A Spring Walk

The weather has been too beautiful for me to exercise indoors, so yesterday I took a walk in the neighborhood. I don't think I got much exercise, though, because I found myself slowing down for every blossom and blade of grass. Perhaps now that I've taken some pictures I'll be able to take a walk and actually get some exercise.

It started with the incredibly blue sky as a backdrop for my neighbor's tree. I did not saturate the color on this photograph.

Although our dogwood tree is not yet in bloom I believe this neighbor's tree is a type of dogwood. If anyone knows otherwise, please correct. (please see comment #5, where I correctly identified this tree as a Bradford Pear tree.)

The next two are natural wild groundcovers.

I'm happy that our neighborhood has many natural little creeks.

Each time I take a walk she barks at me the first time around the block, but not the second or third.

This is a pinecone wannabe!

Down below the wannabe are last year's cones. I wonder if the wannabe gets creeped out by all the dead bodies below her? Perhaps, instead, she gets encouragement since her ultimate quest is to be a pinecone too.

I looked up to see the other pinecone wannabes and saw what looked like a bed made with the needles from the very same tree. I half expected a chimp to settle into the bedding for a long, lazy nap. I wonder who built that and uses it. Squirrel nests are much more compact. Hmmm?

Lovely forsythia.

And then there's always the rude awakening. Usually it's a beer can. Yesterday it was a condom wrapper. I guess I should be happy someone's using protection, but I feel like my walk through paradise has just been forced into a reality check.

Next door to the yard with the condom wrapper are some children playing. The little girl in the middle wanted to know if I was taking their picture. I said yes, I had taken one. She said, "Ok... I just wanted to know." Cute, pre-condom kids.

Back to paradise with some narcissus.

And some vinca.

Hopefully today's walk will actually get my heart rate up; I'd better leave my camera at home.

Nowruz At The White House?!?!

Yes, it's true. This is the Haft Sin table at the White House, yes the White House... on Pennsylvania Avenue... in Washington D.C. .... It can mean one of several things:
*they finally realize what a great holiday it is and want to get in on the fun
*they have persuasive Persians working in the administration
*they are extending an olive branch (or sabzi platter) to Iran
*V.P. Cheney is out of town... (when the cat's away the mice will play)
*all of the above :-)



A traditional Haft Sin table celebrating Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is seen set Wednesday, March 19, 2008, in the State Dining Room of the White House. Nowruz is, in Persian and some other cultures, including Kurdish culture, a family-oriented holiday celebrating the New Year and the coming of spring. The Haft Sin table has seven items symbolizing new life, joy, love, beauty and health, sunrise, patience and garlic to ward off evil. White House photo by Chris Greenberg.

In addition, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has written a very nice letter wishing the Iranian-American community a Happy Nowruz and acknowledging the contributions of the Iranian-American community to our country. For once our government is showing some respect towards Iranians, if not Iran. More of this and the average American may be willing to open their minds and hearts to the country Bush calls evil.

Gandhi said, "It may be long before the law of love will be recognized in international affairs. The machineries of government stand between and hide the hearts of one people from those of another." So I'm not foolish enough to think anything will change any time soon... but I'm an optimist and think things will change one day. Gandhi also said, "Be the change you wish to see."

Let's do that.

Happy Norooz! Happy Nowruz!

Tomorrow is Persian New Year and I would like to wish all my friends and family a happy new year:

Eid-e Shoma Mobarak!

For those of you who have never heard of this holiday or have heard me speak of it and would like to know more about it please go to the "Iran Chamber Society" or "Persian Mirror" or "Farsinet" which are just a few of the websites that describe this wonderful holiday in detail.

Mother Nature's Designs

Nature produces the most beautiful patterns. I often stare at the pattern of a butterfly wing or a multicolored flower and marvel at the pure beauty of it all.

Man can also create beauty and often mimics Mother Nature to do so. This photograph struck my eye; a mackerel tabby print posed against a giraffe print. Both beautiful.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day, celebrated every year on March 17, is a holiday honoring Saint Patrick, the missionary credited with converting the Irish to Christianity in the A.D. 400s. Saint Patrick's real name was Maewyn Succat. For his first 16 years, Maewyn lived a normal life as the son of a wealthy landowner and magistrate in Britain.

At 16, Maewyn was captured and sold into slavery by a group of pirates who raided his village. After six years of herding sheep, Maewyn escaped, went to France and became a priest, adopting the name Patrick.

During his training, Patrick discovered that his calling was to convert Irish pagans to Christianity. He returned to Ireland, established monasteries across the country, set up schools and churches, and converted many with his winning personality. Patrick carried on a very successful mission for thirty years. When he died on March 17, that day was commemorated as St. Patrick's Day.

Originally a Catholic holy day, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into more of a secular holiday. In America, in fact, St. Patrick's Day is basically a time when everyone becomes Irish, wears green and goes out to party.







Fun Facts
Did you know...

That green is associated with St. Patrick's Day because it's the color of spring?






That the shamrock is a traditional symbol because Saint Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to represent how the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit could exist as separate elements in the same entity?





That the first St. Patrick's Day in America was celebrated in Boston in 1737?
(Ok, so this is the Chicago River dyed green, but I couldn't find any suitable images for Boston!)





