THE QUESTION IS;

I'm on my way to work. I had an interesting encounter with a patient this week. She was so nice and very grateful. She made a comment about working with the public. i asked her what she did and she replied, "I work at McDonald's".

My mind made an immediate jump to Cathy's story (The Noble Pig) about the McDonald's she drove through being out of straws. My patient exclaimed, "Straws!, How would you like to run out of BUNS!"! She went further,"PICKLES!" I just looked at her, I didn't dare laugh. "Can you imagine telling every customer they can only order chicken nuggets or a salad? GRIM. I asked THE question, "Can't you send someone to the store?"

And the answer is, NO, corporate policy. You have to wait for the BUN man, or the PICKLE man, or the STRAW man. Remember, "Where's the beef"? It's with corporate.
Not the minimum wage employee at the window. We don't need to eat there anyway. We should all just show up at the NP's and eat chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. Don't forget to cast your vote over at the Best Blogs website.

The dining room remodel is in progress, see you in a few days.

Dinner

Hayman & Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Reserve Selection 2006 750ML

Tasting notes
"Big and Rich, this is a truly expressive Napa Cabernet. Rich chocolate with blueberry and raspberry notes, subtle hints of tobacco and leather and the classic dust & berry you find on the nose of most Napa Cabernets" from The Wine Buyer.

I forgot my camera. We went to Biaggi's a very fine Italian restaurant to celebrate, my being over a half century old. The operative word in that sentence is OVER. Last comment on age, definitely not 26.

I chose this wine and it was delicious. Delicious with every sip. It smelled wonderful, it was pretty to look at very purple/red and from the sniff, deep inhale, to the roll around the tongue it was a near divine experience. Satisfying, positively.
To accompany the beverage perfection, we decided to have salad and bread. They served warm herbed flat breads. We ordered Bruschetta Classico, drizzled in olive oil freshly chopped tomatoes, shredded fresh basil, with a hint of anise, and topped with a small ball of soft mozzarella cheese. Are you drooling yet? They served it on a long narrow rectangular shaped white plate, very pretty presentation.

The salad was a Beet Salad. On a bed of fresh arugula, they sprinkled dried Bing cherries, beets marinated in honey and balsamic vinegar, and soft goat cheese almost like a cream cheese so mild, shaped into little balls and rolled in diced walnuts. An herbed vinaigrette graced the salad and it was another exquisite sensation to the palate. I was honestly to full to even consider Tiramasu. My original plan included desert.

Everyone has called to ask my what I had for dinner, I had a bottle of wine to remember, and a DATE with Daddy BB. No kids.

After dinner we took a little ride out in the country. I did not pee on the side of the road. I needed too but did not. Jimmy was reminiscing about a time when I did do that. Lucy has her memory too. When my bladder gets really full it's an emergency.
We talked about parking the car but I told Daddy BB we were too old/stiff for car gyrations. It was the wine. So our fancy dinner disintegrated into that type of conversation afterwards. What can I say?

It was a lovely date, if you can find that wine, and love red wine, get a case.

Birthday Surprises

Opening the front door, there it was; a surprise, a birthday surprise. My birthday is tomorrow. It says not to open, right there in the corner. Do you see it? Only one person in the world who has handwriting like this is Auntie Mum. My Aunt from England. My Aunt oil paints, and she makes things, she does needlework and has always given me the coolest presents. Her's are always the best. My Aunt has also confessed to me that SHE never waits. She used to unwrap and re wrap all her Christmas gifts too. What would you do?

Two seconds and I began to tear open the box copious crushed papers to add suspense,oooooohhhhh,,...what is it?

It's round, a hatbox? A hat?








What's in the pretty blue box? A pajama gram! Cute nightie, cute do not disturb sign in nice language, "I'm relaxing," a little sachet, and a thank you note (they thought of everything,) but what's this? auntie slipped something extra in, a cute little nekkid cherub. Tigger said,"Good you have something else to pinch." sounds just like Grandma don't you think? ahh I feel special, I knew it would be a good present. I'll wait until my birthday to call her.

