I've been watching Soapnet for the last 2 hours. I turned on the TV, and lo and behold, there was my old soap opera, The Young and the Restless. I haven't watched it for years, but I used to be totally addicted to it. I got hooked on the show as a college freshman. I arranged my classes around it. I continued to watch it, taping all the episodes, year after year. I was sure Emily's first song would be the theme song from The Y&R. Eventually, I couldn't keep up with it and let it go. One of my clients, that I see very infrequently, watches it daily, and she tells me what's going on. Seeing it tonight? A walk down memory lane.

It was a lazy afternoon and evening after an endless day at work. I read a special issue of Time magazine while I sat at Border's, sipping my cinnamon latte. When I got home I used a wheel barrow to transfer about 9 bags of mulch from a neighbor's back yard to a place under my deck. She has about 20 bags that she no longer wants, and is very happy that I'll haul it away. This is the good black mulch that I've talked about before. I'll finish the rest of the job tomorrow. That's the extent of what I got done. I visited another neighbor for a while. Ate dinner. Sat outside till dark. Read blogs. Watched TV. Did I say I ate ice cream? My newest favorite is Turkey Hill's Southern Lemon Pie. After that, I ate a 5oz. Symphony creamy milk chocolate bar with almonds and toffee chips. It was delicious but I'm going to guess it had least 500 calories and I'm sorry I ate it. *sigh*

Well, it's after midnight. Time to put this day to rest.

Hi Mom and friends :] I'm at my dad's house and I decided to check out if I still knew your password and guess what?! lol I love this picture of Adam, me and Aaron in art! I think that Middle school will be missed until... tenth grade. Once ninth grade is over, everything will be amazing! Oh and I'm going to Canada on the eighth to the 15Th. And, I ordered my camera today online. I'm going to explain it to you just like my mom would with her whole money-saving words of encouragement. So I go online and look for the name of the camera that I have already picked out as 'the one'. After a few websites, the cheapest price is $211 no shipping. Then I find it on Dell for cheaper and order it. The website said 3-5 shipping days to arrive. So I thought, perfect, that will be before my trip. Then I get the conformation e-mail and it says that it will arrive July 13-16Th. So, I had to call Dell and cancel the order because I would be back from my trip by the time it came. The stupid guy tried to argue with my about canceling my order, I'm like "what don't you get about the camera HAVING to be here BY the 6Th??" So anyways, I go back online and find that Staples has the camera and is giving a $50 rebate. I also see that they'll send me a free Canon printer if I buy the camera. So it turns out to be $212 with the mail in rebate and the free printer! Please tell me I'm good :] Mom, I think I'm getting better at this than you! LOL

I saw Live Free or Die Hard today. I would reccomend it to anyone. It's my new favorite movie. Well, I have to go walk Elvis now.

I've been fooling around with You Tube, trying to upload a video. I'm tired of waiting on it, so I'll write instead. Is it as hot everywhere else as it is in Maryland? This week has been in the mid-90's, and so humid. Emily's really suffered at camp and I've been staying indoors. It's been too hot to go to the pool. And, it's only June. I've got the sprinkler going outside. The plants, as long as they get water, are loving this weather.

It was so nice to go to my salon as a 'client' today and get a pedicure. Sitting in the throne-like chair with someone who spends an hour on your feet is just the height of luxury. I'd much rather go to someplace like this, than to one of the places where no one speaks your language and they rush you through it. I go to those places sometimes for the convenience, but after being reminded of how good it can be, I don't think I'll go back. Plus, I get a good discount where I work. Yesterday I had my hair cut and colored and dried straight. That made me look really different, but it felt so good. My curly hair is very soft and springy, but straightened it's soft and swishy. I liked the way it felt, but it just wasn't me. It's funny, the person who dried it for me told me she liked me much better with straight hair and that she'd do it for me anytime. Hmmm. I guess she doesn't like my curly hair. That's OK. She doesn't like her's either.

I'll leave you with a picture of one of the gifts my neighbor Kelly gave me. It looks so real it's scary.

They say it's your birthday.....Yes, it's that day. Emily was so excited about the gift she got me. I hoped it had something to do with feeding the birds, and I was right! This is the Squirrel Buster Plus. Guaranteed to work! I'm looking forward to being entertained by the squirrels and big birds trying to outsmart the advanced technology behind this feeding system. What do you think? Can there really be a feeder that can keep squirrels out?

