The Zucchini Patch has moved to zucchinipatch.com.

For those of you who use news aggregators, the new xml feed is:
http://www.zucchinipatch.com/?q=node/feed

My 2005 archives will remain at this address.

Posted by Jessica Del Greco at 04:10 PM | Permalink

Amber's comment on my last post reminded me of the times when I tormented Dan's friends with my furry marionette. Gee, I wonder why we didn't have more company...

Posted by Jessica Del Greco at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I hate New Year's Eve. When I was younger, I felt so much pressure to make the night memorable, momentous, monumental, to find the right party, to concoct a witty resolution, to...um... have fun. Streamers, confetti, champagne, and kisses... Yeah, right. New Year's Eve has never gone according to plan.

This is going to be embarrassing -

1995: My long term boyfriend, L. and I decided to spend a romantic evening at home. Around 6:00, I drank four shots of vodka in quick succession and proceeded to get sick. After an exhausting night of vomiting and fighting, L., who had continued to drink, called 911. His complaint: "She's trying to sleep." A cop pounded on the door at 4:00 a.m. to settle our domestic dispute.

1996: I was home on semester break, so I decided to spend the holiday with my sister and her friends. At 6:00, I stoned myself speechless. At 6:01, a former acquaintance, this guy I made out with once... oh, and I may have pierced his belly button with a safety pin, or something like that... called asking me to pick him up to join the "party." I refused to talk to him. In retaliation, he called the cops. (I'm sure he has his own version of events) At 9:00, APD (that's Alton Police Department) snuck up to the house with flashlights, examined the footprints in the snow, then pounded on the door. We greeted them in our pajamas.

1997: My first year with Marcus, but we spent the holiday apart. He went to a party in Durham, while I accompanied my roommate, Dan, to Boston. We saw the Picasso exhibit at the MFA, which was very nice (I'm partial to his blue period). Then I got grumpy. I complained about the cold weather, the food, and the lameness of the party Dan's friend was hosting. We headed home early, and I fell asleep in front of Amadeus.

1998: Marcus and I went to a gathering at Justin and Josie's place in Maine, where I confirmed the fact that I can't handle hard alcohol... I got sick after everyone was in bed. Other than my run in with the toilet, it was a fun evening. I actually made it to midnight... whoo hoo!

1999: I was so excited about Y2K. I was hoping for some chaos and a break from my dismal job at Liberty Mutual. Marcus and I stocked up on canned goods and water, much to the amusement of the Pic 'N' Pay bag boy. Adrienne came over to our Portsmouth apartment, and helped me keep Marcus awake until midnight by applying cold compresses to his forehead. We watched the ball drop. I was disappointed when the lights didn't go out, but other than that it was a pleasant evening, and the canned goods fed us for years.

2000: I was pregnant with Abby, six days overdue. Marcus and I stayed home aside from an excursion to Store 24 for junk food. Marcus looked so handsome in the new winter coat I had given him for Christmas. It was one of my happiest holidays. The teenage boy who lived downstairs from us was partying with his friends on the front steps of our building. It's so nice to be a grown up, I thought.

2001: Blank. Abby was one, and we were about to move, so we probably stayed in.

2002: We went to Uno's in Dover with Jenny and Sean then proceeded on to a party at Jaime's house. I drank lots of beer and fell on the ice. We didn't get home until 4:00 a.m.

2003: We hosted a party at our house. I drank lots of beer and fell on the ice. Marcus and I went to bed at 9:00 while our guests partied on.

2004: I was pregnant with Marco, very tired and grumpy. Some of Marcus' friends from Somix came over with their young children. We ate Chinese food.

2005: Marcus and I put the kids to bed early, drank half a bottle of champagne while playing Simpsons Hit and Run, then went up to bed. It was a good night.

-----------------------------------------

Good morning 2006! My only resolution is to be happy... Oh, and to stop buying Bali Shag.

2005 was a big year. We bought two new-to-us cars, Marcus started working at UNH, and, most importantly, Marco and Olivia were born.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Posted by Jessica Del Greco at 04:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A half an hour ago, I put Marco in his crib and sat down to write this blog post. Then I felt a tug, not the pull of a child asking for milk or hugs or a romp with the Barbies, not the call of my husband, blind to the shoe tree, in search of his slippers. Nope. I was alone. It was obligation, duty, and habit which yanked me away from my computer, back up the stairs to the kitchen.

