So Happy Birthday Miss Beautiful!

A gully washer lulled us all to sleep last night, the rain pounding down outside our windows, soaking the three truckloads of manure I'd spread this weekend over the permaculture garden beds, refilling our ground water reserve, that in turn fills our well, giving us the sweetest water to drink.  There'll be some three days of this, and then the weather will turn cold again briefly, but just enough to frustrate me, sending me back inside for my sweatshirt.

However, in between bouts of crappy weather, it's very much time to finish planting cole crops.  Can't wait too long or our sweltering heat will stunt the growth.

Tabby picked armloads of daffodils to brighten the kitchen tables, our hens are laying like crazy, so we sent eggs home with Daniel, Megan and Gina.

Megan gave me this photo of me dancing with Daniel at his wedding, taken right before I cried enough to soak his suit with my snot.  I was so happy for him and so proud of him, so exceedingly so that I'm so overusing one word here, but that's kinda what I do anyway.

This morning I need to finish planting all of my indoor seeds for Springtime, again overplanting a ton, as I inevitably lose plants each year to drought, deer, or what have you.

In Sunday School yesterday we prayed for my sweet friend, Nancy, and her heart situation.  I thought about several dire situations around here lately, making me feel inwardly guilty for my PTSD whining, when, in reality, my home life has been absolutely wonderful.

Megan had attended church with us while Daniel was off drilling with the National Guard, he'd spent some time this weekend taking Sabrina aside and giving her the "now that you're 18, here's what you need to do with your life" talk, the talk she'd not wanna hear from an old fuddy-duddy like me, but is certainly more receptive to Daniel.  Standing on Yolie's front porch for an hour, listening to him intently.  I did not put him up to this, he innately knows.

Maybe the biggest thing I'm thankful for nowadays is that I'm not 18.  58 is such a much more comfortable place to be, one is so much more happy within one's skin, one has shed the stupidity of ridiculously impossible, media-driven, hoity-toity societal expectations, one has settled into exactly who they are, and, overall, it's such a much happier place.  At least for me, this is true.

"Oh Gee," our most wonderful high school principal bemoaned, "The day I wear a pink shirt is the day I'm gonna be in the newspapers."  He, the AP also pictured here, The Athletic Director, the high school guidance counselor, the front office staff, no, lemme rephrase, everyone up there has been wonderfully supportive to Sabrina. She has no clue how blessed she's been throughout her high school times.

On every level, she does realize the immense stability, and how good it has been for her to remain in one place for eight solid years, as opposed to the hundreds of places she'd slept in her first ten years.

I'm two months away from my next grandbaby, due on opening day of baseball season, indeed today is a big day as well, the pitchers and the catcher's report to Spring Training. Yeah boy, play ball!  Exclamation marks may reek of desperation, but hey, have you met me?  I so need baseball.

So watching the show CNBC Princess, which I'd advise for all parents, as we must fight hard against enabling our children to feel entitled, it's such a huge disservice to them overall.  This one Princess paid $1700 for a puppy, 29% interest tacked on, which added another $1000 to the baseline, the ignorant royalty wannabe expressing shock.  Well, do the math girl.

I have a bottom line refusal to pay money for a dog, unless it is for the vet for spaying, neutering or medical care.

Although Sabrina purchased a car with her hard earned cash, I'd had a come to Jesus meeting with her about socking away the money she's gonna need for car repairs sooner or later.  She can be a bit frivolous, but she's not terribly materialistic, not at all actually, which is gonna serve her well in life.  Today, bursting with self-importance, on her 18th birthday, what she asked for is a prepaid gas card - "Good move," I informed her proudly.

She's incredibly beautiful, no matter if she wears rags or a formal, that kind of beauty overshadows one's clothes or surroundings.

This beautiful young lady has done all this, these are her accomplishments, and hers alone.  I will not take the credit, I will not take the blame for anyone's bad choices.  I'm here to nurture, to facilitate the good, to discourage the bad, to demonstrate love, stability and security.  I'm just The Mama y'all.

Chuck was replacing a $30 part on her car, that would've cost her a thousand or so if she'd had to pay a mechanic for it.  His adoring audience included Martin, Sabrina and Jack here.

And one can't help not knowing about Melissa McCarthy's weight situation, where a movie critic was incredibly ugly to her, then her movie opened with huge monetary returns.  This is a very lovely lady, one who easily represents Everywoman, and I'm just about tied of men like Rex Reed judging people regarding their weight.  Back off Buster, it's folks like you driving people to eating disorders.  Write about her prettiness, or her comic timing, not her size.  That's just wrong.  What about her money-making abilities?  There's so much to admire here.