Manilow Radar

It's nice to know that my Manilow-ESP is still in good working order. I was in the middle of doing laundry this morning and the image of Manilow on television just flashed through my mind. Short walk from the laundry room to the kitchen, and I turned on the little TV and started flipping through the channels, starting with the local networks first.

And there was Barry, sitting on the set of the Rachel Ray show and just getting up to sing one of his songs from his "60s" CD. I misssed her interview with Barry, so the ESP is just a little off-kilter. I'm hoping that the lighting on RR's show was the cause of the blonde highlights in Barry's hair. I do wish that Manilow would just stick to his own salt-and-pepper hair, like he was doing a few years ago. Some stylist is probably telling him to "go blonde," and (in my humble opinion) it's just not right somehow.

But hair color aside, Manilow is still Manilow and that man can sing. I called our friend J at his antique shop and told him to turn on his little TV in the office in the shop so he could watch Barry... after that first song, Manilow came back at the end of the show. Sure made the laundry more fun than usual.


I'm waiting this morning for the landscaper to come by, to give us an estimate on the front flowerbeds. Looking at them again this morning, they really are in need of a make-over. I'm hoping the landscaper will find the perfect place for my palm tree that's growing in the backyard. I'd rather have it in the front yard, but it needs a good spot. We'll see what he says. Then we'll have to get some other estimates, I'm sure. Which hasn't been an easy thing... I've given up hoping that the half-dozen other landscape companies are going to call back.


Lots of errands yesterday... grocery shopping being one of them. The supermarket trips aren't that awful anymore... as long as I go to Kroger, not HEB. My husband and I went to the large HEB not too long ago and even Mr. Laid Back said that the atmosphere in that store wasn't conducive to a relaxed shopping experience. (Translation: that store sucks. -- And I hate that expression, but there's no better description.) My husband even went to the manager to complain about the rap music that was playing in the store while we were shopping. Rap music? Just who do they think is doing the grocery shopping? Fifteen-year-olds? Give me a blessed break. They switched the rap music to country/western tunes, which at least fits the area.

So Kroger it is, and will stay, unless The Grocery Powers That Be decide to open up a Whole Foods Market in this area. That would be the ultimate relaxed shopping experience, in my opinion. Now, if they can play Manilow's music CDs while I'm shopping, that wouldn't hurt either.


I just did a spell-check on what I wrote. Every mention of "Manilow" came out highlighted in yellow. This machine will recognize the words Kroger and HEB, but will dispute Manilow. Stupid computers.