Summer Vacation

Well, June is here and I finally have some time off. So far its been pretty great. I started the day with coffee and some french toast.




I went for a run on the beach and then relaxed in my chair reading and soaking in the breeze and the sun. I came home and organized files and fun stuff like that which have been sorely neglected. Afterwards I cut the front yard because it is supposed to rain tomorrow and then I came in and I ate a huge salad with all fresh veggies, fresh blueberries and feta. Finally I am relaxing with a margarita with fresh strawberries!




I love vacation - it is really just too bad that the pay stinks!

Gardenia from the yard

Gardenia from the yard


The rain is good for something I guess. Yes, it has been raining for about 9 days now and except for the beautiful flowers and the abundance of herbs, I am pretty much over the rain. This is a gardenia from the yard - if it weren't raining I would be sitting on the back steps taking in the sweet, sweet smell of these flowers!

The rain has not dampened the love fest in the back yard with the birds, in addition to the cardinals, I caught some thrashers in the same pose, just missed them with the camera.

Chocolate Happiness

A little over a month ago I got a message from a recently reacquainted high school friend currently living and performing in Berlin. She asked what kind of chocolate I like. Of course I said dark chocolate. Well - a couple of days ago the package from Germany arrived and inside were gradually darker chocolate bars ranging from 50% all the way up to 99% and a special dark chocolate and chili bar I am saving.



Last night after a dinner I had red wine left and these chocolate bars so I did a tasting, starting with the 50% and working all the way up to the 99%. I have to say my favorite was the Cote d'Or 86%...it is hard to describe the different flavors, they of course get a bit more bitter, but really the only truly bitter one for my taste was the 99% which was not only bitter, but make me salivate and sort of made my gums feel like they were tingling. Also it does dye one's mouth.



I am looking forward to enjoying each of these and I will save the chili one until it can be put to good use, I always follow good advice. :)

May is a mixed bag so far

Good:
May arrived with good weather and a nice weekend with a visit from a good friend. We hung out cooked some dinner and then I made her run a 5K with me – we didn’t set any land speed records, but we finished and had a good time.




Bad:
I then caught some sort of plague from one of my many students. It is still hanging on despite cough medicine with codeine and a course of antibiotics.

Good:
I completed another year at Georgia Southern and my students sang very well at their juries. It was a tough year trying to juggle two schools and private students and I am not sure they didn’t all get shorted in some way. I will try to do better next year and not over extend myself.

Bad:
This could mean that I have to nix the private students.

Also Bad:
I have three weeks left at SCAD including finals and make-up lessons for the time I was out sick with the plague.

Better:
Felt well enough to have dinner with friends last night. It was an early evening, but I made the squash cakes I have become so fond of and they were, again, a bit hit.

Good:
It is another beautiful sunny Sunday. It is Mother’s day and I remembered to get Mom a gift. I have nothing big to accomplish today other than getting prepped for school tomorrow and another long week lay ahead.

I wonder what the rest of the month will bring?

Home-made Pizza

Home-made Pizza
Originally uploaded by lyricalmezzo

Yeah - this was my Tuesday evening. Hand made and delicious. Spinach, feta and sun dried tomatoes. You can read more about it on the 1700milesofcooking.wordpress.com blog

Painting, cooking, planting, THIS is relaxation people

I have been busy this weekend - not busy like work, blah, blah busy. I planted my basil which is already about double in size and has me dreaming of pesto in the near future. I have cooked lots of good meals and have another one in the works tonight. I am making crab cakes and zucchini cakes - YUM; also some bread with boursin spread and the wine is chilling as I type. My big project for the weekend was painting my bedroom. The color - according to Behr - is grape leaves. I don't know about that, but its a nice tranquil color so it should help me make it through the remaining days of school.

Sand Gnat and SCAD Bee going at it

Sand Gnat and SCAD Bee going at it
Originally uploaded by lyricalmezzo

The week is almost done and I managed to finally squeeze in a little fun going to an exhibition game between the Sand Gnats and the SCAD Bees - of course the best part of the game was the mascots going at it; still, its baseball and that means spring so it was great. It also happened to be a full moon and there was an awesome sunset, so that was a nice bonus. On top of that - I had jury duty this week and did not have to serve even though its the lowest number I or any of my friends had ever had, I managed to escape my civic duty this time around.

Friday will be a bit of a long day teaching, but I should be able to enjoy a few hours of perfect Savannah spring weather before I have to get cleaned up for Good Friday services.

Here's to all of you also having a great weekend!