Melt Down and Rebuild

Yesterday was a bad day. I finally ended up bawling and praying. The praying helped.
The crying just made my eyes fat, and my nose stuff up. My hormone patch must need changing. It's been so hot lately, I can't tell if I'm flashin or it's the weather. Those who flash know how HOT that is.

Piglet has dyed her hair black again that's about third time in a month. She's going to go bald. I don't get it. It scares me.

I forget sometimes, not to worry, pray. I forget sometimes, that the Lord who has rescued and helped so many times before, is still on the throne. I forget.
Yesterday, I remembered. I polished the monuments of my faith. I remembered the other times where God has shown up and proved that He is visible. He has proven Himself to me. Still I forget. Yesterday was a day to turn around and go back.
It didn't have any thing to do with bad breath, or blogging or anything else.
My heart needed a tune up.
I'm working tonight and have to go get ready, just wanted to say thanks.

Make it Plain.

I am starting to feel like a kid in school, clueless. Did I make a big blunder? No one picked up the awards I tried to give. Is there a bloggers rule book some where? Did I goof? Is there anybody out there? For a smart girl I can be dumb. Do I have bad breath?

I'm reading tonight.

And the Nominee's ARE;

I actually nominated two blogs for the big yearly BEST of awards. You know the official bloggy kingdom Oscars, or such hoopla.
The Noble Pig, for Best Entertainer, give them time to post it and then go VOTE!
And new to me but she really does crack me up,
The Chesapeake Bay Woman- Life in Mathews, for Best of Humour.

I was working last week and have been adding more than one story today, so please don't miss the wedding story.

Awards

I've seen a lot of awards lately floating around. I'm not sure if you are supposed to receive one to give one. I am hereto, forth with breaking the rules, imagine that; because I want to give some. That was a period.

For my friend Debbie in CA that I have always known is a very gifted writer, and a beyouttiful friend who does spread magic; that she calls joy. Believe & Flowers and they will both look so pretty on her blog.


For Kathy, because her blog is wonderful, she also lives in my beloved California hills. I found a friend. Guess which one?

For the Noble Pig, spreading the magic, the calories, the laughs, the hooligans; those adorable hooligans,...sharing the love

For Peach, and the Bean, I found a friend in you. Bean I know you better now than in real life!

For Brenda, Believe, because she always believes in hope for healing.

For the Rocking Pony-- Believe, because she believes in Micah and see him as the beautiful gift that he is.

I'd like to find some others. Chesapeake Bay Woman needs a most hilarious award, she could take her act on the road, no kidding, seriously. In the mean time how about Brilliant, brilliantly FUNNY

Flea for being a good encourager and so brave at sharing, the hidden closets of life.
some, Flowers for her.

Heidi for being a hoot. You make my day.
Have a bouquet every new mommie needs some.

Ladies of the House, for sharing food, BEAUTY, picchas, and stories,....
so you see I am shopping for some cute little stickers to spread around.
Flowers

So here they are, right click, upload to photos, new post, upload to blogger. WHO said an old lady can't learn new tricks? Remember things? Flea started this and it sounds fun.

The Memory Game
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.
Posted

We Got Married In A Fever

Grandma and Lucy At The Crow's Nest in Santa Cruz


Grandma

Cutting Bob's Hair-his wife made our cake

The House God Gave Us

Daddy BB's Mom & Grandma

August 30th, an outdoor wedding on a big deck, at our pastor's house, overlooking the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was gorgeous, and hot, but not too hot. God provided clouds until just before the wedding, and then the sun came out. I may have the only wedding in history that only cost $300.00. I spent $100 for my dress, $100 for my photos, and $100 for my flowers. The ladies from church decorated a white arbor at one end of the deck with peach flowers. My color was peach and everything was stunning, at least I thought so. I had a fresh flower cake topper, and we served cake and punch. We had a couple of little dishes with snackie things like those minty pillow candies and some nuts, but it was very simple. The woman who did the flowers was an artist with them. I told her I didn't want to carry a little ball of flowers, I wanted something I could lay across my arm. I also wanted a little bit of fresh roses and babies breath that I could wear in my hair.

