Welcome to June and the Summer?

I think I shall ski tomorrow. Yes, Snowbird is still open and yes I'm still interested in making turns. I know it's supposed to be summer but the trails are too muddy for hiking or biking and the mountains are still covered in snow. I'll admit, part of my motivation is a story I'm working on about the economics of late season skiing (check out the IndustryReport.com June 16) but the other is that I'm desperate for exercise. I climbed at Rockreation with Kristen last Wednesday and that was about it since my week in Mammoth May 16 where I skied one day and snowboarded (or shall I say, got my body pummelled) one day. I'm committed to climbing at least once a week but I really thought I would be moved into my new office - stairstepper and all- by now and back to my workout regime. Best laid plans. My sheetrock guy went to jail for a week on cocaine charges and the momentum jerked to a halt. Needless to say, I didn't welcome him back after his stint in the "graybar motel". I've already unwittingly had my camera and watch stolen since construction began, I don't need to attach a neon sign to my things now. So I still have a bunch of little things let to finish.

The thrift store finally hauled off my entertainment center and my parents big screen TV. Funny. I thought that piece of rear projection history would be worth a whole lot more than whatever that 5-n-dime in Heber is going to sell it for. Sigh. It was one of the first ever on the scene. I dragged it out from San Diego and it worked great until I upgraded with the folks' next hand-me-down. Then it sat in the garage collecting dust; failing to sell at last year's yard sale and throughout the year on Craigslist.

Tomorrow, I'll ski and forget all about it. I hear it's mid-winter up there. Looking forward to the bragging afterwards. "I skiied the last day of May." And next week, I'll have "skiied the first weekend of June." We are promised turns at least until Dad's Day. No word yet on Fourth of July skiing but no matter. Ryan, Sage and I are off to Boston to visit Vavo and Vavao(?)- that's grandma and grandpa for those Portuguese challenged. Did I fail to mention that Sage is half Portuguese? I think that is sooo cool. Who would have thought that this whitebred American Jewish chick would wind up with a Portuguese (non-practicing) Catholic? I did always have a thing for dark, handsome foreigners. It started around the time The Godfather won those Oscars. Maybe Sage's legacy will even help her get into college one day. You never know.

Sage Signs For More

Speaking of which, those gorgeous blue eyes of hers are here to stay! Her mousy blond hair is past her shoulders and although I clipped her some bangs to keep the strands from getting glued to her snot nose in the mornings, they have grown past her nose again. She can point to most all the parts of her body, she still loves baths and when we watch "So You Think You Can Dance," she actually drops to the floor and tried to breakdance. I promise to video this soon so you can all chuckle with us. It's too cute. She's also learning to jump up and down. She does great in her crib but only gets one foot off at a time when she's on the ground. She occasionally gets them both airborn but when she lands, she falls. Tomorrow I bet she gets it. Her words are coming along and it sure helps that she knows sign. Otherwise, it would be hard to figure out whether she wanted the book or the ball, juice or shoes, cracker, cookie or cheese. It's so much easier to communicate with her. But I forget how important it is to teach everyone else the signs too. My mom whined when she spent the day with her in Mammoth. She laughed and scolded me because Sage signed to her all day long and she couldn't understand a single word or figure out what Sage wanted. Oh the poor things!

So now at 21 months, Sage can say (and sign) More, Ball, Book, Please, Cheese, Da-EE, Mama, Juice, Food, Shoes. She can sign- shirt, pants, bath, hug, baby, boy, yes, thank you, diaper, poop, toes, dirty, water, cracker, cookie, dog, sleep, pacifier, milk, up, down, and I'm sure there are some I missed.
When we read Goodnight Moon, she points to the pictures in the book as I say them- Goodnight Cow jumping over the moon, goodnight brush, goodnight stars. I ask her where the balloon is and she puts her finger on the image. I have no idea if she's smarter than the average toddler but it's so thrilling to see what was once a lump, interacting and responding like a little human being.
Tenaya is her protector. If she's not sleeping at the side of my bed, she's curled up at the baby's door. Must be those scraps she snags from the highchair at mealtime. Only takes a few snips of bacon to know who your best friend should be.
Well, I best hit the hay if I want to have any energy for the slushfest tomorrow. The forecast stated 60 degrees and sunny in the mountains! Toodles.