The Sexy Side of Chilling Out

Random, I know,

but as I often listen to Pandora's "Chill Out" station while I work,

I couldn't help but notice a sexy feel to many of the CD covers.

This surprises me for a couple of reasons.

Relaxation music is often seen as something women like and I've even had male haircut clients make cracks about the music by referencing mani's and pedi's and facials, but these CD covers would suggest marketing to a male audience.

"A Seductive Double CD of Sublime Rhythms"?

I'm old school so I'm trying to adjust my mind to the fact that the beautiful women must be the seducers and they are using this relaxing, seductive music to get the Euro dudes to fall into their beds. 

Right?

I guess I equate relaxation as coming after the sexy time and to me, this is music to nap to.

Oh, yeah, baby...Hedkandi.

I'm going to sleep now...

Safe and Sound

I threw a 50th birthday party for myself

which was odd because I'm only 45.

Psyche!

It was my 50th birthday (witness the beautiful cymbidium orchid gift above) and prepping for the party was a bit foreign to me.  I can throw together some fruit and cheese for a few friends but full scale party supplies?  

Lost!

This is what my cart looked like

 and when I walked away from it for a moment in the store, I had trouble finding it again because I've never before had a cart that looked like that!

So the craziness is over, cake has been eaten, 

guests have gone home,

and I can go back to wandering aimlessly around my yard, enjoying the pretty flowers.

These were on clearance for 47¢ because they weren't blooming.

Look at 'em now!

I finally moved my Buddha Belly to a shadier location and it's coming back to life.

Bromeliad perfection!

One word:  orchids.

And the best surprise of all?

PRODUCE!

Those are baby green beans!

After I thinned some crowded seedlings, 

I had enough veg for a morning frittata.

Great success!

Lilly has discovered the perfect way

 to follow me around the garden.

I was afraid she wouldn't be able to turn around but she contorts that skinny body to great effect.

This method keeps her feet out of the garden soil but her fuzzy hide

 still drags in plenty of mulch and leaves so....

Time for a furcut.

Needless to say, she hates it, but she's a good sport

 and now all the birds will have soft nests this spring.

Driving around with the dogs,

I had to get a photo of how Schotzie likes to ride.

It's not about seeing out the window for her;

she wants to smell the whole wide world.

Let's close with some funny looking chicken feet.

Who knows why this leghorn adopted this posture to sip water dripping from the hose?

I just know, those chicken toes are hilarious!

Foolhardy determination

It's springtime,

which, in Florida, means it's 85° by 9 AM.

I have a gaggle (and I use that term incorrectly) of Carolina wrens trying to nest in my yard,

or more specifically, in my shed.

Since I got my new/used toy, a lapidary slab saw, I am about to embark on a lot of "shed time" and I don't want to scare the wrens to the point of abandoning babies.

Wrens gotta go!

It took me awhile to find where they were building their first nest: 

in the bag on the front of my bicycle.

Don't they know 

I'm going to ride that thing at least once in 2015?!

I dismantled the nest before they could start laying eggs and zipped the pouch shut but they still kept coming into my shed with leaves and twigs and dachshund fur.

I definitely use my kayak anchor more than my bicycle so a second nest had to be dismantled.

They got the hint.

Other news in the world of foolhardy determination:

Coconuts

A friend gave me some coconuts and while I know there is good stuff inside, I have not a clue how to get to it.  Do not sign me up for an episode of Naked and Afraid (for a variety of reasons)!

I hammered at one of them for 15 minutes with a 2lb sledge and didn't even mar the outer surface.

I called in my neighbors from Trinidad and they knew exactly what to do: 

they took the coconuts away from me.

The trade-off is that this weekend, they will deliver 

enough amazing curry to feed me through the weekend.

The Trinidad neighbors also told me

that I could easily preserve all my Meyer lemons by washing them and popping them into the freezer. When I need lemon juice, I take one out and either microwave it or let it set in the 

springtime sun for 5 minutes.

True to form, 

I've just been slicing them, as is, and using them in lieu of ice cubes in my G&T.

And the determination to grow vegetables...

The small, sickly plant in front is the "goal" vegetable, a pepper plant.

Towering to the left is a mushroom and behind the pepper is a weed that is sure to outpace my pepper plant, if the pepper plant survives.  At least the chickens haven't found a way in yet, but I did have to chase a flock of ibis out.  I think the ibis are only looking for bugs but they would have no compunction about trampling my seedlings.

And now for a review:

This is a shandy made with grapefruit soda

and it's pretty darn tasty.

Have a great week!