I just returned from a long, boiling, evening run/walk with the kid and the dog. We called Daddy on the cell to come and get us a few miles from here so we would not have to sweat all the way back home.

I’ve been living in South Florida for more than 30 years, yet every single summer I am alarmed by the heat and humidity. It’s usually only in the high 80s, but the humidity is in the 90s. Every day when I get in the car, it registers between 101 and 113 at this time of the year due to the scorching sun. There’s no doubt about it, living in Miami will provide you with that “not so fresh feeling” in June, July, August, September, October and part of November. Well, part of May too.

My daughter was born here and knows nothing other than the tropics. That is perhaps why she cannot wait to go far away to college to a 4-seasons climate, (well, that and getting far away from her nutty parents) where she will be faced with actual freezing temperatures. That Is what she says she wants now, but I am sure we’ll be getting a call from her freshman year saying her nose hairs are frozen, and she cannot imagine how it is possible that we are sitting in the back yard wearing shorts and sunscreen in January while she is making snow angels and pulling icicles off the roof.

So for all you people out there who live in climates where the summer is the pleasant time to be outside, I am jealous of you right now. If you’ve never done it before, you must come to Miami at least once in your life during the summer. Then you’ll really know what “hot” means.

Then when I’m enjoying the perfect weather in the winter and you are shivering in your house, I’ll decide that the summers here aren’t such a bad thing after all.

In this age of email and text messaging, I realize that it is all too easy to get lazy with proper usage of the English language and with communicating habits as well. I vow to improve upon my email etiquette from this moment forward. Our children will be communicated via email for years to come as well, so we should teach them a few rules.

Here are some things that turn me off that emailers do:

1. Not responding to an email. When a question is asked, or it is obvious more info is needed, it is polite to answer- even if yours is a personal email.
2. Not proofreading. Grammar and spelling so horrid that I cannot even tell what the writer is saying is unacceptable.
3. Too many abbreviations. EM LOL BIDNKWYARS. (I am laughing out loud, but I don’t know what you are really saying.)
4. Not getting to the point. Rambling on an on is not an effective way to communicate. People are busy and they want to know what you are trying to say quickly.
5. Humongous attachments. No one wants to receive a file that will take up 50% of the computer’s hard drive.
6. Writing in all CAPITAL LETTERS. This is very hard to read.
7. Using a teeny tiny font. This is also hard to read.
8. Not using a subject, or using one that has nothing to do with the email or putting the entire message in the subject heading and writing no copy.
9. Sending a mass email and listing dozens of other email addresses in the TO window, so that all recipients get all the email addresses. It is better to put the addresses in the BC window, so that recipients do not get all those other addresses, which may be confidential.
10. Forwarding my confidential email to a 3rd party. It is best to not send confidential emails for that very reason.
11. Sending emails that should really only be telephone conversations. If there are may paragraphs or a need for countless replies back and forth, a phone call can handle the situation better and save precious time.
12. Chain letters. “If you delete this letter and do not pass it on to 200 friends, your left arm will fall off at midnight.” I don’t think so.
13. Urban Legend emails. “Don’t flash your lights at oncoming traffic to warn them they do not have their lights on. The person in the car will think this is a signal for you to pull over and sell drugs to their gang members.” These nonsense emails are my least favorite. If you get one, just goggle the topic and put in urban legend or scam, and you can get the truth right away. Then tell the sender to check out the scam site too.
14. SPAM of any kind. I wish for Spammers to have total computer blowout.

I am sure many of you out there are annoyed with the same issues. If so, start to teach your kids to reply promptly and politely. Some day all too soon, they will learn about our emailing frustrations as well.

I hate to mix holidays, but I had to share this with you… We have lost our longest living pumpkin ever. We returned from vacation only to find Cucurbita molding over. I think he was disgusted with us for going away for 16 days.

We sadly say goodbye. He has been in the dining room since the beginning of October. And it is now July 1st, almost 8 months later! This is a true miracle, given the South Florida climate. Here is one last picture, mold and all…

See my earlier post about our pumpkin:

All of us on the deck eating dinner and using the self-timer on the camera

Bill with Gigi on a hike

On a boat ride throgh the St. Lawrence River

Uncle Harold and Bill having a nice chat in Montreal

Vacations come for us once a year, and we really look forward to them. This year we did things a bit differently than normal – We went on vacation with my good friend, Patty’s brother. Bill was at our house last Christmas for a party and commented on how he rented this place in upstate NY for a couple of weeks but had no one to join him. Bill had just gotten divorced, and he and his wife had been to this house several times together in the past. When he mentioned the house to me at our party, I jokingly said, “Hey! We’ll go with you!” And 6 months later, we were on our way together.

The planning part was fun, and we did a lot of talking over the phone. We rented a fabulous Honda Odyssey minivan, packed it to the max and loaded ourselves in it. (This was the best vehicle ever for a long trip!) This car was filled with Bill, my husband John, my daughter Rachel, huge standard poodle, Gigi, and me, plus a lot of STUFF.

Thinking back, it was a risk taking our only vacation of the year with my friend’s brother. Sure, I’ve known him for 18 years, but I didn’t really know him. We could have discovered that he was annoying, hard to get along with, moody or difficult to please. That could have ruined our entire trip, leaving us wishing we had gone alone.

But NONE of this happened! Instead we had a blast. Bill has a hilarious sense of humor and just plain likes to have a good time. Many times during the 60 or so hours of car travel to and from Montreal, we laughed so hard, we were crying. We enjoyed seeing all the sites together, hiking together, eating together and just hanging out. He got along famously with my family in Montreal. And he loves our dog!

