Farewell, Sweet September!

September is the best of both worlds: Summer and Fall.

Well, Friends, we've come to the end of September already.  Of all the -Brrr months, I think September is my favorite. 

Why?  Well, the obvious reason is that my birthday is in September, and I really love my birthday.  In fact, Mommy's birthday is in September, and Pop-Pop's birthday is in September.  Pop-Pop's birthday is just a coupla days after mine!  So September brings us a lot of opportunities to perfect our cake-eating skills. 

But besides birthdays, I love September for other reasons.  I love September because it's the perfect balance between Summer and Fall.  There's still nicey warm days where I can wear my summer clothes, unassisted by my long-sleeved undershirts and BabyLegs, but there's a nice crispiness in the air sometimes.  We pretty much don't hafta worry about snowy weather in September, which can't be said for the other -Brrrrrrr months.  I realize that as soon as we flip the calendar over tomorrow morning, all bets are off, weather-wise, at least in my neck of the woods.

I have my snowsuit and snow boots at the ready, just in case.  I'm not bein' pessimistic, Friends; I'm being prepared.  But it kinda breaks my heart that we'll hafta be thinkin' about bundling up every time we think of going outside now.  I love bein' able to just step right out onto the porch on a lark.

Don't get me wrong.  Tomorrow, I'll be singing a different tune.  I'll be thinking about all the wonderful things about October and the other Brrrrr months.  But today, I wanna indulge in just a little bit of melancholy for the passing of the Month of September.  Especially because it feels like we JUST got here.  You know what I mean, Big People?  It feels like just yesterday it was August Thirty-First!  I don't even know where the entire month of September went.  Are we sure we got all 30 of our September days?  Did anyone check the packing slip?

You know what we should all do, Friends?  We should all get out there and enjoy this last day of September 2014, mmmkay?  September was a really beautiful month for us, and we ought to send it on its way in festive fashion.  I'll see ya tomorrow, Friends!  I love ya!  Muah!

Put a Lid on It!

It doesn't look any bigger than the Mauritania!

Friends, I think that one of the things I regret the most for humanity is that hats have fallen out of mainstream fashion for so long. 

I realize that it's okay to wear a hat by the pool, or when you're gardening, or if you're in a mariachi band.  I understand that cowboys can still get away with wearin' hats.  And it could be argued that baseball caps are hats, which are seen in great proliferation around.

But here's a hint: baseball caps are not hats.  They're baseball caps.  A hat is a snappy fashion accessory.  Like a fedora or Stetson or the like.  Baseball caps... they're like a graphic tee.  They're fine, but they're just not the kind of snappy style I'm talking about when I'm lamenting the going-away of hats.

Friends, there used to be a time when hats were a thing.  You just weren't fully dressed without one.  My favorite hats are the ones with the big wide brims and all the feathers and hattiness about them.  Hats can be really head-turning in a way no other fashion accessory can, plus you get head protection, maybe a little shade for our eyes, and a place to keep your secrets, when you wear a hat. 

Friends, I think it's time we brought the hat back.  Hats of all kinds.  Feathered hats, hats with ribbons, hats with little fake berries, fake birds, and bird's nests decorating them.  Why, the most inventive among us could even figure out how to have a hat that looks like a little race track, and accommodates a match-box car racing around and around the brim.  Or a tiny train.  The possibilities are limitless, truly, Friends!

This is why we need hats back in the fashion vernacular, Friends!  They're such springboards to creativity!

So.  Put on your hat and have a great day today, Friends!  And remember, your pal Zoe just loves ya! I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

How Lucky We Are

I'm just glad I'm not stuck on Zayt Highway Eight!

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Sunday to you!

Hey, have I ever talked to you about one of my favorite books?  It's Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? by Dr. Seuss.  I've probably talked to you about it, because it's such an influential book to me.  It really is. 

In case you're not familiar with this wonderful literary work, it starts out with this kid meeting this old fella in a desert, and the old fella is sitting on a cactus.  Apparently, this is local custom in deserts, and the old fella is not bothered by the prickliness of his chosen seat.  The kid must be having a bad day, because the old fella starts telling him all about these people he should be lucky he isn't.  Poogle-horn Players, people driving in Ga-Zayt, Hawtch-Hawtcher-Bee-Watchers, poor Ali Sard...

Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? is full of people you hafta feel happy that you're not, because they've definitely got it worse than you, but at the same time, you've kinda gotta feel a sort of deep and abiding empathy for those folks.  It's a little schadenfreud-y, but not completely. I always feel better about life in general after I've had How Lucky You Are read to me.  I think if the people who are IN How Lucky You Are would feel better about things if they read the book themselves. ... I think they would, anyway.  Maybe they'd feel a little chuffed at being the example that says 'at least you're not this guy!' 

Wow.  I did not expect to take that turn, Friends!  But I maintain that each character in the book would probably read about another character in the book and decide that other character's circumstances are certainly worse than the one he's dealing with.  So there.  Everybody would still walk away feeling better about him or herself.

You should check it out, Friends!  Check out the book.  Maybe buy it for yourself and read it to yourself at least once a week, more often if you're feeling blue. 

And remember that I love ya.  See how lucky you are, Friends?!  You have a friend like me!  Hahahaha!  See ya tomorrow, Friends!  Muah!

Leaf It To Me!

I bet the Lake is pretty, surrounded by changing trees!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Saturday to you!  Are your leaves changing colors where you are? 

The trees with leaves in my necka the woods sure are changing.  I have this one tree, right outside my bedroom window that I love to watch change.  In the winter time, it looks like a bunch of brown sticks.  In the spring, it gets little leaf-buds on it, and then *poof!* leaves!  At least that's the way it seemed this year.  That tree outside my window went from looking like giant sticks to being full-on leafed out, practically overnight!  I don't even remember seein' the little leaf buds this go-around.  I DO remember wondering if we were going to get any leaves on the trees at all this year, or if we were just gonna stay in the cold weather all year.  But, the leaves DID come out.

I guess that's why I'm so glad that we're getting a little transition time with the leaves as they turn colors from green to a spectacular color show.  Back to my maple tree outside my window: most of the leaves are golden-color, and they're nice, but there's a little tuft of orangey-red leaves up on the very tippy toppa the tree. I like those orangey-red leaves the best!