We had about 50 people. Daddy BB didn't know who his best friend was he had 3 of them and it was a small wedding. My choice was easy it was Lucy, but we decided to just get married and not have all the extra hootenanny. My Dad was sick and couldn't come. The man who introduced me to Daddy BB gave me away. My Aunt didn't come, I'm not sure why. Jimmy's Mama came out from Mississippi and a lot of his relatives came, and our friends. After we had been married for a few years I knew who his best friend was. It was a tough choice but I could made it. Somehow that person and his wife didn't even get invited! Zowie, that was an oversight, blunder, big bad mistake, that everybody fears they will make. They love us and they didn't hold any grudges.

It was incredible that on this day I was a true bride. I had been married before but never felt really married. I was so nervous,when I was walking down that redwood deck isle, it was the real deal. I fixed my hair before I put my dress on, and Lucy came into the bedroom, where I was trying to dress; just in the nick of time to stop me from bawling my eyes out. I wanted my mom. If you can't have your mom, your best friend is the next best choice.

My daughter had been babysitting for a family that lived on our street. The young mom was an amateur photographer. She took our pictures. I used to cut hair at home and one couple loved how I fixed them both up, she made my cake as a gift. Twenty years later, I would make some of our friends a wedding cake as a gift. Passing along the love. I'm so crazy, I actually bought my wedding dress before Daddy BB "asked," me. I was being hopeful, you know "thinking positively", Grandma's girl. Lucy and I were shopping at a great outlet store in San Francisco, the dress was on display about 15 feet in the air above all the aisles of clothes. I took one look and had them get it down. It was the only one and it fit me perfectly, then. I was still having double dips and almost couldn't button it by the time I actually got to wear it. It was cotton, and had little covered buttons and pleats, I loved the dress. It's hanging in my closet, along with the shoes. I couldn't get my arm through a sleeve but it's in the house. It's proof that I wasn't always a cow.

The family that we had rented our home from also had a cabin in Lake Tahoe. We rented that for our honeymoon. All of Lake Tahoe was on fire but we didn't know it. The cabin had no TV or radio. We commented on all the smog and wondered why it was so hazy. Good thing there was no mandatory evacutations, we didn't know anything. There were six beds in that cabin.

We did take a ride up to Nevada to meet some of Daddy BB's cousins. It was love at first meeting, she gave me a sympathy card for marrying Daddy BB. I cracked up. Little did I know, how much I was going to NEED that sympathy,...






The Brady Bunch, plus one more teen not in this picture. You can see that out first Grandchild was on the way, born 2 weeks after we married which is another story,..

My First Award

thanks Coffee Bean

Starting Over Old Country Style

Grandma moved in with us. A friend of mine, told me her mom had a house for rent, and it was beautiful. I loved the kitchen, the sink was kiddie corner and had a window over the garden. She had wallpapered several rooms and her taste was fabulous. I felt so blessed, it was like getting to move into a Better Homes & Garden's layout.

The Lord was blessing me as a new baby believer. It was so real to me that He knew the secret desires in my heart by the provisions He was making for us. Those are baby lessons, but at that time I was a spiritual baby. God cradled me just like we do our newborns, I was being cared for.

Grandma had the master bedroom with a lovely bathroom and she set it up like a little studio apartment. She always sat in a tan leather Queen Anne chair, she actually wore it out. We had a TV in her room, it was a cozy set up. The wall paper in her room was a soft blue gray, it suited her and looked pretty with her things. She slept in a twin bed all of her life so there was a lot of space to place things. I had a teenager, Grandma was a smart woman. She was looking out for us, without losing her mind.

