We got vaccinated at around 10:30 a.m. It's now 9:45 p.m....and so far no real side effects except a sore arm. Let's hope it stays that way! Getting vaccinated at Dodger Stadium is a real adventure...and kinda fun, really. It's amazing the amount, and complexity of organization that it takes to vaccinate so many people each hour. You can see how many people they have to manage based on all the cones! Despite the high volume, it was a smooth process, and a happy result...we a

Patron Saints are quaint things these days. Not many people really adhere to any religious affiliation, yet alone, have a devotion to a particular Saint. I get it. It 's a very different world than when my parents grew up, or when I grew up in the 1950' and 60's. And that's ok. No judgment. It's just that religious traditions can sometimes be cultural touchpoints, whether or not one is a devout believer. And for me, St. Anthony, and my Catholic faith feel part not only of a

When I wake in the morning, the first thing I do is take stock about how I'm feeling. Any new aches? Generally, this is good news/bad news. As I've told you, because I'm a little bit of a hypochondriac, most mornings I find something out of order, (bad) but then I am able to convince myself that it's nothing, just in my head, (good) and I get up and out into the kitchen. Once a doctor told me, that the best way to determine if something is really wrong, is if it gets worse

Many of you may know that Robert and have known each other a long time. So long, that I really can't remember a time when he wasn't in my life. We met in the first grade, at St. Patrick's Grammar School, and became lifelong partners. I think I have shared every birthday with Robert for the last 52 years! So many presents! And birthday cakes! And parties! And love. I can also guarantee that there hasn't been year that the two of us have not celebrated his birthday in style! On

Weekends almost don't seem like weekends anymore, partially because the quarantine has changed everything, and partially because Robert and I are beginning our retirement. So, I insist on an excursion on the weekend, or a special TV viewing, or a dinner splurge -- something to differentiate the weekend from the weekday. When I asked Robert what he wanted to do this weekend, he said, "What do you want to do?" Smart Man! We're still doing outside activities only -- so nurseries

We spent the last 2 days in Berkeley with Baby Abby -- such fun! A precious peanut! But while I was there, I was worried about Baby Cora! So, I needed to make sure that everyone would be well fed while I was gone. I arranged meals for Baby Cora's parents while we were away, and I brought up all the ingredients for three hearty home-made dinners for Baby Abby's parents when we visited up there. Whew! It takes a lot of organizing! That's why it's a good idea to plan ahead when

My grandfather immigrated from Hungary in the late 1800's. He loved Strauss waltzes. When he arrived in the United States, he worked at a meat packing plant, a very dangerous and low paying job, but he was glad to have the work. Soon after he found work in the midwest, working the land, and starting a life in a new country. He stayed in South Dakota all his life, and except for a few trips to California to visit his only grandchild (me!), he never roamed far from Aberdeen in

I just love my roses. I take a tour each day to see what's blooming! But as I say in the video, the first bloom of the season is always the most extraordinary. And this year, my roses are really outdoing themselves. And yet for all the beauty, there is still more to come. I have several roses, that I want to show you that have yet to show their colors. Let me tell you their names so I can be sure to show them to you when they appear. I will say that most of the time, I choose

It was great fun dreaming about Coraline before she arrived, and now that she is here, it is even more fun! Helping our daughter and her husband to create and outfit the nursery was such a joyful task, thinking about the colors, the theme, the furniture. Really, our daughter and her husband did everything. They created the look, and planned the nursery - Robert and I just helped to operationalize it! Now that it's together and she is here, it feels like a miracle all over aga

I'm a recent convert to petunias. Prior to this last year, I was not a fan. I thought they were too undependable, too flimsy, and prone to poor performance. But once I found out about Proven Winners Supertunias, I was sold. I actually bought some Supertunias in the fall from the Proven Winners online store. They arrived in the mail, a little worse for the wear, but I planted them immediately, and they did fine. Not exactly as brilliantly as the color pot from October, but we

We are trying another method for eliminating robo calls. All of our previous attempts have been failures -- so maybe this will do the trick! Robert does a good job of explaining how this works -- he learned about it from a colleague, and the minute that he heard it was "technology" he was on the bus immediately! We visited Baby Cora in the middle of the day (Sleeping Angel!) and watched Baby Abby attempt her first day of "rolling over" from back to front (Go Abster!) - so we

It's National Gardening Day! And the reason I am celebrating today is because of my dear mom. The picture above is from our wedding rehearsal dinner at the Smoke house in Burbank, 1981. It was a happy night, as Robert and I celebrated with our families and our wedding party the day before our nuptials. I give my mom a lot of credit for the joy of our wedding day, and our wedding planning, because it was a beautiful time in our lives despite the fact that the year before somet

"Routine" is often an important part of staying sane, and feeling like you can create a little oasis out of the chaos that swirls around us every day. Jessica Fletcher in "Murder She Wrote" has been part of that routine for me. I've watched Jessica Fletcher most every night of the last year, sometimes 1 episode, or a part of an episode, or 2 episodes! The 12 DVD box set has lasted me for almost a whole year. And now that we are beginning to think of post quarantine, it seems

Honestly, I can't tell you how much I am enjoying my garden this spring. There's new flowers blooming everyday, the veg garden is thriving (with the exception of a failed strawberry seed germination) and beautiful green things are peeking up above the backyard firepit bench so that we can even enjoy the garden from the comfort of our living room. New spring blooms are always the best, too. All of the roses are ready for their first bloom, and they are stunning. I can't wait t

In honor of our new little granddaughter...Coraline Iris, I decided to take a deeper look at the Iris, and there's so much to see! Coraline was a dear this weekend. She ate and slept like a champ, and she met her cousin Abby! Abby is 7 months old...but she looks like a giant next to little newborn Coraline.(On Zoom at least!) It's so amazing how humans grow! We feel so lucky to have 2 beautiful new granddaughters. And we are looking forward to many happy visits and playtime

Our second granddaughter, Baby Coraline, has arrived! We are so happy that mom and baby are doing well, and home where they belong. Dad is taking great care of his girls, and grandparents visited tonight to peek in on their new granddaughter. Such happiness! Joy! We look forward to many happy years spoiling our little Coraline and her cousin Abby. We just couldn't be more blessed.

I exhausted myself today! But I feel very accomplished! And I am excited to see the fruits of my labor. The great thing about spring is you can plant your head off -- and then in summer everything pops and you can rest on your laurels! I hope that happens this year in my garden! Tonight I relaxed by watching the movie "Crazy Rich Asians" -- what a great movie! I've seen it before but I liked it even more this time! If you haven't seen it - you must! Tomorrow I'll take it a li

My youngest daughter, Julia, (youngest of our three daughters) lives in Washington DC, and works for the National Park Service. While she's not a Park Ranger, and works in the administrative arm of the Park Service, she DOES have a Park Ranger uniform for special occasions - and it's really sharp! That hat though! Fabulous! Julia is 9 years younger than our oldest daughter, Jenny, and 6 years younger than our middle daughter, Jackie. It's hard to believe now, but at the time

I have really been enjoying my garden this spring. It's so full of possibilities. But when I think outside of the garden, I feel a little more hesitant. How will I transition to being a person in the real world once I am fully vaccinated? I'm not sure how I feel about that. I have a date in my head for my first real excursion. And I know where I am going to go -- Gelson's market, of course. I have not been in a food market, or any market for that matter since March 14 of last

A Blessed Easter. Prayers and Festivities included. Enjoy!