Yom Kippur

Had a lovely dinner with Meeps and friends for Yom Kippur.

When Nothing Else Explains It

FD and I are separating.

My heart is broken. I wanted more for Froggy and myself. I have nothing else to say, except that my soul hurts. Rather than go into details, these are the songs that say it all. I'll leave it to Janis and Nina, Adele and Joni to tell you how I feel.


Little Girl Blue - Janis Joplin

A Letter to Elise - The Cure

Pale Blue Eyes - Velvet Underground

If You Knew - Nina Simone

Make You Feel My Love - Adele

Close Your Eyes - James Taylor and Carly Simon

Threw It Away - Bob Dylan

Bell bottom Blues - Eric Clapton

Who'll Stop the Rain - CCR

All I Want - Joni Mitchell

River - Joni Mitchell

Sugar in my Bowl - Bessie Smith

Do What You Gotta Do - Nina Simone

I Made a Lovers Prayer - Gillian Welch

Daughter - Loudan Wainwright III

Smart Frog

Froggy was holding a stuffed animal dog and had the pup scratch his ear with his hind legs. I said, "Wow, that's exactly how dogs scratch scratch an itch, with their hind legs."

Froggy asked what 'hind' meant. I replied, "it means 'back', like back legs." And she said, "Oh like be'hind'."

I love these little discoveries. Four is the new six.

A Froggy Party in the Trees

How many birthday parties can one Froggy have? Four for a four year old!

We had her big family/friends bash at our favorite hiking spot. It was a great day. Who says you need bouncy houses and ponies? Kids need trees, dirt and cupcakes.

I cannot wrap my brain around the fact that my BABY is 4!!! When did this happen?

First Day of Preschool

After a week of excited talk about preschool...Froggy sobbed the entire car ride to school. Before we left the house, I had to dress her three times because she kept taking off her clothes and hiding under a pillow in her bedroom.

The second we walked through the gate, she forgot all about her fear. She started playing and the teachers hurriedly got the kiddos involved in circle time, so they wouldn't concentrate on the parents leaving. I thought it might be harder than it was. But I love her new preschool and the woman who runs it. It's a cozy, happy, loving place and a perfect beginning to school.

When FD and I picked her up, she strolled out of the gate with a happy confidence I've never seen. After two hours of school, she grew a year. Wow, our tadpole is a big frog now.

Missing Iowa

Auntie Honka and Uncle Jiffy Pop

Froggy and Cousin E-boy

Great-Grammy

E-boy, Froggy and Cousin Drama Queen

Iowa was green, relaxing and we had a wonderful week surrounded by family. Froggy celebrated her 4th birthday a little early with a bicycle cake that Auntie Honka baked. We flew back on Sunday and fortunately the air was clear on our side of town.

FD's parents' house is safe, but a good friend of theirs' lost his home in the mountains.

I can't believe our baby is four!