I should be getting ready for work, but I'll tell a little story first. The dress I'm wearing in these pictures has a name. It's my 'famous' Big Dog dress. I got it many years ago from the a Big Dog outlet in SC. The top part is a soft and now, very worn out denim. The bottom is a soft old-fashioned plaid. It's the most comfortable thing to wear around the house. I ALWAYS wear it on long drives---to Georgia, the beach, etc... Whenever I arrive in GA, they always say, There's Aunt Cheryl with her Big Dog dress. Emily and I agree I shouldn't wear it out in public, except for the long trips in the car. I really love that dress.

I whacked a mole today. Well, I hope I did. He went to town in my garden: raised tunnels all over the place. I stood and studied the ground till I saw a wax begonia doing a little dance. I waited till he moved beyond the plant, then pounded the ground. And then pounded some more. I'm sure it was an exercise in futility, but it was a great stress reliever for me. I don't have high hopes that I ended his realm in my garden. I know better.

Today was Em's first day of softball camp. She had to be there at 8:45 and I decided to hang out at the mall for the 3 hours she'd be at camp. I brought my laptop and had a window seat in Panera's for about an hour. I had my cup of coffee at home before I left so just drank caffeine-free Diet Pepsi. Not quite the thrill. The mall has a huge LLBean store, and they were having a big sale. I don't enjoy clothes shopping, but I need new clothes and I guess I was in the mood. Yeah! New clothes. Before I knew it it was time to get Emily. I wonder what I'll do on Thursday when I bring her again? Her Dad will do the driving the rest of the week.

I am just loving sitting out here on my porch with the fan blowing on me. Just the thought of it makes me laugh out loud. Can you tell I'm easily amused? I'll say one thing for myself...I stay pretty happy. I've never been one to depend on someone else for that. I'd love to have a partner to share my life, and I hope that happens one day. I'm an optimist. The biggest stress in my life is living with a teenager. A strong willed, defiant one. If we take it one day at a time, I think we'll be OK.

If a neighbor had a pair of binoculars and was interested in spying on me as I sit here on my porch, they'd be mighty puzzled. Why, they might think, would Cheryl be sitting on her porch on a cool and breezy night, with a big fan plugged into the outlet, blowing a gusty wind on her? I don't think the neighbors across the street have any interest in me, so I don't need to worry. I'm conducting an experiment. I was told by a client that it's a great mosquito repellent. The fan just blows them away. I'll let you know how it goes.

It's been a good Sunday. Long. I made a cold pea salad to bring to my book club meeting. I got the recipe from my GA sister. She said everyone always raves about it, and that's the kind of dish I wanted to contribute. (It was a success!)

I stopped at Wild Birds Unlimited to look around. I bought a bag of dried ears of corn and a corn holder as a gift for my squirrels. Ha! I can't wait to see how they react. My neighbor told me that if I feed the squirrels they'd maybe stay away from the bird food. I called Emily to tell her about it and she said, 'it's too close to your birthday to be out shopping!!!' I guess I won't buy anything else for myself from there. I went to Home Goods. Do you know that store? It's great. I found dishes that I loved and bought a service for 8. They were marked down for clearance; I don't know why.

My book club, The Bottoms Up Club, met at 2:00 today. I missed our last meeting in April, so it was great to see everyone. There were 11 of us, I think. Everyone brought a dish to share, and we spent a lot of time talking and eating. The book we read was The Memory Keepers Daughter. I think the consensus was that we didn't love it. Our next book will be The Other Boylen Girl. I've heard great things about that book and look forward to reading it.

Kit and I went to Panera's afterwards. Quite a full day, huh? I've been sitting on the porch since I got back. BTW, no mosquito bites.

I just went back and checked over my blog. I wanted to make sure that each post didn't start with, 'I'm sitting outside on my porch'. I'm actually sitting upstairs in my room. OK, I was sitting outside till about 10 minutes ago. We've just had such great weather and I like nothing better than being outside. I ate my ice cream out there. And my kettle corn. That and some raisins made up tonight's dinner. I work late 2 nights a week and don't like to eat a big meal when I get home, so I fill up on whatever's handy. It works for me. Friday nights at home are just so quiet. Most people would find my life pretty boring, I think. I rarely feel bored.

Yesterday morning I went out on the deck to water the plants. The first odd thing I noticed was the little white bits on the deck. I thought it was the shells of sunflower seeds. That was, until I saw the lid of the bucket of birdseed. That darn squirrel. How could it know there was bird seed inside? The bucket was clearly marked Kitty Litter. I brought the bucket in the house, then thought to look inside. Could you imagine if that squirrel was inside and got loose in the house? I wonder how long it took the squirrel to bite away at that lid to make that hole? He must have thought he was just about ready for the meal of his life. I can't imagine his surprise to find it gone. As I was getting ready to leave for work, I heard strange noises outside on the deck. It sounded like something was hitting the window. I looked out to see the squirrel frantically searching for the seed bucket. It was a crazy sight I wanted to stay and watch, but I had to go. I left hoping my outdoor furniture would be intact when I got home. It was.

