Z is for Zach

It's not always easy to get one's arms around this thing called life.

For a 3-year-old, I think Zach is managing quite well.

Splendid tree courtesy of Naperville's Riverwalk.

Zach courtesy of Betsy and Dennis.

Naperville Now is participating in Miss Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday. More Z posts can be found here.

The Gardener

Clearly this meadow has an excellent landscaper.

I would've waded in for a closer shot, but I am already covered in poison ivy from weeding our stupid yard.

Gardening is dangerous.

But the views can be nice.

I am off to douse myself again in Tecnu Poison Ivy relief, apply bandaids to the affected areas (hand, neckage, who knows where else) and pray that this scourge stops spreading.

And try to remember: leaves of three, let it be.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day

By guest blogger Betsy Anderson

Sent from my iPhone

 

I appreciate more the meaning of Mother's Day now that I'm a mom. And being a mom is a tough job.

Somehow all those gifts given to mom on Mother's Day throughout the years don't seem like enough. How many macaroni noodle necklaces does one need? 

So today I say Thank You, Mom, for being a great Mom. Thank you for all those days and nights taking care of us sick kids, letting us climb into bed with you when we were scared, helping us with homework, listening to our friend and boy problems and countless other things.  

I would not be the person or mother that I am today without you. Today we celebrate all moms, current, past and future. Happy Mother's Day! 

P.S. Please check spelling and grammar (your job never ends :) xoxo) 

Insert cute pic of us here!!

From Mom:

a. thank you for guest blogging today
b. one can never have too many macaroni necklaces
c. happy to be your spellcheck
d. this pic is about as cute as it gets

 

Fashion Rant

When my friend Marilyn told me I was a month late looking for a mother-of-the-bride dress, I choked on my tortilla soup and made plans to drive to Nordstrom the next day.

I did a little pre-tripping on the website.

There are a lot of ugly dresses out there. A lot. In fact, they outweigh the non-ugly 50 to 1.

When I asked my bff Joyce if dress designers are all misogynists, she said yes.

Joyce knows fashion.

Pleats? Swirls of mauve vomited across the bodice? Random beads? Sleeveless?

This is not a look I am striving for.

The dress below is in the Mother of the Bride department. Clearly a typo. They meant step-mother of the bride. She graduated, what, two years after the bride?

Sleeveless? Gathered skirt? A great look for someone who is tall, hasn't had a sandwich since 1990 and knows from articulated arms.

In short, wrong, wrong and all wrong.

I am not a shopper because it is agony to browse beyond jeans and black pants.

My bride, however, is not keen on either of those looks.

Enter Rita, of Nordstrom Dresses. A stylish, thin woman of a certain age who knew the inventory and directed me to a dress that may actually work (particularly if I'm wearing body armor underneath.)

She is frantically looking for my size in this dress:

(I look just  like this.)

It comes in a dark navy.

I have hope.

And I love Rita.

I emailed her managers to tell them how much I loved her, her calm, her insight and personal service. We are definitely inviting her to the wedding.

So, what's your experience with dress shopping? Anyone else recognize the huge gap between what's on the hanger and what looks good on real bodies?

Solutions?

Conflict Resolution?

This is (possibly) the last in a series of posts entitled Conflicted, which began with this:

segued to this:

went kicking and screaming to this:

and now may wrap up with this:

So, someone's thinning a bit, I see. Turned too soon did we?

Give me a break. It's early yet. I'm still unfolding.

At least those squirrels finally skedaddled. Horrible, messy things.

The kids are back on the playground. I like that.

Winter gets awfully quiet. 

But now we have all these days to soak up the sun, listen in on the conversations in the carpool line, and grow.

We are a poem lovely.

You write that?

Nope. Joyce Kilmer. East coast guy. Died in World War I.

I'm thinking of composing some original verse this summer myself.

Composting, more like it.

Hey, now.

Why wait for good weather? Anyone who turns scarlet as well as you do must have mad poetic skills.

How's this:

A tree divided

into crimson and green

remains resolute.

Keep practicing.

Flower Box

Looks like like a delightful corner of France, non?

In fact, this climbing rose envelops a free-standing garage located a very short distance from Naperville's City Hall.

Yellow clapboard. Green shutters. White woodwork. An architectural trifecta, with the added bonus of buds on the verge of bursting to life.

I've walked by this little scene many times, but it's the first time I've seen it decked out for spring.

I love it that someone took the time to add a flower box to the window.

Now there's a metaphor for life.

What will you plant in your flower box this year?

***

Naperville Now is linking to Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday this week. Check out what others are writing about the letter X.

And We're Back

It's been a long week. In fact, my head hurts a bit after 1000 miles (or hours. I get those confused) from Savannah.

But we are home. And it's quiet.

The good news is: it's sunny and warmish in Naperville.

The bad news: it's quiet.

The good news: the house is clean.

The bad news: we managed to trash it in 11 seconds.

The good news: We were gifted with a gardenia bush, in honor of my mother-in-law. It is wonderfully fragrant. And alive. Hoping we can pot it up and set this Augusta Radicans on the patio. Gardeners: please chime in with advice on maintaining this plant in Zone 5.

The bad news: it's quiet.

The good news: Beth dropped by with banana bread. Thanks, Beth. It's delish. Also, Donna dropped by with more toys for Zach. Thanks, Donna.

The bad news: there are ants on the bathroom window sill. A lot, apparently. And my chief critter wrangler is headed out of town on business. Which means the frogs and locusts can't be far behind.

The good news: Paul McCartney's new CD came while we were gone. It's fabu.

The bad news: it's quiet, even with Sir Paul in the background.

I promise a genu-eyne post soon. I'm still feeling a little bit fuzzy around my edges.

Thank you for your wonderful words and many kindnesses to our family. It has meant so much.