MST3K: The Trevi Fountain Episode

I know I should have been wowed with the first of Lynda's Trevi Fountain photos... but all I could think of was Mystery Science Theater 3000 and then I lol'd myself silly!

I remember watching this whenever I was feeling under the weather and just vegging on the couch, waiting to feel better. OK, maybe a few times when I wasn't actually sick. Hey... B movies with robot commentary? That's funny stuff.



It rained yesterday. All day. A steady, unrelenting, drenching rain.

This yard trash can floated all over the Swamp and The Back 40 yesterday!

At least there wasn't any thunder and lightning. Gandalf hates thunderboomies, as does my computer. And for the first time since February or March, the temperature stayed at about 70 degrees. I was quite pleased about that part of it!

I braved the deluge and went out and got a haircut. I tried the salon just around the corner. It used to be a Fantastic Sam's. I liked the head massage she gave me. Oooh, Mama Mia! I know that she didn't quite get the bottom in the back quite like I want it but I'll give her another shot next month! Sorry, no pictures. Even I don't know what it looks like yet... it doesn't count until I fix it myself a few times! :]

Whitey's Singing in the Rain! Just Singing in the Rain!

We had MotherDear's Ziti and Meatballs last night. Barbara and Al joined us for supper. And later on friends came over to see about us. They wanted to see if we floated away. Life is good here on the Swamp!

And we've reached the end of another month. How did that happen? Bring on October! I'm ready for it!

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

Wine on the Vine

I stole these from my SisterDear's Facebook.

Lynda finally got a chance to upload a few photos from Venice and Tuscany. (These are all Tuscany.)

Lynda and Rick took 2 cameras with them and they took lots and lots of photos. Too many for her to upload to my Flickr, as originally planned. Not too many for me, mind you. Too many for her, as she's back to her nursing schedule as well as watching her granddaughter Aria 3 times a week.

We've decided she will just burn them all to disc for me. And by 'we've' I mean 'she's'. So I will wait patiently for the full-sized photos on disc to be burned and mailed. I need to remind her to keep them in RAW. That's the whole point for me... I want to play with them in RAW. I still don't have a DSLR so I'm totally jealous and anxious to play around in Photoshop. I need to load them into my computer and drool over the photos of magnificent Tuscany while I wonder if the day will ever come when I will see it with my own eyes. And wallow in my jealousy, which exists on several levels.

They took one day while in Tuscany and dedicated it to a 12-hour Winery Tour. I believe I may need an entire month in Tuscany! My working plan involves renting a villa. Perhaps I'll take a few day trips to Rome, Venice, Sienna, Sorrento, Pisa, Portofino, Positano... Goodness, I think I may need more time!

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

Fall Foliage, how I miss you!

Autumn is my favorite season! Unfortunately we don't really get a lot of that here in the deep south... and by that I mean practically none.

A maple tree shows its fall colors on Friday, September 17th, 2010, in Woodstock, Maine. A vast network of county foresters, volunteers and others contribute their observations to state tourism officials, who in turn work up "foliage forecasts" published online and elsewhere to let leaf-peepers know where to find the best fall foliage. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

I've simply got to start scheduling my SisterDear visits in the fall! It seems all the family events in the last 15 or so years have either been in the summer or winter! And I definitely don't care for the winter snow at all! The best I can recall, my last visit during the fall happens to have been with Mr. X in October 1993 just before our divorce was final 4 months later. The foliage was mostly past the peak of color, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and the crisp temperatures! Do you know what's funny about that trip? Everyone still raves about the awesome fire Mr. X made in the fire pit up at the lake one evening.

Tree branches covered with changing, multi-colored leaves of fall are seen below a partly cloudy sky in Portland, Oregon on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Don Ryan) #

Yes, all of my family still loves Mr. X. My sister Janice just spoke fondly of him last night. Again. Maybe they should invite him and his current wife up for a reunion! Umm...No, probably not! I doubt his wife would love that very much. Although she didn't seem to mind the last time they came to visit me and he hugged me goodbye. MotherDear says that we have the best divorce in history. hahahaha!

I'm hoping to live this Autumn season a bit vicariously through some of my New England friends, like Linda and Patti! I just know they will be posting some glorious fall foliage photos!

