Boston

Fun with friends. let the games begin.

Baldy

T.J. had his head shaved by a friend. His friend posted the photos on facebook to show off his inner barber.Grace commente,"concentration camp" I'm just happy that T.J.has his ears in tact.

Blue Red

We texted our "Red" photo to Claire yesterday. Here's what she sent us today. Is grammar sending a message?

"Red"

Grace saw "Red" today while we were out and about. She took this photo and texted it to her older cousin, Claire.

Claire had the priviledge of driving "Red" for years..."Red" had been my mom's car for years. She called it her chariot. This little car travelled many miles on all kinds of adventures. Certainly much smaller and simpler than any of her past chariots, she adjusted to it easily as it became her trusted companion. Like any good companions, they took good care of each other.

I loved to see my mom drive up the driveway, greeted by Daisy, Grace and T.J. giving hugs and kisses while peeking in the windows to spot what surprises Gramma had in store for them! (Daisy too!)

It was fun for me and Biff when "Gramma" came to visit. We had lots of laughs together...fun conversation...love and some sweet spoiling of our kids.....long chatty breakfasts with bakery surprises from home..... delightful dinners with a little extra dessert, newspapers and magazines catching us up on life's events... just family time. Easygoing family time. Comfortable for us all...more comfortable than with almost anyone else.

In "Red's" later years, mom wasn't able to get out while recuperating from a broken hip..not once, but twice. Mom slowed down...only physically...while her trusty companion found a new purpose. Claire, college bound, drove her Gramma's wheels off to college.......where "Gramma's car was dubbed "Red"....

It was a gift for Claire to have such a priviledge nestled upon her...knowing her gramma's love of adventure and roadtrips...and her nickname from Biff, "Wheels Gramma"... Claire drove Gramma's car and slowly, it became hers.

A gift in many ways. For my mom....Claire was driving "Gramma's car" and it was helping her first grandchild. Having Claire drive kept the car running well. A gift for us all....no one had to say the dreaded words to our aging mom, "it's time to stop driving". Claire was borrowing her car until.....

Today I drove with Grace to Boston....Grace in the driver's seat....an eager student....the next generation. What a joy to give her the gift of confident driving....and for me, our time in the car together just as I had with my mom. "Red" was one of the family. Learning to drive is a big family right of passage. We've all had it instilled in us...driving is a priviledge and a chance for adventure!

Thanks to "Gramma wheels!"

Mellow Yellow

Forsythia ...another sign that Spring is in the air. Today's rain and gray skies make us all want to crawl under the covers.....all except the dogs. In between being nestled in their cozy dog beds, they're begging to be outdoors. I've just taken them far enough for us to get soaked...and back indoors.

Grace and friend are at the library this afternoon. T.J.'s lacrosse practice has been cancelled and he's at a friend's house. Biff has dinner with a customer. I'm going to hear the author of SMASHED at our bookstore. Somedays are like this.

Poison Ivy?

Really. For all of my joyous singing about spring, this is what I get? Pardon me while I laugh...at myself. Itch. Scratch. Scratch. Itch. Itch. Scratch. All of this because of one darling daffodil that got me outdoors! Somehow that perky little yellow charmer now looks like a dastardly devil daffodil. How quickly things change. Itch. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Itch.

"I'm Awake"

After turning on the lights, a few gentle calls to wake Grace and T.J. on this damp, dreary morning I plodded down the stairs, headed for the temperature controls and cranked up some heat. Making lunch was next... followed by a follow up wake up, hurry up call. I heard rustling in T.J's room. Check. "Grace...are you up?" "I'm awake!" ...the words were all too familiar as I flashed back to my high school mornings. I followed that voice.....Grace was under the covers when my urgent plea shocked her from slumber. One thing for sure , you can't pull the wool over my eyes... or the covers! I've been there, done that! The world has come a long way but some things never change.

Dirt Flirt

You Dirty Dog!

Yesterday Fitz was feeling all flirty dog while wearing my lipstick...today she's "digging" the dirty dog smutty look.

Daisy Days

Daisy keeps me company while I get down and dirty doing a little spring cleanup. Good company.

One In A Million

One! One perky bright yellow daffodil is all we have so far! Words can't describe the delight we're feeling. We look forward to so much more. Daffodils, crocuses, day lillies, sedum, grasses, irises......lilacs and grass! That daffodil is the first burst of spring...just the beginning...newness...life...hope....possibilities. Both physically, spiritually and metaphorically, we look forward to the growth and goodness.

Smooch

Not me. The pooch. Again. Fitz is all dolled up today. It's no special occasion. Maybe she needed a little something to give her a little lift on a gloomy Monday morning. Sadly, it was my favorite lipstick color.

It wasn't Chanel or even L'Oreal. It was Cover Girl and precious to me. My "Ice Blue Pink" has been discontinued which made me want to cry! My lipstick addiction is serious. What's a girl to do?