My favorite fall leaves are the ones that are so orangey-red that they almost look fluorescent.  I've seen some of those leaves already, when I was riding through the Allegheny National Forest the other weekend.  Those leaves are kinda rare, and they're eye-catching! 

I love all the different color leaves, Friends.  I think the leaves' color changes are Nature's way of making it up to us because the flowers start to go away this time of year.  And that's okay.

Friends, I'm gonna go on a leaf walk right now.  I hope you go on one where you are, too!  Summer's really, really over now, so we might as well greet Fall as the singularly sensational season that it is!  I love ya lots, and I'll be seein' ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Boating School

Step aside, SpongeBob!  This kid's gonna show you how to ACE boating school!

Hiya, Friends!  I know it seems like I'm obsessing about the Lake and all things related to vacation this week, and that's not far from the truth.  Thing of it is, my week at the Lake every year has been a highlight of my whole entire year for both the years I've gotten to spend weeks up at the Lake.

So anyway, this past trip up to the Lake, we had a very rainy day one of the days, and I inquired into the possibility of me watching a little show on the television.  The show I chose was SpongeBob SquarePants.  I'd never seen SBSP before, but I quickly learned that as sponges go, as enthusiastic an employee of the Krusty Krab that SpongeBob is, he is also a lousy driver and has been in Boating School for ages, much to the chagrin of his Boating School Teacher, Mrs. Puff.

Oh, I fell asleep again on the boat.  It happens to me every time!

It got me to wondering just how hard it can really be to boat?  Has SpongeBob been trying all these years to be so bad at boating?  You'd almost think so, with the way it looks as though he puts so much effort into boating badly. 

So the next sunny day at the Lake, when we could go out on the boat, I decided I'd try my hand at boating, to show up a cartoon character I've never met and likely never will.  We all take satisfaction in that sort of thing, don't we?  Being better at things than complete and total strangers are?

Then I learned what my major boating downfall is.  Every time... I mean EVERY SINGLE TIME I would go for a ride on the boat, I'd end up falling asleep before I even had a chance to get 'er out into open waters.  I'm not certain just exactly what would get me every time.  Maybe it was the warm sun.  Maybe it was the drone of the engine.  Maybe it was because I was just so happy and relaxed to be on a boat with all my Favorites.  But every time, after just a few minutes out on the boat, off I'd go to Dreamland.

What would I dream about, you ask?  You won't believe it: I dreamed I was driving a boat like a champ!

That's it for today, Big People!  Hey.  It's Friday, and if ya wanna celebrate it Zoe-style, take a nap today and dream that we're driving boats together in some big regatta.  It'll be fun!  Muah!

My Second Blogaversary!

I'm channeling one-third of Charlie's Angels for my Second Blogaversary!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Thursday to you!

Hey, guess what!  Today marks the Second Blogaversary of my Blog, The Daily Zoe Blog!  How about that?!

I know this Blogaversary isn't the big deal that the anniversary of Doc Brown's discovering the Flux Capacitor is, but it's still a pretty big deal to me! 

Do you remember back to my First Post, back in Twenty-Twelve?  Check it out.  Check out how little I was.  Oh-Em-Gee, check out my hair!

Some things other than my hair have changed.  Back in my first post, I said I'd post reviews in a blog called Shop With ZoeBee.  Yeah... um... I haven't really followed through with that.  It ended up just not being that big a deal.  Also, I was calling this my "Zlog."  I guess that practice sort of fell by the wayside.  I do not regret that development. 

Another development I do not regret having changed is that you'll notice in my first post, my office was a lot smaller, thanks to the addition to a colorful plastic wall.  Well.  Now I get to have the WHOLE room and all its furniture as my office.  I still have part of the colorful plastic wall at the entrance to my office, both to serve as a reminder to me of where I started and how far I've come, and also, to keep Rozzie out of my office when I don't wanna hafta be social. 

I love my pal Rozzie!  Don't get me wrong!  But when I'm building with my blocks, Rozzie's like Godzilla.  That's really frusterating!

So anyway, Friends!  Thank you for allowing me this bit of self-reflection today on my Second Blogaversary!  I sure do love ya lots!  I'll be seein' ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Rock Me Gently

Giant Rock is a good friend to me when I visit the Lake!

Hiya, Friends!  Well, you know what?  Now that it's getting cooler outside, and the leaves are starting to change and everything, naturally, my thoughts turn toward nicey warm weather and swishing lake water and my Hello Kitty bathing suit. 

One aspect of my Lake Vacation that I especially loved was the Giant Rock Down By The Water.  I don't know much about this great big flaky rock.  I'm not sure where it came from or what its hopes and dreams are, but I do know that Giant Rock was a good friend to me while I was at the Lake. 

What made Giant Rock such a great friend?  Well, I'll tell ya.  Whenever I needed someone to just listen while I talked, and not judge or offer advice, Giant Rock was there for me.  Whenever I wanted to squirt someone, Giant Rock let me squirt it without gettin' all mad and screechy at me like certain people would when I'd squirt 'em (I'm talking about Mommy and Daddy, mainly!)  When I wanted to play pretend and pretend that I was a giant, Giant Rock pretended to be the mountain that I was taller than. 

I loved that game!

Last but not least, whenever I wanted someone to be in a picture with me, Giant Rock obliged without complaining that its butt looked big.  In fact, I'm not sure that Giant Rock even has a butt to look big.  In any case, it was really fun to be around someone who wasn't self-conscious.

Do you have a Giant Rock in your life, Friends?  I sure hope so.  I love ya lots!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

I'm Not On A Boat......

...But I sure as heck wish I were on a boat, Big People!

Okay.  I know what you're gonna say, Friends.  If I'm not on vacation and on a boat and drinking from a wonderful light-up Jungle Mug, why are all my pictures so far this week of me enjoying vacation things and drinking beverages from that Jungle Mug?

Well, I'll tell ya why!