My daughter had a big bedroom with two twin beds in it, they were gorgeous dark mahogany wood, and actually had been my Grandma's bedroom furniture. She and Grandpa had twin beds just like Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. I saw a jar of salt peter in her spice cabinet once and just looked at her. How did my Dad ever get into this world? We never discussed sex, not in any kind of manner except abrupt frankness. Grandma let me know in her opinion it was a nuisance. She thought we should castrate men for criminal behaviors, so they could have peace of mind. Her opinions were always strong and she never was bashful in sharing them. Sound like anyone else you know?

I picked a small room with a soft cream paper that had some purple, pastel blue, and rose in it, it was a tiny floral pattern. It was the eighties this stuff was in fashion! The room was sunny which is something I cherish, I love the windows open, and light curtains or none. I purchased a full sized bed and bought a solid dark lavender comforter for my little bed. I needed a nest. Lucy lived with us for awhile too, she took another room that had this lovely warm rust and tan colored paper in it. She mixed a rosy pink floral with it that I thought would be disgusting; it was fabulous. She added dark green and a bunch of plants, the total designer effect. Lucy has a gift for decorating she just knows what will work. Did I mention she tossed a full mattress over a twin box spring and just let one side droop? It was fine, that's why I call her Lucy.

There we were a bunch of estrogen under one roof. It was interesting to say the least. I got a job at a family owned Italian grocery store as a cook in their deli. I never worked so hard in my life. 50 pounds of potatoes for salad that's a lot of potatoes to peel. My first day I came home and flopped on the bed too tired to even get my shoes off. Grandma walked by, looked at me and said," Good, you finally did a day's work." Geez thanks, kick me. I just groaned, but she had a point. Grandpa worked 16 hours a day or more all of his life and she did too. The 8 hour work day didn't exist then, if you were awake you were working. Whenever we went to a bakery she would assess their displays and prices, her mind calculating. Once in Capitola, at a really wonderful bakery named "Gayle's" she was looking at the prices and just marveled. "A dollar fifty for a Croissant, we quit working too soon," she was in her late eighties.

Words are inadequate for how much I grew to love her. I am not saying that we didn't irritate each other, but she saved my life. She was funny and set in her little ways but she set a wonderful example of being persistent. A very straightforward person, she was going to win in most any situation. Every receipt was re tallied by her and she found more than one mistake, as I would die of embarrassment. She worked hard for her money and you weren't going to get one dime by mistake, period. Wonder what she would say about how many people don't even know how to count back change.
Often she would tell me how things were done in the "Old Country," referring to Denmark. It became very interesting to develop a dating relationship while living with her.

I met Daddy BB at church. He'd leave so quickly I could barely speak to him. I would never have gotten to know him if I wouldn't have asked for rides to church to save gas. Our church was pretty far from our home and I really could not afford it. It wasn't a conscious ploy anyway. That he would pick me up first and then back track to pick up another single woman was lost on me. He told me later he wanted to be sure I got the front seat. Silly me, my favorite color is clear.

After about six months of rides and talking in the car we started stopping for an ice cream cone. That was the beginning of the end of my great figure. I was in great shape when we met. Sitting for an hour munching down a double dip twice a week added about twenty pounds to my backside by the time we got married. It was all his fault,then. Now it's mine.

We talked on the phone and became friends like this for a long time, seemed like almost a year before he actually asked me out. When he did, it was to a birthday party dance with some people from church. Baptist's dance? This was encouraging and I was really excited. Lucy was disgusted, she did not get what I saw in "that old goat." Being 32 and in my prime she had her sights set on several eligible bachelors, but I only had eyes for Daddy BB. It all went back to the prayer, that God would pick for me, by his heart. I loved Daddy BB's gentle ways, he was wise and we could gab for hours. He made me laugh too. I love to laugh. Lucy and I can make each other nearly wet our pants we laugh so hard, it's fun.

