Like Fireflies

Here I am, home sweet home in my little slice of Heaven on earth. My first vacation since I started working.

It's so peaceful but not necessarily quiet...what do I see and hear? Bird song surrounding the cabin...rich green leaves fluttering in the breeze, brushing against each other and periodically a rusty redish orange one floats to the ground with an ever so slight thump...hummingbirds racing past my head, sometimes close enough to cause me to duck as I feel the breeze of their wings...my chimes gently ringing tones of joy that resonate a calm within me...the creek gurgling over rocks in its way and splashing down the cascades...as night falls, the chirping cicadas resound through the woods, almost overpowering the creeks gentle lullaby. Then there's the rain - it starts with the drops dripping through the leaves, morphing into a sound similar to a tap dancers soft shoe slide, building into a multitude of snare drums being brushed and if the weather is right,becomes a syncopated symphony on the tin roof. And much to my surprise, the fireflies are still twinkling, little flashes in the night that I didn't expect to see this time of year. I've missed this place.

I'm happy to say though, that I also love my beach place and my work with Allegany Franciscan Ministries. It certainly has kept me busy, as have a few other things (I'll share just a few). I was greeted by Liam (I went to share his sixth birthday weekend) with a huge lingering hug and an impassioned "I've missed you Mémère!", (brought tears to my eyes). Here he's sporting his two dangling-by-a-thread front teeth that he eventually lost, one by one.

I had a business meeting in TN, and Johny and I met and stayed at a B&B the weekend prior. The most relaxing part being watching the cows across the French Broad River graze in the rain.

The meeting I attended was the Blue Ridge Institute (something I would highly recommend for any non-profit execs) in Fall Creek Falls State Park, where I was greeted by this doe,

got to see the breathtaking falls,

 walked across three suspension bridges (personally challenging my fear of heights), 

 and waking to gorgeous foggy sunrises. It was a perfect venue for a very uplifting, informative and fun week.  

Then back to FL where I watch lizards battle, birds appreciating the bayou behind my little beach place, sit by my little Gulf beach listening to the small waves splash on the sand, and keep my brain stimulated with the operations of the office. 

My time here at the cabin has been refreshing, where I've shared my birthday with Johny, taken lots of pictures, and enjoyed swinging in the swing, just being.

 

Beyond all that, you may be wondering where I've been. Truth is, even though I have lots of awesome things that are happening in my life, the essence of Lise's Log Cabin Life comes from the cabin, and what happens to me when I'm here. Not only on the outside, but the inside (of me). My writing self is inspired here at the cabin and I want to share this wonderful place with you (and where, of course, I have lots of time to write for pleasure). My working self is inspired in FL, and I'm not sure how much of my everyday life is going to be of great interest to you (where, of course, I don't have lots of time to write for pleasure). The fact is, there are some things I believe will spark your interest, and I will post those as life happens...I'm thinking of it somewhat like the fireflies, sparkling a bright light now and then, long enough to be enjoyed, brief enough to not be boring yet make you want more, and intermittent enough that when you see it again, the thrill is there. I'm hoping you find the comparison to be true. At this moment, being in the space I consider my muse, I'm sharing :) 

Thanks for reading my blog, see you again soon,
Lise 

I'm Late!

I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date! That's right, I'm late in publishing last weeks post. In fact more than late, I didn't write one. Why you ask? Good question. I just didn't do it. And you know what? I didn't put myself in a rabbit stew about it (as the White Rabbit did in Alice in Wonderland), I just let it go.

So, hello! It's been a great two weeks. Family's been coming to visit and enjoy my new place on the weekends and time seems to fly by during the work week. Here's a little of what's been going on...

Pretty sky

My niece Sophie canoeing in the bayou

Fireworks in the driveway

A Heron (hangs around here a lot)

A Downy Woodpecker

An Egret

A colorful Lubber grasshopper...

...he found a friend...

Life is good.

And a little update on the cabin...there's going to be LOTS of blueberries!

My brother and niece are coming today; he's bringing some tools to help me hang my chimes...awesome! I'm looking forward to seeing them. We'll also canoe and play in the pool, who knows what else.

Next week, I'll be posting from Tennessee; I'm meeting Johny in Knoxville for a little weekend getaway and then I'll be attending the Blue Ridge Institute for the week, that should be a great experience.

Did I say life is good?

Thanks for reading my blog, see you next week,
Lise

I'm In!

One box/bag at a time, that's what it takes to move a short distance. It took two loaded car trips and one wrap up trip to get everything moved. That would include 50 or so trips up and down these stairs to get everything inside...I kept running the thought "this is good for my legs and butt" through my head to keep me going.

And here I am, settling in and loving this place.This is my back porch rocker that came with the place; the pillows are new, I bought them especially for this purpose. I posted this on Facebook (if you're on FB and want to be friends, send me a friend invitation), asking for input about what color to paint the chair, and decided I may very well leave it with the rustic "sandy, weathered look" that a few friends suggested. 

