Stop and smell the peonies....

Unless you are allergic, I am certain that  most people have a favorite flower. I love many flowers, so much so that when someone asked me what the color scheme of my wedding I replied "floral". I even left the original florist I had hired when told I couldn't have peonies in my wedding bouquet. I found a floral shop that would accomodate my wishes. I have flowers connected to many memories of my life from loving dandelions when I was very small, to my mother being enamored of daisies and black-eyed susans, to my grandmother being able to grow ANYTHING especially incredibly vibrant pansies, then falling in love with peonies when spending eight of my formative years growing up on the Val-Kill estate of Eleanor Roosevelt.

When my family moved from Connecticut to New York, Val-Kill was still privately owned and separated into several apartments and the main cottage. We lived on the second floor of the furniture factory. Once the first Spring of our stay there arrived, I had never seen so many daffodils in one place. The front property was truly a sea of yellow.  Adjacent to the tennis court we had started to work the soil for planting a vegetable garden. In the same area, dozens of dark green leaved plants were growing.  I knew they weren't weeds but not any more. As they reached a height of 3 to 4 feet, hundreds of golf ball sized buds appeared.  In the next few weeks a profusion of peonies bloomed in shades ranging from white to pale pink to the darkest fuchsias and the scent emitting from these huge flowers was intoxicating.  I have loved the peony ever since.

In my self proclaimed hometown of Poughkeepsie, I can tell you where almost every peony is blooming in every neighborhood. When my husband and I became homeowners, we did some planting in the fall and we HAD to plant peonies. It took a couple of years for them to fill in and bloom, but now they are glorious. I do take the time to smell them and clip them for vases in doors (even though they could bring ant or two with them). I just wish the flowers lasted a little longer and they bloomed more than once a year. But I guess good and wonderful things come to those that are patient and appreciative.

I guess that really is a pearl of wisdom that I need to be more conscious of.  I hope this works with my kids!


Thank you for spending your precious time with me and my words.

Rain, rain go away...

Now I like a good rainy day as much as the girl but this Spring has been a little wetter than I would care for. If there was a Noah, with his ark, he would be LOVING  this weather.  I don't mind the dreary days on occasion because they are a good excuse to stay in and get the work done that you want to put off when it is nice out, like cleaning the bathroom, going through paperwork, and scraping the walls (which is what I did today). If there aren't a million chores waiting, you could stay in bed or curl up on the couch and watch Law and Order or the Food Channel all day. Life does have to go on though.

The sun did come out for about a half hour today. It was beautiful.  I can't wait until it is out for at least a whole day, preferably leading into a long stretch of blue skies and line dried laundry. I know when this weather gears up and stays around for the long haul , the temperatures go up, the lawn needs to be mowed more (much to my son's dismay) and ants show up for picnics. Then come the lazy, hazy days of summer. I am not quite ready for those yet but if dries things up a bit, then bring them on!

Better living through chemistry?

If you have watched any kind of television over the last 5 or so years, have you noticed how many commercials there are for prescription medications? I am not one to take anything anyway. I have to headache for a whole day or have one so bad that it incapcitates me, before I will even take an aspirin. So when I see all of these ads, I really wonder about who is taking these to heart. And if these meds are available by prescription only, are doctors watching too, thinking of which of their patients need them? And have you really listened to the side effects? They almost sound worse than the actual afflictions they are supposed to help.


And does all of the rhetoric drive up the costs of these medications? I know named brand prescriptions are incredibly expensive. Then what if you don't have insurance? I know all of these questions can't be answered in a little blog, but I do worry about how all of this affects my friends, family and those I don't even know, especially older folks. I must have absorbed some of these tensions from my late mother-in-law who lived to worry about anything and everything. My husband often says it is a miracle that he and his sister (may she rest), ever learned to walk.


In any case, if there are people who truly needs these medications, I am glad there are so many things available to help. But for the rest of us, hopefully we will never need to ask our doctors about the latest little pill being shoved down our throats via the latest tv ads.


Thanks you for sharing your precious time with me and my words.

Bye, bye...Oprah.

For the longest time, my kids knew that one of my fondest wishes was to go to the Oprah show, but as I catch up with Oprah and Sarah Ferguson, the ads in between say that there are only 11 shows to go.  I really started to think about why I never got around to making a trip and seeing Oprah in the flesh. Well, I guess I have been a little busy. So here is a quick laundry list of what I have been doing over the last 25 years. 

