another lazy . . .

day.

and even though blogger is trying to help me, peeps are being blocked from my blob.  it's now open again.

i tackle the problem from another angle.

whew!!!

celebrity finally decided to pull out of istanbul.  we will arrive in athens instead.

namaste.

changes . . .

by now, you all know i have made one major change to my blob blog.  i've closed it to the general public.   just something i needed to do.  if i missed someone and you think they need to be added, let me know and i'll take care of it.  and yes, of course kidlet has access.

in the meantime, i have some tidbits to share.

old spackle does not work particularly well and leaves spackle droppings all over the floor.  it looks like an albino mouse walked by.

if you can't pull a nail out of a wall and are too lazy to run for a hammer, you can get a better grip using your fake nails and a screw driver.  if that fails, your kid might bring you a pair of pliers and that will work too.  but the best option should have been that trip to the garage.

and this:

namaste.

lazy day . . .

joanie and i walked our three miles.  now it's either getting hotter or i am getting older.  it's getting harder.  but nice to be back in our old stomping grounds.

headed to perrines for english cukes, a red pepper, tomatoes, basil and fresh corn.  slurp.  dropped that off and headed to publix for groceries.

and that's where my production stopped short.  nothing much else accomplished she said as she eyeballed stacks of dirty laundry in her basket and ironing that needs attention.  tomorrow whispered her brain.  tomorrow.

and so i will leave you with these:

 and i really like this one:

good stuff.  namaste.

twas a very good day . . .

met a friend for lunch at snack jacks, walked on the beach and chatted and chatted some more.  headed home and chatted even more. it was 6:00 before we knew it and departure was imminent.  p.s. he has a beard.

called kidlet to see how she's doing and got a very plaintive, "i'm dying", through a very snuffly and nasally nose with added coughs and sneezes.  "do you have chicken soup?"  so kidlet dragged her body over and filled up with soup and alka seltzer plus and watched a movie since she still doesn't have her internet set up.

life is getting interesting.

a slurp-o-licious day . . .

the friday didn't work for the hens but saturday did.  we hit a place called pho saigon, a vietnamese restaurant.  i sat there staring at the menu hoping i could translate it but one of their specialties was a shrimp soup:

so, so good.  and these veggies on the side to be added as desired.

the bowl was tureen sized.  the other hens ordered clay bowls. here's lee's shrimp:

all meals made to order.  slurp.

and then it was up to Robin's for dinner.  robin, david, bob, bert and me.  she marinated chicken and david grilled it.  so stink in' good.  and yes, i indulged in berry pie with vanilla gelato.  slurp.  i think i should have waddled home instead of driving.

good meals.  good friends.  good day.

love these . . .

Advice from An Old Farmer


Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered… not yelled.

Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.

Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

Every path has a few puddles.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

The best sermons are lived, not preached.

Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.

Don’t judge folks by their relatives.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Live a good, honorable life… Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.

Don‘t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none.

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging’.

Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin’.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.

If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around..

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.

Most times, it just gets down to common sense.

Namaste.

quick note . . .

before my class starts. 

good day in black rock.  joanie and i took our old three mile hike through the gated community we were asked to vacate last march.  good to be back, even if we did have to sneak in.

all of which called for a nap and some good gliding around the pool.

and two more  crab cakes.

life is very, very good of late.

slurp!

a couple of weeks ago, i found a recipe for crab cakes that i've been wanting to try.  i bought some lump crab and it's been sitting in my fridge.  i was going to make it last night but discovered they wanted the crab to chill for one to three hours.  my stomach didn't want to wait.  and so, earlier this afternoon, i mixed it up, made a major boo boo along the way . . . note: wear your damn glasses, jeanne . . . but all was actually well.  it made six cakes.  two went in the pan and four went into the freezer.  i wish i'd eaten a third.

see the major problem??  i added the wet ingredients with the bread crumbs first instead of with the crab.  no worries, it was still most excellent.

 color me very happy

and quite full.  slurp!

and on another note, i finally bought a new door stopper to replace the one that died when kidlet moved out.  all went well until the door started to sag without the hinge pin in place but i stomped my foot and the angels heard . . .  the pin slipped right back into place.  it's amazing what you can do when you try.

bought the paint, some brushes and some tape to start painting the bead board tomorrow.  things are looking good.

namaste.

lots of news and other goodies . . .

my 27" iMac, was murdered during a power surge while i was on vacation.  nada.  for a month . . . no sign of life.  this morning while putting on my makeup for my luncheon outing, i absentmindedly hit the power button.  it LIVES!!!!!  33 days of not a peep and today is says hello, plays my favorite tunes and does the mexican hat dance.  color me happy.

color kidlet happy too.  it's been a banner week for her and i have THE very best friends. 

from sue, this wonderful wall decoration.  personalized and done in the colors of her house.

