Le Jardin - She Is Finished

After two months of hard work, I have dug my last hole for the spring. What started with the arrival of The Bench ended today with a few bags of mulch and several cold beers. It ain't Better Homes and Gardens, but it's ours, and we literally made it with our own little hands. Somewhere in the melee, I decided we needed to add a bed in the front to hide the utility and cable thingies (which I loathe) - no easy feat, considering just under the sod lay rocks bigger than my head, broken bottles, general trash, and a cement cap the size of a manhole that we still can't identify. Thanks "America's Builder!" The end result, however, was well worth the agony, and so far, everything seems to be making it.

The left side - mountain laurel, variety of lavender, butterfly iris, cherry sage, lantana, and viburnum.

The right side - viburnum, nemesia, indigo spires, butterfly iris, pintas, crape myrtle, and ligustrum.

The whole enchilada - please imagine the fence covered in fig ivy and trailing antique roses on the trellis. Oh, and me, lounging on The Bench with a cocktail and a trashy novel.

Into The Woods

The past week, Peach has been going "Into the Woods" for school everyday. Every year, some parishioners of the church her school is affiliated with invite the Kindergarten to invade their grounds (they have grounds, yo) and get back to nature. They have troops (she was a Mighty Mighty Lizard), and they go to Art, Science, and Photography centers everyday. They fish for minnows in one of two huge ponds full of man-eating koi, and they play in one of several meadows that has a rope swing, fort, monkey bars, the works. She left each morning in throw-down clothes and shoes, covered in bug spray, and came home each afternoon with rocks she found and God's Eyes she made, talking about Native American legends and things like SYMBIOSIS. I volunteered to help on Thursday, and it was like we were in another world all day - so green, so beautiful, so fun. All this about 5 minutes from downtown. Weird.

How would you like this to be your classroom everyday?

How would you like to see this out your window everyday?

How would you like to haul your ass up this driveway everyday to check the mail?

Actually, I saw the mailman drive right up to the front door. Sweet.

Olive Has A Boyfriend

And wouldn't you know it - he's a musician. And her Gymboree teacher. I've noticed over the past six months of her being in his class that her attitude toward him has changed dramatically - from shy to coy and flirty to full on, in his face, showing off. And he pays obvious, extra attention to her - complimenting her every move and note, blowing extra big bubbles just for her, and resolving all conflicts over toys in her favor. When we moved up to the next level recently, he advised me to stay away from a certain class because there were a bunch of rowdy boys in there, and he was concerned that Olive might get roughed up. How chivalrous. This is just his day job, but he is by far the best, most enthusiastic teacher at Gymboree, and he's just plain cool on top of that. He greets Olive warmly every class, and he makes sure to tell her goodbye, too. And today, he took it to the next level - a high-five and a pat on the head. She was beaming. We've just signed up for six more months, so we'll see where this mutual admiration society thing goes. Yes, he's at least 25 years older than her, but hey, it's working for Catherine Zeta Jones and that beak nose Michael Douglas. Who am I to stand in the way of love?

I Yam What I Yam

I lifted this meme from Vernicious Knids, but I see Badger nabbed it from somewhere, too:

I AM: a native Texan.
I WANT: Peach and Olive to be happy, healthy, and productive.
I WISH: I could win the lottery and start a summer camp on the Guadalupe River.
I HATE: willful ignorance. And snakes.
I MISS: my grandaddy, everyday.
I FEAR: missing or forgetting some precious moment, so Peach and Olive are under round-the-clock surveillance.
I HEAR: Olive singing "Hakuna Matata" 24/7.
I WONDER: where all the stuff I’ve ever lost goes.
I REGRET: a few bad decisions, most of which started with, "I'll just have one more drink ..."
I AM NOT: a morning person, but I try to smile through the pain.
I DANCE: pretty well, although my ass now has its own independent motions.
I SING: quite badly, but I do it anyway.
I CRY: easily, when I’m happy and when I’m sad.
I AM NOT ALWAYS: the model of self-confidence you think I am. (Try NEVER.)
I MAKE big motions WITH MY HANDS when I talk, which usually results in me spilling something.
I WRITE: like I talk.
I CONFUSE: S. Lamar, S. 1st, and S. Congress - not where they are, just what's on them.
I NEED: to lose about 20lbs before my 20th(!) high school reunion this summer.
I SHOULD: stop worrying about the stupid reunion. I don't owe them peoples nuthin'.
I START: each day with Olive's feet in my stomach.
I FINISH: each day with Olive's feet in my back.
I TAG: Karla May, Malcontent Mama, Bookhart, and Jules.

