It's official. I stink.

It's 100 degrees F here today in the fair city of New York. And I ran around in the heat sweating like a pig (I'm not entirely sure how pigs sweat, but madames et monsieurs- i SWEAT), carrying bags from my local food coop (hippy) home to my air coniditioned apartment. I was dripping when I got home.

And I have recently switched to all natural deodorant instead of antiperspirant because supposedly it's the devil or something. I use this deodorant, to be specific. And usually it works pretty well considering that I am moist from May - October. But today... today I smell like a French peasant.

I am going to a wedding next week. In Maine. Outside. On a pond. What. the. fuck. Am I gonna do? Cave and wear antiperspirant? Or stand strong and own my body odor with tea tree oil on my side?

Only time will tell.

This is not me.

A Popped Cherry.

I going to share with you the new cocktail my friend and I just made up. It's sooo good on a hot Summer day.

Vodka of your choice.
1 or 2 jiggers, depending on your tolerance/desires.
Organic cherry juice (I use Santa Cruz's Black Cherry), a few fingers' worth.
Seltzer.
1 tsp Chambord
Fresh chocolate mint**
(Frozen cherries as garnish, optional)
**There is such as plant as a Chocolate Mint plant. It smells and tastes like chocolate mint (more smell than taste). It is PERFECT in this drink. Go to your favorite nursery and ask for one.

This drink is what I will be having all Summer long. It's fresh and rich and feels like you're doing something good for your body instead of loading up on liquers and creams.
It is also good with vanilla vodka minus the chambord.

Happy sipping!

Summer is zipping by... I'm not that unhappy about it!

Summer is wonderful, but I hate being hot so much that I often don't look forward to it as a season. I love Fall, it's my favorite so the end of Summer is met with big smiles on my face and a greedy rubbing-of-hands and cackling. Everyone else gets depressed, I have an extra bounce in my walk when the temps get down below 65F. Bye bye, Humidity! So long, Sweat! Ciao, Sunblock!

Hello long-sleeved shirts and light sweaters, tights and jackets, layers and crisp breezes!

So I'm not sad it's mid-August and the days are getting shorter. I do love the sunshine when it doesn't make me hot, but I also love storms and overcast days.

Let me talk MORE about the weather.

ANYWAY.
I have been riding my bike around, not as much as I'd like to given the heat we've been experiencing. 80F I can do, but 90 is a bit much... so it's the gym over the bike until later this Fall.

I have so much sewing to do it's crazy. CRAZY. I can't even make a list because it stresses me out too much. So much fun, but a lot of work.

I have had many visits from friends this Summer which has been so fun! I got married again (to the same person), had a birthday, had a family trip, traveled a bit, went to the beach, have been performing... the list goes on.

I am trying to grow tomatoes and peppers in our backyard. So far we've had four cherry tomatoes and have a few sweet and hot peppers growing and one, very green plum tomato who has yet to show any signs of becoming edible. Hmph.

We went to a friend's baby shower and my husband, who went to grad school for art, painted a onesie for their still-in-utero-son. The mother is an opera singer, and the father an actor friend of mine who used to be a bit of a trouble maker when he was younger. So Jon made this onesie. Mine is a lop-eared rabbit... not quite as talented as my husband in the visual arts arena.

Once again I am thankful for my life, for my family, for my friends... my life is a very rich one. And as I begin to see the fall of Summer it reminds that time is marching on, with or without our permission, and I acknowlege the people in my life who truly make it the wonderful, special experience it is.

I face many challenges in the coming years... personally and professionally. But I have to believe that as long as I keep my dark, pessimistic sense of humor and my heart open to change and my hand open to martinis, all will be well enough.

Are my cats ModKats?

Well, first of all, if they want to be ModKats, they are going to all have to get jobs, because these things are expensive!

ModKat Litter Boxes!

And secondly, they are going to have to learn to get in there.

ModKat Instructional Video!

As you might know by now, I'm a crazy cat lady. We have three very large, male cats and one of them doesn't always *realize* his butt is hanging out of the litter box. So this would be a good solution to his problem... if he can fit in there.

Not bad tho!

Oh, and welcome, Summer! Great things are in store for this Summer and I'm looking forward to all of them.