Cloudy Wednesday

Yesterday's sunny, warm and summer-y day has disappeared and we have a cloudy day today. Not quite as warm as yesterday, but a little bit of sun, should it decide to make an appearance, would take care of that.

I drove into League City yesterday for a hair trim.... still letting it grow out a little longer, just getting the "ends kissed by the scissors," as they call it here. Such a minuscule amount of hair is on the floor around the chair when Nancy cuts my hair-- you'd think she was just making noise with the scissors rather than actually cutting anything. But that works for me, and I'd rather have way less cut off than far too much. She also used a flat-iron thing to straighten my hair after the cut. Looked nice, but that straightness would take some getting used to... and I don't think I'd want to keep it that straight. Too much of a "young" look when hair is that straight.

Stopped into J's antique shop after the haircut... he took one look at me and said "Which hair did you let her cut this time?" -- He knows my less is more theory about haircuts. J also said he's getting ready for another Charades party. I reminded him that we just did that a couple of weeks ago. "So? That was two weeks ago. I'm ready again now." I just smiled... rather than telling him that I will expect my invitation in the mail when he decides on a date to have the next Charades party at his house. Jeez... he could wear you out with parties.

On the way home, I stopped in at the Hallmark store. Yet again. And, again, they had more things out on the shelves that hadn't been there before. The woman who owns that shop must be emptying out her storage units as the shelves get bare. I found beautiful napkins for Thanksgiving, as well as little gift-bags that I can use for Thanksgiving. (Yes, even on Thanksgiving, no one leaves here without a little autumn surprise tucked into a gift bag.) There were more Christmas ornaments on display... pretty green glass ones that looked like crystal prisms which are perfect for St. Patty's Day. With the 70% discount on those, they were less than a dollar each. I've got them in the dining room hanging with the clear crystals on the lighting, so those will become permanent additions to the green glass embellishments for our St. Patty's lunch party.

We had our air-conditioning company come by yesterday to give us an estimate to replace the duct-work up in the attic. Over three thousand dollars. Unacceptable and overpriced, according to my husband. He called another company, recommended by neighbors, and they were here this morning. Their price was just a thousand, for the same work, the same duct sizes, the same everything. Before the guy left, my husband had signed the contract to have the work done tomorrow. They'll be here before 8:30 and will have the whole job done before dinner-time. The duct-work is original to the house and needs to be replaced... especially since the raccoon we had up there a few years ago tore up some of the insulation that was on the air-conditioning ducts.

After this job is done, the next project is to get a rotten board replaced by the front porch... then we need some landscaping done-- there's too many things growing and thriving in the small backyard flower beds, and not enough growing in the larger front flower beds. We had our gardener replace older bushes that were getting too tall and thin with newer bushes that are nice and thick. That was done last year, but the new ones are not growing fast enough and the flower beds look too bare for their size. Before I get busy planting impatiens, I want someone to dig up some of the plants in the back and re-plant them in the front. Someone who has more of "an eye" for landscape design, which my very nice gardener just doesn't have. His design plan is simply "You plant dees here in sun, it grow.... you plant dees under tree, it die." Very nice man, very reliable, but not a landscape artist. And neither are we, so we need some help here. But that's another project.... and we're taking just one at a time.

We're also trying to plan a birthday dinner for young Miss C, who will turn 16 next week. We'll take her out to dinner, along with her friend L... we told her she could invite one friend, and she picked L instead of one of the boys. We also thought of surprising her at the restaurant, and inviting the boys there without telling her, but then we'd have to arrange to get them there, then arrange to get them home because we all couldn't fit in the car. Suddenly it just seemed too complicated to do with such short notice. We kept waiting to make birthday arrangements for C, thinking that her parents were going to do something this weekend. We know our place in C's life... we're not her parents and we never over-step our bounds with that child. C's dad is off at his job for another week, though, so that might be the reason that her mom didn't plan anything for the weekend coming up. We'll have our little party for her, just the four of us, and then her parents can do whatever they want next week when C's dad gets back home.

I just did a spell-check on all of the above... the computer doesn't like my "dees" word up there when I was talking about the landscaping. Apparently, this computer wasn't hard-wired in a town south of the border.

Oprah's South African School

We watched Oprah's television show last night, showing the building and opening of her Girls Academy in South Africa. By the end of the show, I think I had gone through two dozen tissues. It was all very moving, watching the hope and excitement of those girls when they found out they were chosen for the first class at the school. That program, in my opinion, should be shown in every American classroom. The television network is even repeating the show on Saturday night. I plan to watch it again, just to see the joy and hope and strength of those young girls.

And Oprah's school building..... it looked so welcoming and warm. The library, the classrooms, the dormitories, the dining hall..... every single thing was just so well-planned. If "love is in the details," then that school is oozing and flowing and pouring love out of and into every brick, every book, every pencil, every chair, every inch of space from the front gate to the edges of the grounds.
My fantasy-dream of moving to Hawaii? Forget that. We should move to South Africa and work at that school, doing whatever we can for generations of girls until we're too old to do much more than gaze at the beautiful scenery and the wildlife.

It was just the most heart-warming hour of television I think I've ever seen. We looked at Oprah's website.... you can donate to the school, from ten dollars to fifteen hundred dollars... from art supplies to medical checkups, from textbooks to tennis shoes.

Amazing what one person can do, what one woman can do, what one dream can do. We need to re-write our wills.

Oscar Night

Went up to Mayberry for a couple of days...... a little colder up there than down here, but it was still a good trip. When we got there on Friday, we cleaned out the rain gutters. With all the trees on the property, it's not a surprise that the gutters were filled with leaves. One part of the gutter was also filled with a nest of fire ants, which my husband found with his hands before seeing it with his eyes. He has at least a dozen ant bites on his arms now... who would've thought that the ants would be up that high, for goodness sakes.

We drove into Lufkin on Saturday.... went to lunch at Red Lobster, of all places. Lufkin was filled with all the usual chain restaurants, so that one was our best choice. They had little mom-and-pop cafes, but they weren't open. Not open? On Saturday afternoon? There were two antique malls up there.... we walked through both of them but didn't buy much. Nothing really called out to me, except for a little key chain with four pretty green hearts on it. I bought that, and when I got home here, I attached three of the hearts to my Valentine charm bracelet, and one of the green hearts to my St. Patty's Day bracelet.

The lake was as smooth as glass when we got up there on Friday, but that all changed when the winds kicked up on Saturday... the waves were breaking against the bulkhead and we could see the whitecaps out on the lake. My husband set up the fishing poles, but didn't catch anything. The water was muddy-looking, instead of the usual blue-green.... most likely from all the wind.

We played Scrabble up there on Saturday night..... I won, with a score of over 400. The lake magic still exists... easy for me to win Scrabble up in Mayberry, for some reason.

The Oscars are on tonight... every year, I watch. I love to see the clothes and the jewelry. I'm hoping that the "new" girl from "DreamGirls" wins for Best Supporting Actress, and I'm hoping that Helen Mirren wins for "The Queen." This is the 79th year for the Oscars.... an older tradition than the SuperBowl. I don't know what one has to do with the other, but it sounded good when I typed it. I hate football.... I don't know what all the fuss is about and I never could understand that game--- Run a little. Catch the ball. Everyone falls on top of you. Get up. Run again. Drop the ball. Everyone falls on top of you. At least baseball makes sense.

