Every year, right at my front door these little creatures come to life. For days I see the adult mother search for items to prepare her nest. I open the door gently as to not scare her away. The mother bird always rushes off at the gentlest motion. Her offspring are much more relaxed and almost seem to want to carry a conversation with me.

I took this picture a couple of days before these little guys flew the coop. I watched them exercise their little wings in practice for the maiden flight.

The nest is empty again. Till next spring!

Summer Days

July is coming to an end very quickly. For a couple of weeks now we have had a daily thunderstorm and tremendous downpours. This puts a damper on projects to be done outdoors and summers being as short as they are in this neck of the woods it brings some pressure into the picture.

Not all is bleak though. I am delighting on my daily reports from my Monday child. Sunday's child is developing marvelously and I feel the joy twofold when I hear it in the voice of my daughter who is experiencing it all for the first time. Another little genius has made its debut.

Meanwhile, across the country, my Tuesday child needs cuddling. I cuddle the phone for hours since I cannot cuddle her. Another root canal today has her needing comforting. My voice soothes her still even though she is a full grown woman and I take turns talking to my four furry grandchildren. They perk up they little ears, familiar to the sound of my voice.

Another stormy summer day comes to an end. Downstate, a little genius had a BIG milestone. Way out west, my big baby soothes her cheek with an ice pack.

Good night my kiki babies...

Etobicoke & Cinese Food

Had a delightful day yesterday. Unexpected reunion with my Canadian "family". Not biological family, but very much family nevertheless. They came into town to celebrate their granny's 85th birthday. A. who is as organized as I am gave me only a two day notice that the entire crew would be traveling to the States.

It is at times like these that one realizes how time has flown by. These five "babies" that I held in my arms are now men and women with spouses and children of their own. Tall, handsome men and lovely ladies. My godson sports a full beard that I really like. I try to recall the cherubic face that once upon a time smiled toothless. T. who use to hide behind the sofa due to her extreme shyness is now a protective mother of a seven year old precocious boy. C. despite her 34 years of age hung on to me with hugs and kisses just the same way she did when she was a toddler. She melted my heart, the same way she did 34 years ago when I first met her and she was a mere three months old. The twins who seemed to always be entangled in mischief are charming young men with beautiful wives.

I felt proud of them. Proud that they have remained close as siblings. Proud that they have turned out so well.

We shared such a big part of our lives together. So many memories. So many sweet memories.

It was nice to add another one to the long list of sweet memories!

I must be out of my cotton picking mind. Spent most of the day preparing phase I for "doce de chila (sheila)". This is a compote made from a squash that resembles spaghetti squash, although it is different. My father bought the originals in Toronto during one of our visits and grew them for decades. As with everything he had in his garden, he shared with the other few families in our city.

This brings me to the present and how I found myself elbow deep in chila, not to mention that there are at least another ten squash in my car.

A Portuguese family that I have been helping left for Portugal yesterday. Murphy's law came into play and their house which had been on the market for months sold a few weeks ago. The closing was on Friday. Now mind you, these poor folks had made plans for this trip months ago. The buyers would not budge on the closing date and the market being what it is they had no option. The house has to be turned over by the end of the month. Their children will be moving them while they are away ( I would have a nervous breakdown) and I inherited all of their chilas. It is my contribution to the cleanup. I will save a few because I must teach someone else how to make the "doce". Either that or change my name officially to Sheila!

The squash has to be broken by throwing it on the ground. Inside it is divided into four parts and separated by a "spine which has to be removed by hand. Tradition dictates that you can not use any metal objects to remove it. All seeds are removed. It is boiled until the flesh separates from the shell. I let it soak overnight in salt water. Tomorrow I will follow up with part two.

It is time consuming. But it is worth the trouble. I use the doce to make a special cake called
"Toucinho do Ceu" (Bacon from Heaven) and yes.....it must be what the angels eat....

If you are ever in Portugal, please visit Guimarães, their version of Toucinho do Ceu is by far the best I have ever had; but then, I might be a little bit biased.

Stormy Days

An almost perfect day. The temperature has dropped somewhat. Still muggy but more tolerable. The sunshine yielded to gray skies and claps of thunder were followed by an afternoon of gentle but steady rain once the storm passed.

I love rain. Soft, steady rain. The kind that you can hear every drop hit the roof. It has a rhythm all its own and it is lovely; lovely as a lullaby.

I am sitting here listening to it. It isn't very often that the melody lasts this long. Needed the rest too. I have been busy most of the morning boxing and cataloging my endless collection. This is the easy part. The difficult part will be what to do with it. The decision was made long ago, now it cannot be procrastinated any more.....

Like children, it's time to let them go.

The Best Things in Life

Save all your perfect roses, your orchids and all the flowers that demand the limelight. Nothing compares to the intricate beauty of these mostly ignored wild flowers as they bloom by the highway. This is true splendor in the grass!

Have your cake & eat it too!

Those who know me well, know better than to dare me not to do something.

Where is Home?

Sunrise in Atlanta. In between "homes"

Misplaced

One of these days she will be no more. One of these days, reading over these words I will feel guilt building up within my chest walls. Misplaced guilt, although what I feel is just. The never ending demands (commands) with the empirical tone. The never ending narcissism.

One of these days she will be gone, and just like today, I will be sad, because day after day in spite of her eighty years she can only look inward. By doing so, she has missed so much. So much that has been right before her eyes and she never saw.

What a pity

Sunday's Child

6-9-2008

After a year's absence, I have decided to return. I regret erasing my old blog. There was so much of me there. A difficult phase of my life, but very much mine, neverthless.

I write as to exercise my thoughts outloud. I let them flow onto the keyboard and do not waste time on literary capabilities I do not possess. My entries will be about my perceptions of life, my day to day views of things through the prisms....

Life has changed terribly for me in the past year. I have abandoned many things that I held dear to my heart as truths for a lifetime. They included beliefs, people, habits....

I am not necessarily saying that I liked the changes; I actually think the "old girl" was a "better girl" but in order to survive in today's world one cannot live the way I did without being misunderstood or taken for a fool. But being "wiser" does come with a price.

My last blog was started in Brooklyn in early 2006 as I visited my daughter during one of the bouts of her illness. This week I will be back in Brooklyn with her; only this time God willing, she will be fine and the reunion will be one of joy and celebration. I am going to Brooklyn to welcome Sunday's child.


Cycles. Life's cycles. Those we can always count on.