I returned their scrutiny blandly.  I badly wanted to lick my dry, cracked lips but I refrained.  Best not to show any more weakness than I already was.  Couldn't sink much lower than being strapped virtually naked to a table.

The gruff voice spoke again.  It came not from the angry dark vamp, but the curious light vamp.  "Amazing.  Simply amazing.  See how he stares at us?  He does not know."

His companion grunted.  "Why would he?  And why should we care?"  He broke my gaze and looked to the other.  "We're wasting our time here, Felix."

"I think if he just knew..."

"She forbade it."

Felix sighed and sent me one more long look as he exited with the angry male.  That look.  Those eyes, so alien and yet...I had a son named Felix.

There was no point in fighting the wave of exhaustion that engulfed me then.  Not yet.  Instead I let my mind drift, and I thought of the fire.


The fire.

I'd smelled it before I'd seen it.  The bedroom hadn't been burning around us as we'd talked of casual things, as in my nightmare.  I'd pulled into the driveway after taking the boys to their grandparent's house.  I'd smelled it, and I'd pulled out my phone as I'd sprinted to the door.  The phone was new, a Christmas gift, and my thumb fumbled over the three numbers as I burst through the front door.  Smoke greeted ne, heat embraced me, it's source the kitchen.  I plowed through the smoke, screaming her name.  I coughed at the foot of the stairs, rambling off the address, the urgency, before pocketing the phone and taking the stairs two at a time.  Her name, repeated, and a hoarse answering cry that assailed my ears from the direction of the bedroom. 

"Graham!  Help me!"

By God I would.  Eyes half blind, throat seizing, I found her.  Heat blasted through the floor, melting my shoes.  I lifted her, and she wrapped her arms around me.  We were safe, together.

It was the hall floor that caved in below my feet, the hall floor that we fell through, into flame and smoke.

I couldn't know what I'd looked like, carrying her burned body out of the flaming building that had once been our home.  They got it on tape, they'd showed me.  But even I could hardly believe it.  And I'd been there.  Her body was red, angry, charred in places.  Her long, gorgeous hair was gone.  Her clothes, my clothes, were burned ruins, flaking away as I moved inexorably toward the ambulance.  They took her from me, put her on a stretcher, wanted me to get on another one.  Wanted to separate us.  I fought them, pleaded with them, and they gave up and let me follow the ambulance in my car.

The next hours were terrible, terrifying.  I let them examine me, let them show me the footage as they threw questions at me.  My wife was near death, burned over 70% of her body.  I was unscathed.  I couldn't answer their questions.  I only pleaded with them to save her.

And finally I slept in the waiting room, in my old jeans and t-shirt that I'd pulled from my trunk, my ball cap pulled over my eyes.  And I awoke in a jungle hundreds of years and the devil only knew how many miles from that hospital.


Unscathed.  Fireproof.  Super-human.  They wanted my blood. To drink?  What had the nurse said?  Something about not wasting it?  And the two vampire males.  One with my son's name.  My younger son.  My older son had his mother's dark hair, was built thicker, like me.  Nicko.  Nick for short.  They'd been 8 and 10 when the fire happened.  When I'd vanished.  They'd been safe with their grandparents.  What had happened to them when I'd disappeared?  They would have felt so abandoned.  I couldn't even think about their mother, too much pain.  Had I saved her?  Had she pulled through?

My head spun, my breath came in gasps.  Something was trying to worm into my brain.  Something dangerous.  I let the nurse give me more drugs to calm me and said nothing, turning my head away.  Had to think of the now.  Had to learn what the enemy was planning.  Had to escape.



There it is, until next time.  Oh, and I quit my job because it was terrible.  And I'm going to be home in less than a week!  And then I'll have plenty to write about! 

Peace and Love and Muses who finally got their acts together

Shanti Elena

Peace, Nostalgia, and Loneliness on a Saturday Night

There is something to be said for quiet Saturday nights, the chirping of myriad insects and music on my laptop.  Peace is what this brings, in an otherwise hectic world.  Peace and a certain nostalgia, and a dash of loneliness.

Potent mixes bring out the deepest of thinking.  Let's focus on one at a time, shall we?

PEACE

My name, Shanti, means this in Sanskrit.  I wish for this in the world, but I believe most but the warmongering big corporations wish the same.  I find this in music, in the babbling stream, in watching the fireflies dance and sitting around a crackling fire.  I feel this with close friends, with laughter and fresh night air.  I find this in the morning as I go on break at work, watching the sun rise and feeling the heavy morning air against my skin and filling my lungs.  A full wallet, cuddling with my cat, accomplishing a daunting task, all bring this feeling.  After an orgasm does too.