When I opened the front door to go on our first date Daddy BB was standing there WITH his oldest son. I quickly recovered my face and smiled and went on out. Grandma smiled too, a different kind of smile but she approved of the threesome. We went to the dance. It was not rock and roll, but it was fun. They played 70's stuff, Beach Boys and a lot of music that I knew by heart. A few of the couples were really tearing up the dance floor, partners flying and whooshing between the man's legs. It looked like John Travolta and what's her name in Grease. I was grinning. Daddy BB looked a little silly, he was wearing a black turtleneck and reminded me of the "Secret Agent Man," It was all I could do not to giggle, and no I wasn't nervous. Just had a flock of butterflies in my stomach. It really wasn't bad, we danced a couple of dances, I was feeling unbelievably bashful. I had been to every Day on the Green concert and the Keystone in Berkeley. I had been shakin my stuff since I was 16 and I was croaking with shyness. What was up with that? Lucy said God had given me a new heart and a new life. I was new. What a concept, I marvelled at it.

When we left the dance Daddy BB took his son home first. Which meant he would drop me off and say good night for the first time by himself, ever. My heart pounded. It was pounding so hard I though that for sure my chest must be visibly moving up and down with each beat, Ohhhhh GOD!!! When he parked the car we kissed. He says I kissed him. That's possible, I don't remember. I just melted, he could kiss. His lips were soft and everything was perfectly wonderful. I knew at that moment I never wanted him to go away. I think we kissed each other's lips off, the car was steamed up. It was funny. I was embarrassed again when I saw the fogged up windows. We got out and went to the door and there was Grandma. She shook Daddy BB's hand, thanked him for my lovely evening and said goodnight. Every time we went out she did that. If we tried to sneak in and smooch a little on the couch, this totally deaf woman knew exactly when the front door opened and she shooed him right out of it. I had the distinct feeling of being chaperoned in a very old fashioned way. It was driving me crazy. Nothing doing, Grandma was observing this courtship as they did in the old country and I could just zip my lip. She knew about hanky panky and there wasn't going to be any of that! No sireee bob!
There wasn't. We kissed, and a bit of the touchie feelie stuff, but no hanky panky. It was killing me too. I never have been cold blooded and he could kiss so fine. Lucy was also in there and she was telling me that spiritually I was a virgin, of course not physically, but God had made me new. He wanted me to wait, she wanted me to wait, and Grandma was making sure that I did. Whew. We sat under street lights and pretended it was the moon and steamed up the car.
It was Easter Sunday and I had invited Daddy BB over after church for lunch. We were all sitting around the table and Grandma spoke up. "I would like to speak to you today," she said, addressing Daddy BB. "Ok, Grandma," he replied.
I wondered what was up. I thought she might have a little handy man project for him.
After dessert we sat around the table. Grandma peered over the top of her glasses and looked right at him. "This has been going on long enough, just exactly what are your intentions towards my granddaughter" Daddy BB paused, he looked a little stunned. I was getting nervous in that 3 seconds, so I said,"Tell her your going to marry me." Daddy BB said,"I'm going to marry her Grandma." That was it. To this day he thinks we were in cahoots and had the whole thing planned. He was too chicken to ask me to marry him. I knew better. We would have 5 teenagers between us. Grandma had stuck around and got me a husband and now she wanted to make plans to get out of Dodge before the fireworks began. Fireworks indeed,..

Grandma Helped

I was a single mom. My mom died when I was 26 and my Grandma stepped up to the plate to help me find my way. It wasn't easy. I can be hard headed (ya think?) and not see the ramifications of a decision until I'm neck deep in it. For example, when the kids whined and cried for pets, me the softie dumbo made an emotional decision to give them what they wanted. I did not run the movie all the way through, and imagine copious quantities of cat hair on the brown velvet couch, or being a daily nag about cleaning up after all these beloved furry family members.
Establishing my lack of foresight is important to the story. Daddy BB had four teenagers, and I had one. Mixing teenagers is not a Brady Bunch experience. But I am jumping ahead,..