Chicken and Leek Pie with Puff Pastry

And finally, last night we had the 2nd Chicken and Leek Pie with Puff Pastry which I had made a few weeks ago. We simply defrosted it and popped it in the oven. It was a foodgasm! MotherDear made some mashed potatoes and we had a bit of cranberry sauce, too. I can not sing the praises of Cook once, Eat twice quite enough!! There are some recipes that just scream to be doubled (or tripled) and this is definitely one of those things! It is absolutely no more trouble to make two or three of these when you're already making one. And when you sit down to eat it and have literally spent NO time making it, it will taste THAT much better!

During dinner I heard a lot of "mmmm" and "this is SO good". And it is! Yum!

Bonus! There's just enough left over to have for lunch! :]

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, Oct 1-Nov 14, 2010

Uploaded by Scott Smith (SRisonS) 

It's coming up soon! It is one of my favorite Disney events! I'm seriously considering a trip down for my birthday. The Epcot International Food and Wine Festival is held every year in the fall. Imagine strolling around the world, sipping wine and tasting international fare from all around the world... in just one day!

One of my favorite things about this festival, other than the eating and drinking, is attending the Eat to the Beat! Concert Series held during the early evenings in the American pavilllion. Rick Springfield is appearing for the first time in November and I'd love to see him perform, but he's playing in the middle of the week. Rats. Perusing the weekend schedules, my 2nd choice would be to see Taylor Hicks, the American Idol 2006 Winner, aka "Soul Patrol"... Although I'm really not all that hepped up on him.

Anyone care to join me?

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

Boo!

Of course, there's always Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party!

Sometimes I really miss living in central Florida. Can you tell?

Al finished up with the 2nd commode yesterday. He didn't even want me to come over to help him! Don't you just love a handy handyman?! And he made sure it was all clean and purdy again. :]

My Mr. X could literally fix anything. As long as it was for anyone else but me. And he certainly never cleaned up after himself, so I really admire those qualities in a person. If something in our home needed to be fixed I had to do it myself. Or nag. I hate to nag. So I ended up hiring people. Which made him mad. We were married 22 years. Come February I'll be celebrating our 17th Divorce Anniversary! As will he, I'm sure! :]  Don't get me wrong... Mr. X is really a very nice person. He'd give you the shirt off his back. My Dad still dreams about him and both of my parents still love him to pieces. It's just that when we were together we were just like an open wound and a salt shaker.

I'm not saying which one is me in that particular analogy.

What was I saying? Oh, yes. Thanks, Al! You rock!

I took MotherDear to Bingo with the Biddies yesterday afternoon and we both won $50! Woohoo! And a friend of ours won the $500 Jackpot! She hardly ever wins, even less often than I do, so she was pretty dern excited about that!

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

Firenze

Yesterday was the first full day my SisterDear Lynda was back from Italy. And she still hasn't gotten around to sending me her photos. Can you believe that? Something about still being on Rome time.

So, since I can't yet play with her photographs of lovely Italy, I decided to feast my eyes on photographs by Flickr members.

Behold, Firenze!




1. Ponte Vecchio, 2. in Italy, 3. IMG_8635, 4. Florence my fantastic city ..., 5. IMG_8639, 6. Ponte Vecchio, Firenze, 7. Firenze sogna, 8. Florence: Old Bridge, 9. The Neptune Fountain, 10. View from Piazza Michaelangelo, 11. A place to learn, 12. View from Ponte Vecchio, Florence, 13. Florence sunset, 14. pizzicagnolo malinconico, 15. in Italy, 16. Florence my fantastic city ...

In totally other news and not nearly as exciting as Florence:

Yesterday at the Yellow house Al and I got one of the two commodes repaired. And by 'Al & I' I mean Al. However, he picked up the wrong seal for the other commode so that should be marked off of the To-Do list today.

While I was vacuuming the hallway the doorbell rang. A Realtor was there with buyers to show the house! She was a bit confused because the listing said the house was vacant. I explained who I was and why we were there and then Al and I promptly stepped outside so she could show it.

At least it's getting activity! Although we had to leave the water tank in the tub until Al got back with the right seal, so I hope it didn't get any more activity yesterday! That's not exactly what any buyer wants to see!

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

7 of 8

back l-r: John, Paul, Lynda, Christopher

front l-r: Billy, Janice, Tina

Christmas.. downstairs in the basement music/bar/family/rumpus room on Tomahawk Dr...another Christmas I couldn't make it home.

