My daughter has a heart big as California where she lives. She has done the most courageous and selfless thing I’ve ever seen her do. In spite of her aching heart, she knows she has done the right thing by letting the love of her life walk away instead of asking him to be something he’s not. It’s natural to think of all the “what ifs” in a situation like this, but thinking like that doesn’t  change the present. My beautiful daughter, let yourself grieve for your loss, but know that your heart will heal. And never lose hope that love is out there.

Employees at Chrysler’s Kenosha Engine Plant are upset because Chrysler is closing the plant and moving operations to Mexico. No one likes to see jobs lost – especially when the jobs are outsourced. But…

Many years ago, unions brought about some important changes in labor that protected laborers from abusive treatment by employers. However, I firmly believe (and so does my democrat husband) that labor unions are now redundant and detrimental to American business. American manufacturers can no longer afford American workers – especially unionized workers – so they are taking their plants outside the country to places with cheap labor. The thing is, what’s cheap to us can be wealth to the workers hired in other countries.

I can’t help but wonder how long it will be before the unions realize they have bitten the hands that feed them one too many times.

When Brad asked me to marry him, I told him I was barely domesticated so don’t expect me to be domestic.  His response was I’m a big boy, I can take care of myself. I, on the other hand, like to manage the finances. (Except when they look bleak.) Brad hates to do the bill paying bank reconciling ad nauseum.  A marriage made in heaven, right?

Since our move to Maine I am now doing a little more around the house because I don’t have to punch a time clock. But I still hate to do housework and it shows sometimes – like now. It’s amazing how much dirt and dust I can tolerate before I give in and clean. I did clean in the bedroom after about a year of dust bunnies. Yes. A year. Brad is still confined to his recliner because of his shoulder so when he cleans house he never goes in there. Out of sight out of mind I guess.

It’s now been four weeks since his shoulder replacement surgery. He is doing remarkably well and now only wears the sling when he’s up and about – like right now… As I’m typing… vacuuming the carpet in Soho. It’s a light canister with an upright carpet attachment. But still. Four weeks. Should I feel guilty?

Nah. It was his choice and he’ll stop if it hurts. I think I’ll go see if it’s dry enough outside to go play in the gardens.

My daughter is my keeper of all dates important.  So I get a message on Facebook from her yesterday asking if I called Jesse on Thursday.  To say Happy Birthday.  Ummm, I forgot?  Actually, I knew it was his birthday, but I got distracted.  Not an excuse; an explanation.

There are certain milestones that track our passage through time.  Births, marriages, deaths… and certain birthdays.  I hit one of the birthday ones last year when Jesse turned 30.  (I am not old!!!!!)  I probably didn’t acknowledge that birthday either (probably because of that… number.  On Jesse’s 26th birthday I wrote a post dedicated to him. I would like to re-post it here.  It’s all the same, he’s just a little older. Sos… here goes…

Jesse was climbing his way out of his playpen almost before he could walk and figured out how to get out of his crib shortly after that. We moved into a house with hardwood floors when he was 2 1/2 and I quickly decided to put him in a regular bed so he wouldn’t crack his skull letting go from the top of the crib.

Jesse spent his toddler years decorating the walls with crayons and discovering what items would NOT flush down the toilet. We had to pull up the toilet in the hall bathroom three times in one year because the items that tried to go down got so thoroughly stuck in the neck that pulling the toilet was the only way to get them out.

After that, Jesse discovered matches. He tested them out on some grass outside – fortunately the flames didn’t touch the house six inches or so away. He and his sister even tried playing with matches in his bedroom closet. I still shudder to think… another time he decided that the hallway from the living room to his bedroom would make a great bowling alley. Unfortunately, the ball didn’t stop until it had gone into the wall. We had a vibrating recliner in the living room. While it was plugged into the wall, he decided to cut the cord “just to see what would happen.” He managed to break the circuit, ruin the cord AND the scissors. He didn’t hurt himself only because the scissors had rubber shielded handles!

When he was in the third grade, Jesse’s science project was about the life cycle of the frog. He paid a visit to the field at the end of our street and collected a number of small toads that he put in a jar. As a “late bird,” he started class an hour later than the “early birds.” When the “early birds” got out for recess, he was waiting at the door with his jar and began generously passing out the toads to his classmates. When his teacher told me the tale, she said she was able to rescue all but two of the poor little toads.

Fortunately very shortly after that, Jesse became involved with Little League and found a new (and healthier) outlet for his energy. And he discovered girls. A running joke while he was in high school that every dance picture was with a different girl. There was only one exception — and he married her.

Now my baby is *gasp* 31 and has two sons of his own who look like they are going to be as great a challenge for his parents as his father was for me. Jesse has turned into a fine, responsible young man and I am immensely proud of him.

Happy birthday, my son.