Whooeeeee, it's HOT, Don!!!!!

You wouldn't have wanted to walk a mile in my shoes this morning, ladies. Egads, I walked a mile at the track at 8am and it was HOT!!!! I don't feel invigorated, I just feel drained! Then I went online and read that you only burn 100 calories when you walk a mile. Well isn't that just depressing! SURELY I burn more than 100 calories, since it takes so much more energy for me to walk than all of you. I just keep thinking, walk a mile, eat a 100 calorie snack pack and you've offset it. Grrrrrrr...

On a happier note, LC and I had date DAY yesterday. Sweet hubby took me to Panera for lunch, then shopping, then to a late matinee, then to dinner. It was such a good time... And we FINALLY saw a good movie, Live Free or Die Hard, “Yippie Ki Yay” it was really exciting. Sure, it was a bit far fetched, but it was really a great flick. Ry and Linds saw it too, Lindsay said it was a "fun" movie. Right on, Dilly, it really was.

Ozone alert today in Heavensville, it's hot, it's humid, it's July. I'm outta here, gotta give a dog(s) a bath...

I knew there was a reason...

Trisher said tonight the reason that we can't remember anything is because are brains are full. We have gathered so much knowledge over the years that there isn't room for any more and that's why we can't remember anything.

Makes sense to me...

Cutey Patootie...

The weather has just been gawjus this week in Heavensville, so hubby and I packed up Maggie Moo and headed out to the park last night for a picnic.

I took her leash, but the grass was covered in duck doo-doo, so letting her on the grass wasn't an option, and just leaving her on the picnic table to fall thru the cracks wasn't such a good idea, so I just plopped her in the empty picnic basket, where she sat all evening. She eventually scratched the bottom of it, made herself a little bed and went to sleep. How cute is this, girlfriends???? Doesn't it just tug at the heartstrings?

And how did the picnic go, well let's just say we had a "few" issues. Namely the little Smokey Joe grill did not play happy with LC and the charcoal. It took for-ever, we were trying to grill brats and chicken and later we grilled pork chops to bring home, the grill wasn't hot enough, but we eventually got it going... And yep, it was really yummy.... Fresh green beans, corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and onions, lc had a packet of potatoes/onions/peppers, and I had a packet of zucchini, brownies for dessert.

It was a good thing...

I was just thinking this morning....

When i was out for a morning ride on Milly, sipping my coffee, enjoying the cool 70+ weather, feeling the wind on my face, listening to the country sounds, the birds, crickets, cicadas and the frogs, how my life has come full circle. And I'm really grateful that I was raised in such a simple country way, I think I appreciate nature more than if I would have been raised in the city.

It was so peaceful, it was, well delightful is what it was. And life is good, this first Monday in July, the 3rd anniversary of my oldest son's marriage. Happy Anniversary John and Tonia, I hope your day is as good as mine....

Ok I gotta jump right in here with my take on the Paris/Larry King interview...

There is an old, old saying - "dumber than a box of rocks" - well, that was my take on Miz Hilton last night. She was a zombie, she didn't talk in depth about anything, her speech wasn't articulate, she showed no passion about her so called new "causes" and when LK pressed her on her favorite bible verse she drew a complete blank.

And she said she has never done drugs? Oh puh-leez, there are pix all over the internet of her smoking a joint. Her response to that is that she likes to roll her own cigarettes. ROLL HER OWN CIGARETTES??? Oh, I'm laughing out loud at that one, girlfriends.

It was a total waste of an hour last night, but of course I just HAD to watch it. LC was smart, he gave it ten minutes and watched something else.

It was as much of a waste of time as when Geraldo was going to find Jimmy Hoffa's body on national tv back in the 80's. Anybody remember THAT fiasco?

I just read online that Liz Claiborne died today at the age of 78. Oh my, how I loved her clothes in the 80's. Her sportswear line was wonderful, and all of my "old" friends know, I was totally besotted with anything she made in Liz Yellow. That bright, yellow color was my favorite, and still is. Bright yellows are my happy clothes. I always feel good in yellow.

She retired in 1989 and sadly her clothing line went downhill. But she was really something in her day. *sigh* Those WERE the days.....

