Time Flies

Sometimes I feel as if I have blinked and the past week, or month, or six months, or two years, have just flown away. I have to remind myself to stop and notice today. Get up to watch a sunrise. Buy yourself a flower (or a lot of flowers). Go for a walk. Watch an old black and white film. Look through photo albums (real ones). Paint something. Fly a kite.

I apologize for not posting in the past week, but I was both frantically busy AND feeling a bit under the weather. Luckily, all is (mostly) back to normal, and I feel like this is a good time to stop, breathe, relax, and notice the small things today. 

Magic Hour

This evening when I came home from work, I walked in the door to a beautiful sunset glow. The leaves of the trees cast beautiful shadows on the walls from the setting fire in the sky, and my entire apartment was bathed in the warmest light. I love this time of day. This is my "magic hour," and it's really spectacular in this apartment, which has all west-facing windows. 

These were a couple snaps I took of the magical light dancing on my kitchen "window garden" - basil, carrot tops, lavender and mint growing out of teapots and teacups on the windowsill. With the crisp, its-almost-autumn breeze blowing gently through the open windows... I was very happy today. 

It was just a beautiful day. 

Botanical Bliss

Saturday morning dawned crisp, bright, and quiet. Spending the first half of the day on my own, I decided to go on a little adventure. A cup of coffee, a loaded camera bag, and a short 10-minute train ride from my apartment later, and I was standing at the gates of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. For other New Yorkers or Brooklynites who were unaware (as I was myself): the Gardens are open to the public for free on Saturday mornings until noon. So, you should probably go too. You might even see me there, because I plan to return quite frequently. Even after spending 3 hours wandering its winding path until my feet begged me to stop, I don't think I even explored half as much as I would like to. 

The rose gardens were beautiful. Under that white gazebo, far back on the right, someone was either getting married, or taking wedding photos. Either way, I was completely captivated by this place, and it is now the front runner for my wedding or engagement photo location.

Buzzzzzzzzz buzz buzz buzzzzzzzzz mister bee.

This guy serenaded me as I walked through the gigantic sunflowers in the produce garden. It was just me and the birds, and the bees, and the butterflies. I almost felt home again, temporarily removed from the reminders of city life. This little bit of alone time, this little release from my hectic everyday, was magical and much needed. And I can't wait to return.