Friends, I really loved the Lake.  I loved the boat.  I loved that light-up Jungle Mug.  I've been lookin' through pictures from Over the Summer lately, and these came up, and have brought up so many wonderful memories of my Vac-Lake-tion.  Tee-Emm.

But I've got to say, one thing I do not miss about my vacation at the Lake is that every time we went out on the dang old boat, Mommy and Daddy would try to turn it into a photo-op and get all kinds of "family pictures" of me, them, and the sunset.  It burned me right the heck up.  Especially after the eleventy-first time. 

For Pete's Aches.  I was on vacation, Friends.  You'd think of all people, Mommy and Daddy would understand that all's I wanted to do was sit back and relax with a beverage in my light-up mug that I only get to see at the Lake, because it lives at the Lake House.

That's okay, Friends.  When I go on vacation in my head, nobody bugs me when I don't wanna be bugged, Friends, so I'm gonna go right now.  I'll see ya tomorrow, mmmkay?  I love ya lots!  Muah!

Muggy Monday

Just another Muggy Monday!

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Monday to you! 

No, I'm not on vacation again, although I wouldn't mind being at the dang ol' Lakehouse right now.  I've never experienced the Lake in Autumn, and I betchya it's absolutely beautiful!

No.  I put up this picture of me today because I'm reminiscing about how much I loved drinking out of the Jungle Mug at the Lake.  Mondays are really great days to drink beverages out of mugs, and that Jungle Mug was really epic.

I'm not even exaggerating when I describe how fabulous this mug was, Friends.  As you can see, it had pictures of jungle animals around it, and a good holdin' grip for holdin' onto, and it was plastic, so if I dropped it, it wouldn't shatter, but I didn't drop it!

The thing that really made this mug incredible is that it had little red lights around it that would twinkle-n-flash if ya pushed on the sides of the mug.  I have never before enjoyed drinks out of so fine a mug as this, and I'm not sure I ever will again.

However, I did get a Hello Kitty mug for my birthday.  It doesn't light up, but it is made of Melamine, and it has a good holdin' grip for holdin' onto.  And I'll tell ya what.  Hot cocoa tastes DELICOUS out of my Hello Kitty mug.

So that's that.  Happy Muggy Monday to you, Friends!  Enjoy a nicey warm beverage from your favorite mug today!  I love ya!  Muah!

My. Retinas. They Burn.

There's about eleventy-kabillion fonts and I saw 'em all!

Hiya, Friends!

So.  You know how yesterday I was working on designing my business cards?  Well, after I said 'Muah!' to you, I went back to my work, sifting through fonts and colors and layouts, and...

I can't feel my eyes.  I really can't.  There was so much looking and so little blinking.  Toward the end, I couldn't tell Palatino from Garamond.  And just to make it stop, I was about ready to agree to putting 'Zoe Hopnoodle, Wild Child Entertainment, LLC' on my cards.  But thankfully, my pal Rozzie pulled me back from the brink and encouraged me to stick with my original choice: my name in Harrington and all my stats and info in Helvetica.

I mean, I don't even HAVE an LLC!  I don't even know what that is!  I think it means "Loco-Loco-Crazy," but I'm not sure. 

Friends, cultivating your image on a little business-card-sized piece of cardstock is a LOT of hard work!  I haven't even picked whether or not to have an image of myself on my business card.  I've sort of picked a color.  It's gonna be a pastel rainbow gradient blending from light pink through all the colors of the rainbow to light lavender.  I figure that's enough whimsy to convey how whimsical I am, without resorting to Curlz MT. 

But really, Friends, I'm so tired and cross-eyed, I think I'm gonna just enjoy my coffee and catch up on some episodes of The Berenstain Bears on the television.

I'll be seein' ya tomorrow, Friends!  I love ya so much!  Muah!

Toddler Imaging

Does this look like a Comic Sans kind of face to you?

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Saturday to you!  You know, people have been talking to me a lot about my image and how I present myself on behalf of The Daily Zoe, both in the form of this weblog and over on my picture-show on the Facebook.  The possibility of business cards has been bandied about. 

I think that's a GREAT idea, Friends, but I want my branding to reflect who I am, not who people think I need to be.  A business card is kind of ... well, my calling card to the world.  It's a big 'Hiya, Big People!'  and I wanna get it just right... color, font, content, graphics.

I don't wanna look like an amateur when I hand over my literal calling card to the world!  I don't want it to be gimmicky, but I don't wanna blend in with the other toddlers, either.

That's why I think I'll eschew anything that looks like it was drawn with a crayon.  That's too obvious.  Especially if the crayon scrawling has been done in primary crayon colors.  Also, I will avoid letters that look like building blocks.  Also too obvious, along with chalkboard fonts and things spelled out in baby-beads.

Those are only the most obvious choices I don't want. I also wouldn't want Comic Sans MS or Curlz MT or any of those handwrite-y looking fonts.  I'm kind of leaning toward Harrington for my name with Helvetica for all my stats-n-information.  But I'm not sure.

There's a lot that goes into Toddler Imaging, Friends!  People perceive my people as volatile, loud, stinky, overly cutesy, simple-minded, easily-distracted, stinky, and loud.  Among other things.  And as an ambassador of the Toddler Federation, my calling card to the world, my business card, needs to counteract all those preconceived notions your people have of my people. 

I have a lot, lot, LOT to do!  So I'd better get back to it for today!  I'll see ya tomorrow, mmmmkay?  I love ya lots, Friends!  Muah!

A Case of the Let-Downs

It's a bummer to let the grass grow under me!

Well, hiya, Friends!  Happy Thursday to you!  I guess.

What I'm really trying to say is that I've been traveling a lot lately.  I betchya didn't know it, but I spent pretty much all of last week in Pittsburgh.  That's right.  We left the day after my birthday and came home on Sunday.

I had a glorious time in Pittsburgh, Friends!  I got to see Aunt Colleen and Uncle Lorentz every day!  I got to go to a MALL!  I visited a ToysRUs, which I know I have one near me, but it was DIFFERENT because this one was in Pittsburgh!  Mommy let me ride the rides at the mall, and eat at Five Guys in the food court.  It was a really big deal!  And then, I got to visit my Uncle Lorentz's office building, and he let me draw on a giant white-board and sit in his spinny desk chair and everything!