How Cool Am I?

Word, y'all. What a wild and wacky weekend we had. Here are the highlights:

Friday - We took Peach and Olive to my parents' house in San Antonio and went to see Bob Dylan at the Municipal Auditorium. Damn good show, but Bob has traded in his guitar for a keyboard as of late, so it was a bit odd to watch him standing stock still, and in profile no less, for the whole show. Merle Haggard opened, and he pretty much kicked major ass, too. The crowd was mixed, from grandpa to grandbaby, from biker to school teacher - and I found out that your dad sitting next to me really LOVES him some Bob Dylan.

Saturday - We took Peach and Olive to see Ice Age 2. A great choice (she says sarcastically) for Olive's second movie in a theatre, especially since they said ass, damn, and crap all within the first five minutes. Nice. Later, we dyed Easter eggs and celebrated my grandmother's 94th birthday.

Sunday - A Happy Easter was had by all. We did the baskets and the egg hunt and then stuffed ourselves at brunch at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort. I wanted to just check in to a room to sleep it off, but we had big plans for the afternoon. My mom took Olive home, and my dad, T-Bone, and I took Peach downtown to see The Lion King at the Majestic Theatre. She had no idea until we pulled up in front of the theatre, and I handed her a ticket. She was so surprised and absolutely loved the show, as did my dad, the most unlikely Broadway musical fan you'll ever find. Please go see it if you ever get the chance.

Monday - On our way back to Austin, we stopped at a children's store in New Braunfels that is full of those cupcake-type dresses that you need for weddings, First Communions, and - sniff - Kindergarten graduations. Yes, I can't believe it myself, but next month, my BABY is graduating from her loving little preschool and moving on to the cold cruel world of elementary school. How in the hell did that happen?! Later that night, T-Bone treated me to an evening of pure magic in the form of my rock 'n roll boyfriend Chris Robinson and his pretty little brother Rich. Oh.My.God. They played an acoustic(!) show at the Texas Union Ballroom to a crowd of about 700(?), and I was completely overwhelmed. We were sitting 3rd row center, right in front of Chris natch, and they played every one of my favorite songs and threw in a few great covers and new stuff as well. It was almost perfect - thanks to several of the Super Fans (i.e. loner pasty-white overweight dorks) around us who insisted on talking the whole time. How do these assholes ALWAYS find me?! When they weren't comparing setlists from those shows they saw in Lafayette and Baton Rouge in '94, they couldn't help themselves from yelling out "Whoo!" and "Oh yeah!" during the quietest portions of the songs. And they were yelling out requests, too. As if. Chris finally had enough of their bullshit and told the crowd that if all they wanted to do was talk the whole time, they needed to get the fuck out. So embarrassing for the so-called Live Music Capital of the World.

Tuesday - Peach went back to school, and we got back in to the normal groove. Sort of. Upon further reflection, I decided that I was too distracted by the Super Fans to fully enjoy the show the night before and that I couldn't stand the thought of Chris being in town one more night and me not seeing him. SO, my darling husband agreed to help me track down tickets (for which I will repay him, in part, with a Catherine Keener film festival), and we hooked up with a sketchy (aren't they all) scalper that afternoon. Come 6:30 when the doors opened at the Cactus Cafe, we were among the first 20 folks inside, and I sat 10 feet from my boyfriend. The place only holds about 150 people, so it was VERY intimate and so much better than the night before. Chris was in a great mood and joked around a lot in between songs. I felt like we were all hanging out at someone's house, without that pesky Kate getting in the way, and with just a few outbursts from some of the Super Fans that managed to sleaze their way in. It was totally worth the price of admission, and I am so glad we made the effort to go. I am a lucky, lucky girl. Until next time, my sweet ...