this and that

Birdy and I sat in the sunshine and painted. Heaven.

A few things:

1) This novel. It is so good, it's kind of insane. I kept looking at the author photo on the back: she's like, 15 years old, and it's her first novel, and the book reads like it was written by someone at the end of their long life. In a good way, even though friends of mine just laughed at me when I said, "It's about this old guy? And his orchard? Not just picking fruit, though." "Wow!" they said. "Excitement!" What it's like, a little bit, is Little House on the Prairie for grown-ups, and at first I read it fast, in great gulping streaks, like I was famished--until I realized how good it was, and that I was going to finish it too quickly, and then I slowed way down and rationed it. I envy you not having read it yet is all I can say.

2) I have a veggie-recipe piece in this month's FamilyFun magazine. Don't look at the photo, though, because I am vain of my hair, which seems to have been put up with the instructions, "See if you can make her look like a pinhead." Success!

3) I am the new Modern Manners columnist for Real Simple magazine! So any bad behavior on Ben and Birdy stays on Ben and Birdy, if you know what I'm saying, and what I'm saying is: Don't out me as a person with bad  manners. (Salad fork? Napkin? Wuh?) It's not really that kind of manners, don't worry. And there are some *excellent* questions in this month's issue. Juicy.

4) Ben is turning 13 in a week. What the?

5) Thank you for your kindness at the start of the week. That's all. Just thank you.

xo