So do the Oscars.... sing your heart out, act your soul out... get a nomination. Hear your name called, walk up the steps to the stage, thank everyone from your gardener to your sixth-grade-teacher, go home with a gold statue of a naked, anatomically incorrect man. Makes perfect sense to me.

La Madeleine's for Breakfast

Went to the local La Madeleine's for breakfast today with A..... she had a tennis lesson at the college and we had arranged to meet after that. It was so foggy and wet this morning that her lesson was cancelled. Terrible fog, so thick I could hardly see up the street when I walked Gracie. I fully intended to joke with A and ask her how she was able to see the tennis ball in all that fog.

Breakfast was good there... nothing fancy, just fruit for both of us, with bread and muffins. So many tempting things in that French bakery... all things gooey and chocolate-y and delicious.... take one bite and it goes straight from your fork to your hips. Better to just order sliced pineapple and a small bran muffin.

A told me more about her subdivision in Pearland. When she moved there, it was just being built. Now it's nearly completed and they've started on another section. All new houses, patio-style homes, with all the landscaping in the front of the houses taken care of by the community gardeners. I remember seeing A's house when it was all done, but not furnished. Bright and open, and all brand-new. It's a "senior" community... you have to be 55 or over to buy there. They put in a small lake and stocked it with fish... there's a community center with lots of activities-- even trips and tours are arranged. I remember laughing at her when she told me she was moving to Pearland. "Who moves from Clear Lake to Pearland?!" -- That's what I had told her five years ago. Now, with all the new high-rise condos going up around here, and all the road-widening, I'm thinking that A was smart to move away when she did.

Gorgeous day outside... the morning fog disappeared and we've had a bright, sunny and very warm day. Must be 80 degrees out there, and you won't hear me complaining about that. The cats have been napping in the porch, I was reading out on the deck, and we've just come back from walking Gracie around half of the park. She used to walk around the entire Greenbelt in the park, which is over two miles. I think Gracie is too old now for that kind of walk. As it is, with just walking around the shortest part of the Greenbelt, Gracie is usually walking slowly behind us as we head towards home.

That's what PorkChop used to do..... he was a Basset Hound that we'd see on our walks.... an older dog who couldn't keep up with his owners anymore as he got older. They would stop to let him catch up with them, but soon afterwards, PorkChop would be lagging far behind them and they'd have to stop again. PorkChop has gone to the big dog-bed in the sky and his owners (many months after his passing) went to the SPCA and found another dog that they named Sam.

Jeez.... I don't want to think about what will happen here when that time comes, so let's just stop typing right now.

This book's for you....

I stopped in at the local library today, to look around their books-for-sale room. That's my favorite part of the new and expanded library here... the special room just so patrons can browse the shelves and buy books. Prices are low, from ten cents to fifty cents for children's books, from fifty cents to three dollars for adult books. Most of the children's books are just a quarter, most of the adult books are one dollar. And most all are in only-read-once condition, which is extra nice.

I hardly check books out of the library anymore. I just don't want to be confined to a time-limit with the books I read, and most of the books I'm reading these days are books that either end up on my own shelves or are given away to our friends with their party gifts. When I was going to the library on a weekly basis, I was reading more "fluff," rather than reading "substance." So my method keeps me away from mindless, light reading.

The books-for-sale room at the library is set up like a miniature bookstore, with floor to ceiling shelves, non-fiction arranged in categories, fiction arranged by author. While I was looking through the travel section, I heard the other woman in the room talking to the clerk at the desk. The woman was Mexican, speaking with a beautiful accent, explaining to the clerk that she and her whole family were taking English-Speaking classes so they would be able to "talk much much better."

She also told the clerk that their teacher encouraged them to have their own books at home, so they could read books "whenever we want, even if we can't come to the library that day." The woman asked the clerk to tell her how much money the books would cost (the ones she had already picked out and put on the desk). She had a pile there, and the total was seven dollars and change. The woman said she just had "five dollar" to spend, so she eliminated one book and asked the clerk to give her a new price for her pile of books. It still wasn't five dollars or less, so she stood there trying to eliminate one more book.

By that time, I was watching all of this, instead of looking at the books on the shelves. I could see the woman had three books for adult reading, and about nine books for children. As I watched her, she was trying to decide between giving up one of the adult books, or two of the children's books. There was no one else in the room except for the three of us, so I went up to the desk and told the clerk to let her have all the books she had picked out, and I would pay for those that she couldn't afford.

The Mexican woman told me that I didn't have to do that... that she could wait till "payday next week for the rest." I told her that the books she picked out may not be there next week... that I knew I didn't have to do it.... but that I wanted to do it. "You sure?" she asked me. I'm positive.

So that's what I did.... the Mexican lady was happy beyond belief, and I was happy too. It was just a few books, just a few dollars. After all my years of working in the library up in NY, and more years still of just plain loving books and loving words and loving to read, it just made me sad to think that the woman in that book room had to decide which books she could afford to buy and which she had to put back. Had I been the clerk behind that desk, I would've given her the books she wanted at the price she could afford. Whatever the library doesn't sell in that room will be put outside the building at their book sale anyway and they'll be selling for much less than the inside prices.

I wish I had thought of that while I was talking to the Mexican lady... I would've told her to make sure she comes back to the library for the outdoor book sales.

Honey Vanilla Chamomile Tea

I recently bought a box of "Honey Vanilla Chamomile" tea, the Celestial Seasonings brand. When we went to C and R's house for dinner and "Scrabble" last month, that was one of the tea choices after dinner. Very mild, delicious tea, so I bought a box for here. What I didn't realize about the Celestial Seasonings boxes was the interesting things they print on the back of their boxes. I just noticed today that the following is on my box of Honey Vanilla Chamomile:

"If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again...
I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less.
I'd do less correcting, and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less, and know to care more.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging, and less tugging.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd teach less about the love of power, and more about the power of love."

The author of the above is Diane Loomans, from "Full Esteem Ahead," which I am assuming is the title of her book.

The Hallmark Store.... again.

The closing sale is still going on at the local Hallmark shop... discounts are now between 50% - 70% on everything, and I would guess that the amount will go even higher because there's still so much stuff in that store.

I thought I had found all I needed for our Valentine's parties, but when I went in there today (and yesterday also) they had brought out more stuff from the back storage rooms. I now have enough pretty Valentine gift bags for the next two Valentine's parties.... pretty little bags that cost just thirty cents each, for goodness sake-- cheaper than two-for-a-dollar at the local Dollar Store, which is where I usually buy them.

I also found green invitation cards, that I can use for our St. Patty's Day lunches, plus enough green shamrock stickers to last the rest of my natural life, probably. Those are hard to find around here unless you pay full price at a gift shop, and these cost me just fifteen cents a package at Hallmark's sale.

