Blue and green

We went to the Air Force Academy parade on Friday. I had seen a USAFA parade before (in April, the last time I was here), but that one was smaller and held in an area called "the terrazo". This one was on the parade field. I loved seeing the blue of the uniforms against the green of the grass. Then, when the cadets saluted, the white of their gloves was added to the image. The flags added a few extra splashes of yellow, red, and gray. Finally, the band instruments provided flashes of silver, with light reflecting from the polished surfaces. It was a visual feast! Here are some photos so you can see what I mean.











After the parade, the family members were allowed on to the parade field to find their cadet. That was a mix of many colors!

An important meeting

I received the info. below in email today, and thought I would pass it on in case anyone is interested in this topic.

---------------------------

The Ocracoke Community Center has been held for this coming Wednesday, 9/3, at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM for a meeting for those interested in the upcoming Negotiated Rulemaking Committee meeting in Avon on Sept 8 and 9.

I know David Scott and I believe Gene will be able to come.

Agenda-

• Quick background of what the Negotiated Rulemaking Process meetings are suppose to accomplish (for those who are unsure)

• What has happened in the past at the meetings- what has been said-who has spoken

• Explain what is at stake if the community does not get involved, for example-a
"wilderness area" out of South Point is on the table as a starting point

FYI- We already have no sound side access at South Point year round as of Wednesday this past week. It is the only closure in the entire Cape Hatteras Seashore besides the turtle nests hatching.

Since the Spur Road off of South Point no longer goes to the sound and Springer's Point has no parking facility, Ocracoke's only sound side access is limited to above the Pony Pens for clammers, crabbers, kayakers, and families with small children, and those disabled who want to swim in the calmer sound waters, unless they are fortunate enough to own a boat or have waterfront property. Folks who come to Ocracoke, many for 30 plus years, want to be able to enjoy these recreational pursuits, which is reasonable since we are an island.

Most of those folks are parking along Hwy 12 and walking through the marsh or at Prong Road behind the ferry. Or as those with water lots will acknowledge, folks are parking on their lots in the village and accessing the sound across their property.

Access is not just about ORV access, this includes pedestrians. This is not just beach access, this is access to the inlet and sound waters.

• What do interested folks need to do?

Come to the meeting Wednesday
Speak out at the Sept 8 or 9 meeting in Avon
Write a letter to submit at the Sept 8 or 9 meeting
Call or fax Senators and Congressman

Thanks-
Melinda Sutton

--------------------------------

If you are interested in keeping up with what's going on regarding beach access and potential closures, here are a couple of resources for you:

Island Free Press - online newspaper for Hatteras and Ocracoke

Tradewinds Tackle Message Board

Visiting Alex

I've blogged before about my friend Julie and her son Alex. He's a cutie and has been exceedingly generous in sharing his outgrown clothes, toys, and other baby items with Connor. (Well, I guess Julie is really the one who has been generous - I don't suppose Alex had much say, although I'm sure he didn't mind!)

Anyway, we stayed with Julie, Alan, Patrick, and Alex on Wednesday night before flying to Colorado on Thursday. It was great to see them and get a bit caught up on things. I love watching Alex grow, as it provides a sneak preview of what's coming next for Connor!

Here they are together, on Julie's lap:

High and dry

I'm in Colorado again, and I had forgotten how different it feels here, over a mile above sea level. The altitude makes me feel dizzy and somewhat ill (if my last trip is any indicator, this will only last for the first day or so). And the dry, thin air has an effect as well: my lips are parched, I'm constantly thirsty, and I run out of breath trying to sing.

Okay, enough complaining! It is beautiful here: the weather has been lovely, the mountains are gorgeous, and I enjoy visiting my sister on "her turf" (the Air Force Academy). We are here for Parents/Family weekend and as such have been able to see more areas of the campus than are usually open to the public. More on that later.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy your holiday weekend, wherever you are!

Flying is a pain

I previously thought that flying was a somewhat annoying process (although I fully understand the need for all the security measures). I had no idea how lucky I had it, though. You haven't experienced the true maximum level of annoyance that flying can provide until you have flown with a four month old baby. Connor actually was GREAT, only crying for a few minutes on one of the flights, but just the process of carrying a baby, and a diaper bag, and a camera, and a purse, and a laptop, and another carry on bag, through three airports can make even the happiest of people slightly frazzled. And trying to fold the stroller in a small jetway, with other passengers glaring at you when it takes a moment, is most enjoyable. (She said, sarcastically.)

