hair today . . .

some things just need to be put right out there:

a truism as far as i'm concerned.  snort.  or slurp.  or both.

and since my hair is finally getting longer, i am playing with it to see if i can find ways to put it up for our paddle on the high seas and just in general because really, who wants to see an old(er) lady with hair hanging down her back besides me.  and so, i watch all the videos i can find on the subject that seem age appropriate because after all, even i agree pigtails and fountains are ridiculous at my age.

here is try number one but keep in mind, kidlet and i went clothes shopping and quite a few tops and sweaters went on and off over this do:

you can tell, i am not good at selfies and a mirror.

and i'm surprised how un-red my hair has gotten over the years.

and yes, i know i need some mousse and spray or gorilla glue to keep the hairs in place but it least it is up and out of the way.  and yes, i am still wearing the 9TS's shirts.

i have a few more months to practice.  if things take a nose dive, i'll go back to kristen, my hairdresser before i let it go, and ask for some major help or a wig.

life is good.

happy. happy.

yesterday was another drop dead gorgeous day in florida.  a high of 61º which was perfect for jeans and turtleneck sweater and a drive up the ocean for an art show with robin and julie:

checking out the booths and the shrubs since it was held in a nursery.  oh and there were dragons!!!

and more dragons:

and more:

 and flowering everything:

 oh and dolphin:

and in the midst, i found joanie's birthday present.  i hope i remember by december 8.

and then this view of a very blue sky up through the trees:

and then we headed to jt's for a quick beer with vicki and paul and then on to captain's bbq with julie's husband, randy and robin's husband, david for a late lunch.  i scoffed down a pulled pork sammie with a side of mac and cheese and another brewski.  plus a little take-out for kidlet.

perfect day.  perfect company.  so much fun.  thanks, robin, for a great one!!!

i won't grow up . . .

hens lunches are about more than just food.  and when we dropped down to daytona to munch at caribbean jack's, we had to play with the big chair a la lily tomlin:

i conned joanie into trying out the chair first.  she is always so obliging. she looks just like eloise, doesn't she!

after lunch, we had to give it another try, now that the sun was on that side of the building.  lee scrambled up and in.

i love these shots.  we were laughing so hard and grinning from ear to ear.

aren't they cute:

and then they made me hop in.  hop being the operative word:

then it was lee and me:

and finally, a passerby was called in to help and got the three of us.  by this time, lee had figured out how to cheat and was climbing in under the arm of the chair:

we'll grow up some day, but not to soon.

and this gem.

happy birthday . . .

my dear 9TS!!!!

and still, four years later . . .

cancer sucks.

nothing like putting things off . . .

i'm watching all three seasons of Lie To Me.  i really liked that show and basically forgot about it until i was looking for something to iron to.

four episodes and five loads of laundry done.  29 tops ironed.  no, there was nothing left in my closet.  and yes, i iron about four times a year.  i'll have to repeat the process tomorrow to get my slacks ironed and the hand wash done.  but first i have to attack the bathroom sink with drain-o.  it's sluggish.  anemic. constipated and suffering from depression.

it's 81º today.  i refuse to put the a/c on.  i know mother nature is just messing with me.  tomorrow will top out in the 60's.  happy.  happy.  happy.

it will get better . . .

our homework is to throw away our mouse for the week.  i made it an hour.  it's hard to retrain my brain.

on a good note, after much frustration, i managed to set up the short cuts on my intuos3.  now if i need a new document, new layer, brush or undo a mess i made, i just hit a single key and i'm good to go.  so much fun. i am going to try and be good and use the pen as much as possible.

my favorite birds.  what is the plural of ibis?  ibi?

 they are so ridiculous.

they look like something dr. seuss made up.

and then there is this:

i rest my case.

this and that . . .

the other day on our walk was hawk day:

unfortunately, my phone doesn't take great shots.

but these are stunning birds.

so i'll take what i can get.

and then there is always this to cheer up your day:

slurp!!!

and this oldie, maggie posted from high school:

i don't even remember that bathing suit.  1967 was a loooong time ago.

and then of course i have been playing:

and last but not least, i took part one of anna aspnes's pen table class tonight.  she wants us to give up our mouse for a week.  eek.  grabbing my heart??  surfing for a week with a pen????

hummmm.

trial one . . .

just finished blow drying my locks.  they are definitely shiner.  still oddly textured in the back but good enough for the first trial. 

of course my hair has a lot of variables so this might take a while . . .  oh and by the way, the windows are wide open . . .  and yes, i have trouble staying on track . . .  my usual routine is to wash my hair just twice a week and each time drench it in coconut oil before drying . . . and yes, i have added too much and looked like a drowned rat.  i didn't use coconut oil this time because i needed a control group.  the product also says to use a minimum of three times a week.  oops, we already broke that rule.  or.  and i like this or.  saturate dry dirty hair in the magical elixir and let it sit for twenty minutes, once a week.  we are going to try that next time.