I mean, my trip to Pittsburgh was a lot like a mini-trip to the Lake.  All my favorite people were in one place again, except Rozzie, who was boarded at the vet's.  I got to hug my pal Buddy-Cat.  I got to see Gramma and Pop-Pop.  And again, there was Aunt Colleen and Uncle Lorentz. 

So I guess you could say that today, I'm feeling the lack of excitement that is just hangin' around my home.  I'm feelin' kinda sad that there's no trip in my immediate future.  I'm experiencing a case of the let-downs, if you will.  Do you ever get those, Friends?  What do you do to get yourself out of them?

I'll probably figure something out, to lift me out of my bummeredness, Friends.  I'm sure I will.  I mean, I usually do.  In the meantime, though, I guess I'll hafta count my blessings about what I like about bein' at home.  My pal Rozzie is first on that list.

Hey, I'll see ya tomorrow, Friends.  I love ya lots, whether I'm in the Bing or in the Burgh, mmmmkay?  Muah!

Teeny Ballereeny

Dancing, [and a great outfit, is good for the soul!

Hiya, Friends!  Hey, if you've been following along all this time, you'll know that I love to dance.  I love to jump and twirl and move.  I also love tutu dresses.  They just make me happy.

I wouldn't really say that I have just one style of dancing that I love.  I like to keep my options open.  I like to pull elements of ballet and tap and jazz dancing together with modern interpretive.  I think I'd call my style Fabulous Fusion.

Oddly enough, I've never taken a dance lesson in my entire life.  I suppose if I really pushed the issue with Mommy and Daddy, they'd look into taking me for lessons, but really, what makes me happiest in life is watching what other people do, maybe on the television, maybe on the YouTube, and then I put on some music and do my own thing.

Of course, I love a great dancing costume, too!  It needs to be comfortable enough for me to move and bend and shake and twirl in it, but it also helps if it's a little frilly or a little over-the-top.  I feel like I can pull that off, no problem.  Not everybody can, but I think I can.

It doesn't matter, though, Friends, if I was just dressed in normal clothes and if I was stuck in a room with no music.  If I feel like dancing, that's what I'm gonna do.  The music's all in my head!

I love ya, Friends!  Dance a little bit today!  It's GREAT for your soul and your muscles!  Muah!

The Stinky Room!

I wonder how long I can hold my breath in here!

Oh, Friends.  You know, I had a great summer.  I got to ride on a boat, and go to the Lake, and I stayed in my very first hotel.

That's right!  You'd think that a cosmopolitan kiddo like myself would be very well-traveled...a high-roller among hotel high-rollers.  But the fact of the matter is, as much as I travel, if it's an overnight trip, it's been to my Aunt Colleen's house in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. 

So my first stay in a hotel room was pretty interesting, to say the least.  We stayed at a Comfort Inn.  It had a tile roof and looked like a hacienda and everything!

Our room smelled just like an ashtray, though.  Stale and smoky.  I'm not finding fault.  But it took me three shampoos to get the smell out of my hair, and even though it's been almost two months since my stay, sometimes, if I turn my head really fast while I'm breathing through my nose, I could swear that I get a whiff of that stinky room, still.

It haunts me, I guess you could say.

The bright side of the Stinky Room is that now, my expectations are incredibly low for hotel travel.  Why, any other hospitality establishments ought to have a very easy time impressing me.  There's nowhere to go but up, pretty much.  And there's noplace like home!

I love the heck right outta ya, Friends!  And I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

It's My 600th Post!

I'm Queen of this blog!  Wahoo!

Hiya, Big People!  Hey.  You might now know this, but it's my SIX-HUNDREDTH POST!!!  That's right, Friends!  And I'll bet there's some of you out there who've checked in with me on every one of these six-hundred posts!  That's an accomplishment!

I hope you're not expecting me to put down my keyboard and stop, now that I've reached this milestone.  I really hope you're not looking for me to do that.  That's not what I'm planning.  I know things got kinda dodgy there for a while, when I stopped writing to you every day, but then I made a pledge to you that I was going to make this truly The Daily Zoe, not The Anytime I Feel Like Writing Zoe.  And I've kept up my end of that bargain (come to think of it, there really isn't any other end of this bargain...just my end), all except for the day after Halloween, when I was still too hopped up on my Halloween candy to check in with ya, and I sincerely hope you can forgive me for that lapse. 

I'll do better this year, I promise!

Anyway, Friends!  This is what a little kid looks like who's written six hundred posts on her web log.  A kid who looks like this feels pretty great, too.  I'll tell ya what.  Now, I'm gonna go play and celebrate.  I'll be back tomorrow.  I sure love ya lots!  Muah!

Like Milkin' the Cows!

I really love ice cream!

Hiya, Big People!  Well, if it isn't Monday all over again.  Mondays are like milkin' the cows, I'd imagine.  Not that I've ever milked the cows, but I understand it's kinda repetitive.  First ya march all the cows into the milkin' parlor, or maybe you bring 'em in one-by-one if ya don't have a giant automated milkin' parlor, ya milk, milk, milk 'em, then ya get 'em all headed back outside once again.  It's a lot of work.  A lotta lot of work.  The sun sets, you go to bed, and first thing in the morning when ya get up, darned if those cows don't need to be milked again.

I guess it hurts 'em if they don't get milked!  Poor cows!

That's what Mondays seem like to me, Friends.  It seems like ya just get done doing a Monday-load of work, and darned if it isn't Monday all over again, and ya have to start from the beginning.

Well... it's good to be needed, I suppose. 

And hey... tomorrow is not Monday.  That's something to be happy about!  We get just one of those each week, and that's okay in my book!

I love ya lots, Friends!  I'll be seein' ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Drive-Thru for Adventure!

Look at all those cars.  I may have bitten off more than I can chew here!

Hiya, Friends!  Hey.  Have you ever worked the drive-thru window at an eating establishment?  I had the opportunity to do just such a thing over the Summer.  My friend Donut Dude asked me to work his drive-thru window one day, because his regular drive-thru person had an emergency to deal with one day, so I said Sure! and got my headset and my cash-register-operatin' fingers ready to do their work, and away I went!  How hard could runnin' the Donut Dude Drive-Thru be, Friends?

