I swear I will

I have great pictures I want to show you from our trip. In fact I might devote an entire post just to Precious Youngest's pics because SHE is quite a good photographer. And with the new LAPTOP and all, it should be more convenient, right?

Here's the thing. Work is kicking my ass because you know how shit piles up when you've been gone. Add to that, my boss was out most of last week. Her father had a heart attack while I was gone and passed away Friday morning. The funeral is tomorrow and I've done nothing but place and field calls about the arrangements in between catching up on everything else.

Saturday we did a pretty massive yard/garden maintenance session. Again, the problem with going away is all the stuff that the fairies don't come and do while you're gone.

And yes, we went to the lake both days too. But damn it the weather has been UNBELIEVABLE. We've had only one 90 degree day all summer. Mainly it's been 75 to 80. And I skied for the first time this season and don't feel sore AT ALL. Precious Oldest brought a couple of friends along yesterday and we got into quite a fit of giggles in the car on the way home telling stories from their high school days.

We also need to prepare for the annual white trash extravaganza that is our 4th of July celebration. It is illegal to sell fireworks in the county in which we reside. But not the one directly north of us. It is illegal to shoot off fireworks in most of the cities in our county. But not the one in which we reside. And we live on a corner lot so there's lots of room for engaging is such ridiculous behavior.

So ya, we'll be gorging on food and adult beverages while blowing shit up. This will be the 20th annual blow out. Do the math; we've been doing this gig longer than our kids have been alive. (We did miss one year when we travelled to Colorado for the 4th. And it snowed. No, we won't be doing that again!)

Then the city will do their fireworks display around 8:30 so we'll walk over to catch that. Around 11 PM the Saint and P.J. will get out the leaf blowers and snow shovels to clean up the debris. Because we're good neighbors that way.

All of that to say, I'm lame but intend to have a decent post up soon.

Momentous dates that passed by without comment while we were on vacation

June 21st was the summer solstice, my favorite day of the year. As a warm weather loving, outdoor dining, gardening, sun worshipping fiend this is my favorite time of year.

AND

June 22nd was our twenty third wedding anniversary. *pauses , waits for applause to die down* I have lived with this man for half my life. I squeeze my eyes shut and I can remember the girl that walked down the aisle that day in June. She was twenty two, far too young to get married, and very naive. (Aren't all twenty two years olds?)

It took that girl many years to grow up and realize a thing or two about marriage. And even thought the Saint was twenty eight years old that June day, that's not fully grown yet either now is it? So I guess they learned some things together.

While you would undoubtedly gain vast insights on connubial bliss where I to share what we've learned I'll save that for another day. Because I'm so excited!!!!

You do remember the significant wailing and gnashing of teeth that has been going on around here over my P.O.S. desk top don't you? Well look what was waiting for me when I got home last night!!!

And such a sweet and sentimental note!

(I always get you flowers for our anniversary....This Counts!)

So instead of ripping the hair out of my head in the office, I'm clicky clacking away from the comfort of the sofa while enjoying a cup of coffee. Don't you just LOVE happy endings?

Vacation by numbers

84 gazillion – number of miles walked.

1,332 - number of pictures taken by Precious Youngest.

297- number of pictures taken by her mother.

32 - number of pictures taken of her mother that will NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. (If she knows what’s good for her.)

56 - number of heart attacks suffered on the drive from Boston to New York. (What the fuck people! Seriously, 74 mph in bumper to bumper traffic is no way to travel!)

21 - number of historical and/or cultural places visited.

2- number of babies I tried to pack in my suitcase cuddled and fussed over.

1 - number of visits to one of my childhood homes.

1 - number of Broadway shows attended.

1 - number of wedding anniversaries acknowledged.

4 - number of flights taken there and back.

1 - number of flights missed.

294 – number of posts waiting to be read in Google Reader.

0 – chance of a decent post from me anytime soon.

Beantown

Oh my freaking god I didn't think I was going to get through the first three days of this week. I was buried with work events and then had to try to get everything as current as possible so I'm not completely swamped when I get back.


