birthday!!

So far, I have had an amazing birthday weekend! And it's only halfway over! My lovely friend Daisy came in town and we got to spend some good QT together watching Sex in the City with a theater full of ooh-ing and ah-ing women. Plus my brother and niece are coming in town this week! Plus this morning I got flowers from the mum and pop. But the best part was the birthday gift left in my living room this morning from Jon. True to form, he got me something extremely practical, something he knew I would use every day, something I really needed. True to form, he didn't wrap it. With a nod to my recent wishes for something sparkly and expensive...he got me a gold sparkly BIKE!!! I feel like I'm 12 again! I got a bike for my birthday!

I love it. Love love love. Summer is here and I am gonna be a super fast bike riding machine!

Obama and McCain - The Art of Speech

I wish they had commented on Hilary Clinton's speech. Not only do I like Barack Obama's political stance, but I just love listening to him speak. It's time we had a president who can deliver a great speech, one that will be remembered not for its grammatical errors, mispronunciations, or half-truths, but for its inspirational quality.

Plus, come on, it's funny.

My new favorite blog:

http://www.thingsyoungerthanmccain.com

Also, if you haven't yet, check out stuffwhitepeoplelike.com

glasses

Some of you might have heard that I broke my glasses down the middle recently. Apparently wiping them off was a hazard. Anyway, it's time for a new pair. I guess I could superglue them, but I have wanted a new pair for a while anyway. As I have no insurance and am low on flow, I am going to try the online thing. My friend Amanda did it and she was very pleased with the results. Plus, the online thing doesn't require a current prescription! I know my vision hasn't changed in about 10 years, so why do i need to pay a doctor $180 for her to tell me that! Anyway, what do you think of these?

oh, love!

There is a lot in my life that's exciting right now, not the least of which is my new garden plot! I have been waiting for SIX YEARS for a plot in this community garden, across the street from the East End Community School (the country's first public Expeditiary Learning Elementary School, where I would be very excited to send my kids someday.) So, finally, I get not just any plot, but apparently the guy before me was the best gardener in there. That might mean I have a lot to live up to, considering it's my first garden ever, but it also means that the soil is amazing, chock fulls of shells and worms, well-tilled, and hardly any weeds from the winter compared to my neighbor gardens. Also, I inherited sunflowers, onions, chives, and some squash! I would love to wait and see what else comes up, but there is a rule that we have to plant by May 15. And with this gorgeous weather we've been having, and with the view from my garden of the Back Cove (I've seen several bald eagles soaring over the cove), I can't stay away!

There's one fly in the ointment, though--my garden neighbor has to be the single most annoying gossipy person in the city. I try to avoid her like the plague, but she's like Visa-everywhere I want to be. Guess I'll be wearing headphones to my garden!

Pictures to come!

Derby Derby

Quite possibly one of my favorite pictures ever--except for the Derby ladies from several years ago. Can we please bring hats back into fashion? They create such a nice mood of glamour. I love it.

Derby!

Oh, joy! This Saturday, two days from now, is the day that everyone wishes, for a few minutes at least, that they were from Kentucky.

What could be bad about Derby Day?

Here's what is lovely:
pie
mint juleps
grits casserole
Benedictine sandwiches
hats
sundresses
winning money
cheering
"My Old Kentucky Home"
Dan Fogherty
roses