5 Reasons I Want to Live on a Lavender Farm

I recently posted "Patty Vela wants to live on a lavender farm when she grows up." This idea is not far fetched. Let me explain why.

1) I was told at Shades of Green, "Lavender loves nuclear sun!" I live in San Antonio, Texas. Need I say more?

2) My lavender is not only growing, it is THRIVING. I feel that people should capitalize on their successes and share them with others. Apparently I am an expert at growing lavender, a "natural," if you will. Thus, it is my duty to provide (in abundance) for others, right?

3) If I stand among a lavender field, close my eyes, breathe deeply, throw some Juliette Greco on the record player and sip on wine....I am in the South of France (God's land!).

4) Lots and lots and lots of lavender infused baked goods!

5) C'est si bon! It would be "so good!"

Mary Gertrude (The Wayward Kitten)

Around the school I work at one can ALWAYS find a stray animal. For the last 10 years I have seen more cats and dogs in need of a good home than I care to count. Of course the faculty is squarely divided between "animal lovers" and "non-animal lovers." The "animal lovers" scramble on their off periods to purchase cat food, dog food, flea spray, blankets, etc.; while the "non-animal lovers" cooly place a phone call to the pound! (Ouch, heart...break!)

Wednesday morning a NUMBER of people's hearts were stolen by this little....one presumably left behind by her mama.....

Meet Mary Gertrude...or at least that is the name I gave her for the day. A tiny, tiny, tiny calico kitty found scared and shivering in the school parking lot. Mrs. Camp took her in and quickly worked to save this little kitty from a tragic end.
When I picked up the kitty princess she was very, very, very cold. I took her into my office and held her tight for most of the morning in an effort to warm her up.
While she did NOT enjoy being "un-swaddled"...I did manage to take a picture of her playing "cat and mouse!" Get it? Cat and mouse? This gives you an idea of just how little she was.
Look at the precious kitty face. In the morning Mary Gertrude could not stand up without shaking; let alone take a step.
After several bottle feedings, lots of sleep and a "Dawn" bath; Mary Gertrude was not only standing and climbing, she was meowing (loudly) and biting Julie.

She was so hungry she bit the entire top of the bottle off with her teeth! At the end of the day Mary Gertrude was ready for a nap. My lunch box was insulated so I swaddled her and placed her in the lunch box. She found a good home with a gentleman that substitutes at our school. He was going to take her home to his wife. Thursday....Mary Gertrude's brother showed up. Kitty nursing...Round II!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Today I celebrate my new plants......

I pray that they will thrive and survive in my yard. I also pray that others can enjoy their beauty. This is the year I will be successful and start growing some of my own food. (For now...it is just basil, rosemary, lavender, spearmint and sage.)

Have a wonderful evening, friends. It is a lovely evening out.

Kitschy, Kitschy, Kitsch!

While I did not get to Round Top this spring (sniff-sniff) I DID manage to visit Uncommon Objects on South Congress in Austin! I could spend hours snaking in and out of the coordinated vignettes marveling at all of the eye candy. The challenge is to sift through all the items and focus on one or two ABSOLUTE MUST-HAVES that are begging me to take them home with me. I found this piece of marvelous kitsch within the first 30 seconds of my visit. I walked around for about 30 minutes before returning to "Hula Hula" Lady and claiming her as my own. My first thought was to find a place for her in the nude bathroom; however upon further reflection she does not work in there. I haven't landed on a permanent spot for her. Right now she is holding up Mastering The Art of French Cooking. I hope Julia would be proud!

Goodnight friends! Best wishes to all my friends who are involved with TAKS testing tomorrow.

Her Name was Lola...

Right now I am lovin' the soap opera love drama that is taking place outside my bedroom window on a nightly basis. Lola has a suitor. We named him "Boy Kitty." He is black with a deep brown undercoat and orange harvest moon eyes. I have seen him trolling about the neighborhood. He reminds me a lot of my Tessie and there have been several times I have seen him in the street and my heart drops thinking, "Tessie escaped!" Then I realize it is "Boy Kitty."

