This Perfectly Imperfect Life

This place! This place has my heart. Hook, line and sinker.  It's ironic - we live on the coast, minutes away from the bayshore and shore, and my heart belongs to these mountains.* Yes, New Jersey has mountains!  When we are up here, in this area, in these mountains, I am home . Or maybe it's more accurate to say that my soul is home? I don't know how else to explain how I feel when we are up here.  Sadness knocks at my heart when it is time to leave, and once back on the coast, I am overwhelmed by heartbreaking homesickness ! That homesickness is downright awful if we've been up here for more than a few days.   I struggled through snow past my knees and even up to my waist in spots to get from our camper to the dock, my favorite morning spot when we're up, but I was too exhausted given all the trekking through snow yesterday (plus a night at the Worst Motel Ever - more on that another time) and this morning just to get to the camper (because ap...

A red Amaryllis in the window as the sun sinks behind the trees. There is always something to be thankful for, no matter how 'small' it seems. What does your Sunday look like today?

Autumn is well under way at our Northwestern NJ home as you can see here. We awoke this morning to a crisp 37*! Such a beautiful day. Well, let's see... Autumn arrived on a Monday and I threw my back out on Wednesday. And that triggered the worst sciatic nerve flareup I've ever had and the worst pain I've experienced in a decade. This past Wednesday, a week to the day this all started, I went to my Rheumologist and was treated to two shots, one in my spine and the other in my upper right... Glute. Heh, hem. He increased the anti inflammatory and nerve meds I'm already on for at least the next two weeks. In two days I go for a MRI to see exactly what's what because it's not getting significantly better. On a pain scale of 1 to 10, I started at 1,000 and I've been hovering at 990-995 since the day after this all started.  I have to alternate between lying down and taking short walks because sitting only aggravates the nerve something awful. Of cou...

Sidewalk garden in town. Much sunshine & glare coming up the hill in the morning! The porch wraps around three sides of this home up the street from us! 'Julia Child' floribunda rose in my garden.

I love when I'm able to 'play tourist' right here at home! There's nothing better than getting better acquainted with an area you know and love so well. Funny thing is, at the end of our journey this morning, we realized we had been to this specific area of the Hook before, but several years ago and well before the hurricanes of 2011 & 2012, so we didn't recognize it until we were about finished with our walk. But, Hubbs and I didn't mind - we both love this place and from this section of the beach we could see an area we're pretty certain we definitely haven't explored before, so there are more adventures to be had!

Sunday In Reverse... Starting with Moonrise, ending with Sunrise. What did your Sunday look like?

Sunday morning was chilly here on the coast because of the wind, but sunny and I didn't want to come back home right after breakfast. I just wanted to be out and about for a bit, but not in the errands or shopping way. Hubbs indulged me! We live minutes from two lighthouses and stopped at this one on our way home.

'French Lace' floribunda. 'Pope John Paul II' hybrid tea. 'French Lace' florbunda. 'Mardi Gras' floribunda. Summer has arrived here at The Portable Homestead and with it, the second round of rose blooms. These are my favorite photos from today. Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

I went back for more today! More gardens on the Keyport Garden Walk that is. Above are a few of my favorite photos taken with my BlackBerry. (Going through the ones on my Polaroid begins tomorrow!) Yesterday was humid and very cloudy, not to mention full of drizzles. Today it was sunny. And hot. Very hot! I forgot sunblock. And wore a tanktop. Thankfully, I'm not as sunburned as I thought I'd end up being. For the most part. (My shoulders wouldn't likely agree at this moment). The heat did get to me fairly quick. And, of course, the ole feets swelled up again. (And, of course, I forgot my flip-flops to change into). But, I met a lot of nice people & gardeners, from all backgrounds and got to take a peak at properties and homes I've only ever dreamed of which was so much fun! I was a little surprised (and honestly, disappointed) there weren't more roses in the gardens I visited, (can't help it, I love me some roses) but that's not to ...

Love at first sight today with this purple-pink Victorian! Because of the bright Spring sun, this photo doesn't do this magnificent home justice! Much better from this angle! "Rose Cottage" A home that's for sale we would *love* to buy... Yes, another 'Bleeding Heart' photo, from my garden this morning! What did your Sunday look like?

I have many photos of this 15 acre field of Sunflowers to share with you, but I just couldn't wait, so here is a preview of what's to come!  This is one of my favorite things and I love finding these sunflower fields every August! Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®