totally, totally cool.  thank you from both of us.

and then came a big package from les and roo.

les sent her this wonderful handmade throw in the softest gray to match her bedroom.  slurp. while roo drew her this most amazing owl.  although kidlet and i finally got to meet les and b. in real life, we still have not had the pleasure of meeting roo, but owls have been flying back and forth for quite a few years now, between the two. you out did yourself, roo.

life is most amazing when you have friends that have not only helped you though the rough times but who reach out and help your family as well.  i love the three of you and will for evermore.  thank you from the bottom of my black pitted little heart.

i need to wear my glasses . . .

more often.

i bent over to pick up a ball of cat fur.  it was wet sticky cat yak.  aargh.

i bent over to pick up a piece of felt from the bottom of a chair leg.  it walked away before i could reach it.  gah.

i bent over to pick up a piece of laundry lint.  it was a cat present.  eek.

this is nothing new, i got my first pair of glasses in seventh grade.  i just don't like wearing them.  loved wearing contacts.  my eyes are too funky to wear them now so i am back to regular glasses . . . which of course i only use to work on my computer or outside because my sunglasses are prescription.

i might just start wearing them again  . . .  or rubber gloves.  wink.

on your mark . . .

nancie rowe janitz new june thrive kit is now available at lilypad.  love the colors and having a chance to play with it.

i need a cyber bookmark to go with my cyber books.  ta da!!!!  i may have to print it out, add some ribbon and make it real.

lunch with the hens . . .

and back to an old standby for jamaican jerk chicken wraps with a side of beans and rice.  oh yeah!  the first full hen lunch in weeks.  happy to have joanie back from her adventure in alaska.  check out this shot she caught.

she has mad skillz with a camera.

happy father's day to all.  i lost my dad in 1998.  the last of the all american good guys and my life long sounding board.  you were a good man charlie brown.  love you.

i took a nap yesterday and woke up disoriented and it took me a minute to figure out why.  the clock on the telly was off.  and then i realized the fan was as well.  one reach to turn on a light and it was obvious the power was out.  am i the only person in the world, who after realizing we have lost power, still walks into the bathroom and tries to turn on the light.  gah!

dinner . . .

table for four at carrabba's to celebrate kidlet's birthday . . .  lee, kidlet, tj and i.  slurp.  and yes, we went through quite a bit of bread, calamari, wine and other goodies.  the polo rosa maria was most excellent as was the company.  we may have driven the waitress bananas.  and then there was this.

and four forks.  burp.

life is most excellent.

still cleaning . . .

and getting no where fast.  i swear the munchkins stay up late making new fur to drop all over the house.  it is multiplying.  i am afraid if i leave for long, i'm going to come home to 547 new cats.  long haired, bred to shed cats.

on another note, let's talk about nails.  finger nails to be exact.  i used to have, back in the day, really strong, long nails.  they're not even in vogue any more which is a good thing because my nails have become brittle and crumbly as i've . . .  cough . . . aged.  they break if i look at them wrong.  for our cruise, i decided to get gel polish.  they give a little strength and i asked the nail tech to make them extra heavy to last two full weeks.  she obliged.  but, my thumb nail is cracked from the top, vertically halfway down the nail bed so she did that one in acrylic.  wonder of wonders, it lasted perfectly except for the new growth and the polish was perfect.  hum, she said to herself, what if i did all ten nails in acrylic????  the lady next to me shook her head.  don't do it she said.  i couldn't even pick up a dime, she moaned. did i listen??  not i.  so now, almost three weeks later, i have these perfect nails, albeit a strange color that the tech insisted was the newest thing, with very little regrowth so they still don't have to be retouched yet. 

can i pick up a dime.  hell no.  at least not without using two hands and kind of scooting it up one finger until i can get a nail under it.  do they look fake?  you betcha.  she dragged out these super long claws and glued them to the fingers of the mangled nails on my right hand.  think elvira.  they need to be pruned back considerably and she chopped off a bunch in the shop.  can i wash dishes without harm?  YES!!!!  the only really bad downside is the thumb on my right hand doesn't want tohitthespacebar on the typewriter and the wordsallcome out jumbled together if i don't watch what i am doing.  do i care?  not wit.  it's fun to have perfect nails.  i'll worry when they turn black and fall off come october 31st. 

life is good.  and fun.

you have a choice. choose kindness.

laundry day . . .  or what you do when a cat yaks on your bedspread in the middle of the night.  so while you're at it, you might just as well do the rest.

ran some errands this morning.  the fish market for shrimp.  ACE for more cleaning supplies.  the veggie market for basil and tomatoes for a caprices salad.  it was a very good food day.  slurp.

kidlet stopped by since she still doesn't have internet.  hey, any port in a storm.  speaking of which, it is summer in florida so we are getting pounded with afternoon storms.  glad a got a little paddling in before the heavens opened. 