And did I mention candles? Their entire stock of Yankee candles are on sale, 50% off the original price. I like the little votives, which were just a dollar each (on sale) so I bought enough colors and fragrances for St. Patty's Day, Easter, Valentine's Day, Christmas, and even Thanksgiving. The Hallmark shop had glass votive holders, but even with the discount, I thought they were too expensive, so I went across the road to the Dollar Store and found the prettiest glass votive holders, four for a dollar. Put the Yankee candle into that and it's fabulous, and looks way more expensive that it actually cost.

I was watching Oprah yesterday and Colin Cowie was on..... his cabinets filled with dishes and colored glassware (perfect trick to dress up a table), and he has a closet filled with gifts (wine and candles are his favorite hostess gifts and favors). I told my husband about that show, and reminded him that I've been doing the same thing for years (minus the wine, since we don't drink). I always have a stash of gifts in my holiday closet... party favors and gifts for birthdays and holidays... all marked with names. I've joked with my husband, telling him to make sure the gifts get to the right people, should I ever get hit with the proverbial truck.

Also had to stop in at the jeweler's today... the little garnet in my birthday-calendar charm fell out once again. She's going to order the tiny stone for me, and I'll bring her the bracelet when it comes in. I hate to part with this bracelet. Just a thin gold rope which holds my birthday charm. My dad had it made after I was born... it's a gold replica of the month's calendar page from the year I was born, with my birthstone set into the day of my birth. On the back, it has my name, and underneath it says "Mom and Dad." It's the only thing I have that says that. It was designed and bought "back in the day," as Oprah would say.

All good things come to those who wait..... the jeweler has had a diamond circle pendant for the longest time. She designed it when Oprah made those diamond "O" pendants so popular... jewelers starting calling them "the circle of life" pendants. A fancy marketing name to sell pendants. I've liked them from the start, but they're all the same. Except for this one, which is one-of-a-kind (as is many of her jewelry creations). This "O" pendant has three strands of white gold hanging down from the bottom of the diamond O.... the strands are studded with tiny multi-colored sapphires. Sort of looks like tiny pieces of a rainbow falling from the O. Perfectly delicate and beautiful.... she designed it over a year ago and no one bought it. All of her customers wanted the same old "O," just like everyone else. The jeweler has a showcase now where she puts all of her marked-down merchandise. The rainbow-O was in there. Was. Now it's around my neck. I didn't have to buy the chain... I have two that I can wear with it, so that saved even more money and she gave me the pendant just over her own cost. She was happy that it was going to a good home, and I was thrilled to get it at such a reduced price.



I called my dad today, to wish him a Happy Birthday (for tomorrow). It's his 88th birthday, even though he still won't admit to anything other than 49. When I laughed at that, he said Would you believe 23? I told him absolutely not. 88.... my dad says he's ready for the glue factory, which he's been saying since I was in high school.

Re-cycle, re-use.

Two re-cycled, re-used, "found" objects this week. I hate to throw cute things away, especially if I think I can re-use them for something else.

First... my sister sent me a new kind of tea for my birthday (or was that for Christmas?-- I don't remember just now). The tea comes in little cone-shaped packets. The brand name of the tea is "Tea Forte," and the flavor she sent was "Flora." Delicious tea... so good that I used each silken pouch twice and it made a strong cup of tea both times.

But.... what to do with that cute little paper cone-shaped pouch that it came in... I just couldn't throw them away, so I saved them. And before I threw away the twice-used teabags, I cut off the little green silk leaf and stem attached to the top of the silk pouch. I used those green leaves in some of the cards that I made recently.

I was putting the gift bags together for the St. Patty's Day lunch, and I thought of those cone-shaped pouches from the teabags. They were the perfect size for cute little candy-holders, so I filled them with green M&Ms, sealed them back up, and made little "M&M" labels for each. I wrapped those up in clear cellophane and tied each with green ribbon. Cutest little things, I swear.

That tea is all gone now, so I'll have to buy more of it and start saving the little pouches for jelly beans at Easter time. And candy corn at Halloween? Sugar hearts for next Valentine's Day? The possibilities are endless.

The second thing... I've been buying grape tomatoes in little plastic containers. The brand name of those is "Nature Sweet Cherubs"-- the top of the container is clear plastic, the bottom is bright yellow. Very cute, and I knew I could use those but I didn't think of something till the other day. Individual Easter baskets! I've already filled up half a dozen of them with green Easter grass, and when we have our Easter lunch or dinner party, I will add jelly beans and chocolate eggs and whatever other kind of Easter goodie we have. The top of those little containers has a paper label which peels off and goes back on very easily. I'm thinking that I can use wrapping paper with a Spring design to cover up the tomato label, then I can put name tags on them and use those instead of place cards at the dinner table.

I was so happy with those little plastic containers... the green Easter grass was perfect, but they'd look just as good with any other color. I'm thinking that if I cover the yellow bottoms of those with different holiday wrapping paper or decorated tissue paper, I can use them for just about any holiday party we have. It's just satisfying to know that some things can be re-cycled and not just tossed into the ever-growing land-fills.

The Bookstores

Pretty day today... not as warm as it could have/should have been, but it wasn't freezing either. A light blazer was all we needed, but I still can't do without the silk camisole underneath a sweater, and a scarf around my neck. This too shall pass. Summery weather can't be too far away now.

We were thinking of driving to one of the gourmet food markets downtown, but then we thought again. Did we really want to spend an hour or more driving down there, then possibly coming home with just a few items after driving more than an hour to get home? So we didn't go. I suggested we browse around the two local bookstores.... Barnes & Noble, and Half-Price Books. So that's what we did.

Always something interesting in each place. In Barnes & Noble, I found four little St. Patty's Day gifts-- "The Four-Leaf Clover Kit." Cute little box wrapped in cellophane, with a little booklet inside on the history of the shamrock, and a planting pod filled with clover seeds that you plant right in the bottom of the box. Cute gift for the favor bags for our St. Patty's Day lunch, so I bought one for K and B, one for R and C, one for J, and one for us. (I will have to hide the little clover-box on a high window sill to keep it away from our cats after I plant the seeds.)

At Half-Price Books, I found eight packages of Mary Engelbreit stationery decorated with her "Queen of Everything" design. Perfect for tea party gifts, because I have invitation cards in the shape of a queen's diamond tiara. I've been wanting to have another tea party since the one I did the year before last.... just never got around to it because we were doing too many other things. Between the tiara invitations, the "Queen of Everything" stationary, and the other tea gifts in my party closet, I am all set for a tea party for eight.

While we were in Barnes & Noble, we stopped in at the Starbucks there to use the rest of our gift certificates that R and C gave us for Christmas. They had a slice of carrot cake, so we tried that, and my husband got an iced green tea... the small size of that was two dollars. Amazing what they can charge for flavored water. While my husband was shaking his head at the price, I was thinking that buying stock in the Starbucks company wouldn't be a bad idea.

I also bought an interesting book in Barnes & Noble.... "Praying for Gil Hodges: A Memoir of the 1955 World Series and One Family's Love of the Brooklyn Dodgers," by Thomas Oliphant. The story sounds good, and the subject is one that I've read about before... families in the 1950s with baseball as a staple in their lives. So that book is on my to-be-read pile, which isn't so high as it has been in the past. I plan to stop by the library tomorrow for a look-see at their books-for-sale room, so the pile might just be growing a little higher.