"Boy Kitty" has found a way to visit one of the windows in my bedroom. I have not quite mapped out his route to the upstairs window; but he manages to visit his Lola love with a good amount of frequency. Lola waits for him at the window sill every night and has started to bring her "Spongeball Squarepants" to the window sill...I suppose it is a love offering or enticement of some sort.

Given the extraordinary spring weather we have been having I have had the pleasure of sleeping with the windows open. "Boy Kitty" only visits between midnight and 3am. A kitty booty call, I suppose. He peeks his little head in the window and waits for Lola.
Lola gets so excited and sits quietly staring at "Boy Kitty." Tessie and Gracie do not take so kindly to his visits. They have both initiated "cat fights" with "Boy Kitty" through the screen AND burglar bars. Imagine three cats "trying" to fight through layers and layers of barriers. The hissing and screaming is frightening...most especially when the hissing and screaming wakes you up out of dead sleep.
"Boy Kitty" doesn't linger long after Gracie and Tessie put their histrionics on full display. However, during one of his most recent visits he ended up spraying right around the window. Terrific! Fantastic! What a way to show his love!

I know this is going to sound crazy, but after he leaves Lola looks sad. When she is waiting for him she looks sad. I (almost) get the sense she misses him and waits longingly for his visits. Now if I could just get him to visit during regular human hours....

Goodnight friends and Happy Easter. I have some Easter eggs I need to hide before Ella Bella wakes up tomorrow morning.

Happy Birthday, Blog

Today is the one year anniversary of my blog! Happy Birthday, dear sweet blog! If I were less tired I would go on and on and on and on about all the wonderful, magical healing that took place as a result of the mission of this blog. However, I am beat! Absolutely beat and I intend to wake up rather early tomorrow morning. I look forward to a wonderful weekend at Casa Bearden. I am off to bed, friends!

Monday, Monday...Monday, Funday

Those who want to be prosperous must first make others prosperous.

I just uploaded/downloaded (still unsure what the verb is when I use iTunes to make a purchase) She & Him; Volume 2. I absolutely adore ANYTHING Zooey Deschanel touches (notably her wardrobe and 500 Days of Summer)....but I particularly enjoy her music. Her voice is mellow and round. She sounds, at turns full and vibrant; yet vulnerable and melancholy. Her selections and sounds transport you IMMEDIATELY to an all girl slumber party with pink rollers, record players, fuzzy slippers, love letters and sweet, innocent crushes on senior year quarterbacks who just might give you his letterman sweater! She reminds me of lace and poodle skirts, saddle shoes and two straws in a milkshake, pencil skirts and cat-eye glasses. Her melodies are also tear stained handkerchiefs, runny mascara, broken hearts and deep regret. Volume 1 and Volume 2 make me smile and I catch myself doing "The Twist" when I press play. Have fun and enjoy.....

We have bonds baby; just try to break them!

(Oh yes, Lorelai, we sure do have bonds!)

Goodnight, friends! Wishing you lavender filled dreams with sweet breezes blowing in through your window....

Shades of Green

I have made a commitment to frequent local business that were kind enough to open their wallets, and hearts, for The Children's Bereavement Center of South Texas Silent Auction. Most of these relationships were formed, and cultivated, long before my arrival on the board. However I feel that if "they" support "us"..."I" will support "them!"

I have a NUMBER of things I intend to "achieve" or "attempt" in 2010. The first being to fly a kite! (No...I have NEVER flown a kite. In fact, I mentioned this to my father the other day and he said, "Wow. We were terrible parents!") Similarly, I intend to SUCCESSFULLY establish and maintain an herb garden.

Given that I had some time over Spring Break and it is "just that time of the year" I felt a trip to "the nursery" was imminent. Unfortunately, around my area, I am limited to Home Depot and Lowe's. Personally the plants I have purchased from them have NEVER done well. Of course I am certain I am responsible for 100% of the failure! Additionally, I have never found a nursery in San Antonio where my questions weren't met with an element of pity and irritation. I mean, I am positive I am the only person in San Antonio who manages to kill a blue plumbago! And I am positive nursery attendants can read it all over my face!

I remembered Shades of Green kindly donated a gift certificate to Silent Auction. I was in the area on Saturday and figured I would give it a try. I walked in and the angels sang! I was in wonderland! And EVERYONE was so kind and helpful and never once made me feel intimidated, insecure, irrational, irritating....