We left at o'dark hundered this morning to fly to Boston. We plan to visit many sites of historical and cultural interest. And I plan to eat my weight in seafood daily. The weather is wonderful, we've already walked a gazillion miles and my crab cakes at lunch were terrific.


Everyone is wearing green in honor of the Celtics triumph in the NBA tournament (the ticker tape parade was today). I immediately changed into a green shirt because THEIR Paul Pierce was OUR Paul Pierce back in the day.

Sunday we'll drive down to New York. We'll have a visit with my brother and his wife. And see my new nephews. And visit more sites of historical and cultural interest.

I'm off to take a wee nap and change for dinner. I'm thinking of starting with oysters...

Preoccupied

We leave for our family vacation this Thursday.

I just realized that forgot to shave my right leg this morning. (Shudder: Don’t ask me how)

I hope I don't forget to bring the children along.

Nothing ruins a family vacation faster than forgetting the family.

I wish they'd quit checking out my breasts

Prompted by this post at The More The Messier I decided to share a little bra story of my own. I am a respectable 36B. But the rest of my family? Holy shit people! In fact, Sib #2 had a breast REDUCTION surgery several years ago. (She inquired, on my behalf, about a donor program; alas it is not possible.)

Long before Sib # 2 had her surgical procedure she was popping out children. Her oldest was born a few months before Precious Youngest. At the time Sib # 2 lived about three hours from me, and I went to visit her shortly before she had her baby.

Sib # 2 is not known for her organizational skills AND she has a tendency to put things off. While I was there I spent a lot of time helping her get the baby’s room finished and running errands for her because I was huge, but she was huger.

She asked me to go to some specialty lingerie store to pick up nursing bras that she had ordered. I didn’t know such a store even existed, but I guess if you’re well endowed you don’t just roll into Victoria’s Secret and shop off the rack.

I walk into the store (remember, visibly pregnant) and there are two stern looking ladies behind the counter with eye glasses on chains and tape measures hanging around their necks. I tell them I’m there to pick up an order for insertsistersnamehere . They look skeptical, but one of them goes into the back and comes out with two of the most ginormous braziers I’ve ever seen IN MY LIFE.

So they’re looking from me, to the bras, and back to me and one of the woman croaks out “Honey, these are 42 Gs*!” I nod and say yes, here’s a credit card. Not to be dissuaded she goes on, “Well sweetie, I don’t know what you’ve been reading, but you’ll be lucky to pray your way to a C cup when you’re nursing!” After assuring them that I was in fact picking this up for SOMEONE ELSE, they let me pay a slink away in shame.

Now let me tell you, those braziers were architectural wonders. SIX HOOKS in the back, SIX! I could fit my entire head in one cup! Not like a hat mind you; covering my entire HEAD. And don’t look at me that way; if you were me you’d have tried it too!

Over at Suburban Correspondent’s place she’s hoping to break her record 45 comments. Me? I'm going to try praying my way to a C cup.

(Ahem, Editors Note *: Cup size? Goes thusly: D, DD or E, DDD of F, then G. Holy shit.)

Gather

Any gardener worth their salt knows that upkeep is crucial. I find a daily dose in the early morning is a huge help. I get home from the gym about 6:45 AM, long before the heat of the day is intolerable. I grab a paper grocery bag (for weeds and other garden debris), my clippers and my basket.



In April and May I checked daily for asparagus. In another month it will be tomatoes. Now, and through the summer, I'll check in on my roses. I deadhead as needed, and clip what I want for daily use. I fill cups with tepid water, re-cut the stems, and arrange them when I get a chance later in the day.

Fifteen minutes early in the day means I'll have roses

for every

room

in the house

all summer long!

I'm in love!

With a dude named Craig! Who has a list! We had been mulling over replacing our patio furniture. More specifically replacing the fabric of the chairs. We've had this set for eleven years and it was a little worn.

Come to find out replacing the fabric would have run about $600. And we would have had to get a new umbrella too because naturally they discontinued the original fabric. Well hells bells, that's more than half way to a whole new set of furniture. But what to do with the old stuff? So I took this picture.