Tina scanned this grainy old snapshot, probably taken in the late 1970's. She says there's more to come. I hope she doesn't mean more Christmases I couldn't make it home. They were sad enough the first time.

Today is a bit of commode repair work at the Yellow house and some cleaning here at the Swamp...not especially a fun day but a necessary day.

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will somewhere, somehow! Big Hugs ♥xo

Superstitous Much?

Tucker Scissorhands

Not me. I even love black cats!

This is Tucker. He's a Tuxedo kitty. He had some unfortunate luck in the very beginning of his life. One day Tucker had the good fortune to wander into the parking lot of my business in Florida one fine Friday, where Tammy (the gal who handled a bunch of stuff for me) saw Tucker. She walked into the office, wished me a Good Morning and quickly asked if I had seen the kitty in the parking lot.

I went outside, saw him, scooped him up and had him at my Vet's that afternoon. What a mess this fella was. He was about 8 months old, literally starved, had a nasty infection from some sort of bites on his tail as well as having the dubious distinction of having more kinds of parasites than my Vet had ever seen in one cat at one time. Basically, I threw about $500 at him, nursed him back to health and then about 2 months later my friends Al and Barbara adopted him!



And just look at him! Tell me that kitty boy isn't lucky!

Anyway... Lois mentioned yesterday that I should plant St. Joseph upside down in the yard at the Yellow house. My Mother actually did that at every house she and my Dad have ever sold! I personally operate on a faith basis, but just for fun... do any of you know (or have) any other superstitions, good luck charms, mojo, etc. for selling a house?

And Lois? Did you know that St. Joseph is also the Patron Saint of Employment?!

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

It's a Woman's Prerogative

... and I exercised mine. The more I thought about renting the more I didn't like the whole idea, even paying a professional to handle it all for me. Yesterday I met with my Realtor again and signed a contract. My Yellow house is officially MLS listed!

Grayson December 2005. What a cutie pie!

We priced it right where it should sell, so hopefully it will in a reasonable time frame. The market is pure crap now. There are more than 1,700 houses in inventory in this market alone. My expectations are realistic. I won't be freaking out if it doesn't sell after a few months.

While I was there yesterday I went around sweeping cob webs and killing spiders, who have just about claimed the house as their own! I had planned to vacuum and clean the commodes, only to find that one commode won't flush... it needs a new valve, and the other one started spitting water out from the bottom of the tank... it needs a new seal. Oh, the joys! Guess what Al and I will be doing Saturday? I had planned to start painting my office then, and I still may. It will depend on how quickly we get those problems resolved and what else I find.

In other news...

Swallow (right), an 11-year-old cow from Yorkshire poses next to Freddie the bull in this photo provided by Guinness World Records. The minuscule cow has been named the world's smallest by the Guinness World Records book. The sheep-sized bovine measures roughly 33 inches (84 cm) from hind to foot. (AP Photo/Ranald MacKechnie/Guinness World Records) #

I wish I had taken this photo! How cute is she?

Speaking of cute...

Maxine Bunny Slippers!

DO want!

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

Farewell, Scooter

Scooter (1995-2010)

Yesterday my SisterDear and her family had to bid a final farewell to their faithful friend and companion, Scooter. Scooter was a nearly 15 year old Bichon.  They chose to get a Bichon because of the Bichon's coat and allergy concerns. They chose to get Scooter because he was such an adorable puppy.

The twins aren't quite 11 yet and they had lots of questions about death in general as well as doggy Heaven.

The years may have dimmed Scooter's eyes, but not his sweet spirit

I told them about the Rainbow Bridge. Tommy loved the the idea of the Rainbow Bridge. He also drew a picture of Scooter and put it in Scooter's kennel, which really made my SisterDear cry all the more.

And Kevin drew this.

As Kevin said, "Scooter: man's best friend and greatest dog.

Thanks for shining your light on us, Scooter!

That's a spicy meatloaf!

It's still hot here. What's up with that? It's the last week of September. I want some crisp, fall temperatures, please. It's not as though I'm asking for fall foliage, world peace or a politician I can trust.

