Sassy

I was playing dressup with my niece Caroline a little while ago. She had a necklace on that she wanted me to take off. So, she bossed me and said "Take it off", to which I responded, "What's the magic word?" Of course, I meant "Please". My sassy niece of course responded, "Abracadabra!". Smart ass.......

Newton is apparently bringing sexy back......

I haven't blogged in quite a while. It's not that I haven't had things to blog about. In fact, I've even made a list that I hopefully will catch up on in the near future. I guess I've just been lazy. At times, I've had plenty to say, but didn't have access to my computer at that moment, so when I finally did, unfortunately the moment passed. I'll try to be better.


Anyway, to today's topic of conversation......This past Sunday morning, I was up with Jake bright and early for his first walk of the day around 6am. My neighborhood was still and quiet, save for the annoying birds chirping (I DESPISE birds chirping...but that's a whole other topic entirely!). The smell of lilacs was in the air and a delicate dew covered the grass, which by the way, Jake seems to love to graze on lately like a cow. To my shock and horror however, the dew wasn't the only thing covering the grass on this lovely Sunday morn. I passed not one, not two, but THREE condom boxes littering the ground during our walk. Not all in the same place either. One in the residential area, one by the post office, and one in the little park next to the police station. I believe one was Durex brand, and then 2 varieties of Trojans, one ribbed for her pleasure. Who knew that West Newton was a hotbed of sexual intercourse?!?!?!?!? Interesting.

Maybe I Should Buy My Tomato Plants @ Verrill Farm Next Year

A few weeks ago (coincidentially, just about when all my tomato plants were biting the dust), I went to a Corn and Tomato Festival at Verrill Farm in Concord, MA. What a bargain.....for a mere six bucks, I got to taste 20+ varieties of tomatoes (including all the ones that I was attempting to grow at home), 6 varieties of corn on the cob, and several tasty dishes featuring corn and/or tomatoes that were made in the farmstand kitchen. The weather could not have been more perfect.....one of those summer days where the sky is an impossible shade of blue, the sun is warm on your face, but not it's not hot, and there is a cool breeze, almost chilly enough for a light jacket. I stupidly had eaten some lunch before I went, so I didn't have a lot of room in my belly for as much sampling as I wanted to do. Probably the best thing I had was a corn polenta. Yum! The festival is held every year in August. I'll definitely go back next year. I also recommend the Asparagus Festival in May.

Uhhh...what did she just say?? Miss Teen South Carolina 2007

What's More Entertaining Than A Pageant!

I was not aware that the Miss Teen USA pageant was airing on Friday night. I just happened to come across it about 10 minutes in when I was flipping around the channels. It's a shame that I had to watch by myself. Pageants are a ritual and must watch for my friend K and I. We often wear our own tiaras and judge from the couch (of course, coming up with our own scoring/ranking system). We actually are very accurate.....Often times, we can pick out the winner of the whole thing just from the opening montage where all 51 contestants introduce themselves. Not to brag, but we are quite impressive! We many times have also picked all the girls who end up in the top 5 just from the start of the show.

We also like to discuss the elements of various pageants that are good and bad.....how the pageant is actually put together.....from the host, how the girls are actually presented, musical selections, question and answer portions (which we agree, there is never enough of.....that's the best part.....as evidenced by the YouTube clip I've posted). I dare say that she and I, if given the opportunity, could put together a stellar pageant, taking portions from the Miss USA, Miss America, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe pageants. We often lament that they don't have a civilian judge amongt the B-list, C-list, and reality tv celebrities on the panel. Our voice is not being heard!

In the past two years, my friend and I have actually gone to two state pageants. That's right! Don't judge......if you went, you would have an amazing 3 hours too. If nothing else, it's worth the price of admission to people watch. Many in the audience are pageant winners so they are wearing their sashes and crowns. Then there are people who come very gussied up in evening gowns, with heavily made up faces and their hair did.....JUST TO WATCH! I love it. I always feel underdressed. Maybe that's the reason K and I always move seats and go to the back, with no one else sitting near us. Or maybe it's more so that we can make fun of stuff and have running commentary during the pageant without fear of disturbing/offending other, more serious, spectators around us. So far we've attended the Miss New Hampshire pageant and the Miss Massachusetts pageant for Miss America. FANTASTIC! Our goal is to hit all the New England state pageants, then perhaps go down a notch and check out one of the pageants leading up to the state pageants. I bet they are brilliant. With of course, our ultimate goal.....going to see Miss USA or Miss America live. I think it will happen.......

The Tumultuous Summer Of My Tomatoes

Back in June or July, I posted lovely pictures of my newly planted heirloom tomato plants. Although I watered diligently, and tended to them the best I knew how, with a heavy, sad heart, I must tell everyone that my plants did not make it. I'm VERY upset. I should be eating a tomato/olive oil/balsamic vinegar salad every night!

They are all in various stages of dying.....one plant, my green zebra stripe, was looking pretty sad when I left for Atlanta. Upon my return, it was totally dead (with 2 lonely tomatoes hanging from a branch). My middle plant, the purple calabash, fell over twice last week on a windy day, and sustained quite a bit of damage. Several of the branches (or stems? not sure what the proper term is) holding tomatoes, broke off. I had high hopes for the last one.....my yellow brandywine. Although not very big, it was starting to develop several tomatoes. All looked good.....until a few days ago, when all of the leaves started turning yellow. Which, I think is what happened to the green zebra before it took a turn for the worse.

I wish I had more knowledge of gardening.....I'm pretty certain they have gotten some disease that just killed the plants. My neighbors have been having trouble with their tomatoes and flowers too. I found it odd, that my plants didn't actually grow all that much once I planted them. They really didn't get tall like last year's plants. Maybe it was all the Miracle Grow I showered them with last year that made them grow so well. That's what I get for getting organic plants, organic soil, and no Miracle Grow. I guess it's back to the good ole chemicals next year!

The newest member of my family

I recently went to Atlanta to visit my sister, my niece Caroline, and to meet my new nephew, Ryan (also known as Little Man). Caroline will be 3 years old at the beginning of October. I see her every few months, but it's amazing the amount she changes in the few months I don't see her. The last time I saw her was at the beginning of May. On this visit, she was talking a ton....and I was pretty amazed at her vocabulary. She is quite the chatty Cathy! She pulled out the word "frustrated" (or "fus-ter-a-ted") and used it in the correct context. We were reading a book for the second time, and she remembered lots of little details from the story. She is quite smart. And sassy! I had to tell her several times that she is not the boss of me.....

Ryan is a little pudgeball. When I first held him, he cried after about 30 seconds. Not sure if it was because he sensed my discomfort around babies (I'm not so good with the babies.....they scare me) or because right now, he is a total momma's boy. Pretty much, most of the time, he wants to be held by mommy. But I'm happy to say, that by the end of the trip, we worked up to me holding him for about 5 minutes before he started to wail. That's progress!

My sister is a great mom. I don't know how she juggles everything. I don't think I could do it!

Can't wait to see them all again at Christmastime.