a watered down version of sunday...

a quiet morning in the sun, one that was touched with only the gentlest of southerly breezes (a welcome respite from last week's incessant, howling winds), lent itself to daydreaming...a hound at my feet & a cup of coffee in my hand (italian, the good stuff!) this day without a single notation on the to-do calendar...it could be a day of a million things or a day of nothing. rare & precious.my reverie was soon happily interrupted by the jangling of boat keys & a request...our junior meteorologist is also a superb boat captain & he wanted to know if his momma wanted to take a ride. sure did!!!...so with camera in hand we spent the morning exploring a tidal creek...a place so quiet & still, teeming with life...even an alligator stopped to say "hi"...the scent of autumn on the wind (if you could bottle that smell, you could cure the world!)...poor Big Bro had to work through the morning at the bakery, but i did send him solace in the form of a text message...did he want to surf after work? yes, in fact, he did!kyle is ripping up the eastern seaboard with prime rides for surfers. & the beach offered another indulgent moment for lolly-gaggers like me (hey, there's that word again!)...is there anything so luxurious as warm sand under your feet?? had i been any more relaxed yesterday, someone could have mistaken me for a beached jellyfish! now it is monday in all its back-into-the-swing-of-things glory...may you have a wonderful week!!

the storm without a name...

yesterday found us hunkered down with an interesting weather event raging outside our windows.Little Man's predictions of that low pressure keeping us in check were right on...that storm surpassed hanna in interest (higher tide, higher sustained winds over a longer period, greater amount of rainfall) & it brought the ever-popular jim cantore back to our beach. (but our favorite camera crew found themselves landlocked in colorado...hey, R.!!!) any attempts at non-science school yesterday went away with our winds, in favor of instrument readings, graphs, charts, radars, & sky observationsbasically it was Little Man's dream day. but it is not all fun for him; it is also a responsibility...he is a national weather service weather spotter for our county.for all our interesting weather & thanks to Little Man's connections, yesterday gave us a first...a call from the national weather service to let us know that we were in the path of a tornado! not cool! the call came at the very moment we were in the middle of a torrential downpour &, of course, we could see nothing. talk about some nail-biting drama. we don't exactly live in the most tornado-proof home (not one room without windows & no basement), so we make do in our ground-level, non-living space that has only the teeniest window.we never did see or hear (thank God!) the confirmed tornado (i had a much closer call in may) but we did watch the storm that spawned it pass over our bay in the distance. this morning i could find nothing in the local news online to indicate harm or damage from that storm cell, & we are now enjoying gentle winds & bright sun with a higher-than-normal tide this morning.

rise & shine!

good morning, sunshine!!!...hanna came ashore about an hour south of us last night with tropical storm force winds (highest speed~ 55 mph), less than an inch of rain, & a storm surge of water that did not leave the confines of the bay...it was just like a standard astronomical tide. now what remains is a bit more wind (in the 30-40 mph range). i will say that we did fare so much better than we did through ophelia in '05 wind & water-wise...that time the bay was in our yard, we lost power & our roof gave up about 1/3 of its shingles! i cannot say enough in favor of our windows that were replaced since '05...during ophelia, even with our windows boarded up, the wind howled & shook those windows. with our new windows (not boarded up for this one) we barely heard the wind, even in the middle of the night with the worst gusts...& i slept so much better for that! Little Man spent most of the night awake & has informed me that these trees in our yard were basically laying down in the grass through some of last night's wind!...glad i missed *that*! has anyone out there ever noticed just how difficult it is to photograph wind???...(those upsidedown steps that you see in this photo are the ones that came off our dock & floated away through the night!) for a more technical analysis of hanna, please head over to Little Man's blog...for those of you still in hanna's path, you have my prayers for safety!

hanna & pajamas!

