More from Judith

I rediscovered Judith Viorst this week. I found this poem "Mother Doesn't Want a Dog" which made me laugh. A friend and I had just been talking about our dogs having taken over our houses and having affected such decisions as, "Do I dare get hardwood floors?" This poem made me giggle.
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/mother-doesn-t-want-a-dog/

If I remember correctly, Judith Viorst poems and musings used to appear regularly in one of the magazines I used to read each month - Redbook, maybe, or Good Housekeeping. Frequently her wry and pertinent observations seemed to be about my life as much as hers.

The photo is of our Max - perfectly at home wallowing on my family room couch, which, because he thinks it is his, I have to keep covered to protect it from his shedding. ("Oh," my husband said when he rescued this orphan, "he won't get very big, and he won't shed much." Not a bit of truth in either statement.)

The Pleasures of Ordinary Life by Judith Viorst

I was thinking of a short, sweet poem today that I read as a young working mother. It was by Judith Viorst, and was merely a listing of her favorite things. It prompted me to write a similar list, which I turned into a poem. Not knowing how to find her list, I Googled her name and looked for her poems. (Among other books for children, she wrote "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-good, Very Bad Day.) I didn't find her list, but I did find this sweet poem which reminded me of a conversation I had at work today with some friends. It hits close to home for me. The accompanying photo is of my son and his son - 7 1/2 months ago. Time flies.
The Pleasures of Ordinary Life by Judith Viorst

All Better Now

Jace had two firsts yesterday. Swinging on a park swing and playing in the fallen leaves. His mommy has a great knack for capturing Jace at the perfect moments with her camera. I'm glad he is feeling better!

Here he is enjoying Daddy swinging him in the park for the first time. Two peas in a pod. His daddy was a daredevil too.


This bucket-style swing looks like a good idea for active babies.


Jace's first experience playing in the fallen leaves.



And need I say more...Oh! Those eyes!

Dr. Pappy, Nurse Jamma

Our little Jace was sick this weekend, but we helped get him well again. What a difference from Friday night to Sunday night!

Dr. Pappy taking his turn with the bottle of Pedialite.



Lots of rest was part of the healing process.



Ah! He's feeling lots better! This reminds me of the photo of his daddy at 21 months pushing his stroller at Disney World. This marked a first for Jace...he'd pulled himself up to stand behind his walker.




Happy Birthday, Mommy. Your baby doll is feeling a lot better now.

Fernando's Louisville Visit

What sights do you show a world traveler who happens to visit you in Jeffersonville? The Harvest Homecoming Festival in New Albany, the Louisville skyline on a crisp, clear night, Churchill Downs (not a horse in sight, but there WAS Woody Z), St. James Court, U of L, Yum arena, Jean Dubuffet sculptures outside the KY Center for the Arts, Hillerich and Bradsby, The Ali Center with the cool icons visible only from a distance, my modest little home where friends and family shared food and a good time, Huber's Winery where we bought a pumpkin pie, a treat he'd never tasted - and loved, and of course Jace!

On Friday night we took photos along the riverfront in Jeff. Some of these are my pix, some are Fernando's. His are better.


We walked up Fourth Street Live in Louisville and visited the Rathskellar at the Seelbach Hotel.








On Saturday we did a mini tour of Louisville, visited Huber's Winery in Starlight Indiana, and Saturday night had a cookout on the patio.

The Thinker at U of L.



Steve and Fernando at Churchill Downs.



A mural painter at CD.



Gourds at Huber's.


A pumpkin-filled wagon at Huber's.


Fernando and Jace really hit it off well.


The plan was to eat our way through Harvest Homecoming on Sunday. Though it didn't quite work that way, he did try his first ever grill-roasted corn on the cob still in the shuck. We visited friends and searched high and low for picture postcards to send back home to Argentina. Who knew they would be so hard to find? (Thank you, Jeffersonville Visitor Center and Laura for looking up the number!) Sadly, he has left now, and will soon be back home in Argentina.

Jace Incognito

Ever since Jace began crawling on his hands and KNEES last week, his mommy has had to be on her TOES! They spent Saturday baby-proofing the house so Jace wouldn't hurt himself or things like the stereo system. Maybe that's why he hid those baby blues and went incognito in the above photo.

Jace with his Daddy and with his Mommy at Bernheim Forest, where they went for a picnic today. Jace is 7 months old now!