EMPTY NEST SYNDROME

The nest is empty. Our almost 25 year old son David has flown the coop! He moved in with his friend Eddy, who lives with his girlfriend in a condo about 2 miles from home. Last weekend Mark and I helped David move his bedroom furniture and desk in two trailer loads. He took most of his belongings, but has been coming back almost daily to go through stuff, put a load in the trash and a load in his car. His closet is still full, but it won't be long until I have this room converted into a sewing room.

David's new home is a two story condo with his room on the first floor. Also on the first floor is the kitchen, a walk in pantry, and a combination dining and living room, all nicely furnished. David has an en suite bathroom, and also in his room is a door to outside where he has a private porch that looks out over Errol golf course. Our old porch furniture fits perfectly. Back inside the apartment, a spiral staircase takes you up to Eddy and Amanda's master suite and small bedroom/office. There is a door that leads outside to a patio that is over David's bedroom and another spiral staircase outside that leads to a third patio that is over Eddy's bedroom. It's a wonderful place to do some star gazing.

While I enjoyed an empty house last week, I went into David's room many times to dream. That room smelled like a gym shoe and looked like a feather pillow exploded and so I vacuumed. A thousand stickers on the back of his door have been peeled off, and I started pulling glow in the dark stars off the walls. There must be a thousand! I have plans to put a fresh coat of white on the ceiling and repaint the walls a cheerier color than the current dreary moss green.

Yesterday I redecorated the guest bathroom. Mark and I went shopping for a new shower curtain, a complimentary turquoise hand towel, wall decor and a scented candle (the smaller one) made it look like a completely different room. The walls are tan and the vanity is white with a darker tan/brownish marble top with white sink. The shower curtain rod and hangers are a dark bronze.

I said to David, "If we get empty nest syndrome, will you move back home?" He response was a solid "NO!" I think he's pretty happy to be moved out. Mark and I are happy for David and for ourselves. There is a maturity that happens when a child moves out. Will it be our son or us that matures? I can't speak for David, but Mark and I feel younger!

Garden Planting - Part Deux

Hello from Sunny Florida! Mark and I sweltered in the warm, humid weather as we planted a new garden this afternoon. It's hard to believe that all the tender seedlings I planted a week and a half ago froze during two overnight freezes (27 and 31F). Here comes summer!

With no time to worry with sprouting seeds like I did before, Mark and I went to Lowes, Home Depot and Halls Feed and Seed for our new plants. I wanted to replace with the same plants. Here's what we ended up with:

• Tomatoes: one each of Husky Cherry Red and Early Girl. Mark added a Bonnie Grape and another I'll list later in the "did not fit" category.
• Lettuce: Red Sails (9), Romaine (4) and Mark added Arugula (9).
• Greens: Collards (9) and Mark insisted on Mustards (4) and swears he will now be a collard and mustard green eater. Okay! Neither of us meant to pick up, but somehow we ended up with Cabbage plants (4).
• OtherVeggies: Broccoli (8) - which survived the cold, Tender Bush String Beans (9), and because Mark is so inspired with farming, we have Brussels Sprouts (5). Mark also needed Crock Neck Yellow Squash (10) real bad. There's also a donor herb...Thyme I think.
  Things we had to bring home to "front porch" garden: Cilantro (1), Sweet Basil (1), Sweet Million Tomatoes-teenies (4) and Beefmaster Tomatoes-mongo (6). In addition to those, we have my datil peppers (8) each in a five-gallon bucket.. We brought home 20 gallons of soil, and I hope we have enough containers for all of those new plants.
  
  
  So if our heartfelt prayers are heard, all of these little plants in garden plot #25 will thrive and be bountiful.
  
  
  
  

Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit

I delayed watching Lonesome Dove. Not because I don't like western movies, oh I do! I didn't watch because I knew it lasts six hours and that I would cry. And I did. There is a reference to the Latin proverb, Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit, which means "A grape changes color (ripens) when exposed to other grapes." How appropriate. *sob* What a wonderful movie. It's my favorite.