Just a little Pearl

In addition to all things quiet below, I thought I'd add this for my brother, who happens to be my best bud.

He is selling one of his favorite things, his little camping trailer, named The Pearl, to help move along the building of his A frame up there in them Nort' Car'lina mountains. The Pearl is very cool (like my brother), practical (sort of like my brother) and can open your life up for not lots of money (totally like my brother...my little brother...did I mention that?).


Your partner likes Nature but doesn't like ground contact? The Pearl! You don't have an SUV and don't want to need one? The Pearl! You want to not sweat in bed? The Pearl! You're losing your house and will be on the street? The Pearl! Better than a dog, it doesn't need to be fed or taken to the vet's to be your new best friend.

Check it out. Click on the photo to be whisked directly to The Pearl. He needs more interior shots but hey, I'm his big sis, not his PR rep. Talk to him!

Calm Tuesday

While yesterday morning people seemed to come out of nowhere to be everywhere, by afternoon most of the visiting boats had headed back to the big island or St. Thomas (some here for the non-Erika show) and the streets were going quiet.

Today it seems the very air has taken on the same vibe of stillness. So it seems a fine time to mention a few things that have come to my attention online (and you who says you can read all this online yourself? You may go now, go about the rest of your day).

If you eat food, and if you are reading this you do, you have at one time or another run across the question of...is this still any good?? Well, StillTasty.com has come along to answer that question and more that you just didn't know you wanted to ask about food. I love this web site! It's full of great stuff to keep you healthy as well as saving you money and time. What else do you want, them to cook it for you? Check it out.

Another site of long standing that I really enjoy when there is not much going on is africam.com. This site has a few live streaming cams in various areas around Africa. It can become addictive, I'm just warning you now. There you are, occasionally checking the window where this lake is, and then comes along a lion, or elephant or tiger or leopard and...you're hooked! They also carry the polar bear migration live out in Churchill, Canada. That season starts in October and is pretty fascinating...if you like that sort of thing - and I do! Lions and tigers and bears, oh my...ok, no bears. Oh, did I forget to mention they have a flamingo and eagle nesting cam as well??

But do they have these screaming meemies?

And one more. Did you know the Old Farmer's Almanac is online? Seems like a bit of an oxymoron somehow, but I like it anyway. All those old bits of yesteryears along with technology, sort of reminds me of myself. If you like gardening, cooking, astronomy, weird classified ads and a lot more, it's worth a look. If you like it, you can subscribe and get newsletters...yes, more newsletters!

And if all that old fashioned goodness gets you in the mood to do something requiring old time objects, there is Lehman's online catalog to peruse! Oh wait, that's two more, isn't it? Well, since I'm on a roll here....

lots of people ask me what kind of wax I use on my hot sauce bottles. I get it from Leener's, a great site with all you need to make wines, cheeses, beer, mead, sake, sourdough bread, sausage...you get the idea. They are a great company and I've enjoyed working with them for years now. You will too. ***This was an unpaid, unsolicted endorsement for Leener's that is also a not so subtle plug for ordering my hot sauce (but who ever accused me of being subtle?)***

Have a calm and peaceful Tuesday!

Colors of home

I *almost* had this ready to post this morning, but doing a few things and then a few other things and suddenly it was 'get yourself to the cart' time. But I got to add another color, so it all works out.

These - except for one - are from a walkabout in my yard to see what the rain brought. Even though I'm as familiar as I can be with the weed flowers that spring up, they are still a good and beautiful surprise when they appear. One of the smaller purple orchids also decided to make a blossom show, which I love as they last forever, it seems. Another that I grafted onto a tree is finally showing signs of life as well. I thought it was a goner for sure, but that is the joy (and horror, when you wake up to a once healthy one dead) of plants...you never quite know what the next day will bring.

Purple (lavendar, if you wish)

Pink (I hear you "No, that's fuschia")

White (yeah, not a color - well, I beg to differ!)

Blue (true)

Green

Red

Orange (and yellow and red and black too)

Grey (unfortunately, it didn't suck away Costa Bonita)

I was on my way back from Dakity after cleaning my dinghy's very overgrown bottom when I saw this spout. It got quite large before falling apart and seemed symbolic in a way...but I'm sure that was just my warped mind. I'm happy to report it only took one try to get back in my dinghy, though I have to admit my extremely ungraceful belly flop not being seen by anyone was a help. At 2.5 hp, I didn't exactly fly back in, but the dinghy felt about 40 pounds lighter.

Today truly was beautiful. A day to be in or on the water, or both. Maybe it was the past week of gloominess or maybe it was the bright blue sky, the sun truly out, a makeshift umbrella and a little bit of business with a lot of smiling people, but the day shone well. I bid it adieu in hopes of one like it tomorrow.