Jibber Jabber: Itch

I'm itching to go on a vacation....this was my last "vacation". My good friend Amy went to North Carolina with me to visit my sister and her family. I know visiting family is not really a vacation, but hanging out with my sister is better than just about any vacation I can think of. Amy and I did get to go to The Biltmore Estate on the way home. If you have never gone you must!

Style: Fountain Square

Here is a picture I took of the Fountain Diner after eating dinner next door at the Shelby Street Cafe (my favorite place in the city). Indianapolis has been working on the "Fountain Square" neighborhood, restoring things, redoing the street lights and sidewalks. It's sort of an artsy part of town. It's a special part of town.

Interior of Diner

The fountain in "Fountain Square"

There are great neon signs everywhere.

Jibber Jabber: Thanks a lot Ike

I think sometimes when we watch natural disasters on TV we are desensitized to what is actually happening. I do have a hard time understanding why people who could leave stay, but Sunday when the remnants of Ike made his way through the Midwest there was one point when I went outside and a slight sense of fear came over me me. These giant old trees in my yard were bending so far that my brief moment outside was enough to send me running inside for fear of being hit by a flying tree or large branch. When I went to close the screen door I actually had to pull it shut with both hands. I went upstairs to get a better look at the tree tops...that's when I heard the crack and knew immediately what it was, I ran to the window on the third floor (the one you see at the top of the house) and watched this tree fall in what seemed like slow motion. I waited for the sound of it breaking a window but miraculously it fell on an angle and missed the house by a mere 2 inches.

I can't imagine the fear of facing the brunt of that storm on the coast.

Style: Americana meets Modern?

This is a photo of one of my favorite homes in Indianapolis, it's in a historic district downtown. I love the yellow paint, the panes in the windows, the picket fence, and the wonderful garden. It's full of charm and feels completely American. This is the type of house I dream of. One where it's not to big, the trees are tall, and the garden is green.

But, there is this other part of me that wants clean line, modern, no frills, no fuss. Is there a good way to incorporate Windsor Chairs and Swedish Modern? I don't know, I keep looking.

It's raining out today, it's humid. I've been sick for a week now and this morning when I woke I felt great, no cough, no runny nose, just a slight scratch to the throat. I had to go outside to let Phoebe out an all hell broke loose. It's as if the humid air laughed in my face and said, forget about feeling better, here is your cough and runny nose back. Stupid girl, you should have went to the doctor. I hate when the weather mocks me.

Photo: Mushroom

This was growing in the back yard earlier this summer...it was huge, maybe the size of a soccer ball. Part of me wanted to sautee it in a pan with some butter and garlic. Part of me did not want to make a trip to the Emergency Room.

Jibber Jabber: Summers End

I woke up very early (4:00am) to my little 7lb dog, Phoebe, staring at me wanting to go outside. She failed to do her "business" at the regular scheduled time, just before bed. Since it was 4am and most of the world is still asleep at that hour I figured it would be fine to run outside in my nightie. Huge mistake. We trek down the two flights of stairs across the parking lot over to the grass and nearly froze. I stood there shivering, teeth chattering waiting for Phoebe to do her thing. The cold air was shouting loudly that end of summer is near.

The official sign for me is when the Ice Cream stand around the corner from me closes up for the winter. This is a photo of their sign.

Jibber Jabber: Grandparents

I took this photo in my grandparents back yard, my grandfather past away about 5 years ago and two weeks ago today my grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer. She died early Friday morning at the age of 77. She had been a smoker since she was 17. Even after my grandfather quit back in the 80's he could never get her to stop. She was a stubborn woman and I often wonder if she kept smoking just because he didn't want her too. She would say that is ridiculous, but something tells me there is a little bit of truth in it.

I will miss their back yard, we often joked it was like snow white, it was not unusual to see yellow finches, cardinals, robins, doves, hummingbirds, bluebirds, and even a mallard couple that returned every year in the yard all at the same time. If you sat there long enough and quiet enough that is. My grandfather use to say there were Gorillas in the trees behind the house, he'd start laughing and say there was just one...it was a "Gorilla in the Mist". He also kept a pony in the attic (I believed this till I was about 7 years old).

I'm going to miss their infectious laughing, their yelling while playing cards, my grandmother flipping off my grandfather with her index finger (all the while smiling). I'll miss my grandfather talking about playing full court basketball when he was young, and I'll miss my grandmothers roast beef sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. She was never more than 100 lbs and somehow made entire meals consisting of nothing but starchy foods.

Today I feel bitter that they are gone and these are now only memories.