A sea of whispers

A little seascape made from reminants of my 2007 sanibel vacation.

It’s time to make my reservations for another spring break by the sea. Every year I pick out a cottage on-line with a preconceived notion of how it will look. It’s always perfectly fine and usually quite lovely but never exactly as I envision. Below is what I’ve imagined for this year…

Standing alone in the silent little rented cottage, she sighed and sat down in a comfy slip covered chair near the open window. The warm salty breeze felt wonderful against her skin. She loved the way the long sheer curtains blew across the floor. It felt as though the room was alive and breathing.    This cottage had a life of its own and somehow offered a sense of companionship. The old girl had once been a care takers cottage to the slightly dilapidated mansion up the hill.  It wasn’t in the best of shape and the weeds and wild roses had grown up all around but she kind of liked it that way. It felt hidden and safe, just like her secrets; the ones that she had locked away in the vault so long ago. This cabin was part of a cottage row and the closest one to the sea. All of the cottages were old and failing but somehow this old girl had fared the best. She was still quite structurally sound. The inside was painted a creamy Casablanca white. The ceiling was cedar and there was a large wooden beam across the middle. The cupboards were cottage blue with weathered metal handles. The square kitchen table had a chopping block for a top, and faded blue legs. The chairs were wooden, straight back- two painted cottage blue and the other two in a sunny yellow. The appliances were white, quite old but still very functional.  The floor boards were wide wooden planks and in some places the gaps between them were wide enough to see the sandy soil below. She didn’t mind and felt a kindred spirit toward this old place.  The gardens, now slightly overgrown, must have been someone’s pride and joy. There were so many wonderful flowers that had been carefully planted along the picket fence. The colors of the roses blended together perfectly. The soft peachy roses next the baby pinks then fading into the creamy off-whites and finally a stellar white to end the row. She loved the honey suckle vine that climbed the trellis wall; the smell was divine.

The setting here was lovely and mysterious. The old cottages seemed all but forgotten and the intriguing Mansion on the hill looked so ominous. All of this was constructed so masterfully on beautifully lush grounds overlooking the sea.

I have a vivid imagination that is hard to live up to. Enough day dreaming- off to work!

xo-jj

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Lingering in a summer’s day

 

My mind is quiet as the light is lingering in a dance on the lawn and the trees are gently bending in a late afternoon breeze. It’s perfect, really, warm enough for a tank top and shorts but not hot enough to force a sweat. The sunflowers are bright and cheerful as the smell of grilled chicken floats thru the neighborhood. I could stay in this moment forever, summer sun, garden flowers, succulent food on the grill, gentle breezes in my hair and the a little wren bringing dinner back to the nest. Summer afternoons are a perfect time for curious minds to wander while a tired body rests. My thoughts are misty but recognizable. I see lush gardens in the mist and hear the ocean just beyond my tattered little cottage that sits amongst the roses over looking a craggy cliff to the ocean. It’s so serene and perfect just like this summer afternoon.

dear summer,

please stay for a little while longer or maybe forever. I love everything about you: your warm breath, bright and beautiful skies, flower filled fields, and even a little sweat here and there. I would trade an evening by the fire, my sexy leather boots and favorite pair of woolen mittens for an eternal summer, if only you would stay.

Free to just be…..

xo-jj

Rainy Day Dreamers

The princess sporting her tu tu in the park.

I think my love for dress-up and all things girlie started long ago in grandma’s attic. As a little girl I just loved to sneak up to the attic at grandma and grandpa’s and peek at the fancy hankies and cutesy aprons tucked away in a curvy old dresser. The dresser had an adjustible mirror that was perfect to get a look-see at my reflection in grandma’s church hats. They were kept in the stacks and stacks of boxes in every corner of the room. The treasures were endless as my imagination took root and  sprouted wings in that little attic space.  Even now I love to play dress up and have an incurable fascination with vintage jewelry and fancy hats.

Ang enjoying a day dream during the heat of the day.

I wish I had realized then how precious those things would be to me today and asked for a keepsake or two. I was a young girl when my grandparents passed and didn’t hang on to old mementos. I wish now that I had some of those attic treasures to tuck away for a day just like today. The house is quiet and dark on this rainy day; the perfect time to play a little dress up with my girls.

Ms. D and her purse named Fancy.

I usually don’t like the rain, it’s dark and depressing but for some reason today I don’t mind. It’s a good day for thoughts and reminiscing about treasures found on rainy days in grandma’s attic.

Wishing you many lovely day-dreams on this rainy Wednesday.

xo-jj

Summer lov’en

Endless summer between the sheets

Ahhh, summer- I love it so. It’s a time when clothes are optional well at least in the house and shoes are forgotten. The warm sun feels good on my skin and the breeze blows a familiar smell of freshly mowed grass through my window. It’s a time when families gather and children run free through the yard with an open jar ready to catch the first fire-fly of the season.

Summer’s child

Summer’s child is curious by nature
and adventurous by design,
a versatile soul that bounces like the flickering light
of a summer afternoon.
This child is kind and willing to bend like the willow
and float like a butterfly.
Her stellar personality shines when in the spotlight
like a newly bloomed flower.
This lover of nature throws seeds of love
to all who dwell within her garden.

