friday i'm in love

June 30, 2023 Arlene Giddings

It’s Friday and I am off until Tuesday…
and then off most of next week, too.
I am feeling a strong
hello summer where have you been vibe
happening in my life
right now.

Today I spent 3 hours on a trail
and just lost myself in flowers
and butterflies and rainstorms
and the smell of sweet clover
and fresh cut grass
and watched the clouds pass by.

And I realized
I am a
meanderer.
Which is not a real word
but it aptly describes who I am
so I am owning it.
I meander. Aimlessly.
I explore. I mosey along….
I lollygag….I putter….
I get lost in the details of bark on a tree
or see dragon heads emerging from clouds
and then I make up stories
in my brain as I
meander.

It’s why I am alone so much. :)

All in all, it was a very good Friday.

THINGS I AM LOVING:

i love miniatures
this. i am considering doing this for myself….as I STILL often reach for my no longer existent wedding ring.
this feels appropriate right now…and honestly, all of the time.
my perfectly perfect new adventure backpack that got fully broken in on today’s hike

i know if you follow me anywhere else, you will already know this but THIS BOOK. I am loving this frigging book….I took book breaks while walking today. And also, Finnegan loves the book but was slightly distrustful of the hammock. :D

I kinda feel like this is how I want summer to be…
books, yummy food, hammock, trails, books, photography,
beaches, bare feet, messy hair….just leaning into summer
with all my might.

What’s on your list? ♥

one weekend in spring...

April 17, 2022 Arlene Giddings

4 day weekend full of
books read by the beach
in the rain

polka dot rubber boot
excursions on a quiet, wet shore…
doughnuts….so many doughnuts…
a coffee date where we stayed
til they closed the place down…

cat cuddles…
a visit with my parents…
a little bit of planning for the summer
with great anticipation and excitement…

Spring makes me smile.
Happy Easter…hope the bunny found you. ♥

wordless wednesday

September 2, 2020 Arlene Giddings

i like loud things...

August 28, 2017 Arlene Giddings

a couple of weekends ago
on the spur of the moment
i went to the truck and tractor pulls
in crapaud.

i saw it on facebook
and thought...hmmm...that sounds loud...
packed up my camera
and bug spray
and went.

AND IT WAS SO FUN.

i only got there for the last hour or so
but got to see the truck pulls...
AND the tractors that go fast...and rev their engine
for a long time before going
making for a huge black cloud of smoke
which i know is probably bad for the
environment
but i can't help how exciting it is...
THEY WERE SO LOUD.

people told me to get ready,
to plug my ears,
you better plug your ears,
you're gonna wanna plug your ears...
and i was like nooooo...i'm fine.
i love noise.
but holy.
they were loud.
(i still couldn't plug my ears anyway...
how would i hold the camera)...

after the excitement of the tractor pulls
i took a drive around Victoria by the Sea...
one of my favorite places...

and stopped at the beach...

and then i went to Deckers dairy bar in
Cornwall for a salted caramel oreo cookie
hard ice cream in a waffle cone
and it was so good
i had to eat it all right away
and could not wait to take photos of it.
sorry.
next time.
:)

those little moments...

July 27, 2017 Arlene Giddings

when your 17 year old says
"i'll come with you"
unexpectedly for a drive you thought you would be making alone
and what was
going to be
a quick trip out to deliver some
photos & little cards/paintings to
Muddy Crick Market
(and let's be honest,
you were a little nervous about
bringing that stuff out there,
it feels a little out of your comfort zone
and a lot of "who do you think you are, why do you think
any one will buy the stuff you make")
you say yes.

and then,
the whole night changes.

we stopped at my parents and hung out for a bit...
drove up the road to see the very sweet & talented jenna
at Muddy Crick Market (blog post to come soon about this place!)
and then went for ice cream at
richmond dairy bar
(meaning one more dairy bar to cross off my summer bucket list)
(and i also have to add that the girl that waited on us
was seriously adorable and quirky...to the point
that i felt it necessary to comment on it here...she
made us laugh the whole time we ordered.)

AND then we
stopped for a walk on my most favorite beach in the world
union corner

and he lets you tell him stories of growing up in the country
and who lived where
and that person used to babysit me
and the bookmobile used to stop at this house...

and even lets you take selfies with him...
:)

well...that's my favorite kind of night.

SIDENOTE: and you know...i have been blogging for so long
that he is not only ok with fact that i blogged this
but he expects it...they know me so well.
he'll often say...oh yeah...that'll be on the blog later.
it's funny that it's the "norm" here...
but i guess...i have been doing this since he was 5...
12 years.
that's kind of mind boggling all on it's own, hahahaha.

SIDENOTE #2: i forgot my camera so all photos were taken with my phone...
which is not great quality...(I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NOTE 8!!!!!!)(dual camera!!!!)

SIDENOTE #3: one of my favorite bloggers, saltwater princess, wrote about MY SUMMER BUCKET LIST on her blog!!! I am telling you...I will never get used the idea that someone beside myself reads this damn thing. Everytime i get a comment or a like or a mention (!!) i react with the same level of excitement/stunned bewilderment...thinking...what...someone else actually READ this. Like...the whole blog post? :) :) :) And then i clap my hands and do a little happy dance around my living room. I am totally not kidding.

And also...Chris Bohjalian is now following me on twitter...like...as in the author of the book that i posted about Monday...(i am so glad that i was nicer about this one than i was about drew barrymore...)