As if that wasn't enough, then you look up and see another woman: calm, cool and collected, her makeup is perfect, her baby is smiling in the Baby Bjorn carrier, and all seems right in her world. Wow, being a parent is a humbling experience. Instead of throwing something at the perfect lady (which is what I wanted to do), I decided to learn from her instead. So on our way home, Connor will be in the Snugli carrier too. I still won't be wearing makeup and I can't promise calm, cool, and collected, though. But I should be faster at folding the stroller quickly, now that I've had three airports worth of practice.

Hope your travels (for this holiday weekend and any future trips) are as painless as possible, wherever you go!

Goin' on a trip...

One thing that is different when you live on Ocracoke and you go somewhere is you can't just leave home any old time...especially if you are taking one of the mainland ferries to start your journey. This means that you SHOULD be organized and pack in advance. Even more so if you are a project manager whose job it is to be organized and plan things out logically. If you are me, however, SHOULD is the operative word in that sentence and you are still in the midst of packing at 11:30 the night before you have to leave your house at 5:55 AM to get to the terminal by 6:00 AM to claim your reservation on the 6:30 Swan Quarter ferry.

Me being me, and that being the case, this is the end of this blog! I've gotta go finish packing so I can get a modicum of sleep!

Seen from and on the ferry

I have seen some strange and wonderful things while riding the ferry.

Here's the latest strange (i.e. slightly odd/different) sight:



What is it, you ask? I'm reasonably sure it's a duck blind.

Here's the latest wonderful sight:



That's the sun rising over the ferry as it leaves for Cedar Island. You have to be on the early ferry to Swan Quarter to catch that sight!

Learn to cook

I'm not a very good cook, even though I'm a firm believer in something my Aunt taught me: "if you can read, you can cook". In our house, John does most of the cooking, primarily because he is better at it!

I do, however, LOVE to eat. So when John doesn't want to cook, I often make what many intelligent women make for dinner: reservations. Luckily, we live on Ocracoke where there are plenty of terrific restaurants to choose from.

I can't eat in restaurants every night, though, so maybe I should do the next best thing: learn to cook some of the food that is served in them. To that end, I have purchased the cookbooks published with restaurant recipes, although I can't say I've tried all to prepare (or even many) of the items in them. Now, I (and you) have another opportunity to learn to cook scrumptious gourmet meals like those served at The Back Porch: Zillie's Island Pantry is hosting three cooking classes this fall, to be taught by Debbie Wells. Here are the details, in case you're interested in joining one of the sessions.

Gourmet Made Easy - September 13
Island Cooking - October 4
Southern Thanksgiving - November 15

All classes are held from 1 - 4 PM and are followed by dinner. They are limited to a group of 10 participants and cost $60 per person.

Yum...enjoy!

Glass creations

I love stained glass. I always said that, after we bought a house here, I wanted to go to the Ocracoke Restoration Company and buy a stained glass piece to hang in a window. I haven't done so yet, although I do still plan to.

If you would like an original stained glass item for your home, you might want to stop by the shop this Thursday. Of course, they have lovely framed glass images every day, but this week Alison Ellis will be setup there working on pieces. I love to watch artist and craftspeople at work and try to get a better understanding of the process. Alison, who owns Green Heron Glass Studio, often incorporates shells into her work, and I believe she takes commissions, so you can take her your own shells and she'll make a piece for you (not necessarily right there on the spot that day, though).

Anyway, she'll be at Ocracoke Restoration Company this Thursday August 28th. To learn more about Alison and her work, go to her website.

Somethin' buggy...

If you have or know a child who likes bugs, and you'll be here on the island this week, you should go to the school gym this Thursday the 29th at 2:15 PM. Scooter Hayes, who calls himself a story-yeller (no, that's not a typo) will be presenting a high energy, fun program called "bug berserk!" about critters of all kinds, for children of all ages. Just judging from the poster in the Post Office, it looks like it will be a blast!

To learn more about Scooter Hayes, check out his website.

Belated birthday wishes

My friend Sundae said once that receiving a birthday gift, card, or just "Happy Birthday" wish belatedly is excellent, because it simply prolongs the joy of your birthday. I wholeheartedly agree.

