But for real tho ...

Anthony IS superman to me -- that was just for fun ...
I'm sure you all feel the same way about your super guys!!

Superman

Speaking of supermen, how about this combo:

Colin's good looks combined with
Paul's depth and sensitivity,
Todd's ascerbic wit,
Adolph's canny observations,
Taggart's playfulness,
Killy's congeniality,
and, of course, Anthony's creativity.

Not bad, eh?  Did I miss anyone?!

 

CONGRATULATIONS JEN, KRIS AND ACTION HARVEY

Who knows when or where, but he is finally here!

Harvey


"Hey Jen! Aim this way!"


How'd you get a phone in there?!?!?


Finally, peace on earth.


Harvey disguised as an alien.


Presenting, Harvey!

Garden Design

Carol,
I will help you design your garden. First, what is your soil like? Dig some up and wet it slightly and then see if you can roll it into a ball -- if so, you have clay soil -- if it falls apart very fast you have sand -- ideal soil is loam, which is somewhere in between clay and sand. This will tell me whether or not you need to amend your soil to make it nutritious and healthy for plants before you start planting anything.

Second, what plants exist already? This will tell me something about what does well in your garden so that I can find other plants that like the same things.

Third, I need to see photos of every area that you want to work on -- start with one or two so you don't get overwhelmed -- and then I have to know how many hours of sun or dappled sun they get per day.

Fourth, I need you and Killy to come up with an irrigation plan for those areas. It doesn't make sense to start planting things that don't have a watering system to keep them alive. I suggest you do a combination of soaker hoses and sprinklers -- this will be the most economical approach and you can get these things at any home improvement store. You should also look to see where your outdoor water sources are located -- are they near the beds or far away? We can plan more drought-tolerant plants for far away.

Once I have all of this, I can draw a simple design plan for you to take to a nursery and start buying things. I can also tell you which plants can be grown from seed.

E-mail me photos of plants you think might be weeds and I'll tell you if they are or not. Don't tell Killy I'm helping you -- let him be awed by your sudden green thumb gardening skills, instead!!

Plants, Cleaning, Dreaming, Toenails

plants
OK
So my little family was coming home from being out in the world. As we drove up to my little house, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of pride and a desire to have the prettiest house on the block. I stepped out of the car into the sun dappled front lawn and thought how easy it would be to tweak my little garden and avoid a growth of weeds. My eye locked on a particularly suspicious looking stalk, heavy with leaves. It was big and healthy and seemed to threaten the well-being of the flowering bush next to it. I gleefully yanked on greenery announcing to Killy that I would be weeding the garden today.
My mistake was apparent instantly when I noticed the beautiful bulbs at the base of what I thought was a weed.
Killy scolded me as I tried to put the plant back. He made me promise never to touch the garden again. I almost cried as he harrumphed to the garden shed to gather the tools needed for the job. I felt foolish and useless.

And I still worry because I think weeds are growing in the garden, but I don't know if they are or not...

cleaning
Amber,
Killy thought your suggestion about getting a cleaning service once in a while was a great one. I never thought about it, honestly. It seems like such a luxury. Maybe I should feel like I deserve more luxuries. Most of my co-workers have cleaning ladies once a week. But they, as CPAs also make much more than I do...
If we decide to do this, I will tell you about the experience.

dreaming
I dreamt that Maru made me late to a wonderful new job with Adolph's dad. I slapped her because I completely missed the appointment and lost the opportunity at the same time. She offered to give me a ride back home but I was too angry, and surprisingly enough, she understood. She felt badly enough and responsible for my loss that she gave me money for a cab. She gave me 22.00. Two tens and two ones. I watched her drive off with her husband. Completely heartbroken and distraught about not being able to do this wonderful job with Adolph's dad, I didn't immediately leave. I sat at a picnic table of an outdoor cafe instead and had some soup. I watched as one old lady told another little old lady that her rent was going up. The little old lady pleaded to not let this happen as she couldn't afford any more for rent. The land-old-lady announced that the rent would go up regardless of how many years she had been there. Land-old-lady suggested that the little old lady should take the government subsidy instead and move out so that the apartment could be rented to someone else. The little old lady had no choice but to take the check and start packing her stuff. She didn't have much, it all fit in one bag. Then she came and sat down at the same table I was at and started talking to some of her friends who happened to be there. They all commiserated with the little old lady and I just kind of watched. I got up to pay for my soup, but when I came back, my money, which was on the table, was gone. Then I noticed the little old lady's bag was slightly open and from it's depth, two tens and two ones peeked out. I thought about the job I just lost and plucked my money right out of that bag.

