97 / 365 Plantin’ Time

It’s one of my favorite days of the year… the Native Plant Sale at the nearby Chattahoochee Nature Center.  Twice a year the greenhouses are open for the public to peruse the plants that volunteers have been nurturing, coddling, and cultivating for the past year; the plants are native to the area, with many from the CNC gardens.  The best part is the wildflowers (oh my goodness!) – they’re gorgeous and so healthy, just screaming to be planted in my Secret Garden.  I always come home with a wagonload of beauties, and today’s find was no exception:  Toothwort, Bloodroot, Shooting Star, Dixie Wood Ferns, Dutchman’s Breeches, Spiderwort, and Woodland Asters! I can almost see H’s eyes rolling.

96 / 365 Scrub-a-Dub-Dub

H and I had BBQ chicken on the grill tonight, and it was absolutely delicious!  I prepared it, and he manned the grill.

Now, any time chicken is on our menu, I think of my sister and just crack up because she can’t stand touching raw meat, especially chicken.  She eats chicken and will cook it, but S spends most of her time scrubbing down the chicken, herself, the countertop, the dishes, and so on.  If raw chicken has come anywhere close to it, she’s cleaning it.

I have to admit that, having lived with her for several years, I might have picked up some of her squeamish habits.  I don’t mind preparing raw meat, but I have been known to burn a dinner or two simply because I was so focused on scouring counters and sinks that I overlooked the smoke coming from the skillet.  Thank goodness H was on duty this evening.

95 / 365 And the Family Grows

This little goofball is my great-niece.  Today she became a big sister, making H and me a great-uncle and -aunt all over again. It’s been a blessed evening! 

94 / 365 The Inflator

This morning I mentioned to H that my front tires looked very low, and he immediately headed out to the garage to inflate them with his handy-dandy foot pump.  Unfortunately, the pump (which is older than many of the people reading these words) died in the process.  Not to be defeated, H ventured out to Sears at lunchtime and returned with a very manly Craftsman air pump called The Inflator.  Now, all he had to do was to wait for me to come home from work. 

After dinner, as H removed the pump from the box, he noted (with a huge smile) that I believe this is officially overkill, but it was worth it just to get this box (fancy honeycomb packaging).  Better yet, my brother will say this is a gross misuse of technology – which is the best reason EVER to buy this pump!

Needless to say, my tires are now in great shape and ready to hit the road.

93 / 365 Brunch-n-Go

It’s the last day at Callaway Gardens.  A quick toss of everything into the cars and off we all go for brunch at a quaint little restaurant on the square in Pine Mountain.  H and I are home by early afternoon.  It was a delightful weekend.

92 / 365 Lunch Time at the Butterfly Center

The Butterfly Center is one of my favorite places at Callaway Gardens.  The life expectancy of butterflies and moths is approximately two weeks.  They’ve got a lot of living to get into such a short amount of time.  Feeding stations, such as this one, are situated in numerous locations throughout the center.  They’re the perfect place to get a close-up view of their intricate details and designs.

91 / 365 Weekend Retreat

We’re off to Callaway Gardens for a little weekend fun with friends… featuring a home-cooked meal, a walk around the lake, and a rousing game of Scrabble to finish off the day.