I'll tell ya how hard it can be.  Holy smokes.

First, understand that Donut Dude sells coffee and donuts.  I guess that's how he got his name.  I don't know what Donut Dude's real name is, but I'd bet cash-money that it doesn't say 'Donut Dude' on his birth certificate.

Back to the Drive-Thru.  One of Donut Dude's busiest times of the day, as it turns out, is First Thing in the Morning.  I think I knew this.  I just didn't think of it from the perspective of bein' on the other side of the drive-thru window.  So there's one obstacle that makes it less than breezy, manning the drive-thru.

When ya think about it, those people waiting for their coffee and donuts probably didn't eat a full breakfast before running out their door, hoppin' in their car, and driving to Donut Dudes on their way to work.  Have you ever noticed that people get a little ... hangry when they haven't eaten or had their coffee?  Hungry anger.  It's a thing, and it's real, Friends.  Not exactly the conditions that set up patient, generous folks who courteously give and wait for their orders.  People in that state of mind and tummy don't like to wait the normal amount of time for their coffee-n-donuts, and if you think they have all kinds of extra patience to give to the new girl at the register, you must have just fallen off the turnip truck, bless your soul! 

Friends, I didn't do too bad that day.  I didn't mess up anybody's order.  I didn't switch any orders around or get 'em otherwise all confused.  But I was pretty slow, and the only tips I made that day were people tellin' me I needed to learn to be faster.

That was quite an education, Friends.  I'm glad I could help Donut Dude out that day, but I'll tell ya what.  I haven't gone back to the Drive-Up Window since.  When Donut Dude needs extra help, I like to help bake things or put the sprinkles on the donuts.  I keep the coffeepots stocked with fresh coffee.  But I just would really rather not run the drive-thru again.  It's pretty  much the stuff of my nightmares!

So if you're out and about today, Friends, and stopping at a Drive-Thru, be kind.  Be patient.  Even if you're hangry. 

I love ya lots, and I'll see ya tomorrow!

Muah!

What a Wonderful World!

It really IS a wonderful world, Friends!

Hiya, Big People!  How are you doing today?  Is Saturday the Thirteenth treatin' you okay?  I've gotta say, it's doin' all right by me, as far as I'm concerned!

You know, I've been listenin' to a lot of music.  Music is kind of my thing.  And there's a song by a fella named Louis Armstrong called "What a Wonderful World" that I really love to listen to.  I mean, I've loved this song since I was a baby, so we're going WAY back, Friends!

I love the tune and the harmony and the instrumentation, but it's the words that really speak to me, Friends, I suppose as words are wont to do.  (Yes, I said 'wont to do.' Now that I'm Three, I've decided my prose needs to be more sophisticated sometimes!)

The song talks about green trees and red roses, bright blessed days and dark sacred night.  Skies of blue and clouds of white.

Goodness, Friends. When I think of all those things, I stop and say 'what a wonderful world,' too.  I'd write a song about it, but someone already did.  I suppose if I had to add my own things to what makes the world wonderful, it'd be my fluffy white dog Rozzie, and root beer, and the way the sun comes through my window to say hello every morning, except when it rains, and even then, I like to think the rain is playing me a little song.  Zinnias blooming makes me think of how wonderful the world is, because I remember helping Mommy plant those Zinnias, and they were just seeds, and now they're taller than I am and just so colorful.  Playgrounds.  I LOVE playgrounds, Friends.  You can't be mad for long if you're playing on a swing and a slide, and that's why I firmly believe they oughtta make playgrounds big enough for Big People to play on, too.

There's a lot of things that make this world wonderful if you let 'em, Friends.

I love the heck right out of you, Big People!  And I'll see ya tomorrow, mmmmkay?  Muah!

Cool Kids and Freak Flag Fridays!

Hiya Big People!

I'm a Cool Kid 'cause I'm happy to be ME!

You know what I've been thinkin' about lately?  The Cool Kids.  You know, at my office, there's a group of co-workers that sit over in front of the window in the cafeteria. On sunny days, the rest of us can't look over at them without squinting from the glare of the sun. 

Some days, I think those co-workers think we all hafta squint when we look in their direction because their coolness just gives off such an incandescence that our mortal eyes cannot withstand it.

These co-workers are known as the Cool Kids around my office, and apparently it's a big deal with you get asked to join the Cool Kids at their lunch table.  It's an even bigger deal when you're allowed to sit at their lunch table with your back to the window, so you can gaze out upon all the other co-workers who don't sit at that table.  And if/when you are dismissed from the Cool Kids' table, it's a huge disgrace.

I guess.

I've never really gotten the Cool Kids, myself, Friends.  I've also never really understood why so many of my coworkers want to be one of the Cool Kids.  I mean, who told the Cool Kids that they're Cool, and who told the rest of us that we're Not?  I don't remember sitting for the Sorting Hat on my first day of Orientation here at the office.  In fact, I don't even remember there being a Sorting Hat, sorting all us coworkers into Cool Kids and Everybody Else groups.

The Cool Kids have set themselves apart from the rest of us.  It isn't just their lunch table in the company cafeteria.  They all dress kind of alike.  They all listen to the same music.  They all eat the same kinds of stuff in the cafeteria. None of them laughs out loud very often, they always look around first, and they definitely don't snort when they do laugh.

Nothing is ever *that* funny for the Cool Kids.

I'm not coming from a place of jealousy today, Friends.  Please don't misread my questioning of the Social Order as jealousy.  I love MY friends.  I have Sabretooth, and the Little Giraffes, and Rozzie, and sometimes Joe the Humpday Camel (yes, he's still around!)  I don't have a hard and fast buncha coworkers I eat lunch with.  I mean, I've eaten lunch at the Cool Kids' table.  I have.  I even got to sit with my back to the window.  And I wasn't dismissed.  I just wanted to sit somewheres else the next day.

Well, because if you sit with the same people all the time, you hear the same stories, over and over and over again.  It's all right, but it just isn't much fun.  Not for me, anyway.

