"For what avail the plough or sail, or land or life, if freedom fail?" ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July holiday, celebrating the USA's independence in unique ways. We had a lovely visit with relatives, popping into downtown Baltimore and Rehoboth Beach for a couple days; then shopping at the mall in lieu of DC sites! Walking with AC is a little better than 95 degree muggy weather. At a cute little snowcone/ice cream stand on a rural road, this immense solid tree was decorated simply for the 4th. I couldn't resist snapping a few shots. I've been coveting a string of garden lights like these, but I haven't yet decided on the best place to hang them.

I'm not an overly patriotic person but it doesn't mean I'm un-American. I'd like to think I'm just not showy about it. Having visited the National Archives last year and surprisingly teary-eyed when viewing the Declaration of Independence, it's overwhelming to think of how courageous one must be to separate from a governing power that gives you so much but also withholds. It takes sacrifices, many of which can be physically and psychologically crippling, or even fatal. But I'd like to think it's that courageous first step, that line you must cross to decide you are in the "against" category. I celebrate what our ancestors have done, what our current Americans do everyday to maintain it, and I sympathize with those that are making their first attempts at independence (I'm looking at you, Middle Eastern countries). Stand up for what you believe in. 

As usual, we have another busy weekend ahead of us, much to my cats' dismay (especially the one peeing on the floor!). Little bro gets to go to his college orientation before starting in the fall. I'll be sure to take pictures to share. Hubby and I will be camping at a nearby park --who knows, maybe I'll have time to sketch!

"You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt." ~Anon.

It's days like today that make me glad to have a garden/backyard filled with lovely plants that I can escape to. Plants (and animals!) are so happy to have attention without being (too much of) a pain in the butt.

My lovely hydrangea is finally blooming. I was worried that it hadn't survived the winter in it's new location but it seems to be thriving slowly. And the blooms are turning a lovely purple/blue, exactly what I hoped for!

 I have so many potted plants scattered on the steps, on the porch floors, railings, small tables, on and on and on. There is no shortage of color splashes at my house.

Even my porch doors are more cheerful with the new paint they have (not that I did the best job but I couldn't take them down to do it). I still have to hot glue the yellow flower back onto the wreath on the left. A storm blew it off and now it looks uneven.

Finally, my coreopsis 'moonbeam' flowers are overflowing my front garden. They are so cheerful and full, how can you feel sad looking at them?


Today I'm joining:

"A hammock on the ocean is the asylum for the generous distressed." ~Herman Melville

My hammock is finally hung somewhere on my property! It's been four long years since my hammock emerged from its plastic storage bin and it is enjoying getting fresh air and being stretched out. This hammock is one I had custom-made in Merida, Mexico back in 2004 (my first trip there). Mayan hammocks are considered to be some of the most comfortable and well-made hammocks in the world. Usually made with 100% cotton, they are hand-woven and come in a variety of sizes (one person, a couple, or family size). It's hard to see all of it here, but mine is considered family size (I wanted the biggest I could get!). My familia mexicana's maid showed me sizes and colors, I picked the ones I wanted (as did my roommate), and she went to work. A few weeks later, my host mom inspected the finished work (since we were hammock newbies), deemed it worthy, and I had my first hammock! It came in handy for many of my travels there--it could bundle up into a small size, hammock hooks are installed everywhere since it's a way of life, and I could just hook it up and be ready for bed.

There are many woven patterns to keep it strong.

Unlike westernized versions of hammocks, there is no spreader bar (which is purely for decoration but makes it dangerous getting in and out of your hammock) and you lie width-ways not in the length. When you lie length-wise, it's bad for your back because it keeps it curved. Lying the opposite direction, your back is able to be flat. Mayan hammocks have even been known to help people with back pain. Having a spreader bar hammock also forces you to lie length-wise, so don't buy it!  

This knot has been burned.

The tinier the threads (and more tightly woven), the more comfortable your hammock will be. It will also weigh more, which is why if you try to buy one online, you will pay based on the weight and size. As few knots as possible are used, making your hammock stronger and able to last longer. The knots in my hammock were also burned to fuse the strands together, an added step in preventing it from coming undone.

Giant hook in wall, S hook, then ropes looped on.

The ropes have been tied to the hammock loop.