NOSTALGIA

Oh, for the good old days to be here again!  This is a sentiment heard over and over from longtime friends reminiscing about how life used to be so much easier and enjoyable before bills, marriage, children, and 40 hour+ workweeks became the norm.  Longing for the carefree days of youth, when all you had to worry about was getting to school on time and what the plans for next weekend were.  This is all a misconception, of course, time making things seem rosier and better.  There was a lot of crap to worry about back then, a lot of crap that we had to go through to become the people we are today.  It was hard decisions, calculated risks, worry about popularity, weight, and zits.  One thing that hasn't changed is the worrying about relationships.  Will I ever meet "the one"?  When will I have kids?  Do I even want to get married?  What do I want to be when I grow up?

My senior year of high school we filled out a questionnaire about where we wanted to be in ten years.  I wrote that I wanted to write, on a boat, sailing around the world.  28 was six years ago, and now that I'm the ripe old age of *gasp* 34 I look back on those plans with a smile that has a little bit of brittleness around the edges.  I've never stopped being idealistic, but realistic burst in somewhere along the line to ride shotgun.   I also would be married by 28 and have my first kid by 30.  Ha. So much for teenage Shanti's plans.

On the plus side, I have written, am writing, and will continue to write for the foreseeable future.  I no longer plan on marriage, knowing it will happen if it's meant to but I've stopped holding my breath.  Children?  Yes please, at least one.  35 was to be that age, so coined at age 30.  That's a short eight months from now, so I better get started!  See how silly this planning stuff is?  But without plans, what is there to strive for?  Without hopes and dreams, what is the point of all of this?

And I still do not know what I want to be when I grow up, except happy.  I definitely want to continue being happy.

LONELINESS

What would you be willing to sacrifice in exchange for a warm body in your bed at night?  What would you be willing to risk to let another person into the innermost sanctum of yourself?  Where do you find someone who is work the risks, worth the trust, worth the compromise? 

I am alone, and I have been for some time.  Charlie was around for many many years, but not in the way I ever perceived as a "healthy relationship".  With him I sacrificed so much to have that warm body, and I risked heartbreak with my trust.  I dated a kid named Robert when I was 20 for two months, and while it was fun for a bit, it ended, again, with anger and without closure.  I have since come to a realization about a few things. 
1.  I'm extremely picky. 
2.  I have no idea how to tell if a man is interested in me unless he shouts it at me
3.  I'm tired of being lonely but I don't know exactly what I'm looking for in a relationship
4.  I want to be able to enjoy my sexual prime with someone before it ends
5.  I am deathly afraid of feeling trapped

So.  It's a bit of a catch 22, this relationship business.  Sacrifice for serenity, or something along those lines.  I'm a very independent woman, and a man who is willing to love me for and despite this is a keeper.  As long as he's a bunch of other things that I know I want in a man.  Picky.


Instead of dwelling too much on the state of my peace, nostalgia, and loneliness, I've decided to get a puppy.  Probably not for a few months, but it's in the plans in the life of Shanti.  I've never had my own dog, and it's an adventure I'm ready for.  Said puppy will keep me company, go on walks and hikes with me, and shower me with love when I get home.  Less complicated than a man, if somewhat lacking in conversation skills and other things.  I don't know if everyone knows this or not, but my lease is up at the end of February and I have not yet decided where I'm going next.  I don't plan on staying in Asheville, but I'm not sure I'll be ready to go home yet. 

Thank you for reading this tidbit in the musings of me.  Sorry I'm a bit behind in the blogging, but I hope this partway makes up for that. 

Peace

Shanti Elena

Visitors and Villas

Happy Monday my Friends!

It's been a very eventful week.  For starters, I began my new job and it's interesting and hopefully will be challenging and fun, even though I have to wake up at three in the morning to achieve the paycheck.  I will soon be learning to operate heavy machinery and trying not to tip over.  I watched about 15 videos of forklifts doing just that this morning.  Scare tactics, people.  They totally work.  Remember that car crash victim video/slideshow they made you watch in traffic safety school?  Kinda like that, without all the dead bodies.  The only carnage I saw was destroyed bags of concrete and shelving. 

I finally got The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo on CD, and it's finally, ten disks in, getting exciting.  I know why I couldn't get through it before.  Thank goodness for that whole recorded books thing because I'd never have read it otherwise.

That's not very exciting though.  Ready for excitement?  My father Ken and his wife Brenda arrived in Asheville Thursday night, and we got together on Friday.  I took them to the botanical gardens and we had a nice lunch in Haywood. 

This was the table marker, in the background you can see the toy guitar.  Cute, no?

We attempted to go downtown but there was a craft fair going on and no room at the Inn (or the parking garages) so we decided to put that off for another day. 

