Day Three Hundred Thirty Eight 2013

Sunset was pretty tonight. Picture doesn’t do it justice. Sure did enjoy the 65 degree temperature today. Raked leaves. Sat on the porch swing for a while. This is the calm before the winter storm they say is coming. Not sure what our neck of the woods will see ~ rain, sleet, snow? The older I get, the less I like the cold. But a little snow might be nice.

Day Three Hundred Twelve 2013

Random Pics Of Autumn Beauty And Blessings From The Week That Was ~ HAPPY TGIF!













Is not this a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love — that makes life and nature harmonize. The birds are consulting about their migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the ground, that one's very footsteps may not disturb the repose of earth and air, while they give us a scent that is a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit. Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.    
~George Eliot, letter to Miss Lewis, 1st October 1841

Day Three Hundred Five 2013

Hello, November!  TGIF Randomness

Grandson Knox browsing in the clothing store after lunch today ~ needed some new stylin duds to wear for his upcoming 2 year photo shoot.

Put a hat on his head and his first reaction is to take it off even though he looks great in a hat

Running off some energy on the trampoline this afternoon, baseball in hand. His newest word is “Mine!”

“October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Grandson Elijah’s second grade class had their ‘Harvest’ party today [whatever that is ~ they don’t have Halloween parties anymore in school and heaven forbid you should wear your costume ~ so the day after Halloween they had a ‘Harvest’ party ~ which sounds more pagan-like to me than Halloween] They got to dress up these little gourds. Elijah dressed his like a character in the movie ‘Avatar’. I said maybe he should have painted his gourd blue. Cute.

Elijah got this award today at school for displaying the 3 R’s ~ Ready, Responsible, Respectful which makes him a Super Student and an Awesome Kid! Way to go, Elijah!

“Come, little leaves” said the wind one day,
“Come over the meadows with me, and play;
Put on your dresses of red and gold;
Summer is gone, and the days grow cold.”
~Come Little Leaves  by George Cooper

Daughter Kelly and her hubs Kerry and son Knox moved here this past week, although they’re not quite ready to inhabit their new/old house yet. Lots of boxes to unpack and organizing/cleaning to do. Their house, on the left in this picture, was built in 1913 which makes it 100 years old this year. They’re staying with Neil and me for a while. Their house is just around the corner from us. We walked down there late this afternoon to feed the kitties [and locate the coffee maker ~ Kelly has to be there early tomorrow morning to wait for the Direct TV guy to come hook up their TV ~ and coffee is a must].

November sunset

“November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.
With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.
The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.”
― Clyde Watson
Happy TGIF!  Happy November!

Day Two Hundred Seventy Eight 2013

EVER LOVIN SATURDAY!






















A condo guy came and tied our balcony chairs and tables together this morning, but he didn’t put up the storm shutters. I’m taking that as a good sign that the storm has weakened. The weather was gorgeous today but really hot and humid. I think we all got a little red out there. The waves were still high and crashing into the shore. The surfer dudes were loving it. The beach chair guys set up the chairs/umbrellas so far inland that we were almost in the garage. This morning, we enjoyed playing in the pool where it was calm and the water was cold. This afternoon, the kids [big and small] enjoyed playing in the sand by the sea. I finished another book and took pictures of my toes in the sand. This evening, Elijah really wanted to eat at the Mellow Mushroom for supper, so we did. Right after we ordered, the lights went out. Everybody in there said, “Awww, man!” The electricity came back on, though, to delighted applause from all the patrons. We were devouring pizza when the lights went off again [“Awwww, man!” everyone groaned, especially those who didn’t have their pizza yet]. The electricity was off all up and down the strip, it seems [ours had gone out here at the condo, too, apparently ~ don’t know why]. Everybody had their cellphones lit up to eat by if you were lucky enough to have your meal already. It stayed off for quite some time, but we all applauded and yelled, “Yaaaay!” when it finally popped back on. Missed seeing the overtime in the Tennessee/Georgia game [and what a game it was!] but just as well since Tennessee lost by a field goal. Major bummer, but I love those charcoal gray uniforms. We dropped by the candy store, and the kids could not believe the massive display. Elijah was so overwhelmed by the choices, he couldn’t make a decision [he finally did]. Saturday at the beach ~ come and gone. Wish that storm would, too. Only not here.

“Roll on, deep and dark blue ocean, roll. Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain. Man marks the earth with ruin, but his control stops with the shore.”   ~Lord Byron

Day Two Hundred Seventy Seven 2013

The sea was angry that day, my friends - like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli. ~George Costanza,  Seinfeld ~ The Marine Biologist (1994)















Tropical storm/hurricane warnings for Destin Saturday night/Sunday probably all day. The sea is angry, indeed. The beach chair/umbrella guy got everything set up this morning, then kept having to move it all backwards and away from the surging tide which washed underneath and past our chairs, soaking towels and beach bags and everything in its path. The sky was blue and it was sunny hot and humid and we sat on the beach, reading and watching the angry waves crashing and rolling and splattering, eroding the beach with each surge. Kelly saw a big sea turtle in the waves this afternoon. The ‘don’t-even-think-about-swimming-in-this’ red flag was flapping its warning, but people did venture in, and this evening we saw surfers riding the waves and getting thrown off their boards, but they went back for more. The place we’re staying has notified everyone that they are going to put up the storm shutters tomorrow. They took down the umbrellas at the pool this morning and are stowing away anything that will go flying in high winds. I think Karen is supposed to arrive sometime Saturday evening/night. Daughter Holly, son in law Jerry and grandpeeps Shelby and Elijah arrived safely tonight around eight o’clock, tired but glad to be here in spite of the impending storm. Tonight, the tide is creeping closer to the condos. Neil and I are on the first floor above the garage. I hope we don’t get washed out to sea. We may have to hole up in Kelly and Kerry’s place on the eleventh floor. Sounds like fun, yes? No. Maybe. I hope it fizzles out, but in case it doesn't, wish us luck and keep us in your prayers for safe passage through the storm.