Evening Beauty

each evening near sundown, i go for a stroll. matisse and i walk down the street where the lillies are as almost as tall as i and then we dance through the sprinklers as the fireflies, aglow, hover near the wet earth. we pass the daisies, just starting to come to life, their small buds already starting to collect the evening's dew. we pass aparments & condos & homes who's porches are dotted with adirondack chairs. some people are playful with their paint. adventurous even. treating it as though it were sidewalk chalk or a crayola crayon - their chairs bright purple, others lime green with colorful polka dots. then there are always the more traditional types with the pristine white. i imagine them spending one afternoon each year giving them a fresh coat. painting on perfection.

flowers are abundant this time of year. so are gardens. and children playing outdoors. they ride bikes & scooter pass me, sometimes pausing to pet matisse, other times zooming pass. probably in a rush to get home before night settles on the earth & their mother calls the neighbors inquiring as to his where-abouts.

sometimes, matisse and i are offered little suprises on our walks. a turtle passing from the dry earth to the damp swamp. seeking shelter in the cool waters & camoflage in the green plants. lately, it's been firework shows. amateur, at best, but i still pause in my stride to admire the sky. other times it is as simple as a bird crossing our path or the recognition of shadows at our sides, the way the leaves dance on their branches, the american flag that acts as a startingly beautiful filter of light.

there is so much beauty in this big world. if we would just stop. breathe. & recognize it will call out to us. & show itself in all its grandeur.

Even Blogs Have to Grow Up.

when N moved to Orlando recently, he started his own blog on blogger. i was instantly jealous - "it looks so grown-up! it looks so refined! it has such cool features!" so, like a child @ christmas who wants their siblings christmas presents rather than their own, i jumped onto blogger and got my own account. it was time. i had all but abandoned my blog @ xanga. it no longer inspired me. i would attempt to update and sit for what seemed forever (but i'm sure in actuality was merely minutes) thinking about to write. i would dig in the back of brain, finally find something, write it down, re-read it and then instantly delete it. writing, for me, had never been so hard. and i believe that when things get hard, sometimes change is the best cataylist for inspiration.

i cannot start this site without acknowledging my old site. the one that got me started. the one that has about 2 years of writing on it. the one that feels like my favorite book as kid that i can't give up as an adult and still resides on my bookshelf in a place of prominence. so over on the links side of this blog you'll find "vintage logan" with a link to iprefermartinis. if you're interested, check it out.

now, the day stretches out before me. i turned off the air this morning and opened the windows. i craved the smell of summer, the breezes that blow the curtains, and the noise of passing cars & birds. now, i'm debating what to do with my day: go to the beach to watch the waves come in one by one while listing to my ipod and reading books and magazines. or stay here to clean and watch sex & the city, sit on my porch, go on a bike ride and generally enjoy alone time in the comforts of the apartment.

this great debate is one of the most beautiful things about weekends. no obligations. no getting out bed to a buzzing alarm. to have the day ahead of you, to do absolutely anthing you want. . .