That the following things on St. Patrick's Day will bring you good luck? Finding a four-leaf clover, wearing green and kissing the Blarney Stone.

(all above text obtained from Care2.com)

Irish Recipe

In honor of St. Patrick's Day you may want to make Colcannon, otherwise known as "Smashed Potatoes"!
Ingredients :
2 cups - Green cabbage, shredded
2 cups - Mashed potatoes
1/4 cup - Green onions, sliced
1/8 tsp - Pepper
Butter or margarine
Parsley

Preparation :
Heat 1/2-inch water to boiling. Stir in cabbage, cover and heat to boiling. Cook 5 minutes, drain. Prepare mashed potatoes, fold in cabbage, onions and pepper. Dot with butter, sprinkle with parsley. Serves 4.

Irish Sayings

The Irish are famous for their sayings. Some are more like well wishing prayers:

And others are funny despite their resemblance to appeals/prayers to God! These next two sayings are my favorite. I've heard them before and some years ago I posted this first one above my desk at work.

May those who love us, love us
And those who don't love us,
May God turn their hearts
And if he can't turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles
So we will know them by their limping!

May you be in
Heaven a half hour before the
Devil knows you're dead!

May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.
God is good, but never dance in a small boat.

So, to all my loved ones out there:
"May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future!"

Care2.com

I'd like to introduce you to care2. com, a website that has so much to offer in the areas of health, human rights, the environment, animal welfare, and other issues the socially conscious individual cares about. I invite you to explore this site. It has lifestyle information, political action venues, petititions to sign, recipes, ecards, email service, links to socially conscious stores, blogs, photographs, tips for green living, links to activist groups, etc., etc.. I have yet to explore everything myself! I hope care2 has won some kind of internet award; it deserves it.

Baby Shower And More!

Is it a cake? Is it a decoration? It's a diaper cake! Shirin's baby shower was this past weekend and Lisa made and brought this cute diaper cake decoration. If you've already read Shirin's blog you'll know that she had women attend this shower from all the time periods of her life: her new friends from vet school (Beth and Denise), her old friends from USC (Deena, Saskia, and Sarah), her oldest friend from home (Lisa), her even olderest :-) friends that knew her since the day she was born (Amy and Lanie from the old neighborhood), my old friend from Rock Hill who has since moved away (Ellen), my sister and her aunt (Martha), and her twin sister (Anahita). And me of course. Anahita was the magician who pulled all this together, but thanks to all these wonderful women who paused their lives long enough to travel to Athens, it was a grand reunion.


Ellen found Anahita fixing something yummy in the kitchen.

Lisa paused to accept my compliment on her new highlights.

Deena attended to the food.

Lisa prepares to inhale the M & M's.

The spread was vegetarian and delicious!

Anahita catches up with her Aunt Martha.

It warms my heart to see these three girls together again. After the shower Shirin showed a video of photographs from her and Anahita's childhood, and there were Amy and Lanie. What a foursome they were!

Munchin' on the vittles are Martha, Lisa, Deena, Shirin, ...

... and Beth, Denise, Ellen, and Anahita.

Some of baby Cyrus's gifts.

Oh my! Someone brought Cyrus a cute little one-eyed kitty! Actually Dobby lives with Shirin and Gabriel and is on medicine to heal the problem (hopefully.)

Anahita had us play a game that involved us drawing what we thought Cyrus would look like. Poor Cyrus! We were merciless! Only Shirin drew a cute baby image.

Then we played another game called apples to apples (I think) which involved matching baby-related nouns to an adjective. The resulting combinations were funny. Well... you had to be there.

Finally, the opening of the gifts.

Women LOVE to watch cute baby things emerge from pretty wrappings.

Beth kept track of all the goodies.

Lisa's mom made a homemade blanket.

Cyrus's new bathtub!

I'm not real sure what Sarah thought she'd hear, but she kept talking to Cyrus and I guess she thought he might answer back.

After the baby shower Martha came back to the hotel with me. Ken, who had been restricted from the shower, happily shopped at Frye's before meeting us at the hotel.

For dinner we went to Sweet Tomatoes, a great buffet style restaurant.

Ken's soup and salad looked amazing.

The next day we drove back to Shirin and Gabriel's house for a bit more visiting. Martha finally got some alone-time with Cyrus and got to feel him kick.

Saeed loves Shirin and Anahita's friends. Anahita was driving Deena and Saskia to the Atlanta airport, so Saeed happily talked with Sarah for a long time.

We were entertained by Cyrus's ultrasound video.

Shirin can't take her eyes off the video! I can't blame her.

It appears that even Ken enjoyed the video.

Dobby came for some smoozling from his mommy.

Ooops! Stayed too long. Should've left before it was time for the next round of medication.

It was a wonderful weekend, but all good things come to an end and Sunday night we all came back home. Saeed said that it makes him really happy when both of his girls are home. Anahita took advantage of the fact that Gabriel had to stay back in Athens so he could go to work on Monday, and slept with her sister like old times.

The next day Anahita had to fly back to California. She grabbed one last moment with her nephew, knowing that the next time she comes home she'll be able to hold him in her arms! Hard to imagine.