So how do you hang it, you ask? Well, most westernized hammocks are advertised with special stands or straps wrapped around trees. I'm sure these could probably work (since the basic idea is still the same) but I follow how they are hung in Mexico. If you are trying to hang it from an interior or exterior wall, you will need some type of hook. In particular, a closed loop works best. Depending on how many people you want in the hammock at one time, you must look at the weight capacity of each component. You're only as strong as your weakest link! My closed loop hooks each have a capacity of 320lbs. Next, you should have an S hook attached to each closed loop. This will allow some movement to your hammock without causing wear on your ropes. Ropes? Yes, ropes (In spanish, los brazos/brasos which translates as the arms). You can't just hang the end loop of your hammock on the S hook. In all likelihood, it might not reach. Plus, the hammock loop is extremely thick and won't fit on the S hook. It would fall out as soon as you sat in it. The ropes allow you to adjust for different size spaces in-between hooks and they will be able to move without dislodging from the S hook or wearing through (you want to use heavy-duty ropes like climbing ropes). My ropes also have a small leather sheath over the area that will be looped on the S hook, but mine were specifically made for this purpose. Each of my S hooks (solid steel) can also hold up to 326lbs, so I'm covered for a couple of people to hang out together!

Finally, to attach the ropes to your hammock, you'll need to make sure the hammock is "smiling". If it's not dipping enough, then this puts more wear on your threads (it's not as flexible all stretched out) and will not last as long. Also try to keep the height of the closed loop hooks the same. Once everything looks good (in terms of placement), loop your ropes on the S hook and slip the ropes through your hammock loop. This knot is similar to a figure 8 knot, but it's a little hard to explain. This flickr user has some examples. 

If you are planning on hanging this from trees, you can wrap the ropes around a tree (as long as you're sure they won't slip) and then attach it to the hammock loop. If you prefer a stand, I can't help you with that one. :) Now you have to learn how to get in it! The most important thing to remember is to never get in feet-first (it's very dangerous, you'll probably trip yourself up, swing around, and fall on your head. Dire enough for you?) Standing up, you should have your back to the hammock, reach behind and spread the opposite edge high up to your head. Then, sit down in your hammock and lay back. I like to test mine first but just sitting on the edge, especially since I just hung my hooks up. As long as it seems like it will hold, I'll reach back, spread the hammock out a little and lay down. I also tend to get in and then scoot back as needed (but again, being careful). Besides falling out, you could catch threads on your clothes (especially if you have snaps or buttons on your back pockets) and pull them, which would weaken your hammock. If you wish to wash your hammock, there are numerous explanations online. You'll need to bundle it up, but it's fine to go in your washer and then hang outside to dry. Just don't leave it outside all the time, especially in humid climates. The cotton threads will weaken.

Attached to wooden pillar.

It's been four years since my hammock was used on our honeymoon (my last trip to Mexico) or the errant visit to the park. I don't have any trees in my yard and couldn't figure out how to easily hang it in the yard. The front porch is ideal because it's very wide and would be protected from the rain. I won't be leaving it hanging 24/7, so the area over top of my porch furniture works perfectly. I attached one hook to an exterior porch wall and the other to a wooden pillar. And now to enjoy those summer evenings with a novel or take a little siesta on a Sunday afternoon.

Happy Birthday, Rajah!

A lovely email from Petco and from my vet have reminded me that (sometime) this month, it's my little kitten's 5th birthday! Our second oldest (our first was already an adult when we adopted him), Rajah was our first experience with a kitten. And he was certainly a handful! The poor little guy had to get over being separated from his mom and siblings and placed with an adult cat who adamantly did not wish to cuddle for longer than 5 seconds. You can see this in the picture to the right. Rajah had just managed to squish in with Baron, I snapped a picture, and then Baron got up. Don't worry, we gave Rajah lots of cuddles!


He was such a little guy -- and now he's so big!

“The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shock-proof shit detector.” ~Ernest Hemingway

Dim lighting but I'm at my favorite place to edit. Can you guess where?

