Cinco De Mayo

I don't know what is up with this template, but excuse the mixed up placement of the pictures for now...

So confusing!!!
Anyhow above is what I made for Cinco De Mayo dinner; brown & jasmine rice, avocado slices, tomato slices and sauteed chicken breast with lemon juice & paprika, oh and a random Mexican beer someone left in my fridge. Yum! I am totally exhausted and didn't want to cook but it was worth it.
I've been pickin' away at rearranging things for more work space in the house. The back room is now an official studio. I got this spectacular 1940s office desk to use as a workbench last weekend for twenty bucks! It was made in High Point NC and they did some fine work. It is all hardwood construction with beautiful brass plated bin pulls on the drawer and gorgeous walnut veneer. It's in fantastic shape too, I just need to remove all the packing tape gunk from the front and maybe do a wipe on varnish on the top.
It is getting hot here in NC and I am enjoying it before it gets unbearable. I have windows and doors open and fans ON.
They honey suckle is in bloom all over the place and everything is beautiful and green. We are at the end of spring, summer will come rolling in with its sweltering heat, swimming pools and ponds, sunburns, beer drinkin' on the porch, grilling, and air conditioning rattling good times.
I love the changing seasons, so glad I live where I get to experience all four!

Recovery

I am still recovering from an unusually hectic couple of weeks.

The number one best way for me to unwind and recharge is in the pond at the Farm where I spent every weekend as a kid. It's my Dad's place and it is Holy ground for all of us at "Those Sorry Old Pearson's" as we always fancied ourselves.

Here is Ellie disembarking after four hours of swimming and floating and goofing off in an exceptionally clear, cold and clean pond. Back when I was growing up it was an extremely clean and pristine pond where we swam, fished, netted, and took the horses swimming. Then there was a LONG period of about fifteen years when the entire ecosystem changed and it was covered in duck weed. There were other changes too.

The big bass that were once plentiful (as is evidenced by all the taxidermied 10 punders on the walls in the house) seemed to disappear along with the arrival of a thriving otter & beaver population. If we'd had those animals as kids we would have undoubtedly raised a few "orphaned" otter and beaver babies.
Sadly one of the biggest losses yet to recover is the near total disappearance of the once abundant bullfrogs, leopard frogs and tree frogs. These days you can still find tree frogs, although not as many. I'm still mourning the loss of the proud bullfrog. I Believe they will make a comeback, if memory serves me I have seen their tadpoles earlier in the spring.
Now after some trees being cut at the edge, and colder winters due to climate change the pond is making a big comeback! Last summer was the first year we could swim in it in about 15 years, and this year there is still as yet no sign of duckweed this late in the spring, a great sign!!!
I took Ellie & Danny out there Sunday while Bran & Jim were coming home from PA and the Halloween convention. Cassie had spent the whole weekend at the Farm with Dooda and I'm proud to say she is a master of all farm activities! We were all in the pond including Vanessa & Flossie who drove out to swim. Flossie and Roxi are dog best friends and they were both in the water nearly the entire time. 
A good time was had by all! There's so much more to write, but I'm just plum tuckered and I'll have to save it for next time.
Soon...
In the mean time I'm counting the days to the next Big Pond swim day!