We learned some interesting things about Bill:

1. He packs lightly. (We don’t!)
2. He has 5 cats at home and talks about them like they were his children.
3. He has great neighbors who invite him over for dinner almost every day.
4. He is immaculate, hates clutter and likes to put everything away.
5. He watches the stock market like a hawk.
6. He eats constantly and is stick thin. He says he is feeling “peckish” every 20 minutes or so.
7. He knows 2 different women named, Gaynelle. How is that possible?
8. He did not think my different voice characterizations were that wierd, just funny.
9. He introduced us to a couple of interesting people in NY.
10. He is never late for anything.

So the next time you are thinking about a family vacation, consider bringing a friend along. It just might add some spunk to your adventure.

Our travels have brought us 1,600 miles from our home in Mami to Montreal, one of my favorite cities. This is an ideal spot for a summer or fall vacation for the entire family. The city is compact and full of historic and modern sites alike – not to mention some of the BEST food in North America. Today we toured the Notre Dame, and unfortnately photos cannot do it justice. The true grandeur can only be experienced in person. This neogothic structure dates back to 1829 and is beautifully situated in Old Montreal. The altar, ceiling, statues and staircases are more elaborate than most any church you can find. You’ve got to see it!

I have enjoyed Memorial Day celebrations with friends and family for many years. I am embarrassed to admit that, in the past, I did not dedicate enough thought to our fallen soldiers on this special day. This year I decided to do a little research to learn more about what this American holiday really means, and I have vowed to recognize the true meaning of this day each and every year. Here are a few basic facts I learned:

1. When the official holiday began in 1868, it was called Decoration Day.
2. There are so many US towns that claim to have started this holiday, that no one really knows for certain exactly where it all began.
3. This holiday began to honor veterans of the fallen soldiers of the Civil War.
4. The tradition of placing flowers on the graves of soldiers began with the first Memorial Day at the Arlington National Cemetery.
5. Over time Memorial Day has come to include honoring fallen US soldiers from all our wars.
6. Veterans Day is meant to honor all those who have served in the armed forces, while Memorial Day is for those who lost their lives while serving.

I have always wished there were never a need for war, as most others do. But even so, I can and will truly respect our veterans and support our troops. By learning more about this significant American holiday, I am better equipped to honor those who have died while serving to protect the lives of all Americans.
I also believe we can all do a better job of educating our children about family members and ancestors who have served – both those who have and have not lost their lives while doing so. For me I will start by talking to my daughter about her paternal Grandfather, who was a combat soldier during World War II.
While learning all you can about your own family members’ service, it really encourages you think about the strength and dedication so many Americans have had to protect our great land and its people. It really puts everything into perspective, giving us gratitude for our freedom to continue to live the way we do – including the privilege of enjoying delicious barbecues we have to celebrate this day every year!

My daughter’s last day of school is fast approaching. On May 29th, we will celebrate the end of another school year! That for me is the start of summer, although the official start date is a few weeks ahead. We live in boiling hot South Florida, so it has felt like summer here already for a few weeks. Despite the heat, here’s are 21 reasons why I love summer:

1. I don’t have to get up as early to drive my daughter to school.

2. I don’t have to drive to school for 10 weeks (11 miles each way)!!!

3. I will save $$$ on gas not driving as far!

4. My daughter will not have to study and will have plenty of time for fun (and helping me more around the house).

5. I will be able to spend more time with my family.

6. The days are longer, and I won’t feel like sleeping by 9 pm.

7. My family always takes a fun vacation.

8. I don’t feel as rushed.

9. It rains a lot here, and I love the rain.

10. There are less crowds in S FL during the summer, because visitors stay away during our hottest months.

11. July 4th is one of my favorite days of the year – celebrations AND the Twilight Zone Marathon is n Sci-Fi Channel!

12. There are more insects around here with the rain, and I love watching creepy crawlies like Lilly.

13. We can swim in the neighbor’s pool every day.

14. My allergies disappear here during the hot humid weather.

15. I love sitting in the sand on the breezy beach at night.

16. I enjoy visiting my elderly neighbor and chatting about life out on his patio at night.

17. There’s nothing better than laying on a blanket at night in the yard and looking up at the stars and clouds.

18. I love the abundance of corn on the cob in the grocery store and in my mouth.

19. I always have more energy in the summer.

20. I tend to get excited about Halloween, my favorite time of the year, toward the end of the summer.

21. We have a lot of birthdays (family and friends) to celebrate in the summer.

22. I have more time to read more books.

23. A long summer nap is the best kind of snooze.

24. I can find the best BBQ recipes in cooking magazines.

25. I can daydream about my summers as a kid, playing outside for hours and hours.

It is the middle of May, and I felt compelled to write about our mystery pumpkin, we have named, “Cucurbita,” meaning “pumpkin” in Latin. For those of you who do not live in South Florida, let me explain that it is hot and humid here most of the time. Pumpkins do not grow in the tropics, since they need cool temps to thrive. Generally when we buy a pumpkin in mid October, it is rotten before Halloween – even though we leave it indoors in the air conditioning and do not carve it. In prior years when we carved it, it molded over within 24 hours, and I do not even wish tell you about the critters that visit if we leave it outside overnight. For some reason this year, our pumpkin is still alive and well in our dining room, more than 7 months after we brought him home! And how it has stayed fresh this long remains a great mystery. If any of you can explain this, please let us know. And yes, we are 100% certain it is real and not plastic. We’ll update you later on the status of Cucurbita.