I purchased basil, rosemary, lavender and spearmint. Several different employees shared their tips for success with each herb with me and politely suggested I invite them over for mojitos! The owner walked me to my car and actually said, "I am so blessed to love my work!" (Oh that we were all so lucky!) He then invited me back the next day for a CD release party of George Gaytan who is a close personal friend of theirs. I returned and fell further in love with the nursery. I ended up spending two and half hours roaming around, visiting with an old friend, taking photos and just generally hanging out with myself. I would like to share my photos and encourage each of you to visit this gorgeous and courteous establishment.

This is the bench/rocker I am hoping to treat myself to within the next month!

I love this teeny, tiny plant! My hands are really little...so you can imagine how small this plant is!

Goodnight, friends. Enjoy this gorgeous evening!

Spring Break Blues...Sniff Sniff

Today I celebrate YOU, allergies! Yes! YOU! YOU who have made me miserable the last EIGHT DAYS! YOU who have made sleeping....uncomfortable, breathing....impossible, swallowing....painful, holding my head up....laborious. I celebrate YOU! Why? Because YOU, allergies, are a most unpleasant reminder that spring is in the air, infused with mountain laurel and frisky squirrels, pesky lizards and tiny green blooms. And while I genuinely find you irritating, annoying, debilitating and "vacation-crashing" I celebrate what YOU, allergies, represent....the hope that comes with Spring! AND...because of YOU, allergies, I am laying in bed, being ultra lazy and finally finding time to update this blog.As many of you know I was honored with the task of Silent Auction Co-Chair for the 9th Annual Hearts in Harmony Gala benefiting The Children's Bereavement Center of South Texas! This project, in fact, coupled with pure laziness, kept me from blogging more diligently. (I know...horrible to blame a charity for my laziness, isn't it?) While MOST of you were there with me (I can never thank each of you enough) some of you were unable to join us so I thought I might post some photos from the event. Gala and Silent Auction were a total success, not to mention loads of fun, and raised OVER $112,000 towards our mission of fostering healing for the grieving children in this community. And now...for the "plug!" Please visit the new website at www.cbcst.org (rock star=Christin Gish) and consider taking a "Tour of the Heart" led by the amazing Janie Worth to have a look at our brand new digs (rock star=Linda Fugit). You MIGHT EVEN CONSIDER a donation to CBCST through the new "donate" option on the website. Do you have a PayPal account? Great...donate!

Jan Paprskar, Linda Fugit and I right before Gala begins.

Ciara came to help me the day of and stayed through the evening to help me. Now that is a good friend! And...we had a blast!

George Strait donated a pair of autographed Justin boots.

Basketball autographed by David Robinson and 2009-2010 UT Football Team signed football.

Spotlight Item-Dinner at Vance View with food provided by Menger and Associates, Wine provided by Weston Stone, home provided by Clair Inglish and invitations provided by Invitations, Etc. (rock star=Barbara Stevens for making this table look so gorgeous!)

"For your Entertainment" and "For the Home" table.

2009-2010 Spurs Team autographed basketball donated by The San Antonio Spurs Foundation and Football autographed by Priest Holmes

I JUST completed 2010 auction yesterday by completing our "Thank You Letter" mail out! And I have already received our first donation to 2011 (rock star=Celeste and Dr. Bobby!) I have agreed to Chair Silent Auction for 2011...so here we go again! After 2011...I am DONE!

This project has been so meaningful to me in an abundance of ways. First and foremost we were able to raise money towards the mission of CBCST. Anything beyond that is really just sweet, sweet icing! That said, I learned a great deal about myself. Some good...some not so good. The move involved I became in the project, the more I realized God brought me to this mission for a number of reasons and I am forever grateful for the opportunity. I am even more grateful for the new friendships I have made and the old friendships that have been celebrated through CBCST!

Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up!

Right now I am loving "ooh la lift" by benefit. I keep it in my purse and in the (all too often) event when I can not get home to "refresh" my make up, I throw on some "ooh la lift" under my eyes for instant glow and restoration. I highly recommend "ooh la lift!"

Okay, friends! Nap time! Head aches, face hurts...must get a nap!