I was tickled when I discovered that the armchair in the dining room is the same color scheme...it definitely wasn't a conscious decision, but I'm happy with the way it turned out (the rocker is just on the other side of the sliding door).

This is what I look at when I sit on the rocker. It's been extremely warm and humid here, so the time I've spent outside is limited right now. I did take a dip in the salt water pool we have, (I say we, this is a duplex, but I haven't met my neighbor yet), and it was extremely refreshing. 

I was tickled when I arrived; this rose welcome was in the guest bath. Quite creative and it put a big smile on my face!

 This beauty joined me early Saturday morning.

 And this Blue Jay seemed very happy that I put bird seed out.

These are the only bags and boxes I have left to unpack. The kitchen & my bedroom, bath and closet have been completely organized (LOL, I sorted my clothes by type and even color coordinated some of it). That makes me very happy.  

This is the kitchen, spacious and bright (well, not at this time of day, the blinds are closed to keep the sun out), and has lots of working counter space.

As I unpacked, I came across this horseshoe that Johny found in the garden. I need to hang it up; I think I'll install it above the front door. In the meantime, it's sitting on the kitchen counter, collecting all that good luck. 

Life is good, gratitude fills my days. I do miss Johny, Pogo and Fluffy, but they'll be back!

Thanks for reading my blog, see you next week,
Lise

Look At That Garden

While Johny was visiting, he spent lots of time checking on the weather in case he had to ask a friend of ours to go water the garden. He was relieved as each day passed and rain graced the garden frequently while he was here, in fact so much so that he became a little concerned that there might be too much rain (we had that problem last year).  When he arrived at the cabin on Monday this week, he was thrilled to find that everything was growing beautifully and all the rain did the garden good, (including the weeds.) He spent a lot of time weeding after he took these photos...

...corn...

...lettuce...

 ...salsify...

...squash...

...and turnips...

...I can't wait until he comes back and brings me a goody bag.  Both Johny and I are looking forward to seeing each other again in mid July. We're meeting in Knoxville for the weekend as I head to a conference in Tennessee the following week. A mini vacation for both of us and I'll be able to enjoy some of these awesome organic veggies he's nurturing!

This is the sunset that welcomed him home, I do miss that view and can't wait to see it with my own two eyes again! I'm hoping to make that happen in early September.

I've gotten back into my routine since Johny, Pogo and Fluffy left. Work continues to be extremely rewarding, and my life here is quite enjoyable. I spent this morning drinking coffee at Crystal Beach, 

and watching this fiddler crab scurry about.

I'm excited that next weekend, I move into my new place; my next post will be from there! Ah, life is good:)

Thanks for reading my blog, see you next week,
Lise

It's Been A Great Visit

It's been a great week with Johny, Pogo and Fluffy still visiting. Seems like the time has flown by.

Tuesday Johny and I celebrated our 8th Anniversary. We had a great evening dining at Massimos, an eclectic fine dining experience that lived up to its reputation. I do believe Johny was most impressed that Massimo, the Chef, was once the personal chef for Sophia Loren. He actually came to our table when Johny asked to chat with him a bit; it was a very nice conversation.

Later in the week we took Pogo to Crystal Beach; his first time. He seemed to enjoy it but never ventured into the water. I liked this photo but the lens was still foggy...

...Pogo didn't seem to mind the seaweed or the sand, and was loving all the smells.

It was a beautiful sunset, even though it was overcast...

Saturday we went to downtown Dunedin and enjoyed walking along the quaint downtown. I though this bougainvillaea arbor was amazing...look at the size of it!

We also saw this flower in one of the yards. It was most unusual but I have no idea what it is. Do you?

We also played pool in the Club House. We weren't very good but we had fun.

Today we celebrated Father's Day with my Dad, Donald, my brother Roger and my Aunt Luci. We started out at Birch & Vine. Unfortunately a transformer blew resulting in a a massive power outage there (effecting their electric grid specifically) and though we tried to wait it out, we ended up at 400 Beach down the road. We did enjoy the buffet and were glad they could accommodate, with all Birch & Vine's patrons having to find an alternative. I do hope they were able to recoup some of their losses from the day; it looked like they were still powerless (in more ways than one) when we finished with our brunch.  

I thought I'd share a photo of this continuously blooming orchid...the common name is butterfly...I can see why...

After we all went our separate ways, Johny and I stopped at Haslam's Bookstore, Florida's largest new and used book store. I stocked up on various Florida flower, bird and nature books so I can study my surroundings. The one red flower I showed you previously isn't in any of the books, which leads me to believe it isn't a Florida native. 

And that's a wrap! Tomorrow, Johny and gang will be heading to the river house for a couple days, and then back to the cabin. He's quite happy that it's been raining quite a bit at the cabin while he's been here, so the garden should be in good shape (he'll probably have lots of weeds to pull though). It's been great to have them here, and I'm already looking forward to their next visit. Until then, I'll miss them!

Thanks for reading my blog, see you next week,

Lise