Saturday dawned sunny.  Yes, you read that correctly.  There was sun.  Dad and I went for a hike to Douglass falls and then the sky opened up for a bit.  I wasn't completely sure if it was spray from the waterfall, which had swelled to three times what it had been in May, or actual rain until we hiked back.  Thankfully it didn't last.  We went on to eat lunch at Mela, the Indian place, and since the craft fair was still going on we parked outside of downtown and hiked in.  This worked to our advantage as he got a walking tour of downtown in the bargain.  And we got more hiking in, albeit Urban style. 

We parted ways for a little bit and Molly and I decided we should go check out a band she saw online at a brewery, which dad had mentioned he'd like to do.  We met him at the French Broad Brewery and watched a very fun band called Wasted Wine.  They had squeeze boxes, fiddles, drums, bass and regular guitars, a chime box of some sort, and more.  They had a very gypsy feel to them.  So I asked Dad after the show if I could have five bucks for their CD, and with money in hand I went up and chatted with the band.  I bought the five dollar CD, and then the singer/fiddle player handed me another CD, this one ten dollars, because I was so cool.  We're going to see them again when they come back to town for sure.   

This show being over, we checked out the Thirsty Monk downtown.  They only served beer as well, and I was beginning to think that I would be drinking water all night, when I noticed on the menu that they had Linderman's Frambois.  Yay!  I got to drink beer too!  Our friend David showed up and we all chatted for a bit, then we parted ways with Dad and went on to David's house.  He changed and he, Molly and I went dancing at Club Hairspray.  It was almost empty, so we had the dance floor to ourselves.  They played almost everything Molly requested, although they did not have Die Antwoord.  Don't know these guys?  You should really check them out.  They are something else.  Crazy, I tell ya.  But so good.  Anyway, they also played a country techno song, which we weren't sure what to do with.  So when in doubt, square dance, right? 

We ended up back at David's and had an impromptu dance party in his living room, with his roommate Scott joining us.  And Scott can seriously dance!  Like two step and swing and stuff.  I told him this was a very good thing in this day and age.  Are you paying attention, male audience?

Sunday morning Dad and Brenda and I headed to Biltmore House.  I have to say, it's pretty darn expensive to get in.  (Sixty Bucks) but it was SO COOL!  It's 250 rooms, though you only get to see about thirty of these.  The house itself covers 4 acres.  Want a picture?

 

 

The house tour took about an hour or so, then we went on to the gardens.  Yay, gardens!

 

Carpe Diem

 

Dad

 

Grapes and Sunshine

 

 

The Conservatory

 

Hothouse Bloom

Alligator Shrubbery

Dad and he are both mugging!

 

 

It was really warm by the time we finished with the conservatory, so we left and went to the village on the estate.  (Size of total estate today?  89,000 acres.)  There they had a nice visitor's center where we happened to be during the monsoon of the afternoon.  Handy.  We finished our day up with a BBQ place, 'Bama style, and then parted ways because I needed to get ready for work today.  I did get to see both of them for breakfast after work, and they're continuing on to Tennessee and flying toward home tomorrow.

 

I had such a nice time, even though there were some grouchy moments on all sides.  I was very tired the whole time, but I rallied and it was worth it.  I'm so happy that they came to visit, and that I got to see Biltmore and got to play all day on Saturday.  C'mon visitors, it's fun here!

 

It will be nice to try to find some semblance of a schedule this week, and hopefully I'll figure out when and how long I should sleep for.  I have survived my first week of work coupled with visitors, so I know I'll be fine whatever happens. 

 

Until next I write,

 

Shanti Elena

 

P.S.  I took this one from work the other morning...

 



 

 



Sleep is for the Birds...

It's just after midnight, and I'm still awake.  I've learned in the past few days that I'm actually part vampire, and therefore sleep much better during the day.  I plan to take a "nap" tonight at around one and sleep until three, then crash for about five hours when I get home tomorrow.  This is what happened last night and I feel better today for it.  It's been an interesting adjustment, and I'm hoping it'll all be worth it soon.  I actually get to work on the floor this morning instead of doing endless computer training, so that's very exciting. 

Also wanted to share this little tidbit with you all:

This is Hades with bird crap on his face.  I have no idea how it happened, but it's some funny stuff!

 

 

Also, Molly's tinctures are done tincturing in the dark closet and I documented the process of straining them.  It's video, so it'll have to wait until I upload those little gems.  But definitely cool.

 

 

 

 

 

I am very ready to visit home, ready for sunshine and no humidity.  It's supposed to be 86 degrees tomorrow with thunderstorms and the realfeel is supposed to be 101 degrees.  Super de Duper.  I'm excited to see my father tomorrow, and I hope that we have a relatively dry visit.  Until next I write,

 

 

Shanti



The Not So Exciting Saturday Night Post

Ho hum, it's a Saturday night and there's nothing going on.  Molly's currently making a delicious looking pasta dinner for us, a homemade hamburger helper with holy basil flowers and parsley.  It's 64 degrees out and overcast.  I was so hoping for it to be sunny today because I really really want to go swimming but no luck. 

