Odds n Ends

This odd house has a partner in Atlanta. They are both made of concrete block. I love them! They are placed on small lots in a funky, transitional neighborhood. You don't have to go far in America to see something unusual. That's one of the wonderful, amazing things about livin' in the USA.

Just a few days later and the kittens are doing the walkabout. They don't go far but they are definitely ready to explore. Still they sleep and eat most of the time and cry for each other when separated. They have exaggerated whiskers that make them look adorable. I'm having fun with them.

Kittens

Three little kittens under the rosemary bush under the kitchen window! Mama was inside chillin' in the air conditioning. I thought there were only two-wishful thinking I suppose. They are all black with white on their faces and they have blue eyes. Their eyes opened sometime between this morning and this afternoon. I gave them their first pet of a gentle rub on the head. Oh, and check it out, one of them hissed at me. Brave, huh? More later.

New York City!

There is nothing like a trip to Gotham to relieve small town boredom. It's sensory immersion therapy. Do not skip the subway for live entertainment and thrills. I love the subway. I also like riding in cabs watching the endless march of humanity and buildings. I just love it! I'm also ready to come home to green grass, birds chirping and friendly neighbors. Also, my little town does not smell like urine. New York City has toilet issues. Really, ya'll...

Harvest season

Ta da.The garlic harvest is in. 100% home-grown, organic garlic! Too easy. I recommend it for all those timid types afraid of failure. Garlic just does it's thing without being attended to. And then there's Swiss Chard. The other no brainer for novice gardeners. Spinach is not a summer veggie down under but Swiss Chard is a star. Sauteed with garlic or as a salad it is very nice.

Graduations

Oxford College of Emory was an early May destination. It is an old, beautiful, Southern school in the small town of Oxford, GA which has merged with another charming town, Covington. Pictures really do the job best. The chapel is said to have been a Conferate Hospital for a time. The brick building (left) was built by a Brooklyn, NY businessman after hearing a sermon at Old Church, Oxford, GA during reconstruction. It is now used as the administration building and is central to Oxford's commons. Our next graduation will be an Emory University affair. So long Oxford, for now.

Atlanta's Gem

According to some who think Southern, Atlanta is mecca second only to The Beach. It doesn't matter which beach because down here every beach is The Beach. For example: "What are you doin' over Easter?" "We're goin' to The Beach." It's is a big deal down here, Easter at The Beach. It has to do with some fantasy that it's warm enough to go swimming and get a suntan. No matter that it is 50 degrees outside and you gotta be stoned out of your mind not to know it. By the way, Florida does not count except in presidential elections. That's my punny for the month: Florida can't count.

Back to Atlanta...

Some would liken Atlanta to the New York of The South. Not. There is only one New York just as there is only one Rome and there is only one Altanta though I must say I am not charmed. I'm trying, but traffic is hell down there every day. It is dysfunctional. How can you have rush hour traffic on Easter Sunday when the malls are closed and no one is going to work? Atlanta has the answer to that question.

Now that I've cut Atlanta to the quick I must say they have a real gem of a botanical garden. Getting there is a real nail-bitter as their mid-town traffic rivals mid-town Manhattan. The difference is in mid-town Manhattan you are riding in a cab with a professional driving. In Atlanta there are no professional bluffers who know when to back off, only terrorized passengers praying for their lives. Atlanta's pedestians seem totally oblivious to the fact that they are not in Rome (I am not talking about Rome, Ga.) and that Southerns do not know the rules about pedestrians having right of way. Ya'll. It is scary. Inside the garden all is grace and beauty, better than The Beach. It's all about orchids this week at Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Next week Spring will burst forth all over the South and no doubt Atlanta Botanical Gardens will be worth the trip for months to come.