I've been feeling old lately....

It's nothing anybody has said. It's just me. I look in the mirror and wonder who that middle-aged, frumpy lady is looking back. It doesn't help that I've put on a few pounds, or that I'm beginning to need glasses for reading, or that I've got a few greys popping up, or that I feel achey getting out of bed in the morning and can't keep up the pace on our family outings, or that I can't manage to pour myself into the cute stretch knits of today, or that my pretty hands are getting wrinkly and dotted with age spots.

Ok, and having someone at the hospital think that I was my sister's mother--the baby's grandmother! Or that people constantly think that my mom and I are sisters. (We do have a VERY strong resemblance and her makes her feel great!) Doesn't really help!

Luckily, my kids constatly shower me with love and compliments. And my sweetheart is as tender and dear as ever. It's just me. I guess I need to come to terms with age. It's all apart of life, anyway. My kids are getting older, so I guess I have to look the part of their mother. My biggest motivation for wanting to look young and beautiful is for my handsome honey---I always want to look good by his side. He thinks I do. Maybe that is all that matters!

My baby, a teenager?

Today is Jack's thirteenth birthday. He is officially a teenager. Where has the time flown?

Twelve has been eventful---Growing a foot-proudly passing up Mom, Elizabeth, now Abby, first shaves, voice changing (he's a tenor in Chante (choir), eyebrows and hair thickening, eats everything in sight, gangly, awkward, goofy, boney, bright, inquisitive, thoughtful. He still loves to set up a good battle on the living room floor, but prefers The Battle for Middle-Earth computer game. He's gone from reading Harry Potter to Killer Angels (Gettysburg), Lord of the Rings, and Dune--all at the same time! One minute he's laughing and joking with Abby, the next minute they're driving each other crazy!

People ask me why twelve can be tough. Let me illustrate with a typical situation. The other night, Jack took a really quick shower. Great. When asked if he had washed his hair or soaped up his body, he got this goofy grin on his face. Back in the shower he went! Come on, what's so difficult about deoderant, or hanging up towels, or putting the milk away. At twelve, the difference is: he knows better, but he plays dumb......really well!

I'm so proud of Jack. My little boy's growing up. Sometimes just not fast enough!

I think I can finally say--"Welcome Fall"

For someone who's experienced a lot of change in her life, I really have difficulty with changing seasons. I've so enjoyed the beautiful summer weather and I haven't been willing to let it go. Every day I don't have to wear a coat or jacket, I take note. But little by little, the crispness in the air is getting to me. Luckily, this September in Montreal has been mild and BEAUTIFUL. The sky is clear and the sun has shone as the temperatures have gracefully gone down each day. I have really appreciated this slow letdown. We will have our first frost soon and I think I'll be ready--not thrilled, but accepting. That will mean an overnight death to the flowers that brighten the sidewalks, particularly at dusk when the light is just so.

After the long and challenging weather we endured last winter, I carefully followed the progress of green that appeared in the city. First were the blue bells in the lawns just after the final snow melt. Then, the daffodills and colorful tulips--everywhere! Next were the pungent lilac bushes and my favorite lilly of the valley. (I forced my kids to kneel on the sidewalk just to get a whiff! YUM!) Montreal has many wild rose bushes that are also very fragrant. I noticed many of them on the McGill campus and at the Temple grounds. Next, the perennials shot up. Then, people planted annuals everywhere. I hardly saw a sprinkler the whole summer, but everthing stays so green in this moist climate. The late-summer black-eyed susans were spectacular. Now that we've headed into fall, the old buildings look so attractive with their vine cloaks. There are several shrubs that have autumn berries in full color. The leaves are just barely changing color. But soon, everything will die and the bright colors of fall will be gone. I think it's time.

And soon the snow will fly.....I'm definitely not ready for that!