This week my focus has been on editing, editing, editing. I need to get my article done, reviewed, and submitted sometime soon so that I can work on the next writing project I have lined up. I'm a bit behind. (insert a stressed looking face here) With my current writing topic on archives and translation, many thoughts about my previous studies (linguistics, Spanish, Russian, Hebrew...) have been swirling through my head. I'm trying to decide if I want to reapply to the linguistics Master's program at Pitt (I was previously accepted but decided to go ahead with library school instead). I would need to do this this fall because my GRE scores will expire and I REALLY don't want to take those again. But I also have to take a test to prove my fluency in a second language and my Spanish skills are a wee bit rusty. If anyone knows of good events/people/places where I could brush up on my speaking skills in Pittsburgh, I need to find something soon. I'm please that I could take the classes part-time (which means I don't have to worry about my job) and I have four years to complete it.

Also, I've been trying to get back into those blog edits that I keep promising you. Take a look around and you'll notice a couple of changes. I would love to have one big change and just roll it out. But I'm not a professional web designer and I'm trying to feel my way through Photoshop and CSS. So this is what you get! Slow and steady... As always, I'm happy to read suggestions or comments.

"If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera." ~Lewis Hine

Yikes! It's been nearly a month! And although I've had ideas and moments where I wanted to post, we were busy traveling and I don't have a smartphone. Hm. Maybe I'll blog more once I have an iPhone, hopefully in July. I have noticed that the wealth of information I share and post on FB could be posted to my blog instead. Really, I just use too many platforms. I post some things on FB, different tweets on Twitter, and long alternate posts on here. Maybe I'm just crazy with numerous personalities?

Sadly, I also cannot post any new pictures because my clunky little digital camera finally bit the dust. I think it was fated to die on our trip to the Outer Banks. On our first full day there, hubby and I went horseback riding. Our guide took a picture of us with it and said, "C'mon guys! Don't you think it's time to get a new camera?" We then joked a little about it but these heavy guy is quite useful. When I bought it in 2005, I was preparing for my second trip to Mexico and I needed something with a great optical zoom, many photographic settings, and one that wouldn't break easily. My Kodak EasyShare Z700 had 4.0 MP (not bad then, but now you can get 14 pretty easily) and was the perfect choice after some research. It made it through two trips to Mexico, lots of sand, road trips galore back in the states, scratches on the back from nail files in my purse (it got really banged up being in my purse all the time), and many videos of our 5 cats. It ate rechargeable batteries like nobody's business and don't even bother with regular Duracells or Energizers. You get maybe 5 minutes with those. Recently, I discovered that the video mode no longer recorded audio. I knew it was on its last legs but the camera part still worked great. It lasted until the next-to-last day during our visit to Cape Hatteras. A tiny splash of surf hit the back and on the front lens. POP! came the noise after and it refused to turn on.

I'm not eager to choose a new camera, but I need one. I can't spend a lot of money on it--I'm still trying to get an amazing DSLR camera, which I've wanted prior to my purchase of the Kodak. I want a good optical zoom, no problems with blurriness, and settings to choose from (close-ups, action shots, etc). Suggestions?

"Entre el mar y una estrella..."

The rock is actually the top of a cliff at the ruins at Tulum. There are stairs to climb down and swim. There are many iguanas like this one taking a nap in the sun. But they move quick if you get too close!

"...Seguirás estando al filo de mis venas." ~Marco Flores, sung by Thalía

(Between the sea and a star, you'll still be in my veins)

Well, hello May! I know it still seems like early April, but I guess summer should be around the corner. Tell that to my poor plants outside!

Labná ruins

Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo, a not-so-big-deal in Mexico that celebrates their victory at the Battle of Puebla over the French in 1862. Of course, it's a little important in the state of Puebla. Contrary to American belief, it is not their independence day, which is in September. We had a mini party here at work, which really consisted of basic decorations I made, taco fixings, and guacamole. You can't do anything Mexico related without guacamole (or aguacate as my familia mexicana calls it).

It's holidays like these that make me miss that gorgeous country filled with a lot of history, tasty food, and amiable people. In fact, that's how you compliment someone in a roundabout "thank you". You would say, "gracias, muy amable". As in thank you, you are so helpful and friendly. Although it may sound a little bit like our "I'm fine, how are you?" in which we don't always care to hear the answer even though we are expected to respond that way, it's more heartfelt somehow. 

It has now been four years since I've been back and those years seem so long ago. But hopefully, within the next few years, we'll make it back to visit some of our favorite places.

Carnaval! Our hotel owners in Isla Mujeres invited us to be in the parade on their float.