April Flowers*

"I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden."                               

  -Ruth Stout 

Good morning everyone and Happy April Fool's Day! :-) Today is my brother Ant's 40th birthday! Happy Birthday Ant! 

Here I am with my brothers Sal and Ant! We had just gotten home from my ballet recital! I think I was around 8 years old, so it must have been 1983! The recital was held at Hofstra University and Carrie Frederick and I were in the same class! I remember that we got ready in the dressing rooms where all of the professional dancers and actors would get ready. It was a huge room lined with glamorous hair and make up stations and light bulb framed mirrors! I remember how grown up and excited we were to be performing there! For the rest of the summer both Carrie and myself wore our leotards to run through the sprinklers on hot and humid Long Island summer days! Such ballerinas we were! Ha!

I remember when my brother Ant had taken ill with the chicken pox. He was 8 and I was 4. He was to stay in bed in his jammies and rest all day. I decided that I too wanted to stay in my jammies all day and rest in bed with him and keep him company! I  ended up also getting the chicken pox which my mum was fine with since she could kill two birds with one stone! I never really thought about how horrible that saying is. Why are we killing two birds anyway? Who came up with that? Probably a hunter! I am changing it to shattering two light bulbs with one wand, much better!!!!

I also remember when we worked on the film "A Bronx Tale" together. I was 15 and Ant was 19. It was filmed in Astoria- Queens, NY and it was directed by and also starred Mr. Robert Deniro. We played high school students in the year 1968. We worked on the hallway scene and the school yard scene for a week. Ant had also worked on a funeral scene the week before. We were  transformed with hair, make up and wardrobe. When Ant stepped out of the wardrobe trailer, I believe I fell to the ground laughing. I had never seen my brother in such tight clothing before. He looked like he belonged on "Star Trek." His hair was slicked back and he had on the tightest mustard colored sweater and the tightest maroon colored pants known to man! It was great! I was in a pea green burlap dress  which I am sure housed a dozen or more potatoes before they made it into a dress.  I also had a bee hive that could have touched the sky! It was an awesome experience and we made life long friends on that set! Soon after that we worked on an episode of "law and order"....We played two characters that day, homeless kids in the first scene (he was pushing me around in a shopping cart) and for the second scene I was a prostitute while Ant was a pimp, oh boy my mum must be so proud! Ha! 

Happy Birthday to my amazing brother! May this year prove to be magical and full of love and laughter! I love you! I also love my other brother, so Sal you are awesome too and always find the time to tease me, which I know means you LOVE ME TOO! Okay enough mush for one day! 

I've been trying to meditate in the morning! I'm not sure if meditating is hard for everyone, but golly gee sometimes my mind just can't quiet down. I find the best times to meditate is when I get out of the shower in the morning or when I get out of the bath in the evening. I suppose washing away all of the dirt also feels like washing away all of the noise in one's head.....I like sitting on my floor, towel on my wet head, heating pad under my bum and a few minutes of imagining myself walking through lavender fields on a crisp blue day!

My new goal for April is to meditate a little more each day, I also want to find a new canvas tote and if I stumble upon some fresh linen candles, pick up a few for my home......Love the smell of fresh linen!


Keep a good mood,

Smiles,
Reese