Monday, June 20, 2011

Sunday Mish Mash

This is the view from my kitchen window and this week the zinnias got planted. Sometimes they dance and sometimes they wave at me. This week they were joined by a cement birdbath made by my grandfather Benjamin, who like my father was a mason. The birdbath is the only tangible memory I have of him. Within minutes of it being moved to the zinnia patch two doves appeared. Doves are not common in my yard. I easily accept their splish splash as a good sign.



And this week I attended Mr. Ryan's preschool graduation and witnessed his debut as a singer on the big (ah, little) stage. He was fabulous.







And this week I spent four days in Provincetown and three of those days were in the company of a very good, very dear, very special, very fun friend. This is not her. But if she were not herself, I think she would be a very good, very dear, very special, very fun dog.

This is my friend in human form: you may know her:


We are fresh from the beach here, our faces burned just enough for bragging rights that we have spent some glorious minutes feeling the warm sun and hearing the gulls and the tide and the voices of beach-silly children and their beach-silly parents.


The talented Ms. Lo and Ms. kj and Ms. JB had a fantastic weekend. We walked a good length of Commercial Street, stopped in just about every gallery, we met wonderful people and wonderful dogs, we ate waterfront and we ate on the patio outside my kitchen door. We laughed and talked non-stop and acknowledged that electric currents of inspiration were running through our very receptive selves.













I'll be damned if I am going to let myself be saddled with chores or real or imagined worries this summer. I admit JB and I came home tonight to a bit of chaos: we lugged a 100 pound excitingly new dining room table home from Provincetown on the top of my Toyota RAV and we made arrangements for a very nice guy to meet us here to assemble it for us. And....the bolts are missing. No table, just a mess of screws and dowels and legs, but no table yet. BUT: now that I'm done with my temper tantrum about it, I imagine all will be well within a day or two.


And meanwhile, I had a good week. I'm looking ahead to another good week.

My zinnias are still dancing.

My heart still quivers and still shakes its head sometimes (if a heart had a head).

But gosh: I think it's time for me to dance too.

Love

kj


16 comments:

  1. Wonderful!!! From the Zinnias to good friends to good food to a table that wants a little more attention than normal to dancing by the ocean! Happy Summer!!!! Love, Silke

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  2. Running butt naked on the beach is better than running around worrying about a table that will find it's legs sooner or later.

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  3. I love zinnias and miss the peachy-rose colored ones that would seed themselves from year to year.
    Sounds like an all around delightful time, and I am pretty sure I know that dear friend's face! ;-D
    Enjoy this summer.
    We are never guaranteed a certain # of days, and wasting them on anything but productive tasks, and happy thoughts is really such a waste. (from she who can do it well)

    XXOO~~
    Anne

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  4. Part of me is still there KJ! It was just what I needed. No phone, no computer, no worries.
    I loved the beach day and I'm happy I have a little sun glow.

    The food and conversation just flowed easy-peasy as it always does when we get together.

    AND I got not one, but several kisses from Stella! Be still my heart. I'm so glad she had a good weekend too.

    Thank you KJ and JB, two of the best hostesses and such good friends to spend time with.

    And I came home bursting with creative inspiration!!

    I have to edit my photos for my ptown post now, but I may have to show my time there in segments because there are so many!

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!
    We'll do it again.

    xoxo
    lo♥

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  5. I like what walking man said :-).
    Lovely photos, except for some strange reason the photo of you and Lo did not load for me. Do you think Lo did that? xoxo

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  6. What wonderful photos....
    YOU KNOW I particularly like the one of two of my MOST BELOVED GIRLS - Lo and Stella - kissing!!!
    That warmed my ♥. (Lo love your hair....)

    Mr. Ryan looks like he is going to become a *polished* singer - that boy can do anything! (Like his Gram!)

    The table will sort itself out.... the memories of this particular weekend will enrich all of your lives forever!

    MUWAH!

    ♥ Cupcake ♥

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  7. How fantastic, your weekend sounds and looks perfect kj! i'm so glad you all had such a wonderful time.

    i can really hear the laughter and joy in this post (and see the sparkle in lo's eyes!) wish i were there!

    so sweet photos of ryan and the kitchen window view is one of my favorites. i love that you have your grandfathers birdbath.

    i'm back, but so busy with my order, will try to post later! off to work i go now.
    xoxo

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  8. silke, i wish you all this too.

    mark, clever clever clever. ♥

    anne, "productive tasks and happy thoughts"--what a concise and smart way to encapsulate what matters most. thank you anne xoxox

    lo, i like and appreciate everything you said, esp. the good hostess and easy peasy parts. isn't it so great to just be able to do what you do....i also love that you love ptown xoxo

    annie, hahaha! there is no photo of lo and me!! :^)

    robin, you are right about lo's hair. it looks terrific. thank you for your glowing comment about my mr. ryan. i will be his fan for life (gram to him, bam to drew). oh that f--ing table. it was so exciting and such a letdown. gotta be resolved by friday: we have a houseful of guests who will need to eat at it! xoxo

    lori sf, i thoroughly enjoyed knowing we were both having super weekends. no surprise we came back to non-leisurely demands: grrrrr!
    i hope you see ptown for yourself one day. my fingers are crossed for that. xoxo

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  9. Everyone looks happy dn sunburned and relaxed. And mr Ryan in his graduation mode is just too adorable.

    As noted in Lo's post - I am very glad you all had a good time. I really am
    :)
    Mim

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  10. Oh men...... that last picture!!! How perfect life is like that!

    What a wonderful post!!!!!
    I am just there you know!
    Taking the walks with you sharing the fun. I just know how magical that place is. I wanted to be there but these pictures and words made it happen.......


    One day.....

    Glad it was perfect!

    ♥♥♥
    >M<

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  11. I didn't even comment on all those wonderful pictures separately.....
    Loved seeing Lo of course!
    Loved seeing Stella!
    Your sweet Mr Ryan!
    Wonderful P-town..........

    love to you all!

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  12. Wow! You've been busy while I was away! And it's only the first day of summer! xo

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  13. it will happen, mim. there will be a time in provincetown. i am positive. ♥

    marianne, i can't get over the fact that you were THERE and it delights me so much that you know where and why!! i had a wonderful time with your dear friend ♥

    margaret, i'm excited about this summer. i hope yours is shaping up nicely. how are you? ♥

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  14. OH what a fabulous post (series of posts) KJ! I thank you SO SO very much for your kind visit so that I may come here to see your lovely images and read your beautiful words - I love the post to your Dad. I am a new fan!! I shall be back!

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  15. Wow! Seems like you had a truly grand time. Fine people; beautiful pictures; great dogs (I wish I still had mine).
    I think I've been to the better world about which we can all dream.
    Thanks.
    "And thanks for visiting me," said Bear.

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  16. what love and beauty
    surrounds you.
    mr drew
    and shy lolo too
    what more can you want?
    oh a little cutie nudie...
    what a perfect 'end'.

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