the other variables are whether or not i straighten my tresses with a curling iron.  yes, i use a curling iron to straighten my hair.  it always looks less cotton candy after it has been fried but fried it is so i don't do that too often.  and do i use pre-fry goop.  hair spray.  additional shine gloss.

see lots of variables.  so here's the thing.  this is a first world problem and i have things to do and places to see so into a pony tail goes the mop. 

oh. oh.  kidlet brought me home a surprise:

a pack of black and white fabrics.  i think i'll make some zippered cases to keep my big tote company.  i love that they look like zen tiles.  happy.  happy.

my scavenger hunt . . .

has come to a close.  i finally found the recommended john frieda luminous glaze clean shine gloss . . .  whew, that's a mouthful.

their website said it was carried at walmart.  no. target.  no. walgreen's. no.  ulta. no.  i finally found it at cvs.  tomorrow we will try this elusive goo and see if it can tame the frizz that iz.

now i am on a new hunt for detayne.  it is a fixative that keeps fabric from bleeding.  my new wine jacket is hemorrhaging all over anything white worn under it.  again, not found where most recommended.  it can be had from amazon but the shipping is more than the product.  gah.

and since i have been grumbling, i will calmly ungrumble.

the weather is once again stunning.  cool and fresh.  dry.  epic. when i washed my face last night before crawling into bed, i looked at the color in my face. pink.  yay!!  not a burn, just the disappearance of winter pallor.  happy.  happy.

and driving with the top down?  this just never gets old. 

kidlet's friend t.j. came over tonight.  pizza.  yes!!  not good for the diet but great for the soul.

life is good.

lunch with the hens . . .

we went back to chucherias hondurenas down in daytona today.  we got no further than the special of the day; salmon in a coconut curry and garlic sauce with fried plantains and a rice tower and didn't even look at the menu.

o.m.g.  so good.  joanie's rice tower fell over immediately.  mine tumbled shortly thereafter.  lee was crowing that hers was still standing.  so i did what any red blooded foodie would do.  i grabbed my fork out of my mouth and tipped hers over in one fell swoop.  and when it retained its tower shape, i took that same fork and smashed it to pieces.  i'm a good friend like that.

want some ambiance on a drop dead gorgeous day??

this was when we first got there.  by 12:30 it was packed.

nice roof, eh?

sweet outside too.

and a little fun????

but as we were sitting there fully sated, i decided by the amount of salmon that this was no $8.95 special of the day so we decided to play the price is right.  the person with the highest guess without going over wins.  i bet $22.  joanie bet $29.  lee was in the high teens.  joanie won!  it was so worth it.  every once in a while, you have to splurge and that twern't no line chef in the kitchen.  slurp.

so i read a lot . . .

always have.  as a kid i had a fairly decent vocabulary because i could pretty much nail a definition by how it was used in a sentence. 

fast forward many, many years and a fault is appearing in my logic.  yes, i know the meaning of the word but because what i learned was visual and not audible, my pronunciation is so far off base, people look at me like i am nuts.

case in point one:  i said something to kidlet about having a plethora if goodies.  you know pleth or a.  she tilts her head and says, "pleth o ra".  what?  i run to look it up.  damned if the kid isn't right and all these years i've been saying it wrong.

case in point two:  i am out to lunch with nancy and i am discussing the new bag in my purse that contains the detritus of my life.  you know, dee tree us.  nancy tilts her head and says "de try tus".   aaarrghhh. 

now i'm afraid to use my 25 cent words.  no matter.  my friends are used to me.  life is good.

beautiful day . . .

in the neighborhood.

took my fat black cat to the vet's for a weigh-in.  she is officially down five pounds and so much happier.  one more pound to go.

then off to run errands under a big blue sky with the top down, yet cool enough at night to sleep well.

grilled fresh swordfish with roasted potatoes and onions with corn for dinner.  lemon right off the tree.

life is good.

happy. happy . . .

spent some time with a really nice guy from india who walked me through updating the drivers for my wacom intuos3 pen tablet.  he was super concerned he was talking too fast for me to catch what he was saying and would slow down until he got excited again.

does this all sound like gibberish to you?  yeah, me too.  but basically it means i am now up and running for my pen tablet class that starts next monday!!!!  i've taken a pen tablet class before with someone else but just couldn't get excited about it.  hopefully taking this class with anna aspnes will dispel that little hiccup.

i can't wait to be able to do layouts using a pen instead of a mouse.  so much easier . . . i hope.

yay!!!  love learning new things.

a two for . . .

nancie rowe janitz came out with her newest goodies yesterday, they will be in her shop on friday.  i couldn't wait to play:

the kit is from her multi-medium kit Beloved.

gutter snipe . . .

i really wanted to play in the snow . . . in photoshop, but i don't have any snow shots.  so i lifted one from kelli.  it didn't quite work where i had wanted it so i took a shot taken here in florida and by george, i made it snow.  gotta love photoshop:

isn't the shot of kelli's back yard beautiful.  that is the real thing.  snow at its best.  note:  this is a kit and layout from anna aspnes.  she does these fabulous how to vids and i've found if i try and recreate what she has done, i learn faster.  winner.  winner.  chicken dinner.

