My Friend is many things

He was not my Dad, but he was like one to many of us.

Although he often behaved like a kid because he was so full of life.

He made you think. That Ah-ha moment. And often he would make you laugh,

just because he was not afraid to be silly.

The most important thing he taught me however came at a time when I was trying so hard to be a grown-up, and I felt like a little girl. I had children of my own but I was all alone, and I was scared. Every decision was so important and I wanted desperately to get it right.

It was Christmas and I was poor. There were few presents under the tree and some of them were socks. I would see him towards the end of that month and then not for a very long time. I expected to be sad.

Surprisingly there was a package for me to open.

It was the Polar Express. “What a wonderful gift. A reminder of ones childhood”, Did you read this to your kids? I asked.

“I still do”.he replied.

He could see my face was lost. His children were older than mine.

“I read them to sleep all the time he said. Even my son who is 20.

It is our time together and no one can take that away from us.”

It took me a moment before I believed him..

I went right home and sat my girls against their pillows and read that book from cover to cover. Each year I did the same and with more books than that.

I read to them still and they read out loud to me.

It is something no one can ever take away.

Even if we are poor.

My friend is a great many things as a Dad and I am sure his children celebrate this with him on all the days before and after Fathers Day. He should know at least this year, that he gave my family a tradition that we treasure. One that we will pass on to another generation.And that we think of him tucking his children in with a story, and it gives us great comfort that he passed that onto us.

Happy Fathers Day.

You can't always judge a book by it's cover.

My Dog Molly is a mush. If she wasn't so large she would be the ultimate lap dog. She may look aloof , but that's a bold face lie. Sorry Molly the gig is up.

When Molly arrived 13 years ago she was your typical 8 week old pup. She allowed us to hold her the very first night but from then on she spent endless amounts of time trying to escape our affections. Samoids are escape artists and Molly refused to be contained. She bit threw fences, jumped the gates, ran from walking on a lead, and generally just maintained her independence. For a long time I wasn't sure she even liked us. Then the truth came out.

Now Molly is our resident love sponge who refuses to allow you to pass without a smooch or a nudge. She is patient and rather un-demanding. She is loyal and friendly. Molly is the perfect pet.

It took me a very long time to realize that I had a lot of Molly's in my life. Mostly people, but nevertheless individuals that appeared to be one thing on the outside and really were quite opposite on the inside. Books with deceptive covers and here is how I found them out.

Recently my Godson was going thru a bit of a difficult time. College graduation came and went in his life and the next logical steps just didn't. One turn of events went south after another and before long his mother, my childhood best friend, was calling me for support. This friend is a lot like Molly. A stunning woman with silver grey hair and a body to die for. Put this gal in a pair of skinny jeans and she is a runner up for the housewives of Nassau County. Too bad she doesn't know it, but her shyness often comes off as aloof so you might think she does. I just know her as the humble and smart friend who shared my growing pains and remembers every significant event in my life. So here she is on the other end of the phone in pain. Wanting to help her son, yet feeling like she is doing everything wrong. For the first time in my life I threw out the rule book and treated her as I know her,not as she appeared. Love is a very strong tool and it helped.

Of course what goes around comes around and soon she was able to help me too.

This led to the next person in my life that appeared to be unapproachable and I tried the same technique. I loved them until the truth bleed out and well you guessed it. They loved me back.

Pretty cool.

This Easter I will be going to church.

The music will probably bring me to tears, the prayers will give me comfort. Most of all it will be in the true spirit of Easter. I will rejoyce, because i finally get it. Love comes in many book covers. They don't always look inviting. The insides are usually the tellers.

I always said I was a late bloomer, and everyone knows how now i LOVE my books.

Happy Easter everyone!