I opened an account with Craig's List. I posted this picture with a description at 2 o'clock Saturday afternoon. At 5 o'clock a nice young man handed me a wad of cash and he and his roommate loaded up my furniture and drove away!

That Craig is something else. The Saint had better watch his back!

Note To Self

If you haven't done the Cantor gig in over fifteen years, do NOT stay out until one o'clock in the morning smoking cigarettes and drinking whiskey.

Overheard

Yesterday

Fannie: to Precious Youngest "When are you working today?"

Precious Youngest: "4:00 to 9:30."

Fannie: "I thought they took the bubble down off all the tennis courts; how are they going to play that late? It will be dark!"

Precious Youngest: "Um....there are outdoor lights?"

Fannie: blink blink

Precious Oldest: "Yeah mom, there's this new thing. It's called ELECTRICITY!"

- - - - - - - - - - -

Last Night

Fannie: "Honey, while you're up would you pour me a glass of wine? Please?"

Precious Oldest: "Good lord woman, I went shopping with you, I went to Costco with you, what more do you want from me?"

Fannie: "I pushed you out of my vagina."

Precious Oldest: "Way to play the cervix card mom!"

-----------

This Morning

The Saint: "What are you doing up at 5:45 on on a Saturday?"

Fannie: "Um, it's not Saturday it's FRIDAY."

The Saint: blink blink

The Saint: "Oh man, this day is gonna suck out loud!"

Perennial

The poppies were beautiful this year!

So were the daisies.

The front bed is filling in nicely.

It's my shade garden.

Done in hues of Purple

(Spiderwort and Canterbury Bells)

And Pink

(Astilbe)

(Dianthus)

What's growing in you garden right now?

Birdie Update

In ten days the nestlings went from this,

To this!

Can you see the two tiny beaks?

I'd have better pictures, but the mom keeps dive bombing me with worms!

Indolence

Here in Whoville we love the summer. Despite being forced to get summer jobs gainfully employed, the schedules of the Precious Daughter’s are most relaxed. There is plenty of time for reading, seeing friends and just plain hanging out. Moreover, they are able to bask in the radiant joy which pours from their mother as the days grow long and warm.

For many summers now we have kept a boat in a slip at a nearby lake. We are door to dock in fifty minutes which is all kinds of awesome. We have spent countless days with the Precious Daughter’s and their friends floating, skiing, eating, laughing, keeping current with their music, introducing them to ours and just plain hanging out.

This weekend we went to the lake Saturday AND Sunday. (Shut it! The weather was perfect and we did both trips on about half a tank of gas!) Saturday we took the Precious daughters and their BFFs. Sunday we brought OUR best friends.

On either end of these lovely day trips were a Friday night outing with my girlfriends to see “Sex and the City” (What? We had a blast! Manhattans and Cosmos at my house beforehand and I brought the Movie Purse!) and a lovely dinner at our neighbor’s house Sunday evening (complete with owl sightings!).

But here’s the thing; if you spend every waking minute of the weekend doing absolutely nothing useful? You will wake on Monday morning with dirty clothes, wet towels, no food in the house, gardens in disarray, and in desperate need of both a Costco run AND a liquor store run.

In which I am the freaking Audubon Society

The Robin's eggs hatched last week.

Mama bird is still watchful

They were not much to look at

Constantly screaming for food

But look how big they got in about five days!

Last night we had the most awesome owl sightings. We'd been hearing them for the past few weeks, but had gotten only brief glimpses. The last night we were at the neighbors for dinner and saw an adult Barred Owl land in a nearby tree. We got up to get a better look and down to the fence flew a baby! Then another! Gah, no camera so I swiped this picture from the Internet.

They babies looked JUST LIKE THAT! All fuzzy heads and huge black eyes. Have you ever seen anything so damn cute? The neighbors are under strict orders to CALL with another sighting so I can get pictures.

( p.s. We did find time for a vacation in JUNE! More later.)