One on one with #3 son

This is my darling 3rd son.

Many years ago, while the two older boys were away at school for the day, he and I would hang out in my garden.

He is now 14 1/2 and nearly 6' 1" tall. We don't spend a lot of time one on one anymore. He will not even play one on one basketball with me anymore!

A couple of weeks ago, I kidnapped him and took him out to dinner. Just the two of us. He spent most of the time asking why I was doing this and the other half of the time txting his friends. I resorted to other diversions...



The two girls in the booth in front of us were the complete opposite of us. While my son barely spoke to me at all, one of the girls in the booth in front of us NEVER STOPPED TALKING! I couldn't help myself, I had to film it. As you can see, it did get Jonathan's attention.

Even though the outing didn't go as planned, it went far better than this disaster, below:

Silk garden socks, way too big!

Prom Weekend survival guide

My pal Phyllis called me up over the prom weekend to get me out of the house. She is so clever. The ruse? The sun is out, she had to buy plants for her garden, she had to drive way upstate New York and she needed a gardening friend (I'm really her knitting friend).

It was a lovely drive to this beautiful garden center she found. I didn't know where to look first - perennials, shade garden plants, trees, shrubs...


I spied lots of shrubs that wanted to come home with me

a beautiful smoke bush that I resisted

a sweet almond bush I couldn't resist

No matter how tempting, I did walk away from the wisteria. Giverney will have to wait for another life, in another garden, in Paris perhaps?

While I meandered about checking out the waves of fauna and enjoying the blazing sun that I was beginning to think was a phantom notion never to return to our planet, Phyllis was taking care of business with the garden guys



If it wasn't for the neat key to Phyllis' plans that kept our focus, we would have been wandering around this place all day just gawking at all the possibilities, well at least I would have. I have such trouble with ADHD, OCD and all the other hoarding disorders yet to be named brought on by the short fuse I've acquired dealing daily with teenagers and dumb politics, sorry, i digress...

Hungry and dehydrated, we set out to find food. While enjoying a nice lunch in a tavern that had a nice outdoor garden, Phyllis and I got to eat, knit and plot her planting schedule when BOOM!

Free Entertainment!

A car wreck where no one was hurt brought what seemed like the entire town and every first responder on and off the payroll, in and out of uniform and some who didn't bother to finish getting into uniform!

When I got home, I got a call from the prom dude that he was coming home early, yes! So, in celebration, mamma baked him a cake and made so much barbecue that I swear my hair is permanently infused with smoke. No matter, my son is safe and was all prommed out!

LIFE IS SWEET!