I wish...

• Four things I've done done:

1. went on with clearing the site for my future garden (hopefully it will be ready for my grandchildren's first day of school)
2. cleaned the counter and the kitchen sink, washed the dishes and made dinner
3. finished reading the book I borrowed from AC
4. attached a new handle to my hoe (just because I didn't feel like fetching my other hoe from the old farm) and weeded my vegetable plot. Strangely enough, G insisted on planting tomato on my plot after telling me that the idea of having a fenced plot and digging the entire site is ridiculous.

• Four things I would like to do now:

1. play scrabble
2. draw or paint something
3. watch an interesting show on TV
4. paint my toe nails

• Four things I would like to eat now:

1. ice cream
2. Caesar salad
3. pasta with mushrooms and parsley
4. pizza (just a bite)

Four places I would like to be right now:

1. at the site of my future garden
2. in some seaside resort, walking on the beach
3. my couch
4. in the pool (I've dipped my legs in, but the water was just too cold. I'll go for a swim tomorrow.)

Getting in shape day 1

I just came back from jogging, part of my getting in shape program. I decided to start doing exercise regularly a long time ago, but every time I thought of actually working out, something came up. This week it's stomach ache, gall bladder stone, or something of that sort. I even started eating more meals a day just to ease the pain.
G has been pestering me with remarks about my looks for four years, and during that time I've done absolutely nothing about it. After my father died, I got concerned about my health, and realized how low my BMI really was. I knew that it was only the matter of time before I ended up in hospital. I've been telling myself that I feel just fine, but I knew that wasn't true. Two meals a day, one of which includes a pretzel, three cups of coffee and limited movement is a recipe for premature death. Hopefully, my regular workout will make me eat more and will make both G and myself happy.
I hope to set myself a clear goal and give myself a certain period of time to reach my goal. One of my goals apart from making G happy is to be able to wear sexy tops and skirts and look good in them.

This week's find

The new day brought cool and fresh air, a little bit cooler than expected, even cold. No signs of rain yet, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if it fell, because it has rained every weekend since May Day.

Today I bring you a couple of pics and links I've been exploring the last two days. Enjoy!

                                                                  A Collection a Day

As a young girl, Lisa Congdon was obsessed both with collecting and with arranging, organizing and displaying her collections.This obsession resulted in blog documenting a project that includes posting photos and drawing of her collection over the period of 365 days.

Who would have guessed that collection screws and nails from an abandoned building could be so fun?

The second link leads to Artificial Owl, a site dedicated to provide a selection of the most fascinating abandoned man-made creations. 

"Last train to nowhere" abandoned trains, near Nome, Alaska, USA

                             http://www.artificialowl.net/2009/07/what-happened-to-world-discoverer.html

Too hot

Here I am, sitting in front of the computer and reading blogs. Saturday is reserved for surfing and gardening, but since it's too hot outside, I'll stick to surfing at least for awhile. I should reorganize the pantry, because that's something I wanted to do for a very long time, and just the sight of my messy pantry creeps me out. This morning I found two gigantic cockroaches in the kitchen sink and I got the urge to purge. Not to mention all the creepy-crawlies on the bedroom carpet. It's definitely time for a major cleanup. There's just too much stuff and too little space. There's also the problem of going and staying in G's house because he said some things that made me realize we're never going to get married (we're not meant for each other). Should I put my clothes into the wardrobe or should I leave them in my suitcase? I'll have to get back to town on Monday anyway.
Well, I wouldn't mind a quick summer splash of rain. Just enough to loosen the soil and make the weeding easier. Both metaphorically and literally.

Wednesday musing

I OFTEN DAYDREAM ABOUT... remodeling the old country house and sitting by the window and looking at my garden and taking in the smell of all kinds of herbs and flowers, admiring myself for my persistence and creativity.  One of the main reasons for remodeling the old shack is to have a place for all the junk my parents collected in the last 30yrs or so. I feel like my garage/entryway is too small for their collection, and of course, I want to protect those timeless pieces from being eaten by bugs, dust and rain.

I FEEL MOST CREATIVE WHEN... I have to take part in various fairs by selling stuff I make with the kids from my class. Just kidding...
I feel creative when I see the newest issue of the fashion magazine called Burda, or when I read a post on DIY on some of my favorite blogs. Unfortunately, those periods my creative outburst last only for a little while because I'm either too lazy to express myself or because I'm not really interested in a certain project.