My lonely little rose bush is still blooming [Imagine a cute photo of a little pink tea rose bush here]. I bought 4 tea rose bushes when we first moved to the Swamp. My Dad immediately threw one of them away. Apparently I bought a dead tea rose bush. I never said I had a green thumb! Then two were dug up by the raccoons and squirrels. My theory is the squirrels were hiding nuts for the winter and the raccoons were digging them up to eat now. They also dug up the base of my Red Dogwood. The leaves all died, but we left the tree until the Spring... just in case it's not really, really dead.

I met with my Realtor at the Yellow house yesterday. I wanted him to crunch the numbers on selling now versus renting. He recommended renting and it's no surprise that the numbers completely agree with him. I decided to use his Brokerage to manage the rental of the Yellow house. I've been fielding calls from wannabe tenants and I soon realized that I am not a wannabe landlord. Let the Realtor deal with it. They'll do everything for me, from screening the prospective tenants, running credit and background checks, taking detailed photos of the house before they allow anyone to move in, and then taking meticulous photos when they move out to compare. They also deal with any late payments, bounced checks, minor repairs, and even eviction if it should come to that. Done deal. Now I just need to meet the rental guy at the house once they've got all the particulars on the house. I never even have to meet or talk to the tenants. Sounds good to me!

Last night I made Pioneer Woman's Favorite Meatloaf.

It's very easy. Unless you're also working while making it and have to stop to talk to customers, do quotes and take orders in between prep steps.

See this? Pretty, huh?

With the yummy sauce on top right before putting it in the oven? Mmmm...

There's just one teency-weency little problem. The bacon was supposed to go on before the sauce. Oops.

No matter. I'm nothing if not flexible. I just put more yummy sauce on top of the bacon!

The sauce has ketchup, dry mustard, brown sugar and Tabasco. Which reminds me of a little tip I'd like to share with you. When you're picking up the sauce bowl to cover and put in the fridge for later and you think you have ketchup on your fingers, don't lick your fingers. Unless you're in love with Tabasco, straight up. Then you'd be all set.

Oh, the meatloaf?

It was mighty good! I'll make it again. However, I'll probably leave out the milk-soaked bread and I'll definitely throw it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the bacon more.

Don't let the title of the post scare you. It isn't actually spicy meatloaf. The sauce just has a little twang to it. At least that's all the Tabasco I put in. It's to taste, so knock your socks off if that's your thing!

I used Angus beef for the meatloaf. Don't you just love Angus beef? And real, honest to goodness get that Low-Sodium Bacon away from me original Oscar Mayer Bacon! My mother was mortified... but she ate some of it! And OMG! My Dad, who hates meatloaf worse than anything other than soft cheeses, ate half of a piece of meatloaf. And he said... "Hey, that's not bad... actually, it's pretty good."

You could've knocked me over with a feather!

If I missed you yesterday, I apologize. I had a very full day. Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I'm sure gonna try! Big Hugs ♥xo

PS. Oh, crap... I hit publish instead of schedule post. It's been THAT kind of day it seems! So, you get it a day early! :]

Latvian Women with Bottoms

If you don't read John Heald's blog, that will make no sense to you. Or maybe it will! :]

Miss Bee, tell John to check his stats. At least 1 Latvian Woman is reading my blog! There's no telling how many are reading his!

And finally, I have 2 words for you that cracked me up yesterday: Ham Bush. bwahahahaha!

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

Here at the Swamp we don't get in too much of a hurry.

Not much went on around here this weekend.



I did finally leave the house yesterday to take Motherdear to Bingo with the Biddies. Neither of us won. Again.

I really do have to get to Wally World today or the kitties will start a revolution or something. I really can't complain. They really aren't picky eaters, as long as I have lots of their food, treats and litter on hand.



My Dad is dragging his feet about the Keurig. I didn't think he would because he used a Keurig all summer up at my sister's house. Of course he had to - it was the only coffee pot. Lynda uses regular Folger's coffee in the little My-K-Cup thingy, which is awesome by the way! I have one, too. Dad's beef was that he hates having to clean the little filter after every cup. However I ordered K-cups so he wouldn't have to clean the filter, he could just pop in the K-cup, but mostly he's been making his coffee in MotherDear's little 4-cup pot. She drinks decaf and she MUST have her little pot. Don't even suggest otherwise. There's just no way I'm having THREE coffee pots on the counter! That's reasonable. Right?

::sigh:: Progress comes slowly here at the Swamp!

