100% Made My Day

I heart purple.

This came in the mail today.

No card.
No explanation.

Gifts

My favorite part of my whirlwind experience at Burning Man was the gifting; for no other reason than just that, to give.

I came home with some nifty new items, but my favorite experience was finding this girl on the playa.  She saw me with my Rice Krispy treats and b-lined directly at me.

"I. Am. The. Girl. You've been looking for.  You are about to make my week."

She almost reached in without asking and quickly said, "Can I please have more than one?"

Fun to find someone who loves those things as much as I do.


    photo: Bonnie Hawthorne

Puppy Love

This household had a rough day today. Our new little addition has good days and full-on-puppy-days.

Today was the latter.

Due to the full-on-puppy-mode, Ms. June was locked in the kitchen while I spent my day inputting hundreds and hundreds of email addresses.  Super fun.  I heart Excel.

There was whining and whimpering and huffs and puffs.  I'd peek in on her every once in awhile, but in general, we were mad at each other.

I decided to take a little break and have a seat on the kitchen floor to say hello.  This little one caught me out of the corner of her eye and quickly stretched her way over to my cross-legged lap.  She stepped on, put her nose down, pressed her forehead into my chest and just stood there.  "I'm sorry, mom."

Heart. Melted.

Sea Sick

Spent my morning at the dentist office waiting to hear that I needed to floss more, brush better and buy the latest and greatest toothbrush.  

Meeting with the dentist was surprisingly painless and he seemed to be pleased with my habits.  As I made my way into the next room for a regular cleaning, I had no idea what I was in for.  The hygienist sat with me first and was genuinely interested in what I did for a living.  She continued to ask questions as she slowly laid my chair back and put on her mask.  She adjusted my chair a few times...up, up, down.  Up. Down, down. Perfect.

She proceeded to ask me questions.  Not the yes or no kind.  Very detailed questions about succulents, climate change and politics.  Each time she finished a thought, she'd adjust my seat slightly.

At first, it seemed normal.  Adjusting for better reach perhaps.  But as she continued to tell me our planet was in for a whirlwind of change, she fell into a pattern of sorts.

Do you like the green agave or the slate?  If I had 30 seconds with Obama, I'd tell him we need to spend money on greenhouses.
Up. Up.
Down, down.
Scrape, scrape.
Down.
I hate social media.  They shouldn't call it social, they should call it segment media.
If you were just on the road, did you see all the crazy climate changes?  Which city was the worst?
Scrape, spray, suck.  Scrape, scrape.
Up, up.
Down.

I was slightly annoyed at first.  But as I continued to go up and down, it was comical and took my mind off the scraping.  It actually became a game for me to guess when she'd move me again and how long it would be before I laughed.

The Rock N Roll Tunnel

At the Magic Kingdom in Orlando exists the ever-illusive Disney Tunnel.  It's a literal tunnel under the Magic Kingdom where characters, cast members and executives can travel from one side of the park to the other without being seen.

As a Disney Cast Member, you're required to tour the tunnel during orientation.  Which I did in college.  It's exciting to have access to something most do not, but also quite like seeing behind the curtain in Oz; it ruins the magic a little.

I found this to be true at concerts as well.  When you get to see the nitty gritty, behind-the-scenes world of Rock N Roll, it takes away some of the magic.  As a fan, you know lead singers probably say the same thing at each show in cities across the world.  But when it's YOUR show, you truly believe your audience is special; that the band likes you best.

Being on tour, I lost a little of the magic.  But it's also amazing to see how the band DOES react to the energy of a great crowd.  When the crowd is on fire, so is the band.  And after seeing 60-ish Foster The People shows, it's fun to know exactly when the band is giving a little something special.

Fruits Of My Labor

I have a new avacado tree. Well, the tree is actually quite old. But the concept of having fresh avocados at my fingertips is quite new. And, until two days ago, I hadn't actually seen one growing on the tree.

I'd seen our local squirrel taunt me while he took one bite out of an avacado and then drop it to the ground. I've also found a few (bite free) on the ground. But as soon as one of my favorite people in the world came to visit...she seemed to be able to spot the perfectly ripe, ready-to-be-picked green beauty. 

We have a fruit picker. 
It extends. Prett-ty far in fact. 
But after one picking attempt, I realized this wasn't going to be easy. 

So I rigged a chair on top of a saw horse on top of a trash can. A ladder, if you will. Tippy toes, holding my breath and 30 minutes later...SUCCESS! 

Worth. Every. Minute. Delish.