I'M INSPIRED BY... my boyfriend's aunt. She wakes up very early each morning to feed her chickens, water the plant, drink coffee, then she returns to bed for a nap, after which she starts cooking, serving her husband, weeding the garden, entertaining the guests... I admire her for her energy, persistence and creativity (mosaics on her kitchen wall, clothes for her children and friends). She enjoys working in her garden, cooking and taking photos. Here are some of her photos of her estate.

                                                         

Farmers' protest

When you live in a nice country like Serbia you get to see plenty of protests, from those for and against the release of generals, to protests against the declaration of independence of autonomous regions, school workers' protest, down to the protests of farmers.
I'm pretty much indifferent to such ways of showing public opinion, but the latest protest made me voice my opinion on the matter.

The angry farmers, dissatisfied with the changes in government subsidies for the agricultural sector blocked the major regional roads in Serbia's northern province of Vojvodina (where I happen to live). All roads connecting villages and town were (and are still) blocked, making the passage impossible. The barricades are removed every one to two hours for the period of 15mins to let the vehicles pass. The farmers won't let anybody pass, not even the buses, nor the delivery trucks.

 http://www.novosti.rs/vesti/naslovna/aktuelno.239.html:332741-Poljoprivrednici-Vratite-nam-stare-mere

The reason for my angst yesterday was the fact that I had lessons in the school in a village some 10km from the place I live, and I was very much concerned with the time of my arrival and departure. I had to catch the bus one hour earlier in order to get there on time. I wasn't sure if that would help me because I didn't know how much we would have to wait at the barricades. Fortunately, there were no barricades when we approached the village. Nonetheless, my co-workers were concerned about the return because the news of new blockades kept coming in. During my first lesson, I was informed that a car sent by the principal should arrive any minute to take us back to the town. I had one more lesson, so I thought about whether to stay or go, but then I was told that that might be my only chance to get back to the town. I didn't even get to finish the lesson properly when I was rushed out of the building. The ride to the town was a real adventure. We got to the piece of road which was half-way finished (some sort of a future bypass) from which we got to the dirt road through fields of corn and wheat. It seemed like an eternity to reach the town. A stream of cars was passing down the wavy dirt road, the sight of which reminded me of the scenes from western movies.
When I finally got home, I felt relieved that I got back on time for the rehearsal for the public lesson organized by the 1st graders for future 1st graders. The purpose of the lesson was to show a little bit of every subject taught in this grade, from obligatory subjects down to the voluntary ones, and to get more parents enroll their children in our school. I was extremely nervous because of some children not having learned their lines properly and because of the possibility that my CD would let me down in the last minute, but everything went just fine. I didn't get to see the reactions of parents and children because I was too nervous thinking about the entire act. Once the lesson was over, we felt relieved. Two weeks of intense preparations were finally over and we could carry on with our usual lessons.

For more info on the protest go to  http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=06&dd=02&nav_id=74702 and http://www.emg.rs/en/news/serbia/156700.html.

Farm house ideas

Three weeks ago I was reluctant to make plans that included my boyfriend because I had a huge row with him and I believed I wouldn't see him ever again. A dangerous combination of stubbornness and pride and you have yourself a recipe for disaster. However, after three restless days and nights, I grabbed the phone and called him first. I just couldn't wait for the divine intervention. At some point I even believed that God left me the right to choose. Having realized that, I had to make a move. No sooner had I finished the conversation with him, than I started wondering whether I made the right choice. 

Now I know that my choice was right because I got the chance to finish the projects I started a couple of years ago. The project includes renovating his farm house, growing a vegetable garden (although I suck at planting, watering, taking care of my garden),  renovating the old farm house that's deserted and doing some landscaping and of course, turning those houses in comfy homes. 

Therefore, my summer plans will include plenty of home improvement and some little time for relaxation. Plus, I have to type out 72 lessons plans for four different grades, so this summer is going to be everything but boring.

Here are some interior decorating ideas for the old farm house:

Design Sponge

Lisa Zador

Design Sponge

I wouldn't mind having a nice vintage cabinet like this (or at least vintage like): 

My Owl Barn

I have a bunch of vintage stuff in my garage, from kitchen utensils and dishes, to furniture, rugs, clothes, books, so I can hardly wait to renovate the old house to move the stuff into the house.