Our friend and neighbor B stopped by with four slices of his homemade chocolate cake. He was at our Valentine's Charades party, and he brought a yellow cake with chocolate icing for the potluck dinner. It was very good, but not as good as his chocolate cakes, which are the best I've tasted since my Aunt Dolly's chocolate cakes. B took one bite of that yellow cake at the party and told me that he didn't like it as much as his chocolate cake recipe, and he said he'd make a chocolate one and bring it by to us. I told him he didn't have to do that... I didn't want a whole chocolate cake in this house-- too much temptation. But when he called tonight to bring it by, I couldn't say no. I was happy to see that he only brought over part of the cake... we asked him to stay and have tea with us, but he was on his way to Kroger. Nice man... great baker.... we've had him to dinner a few times, in-between the parties. His wife passed away a few years ago so he lives alone with his dog and two cats, and all those "Cake Doctor" books he buys for the chocolate cake recipes. I have to admit that I did buy my own copy of The Cake Doctor, but I haven't made a single cake because I know I'd be sitting here eating it till every crumb was gone.

Warming up.... just a tiny bit.

Mardi Gras time down here.... and the sun has been warming things up a bit. Not much, but enough to be wearing three layers of clothing rather than four. Yesterday afternoon was warm enough for a light jacket, but it got cold last night again, and it's cold now as I type this at 9:30 in the morning. Hopefully, the sun will make it warmer this afternoon.

We went to dinner last night, at J & S's home. S is a wonderful cook, and makes a lot of Asian-style dishes. From scratch-- not frozen/prepared. She made "pot-stickers" for an appetizer, which were excellent. Then for a first course, she made egg drop soup. Also delicious, but a little hard to eat on those large porcelain Oriental-style spoons. I would've given anything for a soup-spoon last night.

For dinner, S made a Philippine-style noodle dish, similar to Oriental Lo Mein, filled with shrimp and vegetables. With that, she had a roasted ground meat loaf (ground chicken, not beef) filled with raisins and spices, served with a liver-sauce (which I tasted just a drop of). Also steamed white rice with all of that. Dessert was a Philippine recipe, a meringue cake filled with egg custard, all rolled up jelly-roll style. Very rich, very moist, delicious.

Dinner was wonderful.... dinner conversation was a bit strained. It wouldn't have been if just my husband and myself were there... the four of us have had very interesting, deep conversations in the past. Last night, they invited one other couple, plus another neighbor whose wife was out of town. There was just no common thread between all of us, other than that we live in the same community. (Dinner party rule #1-- the smaller the group, the more well-matched your guests need to be.) We'd get started on a topic last night and after the first couple of sentences, the conversation came to an end. Added to that-- S does her cooking for these dinner-parties at the last minute, so she was in the kitchen for most of the time, leaving her husband to carry on with the entertaining (which he isn't that good at unless he's on a subject he can carry, and the other three people there weren't interested in his topics).

I found myself acting as a hostess while S was in the kitchen, rather than a guest, and doing what I do at our own parties here to keep the conversation flowing and interesting. Except at our parties, I don't have to work that hard because we have a good mix of friends here all the time. Last night's mix of guests seemed to be like oil and water. But on the bright side (and there's always a bright side if you look for it)... dinner was delicious, and it was nice of J and S to invite us. It just felt like four hours of small talk, rather than four hours of interesting conversation.


I started to de-Valentine the house the other day. All the red hearts and cupids are packed away in their boxes till next January when I'll be unpacking them again. In their place are green shamrocks and leprechauns, and my little shamrock tree that I made last year. We've invited some friends for a lunch party on St. Patty's Day weekend. K and B will be here, along with R and C, and our neighbor J. I've been wanting to introduce J to those friends because they're all interested in (and talented in) art. So that will be a good mix. Not a big party, just the seven of us. We will all wear something green and bring something green. (Naturally green food, not mashed potatoes with green food dye.)

I've got green Mardi Gras beads that I will put at each place setting for that lunch-- those were a hit at last year's "green" lunch for St. Patty's Day. For the favor bags, I bought pretty shamrock pins on eBay for the ladies, and green mint-scented candles... and I will look in the bookstore and see what kind of books they have this year for St. Patty's Day. I found a great one last year-- "St. Patrick's Secrets," I think it was called, and everyone enjoyed that one. Can't go wrong with books.

Say aaaaahhhhhh.....

I was at our doctor's office today, for my annual check-up. I use the term "our doctor" with a smile on our face. I picked this particular physician out of a book, for the simple reason that he was close by, and because in order to get an appointment with a specialist, we need to have a referring physician (according to the rules of our health plan).

When I first met this doctor, I was impressed with him. He was nice enough, and took the time to answer questions, and seemed to be listening. I didn't like the way his front office was run, though. When you walk in the waiting room, there's a sign-in sheet next to their sliding glass windows which conceal the rooms where the office staff works. No one greets you as you walk in, no one even acknowledges that you are there. You're just expected to sign your name and take a seat. (And bring something to read, because most of their magazines are out-dated.) After fifteen minutes or so, one of the staff will slide the little window open and look at the new names on the sheet so the files can be pulled.

Perfect opportunity for one of the girls to look out into the waiting room and say hello to the patients who are waiting, wouldn't you think? But that doesn't happen. The girls behind that window do their best not to make eye contact with the patients. You're not acknowledged until someone opens the door and calls your name so you can be escorted back into one of the examining rooms.

So all of that didn't set right with me, but I let it go, figuring the manners of the doctor was more of a concern than the lack-of-manners of his office staff. My opinion of the doctor changed a bit when he ordered a bunch of tests for me. I don't even remember what set that whole thing into motion a few years ago, but he insisted that I have my liver checked, to make sure it was functioning well. At the time, I thought the tests couldn't hurt, and I went along, knowing the health insurance would probably pick up the tab.

Which they did, of course, and (of course) the doctor must have known that from the get-go. One simple test led to two, which led to three, which led to four. I started to balk at the third, and then he came into the exam room to tell me that I didn't have to take the test, but then I'd be putting myself at risk because he wouldn't have enough data to form a proper diagnosis. His next statement to me was "How lucky do you feel?"

My first thought after that question was that it was not a professional way for a doctor to be talking to a patient. The result of his question was that I allowed the third and even the fourth tests to be done, for the simple reason that I was nervous about not getting everything tested. At the end of all of that, he told me that I was just fine. Which I had thought all along, but I figured he was just covering his butt with all the tests, knowing the costs weren't coming out of my pocket anyway.

Two weeks after that, his office called to let me know there was yet another "definitive test" available that the doctor suggested I take, "just to make sure his diagnosis was on target." I politely told the girl on the phone that I didn't need another test, that I was just fine, and that I really didn't need the doctor to ask me again how lucky I felt.

Well, she must have written my reply down on my chart, because the next time I went into his office for my check-up, he told me that the policy of his office was to take more tests than necessary, rather than fewer than needed, for the safety and emotional well-being of his patients. (He neglected the part about getting extra money from the health insurance companies.)

I've kept going to his office for my yearly check-up, mainly because the office is convenient. I still don't like the way the front office is set up, with that glass window that you can't see through. And I wouldn't submit myself to any more tests without getting another opinion. His name is on our health insurance card as being our "family physician," which is needed for any sort of a referral to a specialist.