Amazing Race Sunday

This show fuels my travel bug! I love seeing the world as the teams travel around the world. What an awesome adventure. We all have our own paths for adventure. Travelling anywhere, meeting people from different cultures, different backrounds and lifestyles. We share so many similarities. It's "amazing!"

The Good Old Days

Kind of. As Biff and I roller bladed alongside each other, we talked about our early dating days when he taught me how to roller blade. Those dates roller blading were a continuation of our skating dates....we really had fun seeing each other in new places and trying out new things....like roller blading.

Today felt just like the old days. One thing HAS changed drastically. Not the laughter, not the respect, not the love or sense of humor....that's all gotten even better. What's different? The hair peeking out. from the back of Biff's helmet, is gray. Really. I never noticed!

Coffee to go

Grace and I went shopping this afternoon. It took some time to get ready. I spent some time cleaning out the car....while the dogs were in it.

Car mats out. Candy wrappers tossed. Water bottles removed. Coffee cups out. I swept out the crumbs, fur and sand. My Dylan's Canidy Bar mug...I put on top of the car since it was full of coffee and didn't want Fitz to drink it. Any other spot...she'd get it. Only experience can teach some things.

After clearing the car, Grace pleaded with me to be the driver. I'm a good sport...so I was happy to give her the keys and the experience.

We drove for miles. We drove through town. We drove on the interstate. People smiled as they drove by. They waved. Friendly follks in Connecticut.

So many friendly faces. So many. That's when it hit me. Not literally. My mug! My Dylan's Candy Bar mug. On top of the car!

People waving. People smiling. People pointing. I calmy alerted my driver,Grace. Without panicking, she zipped off the next exit ramp. We both laughed for miles. And we laughed some more.

Ralph Lauren's daughter, Dylan. Preppy candy!! Candy heaven! Upper East Side, New York City. Rooms for private parties. We had a "Dylan's To Go" party in Connecticut. Oodles of candy and oodles of fun!

Today we drove off with a Dylan's Coffee Mug on the car! My 16 year old girl and I are still laughing....together! Really. Sometimes life is great!

http://www.dylanscandybar.com/

Yellow Roses

Not Funny. Not one bit. This is how I feel right now. And it's Sunday….3pm. The end of the weekend. How is it possible that I feel as though our house is more in an upheaval than it was yesterday!

I hate when this happens. Why do I have to be the one to alert everyone. Don't they notice? Haven't I asked? Oh, I must have on my cloak of invisibility again. Darn that cloak. It always gets in the way of progress. 

Biff and I have been trying to get things done all weekend. Basic  cleaning. And a bit more. 

Laundry. Check.

Closets. Check.

Giveaway. Toss. Need to sort through piles. Started but now the piles are everywhere…in every room. Bedrooms. Family room. Vacuum. Vacuum everywhere. Or maybe nowhere until tomorrow.

Dogs. Check. Kind of. Sort of. A little bit.

The car interior. Check.

Basement. 

E-bay listing. Nope. No check. Camera broken. Yup. Another camera dead. Just like that. Poof. Dead. No good. No more pics. Done. Need to buy a new camera. Great.

The garage awaits. Need more Hefty bags for that job. Trip to the store? I think so.

Lawn.Plenty of lawn seed and holly toner. Too much in fact. We bought it last year from the boy scouts. Oh. We bought it again this year. Biff likes to give the kids $ for their fundraiser. Now we don't have enough space to store it all. We better pour it on heavy.

Kitchen. No paper towels. How can we begin with no paper towels? Better go to the store for those.

ReLAX!

It's great to be back on the sidelines again. Seeing the kids playing a sport they love is a joy! My challenge is cheering without ruining T.J.'s life In my own enthusiastic way, I scream for the team in Tourette like outbursts. The other parents empathize as I blurt out names and numbers and the color, team name and school...all in a desperate attempt not to embarrass my son or worse.....ruin his life. After all it IS a possibility. One burst too many from mom might just make a. difference in his high school social status. That IS rather incredible pressure...after all I'm just one mom...standing amongst other moms with the same cheering instructions from their children, "Pleeeeeeeeeease DON'T!" Really? Oh wait...they're teenagers. We cheer anyway.

Beachy Keen

Daisy, Fitz and I squeaked in some moments for a beachcombing/beach- sniffing adventure. Just the quiet time I needed...in between my mom adventures today. Gentle lapping waves have a way of calming the soul.

Grandpa Fitz and Mom

Funny. I've been thinking of Grandpal lately. Mom...everyday. This sweet father daughter photo (color tinted...fancy 1930s style) turned up. It's a little treasure. The memories of them are my treasure.

Funny to find this pic on the week of my grandfather's birthday! He died when I was in 5th grade. My first funeral. I had to have new shoes for the funeral.

Once I got back to school, wearing my beautiful, shiny, new patent leather shoes with my plaid school uniform ...my friend Maureen asked me why I was wearing my "Sunday shoes" (old school term that kids don't understand today)......I told Maureen the reason for my new shoes. She shrieked, "I've heard of Sunday Shoes and school shoes but I've never heard of funeral shoes! Wow! "