The Fat Lady Sings

This is the end, folks. I know my four readers will miss us, but the lack of interest in the blog has me feeling too discouraged to continue. Maybe I'll figure out how to interest our families in our lives, but this clearly is not working. I will keep up with the four of you in other ways.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Carrying a Torch

I still wish Buffy the Vampire Slayer were on. I miss Felicity and the Gilmore Girls, too. I enjoyed Charmed until Rose McGowan showed up. I'd love some more episodes of Mad Men, but I really miss my WBTV. I don't watch anything now except The Biggest Loser, and that's not the same. I also need a good book to read.

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a quiet Thanksgiving again. Our choices are either drive in the car for hours or stay home with no fanfare. So we opted to stay home, but it makes for a lonely holiday.

Happy Birthday, Boo

My precious little Boo is 6 today. Happy birthday, my darling Owen. My love for you is everything, everywhere, always.

xoxoxoxox

Audreyisms

Whenever you ask Audrey where someone is, the answer is "California".

If you ask Audrey to tell you a secret, she whispers in your ear "tuna".

If you ask Audrey if she wants a treat for being a good girl while shopping, she says "Undies!"

Whenever Audrey plays with her toy phone, she calls Toni from day care and says, "Hi, Toni. Good. See you later. Okay. Bye."

If you ask Audrey what kind of anything she wants (pie, cookie, big girl bed, t-shirt) she says, "a pink one!"

Sunshine on my Shoulder

I cast a shadow in the far corner of my back yard today. That has never happened before. Why? Because a 75-year-old elm tree once stood there. That's right. An elm tree.

But a few weeks ago it dropped a limb between our house and the neighbor's. It missed the gutters on either side by mere inches. The rest of the tree leaned ever so slightly over the corner of the house occupied by Audrey's room. We had someone come look at it to see if we could save it. We could try, he said, but he made no promises. Our second-opinion arborist said no, it should come down. And today it did.

So instead of a shaded back yard, a lot with mature trees, we have ever-increasing direct sunlight. We lost the honey locust last year. We had the birch taken down along with the elm. It was dying, shedding branches in every storm. It posed less of a threat, but we decided to be prudent and proactive. One of our last large trees is an ash. We've already received notice from the city that we will have to take it down (at our expense) if the emerald ash borer comes to town. The maples seem to stand on notice.

My ferns shriveled toward the earth today knowing that their cool shady spot is no more. They will burn in the sun come July. Yet I can now breathe a little easier knowing that Audrey is safe. But like my ferns, I, too, shall miss my trees.

Rest in peace, my bright birch and my mighty elm.

Waving My White Flag

Our basement flooded. The carpet is soaked.

I have no more words. I have no more feeling. I surrender.