No Name

Even without a name, he is pretty cute. We are having a lot of fun with this new puppy!

The Language of Cherries

We stopped to buy cherries at a fruit stand Not knowing the proper cherry language, I just bought a 7 dollar box. But, the man waiting in line behind me, quietly asked if there were any tartarian cherries left (he whispered the reverent request). I entered the conversation to know more, and learned that they can't be sold in stores because they don't hold up well, but they are sweeter and yummier. Sadly, he got the last box, but gave me one to try.

I'm now on the lookout for a cherry stand where I can ask the right question. Do you have any tartarians?

Another Wedding

But, what do you do when you aren't in love with the bride's favorite flower?

You find some awesome green flowers to look like foliage (you are good at finding green flowers),

you grow some grass,

and you just do the best you can...

Sharks - A Way of Life

Sharks are less a facsination and more a way of life for my boys. James sleeps with a tiger shark, while Chase sleeps with a hammerhead. They know the scary story of Uncle Pat being bumped by a hammerhead in the dark of the night, fixing a broken propellar under the boat. They know the scarier story of Uncle Pat being circled and charged by a shark on the prey. But these only seem to heighten the shark excitement.

James knows the various kinds: cookie cutter sharks to blue sharks. So, when James' class went on a field trip to the Marine Science Institute and he got to touch a leopard shark...well, there could be nothing better. The proof (to my horror, and personal fear):

Landslide

Do you remember being a teenager? Everything seemed so real. You would lay on your bed and listen to lyrics of a song, and feel like someone else knew what it was like to live. And you would sing "These are the Days" with all the ferocity and intention of a fifteen year old...but maybe you were just singing because you actually knew the lyrics for once. Somehow, it felt like playing catch up...but even though there was so much out there to learn, you still felt like you knew it all. And when an adult (much worse your parent) tried to tell you that they knew what it felt like to be your age, you knew they didn't. The couldn't. And you would roll your inner eyes, and know that what you were feeling was different - and bigger - and real.

Well, this morning I heard Landslide by Fleetwood Mac, and remembered discovering this song. Loving this song. But, as I listened to it fifteen years later, I realized that I finally understood it. I know what a Landslide feels like, and feel like I've been asking, "Oh, mirror in the sky/What is love/Can the child within my heart rise above/Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides/Can I handle the seasons of my life?"

I felt it, and got it. Isn't it funny how it takes life, the actual living of it, to really get it. And that all of my teenage angst was just the start. I wonder what the end feels like?

Signs of Summer

The Truth

This morning Chase said, "Mom, sometimes you smell good, and sometimes you smell bad."

Fi*lo*li

“Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life.”

Walking the gardens of Filoli (an old estate by Crystal Springs and not far from home), I found myself renewed with each step. There is something magical about a place that transform time and circumstance. Not to mention the fact that I have fallen head over heals for the tree peonies - I've always loved peonies - but tree peonies are masterpieces I had not yet witnessed. Anyhow, I love that the orignal owner of this magical place decided to use a name with meaning. I always thought it was some old surname, but how happy to find out what it really means.