Today, I got one of thtoday!
e sweetest belated birthday cards I have ever received. The outside reads "It may be too late to say 'Happy Birthday'..."

And then inside says "So...

Happy today!
Happy tomorrow!
Happy always!"

I loved it! That's a really great wish (and piece of advice), even better than "Happy Birthday!"

Hope you're happy, wherever you are...

Let's celebrate

We're planning to celebrate everyone who has an August birthday this weekend. How? Well, the same way we celebrate anything on Ocracoke: with a potluck, of course!

So if you're here, join us: this Saturday 8/23, 6 PM, my house. (No, you don't have to have an August birthday to come...but you do have to bring something yummy to eat!)

I'll make the cake...someone bring ice cream!

Vacation mode

One thing about living on Ocracoke is that it is too easy to get into "life mode" rather than "vacation mode". What I mean by that is that, too often, I find that several days have gone by, and I haven't done anything to enjoy any of the lovely aspects of Ocracoke which most people who are on vacation experience daily. I don't go to the beach anywhere near often enough, as one example.

The exception to this is when I have guests. Then, it's easy to do things like go to the beach, for a sail on the Schooner Windfall, out to eat, shopping, and to the Coffee Company for smoothies (or the Slushy Stand for ice cream), since I want to share those (and many other Ocracoke experiences and areas) with my friends and family. When my sister was here for several weeks, we did most of those things (plus a few others), and I enjoyed it very much.

Unfortunately, now that I haven't had any visitors for several weeks, I haven't been getting out and doing those types of things nearly enough. Today, my third day in a row of craving a smoothie, I realized I needed to do something to rectify the situation! So I hopped on my bike and went to get a smoothie. I ran into the Coffee Shop just a few minutes before they closed (whew!) and enjoyed a terrific strawberry-chocolate concoction with whipped cream. Yum! Now hopefully I won't go another several weeks before doing something fun like that again!

Expose yourself to art

If you can't wait until September's Art Walk, there's an opportunity coming up later this week. On Thursday the 21st, Down Creek Gallery will host an opening for island photographer Todd Lensing. The event is from 5:00 - 8:00 PM, and light refreshments will be provided.

The gallery is located on the harbor and carries the work of many local artists and craftspeople. If you can't make it this Thursday, or if you haven't been to Down Creek before, you should stop in whenever you can, as it is a terrific spot to find a one of a kind gift for family, friends, or yourself (one of many such places on Ocracoke...this one just happens to be one of my personal favorites).

Pet photo contest

If you have an adorable pet who has vacationed on Ocracoke with you, the Observer wants your photos! Yes, it's time for the 10th Annual Pet Photo Contest. Enter your best shots in one of three ways:
- mail them to Ocracoke Observer, PO Box 427, Ocracoke NC 27960
- email them to observlinda@gmail.com
- give them to Jamie or Linda if you see them on the island
...but you need to make sure the Observer has them by October 15th.

Good luck!

Beer or wine anyone?

If you like to try new things (and you drink alcohol), you might enjoy either a beer or wine tasting at Zillie's Island Pantry. They host wine tastings all summer long every Thursday and on most Fridays. You get to sample 5 wines, and they serve them with light hors d'oeuvres (sheesh, I hope I spelled that right...I should've just said "snacks"!) from the shop. I believe you get a discount on anything you purchase in the store (not just the featured wines) during the tasting, as well. I went to a champagne tasting there once and it was a lot of fun. (One word of advice, though: don't go with an empty stomach; the snacks are quite light, and will not fill you up at all. I was quite tipsy at the end of the tasting!)

If beer is more your style, Zillie's is planning a beer tasting at 6 PM this Sunday August 24th, led by Stacey Walters from Tryon Distributing.

Participation in either event costs $15 and is limited, so call them (252-928-9036) to make a reservation for your spot.

The weekend routine

Like most (if not all) others on Ocracoke, I live within sight of several rental cottages. This means that, this time of year especially, I see a similar routine every Saturday and Sunday morning: people bringing down their suitcases, towels, beach balls, et cetera, and packing them in their cars, getting ready to head home. Sometimes they look sad (that's how I always looked when I had to leave Ocracoke after a vacation). Sometimes they look relieved (not everyone likes Ocracoke). The kids usually look like they would like a last trip to the beach (and sometimes I do see folks heading out at first light in the morning, to get in a last walk or swim). Usually, they look slightly rushed and quite focused on getting out of the house on time, so they don't miss the ferry. Regardless, I hope that they've enjoyed their time here, and that their travels home will be safe and uneventful.