keep this in mind next time you get ticked:

namaste.

happy birthday . . .

kidlet!!!!!

lunch with nancy.  mushroom marsala soup with a side of fresh fruit.  yummo.  and a trip to michael's for some supplies to create another travel journal.  a little work around the house.  a nap.  a thunderstorm directly overhead.  and that is another day in paradise.

klutz . . .

i'm a danger to myself.  i have a regular old plastic bucket that i have had for years.  i use it when mopping the floors.  i also use it when cleaning the deck and pool furniture.  somehow, i guess the chlorine i use on the deck and old age did it in.  i had it in the kitchen sink filling with hot water, turned off the tap and swung it around to head to the bathroom . . . except all you know what broke loose.  the bottom had rotted out here and there and most everywhere.  the cats needed an ark.  gah.

and then there was the tale of pip on the deck with a chameleon.  i have cushioned chairs on mesh webbing.  the lizard hid on the inside of the webbing.  there was pip with her prey in sight and she couldn't reach the little beastie.  and she couldn't figure out why she couldn't reach what she could see.  yes, this is the cat that runs head long into screen doors.

life is good.

down time . . .

i decided life is delicious if you decide to sleep in every once in a while.  and so i did.  and it was heaven.  of course i had the obligatory 'feed me' cry at 5:30 but once that was done, i didn't move until 9:00.  weird and wondrous dreams like a johnny depp, alice in wonderland.  most entertaining.

and then since it was still early, i hit the pool deck and attacked a crossword puzzle book.

and did nothing else.  literally.  except make myself an ooey gooey eggplant parm.  and that is the perfect day for the perfect time.  amen.

play time . . .

ran my errands early in the morning so i could play this afternoon.  somehow a trip to the loft hopped into the loop and a tee or two found a new home.  heck, they were 50% off and it's just the beginning of summer.  i can justify anything.

i am now stocked to the gills with toilet paper, paper towels, bleach, tide, dawn, toilet bowl brushes and magic sponges.  serious business here.

and a little side trip to the veggie market yielded a plump eggplant and some fresh georgia peaches.  color me happy.

and so even after the laundry and vacuuming, there was time for this:

i am determined to make this into a book before the next trip comes around.  i may be skidding and sliding onto the finish line.

namaste.

bawk. bawk. bawk.

up and out the door to the dermatologist.  four something, somethings frozen on my back and new instructions for the Fluorouracil.  the perils of sunbathing as a kid.  or why i have a great attachment to sunblock these days.  i know you don't want to hear the broken record, but the sun is not your friend.  mel and his cousin anoma are beasts.  beware.  be careful.  be selective.  be covered.

off to lunch with one hen since the other is still in alaska.  we tried a new to us restaurant which offered a two for one special on fried chicken:

i thought at first the whole beastie was on my plate.  very good chicken by the way.  felt a little cannabalistic eating another hen but it was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.  as i complimented the manager when he stopped by, he gave kudos to his $20,000 fryer.  EEK!!!  heck for that, the chicken should come dressed in chanel.  rose villa, the restaurant, is a renovated late 1800's bed and breakfast,  specializing in southern cuisine.  the decor is nightmare of wallpaper gone wild but my favorite is the bathroom, complete with toilet tank on the ceiling and a pull chain.  i understand restoration, what i don't get is that it is a unisex bathroom with two toilets and two sinks but no separation of the appliances.  well, alrighty then.

in the afternoon, kidlet and i wrestled two cats to the vet's.  they are still madder then us wet hens and hissing at each other.  the third has a smug look on her face since it was not her turn.

and on that note, i am going to put my nose back into james patterson's 15th affair.

slurp . . .

started off the day with a meeting with the bank.  the bank is sound.  i may not be.  somethings never change.

left there and ran to publix for nourishment.  i'm happily eating pretty much a vegetarian diet.  slurp.  although in my case, vegetarian does mean diet anything.  not when i get my hands on a recipe for  pasta florentine made with mushies and spinach, heavy cream and parmesan . . . but it sure was good.

 who'd a thunk the addition of walnuts would be do good.

so after a couple of months of this, i'm going to be rolling instead of walking in the mornings.

no wonder the 9TS was such an advocate for red, rather than cream sauces.  hey, chocolate and vanilla folks.

and i'll leave you with this:

namaste.

s.s. minnow . . .

robin bought herself a kayak and wanted to take it on its maiden voyage.  always eager to get on the water, we headed down to the closest state park and broke that puppy in:

it weighs a scant 26 pounds which allows her to toss it in her car and take off.  much cuter and faster than the one i rented . . .

off we went across the inter-costal and into and around the islands.  we only got lost once.  thankfully there is a tree line to follow and a water tower to keep in sight.

we stopped, took a break and ate some fresh fruit with yogurt and coconut.  slurp!