Enjoy today's trip around the sun! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

"I got the clippetys all right, but I can't clop like I used to." -Al Jolson

I nearly forgot all about the day my SisterDear Tina and I went to Winthrop, our early childhood home, and forever our unanimous, hands-down favorite!



Tina is the youngest of the SisterDears and the only one of us still living at home when my parents decided to move back to Winthrop.

Tina learned to drive in Winthrop and she graduated from Winthrop High School. Me? I only went through the 7th grade. ;-)

Tina still has friends in Winthrop and she visits fairly often. She still knows her way around town. Me? I'm OK driving around in the passenger seat as I wait for it to vaguely come back to me. Sometimes it does; sometimes not so much!

Tina still knows all the street names. Tina's brain cells are 7 years younger than mine. Guess who drove? :]



We spent some time tossing out our memories, which aren't always overlapping. Remember? Tina is 7 years younger than me. This often makes Tina sad. You see, there was me, then Lynda and Janice... then a brother, THEN Tina and then 3 more brothers. Tina was in the 2nd half of the 8 kids, so to speak. She often cries when she hears me, Lynda and Janice talk about something she can't remember... because she wasn't there! She's sappy that way.

We also walked down onto the beach, watched the planes landing and taking off across Boston Harbor and collected some sea glass.



More on that another time!

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

What's Cookin' This Weekend?

That brief window of cooler weather has had me thinking about all those holiday recipes I haven't made since last year. So I'll be running out to the grocery store for a few ingredients and then I'll be making up a batch of Pumpkin Cake Roll! mmmm... It's very yummy and very rich!

I'll probably divide it into 2 smaller rolls and freeze one of them since only me and my mother will eat it. My Dad will not eat anything Pumpkin or anything Cream Cheese! I don't know what's wrong with him! It's a texture thing with him, or so he says! :]



And look who decided to fly a little bit closer yesterday. My friend, Mr. Hawk. He refused to turn around and say "Hello", so I'm afraid his backside will have to do!

Today is the usual Saturday chores, a trip to the store and maybe I can even squeeze in reading my book. I hope your weekend has something wonderful in it! Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

How to Attract a Cat: The Complete Guide

1. Open a window.



No, there is no Instruction #2. An open window is all you'll need. It's a Cat Magnet.

Yesterday morning was the first morning since March cool enough to open the windows. About 30 seconds after I opened the windows in my office, this was the scene. They all have to smell what they could merely see all Spring and Summer. They can hear everything better with the windows open, too. That matters to a cat. A lot.

Never mind that 30 seconds earlier they were all on the back side of the house on the screened patio.

Outside.

Different smells. Different sounds.

Doesn't count.

I'm loving it myself! Alas, it only lasted until about 9am, when the air conditioning came on and once again, I had to shut the windows. But it's coming! I endure the heat here in the south because I don't want to endure the snow in New England. I don't mind the cold per se; it's the snow and ice that I hate. I live for this kind of weather and will enjoy it immensely... until Spring returns with the heat and humidity.

Welcome, 60's temperatures! Oh, how I have missed you!

And yesterday when I said I thought those were Dragonflies? They are Dragonflies! I walked down to the Swamp where I could clearly see the Dragonflies. However, those Hummies that came up to my patio yesterday afternoon were indeed Hummingbirds. I just may have to go out and pick up a few Hummingbird feeders this weekend to hang out on the patio!

And now for something totally different! I've mentioned Boston.com's The Big Picture before, but seriously, these are always awesome photos! Yesterday's post was titled Around the Solar System and it had some incredible, mind-boggling space satellite photographs, including this one.

Italy!

Photo taken by astronaut Douglas H. Wheelock aboard the International Space Station on August 22nd, 2010. "The beauty of Italy, on a clear summer night, stretching out into the Mediterranean Sea. You can see many of the beautiful islands lit up and adorning the coastline including Capri, Sicily, and Malta. The city of Naples and Mt. Vesuvius stand out along the coast." (NASA/Douglas H. Wheelock) #

And I've seen some amazing photographs of Stonehenge, but this was taken during The Perseid meteor shower on August 12th. It's far more impressive in the large format!

A meteor streaks past stars in the night sky over Stonehenge in Salisbury Plain, southern England on August 12, 2010. The Perseid meteor shower is sparked every August when the Earth passes through a stream of space debris left by comet Swift-Tuttle. Picture taken using a long exposure. (REUTERS/Kieran Doherty)#

This kind of stuff just blows me away!