So if anything ever were really wrong with me, I'd go to his office, ask for the name of a specialist, get the referral from the doctor, and be on my merry way. And I'd feel very lucky indeed.

Doctors. As my dad always says--- Not every doctor has graduated at the top of his class.

Valentine Charm Bracelet

Charm bracelets are a big thing down here, and I've always loved them anyway. I like the jingle-jingle sound of them. My husband isn't too fond of "noisy jewelry," and he doesn't like wind-chimes, either. I like both, but have given up wind-chimes in the yard to promote marital harmony. However, I draw the line at jewelry. Taking my husband's mom's words of wisdom on jewelry: "Buy what you love, honey, and don't worry about what a man likes."

With that mantra in mind, I've been looking for a charm bracelet filled with hearts. I found lots of them in the local stores as I was shopping for the Valentine's party, but they were mostly inexpensive-looking beaded bracelets on elastic bands. I don't like those elastic-stretch bracelets... no matter how pretty the stones or charms are, the elastic is either going to break or stretch to the point where the bracelet sags.

I also didn't want to spend too much money on a bracelet filled with heart charms that I will probably wear just during the month of February for Valentine's Day, so I ruled out anything with real silver, real gold, and real stones. I don't know why I hadn't thought of it sooner, but I started looking on eBay--- not soon enough to have it in time for the Valentine's party, though.

Lots of vintage-looking Valentine charm bracelets on eBay. I found a few that I really liked, with an opening bid of under ten dollars. Perfect. That is, until the bidding started, then the prices of those bracelets went up to $30.00 and over. Not what I wanted to spend, because then you have to add shipping, which adds to the cost. Also, on each of the bracelets I did like, there were some charms and/or beaded trinkets on them that I didn't like, so I knew I would be taking those off of the bracelet.

Last night, I was searching through eBay again, and looking very closely at the photographs of the bracelets. The charm bracelet that I liked the best had faux-turquoise beads with thin gold strands that looked like tiny tassels. I loved that one, and it seemed so familiar to me. Into my jewelry box I went, and there I found a costume-jewelry bracelet with turquoise beads and tiny tassels. I had bought that bracelet years ago at an estate sale (for just a dollar) when I was selling vintage costume jewelry at J's antique shop. This bracelet never made it to my showcase in the shop because it was so pretty, and it looked more real than fake. There's no trademark on it, but it looks like an unmarked "Lisner" to me, judging by its style and quality. I've worn it a lot over the years, and looking at it last night, I knew I could turn that into a Valentine charm bracelet filled with hearts.

I already had a dozen small faux-gold puffed hearts-- I had tied them with thin pink ribbons onto a beaded doll for one of the centerpieces for the Valentine's party. I untied them from the doll and attached them to the tasseled bracelet with tiny gold rings which I had in my button box. Then I found three small gold cupids (pieces from old earrings)... those are now on the bracelet as well, along with vintage crystal beads.... all attached with those little tiny gold rings. The bracelet itself has faux-gold interwoven links like a "real gold" charm bracelet, so all the trinkets I attached look as if they've always been there. The bracelet is pretty and Valentine-y and has a great jingle-jingle sound. As I find more interesting beads and hearts, I can always add them to the bracelet.

When my husband got home from work last night, I was wearing the bracelet and I showed it to him and told him that I saved him at least $40.00 by making it myself instead of bidding on the ones on eBay. He admired the creativity of my bracelet, but then he said "It makes a lot of noise, doesn't it?"

Well, of course it does... it's a charm bracelet. We're going out for a Valentine's lunch this afternoon.... I plan to jingle all the way there and all the way back.

Valentine's Day Minus One

My husband asked if I wanted to go out for dinner on Valentine's Day.... this week seems like the calm-after-the-party, being that we celebrated Valentine's Day on Saturday night with our Charades party. I'm not interested in going out tomorrow for a dinner.... half of the world will be out for dinner and all the restaurants will be too crowded. I suggested we go to Skipper's at lunch-time, and enjoy the best Greek food in the state for Valentine's Day. So we may just do that.

I'm starting to get thank-you cards from our friends... R sent me another one of her handmade cards. Her style is so much different than mine... R's cards tend to be very modern, very eclectic, extremely artsy. Her cards would be right at home in NY's Soho or The Montrose section of downtown Houston. Just this morning, I mailed R and C one of my own handmade Valentine cards... so different in its style. R teaches art therapy classes, so she knows firsthand that art is never wrong, that everyone has their own interpretation and style.

Art therapy. Maybe that's why I'm enjoying making these cards lately. It's very relaxing and it keeps your hands busy. Can't eat a piece of Valentine chocolate when you've got a glue-gun in your hands.

We're having a sunny day today, after yesterday's rain and wind. I thought the post office was closed yesterday for Lincoln's birthday, but we had mail delivered. I keep forgetting that the Powers That Be in the Government Holiday Department have decided to combine the birthdays of Lincoln and Washington into just one day. It was raining so hard when the mailman came yesterday that I didn't want to drive to the post office. I went there today instead with my eBay packages, then stopped in at the fabric store.... they had all of their Valentine ribbons on sale for half-off, so I got a few pretty rolls for next year's party. Into the closet they went, soon to be joined by the rest of the Valentine decorations still up around the house. I've got so many little red hearts hanging from the dining room chandelier that it's going to look positively plain when I take them down.

Next on the party agenda... St. Patty's Day. We will probably have a lunch or dinner, with just enough people to fill the dining room table (with one added table-leaf, not two, which means 10 people including us). We did that last year, asking everyone to bring something green for the table-- naturally green food, not something like mashed potatoes with green food dye. Turned out to be a great afternoon, and I've already got shamrock decorations and party favors and cellophane gift bags decorated with clovers, so I'm set to start planning.

One thing I have to do next time.... make sure that whoever brings food to our parties takes home their pan or bowl or platter. After every party, I find myself sticking notes with names onto the kitchen items of our friends, then driving around the subdivision to deliver the plates and bowls and pans to their owners. So much easier for everyone to just take those things home with them when they leave. Some of our friends bring their pot-luck foods on antique china. I don't exactly like being responsible for Great-Aunt Millie's irreplaceable wedding china serving bowl.

Party Day Plus One

Too much chocolate in this house... and I keep reading the packages to find the words "calorie free," but I'm not seeing anything that even comes close. I wrapped up three cellophane bags of chocolate for my husband to bring into work tomorrow... one for each secretary. That should make their day, and make my husband a hero around the office for at least the rest of the week.

I went up to J's house this morning... took her the bouquet of flowers and told her that she would enjoy them more than my cats. I also made a get-well card for her, and she was so happy with that-- just happy that I took the time to make a card rather than buy a card. Honestly, it's the little things that people notice.

The platter of party food was a big hit... she was interested to see what dishes were brought for the pot-luck dinner, and she was anxious to try them all. I brought her enough for lunch and dinner today, and enough dessert for a couple of days.

