A Rainy Sunday Afternoon

It's a rainy Sunday afternoon. 

We just finished transferring a banana tree from our screened in patio to the outside world, so it can grow beyond the confines of the black mesh ceiling, and unfurl its beautiful large leaves toward the sun. (And okay, maybe all I did was cheer on my hubby, but I did get to help water it once it was replanted.) 

Just before I yelled "Timber," I saw the clouds rolling in fast as I felt that lovely cool breeze that comes just before the rain. "We'd better hurry," I told my gardening partner. "The rain will be here in twenty minutes."

And, just like clockwork, it was. 

If you ever visit South Florida in the summertime, you may experience this phenomenon: 

the afternoon shower. 

It doesn't last very long, but it's actually one of my favorite things about living here - along with sun showers, watching sheets of rain chase children down the street, and the feeling I get when it's raining outside and I'm all cozy inside under a blanket. 

Tonight when evening comes, the Night-Blooming Jasmine will once again  open, their intoxicating fragrance heightened by the rainfall from the afternoon.

Having spent most of my life here in Florida, these moments - and the glories of nature - are treasures that I will keep with me, always.

Be Kind. Unwind!

Ah me. It's a sunny yet blustery day in this little corner of south Florida, a chilly 55 degrees (slightly stretched use of the word chilly here), with winds at 17 mph, gusting to 23! Not the most ideal day to lounge in a chair on the patio and finish Julia Child's "My Life in France," but it is, after all, only a week until my sister-in-law's wedding day, and if I'm going to stand beside four other spray-tanned ladies, then 55 degrees just became perfect sunning weather.

So after my wonderful husband went off to work today, I donned a black ruffled strapless bikini top and my cozy blue polka dot fleece P.J. pants, rolled above my knees, grabbed a blanket and Julia, and flew to France for a while, courtesy of air imagination. Of course I had to rotate the blanketed chair to where the sun was perfectly shining. I have no desire to be shaded by our screened porch's skeleton today! Absolute sunlight. Charming book. I consumed the last few chapters as my coconut-coated skin soaked up some greatly needed vitamin D.

When Julia described returning to their retreat in Marseilles, I couldn't help but reminisce about our first few weeks in St. John:

"...once we settled into our satisfying little house there was no question, we'd stay put. Our zest was worn out. We needed to be incognito, do nothing but sleep late, eat well, and enjoy the sound of the cuckoos and the smells of the countryside. But we were so keyed up that it took at least a week to adjust to our peaceful surroundings."

- Julia Child, My Life in France Pg. 285 (Knopf)

It's so true that there is an undoing process that happens as one adjusts to the island life. It goes unnoticed in the city, but sometimes all that energy and traffic translate into stress and impatience. The country or island lifestyle is so much slower paced, one is naturally unwound to an easy, peaceful mood. How I miss that feeling when my days get hectic with "important" errands!

I would love to return to the islands someday, and stay in the cabins at Maho Bay, spending nights eating freshly barbecued chicken or taking pottery throwing lessons, spending days in the soft sand and calm water, a shade of blue that cannot be contained in a photograph; it must be experienced, taken in with the spirit through those trusty - or not so trusty! - windows to the soul.

A dear friend of mine reminded me just yesterday, that the most peaceful moments are found in nature, be it on a cozy chair drinking tea, or walking at the seashore... God is there, in those moments. It is His peace that envelopes us through the glorious beauty that man tries so hard to cover, contain or kill. But it is still there, outside our fenced houses, in quiet, colorful solitude. It waits for us to discover and find pleasure in its beauty. What a nice thing to remember as - for once - I slowed down to rest my body and mind. This is the life simple. The life lovely. The life beautiful.

The End

I ♥ February

What a lovely time here in South Florida! The winter cold fronts are still keeping the nights cool and breezy.

I got some housework done today: 3 loads of laundry and 1 vacuumed and mopped floor later, I am looking at the clock tell me it's 8 O'Clock and I haven't even begun to think of supper! (Ay ay ay.) Good thing my hubby is so amazing. He just got home from work, and is looking at our inventory of dinner possibilities while I make a grocery list.

Later this week? Stuffed bell peppers. Yummm...

I hope I'll have the time to create hand-made valentines this year. That would be superb. However, there is too much going on in the "needs to be done" department, and not enough going on in the "I worked now I can play" department! Oh well. Maybe next week...