AC Repairman, Chicka Dee Dee Dee and a Dirt Bath

1. On a day when the temperature will rise to 92 degrees, having a repair company who responds by 7:30 AM when your husband calls the night before to tell them your AC isn't working.

2. A very young black-capped chickadee lands on the iron porch railing. His feathers are mottled and messy. He has yet to develop his adult coloring. He squawks a "chicka dee dee dee" and then flies in a little closer...Then even closer. Each flight is begun with hesitancy, as if he is asking himself if he can do it before he takes the leap of faith. He lands on the corner post of the iron porch sofa and looks around. Pleased with himself, he lets out a little whistle, then flutters his way to the phone line.

3. It is our dinner time. A party of sparrows are having a dirt bath in the dried out earth in my gardening wagon. Dust & dirt fly as they squirm and wallow in the powdery earth. We laugh out loud as the dirt flies, leaving our dinner to watch their antics. It is a hot one today and my husband jokes that it dries up their sweat.

(If you've never witnessed a sparrow's dirt bath, put a pan of dry dirt in your yard near your feeders and just wait. They will find it and it is a sight to behold. They go into it head first and wallow, the same as they do in water.)

A Bird Bath, Garden Memories and Fireworks

1. Little brown sparrows are attracted to the sparkling water of a makeshift birdbath...A terracotta planter basin placed in a heart-shaped iron plant hanger. A large smooth stone sits in the middle of the water for butterflies and bees to perch upon as they drink. The sparrows stand on the rim, dip their little beaks in the water and then tilt their heads back to let the water spill down their throats.

2. Harvesting seeds from my columbine plants, offspring off seeds from my own mother's garden in Georgia. The seeds carry a heavier meaning than in years before. Mama has had to give up living alone which meant giving up her beautiful garden. Each year when the columbine blooms, I think of mama and how sad it must be for her to no longer have her garden and how glad I am to be able to keep a part of her flower garden alive. If you would like to help keep my mama's garden growing, send me a message and I will send a few of her columbine seeds to you.

3. Living in a very small town that has a GIANT fireworks display each summer as a part of their Catholic Mt. Carmel Festival.

Rainbows, Spiderweb and a Forgotten Reason.

1. Rainbows on the concrete of our back steps.

2. A perfectly symmetrical spiderweb between our front porch railings.

3. A forgotten Reason...oops.

Unison, Inflatable Pool and Fresh Herbs

1. 149 purple coneflowers blooming in unison.

2. A toddler in tropical-colored swim trunks filling an inflatable pool with water from a green garden hose. He holds the nozzle of the hose to his chest, fascinated by the stream of water as it arcs into the pool.

3. Clipping fresh parsley and thyme from my front porch herb pots to season the red skin gold potatoes I will cook for dinner.

A Haircut, Wishy-Washy Weather and Generosity

1. A fresh new playful haircut.

2. A very rainy morning transforming into a beautiful sunny afternoon.

3. Three generations of Mollica descendants gather for their annual reunion, sharing their reserved pavilion with another family reunion that somehow managed to lose their own pavilion on this Sunday of questionable weather. The more, the merrier!

Helene, Scents of Summer and a Big Score!

1. As I am grinding our morning coffee beans, through the breakfast room window I discover the summer's first blooms on Helene, my beautiful Rose of Sharon. They are pale pink, almost white with a magenta center. I transplanted Helene from a neighbor's yard, a slight 16 inches tall, risen from a fallen seed. She now towers over me. I wait for her to bloom each summer and bring the bumblebees who wallow in her pollen.

2. The warm morning sunlight falls on the echinacea and a summer breeze fills the air with its sweet fragrance. We inhale. Chubby bumblebees travel from one pink flower to the next, in an almost rhythmic pattern. Britt squeals as a beautiful monarch lands on one of the sun kissed coneflowers, slowly opening and closing its glorious wings.

3. Finding a brand name on a recent thrist store purchase, searching for it on the web and discovering that the item I paid a slight $15.00 for sells for $1,600.

One more thing...Phoning my sister and hearing the joy in her voice when she tells me her daughter and precious grandsons are visiting.

Band-Aids, Surprises and a Good Laugh

1. Waking to find the band-aid I put on my elbow before bed, still there. For three nights in a row, the Target brand band-aid has rolled right off in the middle of the night. The keeper? A REAL Band-Aid. Sometimes, you get what you pay for.