yep, that's right...we are battened down awaiting hanna's visit & i am blogging in my pj's! what a difference 24 hours makes!!...yesterday...today...now, the prep work is over...everything that was outside is now inside. the dock is stored under the house. the boats are safely on land. the evacuation checklist is back in its file for now as there are no mandatory evacuations (whew!)...as of now, our county has issued a curfew for tonight. the candles stand ready for later. Little Man has two computers with all sorts & types of weather sites running (radars, forecastings, etc...) it looks like ms. hanna will be paying us a visit as a strong tropical storm or a cat 1 hurricane...our resident weather geek just reported wind speeds of 70mph with gusts to 85mph (these speeds are still several hours away from us as i type this). we began feeling the steady winds last night...15-20mph sustained all through the night. today they dropped a bit to 10-15mph...no big deal, really, but it was enough to keep the bay full of white caps. about the water...the forecast calls for storm surge of 4-6 feet...landfall will coincide with our overnight high tide, so i am sure we will have some bay in our yard. our low tide this afternoon actually looked just like high tide as the wind is blowing from the east & pushing water *into* the bay in spite of the turned tide. times like this make me very glad our home is on pilings, keeping us dry through this type of surge. even though we worked hard before nightfall, we did find some time to hang with our weather channel friends!that's right...Little Man got the call yesterday from one of our road crew buddies...they were filming nearby through the evening & it was a pleasure to spend time with them...Little Man enjoyed another opportunity to get more career advice & dream of a possible future!...oh...i almost forgot...please keep the very last of our bird families to hatch in your good thoughts as they weather the storm just outside our window. we have not seen them fly yet but have hopes that they are big & strong enough to get through this...& now i better get this post up...dark has arrived & the winds are picking up again (around 25mph sustained!)...more later if the power cooperates...

& as always...my hurricane season prayer...Psalm 107:29:"He hushed the storm to a gentle breeze, and the billows of the sea were stilled."

false advertising...

when your day looks like this...& this...but the forecast looks like this...it almost seems like false advertising, don'tcha think??? of course, not-so-little man (note to self: must find new nickname) is all over this upcoming weather event. he is salivating at the prospect of weekend storm tracking. me...not so much.(weather graphics courtesy of this site)

i've already laid down the law...anything approaching a cat 2 hurricane & we're outta here! barring intensification & a lack of power, i am guessing that i will blog ms. hanna. time will tell...prayers are definitely in order! for now, it's back to school work & later this afternoon...time to begin hurricane prep work, which goes something like this...

it's that time when you start to peruse your evacuation "to do" list (i created it the first season we were here & i am so glad because i know i would forget something in the middle of a crisis).


you look around your yard & deck, wondering when to bring things inside (i do mean *everything* for if it is left outside, it could become a projectile).


you start the back-&-forth scenario in your head: take the boat out, no wait, take the boat out, no wait.


you go over evacuation routes in your head (which way do i go??).


you go to the store for water & batteries, the stockpile of which will get you through an entire year without a hurricane.


you lovingly pat your generator when you pass by.


you set weather underground as your boot-up page (our family's weather forecasting preference online since 1998). or you simply summon Little Man to the computer to cruise through his 50 or so weather prediction internet sites.


EVERYONE asks Little Man what the lastest updates are saying!


& you pray...that it goes gently out to sea, harming no one in its travels.


my hurricane season prayer...Psalm 107:29:"He hushed the storm to a gentle breeze, and the billows of the sea were stilled."

weather or not...a scientific update

even though school ended here last week, the science continues...& thanks to Little Man, i am in the know!

today begins National Hurricane Preparedness Week! according to their website ...

"The goal of this Hurricane Preparedness Web site is to inform the public about the hurricane hazards and provide knowledge which can be used to take ACTION. This information can be used to save lives at work, home, while on the road, or on the water." so if you live in an area where hurricanes like to hang out, be sure to venture on over to NOAA's site & brush up on safety & preparation. (my only question is why do they not include chocolate in the preparation kit????) remember: hurricane season in the atlantic basin begins june 1.

