Tiger ears are part of her identity? Just when you think you’ve heard it all…

Dear Margo: A friend of my husband is getting married. I barely know the man, and I’ve met the intended bride twice. A verbal invitation was extended to both of us. Oh, by the way, the bride requested that I not wear my ears to the wedding.

Several years ago, my husband bought me a headband with little tiger ears on it. Ever since he put it on me, I’ve worn my ears everywhere, including to two weddings and a funeral. I’ve made them a part of my identity — my personal trademark, if you will. Going anywhere without my ears makes me feel self-conscious and only partially dressed.

My initial reaction was to wear the ears anyway, but then I realized I am not exactly obligated to attend the wedding. I’m not close to the bride or groom, but my husband considers the groom to be a good friend; the invitation included me out of common courtesy. Perhaps I should keep my sulky, uncooperative self at home, even though my husband would prefer I suck it up and go. I have some months to think about it. What’s your take? — M.R.S.

Dear M.: Maybe you and I are on the same wavelength, or maybe we’re both nuts, but I think your trademark ears are a hoot. And who doesn’t love individuality — besides the bride? Seeing as how you wear them everywhere, I wouldn’t dream of suggesting you leave them at home for the upcoming nuptials. (Do go, by the way.)

Odd of the bride to suggest what you wear and what you leave home, but let’s assume she will be so engrossed in the festivities that she will not notice. And to be realistic: Little tiger ears are much less attention-getting than big, floppy bunny ears. At least with your little tiger ears, no one can say you are celebrating Halloween early or reliving your days as a waitress at a Playboy club. — Margo, individually

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Dear Margo is written by Margo Howard, Ann Landers’ daughter.

Fall, FINALLY!!!!

The leaves are swirling, the days are shorter and the nights cooler.  My maple tree’s are showing their color and I’m thrilled that my favorite time of year has finally arrived.

I’ve got beans in the pressure cooker, brown rice in the steamer, it’s just that kind of day.  Now if I had cider and donuts for an afternoon snack, life would be perfect.

I just put a recipe for Spiced Cider on Jan CAN Cook.  If you don’t visit me regularly at this site, I’m pretty active, posting recipes frequently, you might want to check me out.  The recipe for Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding I put up yesterday looks killer!

~ jan

Here’s the click>>>

Senior Citizens are really funny!!!

I was all ready to leave and run errands, but decided to watch a video my friend, Mary, had sent me first.

Well, by the time it was over, I had laughed until I cried, my makeup is smeared, I now have to do a touch up before I leave the house.

This is a hoot!  It takes a couple of minutes to get into it, but it’s so darned funny!  Unfortunately, I’m starting to see a lot of myself in this lady…

~ jan

Maybe I’m a little bit smarter….

When we know better, we do better ~ Maya Angelou

Remember last spring when it was time to switch out my closets?  I had such a mess, my bedroom was a disaster for days weeks, I couldn’t get it together, ended up having a meltdown in the middle of my bed, crying and asking hubby to help me because I was completely overwhelmed.  Law-dee, I don’t want a repeat of that fiasco this fall.

But once again, it’s that time, all of my winter clothes are sitting in the garage in their crates, waiting for me to be overwhelmed once again.  I should just take a deep breath and get rid of a lot of stuff.  But, oh no, on the off chance that I might somehow lose enough weight to wear those clothes that will be hopelessly dated if I ever accomplish it, which I won’t, I hang on to everything.

Knowing what was ahead of me, I asked hubby yesterday, “If I make you an apple pie, will you help me switch out my clothes?”  Well, that was the right question, and LC, always the negotiator said, “do I get that pie today?”  But I’ve learned a thing or two myself, and told him, “nope, first we switch the closet, then you get the pie.”

I just may be on to something here. Bribery, blatant bribery.  No more tears for me, nope, no siree, I’ve got help and Pillsbury Pie Crust, that pie will be easy peasy…

I need to get a life….

You know, when it takes you a half an hour to decide what pin number to make your debit card, you have serious issues.

Well, that was me today, and I finally decided, but I don’t really like those numbers so I’m going to change them.

Jeez Louise, this is crazy.  Ummmm, consider the source!

Five things I can’t live without

That’s the key word here, “things.”  It’s not family, or sweet bebe Abby, or girlfriends, or my precious little M&M’s.  Take those away and this is what’s left that I must have!

1.   Computers, they are my window to the world, and I dread thinking what my life would be like without them.  What did I do with my time before the internet?  And with my computer I can download ebooks, probably the greatest spinoff, for me anyway, that has come from this wonderful invention.  What a treat it is to sit in my jammies at 9pm, download a book and read it without ever leaving my living room.  Buy those books?  Never, our public library has thousands of titles just waiting for me to download when I want to read.

2.  My morning coffee with fat free half and half.  I didn’t develop a love for coffee until I was well into my 50’s, now it’s a must have, every single day.

3. Nature.  It’s the balm that soothes my soul, I love the wind on my face, the smells, the colors, the birds and the bees, I find my center and inner peace with nature.

4.  Milly.  I’ve often said that golf carts are old people’s bicycles.  I grab the fur kids, hop on Milly and I’m off on an adventure.  It’s so much fun and gives me so much freedom, I love it!

5.  My smartphone.  Cellphones have evolved so much, it’s amazing the things that you can do with them.  With it, I’m in touch, so you be in touch… ;o)  Ohhhh, how cheesy was that???

And that’s what I can’t live without?  What about you, what are your five things?

Look who’s having a birthday party….

It’s hard to believe that sweet bebe granddaughter is going to be a year old next week.  Her mom and dad are busy planning the big event, and I’m one excited grammie!  Oh, what a good time we’ll have!!!

Add senility to the list, too….

My boys are three years apart, not four, as Linds reminded me earlier this afternoon.  So not only am I getting food all over me, senility is sitting in as well.  Oh well, at least I won’t realize that I’m dribbling my dinner all over myself  if  I’m senile…

So, to correct the earlier post about how old I was when they were born, almost twenty-two with John, almost twenty-five with Ry.

Geezy Pete, this old lady stuff is a pain in the patootie…

I’m not turning into my mother after all…

Law-dee, I’m turning into my father!  I am, and he was the sweetest man that ever lived, but it’s not the sweetness, it’s the, oh how do I put this, it’s the inability to eat any type of food without getting it on me, that is making me think I’m so much like him.  The poor man had stains on all of his ties, all of his shirts, he couldn’t eat anything without getting food on him!

I had just a smear of jam this morning on my toast, just a itsy bitsy miniscule smear of cherry jam, and yep, somehow it ended up on my shirt.  This is happening with alarming frequency, I’m getting food all over me.  Dilly, you quit smiling, I know, I always get stuff on me, but lately it’s been every meal.

My boys laugh at me all the time, teasing me about getting old, and then I remind them that I was a young mother, I was twenty-one and twenty-five when they were born, and that they aren’t that far behind me.  I think it’s a shock sometimes, they think about babies in your thirties but not me.  Oh, I was just a couple of months away from being twenty-two when John was born, almost twenty-six when I had Ry but that’s young by today’s standards.

And if I could do it over?  I think I would rather have been older.  I would have been wiser, with more life experience to guide me.  But then I wouldn’t have the energy that I had in my twenties either. 

So now that I’m a friggin’ genius with almost sixty-one years of life experience, let’s see what kind of wisdom I bestow on poor Abby.  Undoubtedly just the ability to eat and make a mess of it, that will probably be my legacy to poor bebe granddaughter…