I left off with the mean Gregory Peck want-a-be and the disintegration of not only that marriage, but my life. We had a personal Katrina, there was nothing left except wreckage. It had taken a toll on me and I was not functioning very well, that's putting it mildly. My nerves were shot, my emotions were damaged, I had no finances to even figure out, and I was weighed down with guilt. Not to mention, sorrow, and feelings of failure. The picture as you can see was not pretty, actually it was absolutely grim, black, depressing. You get the idea.
I wasn't sure what to do. Another understatement. I had been operating a small home for old people and also working a travelling hair business. Both businesses were in the fold em up stages. I had rented two houses side by side and then filled the rooms in the house next door with elderly people we helped take care of. It's actually a very cool idea. Legally elderly people can live in a home together if it is a "congregate living arrangement." They needed to be able to manage their own medicines which could be in a pillbox for them, and have the ability to call 911 in an emergency. We provided meals, cleaning, help with baths, transportation to appointments and a family lifestyle. We had three single women and one married couple. My daughter and foster daughter helped out with meals, and helping some of them to bed at night. They could call me for help because we lived next door. Two ladies had moved and one died and I couldn't handle that many vacancies at once. Also the owner of the homes put them both up for sale so we had to relocate. I had hired a lady to come in during the morning and afternoon so I could work my hair business during the day and care for our people at night. The remaining two ladies got an apartment together and Dolores continued to take care of them. That left me and my daughter. The foster girl was old enough to go out on her own and that was what she wanted to do. I needed a house and a job.

When my Grandma was alive she did everything she could to help me have a positive attitude in life. Grandma was an awesome story teller and a "can do" kind of a woman, she was a rock. She was a true matriarch and held our family together through thick and thin. She was a hard worker. She never learned to drive a car and she walked everywhere. One time in her nineties we were looking for her and she had gone by bus and BART over to San Francisco to see the Christmas decorations. She lived in Hayward at the time and that was quite ambitious for a lady her age. She however, disagreed with us and couldn't understand what our problem was, she had after all been taking the bus and walking all of her life. Harrumph.
Grandma was small, she had the same soft set hair do all of her life. Part of her routine included a corset every day except for Sunday's, which she reserved as a day of rest. She stayed in her nightie and bathrobe all day every Sunday. An immigrant from Denmark she was made of grit and substance, she and my Grandpa came here and took advantage of the American dream. They worked hard as bakers and made a good life for themselves. Grandpa died when he was 72 and Grandma lived to be 99, she never thought she would be a widow for that many years, but marrying again was simply out of the question.
When I was in my life crisis, Grandma's solution was to leave her apartment and come and live with me. Our combined incomes would rent a nice house. Her real motive however was to look after me and make sure I got back on my feet. She was going to see to it personally,...
to be continued,...

Once Upon a Time

Would you like to know how I met Daddy BB? We met at church, when I was 31 years old, in a singles class of all places, Good LORD! Back then most of my relationships had been based on physical appearances. I had been married to a Gregory Peck kind of a guy, sort of, who was mean as a snake. Mean enough for me to find my religion, instead of loosing it. Actually what really happened is that God found me, and He rescued me. I loved Him for it. I will never forget the morning that I prayed to Him, really prayed. It was one of those simple prayers, nothing eloquent at all. It was a, God if your really there, and this story of Jesus is all true, then I need you, forgive me, forgive me for all that has happened and the harm to my family. Peace flooded my heart. I cried like a little girl. Remember Judy Collins? I had an album of hers with Amazing Grace on it; and played it over and over. Those were the old days when you could pick up the "needle" and replay a "track."
Back to my love affair. I was in an in depth Bible study called Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). One particular lesson in the book of Samuel was about the anointing of King David. In the story Samuel is being instructed by God to anoint a replacement for Saul. God told Samuel he would show him His choice, not to look at the outward appearance, that He, God would chose by the heart. Those verses struck a cord in me of inspiration. I really didn't want to get into another relationship or marriage; but everybody else thought I would. All those comments were just plain worrisome. But God,...could see the heart. Choosing by outward appearances had not proven to be wise. I prayed another not eloquent prayer; "Lord this story speaks to me. If you want me to marry then you can pick him by his heart for me." I began thinking about physical attractiveness. Hummmn what could I do without? Well, let's see, Lord he can be old, and bald, bald isn't too bad, and fat; no I take that back, not fat. I just could not imagine myself having a good time between the sheets with somebody fat. ( Course now I'M the one whose fat!) I finished my little prayer time and went about my business.
When I met Daddy BB he impressed me. It wasn't his looks, although he is very easy on the eyes. I paid attention when he talked. He had that E.F. Hutton effect on me, I listened. He was wise. I had never met a man that I considered to be wise before. It was very attractive and I became interested in him. He on the other hand was deeply wrestling with our age difference. I couldn't get any kind of a "read" on him. I needed a stinkin daisy to pull the petals off of, "he loves me, he loves me not." It was that bad. He could play poker if he wanted to he doesn't have "tells."
Lucy was my coach and best friend. She thought he did like me.I called her every night ringing my hands, and wailing like a sissy. she deserves a gold medal. He had made a promise to himself not to fall for another woman younger than him. But he had been praying that God would choose his wife by her heart, that if she loved God with all her heart, she could put up with him.
It's funny actually. He was worried about young and he got it, I was 32 when we married. I was worried about what might be a pitfall for me and said old, bald and not fat, that was exactly what I got. I could have said, make you weep gorgeous, and my age, but God filled my request exactly; which proves He does have a sense of humour.
How he proposed to me is actually a very funny story,and I think I'll make you wait.
to be continued,....