(do you think it is any accident that Little Man's birthday falls during Hurricane Preparedness Week???...more on that later!)

today is not only the first day of Hurricane Preparedness Week, it is also the day that NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander lands on Mars (just like its name says~!)...touchdown is expected at 7:53 pm EDT. if you have the NASA channel on TV, you will be able to watch it. also the website will be covering it.

& finally at the end of this week, Little Man & i hope to be liveblogging the Space Shuttle Discovery launch from Kennedy Space Center, FL.

i believe i will just proclaim this to be Science Week here at casa piacere!...stay tuned for more...

gazing outward...

23. a certain slant of morning light...angled in the perfect way to illuminate the tail feathers of the flicker on our feeder24. the play of light on the water25. a glimpse of a male cardinal flitting through the live oak...his red a perfect contrast with deep green leaves

26. a gentle mourning dove gracing the birdbath for a morning sip27. angel oak...& our own dear little "baby angel"...last winter she was a scrubby reject tossed aside behind the gift shop! first a little about angel oak~~ this magnificent tree is a sight to behold & worthy of a visit if you are in the charleston, sc area. to stand beneath those ancient branches...you can almost hear whispers of things past. to see the lowcountry light filter through its leaves...you are certain you will see a fairy dance among them. that tree is just plain mystical.

every year they sell potted "baby angels" at the gift shop. for reasons usually related to our unfriendly-to-keeping-foliage-alive travel schedule, i have had to pass on taking one home. not last year. the early february weather was just right for transport & we were staying with friends who would not mind hosting a small tree on their grand porch...& so, i asked the kind lady in the gift shop if i might purchase one. at first she said that they did not have any...all the season's saplings had been sold. then she tilted her head to the side, thoughtful for a moment... yes? she remembered that a few of the scraggly saplings had been tossed aside earlier & there might be one or two with a hint of green on them. she graciously took me out back...& yes! there was one~~ it had exactly 2 green leaves! now mind you, live oaks are green year round, so this baby was knockin' on death's door. but i didn't care. home came our very own baby angel.

i feared she was a bit too "in the balance" for a planting into the ground last year, so she stayed in my porch garden & under my watchful eye for a whole year.what a beauty our "baby angel" has become!! she has even shared her potting space with a tiny new pine tree.very soon she will make her home among our larger live oaks, as we are re-foresting our small plot of land (it had been stripped of 17 live oaks during one of the 1996 hurricanes). live oaks are indigenous here, keeping us in the green all year round!

weather or not...& feasts!

good morning, y'all!!(this morning's misty sunrise over the bay courtesy of D....thanks!) by the bay the calendar may say december, but the weather certainly does not. according to my resident meteorologist, yesterday's high of 78 broke our local record. today the forecast is for more of the same...a good travel day for Baby Girl's homecoming for Christmas break! Little Man is not only busy with local weather, he is deep into monitoring Olga...our post-season (it "ended" 11/30, so they say) tropical storm that is churning up the waters of the Caribbean. now, my cavalier attitude about december storms was brought in line promptly by Little Man this morning...he produced a historical hurricane map of a *category 2* hurricane that actually made landfall *right here* in december 1925!! i guess i just better pay close attention to Little Man's forecasts for the next few days ;) ...i like having this kid around!

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feasting...

last week i was indulging one of my favorite internet hobbies...reading food blogs & i found Paola. her fall recipes had me drooling! when i came across her "soul-warming soup" & it matched my pantry contents perfectly, i knew what i had to do! i know this what's cooking wednesdayrecipe may seem a little odd for nearly 80 degree weather, but all the same it is a very tasty, very satisfying find on the dinner table...& it is, indeed, "soul-warming!"

thank you, Paola!

