A Repost from March 12, 2007

Something I read in a blog the other day made me remember the day that my daughter was sworn into the NC Bar. She had missed the special day that was set aside for the nearly 400 people who had recently passed the bar exam to be sworn in, and had to make a special trip to the courthouse for that purpose. She tried to downplay it, and didn't really want her parents there (especially one toting a camera), but we insisted that we accompany her on this momentous (to us) occasion.

The swearing in was supposed to happen before the court convened for the day, and we expected the room to be mostly empty. Imagine our surprise when we opened the door to see every row filled to capacity, with standing room only! A great number of the people present had on the familiar orange jumpsuits which are given to the residents of our jail, and some even sported ankle chains. They were surrounded by their various supporters and family members; attorneys, paralegals, bailiffs, etc.

We were told to go into the judges' chambers, and he met us there while he was donning his robe. He asked our daughter some questions, mostly small talk, and told us to come into the court room, where he would administer the oath.

Following them out into the courtroom, we took up position along the side wall, since there was no place to sit. It turned out to be the best place in the room to view what was happening. After the judge announced the new attorney, he asked the audience to welcome her. He began to clap while beckoning them to do likewise. It was the funniest sight to me - a courtroom full of criminals, with big, toothy smiles; clapping loudly and waving - all for the new attorney. I guess they didn't realize that she could be the next one to haul them into court.

Note: she is not that kind of attorney, though, so they needn't have worried anyway.....LOL

I went to work today....and what did I see?

My city, Raleigh, laid out in front of me! Everywhere you look in Raleigh lately, there are cranes and high rises going up. At least what passes for a high rise here. So far, the tallest building in Raleigh has 29 floors, but one is being built that will be much taller.

The top two photos were taken from the Capital City Club and the others were taken from the Cardinal Club, atop the building on the far right of the second photo. I intended to put links to these clubs, but Blogger is not cooperating tonight.

In the pic above, you can see another crane just below the horizon. There are seven of them in use just now. I have never seen so many at one time around here. Several high-rise condominiums are being built, each one fancier than the last.

The building in the shape of a cross with a dome below, is our State Capitol. The other white buildings are various state offices.

The round building on the left below was for many years the tallest one in Raleigh. I think it has 20 floors. It was a Holiday Inn when we moved here, but has since changed hands.

The photo below shows an area just a litle to the left of the one above it.

And this one is even farther to the left.

I didn't have time to go all the way around each club to show you the eastern aspects. Most of what you see here is to the north and west of the main downtown area. I hope you enjoyed this miniature tour.

Wedding Flowers ~ June 2, 2007

It seems odd to be posting wedding flower photos while the reception is in full swing, but such are the marvels of the digital age! This week, I had a wedding of my own - meaning this one is my client - not that of my part-time boss. The one above is a detail of flowers in one of the altar arrangements. I think I'll use that for my computer wallpaper!

Above is one of the altar arrangements. I had those gold stands made about 18 years ago, and they have been used in at least a hundred weddings.

The flower girl's head wreath (I call them halos).

The bride's bouquet.

Her tossing bouquet; beside the unusual cake. I think I told you recently that chocolate brown and blue is a very popular color scheme lately.

As I write this, I am listening to my new CD by the Puppini Sisters, called "Betcha Bottom Dollar". Anyone over 55+ is guaranteed to like it! Currently playing is "In the Mood"; sort of apropos for a wedding night, dontcha think?

A Double Adoption in the Offing?

I had a call from my son last night. He has caved. Finally.

His daughters have been after him to get a puppy. Their old dog died several years ago, and since then their only pets have been betta fish and a sun conure (parrot) named Sammy. The bird is their mother's pet and he is a one-woman bird, so the girls want something they can call their own.

Their pet shop was having a day of adoption with a local pet rescue agency last week, and as he surveyed the animals, the younger girl came running to the front of the store with a 2-year old Japanese chin dog in her arms. Tears streaming down her face, she begged, "Please, please Daddy......if you'll get me this dog you can take back all my birthday presents and I'll take care of her and she's all I've ever wanted."

Daddy and daughter # 2 looked around for the older sister, and they found her sitting on the floor with another Japanese chin puppy (4 months old) asleep in her lap. The same pleading (minus the tears) ensued. Her thought was that her younger sister should not get to choose the family dog. So, he said they might be able to get both.

He reported that his wife looked at him as though he had lost his mind, since she tried to get him to agree to a dog at Christmas, and he wouldn't hear of it, and now, just 4 months later, he is considering two of them?!

If you have ever filled out an application for adoption with a rescue agency, you will know what I mean when I say that you have to tell them everything you have ever done with and for a pet. They want to know if you have ever surrendered a pet to the SPCA, and why. If you have, that alone may prevent you from being allowed to adopt one of their animals. The process entails filling out the application, and if they think you might be okay to own a dog, they bring the dog to you for 10 days. If they judge you to be a good pet steward, then they will award the dog to you. I think it might be easier to borrow $10K when you have no credit than to adopt a dog from these people.....LOL. At the moment, he doesn't know if they will be allowed to get the dogs or not. I'll keep you posted, and if they get them - photos will be taken!