I wish summer could last forever and ever.  After a great weekend I felt inspired to share a few of  my favorite things about the season. I know it’s only June but I want to savor every moment that this beautiful time of year has to offer.

Yummy Pink

I love the garden this time of year with it’s freshly opened blooms. I love growing tasty herbs in little pots outside my window and use them when I cook. My cooking needs all the help it can get. .. teeehee

 

 

An amazing sunrise over the misty pond.

Okay that’s enough beautiful summer day dreams for today. There is something I saw that I found quite amazing and I want to share it with you. Although I think it was beautiful in it’s own way, I’m not sure how the rest of you will feel about it. WARNING… many of you may find this a little disturbing.

This weekend I took a load of trash out to the kirby (trash can) and when I opened the lid I was shocked by what I saw. Mr. J had been cleaning out the garage and decided to pitch an old duffel bag, he barely peeked inside and saw that it was filled with old junk no longer needed. Well little did he realize that this little bag had become a home to a family of deer mice. So as I opened the lid on the top of the garbage can mound stood a mommy mouse with four or five babies attached to her. She saw me and started to run when one of the babies fell off so she went back and layed down beside it until it reattached itself, then she took off again.

I have never seen anything like it.  No I didn’t get a picture- I’m not in the habit of carrying my camera to the trash can. I’m not afraid of mice but the thought of them crawling on me is disturbing  so I quickly closed the lid.  Now if you have nightmares because of this I am sorry but I just couldn’t help sharing.

Have an amazing day- without the mice.

I’ll be doing a little garden gazing; only after all my work is done 😉

I’m still waiting for a little sunshine.

xo-jj

 

Soft and Dreamy……

Soft and dreamy,

like a whisper in my ear,

or a song in my head,

you were there.

The green grass tickled my ear,

 as the sky begged my forgiveness,

you were there,

holding my hand,

kissing my cheek,

you were there,

and now we’re here.

Oh how I love soft and dreamy things. These roses are dried and have been sitting in a vase in my bathroom for about three years. I love how the colors are faded and just kind of melt one into the other. It sort of represents how I want to live my life, gently and beautifully melting one day into the next. I think I prefer life like that although sometimes there is the temptation to live it a little more intensely.

 

Doesn’t the sky sometimes just amaze you? Light and atmosphere are pretty amazing stuff. I won’t pretend to understand any of it- I barely passed chemistry. My mind works more in a  dreamy and fluffy dimension.

I have to tell you something embarrassing that happened to me on Monday but only if you promise not to laugh. Okay so now that you promised here goes… Sunday night about 11:30 pm  I’m watching tv in bed (bad habit of mine) and I notice my feet are in desperate need of hydration, so I grab some lotion out of the back of the cupboard and slather in on. Fast forward to Tuesday, I shower, dress and take off for the day. I’m handing money over to the clerk in a store and  and holy shit comes out of my mouth accidentally (I don’t swear very often) because I notice that the palms of my hands are brown and between my fingers and my finger nails all muddy brown. The clerk just raises an eye brow (i’m sure he washed his hands after touching my money) and says nothing. I get back to my car and look down at my toes peeking out of my sandals, they look filthy. Can you guess what happened?

Well, it took me a minute to figure it out. I must have grabbed some old self tanning lotion to put on my feet the night before. It must have gone bad because the color it left was not very appealing. It looked like I had been working in the muck fields and forgot to wash. I can’t believe that I didn’t notice it before I left the house. I must have been in one of my preoccupied modes.

Enjoy your weekend… The sun is finally out here after 3 days of overcast yuk. wahooo!!! (what is the correct spelling for wahoo anyway?)  Mr. spell checker says I got it wrong but he doesn’t know how to spell it either. Come on Libby you should know this after watching the spelling bee finals 🙂

xo-jj

My Dreams and 100th Post

This is my 100th post and I wanted it to be special in some way. So, I decided to share my dreams with you. I have always been a curious girl with my head in the clouds as I explore every inch of my life.  My passions change with the wind and I want to experience it all. I have big dreams that are floating  just over head. But I sometimes lack the discipline to make my dreams a reality. I always believed that I would do something extraordinary with my life and I’m still waiting for that moment.

I left my job in the medical field a year ago and embarked on a journey to find my creative roots and plant them firmly. I started out with a vengeance but I have to say my batteries are wearing down a bit. I started this blog to serve as a platform for my novel “The Sofa Diary”. It is still a work in progress and I have been off my game a bit since the holidays.  I’m sure I’ll put my game face back on very soon. The last chapter of the book will be all about this sight and the amazing stories that have been posted here. I can’t wait to finish the book and share it with all of you.

Okay on to my dreams as promised.  *I wish to be published and profit from that venture.  *I wish to buy a cute little cottage near the warm beaches of the gulf of mexico.  *I wish to have time to share this paradise with my friends and family. * Last on my list is to live happily to the age of 100 with the ones I love close by. Is that too much to ask? I don’t think so.

Share your dreams with me no matter how big or small. After all this site is all about sharing, secrets, passions, dreams and stories. So throw one out there, Junie wants to hear what you have to say.

Thank you for being a part of my 100 posts and for sharing in my dreams.

jj