soul-warming soup (with slight adaptations)

peel & dice 2-3 sweet potatoes, sprinkle with sea salt & olive oil...roast until tender

dice 3 stalks celery, 2 large carrots, 1 yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic

add olive oil to stock pot, then add diced veggies...saute gently for ~5 minutes

add 1-14.5 oz. can pinto beans, 3-1/2 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth, & 3 cups tomato juice

add 1 t. mace, 2 t. cumin, 1 t. ground coriander, 1 t. chili powder, & 2 t. brown sugar

cook on medium for ~15 minutes

add roasted sweet potatoes & cook ~5 more minutes

puree the soup in small batches & reheat if necessary

serve with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley & a dollop of creme fraiche (0ptional)

today's feast day in the liturgical calendar...Our Lady of Guadalupe...

finding my way...

30 days of thanks...

well, this morning we are greeted with the calm after the storm. hurricane Noel is moving away from us & i must say i am most grateful that we did not receive a direct hit from this storm nor any others this season. along these lines i am also very grateful for Little Man's passion for all things weather. it is such a joy to see your children live their passion in a positive way.
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travel...

woo hoo!! we have finally matched the dates with locations for our spring italian travel adventure!! now some fun begins... lodging in roma is secured. in umbria we at least have an idea of where to stay. but venezia...too many good things here!


our last stay in venezia we required lodging for 6...& between the rialto & piazzo san marco we found this little gem...la foresteria. they made us comfy in an 8 bed canal-view room that had 2 private bathrooms just a scoot across the hall. the only downside for D. & i was the lack of a double bed ;) but we made do! the price for our lodging was extremely reasonable. and location, location, location! we were right in the middle of where we wanted to be for our first visit to venezia.

but now, for some reason, i am holding back...exploring other places, feeling a bit more adventurous. we shall see...
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poetry...today's offering here!


and with that, i am off to the "big city" with D. for some overdue errands (including purchasing an updated book on venezia a la rick steves) & some coconut shrimp at our favorite thai restaurant!


buon giorni a tutti!!

tutti i fedeli defunti

a pause from the regularly scheduled blog post...

did you know that the official hurricane season in the atlantic basis lasts until november 30? well it does & Little Man provided quite a surprise this morn:

Hurricane Noel

yep, that's right...latest wind gust here 30+ mph with gale warnings posted for later today & tonight. no direct threat, but still! (spf...how are you doing down there???)

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30 days of thanks...today (see details below) i am especially grateful for my momma & daddy, for their undying love, for all they taught me, for their provisions that allowed me to have a safe & joyful childhood, for their love of their grandchildren...i could never express the full measure of the gratitude i feel for them.

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poetry...a poetry offering here...& a special one i wrote for momma & daddy 2 years ago...

slant of light bent low

quiet breath stopped, Home to You

november twilight

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all souls' daya day of remembering all who have died~~ Early liturgies and inscriptions on catacomb walls attest to the ancientness of prayers for the dead.

i am especially mindful of this, as both my parents died in the month of november. they are heavy on my mind...

from their funeral Masses...

"the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall thouch them. they seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us utter destruction. but they are in peace...as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble... those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with in him in love; because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect." (Wisdom 3:1-3, 6-9)

Requiem Æternam
Réquiem ætérnam dona eis,

Dómine,et lux perpétua lúceat eis.

Requiéscant in pace.

Amen

what a week...

you know you have had one of "those" weeks when you sit down with your coffee on a friday morning & catch yourself thinking that a particular event happened a week or two ago...but when the coffee hits your system, you realize that it actually happened just two *days* ago!

whew!

as i look over the morning's math crowd, i notice it seems to have hit them too. the boys have a certain "glazed" look about them...grading math should be interesting this morning :)

i am very proud of the guys...they have managed to keep on top of, & in some cases, even ahead of their week's work. no chores suffered. teamwork prevailed. way to go guys!!

the BIG kudos this week go to Big Bro...he not only completed the final part of his drivers ed class (ie., on-the-road time), he went to the DMV & passed his test. for the first time last evening, he drove *himself* to work (with D. at his side, of course). you should see his permit photo...i only wish mine would look half as good!

a side note about Big Bro's week...to obtain his certificate that enabled him to test for his permit, for the past week that boy had to get up at ***5 AM*** every morning since last thursday to meet his driving instructor & complete his hours. i heard not one word of complaint from him, even when he worked late at the restaurant the nights before.

K-Bug...the good: she started her new job this week, doing that thing college students do so well - waiting tables. the not so good: we have hardly seen her! she is on orientation after her classes, so she leaves early & arrives home late. i am feeling the effects of the scales of life tipped in favor of testosterone in my home now that my girls are out in the adult world. some days i miss that balance! girls night out is on hold for a bit...:(

Little Man is still smiling from his weekend interview, but he is definitely not resting on his laurels...there are more storms to be tracked...Ingrid is dilly-dallying around in the atlantic. before bookwork began, our weather geek had perused his scientific data maps & the Hurricane Hunters' flight data (they are still out there investigating Ingrid as i type this). the jury is still out for us on this one, but Little Man is on top of it!

looking back...2 years ago today we were hunkered down in our boarded-up home doing school by candlelight listening to the wind HOWL & the sounds of our shingles being ripped off the roof as Hurricane Ophelia gave us her best. i will say that i much prefer the gentle, beautiful morning i am having today! (Little Man promised to dig up one of the photos for me later...they are not on my computer.)

other fun...Baby Girl is deep into classes (excellent job on your physics exam - woo hoo!!), her work both on & off campus, & her cool buddies! we can't wait to visit you!

& i just submitted my final paper for a modern art history class (not my favorite period of art history, let me tell you, but educational nonetheless). i am also gearing up for our fall italian language group to meet - i am a bit rusty around the grammatical edges right now! i would much prefer studying my italian in the manner of shelley, judith & sognatrice...in due season, i say!

& now before the first lessons for grading roll in, i am off to check some of my blog buddies...i have missed my usual visits!

can't wait to read the continuing saga of Bri's friday snippets - i'm hooked!

& speaking of stories...the pioneer woman has her own little saga going on & i can't wait to catch up!

then i am off to see Lissa's photos...always beautiful!

i must catch up on my what's cooking wednesday buddies...time for some menu planning - which will include our abundant local foods this week...

speaking of catch-up...i must get over to our newest she who blogs member mariacristina & take a whirl around her blog. i quick glance a few days ago was certainly not enough...welcome to our group!!

& our she who blogs blog has a new post with a very happy face...sarah's boy looks so happy!

to get my french fix...i'm taking some coffee with Corey!

& for my art enjoyment today, i will drop in on eb (the bloglandia ball is coming up soon - are YOU ready??)

art again...i leave you today with one of my favorite finds from my just-finished class...a work that i had never seen before nor would have expected to be a Salvador Dali...Naples, 1949, courtesy of Salvador Dali Art Gallery

what is the BEST thing you will see on your beach during hurricane season...

...your budding meteorologist son being interviewed by Jim Cantore!...WAY TO GO LITTLE MAN!!! Mr. Cantore asked Little Man to give a live update from his own weather station stats on the bay.

what is the worst thing you can see on your beach during hurricane season?...(sticky post...updates below photo!)

...Jim Cantore!

but in Little Man's case...it is the best thing!

much needed rain...

Little Man spent the night monitoring Gabrielle, camped out with his computers (his, plus he hijacked his dad's!) & the Weather Channel on. his dedication to the science of meteorology is, quite frankly, amazing. i wonder if i had this type of passion about anything at his age...but i digress.

most of the night (according to Little Man's weather station) we had wind speeds just below 10 mph & some rain. current conditions...wind out of the north with speed 11 mph with gusts to 20 mph, 1/2 inch of rain total since last night, and the barometric pressure has dropped .27 inches in the last 20 hours. check out a live look with weathercam!

& now Little Man & his crew are heading over to the beach for more reports!