Summer Journal

Laying on the grass and looking up, nothing is more beautiful. The grass is summer grass, so it's poky and smooth and green. The sky is a praradise sky, bluest right above my head and diffusing to a misty whiteness to cuddle the western horizon. the leaves above my head stop my heart with awe and wonder. With the loving and adoring golden light of the Aspen-hidden setting sun, there is something religious about these leaves nearly above my head, like the branches belong to the Tree of Life and radiate purest gold from their glowing branches. This true gold and umbrella of precious, subtle cover is complimented by smooth, healthy green leaves.

It's also guarded by a shorter piney tree, that grew almost wider and flatter than it is tall. The piney tree protects me becasue there are barely more needles pointing up--at its soul-bond tree, the one of gold and green--than down-at my face and toes and chest. The sky is more powdery now, and the grass has turned warm and sinuous beneath my back. This is the sweet goodbye of a summer day.

Summer Reminder

Just a little reminder for you to make a splash this summer! (and get WET!!)

Summer Buggin'

Summertime is the time for mosquitos, wasps, centipedes, and all sorts of other creepy crawlers that we could easily do without. However, the summer is also the perfect time for other bugs, as well. The best part is that it is super convenient to influence what kind of bugs you're going to be finding in your yard this summer--and the "good" bugs are much easier to have around than you think.

Lady Bugs
Lady Bugs are safe, adorable, and helpful bugs that can be purchased in bulk either online in at a gardening store near you. Among other pests and insects, lady bugs will eat aphids, who are the culprits for any munched-through green leaves you might find in your garden. Click here for a link to buy 4,500 lady bugs for your yard!! Many of them will fly away, but you will see positive results in your garden AND have a few familiar Ladies around to stay. 

Butterflies
As a project, butterflies can be purchased (usually in two's and three's) as caterpillars that you raise indoors for up a few months. Once they've matured, you can release them into your garden and watch them flutter away! And maybe even stay :)
Another trick to getting butterflies is having milkweed grow in your garden. As it sounds, it is a sort of "weed", though it can be difficult to cultivate. Milkweeds attract butterflies naturally--they're a source of delicious goodness for those pretty fliers--and aren't even terribly unattractive themselves.

Praying Mantis
This type of insect isn't exactly a looker, but they're sure useful. For anyone who's had a problem with the Japanese beetle, a praying mantis is a predator to those evil bugs, so having some around the house can't hurt if you have a beetle problem. You purchase them with their nests (handle very carefully) and will hopefully have positive, beetle-reducing results soon!

So best of luck with your summer buggin' this year! Don't forget that these bugs are helpful and should be a welcome addition to any garden that wants to be healthy and lovely!

Why I Love Rio, In Pictures

We visited Rio de Janeiro for a family vacation a few years ago, and we instantly fell in love with the city, the culture, and the people. We came away euphoric and in love with the appearances and the spirit of the city's inhabitants.

The people of Rio de Janeiro are beautiful people. Never before had I seen an entire city of people who were actually glowing.  Beaches were scenes from a fairy tale. Bodies gleamed in every color of brown, caramel, gold, coffee, and bronze. Young men and women laughed and smiled and played foot volley (a sport in which one plays volleyball using the rules of soccer--AKA volleyball using your feet, head, and chest instead of your hands) on the beach until sunset. We'd never seen a more beautiful collection of backs, swimsuits, and happiness--nor a more vibrant and vivacious collection of locals  (there were tourists, but they're rather easy to ignore).  It wasn't just the perfect bodies and sun-kissed and -tanned skin that made these people beautiful. It was the way they loved life and were intent to live it. 

Since there are few words that can do justice to the flexible, loving, engaging lifestyle and vibe of the Rio local beach scene, here are some pictures we took on the beach to show you first-hand.

 A Man Throwing Coconuts to his Dog

A stunning beach and sunset-- plus an adorable pup!

Foot Volley Players

Note that the woman is heading the ball.

Why we Love Brazil

   

Cinderella Shoes!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I proud to announce that someone has finally created real-life Cinderella shoes! Christian Louboutin--a man I've already mentioned in other blog posts, such is the extent of his genius--has finally liberated all of us who have that secret yearning to have a real-life fairy tale moment. It's now possible! Granted that you have a fairy godmother who will grant your wish to have enough extra change to purchase these, of course..

So here they are! Complete with the classic red bottoms, rhinestones, and shimmery lace! <3

Hillary Clinton: Artiste Extraordinaire

In my last post, I wrote about how apologizing can be useful in diplomacy to help mediate relations between disagreeing countries. The post was meant to show that we don't always have to use hard (military) power--or even soft (economic) power to solve a problem or benefit from the solution; we can simply acknowledge a rough spot sincerely and move on--without making a huge deal about it.
I am proud to announce that Hillary Clinton agrees with me on this. Just two days ago, she made a NYT headline: CLINTON'S 'SORRY' TO PAKISTAN ENDS BARRIER TO NATO. After apologizing to Pakistan, Clinton was able to ameliorate a 7-month-long (truly, tensions between our two countries have existed for decades, but this specific conflict regarding airstrikes has only been going on for 7 months) 'problem issue' between the US and Pakistan, enabling NATO negotiations to at least continue.
Here's the link for the article, if you'd like to check it out: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/04/world/asia/pakistan-opens-afghan-routes-to-nato-after-us-apology.html?pagewanted=all
However, the article makes a huge fuss over Clinton's move in saying "sorry". The reporters and opposition groups alike speculate over the implications of her saying "sorry"--rather than "we apologize" or using a longer-syllabled word. I suspect that one could hire an entire team of psychologists to decipher the subtle connotations of (as the article calls it) her "soft" sorry.
But I'll make it easy on you and sum it up in a couple of sentences:
Hillary Clinton is smart, regardless of how many people criticize her
Hillary Clinton probably understands this situation on a level much deeper than we do--and so we have little right to legitimately say (if you are one of the people who thinks that "sorry" is a sign of weakness, which it is not --PLEASE READ MY LAST POST IF THIS IS THE CASE) that this apology was a bad idea.
In fact, I believe it was a good idea.
Tensions have been running high and abundantly for the better part of a year, and this is a step in the right direction.
Clinton was able to take a stance in a conflict that not only prevented new accusations and arguments from flooding the White House but also took a step in the right direction for beginning a more productive phase of relations with Pakistan.
So kudos to you, Ms. Clinton! It seems you read my blog after all (or maybe, one day in the future, you will!).