• I survived my 20's, 30's, and most of my 40's
• I have held 17 different jobs
• I met and fell in love with my husband. We just celebrated our 20th anniversary.
• With the same man, we have brought 4 amazing children into the world.
• We changed thousands of diapers, made as many bottles, meals, and beds.
• We have buried all 4 of our parents, my husband's sister and 3 best friends.
• I have moved 9 times.
• I learned how to drive. Since then, I have driven countless of miles, carpooled hundreds of kids and adults alike, and have grown to love all of errands, road trips, and freedom.
• As technology has taken over and people have become more disconnected, I started my own blog called "Because I Can". I want to stay connected and create a conversation. We still need to be able to talk to each other. 
• I have found myself, more or less, with a little help from Oprah and so many others. There really no such thing as "self help".  It takes a village to get through this life, and that is a good thing. It is okay to be alone but no one should ever be lonely.

So as Oprah goes into the next phase of her life, I wish her well. As much as she has affected our world, things certainly won't be the same without her on the tv 5 days a week. But I am truly grateful for the time we have spent together, even though it was only in my living room.

In the past 25 years, I have come to know that I am all that too. After all, she hasn't had the chance to meet ME either. Our paths may still cross someday!

Thank you for spending your precious time with me and my words.

I'm baaaack!!!

Did you miss me?  I know I missed sending my blogs out to all of you. So I will do my best to catch up.


In the time since you heard from me last, we have had natural disasters, a fairytale wedding, and the take down of one of the most evil people to ever walk the Earth.  On a lighter note, I spent 2 and a half days in New Orleans with my beloved husband, in turn celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary, saw Rod Stewart and Jake Gyllenhaal (goodness, he is even more gorgeous in person!!!)  there too, and FINALLY started painting my dining room.


Next to the Fall, this is my favorite time of the year.  It feels like the possibilities are endless. Everyone has shaken of the dark doldrums of winter and the flowers are in bloom. The trees and grass are starting to green and I can start to hang my clothes on the line (hellooooo lower electric bills!) and I want to have my pink bicycle repaired. The less I have to spend on gas, the happier I will be.


In addition, I am going to fine tune my personal attitudes and embrace all of my blessings, of which there are many. So be well. There is so much more to come.


Thank you for sharing your precious time with me and my words.

The Fountain of Youth?

I can name that tune in one nanosecond...


In all honesty, I cannot tell you what I had for lunch yesterday, or today for that matter. I tried to recall the meals before I started to type this, but I have drawn a complete blank. What part of your brain is used to store and recall this information? I haven't a clue. But turn on the radio, and with one split second of a song play, nine times out of ten, I can tell you what it is. Especially if it was recorded in the last 30 years or so.


Now it doesn't matter what kind of music it is. It can be rock, heavy metal, easy listening or current pop tunes, I can tell you the title and the name of the group or singer. My kids are incredulous of the whole process. I guess I didn't watch a whole lot of television in my youth because I really remember thousands of songs (except most new country) and with the single sound of a note, the information just pops into my head. The Rolling Stones, Barry Manilow, and Lady Gaga all have equal time in my brain.


I don 't know if this bodes well for memories or lack thereof when the aging process really starts kicking in. I hope I can keep surprising my kids with this Rain Man type skill along with having the capacity of being nostalgic about their youth. Because this is the good stuff!


Thank you for sharing your precious time with me and my words.

No empty nest here!

For the longest time, my husband and I have been telling the kids that when the time comes, WE are going to move out and they can have the house. We don't think that they will ever  leave. Maybe that it isn't a bad thing. For now, I don't mind them all being home.


In fact, I like that they WANT to be home. Their friends are always welcome here and 9 meals out of 10, there is enough food for at least one more person to break bread with us. When the kids are home and any of their "peeps" are here, I know that they are safe. It is the same thing with kids sleeping over. I don't mind a houseful then either, for the same reason, everyone is safe.


Our front porch is offering the same sanctuary to birds. There is a corner of our front porch roof that birds always construct a nest in. It doesn't matter what my husband does to dissuade them from building there, but the birds can't be deterred. It is an area that is protected from the elements and larger birds can't get to, so those little eggs are safe until they hatch. Last year, a lazy bird took advantage of the nest after the first chicks grew and took flight. It is like a timeshare bird condo. 


When my husband took the nest out of its' corner, he put it in the backyard. It came out as one, solid piece of construction. It was so well made, that it remained together for the entire winter. It survived the elements intact. I guess the home we live in is equally safe and sound. It was built in 1871 and is still going strong. And if it can if it can survive sheltering  our family, I am sure it can survive another 140 years after we are gone.


Thank you for sharing your precious time with me and my words.