Unfortunately, my dad doesn't. So amongst all the holiday baking I need to do for Thursday, I'm making him his annual fruitcake. At the moment, I've got 42 pounds* of dried fruit, and those nasty green cherries he insists on, soaking up really good rum. Waste of booze.
And, just for Vic, since I know he'll ask:
Chocolate swirled pumpkin cheesecake, Boston cream pie, mixed berry cobbler.
*may be a slight exaggeration
So I just got back from one of my semi-annual long weekends at the beach (which is why those of you who sent chapters for me to edit won't get them back until some time tomorrow). As usual my dad insisted on giving my sister and me a little extra cash even though we don't need it. But, you know, it makes him happy. When I picked my sister up Friday morning for the trip, she handed me the envelope from Dad. On the front he'd written: Jeanette's mad money, Sharon's bail money.
Needless to say
My daughter told me I sparkled. She was brushing my hair at the time, so I figured she was commenting on the little bit of gray that's started to show in the dark brown. She said it wasn't gray, it was silver. Her thought was that ordinary, dull people get gray hair. Kick ass, full tilt crazy people get silver. I can live with kick ass, full tilt crazy. And I'm keeping the silver.
Have you ever had one of those days? You know, when you are trying to get out of the house and you are running down a mental checklist to make sure you've got everything? I was doing that this morning.
Coffee pot off?
Check.
Computer off?
Check.
Ridiculously large tote bag in hand?
Check.
Wallet in ridiculously large tote bag?
Check.
Cell phone in ridiculously large tote bag?
Check.
Books that need to go back to the high s
Found my blue sweater the other day. It's been missing for a couple of months now. It walked into my kitchen the other day on the boy that lives three houses down. Seems my younger daughter 'borrowed' it and then left it at her friend's house. He decided it looked good on him and he was keeping it, so he traded her one of his flannels. I told him that technically, since the sweater was mine, I should have the flannel. He said he didn't think his flannel would fit me. I reminded him that my sweat
The Way We Were is one of my favorite movies. The damn thing always makes me cry. Right at the end there when they meet unexpectedly in New York. She tells him that his girl is lovely and they hug. Right there.
This afternoon my doctor told me my EKG was a bit abnormal, but he didn't think I was having a heart attack. Good to know...
It's been an odd day.
50...
I hit 50 today. I am both depressed and fascinated. Who the hell ever thinks they'll be 50? I'm having a drink, maybe two in honor of myself.
And, you know, I'm not doing too bad for an old broad. But tomorrow I'm going back to 39 and a half.
I started my vacation today. So I slept in, sort of. For some reason, I don't think being awake at 7am actually counts as 'sleeping in'.
My office only called five times. So far, so good...
Am I the only one who thinks that if you're going to be a checker in a grocery store, you should be able to recognize various kinds of produce? And we're not talking exotics here, just your basic everyday vegetables. I did my weekly shopping today and I had to identify four different things so the checker ringing me up knew what to look for on her list. I regularly buy a lot of fresh fruits and veggies so maybe it's just me, but eggplant, zucchini, Portobello mushrooms, and sugar snap peas are v
A - Age: 49
B- Bed size: Queen
C - Chore you hate: Ironing
D - Dogs or cats: Cats, although none now
E - Essential start your day item: Coffee (I would say cigarette, but then Vic would yell at me)
F - Favorite color: I don't have one
G - Gold or Silver: Gold
H - Height: 5'2
I - Instrument played: Clarinet, guitar, piano (all badly)
J - Job title: Goddess
K - Kid(s): Two
L - Loud or quiet: Quiet
M - Mom's name: Dorothy
N - Nicknames: Sharnie
For a good thirty years, it was a tradition for my sisters and me to take our mother to lunch for her birthday every February. We would go to the same Chinese restaurant that my family had all patronized for years. The owner and wait staff knew us by name. The four of us would always spend time looking over the menu, asking each other what they were planning to order. It was a major production each and every time as the menu was extensive. The head waiter would smile and wait patiently for our
One of my sisters sent me this in an email today. I laughed out loud. I'll even admit that I've probably said about three quarters of it at one time or another.
I'm The Mom Song
My mother died today just after 4 PM after an eighteen month battle with ovarian cancer. Both of my sisters and I, along with my dad were with her. She went peacefully in her sleep. I
My daughter and I took a road trip this past week to check out the college she will be attending. She was able to meet with her academic adviser and work out which classes she will be taking, tour her dorm and the campus, and I got to sign my life away paying for her education.
It
My older daughter graduated just a week ago. Everything went off without a hitch, and she managed to cross the stage without tripping. We even managed to have a nice dinner after with assorted family members (after having to corral a couple who headed to the wrong restaurant) and, lo and behold, everyone actually got along for the duration. The best part of the entire process was my mother
As this is the day set aside to honor Mothers, I do plan to do that where my own mother is concerned. But I also wanted to take this time to reflect on my own role as