EDIT: thanks to Shephard (see blogroll) I now have a good photo of this type of dog. See what good friends we make in the blogesphere??!! Thanks, Shephard.

On a Very,Very Windy Day in April...

I met a lovely woman blogger from Florida, named Beverly. You can see her blog, Lacoochie Kid at:

http://beverlywhitcomb.blogspot.com/

She was driving to VA to visit her son and his family, which includes one of the cutest little baby girls you'd ever want to see, and I was lucky enough to convince her to stop off in NC long enough to have lunch. I met her at a restaurant just off Rte. 95, and we spent two hours talking. It is always interesting to meet someone new, especially when you feel as though you know them already through their writings.

We agreed that there are other bloggers we'd like very much to meet someday. She has already met Vicki (A Mark on My Wall), for which I am trying hard not to be jealous! We decided we'd one day love to meet Roxanne (Melange), Mamacita (Weekly Scheiss) and Bonnie (Babette's Feast) (all links are in my blogroll). There were a few others, of course, but I won't try to name everyone for fear I'd leave out someone important. I hate to admit this, but I forgot my camera this morning. Beverly had hers though, and a woman at the restaurant snapped a pic of the two of us. You will have to wait until Beverly posts it, to see the two of us (and my newly shortened and gray hair!)

Now, about the wind: I think nearly everyone in the east has had their fill of it in the last two days. I was on the road to meet Beverly this morning when mr. kenju called my cell phone to inform me that we were one pine tree short now, since one had just fallen in the front yard. It was already half dead, so when it fell, it conveniently broke into 4-5 long logs. The same thing happened in the back yard about 6 weeks ago; eventually saving us several hundred dollars, since we don't have to have them cut down. Mr. wind - you have done your job - now go away!!

On another note, there was tragedy and unpeakable horror in Virginia today. I hope we will all pray for the survivors, the deceased and their families. We may never know what precipitated the attacks, but we can pray that nothing like it ever happens again.

Retail Therapy

Kristi, at Interrupted Wanderlust (in my blogroll) wrote yesterdayday of going to Target with her baby girl. She made me remember a ritual I followed religiously shortly after we moved to Raleigh, in 1969.

My son was 3 1/2, and attended the church pre-school adjacent to our apartment complex three days a week. I had a newborn daughter also. Moving to a new state with a newborn and a 3 year old is stressful, especially when your husband is taking a job with a new company. There are so many unknowns! I wanted to get to know the area as soon as possible, but I wasn't easily persuaded to drive around on my own in a strange town, at least not far. I learned about a shopping mall not far from us, and it became my refuge for the few hours a week that my son was in pre-school.

As soon as I dropped him off at school in the morning, I drove to the mall. It didn't open until 10 am, but the JC Penney's there had a coffee shop that opened much earlier than the mall. Pretty soon, my baby and I were regulars at the coffee shop, and the ladies who worked there got to know us by name. I would plop her on the table in her carrier, while I ordered coffee and some breakfast, and opened my latest book or talked to the other patrons who were regulars too. It was a great way for a newcomer to have a little adult conversation during the day.

As soon as 10am rolled around, I beat it into the mall with the baby in a shopping cart. Window shopping or actually buying, it was a nice outing for me. I looked forward to our little trips to the mall back then; they were the equivalent of a spa visit now.....LOL.

Our Day in Court.....

Something I read in a blog the other day (I think it was Wordnerd's mention of something gross that happened in the courthouse where she spends her days) made me remember the day that my daughter was sworn into the NC Bar. She had missed the special day that was set aside for the nearly 400 people who had recently passed the bar exam to be sworn in, and had to make a special trip to the courthouse for that purpose. She tried to downplay it, and didn't really want her parents there (especially one toting a camera), but we insisted that we accompany her on this momentous (to us) occasion.

The swearing in was supposed to happen before the court convened for the day, and we expected the room to be mostly empty. Imagine our surprise when we opened the door to see every row filled to capacity, with standing room only! A great number of the people present had on the familiar orange jumpsuits which are given to the residents of our jail, and some even sported ankle chains. They were surrounded by their various supporters and family members; attorneys, paralegals, bailiffs, etc.

We were told to go into the judges' chambers, and he met us there while he was donning his robe. He asked our daughter some questions, mostly small talk, and told us to come into the court room, where he would administer the oath.

Following them out into the courtroom, we took up position along the side wall, since there was no place to sit. It turned out to be the best place in the room, from which to view what was happening. After the judge announced the new attorney, he asked the audience to welcome her. He began to clap while beckoning them to do likewise. It was the funniest sight to me - a courtroom full of criminals, with big, toothy smiles; clapping loudly and waving - all for the new attorney. I guess they didn't realize that she could be the next one to haul them into court.

Note: she is not that kind of attorney, though, so they needn't have worried anyway.....LOL

A New Creation

I've given birth to a new blog tonight. It isn't fit for public consumption, and may not be for several days. Tune in later to see what happens.

"I'll get by with a little help from my friends."