If you have ever eaten with my husband, you are familiar with his request for Earl Grey tea (with honey) at the end of every meal. Everywhere! Like a Cracker Barrel in Tennessee. Or a cozy little coffee shop, where the operative word would be coffee. Or friends’houses, as if everyone has this on hand.
We saw this book at a rest stop on the Northway, on the way to the Adirondacks. I could not resist buying it after reading the back. Too funny.
Filed under book review, carry a camera, humor
This weekend, a young woman made not only the love of her life happy, but his entire family as well.
My nephew – the firstborn grandchild – asked his girlfriend to marry him. Not to get all Sunrise Sunset on him, but this one is huge for me. He was the first little guy to win my heart. The first baby that I held and felt my own blood run through his veins. The first little person that made me stop and think, holy crap, this procreation thing is something I could definitely subscribe to.
My brother and I vowed to not let long distance prevent us from being a big part of each other’s kid’s lives. When they were young, we took the trek back and forth as much as we could, to make sure the kids knew each other. And it worked. The four cousins have a bond that will carry them through a lifetime. And a not so great memory of always having to go to the bathroom on the Staten Island Expressway.
Now the gift of one more amazing young woman has been given to us in his bride-to-be. Corny? Shit yeah! And I don’t care. For she is all I could hope he would find in a spouse. Times 10. The look on his face when he is with her, the way they share their lives already, the respect and joy that you feel when they are around… that is the foundation you dream of for the ones you love.
So, Matt and Carolyn, I wish you a wonderful life together. I love you both to pieces.
Filed under Time to Cry Tuesdays
I love this name. Goat Brothers. Are they goat men? Is this their family name? Are they simply goat like in their behavior?
The thing I love about being in the Adirondacks is that I can go to a bar with something like this on display.
I don’t believe I have ever been to a swap meet. I may have to come back up here for this.
Filed under absurdities, camp, humor
I passed this place the other day in Long Island City. If you are not from the area you would not realize how funny that is. LIC is just across the river from Manhattan; but a short while ago there was nothing about the area that would make you think that an upscale, slightly-affected nail salon (understatement) called Snob would crop up. It is amazing how one minute a neighborhood can be all industrial and sketchy and before you know it you can get a mani pedi at a place called Snob.
I sort of wanted to hang around and see what type of person was OK with frequenting a place called Snob. Do you think they have shopping bags with their logo on it. I would SO love to have one of those.
A quick little hop over to Yelp yielded a slew of 4 and 5 star ratings and a nice sound byte: For a place called “Snob”, they have a very friendly staff! But there was one patron who was very unhappy with her brazilian wax and got way more graphic with TMI review.
Hey, do you think they sell t-shirts?
Filed under Uncategorized
I received this as a text from my daughter on Saturday night. You have to love a kid that would send you something like this from the bathroom at a party.
I am not any more stressed then usual these days. And honestly, choking someone is not really my idea of a release. But I do like the homespun, country craft show look of the sign against that sweet calico wallpaper.
I am wondering if the woman of the house does her choking in a Martha Stewart apron.
Filed under absurdities, carry a camera, Jana
Of course this card is ‘Blank Inside’. What could they possibly have written that would have been as amazing as that image on the cover? It stopped me in my tracks as I walked down the street. It was sort of like simultaneously staring at the accident and going to a small town carnival while taking hallucinogenics. Not that I have ever done that, but – you know – it is how I would imagine it to be.
As soon as I took the shot, both my daughter and I agreed that it reminded us of one of her friends. I immediately posted it on her Facebook wall.
So, this is where the Time to Cry Tuesday piece comes in. (I am sure you were wondering where I was going with this). I have known this particular friend of hers since pre-school – almost her entire life. I have watched her grow up as I have watched my own kids.
I consider her one of my own.
Her humor is like ours; leaning towards the offbeat (is that an understatement?) . She is bright and fun and funny and…
the first person I thought of to share this with.