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

Hummies!

While sitting out on the patio in the mornings I've been seeing swarms of what I initially thought were Dragonflies, flying, hovering and flitting above the tall grasses in the Swamp.

My little P&S just can't zoom out that far and stay in focus so I shot a video to at least pick up the movement, not to mention the peacefulness of the Swamp. And Gandalf...

And Sandee, when there's about 12 seconds left... that's little Gracie talking to me! If you'd like to see Gracie in action, there was a video of Gracie plumping her pillow "just so" on yesterday's DailyGs.



Until yesterday afternoon, I thought these were Dragonflies... until they started flying up onto my patio and into the back yard yesterday! Naturally, it was while I was just sitting out there with my mother... no camera. Not that I could have caught anything as fast as a Hummie with my camera! But still.

So yesterday was MotherDear Spaghetti and Meatballs Day! And it was real goooood! Leftovers tonight and a big old batch goes into the freezer for next time!

I got a call just before supper... from Italy! It was about 9:30pm Venice time. They were sitting outside along the Grand Canal in Venice, sharing a bottle of Chianti! Tomorrow they'll be heading to Rome for 4 days before heading to Tuscany.

Ahhhh... how I wish I was there!

It's the beginning of the last half of September already! Hurry up! Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

UPDATED @9:28am: I just walked down to the Swamp and those are indeed Dragonflies flying over the tall grasses! Not to be confused with the 2 Hummingbirds that flew up on my patio. Hey, they're both small and hover!

A bit of K-Comic "without Relief"

And an opposing view...



And now, from the ridiculous to the sublime...

mmmmm...

Yesterday I finally got my Keurig - for Free! I used the Free Money I ordered last week. I also got the little My K-cup thingy so I can use my own regular coffee. After I got it all set up and had brewed a few cups of coffee I went online and registered my Keurig. Then I ordered 4 boxes of K-cups. I got 2 of the boxes of K-cups FREE, less 10%, plus Free Shipping.

Life is good. :]

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

The Pledge of Allegiance

I saw this again today on Facebook. What a treasure Red Skelton was. And this... this is truly a treasure.



and May God Bless America again.

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

Buon Viaggio!

Buon Viaggio to SisterDear2, who leaves for Italy today! Jealous? Who me? Only completely! I can't wait to hear all about it and see their photos. They bought a new DSLR camera for the trip - the very one I hope to get one day soon! Until then, here are a few of my favorite photos from fellow Flickr members, all much better photographers than I will ever be and, clearly, much luckier than I as they've all already been to Italy!



1. Capri, 2. Positano - Italy, 3. il Nilo, 4. Massa Lubrense and Vesuvio - Italy, 5. Sunset over Grand Canal, Venice, Italy, 6. the bridge, 7. Ponte Fabricio, Rome, Italy, 8. 0116 Pisa, 9. Magica visione.........

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

PS. to SD2: Hanno un tempo meraviglioso! Ti amo!... Dov'è l'ascensore? ♥xoxoxoxo

PSS. to Eva and Gracie's Mom: Do you have a blog?

Love is a Verb

One of the SisterDears sent me an email yesterday about a new book she thought I'd enjoy. It was written by Gary Chapman and it's titled "Love is a Verb".

It reminded me of a post I had written almost 3 years ago, back when my blog was fairly new, back when I had mostly no readers, or the occasional one or two readers.

I've told this story/illustration many times over the years in private conversations, when it seemed appropriate and when the other person was willing to listen. I still believe Love is a Verb and so I'm posting it again.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2008

I believe that Love is a Verb.

I came of age at the end of the Flower Power post-hippie generation. Love, Love, Love. What that really seemed to mean to me at the time was that everybody had permission to get stoned, sleep around, dress like bums and be disrespectful. I didn't know anybody who actually did that, although my brother-in-law was in college working on his Master's in Nuclear Engineering and he did have long hair and holes in his jeans.

I believe that when someone really loves you, really values you deeply, the words "I Love You" need never be spoken. You will feel the love, all the way to the core of your being.