Ocracats

I am a cat person. We have three furry "kids" who live in our house (well, one spends most of his day outside, but does come in when it is raining or very hot, and at night). I adore them, and one of my life goals is to become the "crazy cat lady of Ocracoke". Hey, I could make my goal "retire at 45" or "make a million dollars", but I figure "become the crazy cat lady of Ocracoke" is FAR more doable.

Anyway, there are many cat people on Ocracoke. (Yes, there are plenty of dog people too.) I suspect, though, that there are more cats than dogs on the island. That's because of the feral cat population. Luckily, that population is quite well managed and does not get out of control. That's largely due to the efforts of a group of people who volunteer to take care of them. They do a variety of good work, including feeding the cats to ensure they stay healthy and capturing them so they can be spayed or neutered.

If you would like to support Ocracats, you can do so by donating either volunteer time or money. Monetary contributions are tax deductible. Send them to:
Ocracats, Inc.
PO Box 993
Ocracoke NC 27960

Talkin' brogue

Last Tuesday, linguist Walt Wolfram presented a Porch Talk at the OPS museum on the topic of the Ocracoke brogue. It was well attended by a group of interested folks, many of whom asked insightful questions. I found it fascinating, as I have always been interested in socio-linguistics (the study of language use in a social context - essentially it's the intersection of sociology and linguistics, which were two of my favorite classes in college). I'm actually a bit jealous of Walt Wolfram, who has been able to make studying how people use language his life's work. He said after the talk that people often ask him when he is going to retire. He usually answers them, "I love my work. Why would I retire?" Why, indeed.

Anyway, Walt works as an English professor at NC State, and heads up the North Carolina Language and Life Project which studies dialects around the state. (I told you he had a great job!) He and his field teams (generally, graduate students in the NCSU sociolinguistics program) have been visiting Ocracoke at least once annually for the past 15 years, interviewing and recording speakers of the brogue. During the porch talk, he played some samples of those recordings, and spoke about the changes observed in his research over the years. It was very interesting. Well, it was to me at least...

If you find this kind of thing interesting too, there are several ways to find out more about it:
- the NCLLP has produced compilations of those interviews in various forms: a CD called “Ocracoke Speaks”, a 162 page book with the title Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks, and the video “The Ocracoke Brogue” (which is played at the OPS Museum) - you can get these resources from their website, or the museum gift shop may have some or all of them (I don't know for sure)
- NCLLP has just released a DVD entitled “Carolina Brogue” which will be shown on UNC-TV and may also be regionally or nationally aired on other PBS stations, and is available for sale at the OPS Museum gift shop (this I do know for sure)
- Walt Wolfram will be the guest speaker at the annual Fall OPS membership meeting in November, so you could attend that (I'll post details - date, time, etc. - once I have them)

After the porch talk, I found myself behind Walt as he left the museum parking lot. His license plate made me laugh, and is perfect for him!

I need to take up fishing

I just saw a commercial about a wahoo fishing tournament, to be held in Morehead City during October. The ad said that there was over $100,000 in prize money for the winners! Where can I get a rod and reel? :) Of course, realistically, I would end up spending a small fortune on fishing gear and come in last place, winning NONE of the prize money. I am terrible at fishing.

Birthday evening

I enjoyed a lovely birthday evening tonight, starting with our traditional dinner at Cafe Atlantic. The very first time I came to Ocracoke, when I was smitten and knew I wanted to live here within 15 minutes of arriving in the village, it was near my birthday so we ate at Cafe Atlantic to celebrate. I've eaten there on every birthday that I was on the island since, which hasn't been all of them, but has been many of them! Anyway, the meal was terrific as always, and I got dessert even though I was too stuffed to eat it right then. Ruth's chocolate peanut butter pie was on the menu, and I try never to turn that down if I can help it! It will make a fantastic - although unconventional and certainly not healthy - breakfast tomorrow morning.

