Fresh clams for linguini

Dad went clamming the other morning & dropped off these beauties for Mike to make a sauce. There is nothing like fresh clams, white wine, garlic, mushrooms, onion & crushed red pepper over linguini. Out of this world delicious!

A little snippet from an old song

"There's a place in the sun that she's never been

Where life is fair and time is a friend

Would she do it the same as she did back then

She looks out the window and wonders again"

(c) Reba McEntire

I love her happy little skip

Carm is so happy to be walking down the road with Auntie Katie & baby Ava Grae. Just look at that little "skip" she has to her walk. I just love this.

This is what it looks like when someone DOES NOT want to go inside.

This is Carm when she doesn't want to listen to her Mama. It was time to go inside after our walk and she simply laid down on the ground. no. she wasn't going!

Can we say stubborn? I wonder where she gets this from?

Another year. Another chance to start anew.

Youth is happy because it has the ability to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old. 
-- Franz Kafka

A little visit to the park

No plans yesterday, which in a way, was nice. After the Mr. had my car detailed we headed to the park. Carm loved the swings & the slide. Man, I could do that everyday. I love the swings too......oh & before we went she said hi to our neighbor Olivia. Olivia is 16 months and so cute. Carm snuck under our fence to her yard so they threw the ball around for a bit and exchanged a few cute hugs. I love warmer weather & sunshine.

Another great one by Bruce...who else?

"Well it seems like I’m caught up in your trap againAnd it seems like I’ll be wearin’ the same ol’ chainsGood will conquer evil and the truth will set you freeThen I know someday I’ll find the keyThen I know somewhere I’ll find the keyWell it seem like I’ve been playin’ the game way too longAnd it seems the game I played has made you strongWell when the game is over, I won’t walk out a loserAnd I know that I’ll walk out of here againAnd I know that someday I’ll walk out of here againBut now I’m trapped...oh yeah!Trapped...oh yeah yeah!Trapped...oh yeah!Trapped...oh yeah!Now it seems like I’ve been sleepin’ in your bed too longAnd it seems like you’ve been meanin’ to do me harmBut I’ll teach my eyes to see beyond these walls in front of meAnd someday I’ll walk out of here againYeah I know someday I’ll walk out of here again(chorus)Well it seem like I’ve been playin’ the game way too longAnd it seems the game I played has made you strongBecause I’m trapped...oh yeah!Trapped...oh yeah yeah!Trapped...oh yeah yeah!Trapped...oh yeah!I’m trapped...oh yeah yeah!Trapped...oh yeah yeahTrapped...oh yeahhhhhhTrapped....oh yeahhhhI’m trapped."

(c) Bruce Springsteen

yard work

the Mr. spent last weekend working on the yard, while Carm and I played in it. this little girl is a lover of nature, picking up rocks & smelling flowers. i love days like these.

beautiful bedhead

Baby Ava Grae Martorelli

16 days old baby Ava Grae Martorelli!

What a beauty & so precious. She makes the funniest little sounds & expressions when she's sleeping. I am so glad we finally got the chance to go for a visit!! Carm & baby Ava will be having a lot of fun this summer at the lake.

Easter eggs

See the sky about to rain

"Some are bound for happiness,

some are bound to glory

Some are bound to live with less,

who can tell your story?"

(c) Neil Young

To Grey

Oh look at how she listens
She says nothing of what she thinks
She just goes stumbling through her memories
Staring out on to Grey Street. 
She thinks, "Hey, how did I come to this?"
I dream myself a thousand times around the world
But I can't get out of this place.
There's an emptiness inside her
And she'll do anything to fill it in
But all the colors mix together - to grey
And it breaks her heart
How she wishes it was different
She prays to God most every night
And though she swears it doesn't listen
There's still a hope in her it might
She says "I pray oh But they fall on deaf ears,
am I supposed to take it on myself?
To get out of this place? "
Oh There's a loneliness inside her
And she'll do anything to fill it in
And though it's red blood bleeding from her now
It feels like cold blue ice in her heart
When all the colors mix together - to grey
And it breaks her heart
There's a stranger speaks outside her door
Says take what you can from your dreams
Make them as real as anything
Oh It'd take the work out of the courage
But she says "Please
There's a crazy man that's creeping outside my door,
I live on the corner of Grey Street
and the end of the world."
Oh there's an emptiness inside her
And she'll do anything to fill it in
And though it's red blood bleeding from her now
It's more like cold blue ice in her heart
She feels like kicking out all the windows
And setting fire to this life
She could change everything about her
Using colors bold and bright
But all the colors mix together - to grey
And it breaks her heart
It breaks her heart

to grey

(c) Dave Matthews

A hell of a songwriter

"Looking through some photographs I found inside a drawer 

I was taken by a photograph of you 

There were one or two I know that you would have liked a little more 

But they didn't show your spirit quite as true 

You were turning 'round to see who was behind you 

And I took your childish laughter by surprise 

And at the moment that my camera happened to find you 

There was just a trace of sorrow in your eyes 

Now the things that I remember seem so distant and so small 

Though it hasn't really been that long a time 

What I was seeing wasn't what was happening at all 

Although for a while, our path did seem to climb 

But when you see through love's illusions, there lies the danger 

And your perfect lover just looks like a perfect fool 

So you go running off in search of a perfect stranger 

While the loneliness seems to spring from your life 

Like a fountain from a pool 

Fountain of sorrow, fountain of light 

You've known that hollow sound of your own steps in flight 

You've had to hide sometimes, but now you're all right 

And it's good to see your smiling face tonight 

Now for you and me it may not be that hard to reach our dreams 

But that magic feeling never seems to last 

And while the future's there for anyone to change, still you know it's seems 

It would be easier sometimes to change the past 

I'm just one or two years and a couple of changes behind you 

In my lessons at love's pain and heartache school 

Where if you feel too free and you need something to remind you 

There's this loneliness springing up from your life 

Like a fountain from a pool 

Fountain of sorrow, fountain of light 

You've known that hollow sound of your own steps in flight 

You've had to hide sometimes but now you're all right 

And it's good to see your smiling face tonight 

Fountain of sorrow, fountain of light 

You've known that hollow sound of your own steps in flight 

You've had to struggle, you've had to fight 

To keep understanding and compassion in sight 

You could be laughing at me, you've got the right 

But you go on smiling so clear and so bright"

(c) Jackson Browne

A good day

Carm & I got to spend Saturday together. The weather was gorgeous so we spent a lot of time outside...finally! Daddy bought her a new bouncy ball...but as usual, collecting rocks was still her favorite thing to do. Later in the day, we all took a nice walk. I wish for days like that, every day.