Last weekend my friend Dee and I got to do something that we haven't done in a long time... We went to a party. No, not a Birthday party... but a party like we used to go to back in the days.
Back before kids, husbands, responsibility... hmmm just a faint memory now. Dee and I left our husbands at home with the kids and had a Ladies' night out! I cannot remember how long it has been since we have done that.

This party was not just any party but a poetry party at my friend Rick's house. Yes, a real Poetry party and there were lots of interesting/artistic people there too. This was something Dee and I have needed for a long time. We made small talk about Dee's artwork, talked about music, photography, life and listened to some great poetry and songs.

Rick is part of this group of poets called Hoobellatoo . If you get a chance visit the website because it is very interesting. Chris King has been in many bands and is quite talented especially with his finger puppets. :) I bought his and Joe Esser's poetry books and a CD from Chris' old band Eleanor Roosevelt of which I have listen to some time in the 90's.

We did have to leave before anyone else did because we knew we would have to get up at the crack of dawn because our children wake up at that time. My kids could go to bed at midnight and they would still be up at 6 am ready to go for the day. But it was a great night and I think it made both Dee and I feel a little younger, like we used to in the old days when going on a Ladies night out was something we did often, not once every three years.

So thank you Rick and Hoobellatoo. I think Dee and I (and Dianne next time you have to come too) will have to do this again real soon.

Well it is official, it's Fall and it is starting to feel like Fall. I do like Fall, I like the weather. I love the blue skies and how crisp and clear the air is. I Love the leaves when they start to turn and the sound the leaves make when stepping on them. I love the smell of the air and how we need to wear a jacket in the morning but not in the afternoon. Fall is the start of Holidays and it is so much fun going to the pumpkin farms and drinking hot apple cider. I lived in Massachusetts for 3 falls and it starts much sooner up there but man is it beautiful!!! And there is nothing like going to Boston to the Faneuil Hall Marketplace in October! I think we went every weekend just to eat Lobster and drink hot apple cider.

But for some reason every August I start to get sad. Sad that Summer is about to be over. Even though it is hot and my plants are just about dead because I can't water them enough. And even though I like most things about Fall, I still get sad thinking about the end of summer.

I was thinking about this today and I think I may have realized why I feel this way. The end of summer to me used to be the end of a fun couple of month and the beginning of school or work. When I was a junior in high school (21 years ago) I worked my first summer as a counselor at a summer camp. I continued working at a summer camp for 11 summers. Most of those summers in the mountains of North Carolina. And most of those summers were the best summers of my life!! And I was always so sad when they came to an end. End of summer meant I had to go back to college or back to work.

Then when I started teaching the end of summer meant the start of a new school year. Even though I did enjoy teaching I never looked forward to the start of a new year.

So now that I have my own business and I really don't have a summer vacation it shouldn't matter that it is the end of the summer. I now should be able to enjoy each season as they come. But I just haven't been able to get out of that teacher/school mode and I need too. Because every season is a blessing, every season teaches us something new. Even the cold winters (my least favorite season of all) gives us and the world a chance to start new again in the spring. All Winter I look forward to Spring. It starts in February when Wal-mart starts putting out the seeds in place of Christmas stuff!!

So even though my plants are brown... my Monarchs are almost all gone.. the Tomatoes are pretty much used up, I am going to be happy to see Fall and look forward to all the wonderful things that Fall brings!!!
So Happy Fall! Ya'll!!!!

It is official. I have been called the Butterfly Lady. I have been called worse. :) All I did was plant some milkweed and have some flowers and the Monarch butterflies have come.

Since the first day I found an egg, on July 26 up to today I have released 43 butterflies. Right now I have around 55 Chrysalis, 10 caterpillars and around 16 eggs hatched yesterday. I am getting close to running out of milkweed.

This is a caterpillar right before it turns into a chrysalis. (the "J" position)

The chrysalis right before the butterfly comes out.

The butterfly just emerged from the chrysalis and it's wings are still crunched up.

They will hang from the empty chrysalis most of the day until their wings dry and get strong enough to fly.

They are so beautiful hanging like this.

I have had so much fun seeing the Monarchs and collecting eggs this year. I hate to see it come to an end. But I do know that next year I will plant more milkweed and more flowers.

The greatest part about raising Monarch is giving my kids the oportunity to see how these beautiful butterflies grow. They have had a lot of fun too.

I had just gotten out of the shower. Camille was 18 months old and was in her crib looking at books while I got ready for the day. I had Good Morning America on TV. They went live because the first tower was on fire. Then the second plane hit the second tower and along with millions I watched it live in disbelief. Dianne Sawyer kept saying "was that a plane?" I called Brian at work crying and was so scared.

That whole day was different. The sky was the bluest I had seen in a long time. It was the perfect fall day. When I went out to try to go to the store everything felt different. The air was different. I felt so sad and heavy. Everybody moved a little different.

I think I stayed glued to the TV that entire week maybe looking for an answer or maybe hoping it really didn't happen. Watching the footage over and over again made me feel sick. But it wasn't fair that all I had to do was turn the TV off. All the thousands of people that lost family members couldn't get away from the sadness. They were right in the middle of it. It almost made me feel guilty. So I continued to watch. I watched as I hugged Camille a little tighter.

Today we all take a moment to thank God that we are here and even though life may be full of a little bad luck be thankful of what you've got and give someone close to you a hug. 9/11 2001, it doesn't seem like 5 years ago because it still hurts like it was yesterday.

What 6 year old that you know can throw out a painting like this? Pretty impressive!! Although I am not surprized, as much talent that Tiffiny has it had to rub off on her kids. I think Lila has a great future in the arts ahead of her.

Tiffiny and I used to write letters to each other. Long, detailed letters. We would even decorate the envelopes into little master pieces of our own just to make it more interesting. That was way before kids, husbands and really demanding jobs. I told Tiffiny that I had a bunch of little things I wanted to send to her but I hadn't done it yet because I really wanted to mail it with a handwritten long letter like we used to write to each other. That was maybe 8 months ago and I still haven't done it. Sad.

But Tiffiny even though I haven't sat down and written that long letter yet please know that I do think about you all the time. I am so glad we are friends and have been for all these years. I hope that we can get together in person and I can tell you everything I would have liked to write. We do have a lot of catching up to do. :) I Love you and if you ever need that comfort talk again I am here and always will be!

This picture was taken in 1992..