Everyone needs a week away. . .

I'm back from a week in Sedona, Arizona's gorgeous red rock country. What I wasn't expecting was the unusually cold weather, but that's another story. Miami had floods earlier this months, Oklahoma just had an earthquake. . .Mother Nature is really on a tear these days.

Visiting my old friends, Alice and David Goodhart, is always an eating experience, amd man, did we eat. Starting with dinner the night after I arrived at their friend Beverly's home where the fabulous chef, who is actually an obstetrician in real life, delivered (pardon the pun!) an incredible meal that concluded with a birthday cake for both me and the chef's wife, also named Joan. (Take a look at the accompanying photo for an idea of what the dinner table looked like before we sat down and devoured everything in sight. That's Chef Nathan in the background.)

From there, it was all uphill, foodwise. If we weren't eating at some wonderful Italian/Thai/Continental restaurant, I was stuffing myself in Alice's kitchen, a pretty fine dining spot on its own, presided over by their delicious dog Shaina. In between meal times, we visited a whole slew of Sedona's marvelous art galleries, attended a wine tasting session, talked it up at her book club, and with David at the wheel, tooled into the mountains until the snow plows let us know it was time to turn around and go back to safer ground. Haven't seen that much snow since my last ski trip. For you Floridians, the second photo is to show you what you are missing,or what you can live without, as the case may be.

Sedona is getting ready for its Annual Film Festival. Last year Alice volunteered me to serve breakfast at the Arts Festival. This year she had me taking tickets in the lobby of the local movie theatre where they previewed a wonderful Dutch film called "Bride Flight". God only knows what she will have me doing next year. Mine is not to question why. . I just go along, and it always turns out to be fun.

It was a great week but it's good to be home. Wasabi and Ginger have been pasted to my side since I arrived, and the significant other looks pretty happy as well. It's Ramble time at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, and I have to be there at 8:30 tomorrow morning to work in the Kids Area.

Have a feeling my next blog may be waiting for me there.
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Never too old to celebrate. . . .

I'm a little long in the tooth to go Trick or Treating, but I simply can't resist using Halloween as an excuse for posting this adorable photo. The kid in the pumpkin, in case you don't recognize him, is my great grandson, Grayson Max Anker.

I remember the excitement of Halloween when I was a kid back in Mount Vernon, NY. In those days our parents didn't demand wrapped candies or worry about us traveling in packs around our neighborhood. When Andrea was a little girl, it was still safe to go with her friends around the islands we lived on. Just over the bridge from our house lived the singer Anita O'Brian, the one who was such a religious fanatic and rabid homophobe. In addition to those lovable characteristics, the kids all knew that hers was the only house in the neighborhood who wouldn't answer the doorbell to trick or treaters. For that alone, we all hated her.

These days I live in a condo and kids are in short supply, but I'm ready, just in case some show up. I have a giant size jar of my favorite "Jelly Bellies" in all the best colors and flavors, purchased for me by Benard at Costco. (I know. . some girls get diamonds. .but I am addicted to these babies.)

Not to worry if the doorbell doesn't ring. I'll manage to eat a few, all on my own.
In the meantime. . .HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL OF YOU OUT THERE!!!!

"Green's the word". . .

I spent Sunday morning hawking "organic" tee shirts and totes at Fairchild Tropical Garden's "3rd Annual Edible Garden Festival". My booth was strategically located between "Martita's Banana Cakes" (yummy) and "Harmony Kettle Korn" (OMG delicious). Needless to say, I did not go hungry.

Don't know if you've ever eaten kettle corn, but it is highly addictive. There's no such thing as eating one or two kernals. My next door neighbor this morning thoughtfully presented me with a just-out-of-the-kettle warm bagful at 9am when I arrived to set up. When my shift ended at 1pm, there was still enough in the giant plastic bag to provide Benard with a goodly portion. (Take a look at those bundles in the photo at right and you'll see what I mean.)

99% of the booths sprinkled throughout the Garden for the two day Festival pay for their space and are there to sell food and merchandise. My booth is one of the few operated by the Garden and manned by volunteers. Benard spent the morning driving visiors back and forth to parking areas on an 8-passenger shuttle. The Garden has over 500 regular volunteers who are totaly dedicated to this imcredible place, and can call on another 500 for their major events like the famed Ramble that will take place next month.