2. A package arrives from my two sisters who live in Georgia. Britt watches as I tear into it like a kid on Christmas morning. Inside the box, smothered in bubble wrap, is a beautiful covered candy dish made of amber glass with a bag of Dove milk chocolates to fill it. There is an amber glass domed round butter dish with a delicately scalloped rim and a pressed floral design. There is a model ship made from wood with cloth sails for me to spray paint white and add to my ship collection for the bedroom I will soon be redecorating. It also includes gardening magazines to drool over and a beautiful card with a cloth-covered button. Sisters make life better!

3. My sister and I have a good laugh via cell phone as we discuss the fact that she put a bag of Dove chocolates in my gift box. A box she drove around in her car for several days in the heat of a Georgia summer before mailing it to me. All I'll say is, if you are craving chocolate, even melted, re-solidified calico colored chocolate that sort of crumbles and is very difficult to remove from the foil wrapper can satisfy!

Friendship, Eclairs and Blue Eyes.

1. Having a close long distance friend who calls at 8:15 in the morning (7:15 her time) to check on you when you send a whiny email to her first thing in the morning.

2. Coffee and Sam's Club mini eclairs on the front porch with my daughter, while we each read magazines (her: Cottage Living, me: After Capture) and watching the goldfinches feed. They are as bright as a ray of sunshine.

3. Capturing my daughter's beautiful blue eyes through my camera lens.

Basil, Summer Strawberries and Determination

1. Discovering tiny little green basil leaves sprouting up from the warm soil in my recently planted flower box.

2. A juicy strawberry dipped in fluffy whipped cream.

3. Lying down in my comfy bed after a tough physical day.

Wind Spiral, Threads of Gold and Milk Glass

1. A copper wind-spiral sways in the summer breeze, its green marble collects the morning sunlight and appears to glow from within.

2. Two doors down, small blond-haired children play on the sidewalk. He, shirtless and with a summer buzz-cut. Her white blond hair is blowing in the gentle breeze like threads of gold.

3. I wash my milk glass and lovingly return it to the dining room shelves. It has been stored away since October of last year. I never tire of the beauty of the creamy white dishes...The swirls, the rough marks from the molds. I am glad to be surrounded by it once again.

Spider Webs, Terrible People and Sheer White Curtains

1. At the bottom of our back steps, a spider has spun a web between the bottom step and a sunny flower pot. Raindrops from last nights rain are caught in the chaotic web. They glisten in the sunlight.

2. The family of the amber-eyed kitty has moved away and apparently abandoned the kitty. Britt and I feed her and she is so appreciative that she purrs and rolls all over our feet. Later in the day, we are having a snack on  our shady front porch. The kitty hears our chatter and rushes to join us, plopping herself down on one of the soft cushions, then kneading it like dough with her furry little paws.

3. I finally got most of my dining room put back together after the baseboard painting of last week.  It looks so cheerful and fresh. The new, shorter sheer white curtains, gathered at the top on the curtain rod remind of a summer sun dress.

Amber Eyes, Paternal Instinct and Jib Jab

1. A black cat with piercing amber eyes joins me in the back yard for my morning coffee. We have had much rain lately, so between the wet lawn and the holiday parties, we haven't had the time to mow the lawn. The black cat decides to walk from our driveway to our patio, a path that involves crossing the lawn. He methodically uses our path of stepping stones, pouncing from one stone to the next, apparently trying to avoid the wet blades of grass in between. A squirrel  continually barks from the branches of the buckeye tree, scolding the presence of the cat. 



2. Young sparrows accompany their fathers to the bird feeders. They stand in the middle of the feeder, their little birdie feet covered in seed, flapping their wings and chirping, waiting for their fathers to lift the seed and drop it into their little open beaks.



3. My honey-husband treats us to a dinner from Jib Jab Hotdog Shoppe, eliminating the need for me to cook. Now THAT is a beautiful thing!

House Finch, Coneflower and Flames

1. I am holding my summer morning vigil, sipping coffee on our front porch. A common house finch perches on an electrical wire between our house and the street. Back lit by the sun, he serenades with canary-like melodies. He flies close and clings to the thistle sock, his crimson head and breast illuminated by the low morning light. As church bells ring out, he pauses from plucking the seed from the mesh of the feeder, as if he is stopping to appreciate the song. I remain motionless, afraid I may frighten him away. He is beautiful and I want to share the joy of the morning church bells with him.