One of the items in J's gift bag was a vintage Valentine hanky that I used to wrap up a tube of Avon hand cream. The hanky came from J's antique shop... one of his dealers always has a big basket filled with vintage hankies. I found one that was nice and soft to the touch, as opposed to others which are made of a scratchy fabric-- not the kind of hanky that I'd want to use. I just knew that J was the hanky-type of gal, and she was positively thrilled with it. So much so that she brought out some of her hanky collection for me to see.

I stayed for a bit longer than I had planned to, and I hope I didn't come back with some of her bronchitis germs. Is bronchitis catching? I have no idea. J is such a nice lady, soft spoken and interesting to talk to... but I can tell that she can cut loose if she wants to. She reminds me somewhat of Blanche, a friend of mine from NY who used to work in Lou's coffee shop. Blanche passed away some years ago now, and even Lou has gone on to that big Greek coffee shop in the sky.

We're eating left-overs today.... chicken pot pie, Tex-Mex chicken casserole, and green bean and zucchini casserole. And a few pieces of chocolate here and there. I had a chocolate covered pretzel for lunch, for the simple reason that I've never had one before. After I ate it, I looked at the calorie count on the box.... 250 calories. Oh well. That's when I decided that was lunch. If I have another one, I will cut it in half. Better still, into quarters.

As I said.... too much chocolate in this house, and I have my dad's sweet tooth, without a doubt.

Valentine's Charades Party

It is nearly one o'clock in the morning as I type... the party is over, the kitchen and dining room are back together, as is the living room and breakfast room. Once again, the Charades group managed to out-do themselves. We had a tie tonight.... 52 points for the ladies, 52 points for the men. A first.... and of course, the men have vowed to win the next time.

The food on the buffet table was, once again, outstanding.... Asian noodles with shrimp, Tex-Mex chicken casserole, barbequed chicken legs, oyster dressing, chicken pot pie, green bean and artichoke casserole, ham and cheese tid-bits with gourmet crackers, spinach and strawberry salad, six-bean salad, barbequed sausages, turkey and swiss cheese rolls, rum cake, chocolate cake, fruit ambrosia, and a cranberry/strawberry/sherbet punch. I don't think I'm leaving anything out, but it's late and I'm tired.... all I know is, the dining room table was filled with food and everyone went back for seconds and thirds.

We fixed up a plate for our friend J who has bronchitis, and I will bring that to her tomorrow, along with the gift bag that I had made for her. One of our friends brought a pretty bouquet of flowers, but I can't have those in the house here because both ShadowBaby and Mickey Kitty will pull them apart... so I will bring those up to J and let her enjoy them while she's not feeling well.

I swear I cannot believe how much noise we made tonight... so much laughing that we were practically falling out of our chairs at some points. Our friends S and T were able to come tonight-- their small children didn't get sick and they got a baby-sitter, so they were able to have a good night out, which they haven't had for a while now. Both S and T are so good at Charades, and S had us rolling out of our seats with her clues. Too, too funny.... she pranced and pouted and winked and vamped as she tried to act out the word "woman" in one of her clues. We weren't getting the answer too quickly, but our friend L told her to just keep on going because he was enjoying "the show."

For one of the other clues, the answer was the song "Mona Lisa," and our friend S (C's dad) did his best to arrange his face into a Mona Lisa-type of smile. Well, it worked, and our friend J (from the antique shop) yelled out that answer. Another clue that had us falling out of our chairs.

There is so much chocolate in this house at the moment.... a bunch of our friends gave us boxes of Valentine candy as host/hostess gifts... we didn't expect that, and we always tell everyone just to bring something for the potluck dinner and that's it. But in they came, bearing chocolates and a large tin of gourmet cookies. We should have another party and just serve all these chocolates and cookies for dessert.

Amazing how competitive we all get with the Charades games. Probably because it's men against the ladies. And the method of giving clues is so different between the two groups. The men try and act out each word... the ladies most often can act out the entire clue. Sometimes it's the other way around. One of our friends (V's husband S) was having a difficult time thinking of the best way to act out his Charade, so he started to tell a joke instead.

Young C was here with her parents, all decked out in every blessed piece of heart jewelry that she owned... heart earrings, heart bracelets, strands of heart necklaces from all of our parties. Plus she had a pouch filled with red and white arrows slung over her shoulder, so we were calling her Cupid for half of the night. And, just as I thought... she was indeed wearing the "cool" shoes that I had found for her last week at the shoe outlet.

Another successful party... we have such a great group of friends here. We'll have to put together a small dinner party with K and B, and C and R, and invite J to join us... as soon as J gets to feeling better, so she can meet our more artistic friends. I don't know what I'll be serving for dinner, but I do know what we'll be serving for dessert. (Gourmet cookies and chocolates!)

Party Night Minus One

I think this is the second time I've sat down today, the first being for about an hour earlier this afternoon when I listed some things on eBay. I needed a break from all the party preparations, and eBay seemed like an easy, mindless thing to do for a little while.

The house is all decked-out and ready.... hearts (red, pink, white and purple) are all over the living room, dining room, breakfast room and kitchen, with a few in the powder room and foyer as well. I re-arranged some of the furniture in the living room and now there's a round table near the fireplace and an oblong table by the sofa. Plus the end tables, and the breakfast room table. There will be 26 of us tomorrow, and I wanted to make sure that everyone had a comfy place to sit and eat. The dining room table will be filled with food, so no one will be sitting around it to eat.... just walking around it to fill their plates. Somehow, it always works out, but I thought I'd try the different arrangement with the tables. I wish I had remembered to go out and buy those large heart-shaped balloons for the front walkway, but I didn't think of it till just a little while ago, and I'm not going to start searching for them now.

My husband is in the kitchen now, mixing up a batch of oyster dressing... his contribution to the pot-luck dinner table. I'm making a green bean and artichoke casserole tomorrow, as well as stuffed rolls filled with turkey and swiss cheese slices. I might make another casserole... I'll decide on that tomorrow. You never know with these pot-lucks... I want to make sure there will be enough food on the table. We always seem to have more than enough desserts, so I've learned over time not to make anything sweet for these Charades parties.

Our newest friend and neighbor J phoned me this morning to tell me that she can't come tomorrow night... she has bronchitis and laryngitis and she's taking antibiotics for both. She was looking forward to tomorrow night, but now she's afraid of getting everyone sick, which of course we can understand. I have her gift bag here on my desk, and we'll bring it by to her on Sunday, along with some of the left-overs from the dinner. I told her that we'd have her over to dinner as soon as she was feeling "less toxic" (as she called it) so she can meet our friends K & B and R & C. We were going to introduce them all at the party, thinking that J would especially like K and R, since they're very artistic, as J is herself. So it will all work out at a later date.... and probably better, because at a smaller dinner party, J can really talk to and get to know those friends of ours.

The fuss and bother in front of the Space Center has died down... the trucks and camera crews are gone from the front gates, but I'm sure there's at least one still in front of the home of that female astronaut. I still shake my head over that story... to throw one's life and career away in a moment of anger and revenge. How very sad, not to mention very stupid.

The news is still preoccupied with the death of Anna Nicole. Today's autopsy report ruled out some things but didn't pinpoint others. It will be weeks before a final statement is given to the press, I'm sure. This story makes me wonder if people in other countries are shaking their heads over the "status" given to American celebrities. More people seem to be concerned about Anna Nicole's life and death than the plight of starving, homeless children in Africa. Or starving, homeless children right here in this country.