toenails
I usually clip my baby's toenails while he sleeps. Lately, he's become more resistant to this even in his slumber. He kicks his legs and curls his toes while I struggle to not cut his delicate little skin. This morning, he woke up while I was in the process. So I showed him what I was doing, explaining everything along the way. "See? This is your foot, this is your toe, this is your toenail. I take the nailclippers and...CLIP." He was fascinated enough to let me take to clips without kicking. Maybe tonight, he'll let me finish.

plus
I've developed my mother's sigh.

Shade-Lovers for Hot Climates

Carol,

Here are some shade loving plants for hot climates -- I'd like to help you more, but I need more information about your garden first. Next time you have a free weekend, take a look at the sun/shade patterns in your yard and the compass directions (south tends to be sunniest/warmest, north tends to be darkest/coolest)

Caladiums - look for beautiful white, pink, and red leaf striations. These look like small, colorful elephant ears
Elephant Ears - large, tropical leaves in upright arrow-shaped forms or downward facing, relaxed forms
Begonias - good flowering plants for shade, come in lots of different colors -- yellow, orange, red, white -- look for more beautiful angel-wing, rex, and tuberous begonias, rather than the regular garden variety
Ferns - Really brighten up a shady area with their lacy foliage -- look for the silver-leaf Japanese Painted Fern or the red-in-autumn foliage of the Autumn Fern
Variegated Ginger - look for the yellow and green striped leaf -- very striking foliage
Black Alocasia - looks like a black-leaved, silver-veined elephant ear -- beautiful, unusual, highly desirable
Creeping Jenny - look for the golden or green-leaf versions -- nice creeping groundover, more interesting than the usuals
Pygmy Date Palm - A graceful, slow-growing palm that tolerates shade -- you can buy them around 1-2' tall, and they eventually will get as big as 10-15'
Ivy - old stand-by groundcover for shade. White and gold variegated varieties are more interesting.
Vinca - used mostly as a groundcover, but does also get a star-shaped blue flower -- I like the variegated form best
Mondo Grass - grassy mounding grouncover also called monkey grass -- look for the dwarf black mondo for something diffferent -- a similar effect is liriope & Silver Dragon Liriope has very nice white and green striped foliage
Shade Coleus - look for purple-leaf coleus varieties as these tolerate more shade. Very colorful foliage -- one of your best bets for interesting leaf color and texture in the shade
Wandering Jew - purple-leaf groundcover grows vigorously and has a pretty little lavender bloom
Tradescantia - also called spiderworts, these are grassy looking perennials that get very charming little pink or purple blooms

Hope this helps!

Weaned

It's official. My little boy is weaned off the breast.

It was difficult, more for me than for him. But I decided it was time when he started asking for it by name, "Nu-nu-nu-nurse?", hopefully, pleadingly...
He will be two years old in August.

It breaks my heart and fills my soul with warmth and love when I think about the time that has passed. And I finally understand a mother's heart and cry when I think of the losses many have suffered.

For the first time in my life, I've experienced panic attacks. I'm too sensible to have such things happen to me, I naively thought. But then, I am at work and wonder who is with my child...what is he doing...how is he eating... But those are the only questions I allow myself. Other questions lurk in the back of my mind. But those are unspeakable, those are what makes my heart leap into my throat, my breathe to quicken, my blood to race.

I spoke to a friend about this phenomenon. Her eyes crinkled into a warm smile and her calm voice bouyed with eleven years of child rearing in it's tone, reassured me. "That's called a panic-attack. You just have to not think about it. It'll drive you crazy."