We chose the morning shift so we could get home in time to watch our sad sack Miami Dolphins play the Denver Broncos. The Denver team is led by University of Florida icon, Tim Tebow, and Dolphin management was delighted to note that the usually half empty stadium suddenly sold out with Tebow fans there to root for their Golden Boy.
So far, he's doing as bad as our Dolphins.

The Dolphins may actually win this game.*** That will infuriate all those fans in the stands bandishing "Suck For Luck" placards. For the non-sports-minded, that refers to Stamford's incredible quarterback, Andrew Luck, who's slated to be the #1 draft choice this year. Boy, could we use him! Thus the charming allusion to the necessity for the team to end up worst in the league.
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***Addendum. . .I can't believe I'm saying this. We lost. It wasn't easy, we were up 15-0, but the Dolphins found a way, after being in the lead for 3 and 3/4 quarters. Way to go, Tebow. The crowd in Sun Life (Dolphin's) stadium, including shocked Dolphin fans, gave you a standing ovation. Unbelievable.

Setting the record straight. . .

Kim Kardashian and I helped to set a Guiness World Record this morning.

Well, to be specific, Kim did it mationally on the Today Show,and my friend Sheila and I did it at the Coral Gables Congregational Church Pre-School as part of our Thursday morning stint for United Way's "Reading for Literacy" program.

We were a small part of a huge annual effort to set a world record for the most people reading the same book on the same day. The book that thousands of readers around the world were tasked with reading was "LLAMA LLAMA RED PAJAMA" by Anna Dewdney, and the copy that each of us was handed was imprinted with a logo that read "READ FOR THE RECORD". I don't believe you'll find it on the New York Times Best Seller List. . on the other hand, there must be a helluva lot of copies floating around out there.

I don't know how Kim enjoyed the book, but the kids I read to every week loved it. They had a llama mixed up with a camel, but I assured them they were first cousins in the animal kingdom. I tried to explain to them about the Guiness Record business, but that went right over their heads. In their world, a record is something you use to play music. Or so they informed me.

We were supposed to turn our book in to the teacher when we finished reading, but I begged to keep my copy so that I can read it to the pre-kindergartener that means the most to me. That would be my great-grandson Grayson. He's only 5 1/2 months old at the moment, but I know he's going to love it.

Grayson is one of the lucky ones. His Mommy and Daddy read to him all the time. United Way is determined to bring the love of reading to pre-K kids that don't enjoy that important advantage, and Sheila and I are enjoying being part of that effort.

By the way, the Baby Llama in the book is a real cry baby. .the kids thought that was hilarious. War & Peace, it wasn't.
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Thoughts about favorites. . .

The Today Show this morning had a discussion as to whether parents are genetically disposed to favor one child over the others in a family. Since I am the mother of an only child, and grandmother of an only grandchild,there was never any question who was the favorite in my family. Andrea and Adam won, hands down.

But I am the younger daughter in a two child family, and the question of which of us was my Dad's favorite did come up once. Both my sister and I were adults with children and grandchildren of our own when I found myself sitting on a therapist's couch one day. I was in the midst of a divorce and had been advised that a visit to a therapist might be helpful. In her efforts to find out more about me, she asked about my relationship with my father, and did I think he had a favorite between his two daughters.

My response was immediate. "I was his favorite. I always knew Dad favored me."

The therapist suggested that I ask my sister the same question, and I called her up as soon as I returned home. "Did Dad have a favorite between you and me" I queried, quite sure that she would agree that it was me. Her response was as immediate as mine had been. "Absolutely. I was always his favorite," she said.

Well, what do you know. My father, who never attended a child psychology class or was probably even aware of how he managed to do it,had somehow convinced both his daughters that they were his absolute favorite. Probably the best gift a parent could offer a child.

My "children" these days are named Wasabi and Ginger, and I'm feeling a little guilty. I'm afraid I've been showing favoritism. I'll have to work on that.

On a more serious note, gives you something to think about, doesn't it????
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Photo caption: The Sisters. . .then and now.

A walk in the park. . .

Saturday mornings I walk off our island with my friend Virginia Jacko and her dog, Kieran. When I show up at 7:30 in the morning at Virginia's apartment, I truly believe that Kieran sees a cartoon balloon over my head that says "WALK TO THE PARK!!! GOODIE, GOODIE!" As a result, I get lots of kisses and doggie-style expressions of happiness.