but here's the thing.  i've been here for over 42 years and i have never seen a flamingo outside of a park or zoo.  we sat there gaping as 30 or more flamingos flew over head in perfect formation.  it was surreal.  utterly amazing.  i couldn't even think to grab my cell phone and get a shot.  i was mesmerized.  

now, look carefully at the shot of robin and above her head to the left of the palm tree is another amazing sight . . . four roseate spoonbills.  they are paler than flamingos but definitely pink.  next time i am bringing my old canon rebel.

amazing stuff, mother nature.  amazing.

and then home to start bleaching the floors and doing tons of laundry as i try and get the house back in some semblance of order.

balance.  it's all about balance.  namaste.

happiness . . .

lunch with nancy and la's.  some day, i will get tired of that restaurant but not anytime soon. 

off to the imaging center to do my yearly good deed for my boobs.  they have a new 3d system and i was told my insurance would cover it.  that of course makes me happy but then listening to another woman be turned down because she couldn't afford her insurance co-pay.  no bueno.  our system is broken 1000 ways to sunday.

and then off for 1/2 price shrimp and a couple of brews with lee at lulu's.  re-met some old friends.  i'm talking 40 years ago type friends.  woot.  woot.

the days are good.

donkey work of varying degrees . . .

spent the morning moving furniture around in the living room, putting my vacuum back together after its rejection of the christmas ornament hooks it found under the bookcase and ingested, and giving the furniture a good wipe down.  

in the name of fair play, i thought it expedient to pay my bills since i had ignored them since before my vacation.  done.  i'll balance my checkbook tomorrow after a stop at the bank for a couple of new registers.

and then the fun part . . . investigating the best way to get eight peeps from the port of piraeus to downtown athens.  there were a bunch of options but i think we've settled on a private van.  easier than marching 25 minutes from the port to the train station in the blistering heat, and safer than a taxi.  i've done one wild ride through athens by cab and that was my quota for life.

got all of our seat assignments except from paris to istanbul.  it's not available yet.  tomorrow the required visas will be ordered.  whoopie!

life goes on and it's darn good!!!

an eventful day . . .

craig called yesterday to see if the family could come over and go swimming.  no problem, but little did he know there was a price to pay.  hee. hee. hee. 

there's a storm a brewing.  thankfully it looks to be headed north of us but there were some issues around the house that needed attention.  while i attacked the gutters, craig pulled away the mulch and dead leaves that had built up and settled against the house.  normally i wouldn't care but it had climbed above the slab level which could mean water in the house.  no bueno. 

and then he did the same in the back and removed some rotten garden wood. 

and while everyone else was in the pool, he and michael moved the television from the living room into the 9TS's cave, and moved the barrister bookcase.  my house is coming together.  and then he grilled.  what's a pool day without burgers and dogs and some fries. 

lots done.  lots more to go.  life is good.

it just takes a little time.

a foodie road trip . . .

both lee and i had other plans yesterday and since joanie is still in the alaskan wilderness hunting wineocewoses, we decided if the weather was nice, we would head back to corky bell's for lunch.  in my everlasting hunt for a quicker way up there, it took us only an hour and a half . . .  and 45 minutes  to get home!!!!  oops.

but really, how can you eat here and call it anything but a win:

some spiced shrimp.  some onion rings.  along with lee's fried oysters and fried shrimp, greens and gumbo rice.  slurp.

and i have more good news.  i'll be paddling again.  so excited you're going to have to pull me off the ceiling.  more details to follow.

happy birthday . . .

to robin.  we did our best to celebrate in style.  this would be the birthday girl and bob.

 the birthday girl and her husband david and paulie.

 and one of the entire crew. vicki, sharon, me, robin, bob, david and paulie.

and if things still look the same tomorrow with a little more sobriety, i have some exciting news.

life is good.

the end of an era . . .

kidlet is out except for a few goodies to be gone through tomorrow.  and the need of a pick-up for a bookcase and tv.

she is on her own and i know she will fly straight and far.  she's a good kid and a strong one.  i wish you luck little one.  the door is always open  . . .

moving right along . . .

kidlet is back to pack up more of her goodies and cart them over to her kottage . . .  which by the way, she managed to lock herself out of last night.  everybody does it.  some of us have even done it more than once.  it's a ritual of ownership.

the sofa bed disappeared at 8:37 this morning.  so happy it has a new home.  it will live on a sun porch and be occupied by drunk buddies who come down for the games.  you can't make this stuff up.

decided to do some poaching, slicing, dicing and stirring and happily made a big pot of that chipotle chicken corn chowder.  now that corn is back in season, it is good and sweet which helps offset the chipotle and poblano peppers.  slurp.  and yes, i am a year round souper slurper.

and for my oddity of the day,  i found this stenciled on a wall in corfu.  don't ask, i have not a clue.

gotta love the world as we see it.