I don't dislike the Cool Kids.  But I don't like to look around at everyone else before I start laughing at something.  I don't like feelin' like I need to apologize for snortin'.  I don't like feeling pressure not to be so excited about books and science and finding out how things work!

But.  I *do* love lettin' my Freak Flag fly, Friends!  I love meeting lots of different kinds of people, and liking all kinds of different kinds of musics, whether anybody else likes 'em or not.  I like funny-looking food.  I love big books! 

In short, I love bein' me.  And I love it when friends like who I really am, not who I'm tryin' to be to impress anybody.

It's like Bernard M. Baruch said:

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."

If you ever find yourself at my company at lunchtime, Friends, you go ahead and sit with me and my friends.  You can be yourself.  You can snort when you laugh.  You can really, really love books.  Or sports.  Or cars.  Or science.  We'll love talking to you and listening to you.  You don't hafta like what everybody else at the table likes.  We don't all agree on everything, either.

You know, in my head, my friends and I, even though we're a bunch of freaks, I think WE are the Cool Kids.

Friends, I'll see ya tomorrow!  Be happy bein' you!  I sure as heck love ya!  Muah!

Work It!

Oooooh, Rozzie got the good jack-hammer I wanted!

Hiya, Friends!  You know, Thursdays are excellent days to get to work.

Today is no different!  I'm at the ol' job-site.  I'm gettin' ready to do some serious work.  Oh, you know.  Building stuff.  Jack-hammering.  Spackling.

Yep.  I am a serious worker, working on some serious stuff.  I mean just look at me.  I have my goggles and hat and hearing protectors.  That's how ya know somebody's ready to get right to work.  Seriously!

Sometimes, though, my pal Rozzie gets to the jobsite before I do.  Yep.  Rozzie's a serious worker, too.  But she has a habit of getting the good tools.  The very good tools that I wanna use. 

For instance, I was gonna use the good jack-hammer today.  I had a plan.  But I got to the job-site, after Rozzie, of COURSE, and she got the good jack-hammer.  This left me with the not-good jack-hammer.  It doesn't do its thing as fast.  You know how it is.  Half the time, it doesn't start up.  Sometimes, it cuts out at inconvenient times.

But you know me.  I make the best of it.  I keep on keepin' on.  I work through the nuisance.  That's what you've gotta do when you're a Serious Worker.

And I'd better get back to it, Friends.  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Hold Onto Your Hats- We're Into the BRRRRRRR Months!

Somehow, we've wound up in the -Brrrrrrrrr months again!

Hiya, Big People!  Wow!  Can you believe it's Wednesday and the Tenth of the Month already?  It seems like just yesterday that I was being bowled over by the fact that it's September!  But it wasn't just yesterday.  It was last Monday! 

Oh, my goodness, I'm getting my mind all twisted up like a pretzel!

Before that happens, lemme wanna get on-task for today.  You see, we're now a third of the way through the first of the -Brrrrrrr months.  Are you ready?

I realize that it hasn't been very -Brrrrrrrr so far- what's that? ... Oh, come on now.  It was a nice summer, even if it was a little bit on the cool side.  It made it a lot easier to breathe and sleep and ...live.  The only thing the cooler summer made more difficult was swimmin' and if ya have a pool that didn't get used much this summer, I'm really sorry  But I think it was nice to have a break from the Extreme Heat.

Okay.  So.  Are you ready for the -Brrrrrrrr months?  Do you have a nicey warm jacket?  Do you have mittens-n-a-hat?  Is your heating system in your house working properly?  How about your car's heater? 

The other thing I'd like to talk to you about, with the -Brrrrrrrrr months is that there's gonna be Something Going On from here on out until the End of the Year.  October features Halloween at the end.  November has Thanksgiving.  And December... well, December, you know all about, because that's the Big One.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if some stores don't already have some Christmas stuff sneaking in around the edges.  Yes, it burns me up, too, but that's no reason not to Prepare Yourself.

That's right.  You can get prepared right now by snapping up presents from the Clearance tables.  You don't have to wrap 'em yet.  But you can keep track of who you've bought for, and how much you paid, and the location of the presents- you can set up an Excel spreadsheet, or I'm pretty sure there's an app for that.  You could get out your cards and address a couple of them a day.  There's no need to be all mad about Christmas coming up at the end of the -Brrrrrrr months.  There's no need to be all mad that we're even into the -Brrrrrrr months now.  It is what it is.  Just be prepared, and then when we're in the thick of the Christmas Season, you don't hafta be all stressed out.  You can be a little stressed out instead.  Because if I know you Big People, I know you love being stressed out about stuff.  It's true.  It's certainly how you project, Friends. 

Yes, I know.  You've had enough of your pal Zoe for one day, darnit!  So I'll letchya get back to your Wednesday.  Just don't come cryin' to me in a couple months when Christmas is tomorrow and you don't have ANYTHING done!  Deal? MMmmmkay!  I love ya lots just the same, and I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

I'm THREE!

Happy Birthday to me!  I'm THREE!  WHEEEE!

Hiya, Big People!  Well, it's that day!  Shortly after midnight overnight, I turned Three Years Old.

In other words, it's my birthday!  How about that?!

You know, I struggled with turning Three a little bit.  Well, it's because I realize that now that I'm Three, I'm not a baby anymore.  I really am not.  And I've been a baby my whole entire life.  I was born being a baby.

But the growing up has been kinda gradual-like, even though when I remember specific things, it seems like it was sudden.  There's a lot of stuff I don't know yet, but I feel pretty prepared to be Three. 

I'll tell ya what's exciting about Being Three, right off the bat.  I don't hafta wear a bib anymore at meals.  Also, I get to order for myself at restaurants.  Remember how I used to LONG for the day when I could get restaurant food, let alone order it for myself?  Also, I get to walk most places these days.  I don't stroll in my stroller.  Don't get me wrong- sometimes it's nice to get to stroll, but mostly, I love to walk.  I get to ride facing forward in the car now, insteadda riding backwards.  I don't hafta sit in restaurant high-chairs.  Or any high chair for that matter.  It's booster seats for this girl, and sometimes, I don't even need that much of a boost!

