This Perfectly Imperfect Life

I thought not! Posted via My Palm Centro

(Part of the mess that is now our basement floor). Today was a long day of more torrential rains which finally began taking their toll (again) late this morning. Sand bags. Shop-vac'g. Buckets. Digging a trench. Shop-vac'g. Shop-vac'g. You get the idea. Our basement's flooding (I took the pic above after Hubby's shop-vac'd it the first time) and water's coming in around the patio door (still, that started yesterday). But, it could be worse and probably is for a lot of folks in the area, so in essence we are lucky. I don't feel we can complain since we Knowingly live in an area with "drainage issues" though many others apparently don't feel the same! Nothing has been damaged so far in the basement - everything's up on pallets and shelves for the most part and the only kind of boxes we put on the floor are the plastic kind w/lids (and most of those are on pallets too). We're keeping our fingers crossed for the washer ...

And yet again it's flooding! That last (5 day) storm we lucked out. This time we've got flooding in the basement and water coming in around the patio doors in the kitchen. But it could be worse, it is worse for many others in the area so we are in fact lucky again this go-around. I mean, we knowing live in an area with "drainage issues" (aka flooding) so we really can't complain though it Is a bit of a nuisance. Mainly it's tiring because of all the worrying (on my part - on Hubby's part it's tiring because he's the one shop-vac'g out the basement time and again). Posted via My Palm Centro

At the very least you've needed a pair of these yesterday and today, unless, of course, you have webbed feet. Posted via My Palm Centro

Despite a raging sinus headache on Friday, (I've lost so much time to headaches of one kind or another as of late) I started seeds in little peat cups (as I couldn't find the un-waxed paper cups I've used before) with Miracle-Grow Seed Starter Potting Mix. Veggies: Spinach (Bloomsdale Longstanding) Swiss Chard (Mixed Colors) Chives (also an herb/spice when dried after harvest) Squash (Dark Green Zucchini - the seedlings smell Heavenly!) Tomato (Rutgers) Tomato (Kellogg's Beefsteak, orange color) Herbs: Lavender (True, pale purple) Cornflower Lavender (True, dark pink purple) Perennials: Echinacea (Purple Coneflower, pink color) Columbine (Blue) Mix (Mainly yellow & pink perennial flowers) Viola (Johnny Jump Up, purple & yellow) Black Eyed Susans Annuals: Zinnia (Enchantress Rose, pink) Zinnia (Envy, pale lime green) Vinca (Little Choice Mix, pink, dark pink & white) There's nothing like the scent of damp soil in a peat cup... Well, there'...

Nicest entry to a car parts business I've seen but the service was lousy. Don't judge a book by it's cover! Posted via My Palm Centro

Well, almost. Sorry for the tease! It's still a wee bit too early to do much here but we've cleaned things up (again) after the last storm and things are coming back to life quickly, especially my Roses, Bleeding Heart, Butterfly Bush and Autumn Joy Sedum. I did bring home 5 four packs of Pansy's day before yesterday (3 light purple , 2 deep dark purple ) and tomorrow we're heading back to the farmer's market to pick up some more plus a Forsythia ! (I'm so excited, I've wanted a Forsythia for Years!) Oh, and it's a small world: The guy who runs the year round farmer's market up the highway from us is Hubby's (second) cousin! They both come from such large families that they're both meeting people they end up being related to. But here's the Exciting reason for my post ( exciting to all of you gardener's out there that is ): Yesterday I picked up a Dinner Plate Contraste Dahlia for $2.99! They usually go for $10 and up around here...

Over at New Jersey Through My Eyes , new photo's posted yesterday and today.

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Highlands held their annual St. Patrick's Day Parade Saturday. (And yes, that sign in the background (to the right of center) Does indeed say "The Lusty Lobster"). Posted via My Palm Centro

(See previous post). Posted via My Palm Centro

Local September 11th Memorial destroyed in last weeks storm. Posted via My Palm Centro

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The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri My rating: 5 of 5 stars I can't say enough about this novel. It enchanted me right from the start through the finish. Funny, heartbreaking, relate-able, transportive. A glimpse of my heritage in the present. Wonderful. Click above to find the Goodreads description. View all my reviews >>

The Moon arrived in time to watch the Sunset with us. Posted via My Palm Centro.

Local September 11th Memorial destroyed in the recent storm. Posted via My Palm Centro.