I need to finish loading the dishwasher before I can relax. Wipe down the sink, the counters, the table. A pair of stray boots on the floor. Books scattered across the coffee table. Toys, toys, toys. Grind the coffee for tomorrow. Done. I glance back to assess the room. Good. No, wait. Crumb on the floor. I bend over to pick it up. Then I notice a thread, another crumb. Didn't I just vacuum?

I give up. I return to the basement where I hear the loud buzz of the dryer indicating that another load of laundry is clean, another basket to haul up to the master bedroom where I will abandon the unfolded clothes for a day, then another, rooting through the pile for items as needed.

The playroom is a mess. I really do clean it. I have photographic evidence. Oh, never mind... That shot's from December 16th. I turn off the lights, blanket the clutter with darkness.

"You talk about housework all the time," complains Marcus, "It's like your life."

"No," I reply, "It's like my job."

And I'm not very good at it. The truth is that I'd rather sit in front of the computer than polish the furniture. I'd rather play peek-a-boo with Marco or dress up with Abby than wash my windows. The house is never really clean, not all at once anyway. I'm just treading water hoping to be rescued before my arms and legs give out and I sink into an ocean of wrinkled sheets.

I've come a long way though. When I was 20, my poor roommates scowled at my unwashed dinner dishes as I trotted merrily upstairs to enjoy a beer... Dishes can wait 'til morning. When I was 21, I use to poor carpet deodorizer in the cat's litter box rather than clean it. When I was 22, my mother-in-law taught me how to iron... I didn't know I was supposed to use steam. When I was 23, I had a baby. Things changed.

Hormones taught me the value of cleanliness, the satisfaction of a toilet well sanitized, a closet well organized, and a carpet that inspires guests to remove their shoes. There is a certain medative state which can be achieved through physical labor, scrubbing and scouring and bleaching. When the house is clean, I feel clean.

The thing about housework is that it doesn't stay done. I could spend the entire day in motion, chemicals and duster in hand, riding my broomstick through the hall, down the stairs, across the ceilings, and by dusk there would be a plate in the sink, a shirt in the hamper, and a puddle of dirty water next to the door.

I'm going to read Abby a story now, but I have future housework posts queued up, partly because I'm reading a great book Sweeping Beauty: Contemporary Women Poets Do Housework by Pamela Gemin, mostly because housework is an endless topic.

Posted by Jessica Del Greco at 06:42 PM | Permalink

The Christmas pictures are up... We got some good ones!

Posted by Jessica Del Greco at 08:56 AM | Permalink

I bought Abby a make up kit for Christmas at her request. It comes with a pink case. When you open it, there is a mirror with three lights on either side.

Tuesday, Marco and I spent 45 minutes scouring the house for C batteries to make the lights work. We found one on a shelf in the basement, one in a flashlight, and one in a radio. She's going to love this, I thought.

Our daycare provider, Celeste, was also aware of Abby's desire for make up, and, being the kind person that she is, gave her a very nice kit Thursday at the annual Christmas party.

Abby adores it! Yesterday morning, we made each other up with blue eye shadow, dark pink blush, and gobs of lipstick then donned her dress up clothes and put on a dance show for Marco, who seemed more perplexed than amused.

"Do you think Santa knows that Celeste gave you make up?" I asked. "Because you asked him for some, too."

"Santa knows everything," she replied, "but maybe he'll bring me more make up anyway."

I don't know. Marcus thinks I should save the gift for another occasion, but I was so excited about my pretty lights!

Posted by Jessica Del Greco at 09:20 AM | Permalink

I wrapped all of my Christmas gifts yesterday while Abby was at Celeste's house. On a whim, I decided to leave out a couple of craft items to get us through the week.

This morning, at 7:30 when Abby asked, "What can I do?" I reached into the closet and grabbed a bag of colorful popsicle sticks. "Cool!" she exclaimed.

She's been happily occupied ever since, pasting the sticks together with glitter glue. That was a dollar well spent!

Posted by Jessica Del Greco at 08:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)