Then Virginia puts Kieran's harness on and he immediately becomes all business. That's because this beautiful yellow Lab spent two years training to be a service dog and Virginia, his mistress, is blind. Most days of the week he accompanies her to the Miami Lighthouse for The Blind where she serves as that organization's dynamic President and CEO. Under Virginia's guidance,the Miami facility has emerged as one of the most vibrant and technically advanced in the nation. But that's another story and this blog is about a dog.

Virginia likes to say that our Saturday morning walks over the years have qualified me to be an OMN. That stands for Orientation Mobility Instructor. But in truth, the instructors have been the dogs, whose intelligence and uncanny ability never fail to astound me.

Kieran knows that the safest place to walk is the sidewalk, or at the least, close to the curb. Our route to the park takes us through some very quiet side streets where I prefer to walk in the middle of the road. Forgeddaboutit. He simply nudges both of us over to the sidewalk and is obviously not happy until we do as he wishes. The look on his face says "Don't argue with me! I know what I'm doing."

Once in the park, I marvel at his ability to keep his focus when we walk past the fenced in dog area, with dozens of dogs running free and barking up a storm. Kieren takes his job seriously. He also knows that once we get to our favorite bench, Virginia will take off his harness and give him the opportunity to do some serious sniffing of all the interesting new smells that the park offers.

It's no wonder that these remarkable dogs are only allowed to work for seven years before they must retire. Virginia's much loved first dog, Tracker, is spending his retirement at her family's home in Indiana after serving her well for many years. Tracker was my first instructor. If you can describe a dog as "dignified", that would apply to dear sweet Tracker. Kieran, on the other hand, is a "lover", and it takes all my resolve not to sneak him some kisses and a bite of a bagel when he's in working mode.

I'm not sure who is more remarkable in this duo . .Kieran or his mistress. I only know that all three of us enjoy our walks together on Saturday morning. If you see us on the street,Virginia and I will wave and say hello. Don't expect Kieran to pay you any notice. He'll be attending to business.
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Photo caption: From the cover of Virginia's biography, "The Blind Visionary". For more information go to www.theblindvisionary.com.


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"A" is for alligator. . . .

It's been several decades since I read a Dr. Seuss book to a small child. The last time was to my grandson Adam, who shortly will be reading one to his own son, my great grandson Grayson.

I got to read the venerable Dr.'s "ABC Book" this morning,to 12 pre-K kids, and believe me, it's an interesting experience. My friend Sheila and I answered United Way's call for volunteers in their pilot "Love To Read" literacy program for pre-schoolers. The idea is to prepare four year olds to love reading prior to entering kindergarten. Believe me, it's a challenge, but a very worthwhile one.

Sheila and I show up every Thursday morning at the Coral Gables Congregational Church's pre-school. The kids, many of them dropped off by working moms, are all out on the playground. When we arrive they enter the classroom for a half hour of reading before lunch. The kids sit on the floor in front of us as we read. (That's Miss Sheila reading to her group this morning in a photo taken with my cell phone.In kid talk,I'm Miss Joan.))

The idea is not to just read but to interact with the youngsters in a positive manner. Not as easy as it sounds. Try keeping the attention of a bunch of four year olds some time. My method this morning was to make each kid "own" the letter of the alphabet that matched his or her name. . we have three "As" (Alex, Alessandra and Alli) and two "Rs", (Robbie & Robert) but not a lot of Qs, Us and Vs. Not surprisingly, since most of the kids are Hispanic, they all have someone in the family whose name starts with X, and anxious to tell me about it.

I'm trying hard ot remember everyone's name in my group. . .Frankie, Alex,Alli and the two Rs, talk up a storm. . it's hard to shut them up. Sophia, Judi-Jo and Mia are the "girlie girlie" group. . . .and Jacob and Michael are the quiet ones that have to be drawn into the conversation.

When you've got their attention, it's very rewarding. That's Sheila's and my post-morning assessment after our second week on the job. United Way is taking the program nationwide if it works well in Miami. They are hoping to have a million readers, so if it shows up in your city, I urge you to volunteer. One look at those excited little faces and I promise you, you'll find it rewarding as well.

Dr. Seus, by the way, is still a good read. I recommend it, as well.


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