After dinner, I went to the Ocrafolk Opry show (John headed home to put Connor to bed). DeepWater Theater was packed to capacity with a sellout crowd, so I sat in the back with the performers, which in many ways was even better, since I was among friends back there. When the show ended, I hung out for a while, helping put chairs away and just chatting with everyone. Someone had brought a batch of chocolately, gooey, nutty brownies of some sort, which we shared. They were delicious.

I walked home from the theater barefoot, carrying my shoes, by the light of the not quite full moon, and counted my blessings. It was a marvelous birthday.

Art walk coming in September

The fifth annual Ocracoke Art Walk is scheduled for Saturday September 27th from 10 AM to 5 PM. This is a great opportunity to meet local artists in their own studios, see them at work, and purchase something lovely to take home if you so desire. You will have plenty of to choose from, too, as Ocracoke is blessed with a large artistic community with skills as varied as jewelry making, quilting, painting, carving, and pottery. The weather on Ocracoke in the fall is usually fantastic, too, so this is a great time to visit. (In case of inclement weather, there will be a shuttle bus driving around the village stopping at the artist's locations, so that's an option if it rains...or if you just prefer to ride rather than walk or bike.) I have enjoyed Art Walk for the last several years, and definitely recommend it. Have fun!

Movie nights

It's well known that there's no movie theater on Ocracoke. Some people don't like that fact, but most of the folks I've talked to about it don't mind at all. I love movies, but I usually only see one a year in a theatre. The rest of the time, I'm content to watch them on DVD. I generally actually prefer DVDs, because I enjoy watching the "special features" to learn more about a film I liked watching.

Every now and then, though, it is fun to watch a movie on a bigger screen, especially for kids. To that end, the Ocracoke Youth Center is hosting movie nights, every Tuesday at DeepWater Theater at 7 PM. There's no admission charge, but raffle tickets and snacks are available for purchase which raises funds for the Youth Center. What's playing is announced weekly on the bulletin board at the Post Office (and possibly other spots on the island as well, but I know for sure it's at the PO). So if you're visiting and looking for something to entertain the family on Tuesday night, or if you live here and you're jonesing to see a movie on a larger screen (and if you don't mind watching a movie with a younger audience), head out to the theater some Tuesday night and enjoy!

Cabin fever

I love my house, I really do (all the work-in-progress projects which taunt me with their un-done-ness notwithstanding). But I am going a bit stir crazy being cooped up inside these walls. I'm still sick and not feeling quite up to going out (plus I don't want to "share" the joy of this experience, by passing on my illness to others).

It's a strange thing to have cabin fever in the summer, when days are long and it is light until nearly eight o'clock. I usually get to feeling this way during the dead of winter, when I don't get out much because it's already dark by the time I get done with work for the day.

I went and sat outside on the deck for a while today, just to get a little sunshine. I still miss salt water, though.

Hope you are getting outside in the sunshine as often as you want to, wherever you are!

Go teams!

I love Olympics opening ceremonies. I watch them faithfully every couple of years, and always find that I learn about the unique culture, history, and people of the host country. My favorite opening ceremony remains the one from the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer Norway, which was hauntingly beautiful.

So of course I watched - and enjoyed - tonight's ceremony from Beijing. I marveled at the precision of thousands of people all doing the exact same thing at the same time, starting with the 2008 drummers. I was absolutely amazed by the movable type printing part of the performance, and my mouth literally dropped open when they revealed it had all been done by people, not hydraulics. That was the biggest wow moment for me, in an evening of remarkable displays.

I even stayed awake through most of the Parade of Nations. I zonked out and headed to bed before the torch lighting, though. That 12 hour time difference finally got to me!

I'll be up late for the next several nights, watching and cheering on all the teams. Mostly the Americans, of course, but I'll be cheering for everyone else as well! Just not against the Americans. :) Just kidding - I actually love to cheer for the "home" team, and anyone who is considered an "underdog" too. And I'm just impressed with the incredible athleticism of anyone who makes it to the Olympics. So go teams!

Extra Ocracokers

When I picked up our mail today, the box was stuffed almost to bursting. It was mostly my own fault, because I hadn't been to the Post Office in several days. But the fullness was also related to the fact that there were about 7 copies of this week's Ocracoker in there (usually, one copy is placed in each box).

I thought it was really odd that there were so many in our box, but then I realized it was intentional. Celeste put all those extra Ocracokers in there because we were in that edition of the paper. I thought it was awfully kind of her to make sure we had extra copies, because of course I'll be sending them to various and sundry family members who love Connor.