Helicopters and Reporters

We woke up this morning to the sounds of helicopters.... one after the other. Couldn't figure what it was all about and I didn't find out till I met my friend A at the movies. She was playing tennis when those helicopters were making all that noise-- they were hovering around the Johnson Space Center, along with three local network news trucks.

This story about the astronaut has gotten the attention of the media-- big time. I guess now everyone will stop talking about the dentist who ran over her husband in the parking lot of the Hilton. I don't think The Powers That Be at NASA are too much in favor of all of this publicity, especially when the tragedy is a personal one, not having anything to do with NASA.

Oh well... the reporters will be hanging around the entrance to the Space Center until all of this dies down a bit.

As for the movie... this was our second attempt to see "The Queen." At the first showing on Monday, the film broke and they couldn't repair it, so off we went to try again. This movie was incredible, and the woman playing Queen Elizabeth is just outstanding. Very impressive... she (Helen Mirren) must have studied every movement and mannerism of the Queen before she started on this film.

Nice and warm outside.... not as sunny as it was this morning, but the temperature keeps rising every day. I'm waiting for the first person to tell me that it's "too hot." Then I will remind them of the cold and rainy days of January.

Greek Lunch

We drove into League City today..... got my hair trimmed.... it's getting longer, the style is changing just a bit with each trim. I plan to keep letting it grow till the weather gets really hot, then I'll see how it feels when the sun is out and the temperatures are near to or over one hundred degrees. We're back into the high 70s and very low 80s now (finally) and so far, so good.... but we'll see.

After the hair cut appointments, we drove further down into Kemah and had lunch at Skipper's. For as long as we've been going to this small Greek restaurant, the consistency of the tastes and the quality of the food has never wavered. Delicious each and every time, and we've been going there since 1994.

We spoke to the owner today, whom we hadn't seen in a while because we hadn't gone there for lunch or dinner since before the holidays. He always asks everyone if they enjoyed their meal, and today I told him just what I wrote up there-- that his food is always, always, without fail, just delicious and just perfect.

His secret? Simple. Only two cooks in his kitchen... him and his wife. That's it. His kitchen staff knows how to reheat and plate, but they don't cook/prepare the foods. Ever. Period.

And that "secret" right there, just might spell out the beginning of the end for our favorite Italian restaurant when they move into their new and larger location. Larger kitchen-- more chefs. Larger restaurant-- more customers. All of that means more food has to come out of that Italian kitchen and there is just no way for one person (the owner/chef of the Italian place) to make everything. As it is now, my husband and I can both tell when the owner hasn't prepared our meals. And even young Miss C, who has been there with her parents as well as with us, can always tell when her favorite dishes have been cooked by someone else. And she's just 15, for goodness sakes.

"Skipper's" is a small, family-owned restaurant. Not too many tables, but enough to give the owners a decent living, I'm sure--- and I believe that because that restaurant is always busy. Hard work to keep it going, I'm sure also--- I would think that the owners are in there cooking before the sun comes up. But it works. Thankfully so, for us and all of Skipper's customers.

Dentist appointment this afternoon... to have the new crown put in. Oh goodie. And right now I've got laundry going. Oh goodie to that as well.

Movie Interrupted

I met my friend A at the local mega-movie theatre to see "The Queen" this morning. First showing of the day, about two dozen women in the theatre. The actress playing Queen Elizabeth is wonderful... the hair, makeup, clothes, mannerisms.... totally amazing.

Less than 15 minutes into the movie, the film snapped. Just broke right into pieces and all of us there were looking at a white screen. Where did the Queen go? They were just at the part where the Queen's staff wakes her up in the middle of the night to tell her about Princess Diana's car accident.... and we're looking at a white screen.

We all looked to the back of the theatre, up at the projection window... no one was in there. I got out of my seat and went to the front desk to tell them about the broken film. "Not a problem... we'll have it fixed in five minutes." I went back to the theatre and told that to the rest of the ladies in there, and then we all started chatting at once.

Five minutes... ten minutes.... Next thing we knew, one of the employees was telling us that they couldn't fix the film and the person who could fix it wasn't in the theatre yet. They offered us a choice... either a full refund, or a "rain check" to come back and see it. Oh well. A and I opted for the rain checks...... we'll go back on Wednesday to try again.

A had been running around all morning before she met me at the theatre, so we said our goodbyes in the parking lot. I was driving along, going to pick up some food at a nearby Chinese restaurant, but then I realized I was too close to the shoe store to not stop in for a look-see, so that's what I did.

Of course I found shoes... one pretty brown pair of heels in particular with a clump of beads at the toe... don't know what I will wear those with, but they will be spectacular. I also found a pair of beige shoes to wear with jeans, to replace the ones that have gotten ruined with all the recent rainy weather--- those are now Gracie-walking shoes.

I found one pair of shoes there that I just knew young Miss C would love.... flat shoes, closed toe and closed back, in a light-colored camouflage fabric... it had a little buckle at the toe, with a thin metal chain attached to it that ran along to the side of the shoe. I know Miss C, and I knew she'd love those shoes. Not my taste, but definitely hers. However, I had no clue about the size she wears. Couldn't call her, because she was in school. Couldn't call her dad because I knew he'd be working on installing a set of French doors leading to their backyard... and besides, I doubted that he'd know her shoe size anyway.

I knew her mom would know, of course, but she was at work. Jeez.... I broke all my cell-phone rules and got my cell phone and called L's cell phone. She was indeed at work, and I apologized for interrupting her, but I made it quick and got the shoe size and bought those shoes. They had just three pairs of those shoes, and only one in C's size.

After driving then to the Chinese restaurant for the to-go meals for tonight, I drove to C's house and left the shoes by her front door. C found them when she got home from school and she was so excited when she called me up to thank me... so excited that she could barely get the words out. The funny thing was that she had seen those shoes when she was shopping with her mom... she asked if she could buy them and L said she'd "think about it." Oh dear... I cringed when I heard that, hoping that L's feelings wouldn't be hurt because I had bought those shoes for C.

But I had no idea that C had even seen those shoes. I just knew when I saw them that she would love them, and I just wanted to buy them for her. C seemed to be more thrilled that I knew she would love those shoes than with the fact that I did indeed buy them. I always tell C that if her mom doesn't approve of what I buy for her, then the item goes back to the store. I'm keeping my fingers crossed here that L doesn't feel badly because I bought those shoes for her daughter. C said she felt like Cinderella... trying those shoes on and realizing that they fit her perfectly.

C and her parents are coming to our Valentine's party this weekend. I'm betting that C will be wearing those buckled, chained, camouflaged shoes, no matter what outfit she happens to be wearing for the party.

Scrabble Saturday

We went downtown last night, to have dinner with friends C and R. They live inside the downtown loop... nice house on a subdivision-style street, filled with books and artwork. Wasn't hard to find.... as my husband drove, I was writing down the directions. I keep the directions to downtown places in a little notebook, so if I have to drive down there by myself, I will know where to go. Not exactly a scientific way to find a place, but it works for me.

