Mommy, you make the best salad ever.

The exuberance cutie has when she like something is amazing. I mean it was only salad with her favorite vegies and some Tuscan Italian dressing from Trader Joes.
She says things like that when she gets a present she likes. But when she doesn't love something - she's silent.
We went to the library to list the books we read this summer. When you hit a certain number of books you get a prize. She didn't like the plastic backscatcher. Silence. The other librarian came over and offered her a butterfly container. That she took.
How do I keep up her joy of life without having her fake it for every little thing? Or will she be like me. Get totally excited and passionate when things are really interesting and bored when things are ho hum.
It's in the genre of "if I have one good thought each week, I'm doing well." One exuberance a week - I'm doing something right.

Yes to the GPS

My partner (aka husband) says that I'm negative. My mother says that I'm negative. I'm not really negative, just things don't always meet my expectations so I complain. So here's something I love.
The GPS.

A Mermaid named Cutie - Swimming in the pool

Gotta love camp! She's not only putting her head underwater - she's swimming!

See How My Garden Grows

Second tomato

basil

corn

Cutie was born several weeks early. She came the week we were planning to close our beach house. Since we were living in NYC at the time, we tried to grow tomatoes at the beach. Paulo went to the house alone and brought back our first tiny tomato. It didn't taste that good.

Almost 4 years later I'm growing tomatoes in my backyard. I didn't think anything would happen - but Voila. My first beefstake tomato. We are also growing corn, basil, watermelon (I kept some seeds from last year), some sort of bean that needs a trellis, and spagetti squash. Only the tomatoes, basil and corn seem to be producing fruit. We hope to pick our first (second tomato very soon.)

The weird thing is that there are tomato plants growing near our old sink drainage pipe. Before we fix our septic tank, our kitchen sink water used to just go directly into the ground. Is it possible that these plants are from disgarded seeds? How cool is that?

Shelly is Leaving

I worked at Ogilvy & Mather on and off for about 4 years and loved it. If I were a corporate company and needed an ad agency and had lots to spend I would call Shelly Lazarus. She is stepping down after 37 years. She worked her way up and made women proud. We wish her well.

Everything in NJ

When we decided to move to the burbs - I said anywhere but NJ. When you live in NY you have the opinion of NJ that you could never live there. It's an industrial state that smells when you drive on the turnpike. There's always traffic when you drive through the state - there's just something annoying about NJ.

Now that I live in the NY Rockland County burbs. I'm forever going to NJ for things. And you know what - It's not bad. In fact, it's quite nice. I love my house - but if I found my house in NJ I would move there in a flash. What's so great about NJ? Let's start with the gas. First it has the cheapest prices and they pump for you. - Gotta love that. Every home decorating place is there - my tile place, I bought my bathroom vanity on the internet from there, clothing - I still get my hair done in NY - I'm still afraid of Jersey hair, but for things NJ the place to be.

This Years Garden

This year I'm trying to grow tomatoes, basil, corn, green beans, watermelon, spagetti squash, and a few more things. Since I just throw seeds around and hope for the best, I sometimes forget what I'm trying to plant.

Tomatoes are growing all over the place. Even where the sink water used to drain. This is funny because I didn't plant those tomatoes - but they are growing nicely. I need to get some stakes. They are tipping over with heavy green tomatoes.

The basil is growing nicely as is the corn. I'm not sure the the green beans are doing. Maybe you can help.