There are few things I enjoy more than strolling through a nursery; a plant nursery that is.  Even when I had a condo I still could plant in containers on my balcony.  Since I’ve been blessed with a house planting in the ground (and in much bigger containers) has been a real thrill.  Sometimes I get it right and sometimes I fail abysmally.  Even when I carefully look at the placement and amount of sun it is not a guarantee.  I dislike yanking up live flowers for the next season and I try to invest in plants that are year round.  Once a year this particular nursery has a 20% off sale and I wanted to hit it for the addition of some “permanent” plants.  Between a couple of hours spent running around at the park, the heat, and the sun my little one crashed right on the flower cart.  The sweet cashier put a piece of cardboard under her head so she’d have something smooth to rest on instead of the hard grooves in the metal cart.  Then she moved her in front of a giant fan that was in the shade.  Texas in September is hot y’all.  I thanked her for her thoughtfulness and she said she remembered what it was like when her kids were little.  I have always felt the same as American actress Rebecca Romijn who said:

“I was never a girl who dreamed about what her wedding day would be like, but I’ve always dreamed about decorating my baby’s nursery.”

Having an only child who is now almost five I never thought I would be able to say this again:  my baby fell asleep in the nursery. ❤️

Drawing straws is a selection method used by a group to choose one member who must perform a task no one else will volunteer for.  In our house it’s more like rock, paper, scissors.  For instance, who has to let the wolfies out in the middle of the night?  Burk.  But who has to disarm the house?  Me.  Who loads the dishes into the dishwasher?  Burk.  Who cooks the meals?  Me.  Who mostly takes out the trash?  Burk.  Who has to pick up the disgusting hair ball the cat just cast up?  Me.  Always me.  Who feeds the cats?  Maris.  Who sets the table?  Maris.  As she gets older she is taking on more responsibility, some with relish and some with a soupçon of sassy.  The later is NOT tolerated.  When I was a kid my mother had a sign in the kitchen that read, “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”  Truer, more prophetic words were never spoken.  I think my two beloveds are JUST now starting to figure that out.  I wish I still had that sign.  Retired United States Navy admiral Michael Mullen is quoted as having said, “Don’t try to run your life through a single straw.  Someone, some event, will cut it off.”  I am thankful I have not tried to run my life through a single straw.  I was happy with myself before I ever got married.  I have always had my passion for animals, my love of music, my interest in history, my enjoyment in writing, and my faith in Christ.  All of the aforementioned have helped me deal with the deaths of my parents.  I still feel alone; I still feel sad, but I am thankful I have my husband and my child now to call family.  I have my four-legged babies, too.  I may like organizing things, but it sure is nice to have a little help.  As for who gets to clean up the pile of poop on the floor?  I’m all for drawing straws.

I started singing solos in church when I was about four and music has always been an integral part of my life.  The German monk and composer Martin Luther once said:

“Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.”

Now my little one has just discovered that all the tunes I’ve played for her in the car the past couple of years are on her iPad thanks to family sharing.  They are an eclectic conglomeration of songs I love.  She used to say, “Mama, play Lubby Dubby” for the band Loverboy’s greatest hits.  She’s heard my favorite girl band Heart as well as “hair band” songs like Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and FireHouse’s “Love of a Lifetime.”  I’ve heard her trying to get the words down to John Legend’s “All of Me” and in this picture my Marian child was listening to “Let It Be.”  What I had not counted on was her uncovering songs like Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever” and 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop.”  Absolutely horrified, I told her the first was about naughty kitties that liked to scratch the sofa.  The second she just took at face value.  So now I will be reviewing her playlist before I have anymore uncomfortable, creative explaining to do.  I want her to know “The Rose” and I want her to hear my favorite singers:  Bette Midler, Julie Andrews, and Linda Ronstadt.  I want her to learn my favorite musical songs like, “Summertime”, “Edelweiss”, and yes, ABBA’s top hits.  I especially want her to know the legendary Nat “King” Cole.  She loves all my favorites, from Journey songs to Latin Gregorian “church music.”  Almost more than anything, I want my little one to have a lifelong pursuit of the greatest treasure in the world.

Meet Frasier.  I think you can surmise what type of bird he is.  I never watched “Cheers” but I absolutely ADORED “Frasier”.  I even have a Cafe Nervosa mug from the coffee house they frequented.  It is wild that his brother’s name was Niles and my mother’s name was Nila.  And no, I did not name my beloved Maris after the first wife Niles had but no one never saw.  My mother’s maiden name was Maris.  Kelsey Grammer’s television portrayal of the role of Dr. Frasier Crane spanned an impressive two decades.  The only show that came close for me was Michael Landon playing Charles Ingalls on “Little House on the Prairie”, which I loved throughout my early childhood — and still do.  I always find it ironic whenever I hear Hollywood actors eschewing television for their own children.  I have also uncovered a closeted sort of snobbery against those who admit to loving or even watching TV now.  We don’t look at much, but what we do we make count.  My whole family used to gather around the big wooden floor console to see “Little House on the Prairie” and as an adult I loved watching “Frasier” with my mother.  I read somewhere once that people with the highest intellect comprised their most number of viewers.  I get a silent giggle out of saying, “This is Frasier” when people go out to see our koi pond and they discover him.  If they’re smart, they get it.  I always appreciate it when they do.  And now I think I shall close and pour myself a glass of red wine, ending with my favorite quote from the show:  “As I always say … why go Merlot when you can take a Cab?” ~ Frasier Crane