After dinner, we played two games of Scrabble. My husband and I had to smile when we got there, because C showed us the "Scrabble" dictionary that he had bought, and he also found a book called "Everything Scrabble" which was filled with the history of the game, as well as strategies for getting a decent score. While we were driving to their house, my husband and I were wondering if they had played some since the last time they were here. So apparently, they had indeed been practicing.

Interesting couple, C and R... they are both artistic, in different ways. C used to be a medical illustrator, and R's artwork styles are varied. Everything from watercolor to collage, from paper to sculptures. They both used to work at the Texas Renaissance Festival, and that's where they got married. We saw their wedding photos, with C and R dressed up in elaborate medieval costumes. When I looked at their costumes, I told them that I expected great things from them at our next Halloween party. They said that they had planned to wear the costumes at last year's party, but they didn't want to be the only ones dressed up. Little did any of us know that so many would dress up for that party. But... there's always the next one.

I told R that I had started making Valentine cards and birthday cards, inspired by her own talent for putting together such artistic cards. I told her that I had started to practice making a thank you card for her (for last night's dinner) because I didn't want to send her a store-bought card after receiving all of her handmade ones. We had a good laugh at that, because she was worried about making place cards, after all the pretty place cards that she and her husband had brought home from our dinner parties. She showed me some of the more elaborate holiday ones--- she had put them into frames and she uses them with her holiday centerpieces.

Last night was a late one.... we left their house late, and it's an hour's drive from here. It had been cold when we left, so I put AngelBoy and Mickey Kitty in our bedroom, leaving ShadowBaby with the run of the house, which is never a problem with that cat. Mickey Kitty was so wide awake when we got home that he thought a new day had started. While we were getting ready for bed, he was taking out all of his toys and carrying them into the living room to bat them around and hide them underneath the sofa. I had brought all of his toys into the bedroom for him, but I think he just slept while we were gone because he was sure ready to play at midnight.

I told R that I admired all of her plants around the house. We used to have a lot of plants here as well... in the kitchen and breakfast room, and out on the screen-porch. Then we got cats... I think AngelBoy was the first one who started to munch on the plants, and ShadowBaby will eat any kind of blooming flower that is within his reach. Now all my flowers and plants are outside--- and neither AngelBoy or ShadowBaby bothers with them out there. But bring them into the house, and I'll have petals and stems from one end of the house to the other.

Much warmer today than yesterday, thankfully. I had eMail from my friend G up on Long Island... she says the temperature this morning is 21 degrees, and will drop down to 6 degrees tonight. Six degrees... I guess I should stop complaining when we get below 70.

Still cold, but no rain.

We were up before dawn this morning. My husband got out of bed first, and the cats heard him so they woke me up. Actually, the cats haven't been waking me up at four o'clock in the morning lately, as they usually do when it's cold and they sleep in the house instead of in the screen-porch. I guess, because ShadowBaby and AngelBoy are getting a little older now, that they don't feel the need to be up in the middle of the night to see what's going on in the world. As for Mickey Kitty, he never did develop that habit of getting up in the middle of the night (or morning, as the case may be). He goes to sleep when we do and starts his day when we get up. (The perfect cat.)

Being that we were up so early, I thought I'd go to the yard sales this morning. But I changed my mind when I went out on the screen-porch. It was so cold that I could see my breath, so I got back into bed after a while and literally pulled the blankets over my head and fell asleep again. My rule is that if I can see my breath on a cold morning, then I don't need to be outside till it warms up. As a result, no yard sales today.


I spoke to my dad yesterday. He wished me a belated happy birthday and wondered how I could be "that old" since he's just 49. (An old joke that's he been telling me since my 16th birthday, when he really was 49.) He also told me that I should buy skinless Nathan's hot dogs. He said my husband would enjoy them for lunch, and he insisted that I make sure the hot dogs were skinless. His theory was that you don't know what they make the skins out of, so why eat them. My theory about hot dogs is that you don't know what they make them out of, so I don't eat them. But I didn't tell that to my dad.... he was on a roll (pardon the pun) about the correct way of cooking hot dogs and the right mustard to buy. (The spicy brown mustard, not the one that looks like melted yellow crayons.)

After the hot dog conversation, my father asked a question he asks from time to time: "How's your mother? Is she taking care of herself?" He will ask that same question, in that same way, with very little variation, every couple of months. I thought it was ironic that he should be asking now, of all times. I just answered him the way I always do--- "She's fine, just fine." And my dad said: "Good, good... I'm glad to hear that." Which is what he always says after my reply.

Right after that, my dad asked me if I was sure my husband liked hot dogs. Well, of course he does... he will go to Kroger himself to buy them, and have them in the fridge if he's going to be watching a baseball game or a football game on TV. (How can you watch baseball without a hot dog-- that's my husband's theory.) My father was happy that my husband liked hot dogs. "Your Uncle Mino didn't like hot dogs, you know." (I didn't know that.) "Mino would never eat them... he told me that you couldn't trust what went into them. Imagine that? Who doesn't like hot dogs?"

I reminded my father that I didn't like hot dogs. "You're kidding me, right?" No, dad, I'm serious. "Well, that's not right. You always ate hot dogs when you were little." I told him that maybe I ate too many when I was little, so possibly that's why I don't eat them anymore.

My dad asked me if I still liked ice cream. Yes. Did I still like chocolate? Of course. "Well then, there's no reason for you not to still like hot dogs." I didn't know how to argue with that, so I asked him to tell me again what kind of mustard I should buy (for the hot dogs that I'm not going to eat).

"Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows"

Amazon.com has sent an eMail out about the 7th (and final) volume of the Harry Potter series. The last book, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, is due out on July 20th. If you put in a pre-order at Amazon, you will get the book in your mailbox instead of standing in line with 758 people wearing purple wizard hats and fake white beards.

I opted for the pre-order. I've seen what happens here when a new Harry Potter book is released, and it isn't pretty. Honestly, you would think they were waiting in line for front-row seats to a Manilow concert. It's just a book! A good book, but just a book... and fiction at that! No need to get push-y and shove-y on those lines....

Our friends K and B are also Harry Potter fans... so much so that K has a bunch of Harry Potter tee-shirts which can be seen all around the downtown Houston area. Mind you, K is over 60, and quite an intelligent woman with more degrees than Harry Potter has charms and potions. I had the fleeting idea of having a Harry Potter lunch at the end of July or the beginning of August... we should have all read the last book by then. Trouble is, other than my husband and myself, and K and B.... I don't know who else in our group of friends will have read the 7th book by that time. Other friends of ours have read the series, but they wait till the library has an available copy, or they find one in a yard sale, or they wait till the crowds have dispersed at the bookstores. As K would say: Peasants.... what do they know....?!

I don't think I'll plan anything just yet. However, I do have a package of Victorian "crackers" in my party closet... each is wrapped in silver foil and decorated with purple wizard hats. Honestly. I found them in one of the gift shops around Halloween, and I couldn't resist buying them, knowing they'd be the perfect thing for a Harry Potter book review/lunch. So we just might have to do that... if only to soothe and coddle and friend K at the end of the 7th volume when she realizes that in order to get her wizard-fix, she will have to start re-reading J.K. Rowling's books.