Back from the dead?

As I mentioned to S on the phone this afternoon, I was planning on pulling up my cucumber plant. I'd given up on the poor thing (I mean look at it for goodness sakes!)
The leaves are all crunchy and dried up, and the awesome little tendrils are like fried pieces of straw.

But at the last moment I noticed a teeny-tiny baby cucumber fighting its way through the summer heat. Notice that this cucumber is currently smaller than the yellow flowers (and you can see from above how small those are!) Thank goodness I noticed it before I ripped it out of the dirt!

What I Saw on Sunday

(E, you'll appreciate this): With all the random things I took pictures of while visiting my parents this weekend, I feel like my blog needs either the dotted line from "Family Circus" or a cameo appearance from Ickle and Lardee!

my mom's adopted bird (the bird adopted my mom by literally falling at her feet in Charlottesville, VA).
I don't know which is cooler, the praying mantis or the size of that marigold!

I love my zoom... and this guy's cool blue color scheme.

Basil (pre-pesto)

Only the freshest ingredients!

These cherry tomatoes are actually growing upside down. Cool, huh?

The king of the garden, my Uncle John.

The goodies from the garden that Uncle John sent home with me.

Mouth-wateringly good!

My blueberry-peach cobbler fue um succeso. Que muito bom! :)

Peach Goodness

My friend S came over today after work to hang out with me at the pool. She brought fresh-cut hydrangeas from her yard, which are a stunning shade of violet. After the pool, we walked over to the Farmer's Market. I splurged on peach jam and fresh peaches (for a cobbler). Yum!

Quick, quick

It's ironic to me that at a time when I'm doing so many different things -- so many things that aren't routine -- I find that I don't feel like blogging about them, even though these are precisely the interesting things you'd probably like to hear about! It's just that... well... I don't want to waste precious time on the computer! Here's a quick run-down of some recent activities:

- outlet shopping w/the in-laws
- fourth of july fireworks
- sick (thanks to some snot-nosed student)
- reading poolside (I just finished "My Lobotomy")
- fieldtrip to a nature center (cool, yet stressful)
- mall w/mom and dinner at the Cheesecake Factory
- quarry swimming w/friends
- margaritas at home with the family

A Summer Romance

So... I indulged in a couple romantic comedies today... and let me just say that I have a new crush. (B -- don't be jealous! This is just a summer fling!) It seems that I just can't help myself with these period-pieces like Pride and Prejudice (Collin Firth) and today's Becoming Jane (James McAvoy... I heart you). Maybe it's their accents... maybe it's their costumes... or maybe it's just the way Jane Austen writes about her leading men... *sigh*

Remember Me?

Well... things have been BUSY lately, and I'm sorry to admit that blogging was one of the things that had to be set aside. First of all, B and I were kicking butt and taking names (in terms of cleaning our house in prep for the in-laws). We even changed the knobs on our kitchen cabinets, which led to completely cleaning the cabinets and scrubbing off all of the layers of grease-grime. Let me just say, the place is lookin' GOOD :)

Then, B got me Sims 3, which has been both fun and headache-inducing. In order for it to work properly (and to keep it from crashing) I have to completely disconnect the internet and turn off my McAfee whenever I want to play. It's not easy to disconnect the McAfee so I found it was easier to just keep my computer ready to play Sims at a moment's notice (aka: no internet). I'm sure you can see how this might cause a lapse in my blogging.

Finally, the in-laws, are of course HERE! They arrived on the 1st and will stay until the 23rd. So far we've been having a good time together. Yesterday we had a marathon day of Outlet shopping in Hagerstown. They go crazy over the deals. With the holiday sales they were able to buy Tommy Hilfiger polos for about $25, whereas those same shirts would have cost them at least $80 in Brazil. You can see why they're crazy about shopping here.

Anyway, I'll do my best not to go missing for so long this next time, and I promise to catch up on everyone else's blogs asap. I hope you're all enjoying this beautiful summer weather!!