2. I study the beauty of a purple coneflower before it actually comes into full bloom. It is magnificent in all its shades of green.

3. An Independence Day party, surrounded by friends, old and new.  A young boy takes a midnight swim, then warms himself  beside a fire burning in a copper bowl.  Hands spread over the flame, he raises and lowers them as he is mesmerized by the fire. No one is watching save for me. Ever the mother, I keep a watchful eye. I stand at the ready should he put himself in danger.

Independence, T-bones and a Cake Server

1. I bake my brother's recipe for Key Lime Cake. When it is time to assemble the layers, I retrieve my mother's vintage aluminum cake server from the basement shelf where it is stored. As I give it a washing, I discover my mother's name on the bottom, printed with a black Sharpie in her very distinctive handwriting. Something I already treasured becomes priceless. A tear falls...

2. My son walks into the kitchen and gazes with visible joy at the size of the T-bones we will grill for the two men in my household on this day of celebration. Britt and I opt out of the red meat.

Britt, who has become an excellent cook slices and chops, pours and measures as she prepares the marinades and seasoned butter for the grilled meat and ears of corn that we will cook. I smile. I am glad they are both home with us today.

3. We close our day of celebration with a fire in our copper fire bowl, a fresh pot of coffee, a few toasted marshmallows, Key Lime cake (which by the way was no where as good as when my brother cooks it) and a 360 degree fireworks display provided by our many neighbors. We loudly ooooooohhh and aahhhhhhh. rewarding their efforts with vocal appreciation. Two doors down,
from the other side of our wooden privacy fence ,I hear a small voice filled with excitement at the beauty of the fireworks display, taking a cue from our whooping and hollering as they squeal with joy. They are new to our street and at this moment probably thankful for moving into our modest neighborhood, that is anything BUT modest when it comes to Independence Day celebrations.

Rockin' to the Raindrops, Bookstores and Clean Sheets

1. Morning coffee on the front porch, magazine in hand, rocking to the rhythm of the raindrops falling around us, drip-dripping from the window awning and into my flower bed. Britt and I trade magazines, sharing our interesting finds.

2. Browsing the bookstore...Decorating magazines and bargain books are my weakness. The smell of Seattle's Best Coffee wafts my way, but I resist the temptation with the knowledge that we have Starbuck's Pike's Place coffee beans at home and I can spend that $4.00 on a new magazine or book. I get an overwhelming feeling as I flip through the crisp new pages, inhaling their fresh-off-the-press scent, that I haven't yet done with my life, what I am intended to do. It both saddens and excites me.

3. Crawling in bed between deliciously cool and crisp clean white sheets.

Comfort, Bagels and Planting Seeds

1. Comfort in knowing that my doctor was truly disappointed that my surgery didn't eliminate a problem I am having.

2. Having a late breakfast of bagels at Panera with Britt, then making a quick run (for us) to our favorite thrift store to search for a costume for The Medieval Fair.

3. Planting basil seeds in the soil in an old wooden tool box, moistening them and hastening them to grow so that we might enjoy the flavors of a late summer Caprese salad.

Lemon Balm, Lavender and a Flower Frog

1. I crumple lemon balm between my fingers and inhale the fragrance of sweet freshly squeezed lemons.

2. The low morning sunlight warms the lavender blossoms. I stop to pluck a stem. I decide to mail it to someone special.

3. I gather a bouquet of fluffy white clouds of hydrangea and use my new flower frog, a recent thrift store find, to arrange them in a white milk glass pitcher.

88 Years, Hymns and a Fresh Coat of Paint

1. My mama is 88 years old today! Happy birthday Mama.

2. As I type this on my BlackBerry, outside, in the freshness of a brand new day, neighborhood church bells fill the air with Just As I Am, one of my mama's favorite hymns. I can see her in her kitchen sitting in an oak ladder back chair, sorting a pile of laundry and singing Just As I Am.

3. I smile with satisfaction at the completion of a job I have been trying to get to for months. The crisp white paint is a cheerful finishing touch to the baseboards surrounding the new dining room floor.

