I thought nothing was worse than those skinny hipster jeans

Then I was subjected to skinny hipster jean shorts. On guys. I didn't get any pictures, but I don't think you would thank me if I did.

So far, things have been fairly mellow in Nashville. I've seen a couple of local bands play. Sound and Shape stood out. I got some ethiopian food that wasn't as good as my fave places in Seattle, Chicago and Austin, but it's not the only game in town. On the Fourth of July, despite the apocalyptic combo of thunderstorms and a celebrity shooting, we managed to go out to catch the "last show" from The Pink Spiders, which was tight and energetic. Those guys know how to put on a show.

Even I am bored reading this blog post, but it has been a couple weeks, and I felt the need to reassert my presence on the planet, so sorry, and check out the cool bands...

Later, gators!

Did you know that Gainesville is the home of Gatorade?  Now the name finally makes sense.

We managed to ditch the kids during my last week in Gainesville, so we had some nice relaxed grown-up time of doing whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted.  I will spare you the details, but I assure you, there was shopping, swimming, tanning, beer drinking, grown-up food eating, beach going, and the assembling of many many puzzles.  So with a heavy heart I bid farewell to my Gainesville family, because tomorrow I am headed, once again, back to Nashville.  I just gotta try to get something out of my system...

My day, in two short acts

Auntie:  Who took a poop and didn't wipe or flush?!
Boys:  Not me!
Auntie and Me:  Uh-huuuhhh....
Me:  Well, you're both taking a bath tonight, and I'm not hearing anything about "But I'm not dirty!"

Later...

Me:  Alright, it's bathtime.  Be sure you both wash out your bums really well.
Seven-year-old:  What's a bum?!
Me:  What do you think I WANT you to wash?!
Seven-year-old:  Our butts...

And scene.

This trip continues to surprise me

I never ever ever ever never thought I would be lounging by a pool in Florida, COMPLETELY.  JEALOUS.  of the weather in Seattle.

I also never thought I would be a party to the perpetuation of the tooth fairy conspiracy.

Kanapaha

Last weekend my aunt, uncle and I went to the Kanapaha Botanical Garden. I've kinda been going to a lot of those over the last year, and they weren't all in season, but even if they had been in season, I don't think any would have been as good as this one. My first indication that it was a good place was the presence of a bottle of Off! insect repellent in the entrance building, available for everyone to use. Good idea! The place is huge-- 62 acres total-- and seems to have been carved out of a large forested area. There is a loop path that meanders through the forest, connecting the separate gardens, and is lined with those little signs describing the native flora. The herb garden is huge, with separate sides for edible herbs and scented herbs, and guests are invited to touch the scented herb plants to get all of the scentiness. I could go on and on, but it might get boring, and the gist of it all is that this place is really well designed, and if you are at all interested in botanical gardens, and find yourself near Gainesville, FL, you should most definitely check it out, giving yourself at the very least three hours.

The nannying continues to improve as the boys and I get more used to each other. If anyone reading this is considering getting work in the field of home childcare, I would suggest getting a job that pays in beer and has a pool. I dread the days in which bad behavior forces me to take away pool priveledges, because I suspect I value that time even more than they do, so that is always the last resort. It's so hot and humid down here, you can't just send the kids outside to play, because they can only tolerate about ten or twenty minutes before they turn bright red and sticky...

Hot and lazy...

Being a nanny is just about as easy as I thought it would be, which is to say not really at all.  But we're learning who lays down the law (what has two thumbs and is the boss?  This girl!) and it goes more smoothly every day.  Other than that, Florida is awesome.  We go swimming almost daily, and my aunt and I philosophize the evening away out on the patio, listening to the chorus of birds, frogs and gators.  The gators make a gentle piggy grunting noise quite often, and it is a lot less worrisome than the bellowing.

I have also been back in the kitchen, and you may notice I've added a new recipe blog to my links, as making another blog seemed to me to be the simplest (laziest?) way to share.  So if I've cooked for any of you, and you are missing the food, the recipe will probably show up there eventually, and of course there will be new things as I discover them.  If you are looking for a particular recipe, drop me a line.

Brr. I'm heading back to Florida.

The Minnesota trip was a whirlwind of driving (1538 miles total!), family time and very little sleep, except for the day I got to nap twice at my aunt's house near Bemidji.  I very nearly accomplished everything I had hoped to, so it was a good trip.  It was nice to get back and see people I just saw last July, and didn't think I would see again so soon.  It would have been nice to spend a little longer, but circumstances made that difficult.

So now I'm back in Gainesville, fully ready to chill with my aunt and nanny my cousins.  Wish me luck with the humidity and the, you know, children...