Simple Pleasures

It's been a while since I've posted, mostly because I have limited internet access at home right now and partly because I've been busy living life.  

And surprisingly, life has been good- even with the the obstacles that have been thrown in my way. 

So today, I'm sharing a simple pleasure: star gazing.

photo from this site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star

Yesterday I started a fire. 

It was intentional, so no worries.  

I was working on burning some brush cleared from our fence line. 

I had the wheelbarrow there using it to cart a bale of hay and move some large logs around.

Once I had the fire going hot, I opted to sit down.

The wheelbarrow looked inviting sitting there full of hay, so I laid down.

I discovered a wheelbarrow full of hay is a very comfortable place.

It gives you the perfect angle to watch the sky (and the handles make a nice foot rest).

So I laid there in my wheelbarrow, warmed by the fire and watched the stars come out.

It reminded me of all the times I had watched the stars in Deltaville with the 

Milky Way pouring across the sky.

photo from http://science.howstuffworks.com/star.htm

Always quiet except for the usual calming night noises:

Katydids, sailboat rigging pinging in the breeze, boat ropes creaking.

 

The next meteor shower (The Lyrids on April 21st) you'll find me in my wheelbarrow.

Simple Pleasure: My Deltaville Bracelet

Every story has a bead...*

About 2 years ago while shopping in Kilmarnock, VA,  my family and I entered a small store called Specials.  While browsing, the very nice store clerk entertained my son who was around the age of 2.  We struck up a conversation with her about her unique bracelets.  They were Trollbead bracelets, something like a high end charm bracelet with charms of sterling silver or glass (they also have gold charms check it out here).  She explained how each charm had a little story or saying and that each of her charms were purchased because of some special meaning behind it.  The store carried these trollbeads and we looked at them and took a brochure.

For 2 years we talked about those bracelets.  We all thought it would be a neat way to remember our vacations- buying charms each time we came to Deltaville.  But, the start up costs of a bracelet are a little pricey, so we put the idea on hold. 

This past July 4th weekend, we took another trip to Kilmarnock to Specials.  We talked to a sales associate who said they were having a special deal on the Trollbead bracelets.  To put this agonizing narrative to rest, we ended up heading back to Kilmarnock the next day to purchase the bracelets we had been talking about for a couple of years.

My mother and I are making bracelets based on vacations/Deltaville.  My daughter is making her bracelet based on her personal life.  And my sister is making her bracelet based on memories mostly of Deltaville.  There are many things to choose from.  So far I have collected the following:

Mermaid- "The little mermaid from H.C. Andersen’s fairytale. Symbol of the female mystique and magnetism, sometimes fatal to men."  I always say I should have been born with gills and a tail, being potentially fatal to men is a bonus.  And as a Scorpio, I'm all for female mystique.

Moon Ocean- "Slowly turn this bead and it seems to come alive in your hand. It is like silver moonlight dancing on a dark ocean." I don't know about ocean, but it reminds me of water.

Jellyfish- "A transparent creature, searching for food with the help of its many tentacles. While walking along the Danish coast, it is one of the most common creatures you encounter." Self explanatory why I picked this one.  The bane of my existence.

Milky way- "Billions of stars endlessly alight in the night sky. What awaits us out there? The Milky way stretches out, millions of light years away, making us ponder how small and insignificant we are in the big picture." It reminds me of all the times I spent looking up at the sky in Deltaville, watching meteor showers (and once saw a UFO).  If it's a new moon and there aren't too many people with lights on, you can sometimes see the Milky Way which is something I don't see very often anymore. 

Hydrangea- "Pretty hydrangea flowers cover the entire surface of this bead, just as in nature they grow abundantly and close together." You can find these old fashioned flowers all over Deltaville.  They make me think of lace, butterflies and my grandmother.

Flounder- "A funny fish with a crooked mouth and eyes on the side. The most common and largest flatfish. Called a sole in England, this is a fish of many guises." Not only is this fish something we went in search of on our many fishing trips, but it's also similar to a Hogchoke, which was one of the CB names I had .

I'm sure to have something new added after I head to Deltaville this coming weekend. And the fun comes in when we all go in to look and pick out our charms together, whatever the meaning or reason may be behind our choices.

*all italicized phrases come from the Trollbead website

Simple Pleasures

A while back, I attempted to start posting simple pleasures on Thursdays. I posted once.  I shall attempt again.  This week, I'd like to say that my simple pleasure is meeting new friends.  Along with that, I'd have to say spending some quality time with those new friends is also pretty high on the list.  I am, of course, referring to Blogfest 2010. 

So here is a list of simple pleasures from this past week:

     *Meeting new people who accept you even if you seem to be anti-social and don't mingle well with people you don't really know.

     *Karaoke plus wine

     *The video clip of the karaoke plus wine

     *Noe Noe Girl who doesn't allow ANYONE to be socially awkward around her

     *Rubber ducky floats (glad the photos haven't surfaced)

     *Crab hats and safety glasses

     *Any song that has the phrase "Shake your money maker!"

     *Beaches

     *The guacamole that Ann brought (it was good on the burger too)

     *Having so much fun and such good memories that the planning for next year started the very next day

Simple Pleasures

My local radio station discusses people's simple pleasures every Thursday morning, so I'm stealing the idea.  It's part of my "come on get happy" campaign to battle the winter blahs and the blahs in general. 

So, for my simple pleasure today, I'm going to pick going for walks in Deltaville (since this is a Deltaville blog I'll keep with the theme).

Sometimes things can be a little boring in Deltaville.  You've gone on the pier so many times, slept in the hammock so many times, and watched the Shrek movie until your eyes bleed (the joy of 3 year olds and their movie fixations).  So that's when you go for a walk "around the point". 

The Point is simply the road that circles around the end of the pennisula where our community is located.  I imagine the name refers more to the fact that it is the tip/point of the pennisula, otherwise I guess we would have called it the loop.

When I was younger, the road was not all gravel.  Back in the day we had an orangey sand and some spots with oyster shells.  I used make sand castles in the road near our house.  Walking during the day is hot and sweaty, and always takes you past the community pier and boat ramp where, as a kid, I always accidentally fell in the water on purpose.  Now my children accidentally fall in the water on purpose.  (Accidentally falling in on purpose is an artform typically mastered by children who are wearing one of the few clean outfits they have left for vacation and happens when specifically told NOT TO GET WET) 

Walking during the day you see your neighbors, find out who's down for the week/weekend, check out everyone's flowers look for anything new that's been added since you were down there last.  Basically it's trespassing legally from the road since it's a public road and broad daylight, you can be nosey without getting in trouble.

At night walks are even better with the noise of boats and cars gone, you hear more of nature's sounds.  Whipporwills whistle, the fittings on the ropes on the mast of the sailboat across the creek ping in the breeze, the Milky Way stretches across the sky... it's magical (you can also look into the windows of your neighbors' houses to see how they have things decorated... not that I would ever do that). 

so, what's your simple pleasaure today?