I once convinced my painfully introverted Mr. X to come with me for a weekend up on the river with a dear friend and her husband. I should first tell you that my dear friend is crippled (her words, not mine - she dislikes any politically correct terms. She says "I'm not physically challenged, I'm horizontally gifted!"). I am quite certain that her wonderful hubby would sleep on a bed of nails if it meant that it would give her even a few hours of being free from pain. He would literally surrender his life in exchange for hers. And while he never misses an opportunity to tell her, his actions speak volumes. Oh, he does all the usual tasks; laundry, shopping, cooking, cleaning and worked full-time at the Church. He also does extraordinary things; he always gets the coffee pot ready for her before he leaves for work and never forgets to leave an I Love You note near it. He invented a lift to get her from her scooter (she dislikes wheelchairs, they clash with her shoes) into the boat so she could float down the river with him. He planted a small patch of grass on the patio so she wouldn't have to go through the ordeal of taking her dogs out while he is out on an errand. I could go on and on... My friends, that is Love in action.

Anyway... While driving home after spending the weekend with them I asked Mr. X what he thought of my dear friends. He said, "She treats him like a ****slave".

What? Is that what you saw?

I knew at that exact moment that I would never be able to express to Mr X what I felt was missing in our marriage. If he saw that, what hope did I have with mere words?

I have a niece who's not actually related to me (her mother and I were friends when she was young, but that's a story for another time). Her mother and father were divorced badly, and her mother was going through her second divorce. At the time my niece couldn't understand why they were getting divorced because she knew he loved her mother. I asked her how she knew that. She answered, "Because I heard him tell her". So I asked her to describe how he treated her. As she described the violent fights, name calling, thrown furniture etc., I saw the light come on in her eyes. So I asked her if she knew that I loved her. She smiled and said "Yes". I asked her how she knew. She then described all the happy times we'd shared; the sleep-overs, the day-trips, learning to make her first meatloaf, sewing our special pillows, discovering Harry Potter, working in my office, going to the Emeril book-signing, baking cookies, softball games, cello concerts, snuggling up in front of the TV... I don't have to tell her. She feels it.

Love is a Verb.

The End.

I should have copyrighted my title, eh? :]



And finally, since I don't like to post without a photo, and as long as I was poking around back there in 2008, I'll leave you with a photograph of my twin nephews when they were much younger.

boldness without bounds
courage of her convictions
children's advocate

What better example of love in action than a mother's love?

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

Chicken and Leek Pie with Puff Pastry

Chicken and Leek Pie with Puff Pastry

Recipe by Curtis Stone

So yesterday I was planning on making my Chicken Pies, which are very yummy, but then I decided to walk on the wild side! I tried a new Chicken Pie recipe! It has leeks and tarragon in it. I found the recipe by googling 'chicken pie recipe'.

The recipe didn't call for any veggies other than the leeks, but I happen to love veggies and I'm a rebel so I also tossed in some leftover carrots, corn and Italian green beens and then for good measure I also tossed in some broccoli, sugar snap peas and water chestnuts.

Everyone declared the pies delicious! They told me that by saying "Mmmmm" a lot and then everybody's plates were dragged clean with their last bites of bread. My mother told me I could make them any time I want! Although I will leave out the broccoli next time. Just saying.

I served the pie with some fresh corn, baked red potatoes and some fresh French dill bread from the Wally World bakery. And it was go-o-o-od! :]

And there's one pie leftover for tonight's supper! You know how I love "Cook once, Eat twice"!

Today is Bingo with the Biddies. Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

What? It's the Weekend already?

I had no idea that yesterday was Friday until well into the morning. That's what short work weeks do to me. But it's the weekend and I'll take it! I don't have any plans yet, but I'll figure something out!

The other morning there were just a very few moments of the neatest, reddish glowing light that was cast all over the back side of the house and washed up into the patio. It was just as the sun was just coming up. I ran for my camera and took several shots to try to capture it but, alas, I was asking too much of my little point and shoot camera. I did manage to catch the mist hovering over the Swamp though.

I know I've mentioned that I love HGTV before, but I only DVR one show - Candice Olson's Divine Design. I love absolutely everything she's ever designed. That's actually my dream... that one fine day Candice will come design and completely "DO" the home in which I will one day retire.

Yesterday I watched a few more of the shows that were recorded while up I was up in New England. One of them was a kitchen that I would just absolutely love to have! Well, except I want a gas 6-burner Viking stove. But other than that it was, well... Divine!

One of my favorite parts of the show is when she's grabbing her samples and swatches. She doesn't agonize over any decision... No. Not even a tiny bit. She just grabs with absolute confidence. And it always turns out, well... Divine!

