Maui State of Mind

In Maui the air is warm and feels soft when it rolls along your skin.  The faint scent of plumeria flirts with your nose and leaves you wanting more.  I want to eat, sleep and drink its scent.  I almost fell asleep with a lei around my neck the other night, crushing the delicate flowers just to get a consistent whiff.  

Time moves slowly here, thank goodness.  The days consist of play: Wake up at 6:30ish, drink coffee and eat breakfast on the lanai, snorkel in calm waters, rest on a beach, swim in the ocean, rest again, swim again, get lunch somewhere, go to another beach, swim, rest, swim, return to lanai, drink beer, rest, drink beer again, maybe swim again, get dinner somewhere, return to lanai, rest, rest, rest and fall fast asleep.  

 

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Chloe

I don’t even know this family, but I found these videos via YouTube when I came across the fighting sharks video (see “Sweet Sharks” post).  This little girl’s family actually posted it.  I went on to their YouTube page to see what else they had in their collection and found that their videos consist mainly of their daughter, Chloe.  Watch these videos in order, from top to bottom.  They are pretty darn adorable.

 

 

My Garden

I wanted to show you my garden in the spring. It’s pretty beautiful (and very fleeting). Once summer arrives, most of my plants and flowers will cease to bloom and return to their comfortable shades of green. It’s like they’re slippin’ into their cozy pants at the end of a short but exhausting season.

They’re working hard to look beautiful for me. I really appreciate that and want to flaunt them. Unfortunately, I can’t invite all of my readers over (all 2 of you) to admire bloom-time, so I’ve decided to share some pictures with you right here. That’s right. Right here on Sweet Strain. Enjoy.

PS: That’s a spider tucked inside the petals of the rose below, the bird is a hummingbird, the small pink buds are geranium and the lanky stalk of small blue buds is a delphinium … in case you were wondering. And don’t be afraid of the stone face coming out of the ground in the last picture.  That’s worth another post and a lot more pictures.  

Okay, Mini gets a mention too.  Mini is my neighbor’s dog.  He used to bark viciously every time I stepped into my backyard.  Today he let me pet him.  This picture was taken right before we made peace.  His tail wagging was my cue to approach.  I tried scratching him under his chin, his eyes closed and now we’re best friends.  How many dogs do YOU know with the name “Mini?”  I actually met a dog named “Tick” the other day. I digress …   

 

Midair @ Wildflower Triathlon

While I would have loved to catch a shot of my sister’s legs, I really like this photo.  This captures the final sprint to the finish line after far too many different types of physical activity were crammed into a 4 hour period. 

Sadr City Civilians

I woke up in a good mood this morning. Crammed in a few dreams during my last 2 hours of sleep, woke up puffy-eyed, drank some strong coffee and started to read the paper. I don’t follow the war in Iraq very closely, but I read an article about the fighting in Sadr City. Hundreds of civilians are being killed in the fighting between the U.S. soldiers and insurgent groups.

The fighting intensified this week as suspected militias took advantage of a dust storm that grounded U.S. military helicopters to launch sustained rocket attacks on the Green Zone. U.S. troops have responded with air strikes and Abrams tanks.

“Every day we hear that rockets are launched on residential areas in Baghdad, and every day people are getting killed,” said al-Maliki, who accused militia leaders of using the civilian population as a shield.

Tahseen al-Sheikhli, a spokesman for security operations in Baghdad, said at a news conference Wednesday that 925 people had been killed in the clashes. He did not provide a timeline or other details.  -Ernesto Londono, Washington Post, Thursday, May 1, 2008

Link to article in SFGate

It’s hard to see the pictures of mourning parents and family members.  In the above article there’s a picture of a mother holding her son who was killed in one of the air strikes.  I work with children almost every day.  Most people who know children know their innocence and beauty.  Children, in times of war, must bring so much to their families — so much hope, joy and so much worry.  Their children’s lives are the ones to protect.  If a parent loses that fight, I can’t imagine how they would cope.

There’s really not a way to wrap up a post about this.  Civilians were the reason I didn’t want this long war to begin and they are still the reason I want it to end.