59 / 365 Storms Afoot

Strong storms arrived in our neighborhood late this afternoon, accompanied by the always worrisome sound of the county tornado-warning sirens.  When I got home, H was away at a class, and the house was extremely quiet.  The sky had taken on that yellow, pre-tornado look, and the rain poured down.  As the cracks of thunder kept getting louder, I found myself planning for the worst:

1.      Check on my mother-in-law.  Find the portable oxygen tank and prepare to fill it on short notice.

2.      Locate the cat carrier, remembering not to tell P the cat that he is #2 on the list.

3.      Determine how to fit all of the following into our small, centrally located guest bathroom: H’s mom (with oxygen), P (with food, water, litter box), me, and hopefully H (as soon as he gets home).

4.      Change my clothes into something more comfortable in case the house blows away.

In reality, the best I was able to do was to slip into looser jeans (see #4) and consume a package of Girl Scout cookies.  I’m glad the storm wasn’t any worse than it was.

58 / 365 Italian Bread Dipping Oil

H and I know that Spring is right around the corner when we can sit outside on the patio at Bella Italia with bread, pasta and a glass of wine.  Although this looks like a picture of the Sun taken through the Hubble telescope, it’s actually a mix of olive oil and spices for dipping fresh-baked bread.

57 / 365 Ending a Nice Day

The cupcake above capped the end of a busy day. H and I spent the afternoon introducing our Brazilian friend R to the Atlanta Botanical Garden before taking him to the airport.  Today was the last day of his seven-week stay in Atlanta; as I write these words, he is flying back to Amsterdam to resume his studies.  It was a delightful visit.

56 / 365 A Mixed Bag

I felt a bit out of sorts today, making the day's bright spots somewhat difficult to recognize.  Still, there were a few things that did speak to me: the clatter of more sandhill cranes (heard, but not seen); a graceful turkey vulture (sounds like an oxymoron) riding the thermals above the trees; and the sun glowing through the tulips on our kitchen table. 

55 / 365 Fun Meter

I think the Fun Meter was set a little too high for today.

54 / 365 Value Scales

I was downstairs in preschool today and just had to stop by the art wall.  Being an art major, I’m always interested in seeing what the kids are doing.  I love this study of the gray value scale with the painted light-to-dark strips used to create the word “value.”  And those fun little airplanes.  What a great project… it takes me back to my own school days.

53 / 365 Soaking Up the Rays

H took this picture of P during their lunch break together in my office.  Both were enjoying the open window, cool breeze, and warm sunshine.  I bet there was a game of Scrabble going on as well.