I can color with crayons and markers and even use pencils and pens.  I have applications on the dang ol' iPads that I can play.  I get to choose my clothes in the morning, and I'm allowed to watch select shows on the television.  I'm pretty handy at paging through books and getting what's going on in them by the pictures, and I'm starting to sort of read along.

No more binkies and bottles, ever!  I can drink from regular, big-people drinking vessels!  And I get root beer!  There was no root beer for me when I was a baby!  Now I can enjoy it in moderation, and it's great!

I feel like my body is finally catching up with my mind.  When I was a baby, there was all kinds of stuff I wanted to do, but I just couldn't.  All I used to be able to do when I was a baby is be a blob.  I loved being cuddled all the time, but that was pretty much all I could do.  Be a cuddly blob, and then I'd fallasleep.

Yes, Friends.  For all my reservations, doubts, and overthinking, I think I'm gonna be just fine with being Three.  I think I'm gonna LOVE it, in fact! 

So here's to another exciting year in my life!

I love ya lots, Friends!  And I'll see ya tomorrow, mmmmkay?  Muah!

Ain't Nothin' Better!

Nothin' finer than riding around, lookin' at cars, and havin' some root beer!

Oh, Friends.  I just love root beer, and over the summer, I went to a magical place where the root beer flowed freely and was served up in big aluminum mugs.

It's true.  I went to the Syracuse Nationals up in Syracuse, New York, one fine day over the summer, and yeah, there were a lot of cool cars to look at there, but what really excited me was the Wild Bill's Root Beer.  Now, usually, I'm a Dang! root beer fan, and a Virgil's root beer connoisseur, but this Wild Bill's was really great, too. 

What happened is that you bought a souvenir mug, which is a really, really nice mug!  And you could just go up to the Wild Bill's taps all day.  They were stationed everywhere around the whole entire giant car show!  And I got to ride around in my stroller, with my very own source of shade from the canopy, all comfy-like, and every so often, I got to have a big swig of that delicious, delicious root beer from outta Mommy or Daddy's aluminum mugs. 

It was just the best.

It was nice to see the cars, too.  Don't get me wrong.  But that root beer really made the day special for me, Friends!

When Life Hands Ya Markers...

It's called self-expression, darn it! And I think I look fabulous!

Hiya, Friends!  Well, have you ever found yourself in the possession of a pack of really rad markers, and so you take off the caps and draw on your own face with 'em?

...Oh, come on, now.  You don't have to be all like "I'm way too grown-up to draw on my own face with a marker!" with me. This is me.  Your pal Zoe.  You can be honest.  And besides, here I am, with marker all over MY face that I drew, all by myself.  Think back to when you were a Little Kid.  Or a not-so-little kid.  I don't judge.

Are ya back?  It IS fun, isn't it?  It's FUN as all get-out to draw all over your face when life hands ya a pack of markers.  In fact, as I was creating this artistic creation on my face just now, I realized that I felt quite alive.  I mean in the way where I'd shout to the Heavens and to anyone who'll listen that I feel ALIVE!  It's great to feel that way, isn't it, Friends?

You know what you oughtta do... grab up a pack of markers right now, and draw on your face.  You probably don't hafta be at work today, anyhow, and if you've got a bottle of make-up remover or even rubbing alcohol if ya grabbed a box of Sharpies, nobody at work has to be any the wiser that you drew on your face with markers today.

I, for one, however, refuse to be embarrassed by this.  I might make drawing on my face with markers a whole Thing for me.  I might just do that!

I love ya, Friends!  And I'll be seein' ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Snack Attack!

It's nutritious AND delicious!

Friends!  Happy Saturday! 

Have I ever told you about one of my favorite snacks?  It isn't just any snack.  It's nutritious AND so delicious, it's easy to forget that it's nutritious!

Unless you're allergic to peanuts.  If you're allergic to peanuts, this would be an Allergy Attack for you, and not a Snack Attack.

But if you aren't allergic to peanuts, lemme tell ya all about Peanut Butter Balls.  You can even whip 'em up yourself, if you've got peanuts, powdered milk, oats, honey, and raisins, chocolate chips, shredded coconut, Rice Krispy cereal... anything, really!

You mix all that stuff together, roll it into balls, refrigerate it, and then you have little delicious bite-size pieces of Peanut Butter Ball to eat and enjoy!  Delicious, nutritious, AND portable as all get out!

Friends, I hope you have a favorite snack as wonderful as my favorite snack is!  And if you're allergic to peanut butter, again, I sure hope your favorite snack doesn't have peanuts in it!  I sure hope it doesn't!

I love ya lots, anyway, Friends!  And I'll be seein' ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Hot Topics!

You mean all this time, I've been orderin' Hot Topics, but they're really called Hot Topics?

Hiya, Friends!  Greetings, Big People!  Happy Friday to you!

Friends, have you ever misread or misheard something?  I sure as heck have.  In fact, if you go exploring through this very weblog, you will probably see healthy documentation of me mis-hearing things.  You definitely would, over on my picture show on The Facebook.

Sometimes, my mistakes really embarrass me because other people think they're so funny.

What I'm specifically talking about here, Big People, is that down in the cafeteria of my office building, all this time, I've been orderin' Hot Topics for lunch.  And the people at the counter swipe my identification credential to charge my lunch account, and then they give me a pocket of breadish stuff with food inside.  They also laugh, every time I order a Hot Topic. 

Well, the other day, my pal Rhoda the Little Giraffe happened to be behind me in line in the cafeteria, and I ordered my Hot Topic, and she waited until we got to our table before she told me that my hot, pocket-shaped sandwiches are not, in fact, 'Hot Topics,' but are called 'Hot Pockets.'

I suppose that makes sense.  They are a hot sandwich, and they are pockets.  But I'm sad that they're not called 'Hot Topics,' first of all, because I hate being wrong, and second of all, I really thought they were Hot Topics, because whenever I eat one of these in the cafeteria, lively discussion whips up at whichever lunch table I'm sitting at.

I thought there was magic in my hot sandwich that made the lively discussion -the Hot Topics, if you will- start up.  I really thought that was what was going on. 