and since i played, i worked.  put on my rubber gloves, dragged out the ladder and cleaned out the gutters in the front of the house.  they were knee high with oak fluffies and leaves.  my intentions ran out before i got to the back of the house.  that one is shorter but trickier.  it tucks back under the pool cage and my monkey days are long over.

and then a nice sweet bath from this mornings walk and gutter antics.  life is good.

fighting with macys . . .

been looking for a layer for our paddle down the adriatic.  expected temps ranging from high 70's to low 50's.  i know it is months away but if i don't get going, all that will be available will be peak summer season duds.

and so, i found this:

sorry, i would love to make it full size but it was saved at probably two and a half pixels.  anyway it is long sleeved faux suede cardigan in slumber . . . why gray is called slumber is a conundrum.  i like it.  it also came in taupe and modern navy.  i nixed both but then there was the new wine.  another conundrum.  which did i want?  kidlet, sitting along side me in bed, chirps up and says i need both.

first i have to find them in a store near me.  i don't like buying off the net unless i already own something by the same company and know it fits.  but there is not a macys within 100 miles that stocks this item.

a leap of faith and a really steep discount for presidents day and i hit the magic send button and am the proud owner of the slumber number.

kidlet is still chirping away at how i should be getting the wine as well and reminds me if i buy the wine too, i will negate the shipping fee.  i cave and call macys who happily grants my wish and changes my order to two.  i can always take one or both back to our local macys.

meanwhile, i am on the phone and my amex alerts me to $137 charge.  doesn't fit the profile for either or both of the cardigans.  i call amex and now macys has three charges on my account.  none of which match double the price of one, less shipping??????  the nice lady at amex tells me to call macys or let it sit for a couple of days and see what shakes out. i am not a sitter outer.

today i call macys and they cannot explain it.  the goods will be here later this month but the charges?  they don't know.  what, i squeal????

they promise to fix it.  if they don't, amex will.  gotta love my little green card.  and cruises.  and friends who go on cruises with me.  and anticipatory excitement.  life is good.

and yes, i am ignoring the fact that it is valentine's day.  some things still sting.  this is one of them.

on growing older . . .

 

we slowed today's walk down and cut it short.  hips, knees and other bendy parts needed some tlc.

24 hours in 43 seconds . . .

vetoed yoga this morning and went on a little three mile hike.  the weather is fairly spectacular as in stunning.  got to wear less clothes and happy, happy.

lunch with the hens, italian style.  love me some eggplant parmesan.  slurp.

off to the big box stores for some glaze for the old grey head.  no could find.  i'll try again tomorrow.

a nap is good.

cheerios for dinner.  yes, i did. they were good.

play time and off to bed.

yup . . .

you know who you are!!!!

catching up after my slacker days.  getting things done. 

running o u t  o   f     e     n     e    r    g     y

another slow day . . .

in bismarck, n.d.

and here too.  the cold weather has kept me cocooned inside.  laziness has kept me in bed surrounded by cats with my mac in my lap and a book by my side.  hunger will force me into the kitchen for a roasted pork butt for kidlet.  my bathroom did not get cleaned.  the stairs did not get vacuumed.  the bills did not get paid. 

so privileged to be a sloth. 

i won't grow up . . .

If growing up means
It would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree,
I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up
Not me!
Not I,
Not me!

ok so i am grumbling about all the preventive medicine i decided to partake in yesterday.  my teeth are all clean and shiny even if all but seven are capped.  look at it this way, when i was five, most people over sixty didn't even have teeth to whine about.  out they came and in went the fake chompers.  yay for my healthy mouth.  grin.

from the dentist's office, i migrated to my pcp's dwelling.  he says i'm healthy as an ox.  lose fifteen pounds, come back in six month.  got my p-monia shot, and hands x-rayed. call today, ok, so the soreness in my fingers is osteoarthritis. now it has a name, it can go away.  little know factoid.  i was born with six fingers on my left hand.  it was removed before i ever left the hospital.  now i only have ten fingers.  that's one less to bother me.  life is good.

namaste.

whatever happened to . . .

rubbers.  you know, those black rubber monsters we slipped over our shoes to keep our feet dry in the rain:

i'm talking the short version.  i actually have the larger version in bright yellow with white polka dots.

and speaking of rubber, bathing caps, those industrious little buggers that you yanked and fought to pull over your head before swimming in the pool or the ocean:

and yes, that is me.

then there were hair dryers that sat on your hip while the bonnet covered your rollers or soup cans:

i think i got one for christmas the year i turned fourteen.

what about snow pants.  the kind that fit under your skirts to keep your knickers warm while walking to school.  and no, that is not me.

and ice skates that adjusted to your boots.  i actually have a pair hanging from my fireplace and well, yes i also have a pair of snow shows over the arch into the dining room.  and yes, i live in florida.

and picnic baskets with plaid thermoses:

ours came with metal plates and bakelite handled silverware.

these are things i think about before my brain caves into sleep.