Full Flower Moon Tonight!

Last year the full moon was earlier in the month of May and I wrote about the flowers in our yard and how my husband sneaks new plants into the ground the way some women sneak new shoes into their closet. The same thing has been going on all month this year.

We have gorgeous dahlias in old stone pots by the front door. There are even more roses than ever, which by the way, love being next to a stone or brick wall. He thinks we needed some blue so I don’t know the names of half the flora that have a new home here.

So there are flowers everywhere just as the Native Americans named this month’s full moon the Full Flower Moon. I walk around the yard to enjoy the sights and smells…for about 10 minutes a day. It has been a crazy past two weeks with work getting busy and sports wrapping up and school about done and me having to step up again and singlehandedly implement Youngest’s school party. But for 10 minutes at night I admire the blooms and point and ask, “Is that new?” and also I have vegetables and herbs to check out daily.

And I took pictures. I wanted to show you the bouquet I made of gardenias that I now have in a ceramic wine glass in our bedroom. Heavenly. Don’t they smell like the tropics? Like memories of south Florida? Like wearing a sundress, sunburned, with a twenty-year old body, while out on a date with someone who admires my Jungle Gardenia perfume ……

I’m back. Anyway, the computer is too slow and needs to be replaced so downloading photos didn’t work out for me this morning. So here is a gardenia bloom from Google images. BTW, I attached a gardenia to a pearl choker necklace I wore on my wedding day. It got pretty wilted.

In about a week I will be on vacation – have I mentioned it will be my first vacation day since 1/1/10? Having some good reading material is numero uno. Don’t you make sure you pack the books before the clothes? I really don’t care that my tankini is from last year and my beach towels are about 5 years old and my favorite khaki skirt from Eddie Bauer is a year old and ditto on the after-beach dresses. I have to have books I have coveted for months in my lap on the beach. Plus, for road trips to Florida I also check out about 15 magazines from the library—something for everyone—and we read while Hubs’ drives. Actually the Oldest listens to his I-Pod but my Middle son is a chip off the old block. Youngest sleeps and watches dvds.

Here are the two books I will be taking.

I couldn’t believe they both had pretty purple in the front (oh yeah, I did get a new purple top). Plus, I can’t believe both authors worked in NY for years and now live with their families here in Atlanta. So many bloggers have written about The Help that I can’t wait to get started. And I am so happy that I paid my dues in the early years teaching the boys to swim (well, OK, it was mostly Hubs)—no water wings for us, and no rest in a lounge chair but boy did it pay off. They will stay in the ocean playing for hours while…I…..can….read my two books that are as pretty as a purple flower. And wave them in for more sunscreen.