Go out and put some YAY! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

Let's get ready to rumble!

Peachtree VS. Quickbooks

Last week I had a call from someone telling me they could save me lots of $$ on my credit card processing. I usually don't give callers like that the time of day. This caller was from QuickBooks. Yes, THAT QuickBooks.

I told him, "I've been using Peachtree since 1987. Mister, this will be a hard sell. Just saying."

So.Yesterday I had a meeting with a rep from Intuit Quickbooks. He came to my office to show me how much they could $ave me on my business credit card processing.

About 5 minutes after he was supposed to be here, he called to say he was running about 45 minutes late. I hate being late. I am really annoyed when other people are late. Just so ya know! :]

I almost cancelled it but I told him to come on out anyway. I must've been in an extra good mood.

Jason was a very nice young man. He looked me in the eye when he spoke to me. He knew his stuff without having to look at a script.

Well, long story short... I got the best of both worlds... I get to keep using Peachtree and I can use Intuit for processing the credit cards. It will save me some $$ compared to who I currently use/have been using for years. No monthly minimum and a 6 month contract. If I don't like it, I just don't use them and it expires in 6 months. No harm, no foul.

In other news...

My mother decided to go Bingo last night. I asked her to pick me up a PowerBall ticket and a $5 scratch off. She left them on my desk. I just scratched off my ticket. I won $100! Woohoo!

It's Friday! Go out and put some Yay! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

Yay! Free Money!

Yesterday I did one of my favorite things. I ordered some more free money! I have a business account and a personal account that give me points for every dollar I spend - for free. Over the years I've gotten all kinds of stuff for free, not the least of which was the cottage I lived in for 12 years in Florida. It was built almost entirely with free money! I also bought a refrigerator, stove, microwave, camera, trips, meals... all kinds of stuff. It's a beautiful thing.

I always order money. Because why order a gift card and then be stuck just getting stuff at that place? What if they don't have what I want? Anyway. After placing my order, just for fun, I browsed through their online catalog... and guess what? They have THE camera I want! I may have to save my points for my DSLR camera now! :]

More free stuff... At the end of my first year in Georgia I bought my big upright freezer with the money from the first harvest of my pecan trees. That makes the food that I buy at BOGO prices taste THAT much better, too! I love free, don't you? Especially when you consider that I was spending that money anyway!

And now, just to mess with Zane's head...

I make a mighty good Margarita! I prefer mine over ice, not frozen. Don't hate.

I made MotherDear and me a small pitcher of Margaritas the other night. It was hot. I was tired. I needed something cold and lime-y. We enjoyed them immensely. Yes, Zane, I am indeed a red wine drinker. It's my favorite. However I do, on rare occasions, enjoy something entirely different! :]

And finally, a very Happy Birthday to my SisterDear Lynda! She's leaving for Italy next Tuesday without me, but somehow I'm not holding that against her! And a very Happy Birthday to Linda, too! No... a different Linda! Our favorite over-worked 911 dispatcher Linda. The very same Linda who takes her camera with her on her search of History, trains and sometimes cemeteries.

That's all I know today. Go out and put a little Yay! in your day! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo

Dried up

I love Maxine! I saw Maxine on Facebook this morning and this is definitely another one of those Maxine's that truly reminds me of ME! Remember this post from July in which I said all the plants that my Dad had planted or transplanted here at the Swamp were gonna die while he was in New England for 2 months? mmmhmmm...

It's not that I can't keep them alive. It's that I don't want to take care of them. I don't mind buying them. I don't mind looking at how pretty they are. I am just not a gardener. I'm an admirer of gardeners. :]

One of my errands early yesterday morning was stopping by Walgreen's. I broke a nail below the quick and needed to get some Superglue. While I was there I treated myself to a few impulse buys. I bought a new pack of highlighters and some new pens. Extravagance R Me, huh?

I don't know why, but I will use highlighters until I'm almost scraping the paper surface off before I replace the highlighters. What's up with that?

Oh. And after I got home from Walgreen's and Superglued my nail I opened up my top desk drawer to put the 2 little tubes away and found 2 tubes of Superglue. Right where they were supposed to be. ::sigh::

I also put my new highlighters into the pen basket. I guess I should throw away those old dried-up highlighters now.

Enjoy today's trip around the sun! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo