Wednesday, March 21, 2012

day tripping: bok tower gardens

Our tickets had been purchased since January, and we kept waiting for a nice day to take the trip out to Lake Wales to visit Bok Tower Gardens. Every week, I kept my eye on the weather, and every week, our hopefully sunny Sundays faded into grey, cloudy, cold, and/or rainy skies. Last Sunday, the forecast predicted a sunny morning, replaced by thunderstorms in the afternoon. We were tired of waiting to take our trip, particularly after Thursday's dreary news, so we just went for it. I'm glad the morning was kind. 

Michael walks a path near azaleas in bloom
Bok Tower in morning light
Taking in a view of the orange groves
At the foot of Bok Tower
Happy baby, happy mama
Bromeliads (& a vast spiderweb this photo could not capture)
A manicured grove
Orange upon the stair
An ordinary grove
Orange blossom heaven
Garden sentinel
***

Friday, March 9, 2012

an unexpected turn of events


It's funny how I was just starting to relax a bit, feeling our family had reached some sort of financial plateau. There was no room for excess, but we could finally stop scraping as hard as we were. I felt peace. And then: a phone call. Your services are no longer needed. And there we are again. A one step forward, two steps back sort of deal.

I'm trying to remain optimistic, but it's difficult while sitting alone, quietly, in the next day aftermath. All the while, the world is still bustling.

Something keeps telling me: Get your house in order. Which is good advice at any time, and not just in cases like this. But it has an urgency to it.


Take time. Take inventory. Figure out what's important, what's necessary. Clean it up or clear it out.