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5/15/2008

random things

OK, the light cooperated a little bit today. We started out w/thunder and clouds, but now I see sunshine & blue. I can't say my photography "skills" or Blogger cooperated, though, but you'll get the idea. The cool gift that Lauren sent is this charming, glossy tea tin:



See, I loved the same tin in red, over on Lauren's blog. I left an innocent comment of admiration, and the next thing I know, she sends the blue version! I do love all shades of blue. And tea, of course. This gift also arrived in the throes of my stomach virus. I was writhing around in bed, asking Johnny, "Am I dying?" (dramatic, I know) He sighed and said, "No. But I'll go check the mail." (since good mail days do wonders for my psyche) He delivered a package to my pitiful self - that cute, blue tea tin. I quit pondering my demise for the rest of the day.

Lauren tells me she scores such items at her local TJ Maxx. I believe her, but I don't remember similar bounty at Houston TJ Maxx's. Maybe I need to drop by again. I did find a pseudo-antique wooden desk organizer once - for like $7.00.

In other news, I've taken to spying on birds in our backyard. There is one especially pretty one, pecking around in the grass. He/she is black with a sapphire neck and head. I'll never go to the extreme of Dan Koeppel's Dad in the memoir I'm reading - To See Every Bird on Earth - but I would like to know the names of our local birds. Like the black and blue guy, or what I think are adorable brown & white sparrows. Finches?

Which reminds me, Johnny found a hatched bird egg in our yard recently. It's so fragile and lovely. Very symbolic. Very spring. I set the eggshell on a high bookshelf, out of the cats' reach. I want to keep this bit of nature around for awhile.



By the way, my body has tolerated espresso w/cinnamon all week! Obviously I'm still into tea, but drinking coffee in the morning reminds me of my old life, before yeast; when I felt more freedom, or so it seemed. God is doing something very good with my health struggles. On days like today, I know and believe. But it's nice to immerse in nostalgia, or better yet, rest in hope of what's to come. Lots of tea, but also cups of aromatic coffee, with no worries of acid reflux or other annoyances. And, I might add, more grandiose events than beverages.

OH. Long ago, my kind Mom-in-law gave me a gift certificate for a one-hour aromatherapy massage at a local spa. That is finally happening tomorrow! I'm a little nervous about the whole prospect - I've never had a massage before - but I do believe my weary body needs it. So, I'm more excited than nervous, I guess. It's not very often I receive such a luxury.

There you have my random thoughts for today....

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

a great shot of the eggshell. you could make your own eggling...or would that be weird?

i understand the nervous/excited aspect of the massage, but trust me - five seconds into it you won't remember the nervous part.

Christine said...

OOOH fun...massage. You're going to love it. Savor every minute!

That is so sweet of Lauren to send those gifts! TJ Maxx is great for things like that - also Homegoods. Do you have one of those in Houston?

Christine said...

OH I meant to ask as well - what is a good vanilla tea? Maybe a green tea/vanilla that you would recommend?

Kimberly said...

What a cool tea tin! The blue is pretty but I loved the red one your friend has. That's my favorite color after all.

Are these some of your backyard neighbors?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Sparrow
and...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_swallow
Hopefully those links will pull up for you.

We had a ton of house sparrows and the occasional barn swallow, not to mention pigeons, that would visit us when we lived in Clear Lake. It was very soothing to listen to them as they chirped and cooed their appreciation for their treats I would leave for them, all the thanks I needed. I can't wait to have a backyard again because I will immediately break out the birdfeeder and start welcoming the area birds to my yard.

Enjoy the massage! You'll have to let us know how nice and relaxing it was and how all your muscles turned into jello afterwards. ;~)

Kimberly said...

Okay, the links didn't highlight but at least you can type in Barn Swallow and House Sparrow and see pics. of them!

BTW, I'm not a "real" bird watcher who goes out with binacoulars and knows every species of bird. :~) I just looked up the ones that visited my backyard.

jenni said...

Thank you, Kate. My eggshell is smaller than it looks, but I wanna buy an eggling soon.

Stine ~ I don't think we have Homegoods here. I highly recommend adagio's vanilla black or vanilla green, and rishi's organic vanilla black. Also, Mighty Leaf makes a good vanilla black.

Kimberly ~ Thanks for the bird info.! I'll be researching....

I'm glad to hear y'all are supportive of my massage tomorrow. I'm less nervous now.
:)

Kimberly said...

Let me know if those were the birds ~ I'm curious to know. ;~)

jenni said...

I think I've seen the House Sparrows, but not the Barn Swallows....

Kimberly said...

Cool. They're one of my favorites. I love how they fly in groups and are so social with one another. It sort of reminds me of the great fellowship you have at a church's pot luck dinner. ;~)