just in case you wondered, I've been working a LOT, to tired to type.

No Big Deal!

I am a wimp, really it's true. Nurses are terrible patients. My "experience," yesterday was really excellent. The prep being the worst of it. The office where these doctors practice was very professional. I was out like a light before they even peeked under my gown, which was fine by me. The doc was great, she said, "So basically this is; your 52 and we are screening you for colon cancer right"? Right.
Absolutely right.

Since ya'll just get jealous over the yard, even when I'm sharing how to just get started, we are switching topics today. Your health. Ohhhhhh no she is really going to recommend the Maxsquirts for everybody. Yep indeedy. No, I'm not still under the influence. When I worked in the hospital I worked oncology (cancer). Regardless of statistics, a majority of our inpatients have colon cancer. It is not nice. It does not play. Because you have no feeling in your colon symptoms present with advanced disease.

Young people die of this. One of the hardest cases I had as a hospice nurse was a 42 year old mother, and high school teacher; an incredible woman. Colon cancer killed her. It doesn't have to be.

We would all rather skip these exams, and the bills that go with them. A pelvic is no picnic either, and you are AWAKE for that. Seriously this isn't bad. One every 5 years, could mean the difference for growing old, and seeing your children graduate from college. My young teacher held out for her son's graduation and died shortly thereafter.

It's great news to hear "all is well". They can also snip polyps which can become cancer, just a little house cleaning, and no pain. So think about it.
I wish I could say I was funny too, but Daddy BB stole the show on that one. I just had a lovely nap. Thanks for all the kind thoughts. I don't own stock with any GI folks. I promise there is no kick back for me. just taking a break from fun ( I hope) to encourage you to care about your body, that's it. No pictures, definitely no pictures.

My Turn

This morning I am off for my roto rooter exam. I spent yesterday running for the BR and not quite making it a couple of times. Golytely is totally the wrong name. It should be called the Maxsquirts or something else. Whoever invented it had a wicked mind.
So it's my turn to be on the happy medications. Will see what Daddy BB has to say.
With my luck I'll puke.
See you tomorrow.

Summer Splendor

Cannas or flags, Lantana, Echinacea and Purple Sage



Echinacea and Lantana


Discovering perennial plants and groupings took me years of studying magazines. When I first became interested in gardening some people found my puny efforts pretty hilarious. I began with annuals because I didn't really have any knowledge of plants, bulbs, shrubs, none of the above. What I had were memories.

