It occurred while I was enjoying my birthday celebration dinner with my family. My youngest daughter is spending the summer in Buffalo and, thus, could not be at the dinner with us. During the meal, I stole a quick glance at my phone looking for the text message from her that I knew I coming. Instead, I saw a snippet of an email from a client which began, “Rona, I am upset. . .”  

I declined then Shelly accepted. Glad she asserted herself. We attended an off-Broadway play, “Cagney,” at the Westside Theatre, last night (Saturday, July 9, 2016). Mostly a musical it focused on actor extraordinaire James Cagney's career. The movie that I most identify with Cagney remains “The Gallant Hours,” his excellent portrayal of Admiral William “Bull” Halsey. Never much for gangster movies, I never watched “White Heat” or “Public Enemy” in their entireties; I knew Cagney made his name in them.

Following are the lyrics to a great song by the Temptations. I was singing this to myself this morning and realized how appropriate the message is today. What's amazing is that this was written and released 46 years ago...   People moving out, people moving in. Why, because of the color of their skin.Run, run, run but you sure can't hide. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.Vote for me and I'll set you free. Rap on, brother, rap on.  

Last week our 9 year old grandson sent home the following letter:Dear Mom, At challenge course I fell on a rock on my hand. At soccer, I got tackled like in tackle football and got kicked in the face. I don't know will happen in the next 3 periods. How are you doing?Perfect!Brilliant!

I have found this to be true for me lately, but not in such a "material" way. As Corey's pal, Robert Zimmerman sings, "Keep your eyes wide, the chance won't come again." We are surrounded by treasures, take time to look around and breathe in all that you see.  

  My son is taking Drivers’ Ed this summer and very much looking forward to being able to drive. (How that happened in the blink of any eye is the subject for another blog. He was just in nursery school yesterday. I promise.)    

Happy July 4th Gotham!! It’s officially summer. And with the hot weather, my “drink of choice” changes. In the winter, during a weekend diner, I almost always order a glass of white wine. During the summer, however, my drink of choice changes. During the summer, I generally crave a cold, crisp rosé.