Hot water

I've come down with my standard early-to-mid-August summer cold, and this one is a doozy. I have spent the last 24 hours self medicating with multiple forms of hot water.

I started with a good old fashioned salt water gargle, usually good for killing off any germs in the throat. I followed that by a long, very hot shower, which helped somewhat with the body aches. I drank multiple cups of hot tea with honey (usually I add honey AND lemon, but we didn't have any lemons or lemon juice, and I'm in no shape to go out in public to get some at the store). Finally, I subsisted on multiple kinds of chicken soup (chicken noodle and chicken and rice). I won't start feeling better until I have some matzah ball soup, though (which is probably more mental than physical, but hey if it works...)

A couple of my friends have been sick recently, so I guess I may have picked up this lovely illness from one of them. But I've also been told "it's going around", so heaven knows where or from whom I caught it. This kind of sharing is one of the not so wonderful aspects of living in a small town!

Shopping

I have shopped at one of my favorite stores (Books to be Red) on the island multiple times recently, and two of those times were particularly unique-to-Ocracoke.

First, I went into the shop to get a Peter Rabbit book for Connor. This had been a long time coming, and started a couple of weeks before when I saw Leslie at Bingo and asked if she had any Peter Rabbit books. She said that she did not, but she would order one right away. I told her that the reason I wanted the book was because Connor has a cute Peter Rabbit outfit that I wanted to put him in and take a photo, and that I was worried he was going to outgrow the outfit. True to her word, Leslie ordered the book. When it didn't come in quickly, she ordered a couple of different Peter Rabbit books, in case they were less likely to be back ordered. She really worked hard to make sure we would get one before Connor outgrew the Peter Rabbit clothes! She even ordered a really cute gift set one which came with a plush Peter Rabbit. When the books finally arrived in the shop, Leslie called me to let me know.

I went in a couple of days later, and realized shortly after I arrived that I didn't have any money with me. Whoops. No problem, though. The store staff let me take my books home so I could take the photos, and I came back in later in the day with a credit card. That probably wouldn't happen too many other places, and was definitely appreciated, as Connor barely fit into the outfit that afternoon!

My next visit to the store and unique-to-Ocracoke (for lack of a better way to describe it) experience involved much less advance planning. I went in to buy a birthday present for Lachlan, on the day of his party. I noticed that there were other people I know in the shop doing exactly the same thing, so apparently I'm not the only procrastinator around here! If you ever need a gift for a kid, by the way, Books to be Red is a great shop to get one. As I went to pay for Lachlan's present (yes, I remembered money this time), I asked Leslie if anyone else had already bought him the same thing. She confirmed that no one had. Now isn't that a nice extra benefit of living in a small town?

In case you're wondering how the Connor with Peter Rabbit books pictures turned out, here's one for your viewing pleasure. Isn't he cute?

Party!

We went to Lachlan's birthday party today. Although it was very hot and muggy, it was still a lot of fun. There's something life-affirming about watching kids play, especially when they are throwing water balloons!


There were plenty of balloons, filled and ready for the battle.


Lachlan enjoyed unwrapping his gifts.


My favorite shot of the birthday boy - wet curls and big blue eyes.

Ladies night

The Women of Ocracoke show tonight was well attended and, from all accounts, very much enjoyed. It was an evening of celebration of multiple arts: mostly song, but also storytelling (Lou Ann told the tale of the pirate Anne Bonny), written word (DeAnna read a piece she wrote), and painting. Here are a few photos.


Kitty painted a piece on stage during the show. Here's the prepared canvas before she started. Many of us liked it just like this!


Hershey Kisses had been left for the audience on their chairs. Mariah enjoyed hers!


Katie and Amanda got the show started with a lovely rendition of Morning Has Broken.


Lou Ann told a story of sunrise.


Jamie sang a funny-because-it-was-so-accurate song called "In a Town This Size".


Sundae and Marcy performed my favorite song of the evening, "Apples in June".


Kitty's final painting.


All the ladies gathered on stage for a group shot after the show.

Melancholy

I have been a bit melancholy the last few days. Just feeling quiet and don't have much to say. The weather has been hot, the air stagnant, which makes me want to just stay inside. In my current mood, that's probably the best place for me anyway!