I loved my Grandfathers gardens. He liked the Japanese style, no grass at all. He had little red bridges, and ceramic critters like turtles, and frogs. He built a little miniature Tiki hut. His yard had a central area with a walking path all around it, and then an outer edge. He loved to make secret hideaway spots of surprise. He also had a covered patio with potted fuchsias, and fish in a large tank that he built into a wall. It was an incredible work of art. It took him 15 years to accomplish. He had other gardens too. They had a very large place in Oakland California, with 3 levels of yard, it was probably several acres terraced into a hillside. Mills college bought their estate for the women's school.

My mother used to make a cottage spring garden out of annuals, she planted snapdragons, pansy's, petunias, daisies, and gladiolas. Her plantings were a riot of color and fun. She was the exact opposite of my Grandfather's more formal style.
Not to give the wrong impression of my Grandpa who had a great sense of humour. He could plan elaborate hoaxes. He was a native immigrant from Denmark. When some of his family came for a visit he sewed large oranges to a tree in his yard and then watered until everything was much to muddy to get up close. I don't think it was even an orange tree. He was bragging about the year round fruit production; anyway they fell for it. HA HA, made his day.

Gardening, emotions, and memories are all very intertwined. The beginning is the desire to make an area more attractive. It can grow into wanting to create a special place, or a secret surprise. My goal began developing when I realized that perennials can come up year after year and the spring, summer, and fall plants can share a bed. Now we're talking! Flowers popping up all by themselves all year long, one peters out and another replaces it. Yep, my kind of garden. That became my focus. Each year I added to the beds. One summer I realized they were full. One fall I had blooming plants until Christmas. I realized then I had accomplished a perennial bed. So here are some of my favorites.


Blue sage, always a nice addition and very hardy. Bees love sage. Color groupings can always be softened by adding blues and purples. A variety of green foliage is fun too as there are an endless variety of shades of green and shapes in leaves. Shade gardening is a delight to me. I haven't much shade but I am working on that by planting trees.




I buy inexpensive trees the little twigs, they catch up much quicker than buying an expensive large tree. Trees that are pot bound have a hard time establishing spreading root systems, they tend to keep the pot bound shape even when set free. All our trees were planted when very young and are very healthy.

Enjoy the journey. Identify your style. Experiment, rearrange and share cutting with your friends and neighbors. I love it that my Lambs Ears came from Debbie in CA, from the Felton garden. We have an old red rose from Daddy BB's grandmothers place, just got a clipping, and my wisteria came from his uncles property. I have packed up the Irises for years they have been in probably 4 different yards, and I never take them all so a share stays behind to multiply. Another friend gave me Columbine seeds. If you want some I'll be glad to share. Morning glories reseed and so do a lot of other annuals. Nature still works her wonders in any garden, the happy accidents that come up all on their own can be the prettiest of all. So get your trowels and get busy.

Breakfast for Champions

The midget women are back. I picked them up at midnight, the bus is late coming home every year. They went white water rafting on the Oconee river in TN. They had an absolute blast pushing each other out of the raft, watching people bob up and down in "hydraulics." You know how teenagers are, just staying alive.

Since I am the keeper of the hearth, or in this case the stove; I figured these people would wake up ravenous. They sort of woke up as you can see. Baked eggs and a dozen bisquits to the rescue.






Baked eggs are very easy to make. Spray a baking dish and put whatever you want into it. These people are picky eatters. These people are not like me. I would cut up bacon and fry it. I would add chopped onions and peppers, and saute until perfect. BUT no,,,these people like it plain. They are going to have a couple of chopped up previously baked potatoes, some spinach, and chedder cheese. They will gobble it up.





They got full and laid back down. All that shoving each other out of the rafts used up a lot of energy. I wish we lived near a river.

Vacation

Our Florida trip,




Evenings from our balcony, this was really tough to take but we managed to enjoy it.





Deep sea fishing for the first time and some beginners luck. Who said playing in the sand is just for kids?





On the road





The views from the car





Prime waterfront real estate much of which is used only for "winter."





Notice the crowds, and daily afternoon thunder showers.





The view from our room.




Well what do you think? Wright by the Sea is a great place to visit, make your reservations in advance. It's worth every penny.