there's no place like home

Yes, yes, I'm still alive. Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Please be patient with me while I try not to freak out over the next few weeks.

Things are off. I'm stressed. I'm confused. I'm completely uninspired. I'm in a weird place in life right now and I'm trying my hardest to get myself together to sort everything out...where to go, what to do. Sales absolutely suck at the shop, which automatically makes me question whether or not I made the right decision to open this place at all. Talk about bad timing! I know I'm not the only one suffering here. Lots of little places are struggling too, unfortunately, but it kills me sit here every day and wait for a small miracle. Money is running out, and I won't even touch on my lack of patience. Ahh, yes, what to do. I have some major decisions to make relatively soon if things don't turn around. We shall see.

I'd do anything for a little peace of mind right now.

carnivore

Can't seem to sharpen these up any more, but hey, it's a bee eating a praying mantis head. What more could you possibly ask for? I watched him for a long time, scurrying around in the garden, carrying this head with him wherever he went. He'd dive face first into this thing every couple of steps and just chow down. Pretty neat.

Woodstock, NY

A perfect day. Great weather. Fabulous company. Sweet little shops. Sarah's was closed. No Bob Dylan. Lots of Buddha. Freakin' fantastic lunch. Inflation. More inflation.

simple

I find it funny that I used to hate Sundays as much as I did. I suppose I can blame it on my job and the fact that every Sunday automatically meant a return to the office the following day. I love them now and I find that most of my quiet time each week takes place on a Sunday. I spent the day around the house today, cleaning up, playing around in the garden, running around with the dog and her new basketball, making more ice cream (blueberry this time). A quiet day...calm, peaceful and reflective. And I scored some amazing macro shots of a yellow jacket eating the head of a praying mantis. Yes, you read that right. I'll post them tomorrow after I've cropped them down a bit. Pretty crazy stuff! Hope you found a little peace in your weekend.

More photos here.

weekend

Hey, thanks for voting in the shoe poll! It came down to such a close call at the end! After the polls closed, and once the extra votes that came in via e-mail were tallied, a final vote for the blue shoes tied it up. Whatever will I do? I'm not sure at this point. I've owned Keens in both orange and black, so the pale blue and green are totally new territory for me. I wear more green than blue, but I currently own a pair of beat up, old blue sneakers in the same shade and they seem to match with everything. Tough choices. Thanks for your help! Still not sure about what I'm going to do.

The shop will be closed on Tuesday the 16th because Nabua and I (and maybe my mom, too) are taking a little road trip to one of my most favorite places on the planet...Woodstock! I adore the town so much and I'm never there enough. I miss it! On the agenda for the day: shopping, lunch, lots of photo taking, and a visit to this little shop. I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't seen any of her shops yet and I'm mad at myself for it. Sorry, Sarah! It's about time I did something about that. I can't wait!

Photos and a recap of the day to come. Have a great weekend!!!

Birthday spankin's

Lots of birthdays this month, that's for sure. But the one person I absolutely cannot ever forget when the month of June rolls around is the lovely Ms. Randi. Randi and I have been friends since kindergarten where we used to hand out the clay for the teacher (what a bunch of little butt kissers we were!), and we've been friends ever since. In fact, we've been together so much and for so long that people started questioning whether or not we might be more than friends. Ahh well.

Anyway, happy birthday, Randi! You're one of the sweetest and most honest people I know and I'm glad the years haven't torn us apart. Now get your butt back to New York! We miss you!!!

the polls are open!

Which do you prefer?

Blue:
or

Green:
Please cast your vote at the top left hand side of the page. Thanks in advance! I can't make this decision alone!