It's Scarlett's world...I just write about it!

Fore!

I don't think I'm different from any other parent when I watch my daughter and try to fathom her future. Imagine her as a doctor, a lawyer, an actress (Hey, with a name like Scarlett, why not?)...

But with my severely limited athletic ability, I never considered the possibility of my offspring becoming a professional athlete. In any capacity. However, I may be wrong.

Scarlett has taken great interest in sports recently. She imitates basketball players on the courts, thanks to the countless hours of watching in our house. She sees hockey on TV and squeals with delight. And football-well, I'm pretty sure she has a better understanding of a 4th down than I do...

But on this warm, wet weekend, she added golf to her list of past times-and I quickly added it to my list of activities that I am not likely to share with her-ever. Luckily, daddy likes to knock around the golf ball in the backyard and was more than happy to give her a beginner's lesson. So far, her swing looks promising, and if nothing else, Daddy's got quite the little caddy on his hands!

 

Play Ball!

Those words send a chill of excitement down my spine each year, when I hear the phrase for the first time! It's Tribe Time! And as always, I'm counting down the hours until Mike and I hang up the car keys, and settle in for the interesting ride downtown on public transportation to begin cheering on the Indians with the rest of Cleveland. It's been a yearly tradition since we met-and in these years of Tribe Home Openers, we've seen sun, rain, sleet and snow-and of course, the great Blizzard of 2007! 

I am no sports enthusiast, that is for sure. But I'm a Clevelander-married to a Clevelander-who bleeds Cleveland Sports (and OSU!). Over the course of the years, his love of the game-and team pride- has seeped under my skin, and now runs through my veins-at least with the Tribe. I love hitting up baseball games (of course the beer and nachos are a big draw, too!).  It appears that it's also been passed down to the next generation-at nearly 20 months, Scarlett recognizes and points out every Chief Wahoo & Browns helmet she sees-on shirts, license plates, mugs, tv-you get it. She's already a diehard Cleveland fan. It may have taken me nearly 30 years to catch the feelin', but I'm glad I did.

As per usual, Mother Nature is not giving us any breaks today. 40's and rain-perhaps the worst combination of all. But the sights, sounds and smells of the Jake (Progressive is a way of thinking, not a ball park name) are calling anyway. And I'll be there, poncho and all, to welcome the boys of summer -and a brand new season-home! A Good Friday, indeed!

My Little Tree Hugger

Ive never thought of myself as a nature girl. I've gotten more in tune with the outdoor aspect of life as I've matured, but even so, I'm more of a 'lay by the pool, reading trashy mags and drinking margaritas' kind of outdoor girl. I love to be outside, but prefer not to be bothered by bugs, potentially poisonous plants, or sweat.

Several years ago, Mike and I spent a weekend camping with my sister and her husband. Really camping. There was no RV. There were no toilet amenities very close by. We ate granola bars, squatted in the tall grass, and slept on the ground. And we hiked. Actually, besides the heavy amounts of midnight drinking we took part in, that's ALL we did. And I surprised myself. It was calming, beautiful, not too terribly sweaty, and a great workout for my ass. It gave me a re-newed perspective on the Great Outdoors. One I had lost somewhere along the way. Shortly after that weekend, I became pregnant. And I think I passed on this lost-then-found faith in Mother Nature.

It's too soon to tell just how well Scarlett will, in later years, reduce her carbon footprint. Maybe she won't care about recycling (although I can only teach her otherwise...). Maybe she'll only care about being a bathing beauty, with a trashy magazine in her hands. Maybe she'll lose touch with nature for a while too. I'll understand. But inherently , I've got an outdoors girl on my hands. She loves the sky, the grass, the clouds, the flowers, the shrubs, the trees. 

The other day, it was 70 degrees out -rare for the first week of April. We were in the backyard, playing. Out of nowhere, she walked over to the big, lonely tree in our yard, put her arms around it, and puckered up her lips. It was unexpected, unprompted and one of the most touching moments I've witnessed with her.  Since she gave me no warning, I wasn't camera ready, but I did manage to snap her standing next to the tree, just moments later. It will forever remind me that, whatever happens in the years to come, Scarlett is starting off her young life with a heart full of love-for all living things. She's not just a tree-hugger. She's a tree kisser!