just because she's beautiful doesn't mean you aren't - part I

When my daughter started high school she tried out for the school soccer team. She was going from a very small elementary school

(and the only school in the district that was K-8th and didn't funnel students to the same middle school)

into a very large high school. A lot of talented girls took the field on try out day. I could see my daughter was nervous. I was nervous, too - in that way mothers get when they know their children really, really want something that is outside their control.

I said - "I'm so glad there are so many good players here today."

she said - "Huh?" 

she thought - (my mother has lost her freaking mind - where do I get a new mother)

I said - "You're a good player, too. You'll fit in with these girls."

she said - "What if they're too good?" 
I heard - ("what if I'm not good enough?")

I said - "Just because they're good doesn't mean you aren't."

she said - "There's only so many spots mom." 

As she ran onto the field I could hear the other parents yelling after their girls, "GO THERESA!", "YOU CAN DO IT!","GO SALLY!"

I started thinking my advice was kind of lame. What had I been thinking?!

My daughter needed warrior energy now, not advice from Dr. Phil!

I channeled Athena and managed to screech out something like "GET 'EM!" at exactly the moment the other parents got silent.

(my daughter's memory is that it was something like "KILL 'EM")

Last night at dinner I found myself saying something similar (they're good and you are, too) to hubs about another business down the street and him replying something like, "there's only so much work though."

(I did manage to restrain myself from screaming "GET KILL 'EM" this time)

Hubs isn't on Facebook. If he was he could see this guy announcing his new location and his new equipment and his relaxing vacation to Bermuda with his gorgeous wife and 2.5 smiling, towheaded children. George would never sleep again.

It has me thinking about the tools we need to live in a world where everyone's bright, shiny new "great thing that has happened to them" is visible to us. Also everyone's pain.

So, I'm starting a business series about this next week. We'll see where it leads.

We have a Balsamic Moon now - get some rest today!

this time for sure, I think

OK, so I really am moving the daily astrology forecasts on to my other blog this time. Check today's post HERE - it's right under that scary picture of me my daughter took, that's been strategically lightened in photoshop to blow out all my wrinkles. She likes it, so it stays for now. After today if you forget to bookmark the new blog just hit the link on the top right of this one. xo all

keep moving by latte design

the enemy of my enemy is my friend

insects by the amazing gollybard

We need wasps.

You may or may not remember the family visit in July that had me running around like a maniac, quickly followed by lying on the ground in a sweaty puddle of overwhelm quickly followed by me running around like a maniac.

One of the things I did to get ready for their visit that was totally unnecessary and pretty much just designed to make myself crazy was - paint the shutters. My shutters have been - black, lilac, mint green and now lemon yellow. Taking them down is precarious business with a two story house especially since we know from previous paintings that wasps (paper wasps) have built elaborate condos and townhouses behind them.

Plus I had been attacked by yellow jackets a few day earlier and was am still suffering from PTSD.

(I am serious as a heart attack and if you do not believe me just buzz in my ear or have your phone set to vibrate go off in my presence and see what I do - I will totally embarrass myself plus I might break your phone or ... nose.)

The back of every shutter (12 total) housed 6-10 wasps. And they were quite pissed. Of course being a law-abiding landlord I had sent them all the legal notifications and was totally clear they could return home and would even have a spiffy new lemon yellow exterior for their trouble. They didn't care.

Paper moths are not usually dangerous - but if you mess with their nests, it's a whole other story. They even send out pheromones that other wasps can pick up for miles that signal "HELP, our house is on fire" and the other wasps will rush over to keep their neighbors from being evicted, probably so they don't have to move in with them.

It was not a good day - for us or the wasps. There were a few casualties, but most of us survived. To cut to the chase (and yes, my friends it was a chase) - we hung some pretend paper bag nests on the lower porch to try and discourage them from building new nests behind the freshly painted first floor shutters, but we thought they would return to the second floor shutters.

They didn't; maybe because rainy weather kept us shutter-less for over a week. I don't know where they went, but it is obvious now, they have moved on. We used to see them all the time around the yard, but we have been pretty wasp-less since mid-summer.

At first this seemed like a good thing. I didn't have to worry about them stinging Olive if she trampled one or dodging them while watering my hanging baskets - but we soon discovered a major drawback to our wasp-less state - MOSQUITOES - we are over-run! And caterpillars and spiders.

On the plus side my shutters look very bright and cheery, just don't stand outside admiring them for more than 30 seconds or you won't be.

There is a business lesson in this, too - the enemy (well, in business I guess we would say rival) - the rival of my rival in my friend. Also eco-systems are fragile (I hope Etsy is listening).  xo all