The Cosmic Balance is Restored (and a pic spam!)
Updating off of my last post about last weekend's adventures in hair dye allergies and massively swollen faces and bruised identity, I want to assure everybody that I am fully back to normal now, and this weekend is promising to be significantly more enjoyable. I put in the effort to complete all my responsibilities, grading and domestic and otherwise, yesterday, and am continuing to do so today, so that I will be able to fully enjoy tomorrow's Kasabian show at the Crofoot Ballroom. :D (To say that I am excited about this show would be a vast understatement. They haven't toured the US in years, and in Europe they usually play vast arenas and festivals, so the opportunity to see them in a small venue like this is really special. I plan to rock out. Oooooh, yes.)
In other signs that I am back to my peacocky self, and that my luck has returned, I had my skull ring admired by a random woman in CVS yesterday ("My son would think you're so cool," she told me, which... I think is a compliment?), and then when I checked out, the automatic reward coupon machine spat out approximately three times the number of special coupons that it's supposed to. And then it offered me another ten dollars off. ("Wow, it must really like you!" the cashier told me.) And then, to conclude the evening, I caught a Very Cute Guy checking me out at the fresh market, which led to a slightly-awkward-but-also-sort-of-adorable-and-ultimately-successful flirtation over the salad greens.
All in all, it's a good change of fortunes, and I'll happily take it. :D
Meanwhile, the imminent prospect of Kasabian is not all that's making me happy. We're going through a brief cold period (read: normal Spring weather for Detroit) right now, but this spring has been ridiculously temperate and sunshine-soaked and cheer-making, and the results are already showing in the garden! Trees are in beautiful bloom, and as you can see under the cut, the garden is producing blooms and other green, green signs of life...
As you can see, the lilies are coming back with a vengeance! This doesn't even include the absurd number of Easter Lilies sprouting up... you can just see a few of them towards the back, but actual number of them is dizzying, especially for transplanted cast-offs, of which I was told not to expect much. (Is there anything more satisfying than taking in strays and outcasts and watching them thrive?)
Howard the Shaggy Bush and Vince the Vine have both also come back with enthusiasm, and they're as lovey-dovey and clingy as ever. (I don't think I've ever named anything else quite so accurately as these two!) Vince is eagerly showing off lots of new growth, and I'm sure it's going to be a show-stopping season for him, but he still prefers clinging to Howard to growing on the provided trellis, and not a day goes by when I don't have to try and put some space between those two. I keep telling them it's for their own good, but I don't think they believe me.
Hard to see here, but on the right side, in the foreground, Vince is reaching out for Howard. As always. ;-)
And last weekend, as I was coming out of my few days' funk, the garden cheered me up with a burst of bright daffodils, worthy enough to have me smiling and mentally quoting Wordsworth. As you can see:
And now, simply because it's been a bit since I uploaded pictures, and why not post them now, here's the Hazelnut-Mocha Trifle that I made for Valentine's Day...
...and finally, a series of photos featuring Otto, who insists on posing cutely. Such as when he plunks himself down to watch television.
Or lazes on the bed, enjoying the sunshine.
Right. Now I am powered up on two pots of coffee, so I can tackle the rest of the grown-up errands and then try to make some decisions about my outfit for the concert tomorrow. I'm trying to strike the balance between rock-chick cool and not-trying-too-hard. It's a delicate equation, but I think it'll involve my skull ring, in any case...
Hugs, kisses, and spectacular Saturdays to you all!
In other signs that I am back to my peacocky self, and that my luck has returned, I had my skull ring admired by a random woman in CVS yesterday ("My son would think you're so cool," she told me, which... I think is a compliment?), and then when I checked out, the automatic reward coupon machine spat out approximately three times the number of special coupons that it's supposed to. And then it offered me another ten dollars off. ("Wow, it must really like you!" the cashier told me.) And then, to conclude the evening, I caught a Very Cute Guy checking me out at the fresh market, which led to a slightly-awkward-but-also-sort-of-adorable-and-ultimately-successful flirtation over the salad greens.
All in all, it's a good change of fortunes, and I'll happily take it. :D
Meanwhile, the imminent prospect of Kasabian is not all that's making me happy. We're going through a brief cold period (read: normal Spring weather for Detroit) right now, but this spring has been ridiculously temperate and sunshine-soaked and cheer-making, and the results are already showing in the garden! Trees are in beautiful bloom, and as you can see under the cut, the garden is producing blooms and other green, green signs of life...
As you can see, the lilies are coming back with a vengeance! This doesn't even include the absurd number of Easter Lilies sprouting up... you can just see a few of them towards the back, but actual number of them is dizzying, especially for transplanted cast-offs, of which I was told not to expect much. (Is there anything more satisfying than taking in strays and outcasts and watching them thrive?)
Howard the Shaggy Bush and Vince the Vine have both also come back with enthusiasm, and they're as lovey-dovey and clingy as ever. (I don't think I've ever named anything else quite so accurately as these two!) Vince is eagerly showing off lots of new growth, and I'm sure it's going to be a show-stopping season for him, but he still prefers clinging to Howard to growing on the provided trellis, and not a day goes by when I don't have to try and put some space between those two. I keep telling them it's for their own good, but I don't think they believe me.
Hard to see here, but on the right side, in the foreground, Vince is reaching out for Howard. As always. ;-)
And last weekend, as I was coming out of my few days' funk, the garden cheered me up with a burst of bright daffodils, worthy enough to have me smiling and mentally quoting Wordsworth. As you can see:
And now, simply because it's been a bit since I uploaded pictures, and why not post them now, here's the Hazelnut-Mocha Trifle that I made for Valentine's Day...
...and finally, a series of photos featuring Otto, who insists on posing cutely. Such as when he plunks himself down to watch television.
Or lazes on the bed, enjoying the sunshine.
Right. Now I am powered up on two pots of coffee, so I can tackle the rest of the grown-up errands and then try to make some decisions about my outfit for the concert tomorrow. I'm trying to strike the balance between rock-chick cool and not-trying-too-hard. It's a delicate equation, but I think it'll involve my skull ring, in any case...
Hugs, kisses, and spectacular Saturdays to you all!