Purple Things

The other night I was having an ice cream emergency (we were out and I don't like to be out, it makes me nervous) so I tootled on over to Pick 'N Save for some.  The sun had just dipped below the horizon so the nice big sky over the highway and food store was a gorgeous orange and purple.




Then I finished sewing the orange buttons onto LC's sweater.  Now that it's hot and humid she really needs a wool sweater but it's too big anyway so she'll grow over the summer and it'll still be too big but she can wear it that way because Meemaw made it and it sparkles.






The lilacs are blooming.  I was hot and cranky when I got out of the car yesterday evening until I took a breath and the scent of the lilacs wafted over the house to me and made me stop, inhale, and smile.  They're so beautiful, they smell so good, and they're over before you know it.




This morning I saw that the allium in the front is (are?) blooming.  Every year I'm hoping that they turn into giant balls of red purple flowers and every year they're about the size of tennis balls.  I suppose I could avoid the disappointment by looking up to see if there's a "giant" variety that I didn't plant.


Something not purple--I got a call from the neighborhood association president around 8 o'clock last night telling me that my entry from the brat barn fundraiser a couple Saturdays ago was drawn and could he deliver my prize?  I almost didn't go get us brats that day because I forgot about it until about half an hour before it was done and it was close to supper but we decided we needed brats so I went, besides we needed a beer so I could precook our own brats to do on the grill the next day.  When I said I lived in the neighborhood they told me that I got to fill out an entry for a prize.  I won!  It's a grill set from Matco and a $25 gift card to Festival Foods.  What a happy surprise.


May 17--Vincent van Gogh, Sunflowers.  The yellow paint had probably once been bright but it had darkened, almost like it had tarnished, and Jean couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about.  She stood in the crush from the tour bus, everyone jostling for the best view of the painting worth more than any other.  She let herself be shifted and shuttled to the back of the group until she popped out of the pack like one of the bingo balls at the game in St. Cecilia's basement back home.  A masculine voice to her right said, "It wasn't what I expected.  You?"  She shook her head.  "I thought it would be brighter."  He stuck out his hand.  "I'm Marty, I sit a few rows behind you and the cackling hens."  His face blanched and then reddened.  "I-I didn't mean anything bad.  It just slipped out."  "We are kind of loud and cackley."  She looked around at all the backs in front of them.  "Do you want to find a cafe or something?  It's too nice to spend the day in here."  He smiled.  "I'd love to."  They turned and left the group, blinking in the bright afternoon light.  Marty spotted a sidewalk cafe a block down so that's where they went.


It was 85 and humid yesterday.  Our air conditioner didn't turn on yesterday.  The fan turned on so I thought it was working but it never got cool in the house.  I didn't think to go look at the air conditioner until nearly 10 o'clock and nothing was happening there but I figured it wasn't worth calling the service guy that late since I didn't want anyone coming out until today.  Durwood just called and the guy is there now.  I think it's probably a good thing we decided to join the "comfort club" which gives us discounts on all sorts of services and products.  He'll get it running just in time for the weather to shift--again--back into the 50s and rainy.  Machinery.  Bah.
--Barbara