Had to share...

Hooterville sent me the following vintage ad in an email. Just had to show you all. Too funny for words.....

Remember this???

Old Clairol ad from the 60's - "Does she or doesn't she, only her hairdresser knows for sure." Oh, those were the days, women actually didn't admit to coloring their hair. Like you couldn't tell, because when it came to color, the only shade of blonde was beige and the only shade of gray was blue. And like who has beige or blue hair????

What brought this on.... I was looking at the mirror, the edges around my hairline look positively white, and I often wonder what it would look like grey. I just don't have the guts to do it yet. I remember Mother, she was like in her late 70's, and I finally said to her, "Ma, you're old now, give up the color." And she did, and it looked so pretty, that silvery gray color.

Maybe someday I'll do it... When I get old older...

Ok, I owed him for all the chick flix he watches with me...

But oh, did we see a horrid movie tonight. Saturday night, LC wasn't working, I wanted a date night at the flix, but there was nothing on that I wanted to see, except for A Mighty Heart, and hubby didn't want to see it because he thought it would be depressing, however at the $2.00 $3.00 movie they were showing Wild Hogs.

He thought it would be funny, I thought it would be awful, because I had read the reviews. I was right, it was just the most STUPID movie ev-er. It was really el stinko,, but he enjoyed it, got his popcorn fix, and aferwards I got my moonlight drive by the river....

I spent the day working up a new blog header. Ran it by Hooterville, she hates watermelons so she was no help, but I like it. It's summery....

And that's it for a late Saturday night in Heavensville. Do I just go to bed, or do I crack open that watermelon in the fridge... *grin*

Nah, get real Jan, I have an old lady bladder now. I will be up peeing all night if I eat watermelon this late.

Getting old REALLY sux...

The summers of my childhood....

Why am I reminiscing so much this year? Who knows, but I am having so many flashbacks of my childhood summers. Not the turbulent teen years, but the early times, when life was simple and easy and my age was still in the single digits.

I take Milly a lot of mornings and ride down to this soon to be cul-de-sac that is right now just a dirt road bordered by trees. I sit and enjoy the quiet, the summer wind, the rustle of the trees and the singing birds.

And I remember...

The wheat fields that surrounded our house, and how they glistened golden in the summer sun, and the dusty smell of the field after the wheat was harvested.

The sound of the screen door banging, as I ran outdoors, usually barefooted to play under a tree with various kittens and puppies that were always underfoot. I would dress the kittens in doll clothes and push them around in my doll stroller, and they would let me.

The smell of the freshly dried towels as I gathered them from the line and climbing into bed in my newly laundered cotton baby doll pajamas, and inhaling the summer scent still clinging to the pillowcases.

Mother's gooseberry bushes, and how she always made gooseberry pie with green berries and how much I didn't like them. And eating a bowl full of freshly picked strawberries, in that great stainless bowl that I use daily in my kitchen, now.

Sitting on the grass under a tree, watching her work in the garden, looking for four-leafed clovers, which, by the way, I NEVER found. Not one, not ever, and I searched for years.

Icy pitchers of freshly brewed sweet tea, with slices of oranges just the way I liked it. And climbing the cherry trees in the back yard, eating fistfuls of those tart little pie cherries, and not being able to get out of the tree because I frequently got stuck.

And I remember the trains. Oh, how I loved those trains. We lived in a valley and there was a train track probably a half a mile away. I would sit in the porch swing and listen to the whistle and wonder what faraway places the train went to. I would watch it wind and twist thru the trees until I couldn't see it anymore and then I would patiently wait for the next one and do the same thing over again.

We had that great creek next to our house and I would climb down under the bridge that crossed it, and sit in the coolness of the concrete pilings when the days were hot and muggy. There were probably snakes and spiders galore, but somehow I don't remember those, just the coolness that enveloped me on a hot summers day.

I can still hear that screen door banging, still remember exactly how it sounded, and still remember Mother yelling at me, "Janice, don't slam that door!" It didn't help, I always slammed it, and would today if I had a screen door. I miss having one.

It's those simple things, girlfriends, tugging at those heartstrings...

Well this is just the best thing I ever put in my mouth....