I guess what I'm saying is the theme of my year of being Two is that I'm wiser but sadder. 

And now I'm hungry for not only a Hot Pocket sandwich, but also I'm hungry for some Hot Topics around the lunchtable, so I'm gonna go.  I love ya lots, Friends, and I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

You Don't Hafta Be A Dancer In Order To Dance!

There's no wrong way to dance your dance!

Well, hiya, Big People! You know what?  I love to dance, and if you've been keepin' up with me all this time, that isn't news to you at all.  I've been a dancer from the time I was a really little kid! 

Not a dancer like 'oooooh!  you're a ballerina!' dancer, but I mean, I've loved to dance, and I have danced ever since I was a baby and my dancing was me laying on my play-mat and kicking my legs up to the hangy-down things from my play-gym.  It's moving!  That's dancing!

So my message today is that you don't hafta be a Dancer in order to dance.  Dancing is good for the soul.  You don't hafta take it or yourself so seriously.  Just hop up and move to the music, whether the music is coming from speakers or from inside your head.  There's no judging here!

And you just dance!  You don't hafta impress anybody.  You don't hafta starve yourself so you can be a twig in a tutu.  Just dance.  It doesn't matter what kind of shoes you're wearing.  It doesn't matter whether you're wearin' a leotard or a pair of jeans (stretchy jeans are the best for dancin' in, though, Friends... Just sayin')

Dance, and you'll find that all of a sudden, you can't help but smile.  That's the magical thing about dancing.  You can be all grouchy about things, and then all of a sudden, when you're dancing, you just have a big smile on your face.  Try it out, Friends!  Thursdays are EXCELLENT days to be dancers and just dance because you wanna!

I love ya lots, Big People!  See ya tomorrow!  Muah!

It's a New Day!

Gettin' older is all about shiftin' your perspective and realizin' you're gettin' more fabulous!

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Wednesday to you!

You know, after yesterday's post, I decided I don't wanna spend my Last Week of Bein' Two, bein' all sad-sack. Two and I have had a great run.  A whole year.  I've learned a lot! 

And it isn't like I actually LEAVE Two.  Two always gets to be with me. 

What really happens is that I get to be Three after next Tuesday.  What really happens is I get just a little more fabulous after I turn Three, and that's something I just can't see as a bad thing, you know?

And all that other stuff I talked about bein' worried about... well, I guess I'll just take it One Day At A Time.  That's all I can do, Friends.  That's all any of us can do. 

So I'm off to make the most of this new day!  I'm really gonna whoop it up, this last week of me bein' Two!  That's right, Friends!  Whoop it up with me!  Let's all have a Toddler Moment in honor of this, Friends!  Go ahead!  You've earned it!  Muah!

My Official Final Week as a Two-Year-Old

This is the week where I say tooda-loo to Two.

Hiya, Friends! Today is kind of a bittersweet, special day for me, and I'll tell ya why. 

Today marks the beginning of my final week as a Two-Year-Old.  I've really enjoyed bein' Two, you know, Friends?  Two has been really fun.  Two-and-a-Half was really, extra, super-duper fun!  I've gotten to do so many new things as a Two-Year-Old.  Two has kind of gotten to be my friend over the last year, and it makes me sad to hafta say good-bye and move on.

I just don't know what to expect from Three, Friends.  I know a lot more will be expected of me, once I turn Three.  I have a feeling this whole potty thing is gonna become a much bigger issue for me, once I'm Three.  I'm not lookin' forward to all that.  I mean, it was an issue ever since I turned Two, but I've heard from other Little Kids that now that I'm Three, the potty thing is gonna be pushed on me, because Mommies and Daddies don't think it's so cute to have a Three-Year-Old who doesn't use the potty.  I'm kinda panicking, really.  I mean, I feel like stuff is about to get REAL with me and the potty, and I'm terrified of havin' an accident.  As a Two-Year-Old, it was okay.  I don't think Big People think it's okay for a Three-Year-Old.

And I bet you thought it was an act of defiance, all this time, me stickin' with my dideys. 

That's just one reason I'm kinda sad about leavin' Two behind.  See, I can't help but notice I'm outgrowin' some of my favorite clothes.  Some of my favorite shoes don't fit me at all, anymore.  And that makes me sad.  New things are nice, but I my favorite clothes are... well, my favorites.  They're like old friends, and seein' them come off their hangers and go into the plastic bin makes me sad.

It makes me wonder what'll happen when I outgrow my wonderful, simple Toddler Life, you know?  I know every birthday is one birthday closer to the day when I'm not a Toddler anymore, when I'm not a Preschooler anymore, but a Kindergartener.  Three more years, and I'll be in school.  I'm halfway through my Preschoolhood, and I know I'm lucky, because I get another extra year, on accounta bein' late on bein' born, but time's ticking away on me, nonetheless.  I just don't know what to expect outta that stage of my life, and it gives me a little anxiety.

I know I need to pull myself together, Friends.  But for right now, I'm gonna be a little sad about this bein' my Last Week of Bein' Two.

I love ya lots, Friends!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

What the What?! It's September Already?!

Well, bowl me over... it's September already!!!

Hiya, Big People!  Holy smokes, did you know that in addition to being September First, it's Labor Day?  The official 'See Ya!' to Summer.  I feel like Summer just got here!  Remember how, back in the Spring, when it seemed like Summer was having a hard time deciding to show up, I told us all to be really nice to the warm weather, so Summer would stick around longer?  Remember?  It seems like yesterday.

Also, I think somebody must have given Summer the stink-eye. I'm just sayin'.  I'm not pointing fingers, but I think it was my Mommy.  My Mommy hates hot weather, even though everybody else loves it. 

Somebody scared off the warm. 

But anyway, here we are at September the First.  And I don't know aboutchyoo, but this news is just bowling me over.  I'm not actually sure I can process it right now.

I'd better go to a picnic.  That'll probably help.  Maybe you oughtta go to a picnic, too, Friends.  We'll meet up again tomorrow.  I love ya lots, Friends!  I sure do!  Enjoy the holiday!  Enjoy the September First!  Muah!