PhotoHunt: Memorial

We have a nice memorial in the park next to the Surfside Library.  I thought it was perfect to use for this week's PhotoHunt and as a tribute for all those who have served their country!  It was a pretty windless day for the most part, but I was lucky enough to have a breeze come along just in time to unfurl the flags enough for me to get a picture! There is even a nice fountain in the middle of it all, and a seating wall so you can sit and soak it all in. 

PhotoHunt

I'm Going Into Withdrawal

Okay, it is officially summer here in my world (whether-wise at least) and I have already had two scrumptious watermelons this year.  This means I should be able to find a nice watermelon every single time I go shopping.  It has been like a week since I've had any.  I went grocery shopping yesterday with my heart set on watermelon.  They didn't have any!  How is that possible?  You can't tease me with two perfect watermelons and then stop selling them.  It's cruel!  I thought for sure I had just missed them, so I did a slow, thorough search through the produce section a second and third time.  As if they could have hidden those humongous suckers somewhere. I started off feeling disappointed and then as the dire consequences of being melon-less sunk in I started getting angry.  Where are the watermelons?!  Is some produce worker with an entreprenurial spirit hording them to sell out of the back of a pickup behind the store?  I got home from a hot sweaty walk and my body was screaming "Feed me watermelon!"  But did I have any to give it?  Noooo!  It's all very, very sad.

Sunscreen for the Lazy

We all know how important it is to wear sunscreen, even if we don't actually wear it as often as we should.  I know I myself don't wear it very often at all.  Most of the time I don't even think about it, other times I think about it but that's as far as I go.  One of the main reasons I don't use it as often as I should is because it is so messy and gross feeling.  I hate that thick, heavy, greasy feeling.  It isn't so bad on my body, but I can't stand it on my face.  My skin is oily enough; I don't need any extra sludge, thank you very much. I was glad to see several brands come out with a spray-on sunscreen.  I've used that and liked it much better than the lotion types, but it's difficult to apply it to the face.  You have to spray it into your hand and then try to rub it into your skin before it dries.  On my face it feels a little weird after it dries - kind of tight feeling, if that makes any sense.  But they always clog after not being used for a while and I've never been able to unclog them.  Not that I've put much effort into though. 

And of course there is always the problem of trying to apply the sunscreen to those hard-to-reach areas.  I'm sure some of you have experienced the missed-a-spot-sunburn.  And forget for a moment the fact that most people don't apply the right amount of sunscreen, or that you have to make sure your stash hasn't expired.  So many hindrances to using sunblock makes it so easy to find an excuse to overlook it.  I've got some ugly sun damage on my face and I still can't get myself to wear it when I know I should, even if only on my face! 

So I have a solution.  Someone out there (I'm talking to you, scientist people!) needs to invent a SUNSCREEN PILL*!  It would be just like taking a vitamin.  Every morning while you're getting ready to start your day you could pop a little pill (no horse pills, please!) and within a half hour or so it would have made your whole body evenly protected from the sun.  Isn't this a great idea?  It would be MUCH easier to use, you wouldn't get that horrible greasy skin feeling, and you'd be covered all over - even your eyelids and scalp! 

*Okay, I just did a search and it looks like there already ARE sunscreen pills out there.  Why don't we have these here in the US?  Do they really work?  Have any of you heard of them or used them?  It does seem that you are supposed to use them in addition to regular sunscreen and protective clothing though, so it defeats the purpose of why I want them.  Hopefully the dermatologists are teaming up with some awesome science people to make the perfect sunscreen pill, and if I'm lucky it will be available in my lifetime so I can enjoy the sun worry-free! 

Image found here.

Yellow Rosebud

We had a nice refreshing rain a few weeks ago that left some beautiful raindrops on my roses.  I had to run outside and get some shots as soon as the rain stopped. 

PhotoHunt: Half

These are some of the goodies I have from when I completed the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon last year!

Hooray for Watermelon

I am so happy to have finally gotten my first watermelon of the season!  And much to my surprise, it was yummy and sweet and full of flavor.  I eat sooo many watermelons during the summer, and I'm always so incredibly sad when the season ends and I have to wait till the following year for more.  Usually at the beginning of the season the first few watermelons I can get my hands on aren't very good.  They don't have much flavor.  Thankfully this one was nearly perfect!  (It was a little on the small side, and still expensive, unfortuantely.) 

I used to buy a big ole watermelon and after wrestling it into the fridge, I would never get around to eating it.  Or I'd cut off a few slices and try unsuccessfully to cover the open end with plastic wrap.  This is of course impossible.  We all know plastic wrap won't actually stick to anything other than more plastic wrap.  But that didn't stop me from trying.  And of course I'd end up throwing most of it out after it went bad.  It was always such a hassle to wrangle with that massive melon every time I wanted to cut off a slice, then fight with the plastic wrap and try to fit it back into the fridge.  I've since learned my lesson.  I now cut up the entire watermelon immediately and store it in my largest bowl.  This works infinitely better, as it takes up less space and it's now ready to eat!  No more laziness causing me to waste perfectly good summery fruit goodness.  (Not to mention I'm super fond of Glad's new Press N' Seal wrap.  FINALLY, they create a wrap that actually works!) 

I love the seedless variety best.  Fresh out of the fridge on a hot summer day, with all that cool, sweet juice and that nice crispness.  It's so refreshing!  The best ones will be so juicy that you feel like you are practically drinking them.  Mmmm... I know some people who ruin a good watermelon by showering it with salt.  Blech!  They claim it brings out the flavor or sweetness of the watermelon, but I beg to differ.  Personally, I think they just want to keep me away from their watermelon! 

So what' your favorite summer fruit (or vegetable)? 





Image found here.

PhotoHunt: Mothers/Moms

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL YOU MOM'S OUT THERE!

Okay, I'm a day early, but this week's PhotoHunt is a tribute to Moms, so I figured I'd get the well-wishing in now too.  So Happy Mom's Day!

Here is a picture of me with my Mom just before my wedding in October 2003. 

My Mom waxing playful on the scaffolding built onto the porch roof at the house in Lynchburg.  We were trying to finish some roofing work on the second floor.  While Mom and I are posing for pictures, Dad is actually working.  :)

And this is Mom relaxing in a rocking chair in the yard at my brother and sister-in-law's house on Thanksgiving last year.  Many hands make light work: everyone brought a dish and helped get dinner put together, so we were all able to enjoy the day.  Even the dogs in the background look super relaxed!

PhotoHunt

Mellow Yellow Monday: Spring Daffodil

I was so happy when my daffodils finally started to bloom in late March!  Spring was finally here and the rest of my plants would soon start to fill out and take over the patch of ugly brown that had been my garden all through winter. You can see my lilies starting to grow behind the daffodil.  Those little green stalks are now about 3 feet tall!