You all know how excited I get about food. I've got a new find for you, too good not to pass on.

It's Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing. Nectar of the Gods, girlfriends. You have to try this. I had it for lunch tossed with coleslaw, it was a dead ringer for Ramen Coleslaw, minus the noodles.

All this indulgence for 60 calories/2 TBS. Try it, you'll thank me, hands down best salad dressing I've ever tasted!

Nothing better....

Hubby and I were out shopping today. I was hot, tired, came home, loaded with packages, open the door and two furry little bodies are just launching themselves at me.

I sat down my packages, went to the couch, and just enjoyed the moment with them climbing all over me, barking and covering me with doggie kisses. Oh, what would the world be like without our dogs... I hope there is never a time that I don't have a dog.

They are such a joy to me, SUCH A JOY!!!!!!

Summer finds....

Okay, I buy into the marketing hype, you all know I do, but I just had to try the new Stress Relieving Body Lotion and Body Wash from Johnson & Johnson. It said almost all women who tried it felt less stress. Well, duh, don't we all feel less stress after bathing?

But nonetheless, I loaded up my cart with the stuff, came home, took it for a spin. Well, it does smell mah-velous, dahling, but I doubt seriously if it relieves any stress. It has a baby powder scent, touched with lavender, very soothing, I went to bed last night smelling absolutely glorious.

And last weekend in Nashville, I hit up the MAC counter, purchased their bronzing blush and bronze eyeshadow. It's a keeper, but got home and read in People Magazine's Off The Rack site about Hot Mama Blush. Well, it's just the cutest packaging, and I had to have it for the name alone. I'm trying the concealer, too, I'll let you know if I look like one hot mama post menopausal honey with it on.... I ordered both from the Sephora site - you can read about it here! And if I don't like the Hot Mama, I think I'll try the NARS Orgasm blush next time. Ohhhhh, racy......

We were off to the movies...

LC couldn't wait for Oceans 13 to open. John and Tonia saw it last weekend, John loved it, we saw it last night, LC loved it. Me, not so much. Let's face it, this whole series of movies are guy flicks. The one token female last night was Ellen Barkin, and she isn't lookin' so hot these days. She's old now, she needs to hang up the sexy look, it just ain't workin' no more....

Lordy is that woman skinny. Basically she is a bone with obvious implants and a good haircut. As for Pitt and Clooney, they are showing their age, too. Clooney doesn't look particularly healthy, he's pretty skinny, dark circles under his eyes, just doesn't look like he's glowing with vitality. And even Brad Pitt is getting a bit of a saggy chin and crows feet.

So there you have it, one dull evening at the movies. No great clothes, no fun kitchens to look at, no good acting. Just wasn't my cuppa tea....

You have to check this out...

Cousin Pam sent me the following video clip. You won't believe this old woman, I'm telling you this is awesome. The clip is a few years old, Linda Dano has an 80's hairdo and heavy shoulder pads, so the lady in the video is probably no longer with us, but holy batman and robin is this old lady limber....

We all need to be doing whatever it was that she was doing to be this agile at her advanced age...

Check this out!!!

Let's get serious for a minute....

Hubby and I just spent the last few days in Nashville with John and Tonia. Ryan and Lindsay joined us on Friday night, and we were discussing various subjects and last week's kidnapping and subsequent murder of the young woman abducted in broad daylight from the Target parking lot came up.

I asked both Linds and Tonia what they would do if it happened to them. Tonia wasn't sure, Lindsay, however, had watched an Oprah segment on just that very thing and they told on her show to drop to the ground, start screaming and kicking at his ankles and knees.

That makes sense to me, even if you are at knifepoint or gunpoint, you will have a much better chance of surviving if you make major noise in a public place, because the abductor won't want to call attention to himself.

If he succeeds in getting you into the car, your chances for survival aren't so good.

So that's my topic for this Sunday afternoon. It could happen to any of us, hopefully nobody will ever have to think quickly in a situation like this, but at least maybe this will make you think about what you would do in the unlikely event that it happened to you...

I have better things to talk about than Paris Hilton

Holy Schmoly, aren't we all sick of hearing about this whining, pampered princess. Get your skanky ass back to jail, put on your prison issued big girl panties and do the time....