Which made me realize that all these little girls had grown up to be women who I love to be around. Their wit and wisdom is beyond their years and they have a way of making me laugh at a moment’s notice.
And they can surely teach me a thing or two about honing my Magnet for the Absurd skills.
So here’s to you, Miss Kate, a blog post dedicated to all you have become. I cannot wait to see how far you will go.
Hugs, love and come over and bake any time your little heart desires.
Filed under Time to Cry Tuesdays
We have been away a lot this month, and Miss Iko has been a good sport about being in the care of others. But on the day after we return I always try to spend the day with her. Working at home makes that pretty easy.
Today I found myself having to make a last minute trip in the car and was going to be gone for a couple of hours. I just could not bear that little face as I was leaving the house, so…
I invited her for the ride.
The thing is, this puppy is far from a good car dog. Mel? She was the queen of the car ride. She sat in the back when asked and would never consider jumping out the window. Hell, she would sit in the convertible with the top down and never think of bolting. Iko? Not so much.
I know it is not good to compare dogs, and they all have their roles in your life. So I am going to deem Iko my co-pilot. I am sure it is a job she will take very seriously as she gets older. This shot pretty much illustrates her dedication.
As for the title of this post, it was inspired by this book, that I highly recommend.
Filed under animals, Iko, mel, pets, Time to Cry Tuesdays
This is one badass license plate, is it not? And being on a cadillac makes it one step more badass. I love the reflection in the chrome on this shot. A perfect photo moment for me.
I wish I had more time to wait and see who came out and drove away in this baby. But maybe I was better off not seeing him; it could have been disappointing. I know… gender assumption. But seriously, do you know any women who would think of driving around with this plate? I mean, I know some pretty badass women but none of them would have this plate. Mojo? I am thinking it is a guy thing in this context.
Feel free to prove me wrong with an example.
Filed under carry a camera, license plates
Today I found myself stopped at a red light at the foot of the Freedom Tower. I was caught in the busyness of my day; thinking of the details of the meeting I had just left and planning my strategic navigation back to my home office through construction choked downtown Manhattan.
I looked to the left on the corner of Liberty and West and from that angle the tower soared over my head, reflecting that perfect blue sky on this glorious day.
I could not help but think that this sky was identical to the one the day the towers fell.
It was a Moment, with a capital M.
Never be too busy to stand in awe. Of the horror. Of the resilience. Of the sheer magnitude of both DEstruction and CONstruction.
And let those moments change you, for if they don’t, what is the point of having them.
Filed under carry a camera, Time to Cry Tuesdays
This would be my version of We Plan and G-d Laughs. Simply put, it is never what you expect that is the thing that gets you.
We were fortunate enough to be invited to spend the 3rd and 4th with friends Out East. For those of you not from Long Island, Out East is where you want to be invited whenever you can. The Hamptons, as it is called, include some non-hampton named towns but in general the whole east end of the south fork of our lovely island is sand, sea, hydrangea, hedges heaven. We were just about getting to the gateway to the area when we got a phone message, “Ame, call me, we have ‘a situation’ at the house.”
This did not sound good.
I called back to find out that the hose under the sink had burst and not only did they have a pool in the backyard, they now had one in the basement and the beginning of one on the main floor.
What about the mouse? Don’t get your underwear in a knot, I am getting to the mouse. Sunday night, when leaving the house, a mousetrap was set to catch a little varmint that had been leaving evidence about. With this in mind, a certain member of this clan was a bit hesitant to enter the house alone in fear of finding the dead mouse.
So instead, she found a flood.
Morale of the story: bring hip waders to the beach? Nope, the moral is no matter what you are worried about, you can be sure something completely unrelated is what is going to happen.
But, this group is agile, we still managed to have a fabulous time with plenty of food, drink, and an extra helping of the saviors from the local Servpro. Thanks to my fabulous experience with them this year, they were the first ones to come to mind. Consider this a plug for one of the most amazing operations out there for flood and fire remediations… 24/7 365!
Filed under friendship, holidays, homeowner, humor
i could cry but i don't have time 
