Florida

Toddlers are the best form of birth control. I'm in Florida nannying my own usual charges, but their Aunt and two cousins (ages 5 and 2 1/2) are here as well. They fly out this evening after extending their trip a few days. They are a handful. The noise level is tremendous. And the Aunt, who was a lovely professional woman, now converses by way of a constant dialogue interspersed with indictments to her children, or answers to their millions of questions.

Would it be possible, do you think, to have a baby and then ship them off until they are, say 7?

Otherwise my working vacation is lovely. I spend ages in the pool, yesterday was at the beach, and we go every day to the ice cream store. I bought a new straw hat yesterday with a wonderful floppy brim, and there's an alligator in the fountain at the entrance of the resort. He comes complete with his own egret, who stalks around the pond and stares in the direction of the alligator, so you always know where he is. He's been removed by the grounds staff several times, but always comes tromping back to his habitat.

Tomorrow we're to go see the Everglades.