And, now to more important things... I have to tell you how much I'm enjoying Boca All American Grillers, and how after having one for lunch, I'm not hungry 'til dinner. Well, after talking with my buddy V this morning, I checked the box, those suckers have 14 grams of protein in them, I add a piece of fat free cheese for another 5 grams, eat it on a Healthy Life Bun and I'm good til dinner. No wonder, that's a total of 19 grams of protein! If you are weight watcher, the burgers are only 1 point, 1 point for the bun .5 for the cheese, for a total of 2.5 points. Simply amazing...

I've eaten Boca Burgers, usually the original, for years now, and never really liked them. Now I know why, it's because I never took the time to fry them in a skillet. I always slapped them in the wave, and it steamed them, and they were pretty bad, but now I take the time to spray each side of them with Pam, then sprinkle Tony Chachiare's Creole Seasoning on both sides, and slap them in the skillet instead of the microwave - it takes 7 or 8 minutes, but they crisp nicely on both sides, and they are actually good.

So give them a try, if you are trying to eat healthy, these things rock!!!!

Best movie of the summer, say the critics....

They've been advertising Knocked Up as the best movie of the summer. Great date movie, Yahoo critics gave it an A-, Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 92%. Well, count me in, gotta check that out. LC was in a movie mood, he kept suggesting we go, so last night we were off to the flicks.

As we pulled in the parking lot he said he had really been looking forward to seeing Oceans 13. "Oceans 13," I said, "we aren't seeing that, it isn't on until next week." Talk about miscommunication, and naturally he wasn't too excited about seeing this movie since he was all ready for Clooney and Pitt.

As we settled in I started noticing packs of 16 year old boys coming into the movie in droves and thought, oh-oh, something isn't right here. Well let me tell you girlfriends, that was the most HORRID, VULGAR movie I've seen in years. I HATED IT, LC HATED IT, when we got out of the movie we called Linds and Ryan because they went to see it in Lexington. THEY HATED IT. But hey, don't let me tell you what to do, if you want to see a bunch of potty mouthed losers sitting around smoking dope, go check it out...

If this is the best movie of the summer, we're in big trouble. What a waste of popcorn!!!!

Oh my.....

pro·cras·ti·nate
Pronunciation: pr&-'kras-t&-"nAt, prO-
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -nat·ed; -nat·ing
Etymology: Latin procrastinatus, past participle of procrastinare, from pro- forward + crastinus of tomorrow, from cras tomorrow
transitive verb : to put off intentionally and habitually
intransitive verb : to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done

I need to clean my closet really bad, and my jewelry is outta control. I need to go thru my jewelry drawers, and sort and organize and what do I do instead? I scoop up Mags, go for a ride on Milly, trying to scout out the family of foxes that has moved into a hole at the top of the rocks that face Trisher's condo. And did I see them? Of course not, those foxes aren't going to be out midday, but it's a good excuse not to clean that closet and organize that jewelry.

But it's SUCH a glorious day in Heavensville, 74 degrees, blue skies, no humidity. Yeah, Ma, it's easy livin' today for sure.... She so enjoyed days like this. In her heyday, she would have been right on that golf cart with me, scouting out those foxes. Good memories...

Must have summer gadgets...

Okay, you all know what a foodie I am. And what a fan of Williams-Sonoma I am. And I've mentioned these items before, but some things are just worth repeating...

A couple of years ago I treated myself to this tomato knife. Yeah, I know it's pricey, but it was $15 when I bought it, so the price hasn't gone up. It's SO worth it, I just love this knife. So much so that this year I'm going to buy the tomato slicer. You can check it out by clicking HERE...

And a few months back I talked to you about my handy-dandy vegetable chopper. This thing is a "MUST HAVE" if you're into summer salads. Cubes everything into perfect size dice, and it's SO easy. I had the older version, now I have the new and improved one, and it's an amazin' raisin for sure, girlfriends. Look at it HERE...

And finally, i've told you for years now about these great peelers that peel skin off so thinly they even work for tomatoes and peaches. This nifty gadget is HERE...

So there you have it, one stop shopping, one shipping price. Williams-Sonoma should give me a discount for all the business I drum up for them.....