Woke up this morning with a heavy heart and it took a moment. Today would have been my 28th wedding anniversary. I am So Sick of thinking about my former husband. So, just as every morning, get real, I tell myself, get over it! Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. You know, even people who say this must realize that the exact opposite is true. In Love is a Mixtape, it says that actually what doesn’t kill you maims you, cripples you, leaves you weak, makes you whiny and full of yourself at the same time. The more pain, the more pompous you get. Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you incredibly annoying. ha 

I want to apologize to everybody for being such a sniveling victim. How incredibly annoying.  I should get it by now that you don't really stop missing someone, you just learn to live around the giant gaping hole of their absence. I think I've gotten pretty good at it. Still got a little ways to go. 

Ok, I'm done.  

Yesterday was the first sunny day in a week and let me tell you, when I went into town for groceries, everybody and I mean EVERYBODY was out mowing their lawn. So of course, not to be outdone, I came home and mowed mine, such as it is. It was still cold and how crazy is this: it snowed in some places in Maine. And frost last night. Not here at the coast but we have only had one day that hit 70 degrees since I got here. Still don't have my dock in. Someone told me it is going to be in the 80's this weekend and so now the locals are all complaining about that. Zoiks, what a crazy spring. But hey, check out my ginormous bleeding hearts!

So, I wanted to tell you about this fabu dinner I made the other night. George (Foreman) grilled up some chicken and I shredded it and tossed it with cilantro, green onions, some crushed peanuts, chile sauce, and chopped cabbage and carrots. Then, I made a dressing with sweet vinegar, olive oil and a little peanut butter. Man, was that mmm mmm good! Kind of a Thai chopped salad. Oh, almost forgot - the juice of about 6 key limes. That's what started the whole thing. Saw the key limes in the grocery store.

Just uploaded this picture and it looks kind of gross but trust me . . . 

And, I finally perfected a brush roll design. And if you're like me, you're saying a what?? Well, it's for make-up brushes and About Face asked me to come up with it for the salon. (Yours truly has exactly one brush, which I dug out to model my brush rolls here.) I've been working like mad on these and I'll deliver them tomorrow. Cool, right? 

love the animal print oilcloth

the upper flaps are like a little color surprise when you open the roll

Lastly but not least, I wanted to tell you about my sister-friend niece-in-law, Sarah, who ran her first marathon yesterday and ran a fantastic race, beating even her expectations and I think she is just so AMAZING and she did it even though she and the three kids have been sick! Now, that is impressive. 

you go Sarah girl!

Lest we forget

and

Josh

My beautiful nephew, Josh, graduates from high school today and I am SO PROUD of him. I've spent the dark dreary, rainy morning looking at pictures and thinking about him and remembering the past and loving on him from afar.
I can't be at his graduation because of my former husband and the haters who decided they don't love me anymore either. They get to go and I don't. (Bitter! Who me?)  But in all fairness, I guess blood is thicker than water as the saying goes, plus I'd rather set myself on fire than see any of those bastards.
Anyhoo, here is a little retrospective of my beloved nephew.

s'mores 

with Sophie

channeling his inner Matt Damon

And I say HOORAY! Congratulations, Josh! I love you and I'm so proud of you! 

Maine apparently did not get the memo that this is not April, it is MAY. It has been raining for six days and is forecast to rain for 3 more. Then, we'll see.

the view from my window this morning

I was misguided enough to get my kayak out shortly after I got here - silly me! Check out the little meandering creek next to my house, turning into quite the raging river.

Princess and the pea

Well, it has not warmed up much here in the frigid north. They are still getting frost at night away from the coast! Today is forecast to be only in the 50's again. I have to say I am enjoying it but the locals are Not Happy. I don't even have my dock in the water yet. Latest ever, I think. The girls and I were just about to go out for a walk this morning when the skies opened up and it is pouring out there. So, I'll show you the pictures I took in between rain showers yesterday afternoon while I wait for a break in the rain.  Happily, in spite of the cool temps, spring marches on.

my front garden

A gift from Brynne and Bo - not sure who is living in there

iris on it's way up, under watchful eyes

newest gahden aht in the dooryard

My neighbors call the driveway the "dooryard" which makes sense I guess so I have decided to adopt the term.

Outside my little studio

Lulu poses on the front porch