Dear Reader:

Yesterday started out pretty ordinary…but evolved throughout the day into something quite extraordinary!

The painting above is a fence mural (of fairies playing in the woods) that caught my attention while having an impromptu birthday lunch at the tea room yesterday. I had called my neighbor Jane (down the street) to see if she wanted to split a pizza at Castillo’s for lunch. She was all in…so we headed that way but, unfortunately, they were closed.

Jane mentioned that we were just one block behind the tea room and decided right then that lunch was going to be my birthday gift from her. It was a little after the regular lunch time but the tea room was still serving and there were only a couple of other tables filled with customers.

It gave me plenty of time to walk around and admire all the whimsical art objects that decorate both the inside and outside of the restaurant. * I loved the corn on the cob metallic stakes by the autumn sign.

The one thing I lost in the removal of my garden decor (as a result of preparing for the storm) was my plastic (sea glass-like) chimes. The string broke…thus breaking the majority of the individual plastic chimes. It was really time for them to go anyway, however…all the color had faded into white and the sounds from them were almost mute. So my plan is to save for a more permanent set of chimes that will last forever. I saw some of these styles outside the tea room in the side yard.

This old ‘shabby chic’ bird cage would be so cool in the garden….I think I would put a fern in it and let it grow outward through the metal rails or perhaps plant a really pretty flowering vine…that would  work too. Ah…I do love to dream of all the possibilities. What fun my unexpected birthday lunch was….turning ordinary into extraordinary.

I started my morning out watering the garden again since the temps remain hot, the humidity stable and the sun shining fully at 100%…(I think I know what will be included in my birthday wish this year… autumn weather!)

I finally got the window paintings and fence decor back up on the fence…not an easy job…but I feel better seeing everything back in its place!

To top my day off the Fall Edition of our local magazine….Azalea...was out and I brought one home. Every time I read it I can’t get over how many talented people reside in our growing town. It makes me so proud to be a Summervillian!

One article was on a local artist and high school art teacher, Kevin Morrisey. What an exceptionally talented young man he is! He decided to create paintings on carpentry tools instead of canvases… with amazing results! He has noticed that Summerville appears to be a mecca for creative individuals…I see this more and more, too, as Summerville’s diversity increases. Look at these cool samples of Kevin’s talents…

So until tomorrow…I love this funny magnet I found on Jackson’s fridge when we spent the night last week…how true. It makes me glad to be a “slow learner” …because every day I want to start out as a beginner and learn something new.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh