Lake Osprey

Here's a picture of The Hideaway. It's really a great spot. In the morning, there's fog on the lake and birds taking off for the day. At night, the birds come home, and you can hear the frogs croaking (or whatever it is they do.) It's very rustic. And (other than the croaking), very, very quiet. As Curt said, "It feels like camping."

and another thing...

I had a dream the other night about John Doe from X. I can't remember what it was about exactly, but he was really nice to me. He was looking out for me, but I can't remember why. When I woke up, I had the song, "My soul cries your name, over and over again," in my head all day. Weird. I really love X. I mean it. I love John and Exene's voices together. And I love their cover of "So Long, It's Been Good to Know Ya." I saw The Knitters at the Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill when I was 8 months pregnant with Eli. I went by myself because nobody else I know would want to go, and I sure wasn't going to miss it. I had such a great time, grinning ear to ear the whole time. What would we do without music?

day 30

Thirty days into Lent. So far, so good. I feel so, so much better than I was feeling before. It's amazing what crap does to your body. I ate a greasy pork quesadilla ("a greasy pork sandwich in a dirty ashtray"--anyone know this line? anyone?) at my fave bbq place, and felt so sick all night. I called mom (she had the same thing) just to see if it was food poisoning. It wasn't. She was fine. It makes me think I should do this health-kick thing for forty more days. Maybe I will. I doubt it, but wouldn't it be good if I did? What if you deprived yourself of cake and cheesy fries for years, only to die in a car crash? You would be looking down at yourself thinking, "I should have had more cake." I can always eat more cake, that's for sure. But anyway, day thirty. I haven't weighed myself this whole time, but I can tell I'm getting close to whatever it is my body is supposed to weigh. Feels good. I'll tell ya, though, after two babies, she ain't what she used to be.

retro fabric & moviestardom

I've recently started using a sewing machine. It's my mother-in-law's 1974 Montgomery Ward model that my husband inherited. It's a big thing, but it works really well. Anyway, I've just discovered all kinds of cool websites that sell reproductions of old fabric patterns. My new favorite is ciaspalette.com. I just got two yards of a fun 1950's kitchen scene, with matching ric-rac fabric. Fascinating, isn't it? I know. But hey, it's the little things. I'm making curtains for the Hideaway.

Something cool--my friend Kendra Cover moved to L.A. two years ago to be an actress. And now she is! She was just in a Verizon commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtukOrRdVB0) and on the show "House" two weeks ago (with Dave Mathews). How great! And if that weren't enough, she's having a baby in August. I'm going out to see her in July. I haven't been to California since dad took me when I was 10. After I got over my homesickness, I loved it. It's been a while since I had a weekend away, and I'm looking forward to it. What do people wear in L.A. in July? White shorts? Tube tops? I don't know.

Vinnie the Violin

Luke is taking violin lessons at Meredith College. I never knew three year olds could play violins, but they do. And if you want to see something so completely sweet, go to a three to five year olds group violin class. Little tiny violins, real ones, with itty bitty bows. The kids are so into it. Today was Luke's second group class. Yesterday he got his very own, real violin. He has named it "Vinnie." He loves, loves, loves his new violin. When we got home with it, he introduced Vinnie to all of his stuffed animal friends.

Going into group class today, Luke told me he was only going to watch the other kids play their violins. But right near the end, he said, "I want to play up there with the other kids, too." Wow! This is a major breakthrough for Luke, the guy who hates bowing and clapping. I felt so proud. It doesn't matter if you're three or thirty or sixty, it takes nerve to get up and participate in something new. I felt so proud of him for taking the risk, for joining in. He was beaming at the end of class. Who knows if he'll keep playing, but for now, it's a big deal for him and for us, too. Welcome, Vinnie!