Feeling Lucky

My nephew Schyler is a college student at Webb . This prestigious University keeps him busy studying and I rarely see him anymore.Recently he stopped by to return a book of Art History that I lent him to study from. I immediately grabbed his hand and dragged him to my dining room where I presented him with 12 chickens in a large octogon box. " Look I exclaimed, I have chickens!" His reply was completely relaxed and respectful, as he knows his Aunt Stephanie well. "Oh wow, they are really cool."
This was the child I sat beading with in my studio when he was a little boy, and this was the young man who visited me after school on Fridays for a ...It's not my birthday present,surprise.
I love this child because he has maintained his kind and thoughtful attitude as he is growing into his own manhood.
As he sat with the little bird it became relaxed and walked across his arm and up his shoulder. She knew. She was safe and this was a nice guy. I was glad I had made sure I was a part of his life,despite my busyness. Now he was making time for me and I was grateful.
I guess it doesn't matter if you are into bunnies or chickens, if life is being kind or it's craziness is keeping you running. The important thing is to carve out the moments that you can only hope to remember. They return, and if you are lucky they delight in your chickens,

City girl meats blow drier

I grew up in Queens. Elmhurst to be exact, and that qualifies me as a born and raised city girl for all of my formative years. The only green I ever saw outside was on our two week vacation to the Island, and two weeks of girl scout camp up in the country. My Mom was allergic to animals so my only pet was a turtle, and we all know what happened when they failed to thrive. I wasn't unhappy but I lacked the fresh air and sunshine of country life.

I suppose that's why the first chance I got I returned to the beach I loved and the shores of the Island that made me ache unless I was standing on her soil. To this day if I am sad, I get on my hands and knees and work the earth until my exhaustion gets a hold of me or until the light is gone and I can see no more. I have surrounded myself with not only pets but farm animals that I take great pride in caring for.I especially like chores that no one else will do. For me it is a privilege and I would be hard pressed to give it up. What makes me laugh is the surprise I find in each of the little things this city girl discovers. This very morning my baby chicks were suffering from a common dilemma. Seems they have trouble during this first week of life with their new food and digestion. Things don't always roll smoothly so what needs to be done for 4 day old chick is one must bath and clean their bottoms and then because they can't be in a draft all wet...you guessed it-blow them dry. I laughed out loud seeing myself in the mirror this morning . Here I was still half in Elmhurst holding a wet 4 day old designer chicken and blow drying his bottom after his little bath. Yikes. After I was done my husband returned home and noticed. "Gee the chicks look awfully fluffy I guess they really are self sufficient pets"
Hummmmm I replied, I guess. Now I wonder...should i clue him in or keep this little privilege to myself? Small steps towards a country life.

I get the feeling we are being watched.

Chicken with the hairdo says to chicken with the laid back look...Someone is watching us and i think it's in our best interest to stay cool. They seem to have doubled in size and noisy! Well at least these little rascals are healthy and thriving. no wonder they call girls chicks. yak Yak yak
sooo cute sooo sweet .

They came in a box

Sixteen perfect little creatures,and only three days after they were ordered. I guess that the woman who created My Pet Chicken .com is very tired because I can only imagine how many other mid-life tree huggers like myself were watching Martha Stewart this Easter week and caught her the day she devoted the show to chickens. Bravo for the small business person and bravo Martha for introducing this lovely creature into my life.
Here is my list of discovery for today and I am sure to keep this list ongoing.
Chickens come in many varieties and it's perfectly acceptable to order and enjoy them for their colorful display and unusual pretty eggs. Chickens do not know how to eat when they arrive so I can safely say I am responsible for dipping their little beaks in water and then into the special organic grain which is a neat trick because now only a few hours later they are very self sufficient. Chickens sleep in a funny splat but when they are handled or you pet them they wake up and jump to the beat looking like they haven't a moment to waste. I like that because it reminds me of myself. Lastly the whole reason that I ordered chickens and that I am so excited about these adorable creatures is that chickens can sit on your lap and be cuddled. Go figure,who knew? I believe these rumors folks because it's not just Martha that has boasted of this little unknown fact. I ran around my school sharing my excitement today and boy I guess I am the last to know anything about the personalities of chickens!
You'll be hearing more on them you can be sure. After all they are only one day old chicks today.
What fun lies ahead. Perhaps a baby raccoon? You didn't hear it from me.