"May you always be blessed With walls for the wind, A roof for the rain, A warm cup of tea by the fire- - Laughter to cheer you, Those you love near you, And all that your heart might desire." ~An Old Gaelic Blessing Did you know? Irish actually ate cabbage and thick, cured bacon on this day. (They didn't have corned beef). Also, blue is the "National color" of Ireland. An interesting site in keeping with the day: Irish Cultures and Customs . How I miss my Nana on days like this! She came to America, by herself, in 1919, at the age of 19, on a ship (which didn't go through Ellis Island as she had a "sponsor" here already). Forced to leave a life, the land and the people she loved as a replacement for her sister because her sister was sent back to Ireland because of a punctured ear drum. Nana always talked about going back to Ireland and taking me with her. We never made that trip and I truly hope that before I pass on someday,...

Did you know? I didn't until I saw author Darnell Arnoult's blog post on March 12th, and this year's theme is "Writing Women Back Into History (over at the National Women's History Project, link below). I haven't heard this on the news or read it in the newspapers. Have you? As soon as I saw it on Goodreads, I posted it to my Twitter and fb accounts as well as in the groups I belong to on Goodreads. Please spread the word! For more info, please visit Women's History Month and National Women's History Project.

For more info on GBBD, see May Dreams Gardens . The Monarch Butterflies are suffering this Winter season! For more info, please click here . It's still chilly, foggy and raining here, as it has been for 5 days. This storm has been unlike anything we've seen here in many years. Power's out all over (thankfully we only browned out- dozens of times), trees down, homes flooded, schools closed, roof's blown off, debris everywhere, people have died... Mother Nature's fury indeed. Beware The Ides of March this day!

And has yet to leave. Rain and wind have joined in. ( Twin Lights of Navesink , Highlands, NJ) Fog drifted past our windows yesterday like thick, white billowing smoke from a fire coming to the end of its’ burn. I could see it rolling in, whiting out the hills, then the highway and then I couldn’t see out of the window to the sidewalk. Fog is an incredible mood-setter for me. It peaks my interest. Awakens my imagination. I could watch it for hours and not get bored. I’ve lived inland from here and mostly the fog seemed to hang low to the ground much of the time when we got it at all. Not here. Here it’s down low in the valley and up high in the hills. It swirls along the road and blanks out the horizon. And it’s foggy here nearly every day, at least in the early mornings. There is something very different about the fog on the coast (or in the mountains). It's unlike fog I've experienced elsewhere (except in the mountains). Mesmer...

Twin Lights of Navesink , Highlands, NJ.

The Snow Drop's have opened and other pops of green & red have appeared throughout the back yard and garden. Posted via My Palm Centro.

While today is a day to celebrate Women's achievements (political, social, economical) around the World, I would like us to not only celebrate being Women today and appreciate how fortunate we are being Women in this Country, but I would like us to take this opportunity to say to the World that Violence Against Women Must Stop And The Discussion Of It Must Stay Out In The Open Where It Belongs So That It Does Finally End and no longer continues being this World's dirty little secret. Click here for more info about International Women's Day .

Say hello to Cassandra Jade who's down in South Carolina. (2 more girls are on the way & there are 4 Grand-Nephews already!) And now for something completely different! Tip of the day: If my blog (or any blog/web page) print and/or photo's doesn't look right to your eye and you have a scroll button on your mouse (on top of it between the left click & right click buttons), hold the Control Button on your keyboard down and at the same time scroll up & down w/your mouses scroll button until the print and photo's look okay to you. Blogger's Minima Stretch template allows me to adjust photo's to a larger size, so the photo's will be large regardless (especially panoramic ones which are much wider than most). Posted via My Palm Centro.

...To New Jersey Through My Eyes . Photo's taken Sunday, 2/28/10, at the beach.

Happy First of March everyone! For those of you counting down the days, Daylight Savings Time begins on March 14th, St. Patrick's Day is on March 17th and it's officially 19 days until Spring arrives on March 20th ! ( Brenda , that's for you!) It is a Gorgeous, albeit very gusty, morning here at the Jersey Coast, which leads me to wonder if that means March is coming in like a Lion (gusty winds) or like a Lamb (stunning blue skies & sun)? Perhaps both! At 9am this morning, it was 65 degrees in the sun on our patio! (38 degrees elsewhere). Windows are cracked open all over the house. Either way, faster than Spring will arrive, the Ides of March will be here; March 15th, the anniversary of Julius Caesar's murder. In Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," Caesar was warned to "Beware the Ides of March". We all know how Brutus made that warning an omen. I've got some fun and not so fun things on today's to-do list like laundry, writin...