Rainy in Hoi An

Hello from Hoi An!

Leaving Phu Quoc

Greetings from Phu Quoc, Viet Nam!

Hello from Halong Bay

Never have I been to such a magical place in all my life. Vietnam is more than I imagined.

Hello from Ho Chi Minh City!

Is this normal for October?

I am amazed every day that I walk past the forgotten "Garden of Weedin'" and see something else in bloom. These are Cosmos and Pineapple Sage this morning. I don't remember anything from my spring plantings blooming this late in the year. I'm not sure if that means I have a bad memory or that the climate is changing. Mother Nature sure has a way of surprising me - most of the time it is pleasant.

The Shed

Coffee by the shed. Beautiful day in Athens, GA!

Skyblue Pink

I love this bench!

Taken with ToyCamera / OldCamera

Big Bear Lake, California!

We have sheep!

Summer Shadows

I'm lovin' the Daylilies!

Duck if you come through the front gate.

After Dinner Out Last Night

Growth!

I am loving this weather, today (the moment we are in now) and the promise of things to come. My Heirloom Brandywine Tomato seedlings are looking like they are about ready to be moved outside. I saved the seeds from a yummy organic tomato we got from our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share last summer and tried my hand at starting plants. I also have tomatillos, Carolina Wonder Red Bell Peppers, lavender, parsley, chives, oregano, thyme, and parsley growing from SEED in the window. It's all very exciting to me! Nothing is in the garden yet. Well, nothing except that lovely mint that came back just in time for iced tea.

The azaleas seem incredibly vibrant this year and finally my wisteria is blooming! I cut it back last fall and I think it really liked the trim. I only have a few small clusters of blooms on both sides of the picket fence but I am thrilled to finally have them after all these years.

Next week I plan to plant my garden. I'm going to follow the suggestions of Farmers' Almanac Gardening by the Moon. Check it out if you haven't already planted your garden or if you still have more to plant.

Hello, Yellow.

It's odd how having something fresh cut from the yard completely changes the feel of a room for me. It changes my attitude. Others may not even notice this small bunch of blooming branches but it makes me smile every time I see it. It is also a proven fact (unscientifically tested this week) that I keep a cleaner kitchen when there's something fresh and farmy on the counter.

Hello, Neighbor.

Just so you'll know I'm still here. A few shots from my morning walk.

iFaltered Friday

Yesterday was busy. It ended well after picking up my husband from the airport and going to a nice little German/French restaurant for dinner. The espresso gave me just enough energy to make it home without falling asleep on the drive. I sure would like me a "Fancy Bag".

iPhở Friday

Hello, Sunshine.

iPhone Camera Apps

These are the photo apps I have been playing with on the iPhone for the past two Fridays. There's a link to check them out and the price they were when I purchased them last week. Each app can be purchased/downloaded from the App Store right on your iPhone and is ready to use before you even get the bill! How cool is that?! Click away and let me know if you have any favorites that I don't have.

1) Best Camera ($2.99) This one is simple to use with a great interface. Lots of cool filters and the ability to send to a long list of places: Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Email and Camera Roll.

2) CameraBag ($1.99) You can shoot right from this app or select a photo already on your iPhone. I like that you can select full resolution for larger photos with this app.

3) Hipstamatic ($1.99) You pick the lens, film and flash then shoot to your heart's content. I bought a couple extra lens packages but I forget to switch over and use them!

4) Lo-Mob ($1.99) This is a fun one, too! You can shoot from the app or select a photo already on your iPhone. LOTS of cool old timey filters for borders, exposures, fades, etc...

5) TiltShiftGen ($0.99) This is how you make your photos look like they are from a miniature toy town. You can shoot from the app or select a photo you already have on your iPhone.

6) ToyCamera ($1.99) I love the random feature on this app! It's one of my favorites.

Snow on The Pharm!

iPhone Friday coincides nicely with our snow day and I am loving the randomness of the Toyphone app. Will have to report back with a list of favorite photo apps for the iPhone after my fingers thaw a bit more. It's tea time!

iPhone Photo Friday

I didn't leave the house today other than to sit on the back porch and listen to the rain. I'm just learning to use this new iPhone, so I can't be for certain which filters or apps I used but I promise I didn't edit the photos on my computer. Each shot was taken from my spiffy new iPhone today.

I'm still trying to figure out how to upload to here from the iPhone so I am typing this on my laptop but I did manage to sync my iPhone and laptop in the process. See ya next Friday if not sooner. Dang, I've missed you. iPhone. I just had to say it once more.

Thanks, LK. Once again, you have inspired me to try new things.

New Year / New South

Here's a twist on the traditional southern New Year's Day dish Hoppin' John. We had a late breakfast and Marty wanted to go out for the afternoon. I wouldn't let him leave the house until he'd eaten some black eyed peas, rice and greens for good luck. I sauteed fresh mustard greens from our CSA (can you believe we are STILL getting food from their garden this late in the season??) then threw together some black eyed peas, tomatoes, jalapenos and rice. Nice splash of Louisiana Hot Sauce on top and a glass of iced tea - sweet tea, as they call it down here. If we never do anything else on New Year's Day, we will at the very least always eat Hoppin' John.

Here's to a happy, healthy and creative New Year!