Graduation Parties, Bouncing Raindrops and Seventeen

1. White party tents drenched with rain, filled with food, laughter and unflinching celebration, as the spirit of those who celebrate, will not be dampened by the pouring rain.

2. Children in party clothes, bouncing up and down on a trampoline as summer raindrops splash and bounce at their happy feet.

3. Janice Ian is singing "Seventeen" on a vintage episode of Saturday Night Live from 1975, the year I was actually 17. Treasured memories come flooding back to me. For a few minutes I can smell 1975... Astro-pops, candy apples at the county fair, Emeraude cologne, Juicy Fruit gum, a bus filled with sweaty basketball players and cheerleaders, on our way home from a game. I sigh, thankful for the memories, yet also thankful for the moment in which I am living.

Summer Rain, Baby Beluga and a Whong

1. As we get out of the car, there is a blue-gray sky with low summer sunlight and the smell of a summer rain. We pause to breath in...

2. Finding a surprise kitchen gadget in my bag of goodies from yesterday's thrift store excursion ...A whisk/tongs that I have now named a whong. A fabulous vintage egg-beater was the grab-bag item I was actually after. The "whong" was just a happy bonus.

3. Discovering a cute little ceramic whale in my daughter's thrift store box as I was putting her items in the dishwasher to give them a good cleaning. I saw the whale at the thrift store and it made me smile. With no discussion of the whale, with us not even being together when we each saw it, I found it in my daughter's bounty box. She too, thought it adorable and bought it as a gift for me. He is one of those things that you just can't look at without smiling. I love surprises!

Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea. You swim so wild and you swim so free. ~RAFFI

Clean Floors, Sunny Memories and Crepes

1. Walking barefoot on a freshly washed kitchen floor and feeling the "clean" on the soles of my feet.

2. Spending the afternoon thrift store shopping with my daughter and finding a sunny yellow bowl exactly like the bowl in which my mama always served her potato salad.

3. Making deliciously lacy savory crepes for dinner alongside my daughter and handing the seasoned skillet to her so that she too can master the delight of swirling the batter around in the sizzling butter until a delicious and delicate crepe emerges.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Marshmallows, Love in the Afternoon and Carpenter Ants

1. Sharing a lunch of fresh spinach salads dressed with grapeseed oil and red wine vinegar with my daughter, while under the trumpet vine covered arbor, beside a shameless middle-of-the -afternoon-in-June wood fire. Then, toasting marshmallows for dessert and chasing them with a strong cup of afternoon coffee.

2. Watching two male robins on our roof shingles, fighting for the affection of a singular female, strutting their stuff as she plays hard to get.

3. Spending my first entire day outside since the surgery. Chasing the bad bad carpenter ants with a Weber Power Stripper while stripping the paint off an old register cover from our 100 year old home.

Robin Red Breast, Smoke and Butter Fries

1. Early morning, the ground still wet from another summer storm, a robin sits high on the chimney, his red breast brilliant in the morning sunlight. He is singing loudly, as if in thanks for the soft wet ground that yields an abundance of worms for which he barely has to search.

2. An unexpected switch from gas grill to charcoal, smoke swirling and rising around the lid of the smoker turned grill.

3. A full table, chatter and laughter as we share a meal. Butter-fries...Oven fries, drizzled with melted sweet cream butter and sprinkled with freshly chopped dill from the herb garden.

Raindrops, Smiling Faces and Pink Bakery Boxes

1. Raindrops from last night's downpour sparkling in the low morning sunlight.

2. Waking up to a beautiful bouquet of flowers placed on the kitchen counter by a sweet new smiling face who has recently joined our brood...A college student who could ill afford them, which makes them just that much sweeter.

3. Sneaking off to Jimmy's Italian Foods and giggling with my daughter as we eat Torte Della Fragola (Strawberry Torte) with plastic forks straight out of the pink bakery box in the parked car while waiting for a summer storm to arrive.

Ode to Joy, A Budding Pianist and 88 Years

1. Sipping my coffee on our sunny, yet cool and breezy front porch while church bells fill the air with "Ode to Joy".

2. Realizing it is a true gift to still be able to phone my 88 year old mother.

3. Talking on the phone to my sister in Georgia, listening to her excitement and angst over her most recent purchase...A piano, to inspire the musician that is surfacing inside her precious grandson. The angst comes from trying to figure out where to put it, now that she has it.