My Gardening (Dis)Abilities

The green thumb missed me in my family. My mom, sister, aunts and even my dad were all blessed with gardening grace. I am a perennial type of gal. If I can get it established then I am golden. Numerous weeds and very tall grass stems are always present. From far away it all blends in, but up close, eek!

A summer rose, daisies and iris....

A beautiful poppy bush that I thought was a weed. I tried to pull it out the first year and kept mowing it over. Thankfully, it was tenacious and returned in all it's glory!

White peonies

My sad attempt at a garden. My husband still teases me for all the weeds in last year's effort. This year I laid down plywood to keep the weeds at bay and went the potted garden route. We shall see.....

I sincerely hope this is not the most edible thing I will find in this year's garden. Say a prayer for me!

Think About it Thursdays

If you have tried to do some thing and failed, you are vastly better off than if you had tried to do nothing and succeeded.

The Evidence for Why Diane Has "Earned" a Boat

Charlie's dream car the 1966 Mustang. Purchased for me, according to him.

Charlie's dream to be a farmer. E-I-E-I-O...

Doesn't every family have a bulldozer for all of the around the house projects???

Finally, the "investment". I am not so optimistic.

For the evidence presented above, I ask you, the jury, to give a verdict of guilty, with a sentence of: Promise to buy your wife a boat already!

.... and here we are!

Great Expectations..... DASHED!

A sweet friend Lynne had called to invite me to get a pedicure with her for my birthday. I decided at 38 I should experience all the joys and pampering that only a pedicure could bring. I am low maintenance (My husband will vouch for me), but figured half of the free world gets them done FREQUENTLY, so there must be some joy I am missing. We went to the very busy, all Asian nail salon where we had to wait to be seen even with an appointment. I am ready for the works. The massage chair is calling my name. I nestle in and try to operate the many buttons. I find that the kneading and vibrating too rough and opt to just enjoy the cushioning. My attendant did not appear to speak much English and just pushed or pulled my feet in and out of the blue water to direct me through the many steps. Many different kinds of goop were rubbed on my feet and legs and quickly washed or dried off. My foot rub and massage (LOL) lasted ten seconds and then I was given three pounds on each leg for circulation????? The only way to communicate with her what color I wanted, was to point to the chair I was sitting on, and fortunately it was the maroon color I desired. The whole process was approximately 30 minutes long and I thought I was on some kind of crazy sweat shop assembly line being processed.

I am glad the cat fully appreciated the toes, because I didn't. Anyways, a friend of mine had mentioned that they were trying to teach their kids a craft or trade to carry with them through life. Well, my daughter will be learning one too. I am going to start training her next week. I figure one pedicure a day won't infringe on the child labor laws and for $25 for 30 minutes of work, not a bad rate of return! Don't wait, start booking your appointments today!

Think About it Thursdays

Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

Another Anniversary!?!?!?!

Here we are 14 years later after the I do's. I think the card I got him last year best says it all.....

Our love is like a summer day, all full of warmth and light. Our love is like a babbling brook, all soggy at first sight... Our love is like a noble cause, it's well worth fighting for. Our love is like a bag of chips, you just keep wanting more... Our love is like a lot of things, I'll happily admit- But as for me, I'm tired of rhymes....

I'd rather that we "did it". Kiss, what were you thinking.....?

Happy Anniversary Charlie, I love you!

Where do the years go?!?!

When I was 17 I worked as a counter girl at Dunkin' Donuts. I was in high school, trying to make some money (the honest way), my whole life ahead of me. There were many regulars that came in and spent hours shooting the bull with their pals, over a cup of plain old coffee and a donut. There were no espressos, no lattes, none of that stuff. Your only choice was regular or decaf. Ah, the good old days.....
Nothing made the regulars happier than giving them the "Hey Norm" recognition like from Cheers and having their cup of coffee ready for them before they made it to the end of the counter.
Fast forward.....I am married, my husband is going to RIT and I am trying to support us through varying jobs. One of my jobs is at a local greasy diner serving breakfasts. In walks one of the regulars from my previous life. All I am thinking is, please God, don't let him recognize me. So here we go. He says "Hey, you look familiar, where do I know you from"? My heart sinks. I tell him from where. Then, he couldn't leave well enough alone, he has to ask...."Wow, how long ago was that?" Here is where the pain of growing older hurts. My response, over 10 years ago. I think I was more embarrassed and sad than anything else. Let's reflect on where we've come in ten plus years. Oh boy, serving coffee and donuts all the way to serving coffee and breakfasts. Thankfully, I am not one of those little old hair net ladies still pouring the coffee wearing their orthopedics. It was a pitiful reminder of needing to have purpose in where I am going and trying to make the most of every day.