Love writes a letter and sends it to hate.
"My vacations ending I'm coming home late.
The weather was fine and the ocean was great.
And I can't wait to see you again."

Hate reads the letter and throws it away.
"No one here cares if you go or you stay.
I barely even noticed that you were away.
I'll see you or I won't, whatever."

Love sings a song as she sails through the sky.
The water looks bluer through her pretty eyes.
And everyone knows it whenever she flies.
And also when she comes down.

Hate keeps his head up and walks through the street.
Every stranger and drifter he greets.
And shakes hands with every loner he meets
with a serious look on his face.

Love arrives safely with suitcase in toe.
Carrying with her the good things we know.
A reason to live and a reason to grow
To trust, to hold, to care

Hate sits alone on the hood of his car
without much regard to the moon or the stars.
Lazily killing the last of a jar
of the strongest stuff you can drink.

Love takes a taxi, a young man drives
As soon he sees her hope fills his eyes.
But tears follow after at the end of the ride.
Cause he might never see her again.

Hate gets home lucky to still be alive.
He screams over the sidewalk and into the drive.
The clock in the kitchen says two fifty five
And the clock in the kitchen is slow.

Love has been waiting patient and kind.
Just wanting a phone call or some kind of sign.
That the one that she cares for who's out of his mind
Will make it back safe to her arms.

Hate stumbles forward and leans in the door.
Weary head hung down, eyes to the floor
He says, "Love I’m sorry" and she says, "What for?"
"I’m yours and that’s it, whatever
I should not have been gone for so long
I'm yours and that's it, forever
Your mine and that's it, forever"

~The Avett Brothers

Beach Bound

Tuesday we headed over to the OBX to try, once again, to retrieve a data logger that is MIA. After unsuccessfully searching, we headed to Canadian Hole, an area on the Pamlico Sound that is a popular wind surfing spot, and relaxed in the sun for a few hours before heading back to G-ville.

Being that Karza can't take the sun, I have frequently pondered ways to give her shade while on the beach and MacGyvered a shade tent with a sarong, cooler, and a few shovels. I was quite proud and excited that it worked. Karza was pretty stoked too not to have to wait in the back of the truck, her usual beach spot.

... and to bring it full circle, MacGyver was produced in Canada.

Sunday project

This weekends project was finally building a table to create more countertop space in the kitchen area. When living in a small apartment, unused space is a sad site and I had wanted to make this corner nook area usable for both Karza and myself. So, with a free scrap of plywood and some old 2" x 4"s, I went o work. Cutting the pieces was surprisingly easy, but putting them together, that was another story. The 2" x 4"s were so hard that after drilling hole through the wood, the screw was still having trouble and if I stepped up a size w/ the drill bit, the hole would have been too big. So many frustrating hours later, I had a somewhat stationary table. I didn't even screw the plywood onto the frame... it still needs some help. However, as long as one doesn't sit or stand on it, the table is sound.


Having big plans for the new addition to the apartment, I was sad at how quickly the space was filled. However, it is nice to have more countertop space and some room to crop veggies or better yet, for projects.... like drying herbs. I clipped back some the herbs and found there to be a plethora. I think I will hang them next time, but for now it a pleasant site to have lying around. I would like to note the tomatoes in the dish are delicious and cultivated by hers truly. I have not had the greener one yet; it is a heirloom variety and recently added to potted veggies outside, but the smaller ones are from the patio tomatoe and are delish. They are not very big, but just the right size for a sandwich, although I would suggest eating them on their own too. I forgot how good a tomatoe can taste. I can't wait to someday have a garden, in the ground, and grow lots of edible goodness year round.

Windy, but warm

Last weekend a few of the Geo girls and myself headed out to the OBX to try, unsuccessfully, to recover a logger that has gone M.I.A. As usual, the day turned out to have perfect weather, a little breezier than I would have preferred, but I've come accustomed to not actually getting in the ocean when I go to the beach up here, since it's usually too cold, i.e. 70 degrees or below.

However, the day was very pleasant and we even had enough time to make it down to the 2007 Nation's #1 beach, according to Dr.Beach, himself.

From left to right: Ari, Kat, me, Reanna, wth Karza infront

Out of all of us, Karza gets the poser award.

Plantings

The warm weather makes getting dirty and sweating irresistible, two things I have loved as long as I can remember and with nurseries overflowing with herbs, veggies, and perennials, I couldn't handle it anymore.... I have to add some to my backyard. With my neighbors having moved, after finishing nursing school, I was sad but happy entertaining the thought of having plants freely growing were I can tend and gaze at them outside my door. I had attempted planting a few echinacea, one of my favorite perennials, but Sampson, the K-9 resident slowly put an end that with his accurate urinary aiming capabilities. However, once I decided to make a plant bed in the backyard, I had the hardest time deciding what to put in it and how to go about it. Slowly over a few weeks, I played with dimensions and what plants to put where, never really deciding one way or the other.

Finally, I woke up Sunday morning, my first day off in weeks, and decided to do it. If it was a successful venture or it flopped, either way, I tried. After wandering around Lowe's hardware store I finally decided on the size: 6' long x 2' wide. I bought three 4" x 4" x 6' pieces, cut one piece into three 2' long pieces, and borrowed a shovel to break up the earth. The day was overcast and rain from the tropical storm that had wet the earth and was sprinkling here and there. It was the perfect day to make a bed.

I quickly got to work, before I could talk myself out of it, something I seem to easily be able to do and almost had accomplished while at the hardware store, and in about 2 hours I had broken up the earth, arranged, and planted to plants. I stepped back and admired my hard work, gleaming with pride. I couldn't walk away from my new accomplishment and was eager with anticipation to watch the plants grow and flourish, wishing I had done it when I first moved in.... thinking of how large the plants would be now.

However, I will only have the next year, or at least through spring semester, to watch the plants grow and they have been pleasant friend keeping Karza and I company while we enjoy the summer sunsets.



The bed consists of, from left to right back: lavendar, primadona echinacea, hyacinth bean, snow white echinacea, rosemary; from left to right front: creeping rasberry, garlic chives, strawberry, chives, and a creeping groundcover I can't remember the name of.