For the first time in my life, I've also experienced heaven. At least this is the only way I can describe his little body's warmth against mine, the feel of his little hand in mine, the smell of his apple sweet breath, the soft powdery scent of the crown of his head, his radiant smile.

I am ridiculously proud. My Child can say his name! I shout this to the highest heavens because mere mortals cannot understand this miracle! My son can RUN! I beam foolishly as his strong chunky legs pump furiously in joyous motion. My little boy can FEED HIMSELF! I let the marinara sauce paint his cheeks as he greedily shoves spaghetti into his beautiful mouth, getting most of it on his shirt instead.

I want the world for him. I want him to never suffer needlessly. I want him to know love all his life.

I want to watch him grow.

Gardening

Okay, I will try to be as specific as possible, but keep in mind that I have no idea what plants are available to you locally and it may be hit or miss.

You can only do a cactus garden if you have at least 4 hours of direct sun. Anything less than that will make you a bona fide plant murderer.

When you say you have shade, what do you mean? Do you get any direct sun whatsoever, even if it's just for 1 hour? If so, how many hours and is it in the morning or the afternoon? If you don't get direct sun, do you get dappled sun through the trees? If so, for how long?

For the sunny veggie garden, how many hours of sun does that get? Morning or afternoon?

What is the average minimum annual temp that you go down to in Houston? 30-35 degrees? I don't remember.

The more details you can give, the more educated my recommendations will be, and the greater the likelihood will be that your plants will actually survive. Also, planting anything July-September is probably a very bad idea due to extreme heat stress involved with new plants. Anything you plant in the middle of summer will have to be watered every day to establish a strong root system. Best times for planting: spring and fall.

cactus garden

Carol is trying to ask for maru (after a lot of wine) how to plant a cactus gardens? I have a very shaded back yard and would like to start a cactus garden in the corner. In other words do I have to buy special dirt and have it raised? Our dirt is very dry and clay like. Do I need special dirt or something else to facilitate a cactus garden? What do you suggest? I also have a lot of shade in the front yard (four trees). What plants do you suggest for a variety of color? Please tell me specific plants, not names of books to research. I don't have the time. I would really appreciate your knowledge on this. I hope you can help me.

I hope you have your baby naturally. I had a great experience and I believe it was the pre-natal yoga that helped me. I had Ezra within 2 1/2 hrs with no drugs, and it was the best experience of my life and I'm not afraid of doing it again. I mention this because I think it's an option to really look in to. PLUS, you probably already know, there are post-natal yoga classes out there for you to take advatnage of.

I was interested in starting a vegetable garden in the one sunny spot I have. I understand that you need to have to have it elevated and it needs good drainage. What do you suggest for good drainage?

OK

sounds good...and I don't have a flat roof.

this post is from my sister - maru the queen of maru-ness

maru says
how can i use my extraterrestrial knowledge as a facsmile'd mother-figure to enedeavour a rendevous for the pleasure of badminton...lots of loving in the way


Carol, i just want to know ho to do a cactus garden????


Amber, your turn

Benjamin!

At long last! Pics of Ben!

Meagan and Jay are so happy to have little Ben at home. They can't get enough of him.


Little Angel


Rated PG... Requisite Nude Scene...


WHAT THE ....!?!?!?!


Ben Burrito


Moon river wider than a mile
I’m crossing you in style someday
You dream maker, you heartbreaker
Wherever you’re going I’m going your way
Two drifters off to see the world
There’s such a lot of world to see
We’re after the same rainbows end
Waiting round the band
My huckleberry friend, moon river
And me

You look so beautiful!

Oh Amber, I am so happy and excited for you! Everything you are doing is so wonderful! The best of luck with your business. Speaking of greenery and growth, I heard about Green Roofs and thought about you. I wish we had a local library like this.

You look so healthy and beautiful. I can't wait for little Antonio to make his way into the world. Now that you have the amazing image uploader thingy, (thanks parabolo) you and Antny (Old man Sr.) must post pics more often.



We really miss you down in the heat of Texas.