silence broken

Have a relaxing day! I might give sweet Abby a bath, but then why risk plugging the drain.

Happy Holidays

From my house to yours, have a wonderful holiday and new year!

The Last Rose

Serenity, Beauty, Peace... A rose by any other name is still a rose, and this is my last one of the season. It's memory will have to sustain me until next summer.

Yikes... where did November go? It can't be December yet. I have not completed my November list of things to do! I don't even want to talk about my list of things to do in 2007! I pretty much do as I please and that means if I feel like going on a long hike versus cleaning the bathrooms, the hike will usually win. But as I am walking I will often delude myself into believing that I will clean them when I get home. I won't.

So what have I been doing? A lot of knitting... got to get those Christmas presents done! Here is a fair isle hat I did recently for my baby, who is almost as tall as me!

So, despite how it feels like I procrastinate endlessly, I guess I do get some stuff done. I have been trying to cut my sons hair for over a month. He is funny about his hair. He has always wanted it long, from about age two. Last weekend he had basketball tryouts and couldn't see the ball when he bent over to dribble. So guess what? I was allowed to cut his shaggy mop! I couldn't believe the pile on the floor, and his hair still swings in the wind when he turns his head.

It looks like a wig. Maybe I should have tried to have him make a donation to locks for love! This 8 year old boy in all seriousness said to me, " Mom, there is a pile of my DNA on the floor!" I have got to pay more attention to what this child reads!

Locks For Love

I made a donation yesterday. Eleven inches baby!!! All to Locks for Love... hope they can use my ratty old, too blond hair! Here is a picture of me partying with Spencer Davis a year ago... that requires an entirely different post. I think I look a little like a blond Elvira... without the cleavage.

Today I have a spiffy new hip cut, my first short do since the 70's. I feel light and free! The only downside is my son didn't recognize me and my daughter screamed, really, really loud. I'm sure they'll adjust! Hubby said it looks great, I think he means it but he IS going on another long hunting trip, again, tomorrow, did I say again?

So, how is your week going?

This One's For Deborah

Deborah is my 40 something sister. She is smart and pretty. She was a dedicated wife and mom to two boys when her hubby hit midlife and turned into a dork extraordinaire. So, with two young children and no college degree she found herself single. Her work experience always impressed me. Perfectly clean and organized home. Happy, successful children, PTA President for a LOOOOONG time and the ultimate soccer mom.

When the dweebster left she found herself in a position that seems very lonely, yet is shared by so many others. What to do? Me, I would probably curl up in a fetal position and suck my thumb for a week ... or a year. This has happened to some of the most amazing women I know. The single part, not the thumb thing.

So what did Deborah do you ask? She hit 40 and simultaneously hit the college campus. It wasn't easy, having to dedicate yourself to learning, working and still raising two children at a time in life when a lot of us are in a pretty comfortable position. I think the most discouraging part came when the 20 something college students kept asking her where the bathrooms were located, as if she worked there.

Well, Deborah has worked and persevered and is now in her last semester of Nursing School. I did this in my 20's with no kids and it was tough then, yet Deb and many of her class mates have obstacles I never dreamed of, and they are doing it! So to Deborah, who reads this blog faithfully and yet NEVER LEAVES A COMMENT, I say BRAVO. I am so proud of you and you are almost there! After your last final exam of your entire college career, this December, I will take you on this beautiful hike I did yesterday. Soon you will have the time to do this with me weekly! So sit back, relax and feast your eyes on your near future:

Get lots of rest, this too will pass and soon you can join me in my favorite pastime of guessing "What kind of animal left this turd on the trail?"

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

For me, it was always easy. When I grow Up I want to be a nurse. It is written in my school journals from the time I was in first grade. I was motivated and consistent in a way that is unusual for children. I remember having blood drawn at the lab when I was 12. The nurse told me to look away from the needle. I informed her I was going to be a nurse and wanted to watch. She was a little freaked out by all my procedural questions as the needle entered and remained in my arm.

When I was a senior in high school I took an EMT class at the local college. I began working on an ambulance in a large city shortly after my 18th birthday. Car accidents, shootings, stabbings and blood of any kind did nothing to dampen my enthusiasm. I rushed onward to my known destiny. Today I am an RN and have never doubted that it was the right choice for me.


Now I have children of my own. My oldest is 11. She told me last year that she hates blood and being around sick people. She was so afraid that I would be disappointed because, as she put it, she would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER be a nurse. She realized, as most kids do eventually, that she is not her mother. No problem at all, I remember telling her. Just find what you love and you will be happy!


Last spring she told her dad and I that she is going to take her hobby of the past several years and turn it into her career. She wants to be the best chef in the world and work in Paris. She doesn't want to play soccer, she wants cooking classes. For the magazine sales at school while most girls are ordering 'Nick Jr.' or 'Cricket', she ordered 'Bon Appetite' and 'Gourmet'.


She is a fabulous cook. Everything must be made from scratch, especially the sauces. A couple weeks ago I took pictures of her making an incredible Rosemary Garlic Foccia Bread. I don't usually care much for bread, but this was to die for!

She is only just 11. She is strong willed. She knows what she wants be when she grows up. She has a plan on how to get there. She is afraid she isn't like her mother. Silly girl.