Some good news among this mediocre posting:  I did get hired at Home Depot, starting Monday morning at 4:00 in the A.M.  Which means I need to be up by 3, 3:15 at the latest.  Because this is my first week of work and because it also corresponds with my father visiting I'm going for the "go to bed early" track for starters.  To get myself on this schedule, the plan is to pull a good ol' fashioned all-nighter tonight so I'll be so tired tomorrow that nothing but sleep will do.  Then I'll be flying by the seat of my pants.  Eventually I predict that I'll be pulling all-nighters on a regular basis but maybe I'll surprise myself and like going to bed at 8pm.  Maybe. 

Last night we met a couple guys from England, an Irish guy, and a chick from Wales.  Sort of.  By the time we'd met these people they were totally tanked and will probably not remember shaking our hands.  Although the girl from Wales told me I have a very firm handshake.  I chose to take this as a compliment, though I'm not sure she meant it as such.  We were out to see a band at a pub called Jack of the Wood and Kate's friend Mark joined us with his friend Nora Jane from Kentucky.  They're camp counselors at a boys camp in the area.  The foreign folk were also counselors.  It was a nice evening out, and I'd just gotten my hair cut so I didn't even have to do it!  Not that I do much with my hair anyway. 

I am excited about starting work, even though I'm a little anxious about the sleep thing.  I'm also excited to see the Biltmore House this week.  Also it might be sunny in a few days so crossing fingers on that one. 

It's a quiet night and mood in the house, with old school 80's videos playing in the background.  Molly can't get enough of these. 

"I got a man."
"I'm not tryin to hear that, see."

 

Peace Love and Kickin' it Ol' School

Shanti

P.S.  If you find yourself awake and wanting to talk tonight, I'm up all the hours!  Gimme a ring! :)

And I had to share this again, because it never fails to make me laugh!

Summertime in Asheville is WET!

Hello there friends and loved ones...

I'm a little late getting this out, but as I'm a faithful albeit not always on time person, here it is.  What should we talk about today? 

Let's start with the fourth of July, shall we?

It poured in monsoon-type fashion all day, and I braved the flooded streets to head to my friend David's house for a BBQ on his porch.  We then decided to play a drinking game with the movie Independence Day.  One of the times we had to take a drink was when someone said "president".  Have you any idea how many times that word is said in that movie?  At least fifty, if not more.  Suffice to say, we were a little tipsy when the movie ended.  We watched the fireworks from the porch, chatted, and I went home.  Probably the most uneventful fourth I've ever had, but at least I was in good company.  This was the second party at David's house that I went to, the first being a couple weeks ago.  That one was a blast, and I got to meet another great group of people. 

A few of them with Molly...

The next day I spent cooking for the BBQ/pool party at Kate's house on Saturday.  I made poppers, of course, and this fantastic dessert which I've dubbed "Sand Pudding."  It turned out marvelously.  And Saturday was actually partly sunny, so that was wonderful.  It did rain too, but at least they took turns.  That was a very nice, relaxing day for sure, and everyone loved my food which is a bonus.  Means I'll be invited back ;)

I have not heard from Home Depot, which is starting to worry me, but I did buy a weed whacker today to start on my jungle of a yard.  I haven't attempted to use it yet but hopefully I do it right, don't break it or myself, and can get started tomorrow (weather permitting).

Also there have been talks of starting a writing group which will be AWESOME if it happens.  It will really help to center me on what I should be doing instead of what I have been doing, which isn't a whole lot in that area, sadly. 

My dad and his wife are coming next week to visit.  I hope to finally see Biltmore House with them and show them around the joint.  I'm driving to Charlotte on Wednesday evening to pick up Molly from the airport, she's been visiting home (Wyoming.)  Charlotte's humidity is different than ours, much closer and dirtier feeling.  Although I'm pretty sweaty right now, I have to say.  But the sun shone for most of the day and I went to Yoga which I always feel so much better for doing.  Rufus and I have been hanging out, he loves going for car rides with me. 

There has only been one mouse incident in the past two weeks, so that is refreshing.  My car did not cost very much to fix and is running beautifully again.  Besides all that, this cool moth was on my car the other day...

He has blue legs!!

 

 

And I took this one on a walk we went on the other day

 

 

 

 

In closing, I'd like to let everyone know that as I was driving back from Charlotte last Wednesday morning at 5am I got through my block on my island story.  So that should be finished sooner rather than later.

 

 

Peace, love, and RAIN!!!

 

 

Shanti Elena