Mole update: he's alive and tunnelling through my garden.

I saw a black mouse running across my porch as I watered last night.

The groundhog has been missing in action.

I'm so lucky to have 2 days off during the week. Today is a beautiful day. Mid-80's, low humidity, brilliant blue skys. Today was the day for Emily and I to spend together. She went to Hershey Park on Tuesday with her father, stepmother, stepsister and neice. Last night she went to a National's game with her Dad. We were going to go to Baltimore today but decided on Annapolis. We walked the side streets and went into the little shops. We walked around the State House and Governor's Mansion. We got sandwiches and ate at the dock while listening to a folk singer. I'm home now; I dropped Emily off at her boyfriend's for hopefully only a half hour and then we're going to the pool. I'm going to bring some cards. I already thanked her for not complaining about her day. I know she'd rather spend it doing something else, ya know?

Another day in the life....

I didn't have plans for the day. Emily's first Monday of summer vacation started out painfully with a wire on her braces that had shifted into her gums. We were able to get an appointment at the orthodontist's office close to her Dad's house. Instead of his picking her up tonight to spend the night, I brought her over in the morning and he took her to the appointment. Now I had the day alone, and I was actually lonely. I got many loads of laundry done, but the house was really too hot to stick around. It was too hot to go to the pool. I checked out the movie listings, saw that Knocked Up was playing in 25 minutes, and off I went. A lot of people must have had the same idea because the theatres were crowded. It was refreshingly cool in there, and the movie was crude, but extremely funny. I came home to my quiet and too warm house, put away laundry and made the beds, and knew I had to jump in the pool. Decadent, huh? It's great having a pool in the neighborhood that's just a couple of minutes away. I only stayed for an hour, but it was nice. I came home and grilled some chicken for dinner, watered the plants, and here I am. It's been a really long day, and a long 'weekend.' I wish I could go into my cool room now, and just read for a while, but the upstairs in this house is never, ever cool. I'll go up with my heavy duty fan and fall asleep to the warm breeze. Summer is here. Tomorrow promises to be another scorcher. Can you tell this heat is getting to me?

What a day! We went out to breakfast to celebrate Father's Day, as planned. I had a great meal that kept me full till almost dinner time. That was good and bad. We went to the pool for the first time. I lounged around reading my Wired magazine with a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee. Swam some laps from time to time to cool off. It was a brilliantly sunny day with really low humidity. That's kind of rare around here. We came home, and Emily and her boyfriend watched a movie while I did my squirrel study. Dinner done, I watered all the plants outside and hung out on the porch. The mosquitoes finally chased me in, but not before I had time to take some shots of the hummingbird and check out Venus. Time to say good-bye to a very long day.

I don't want anyone to think I'm not a nature lover. I am. I just don't like rodents.


My wild bird feeder has been languishing in the garage because I was tired of the squirrels eating all the food. I found this stuff and thought, Aha! The package said it would not harm squirrels or birds. I mixed it with the seed according to the directions, and left for the pool. When I came home a squirrel was attached to the feeder and half of the seed was gone. So you want to fight with me, you squirrel? Time for war. The directions said, 'if there is a heavy squirrel problem, DOUBLE THE SQUIRREL AWAY amount. I dumped the rest of the feeder's seed back into the tub and added double the product. Check out the following pictures:


Yum! Let me tell my buddy about this delicious food!


Just a minute, OK?



Actually, why don't you just play with the wind chimes for a while?


Looks like a water bowl to me.


I'm taking a nap. Let me know when it's my turn.

I'm sitting at the kitchen table, watching the squirrels eat all the seeds. I give up!

Hi, it's Emily! I made a slideshow of my graduation pictures and one from the last day of school. Enjoy!

Late on a Saturday night and just getting started...

It was a long day and I'm still wide awake. Must be the caffeine. So it was a usual Saturday morning--up and out early. It was a short work day. I wasn't fully booked-- something that never happens on a Saturday and I got off at 1:00. I went to Borders, which is always like a mini-vacation for me. Then it was off to Emily's team's All-Star game. She didn't play, but was chosen for the base-running competition. She came in second...she's fast. Next stop, home, then to pick up my friend Kit. We went to dinner at Uno's. The service was beyond bad. We had an outdoor table, a bad waiter, and our food took over 40 minutes to arrive. We only ordered appetizers. I finally couldn't stand it and asked to speak to the manager. He came over just as our food finally arrived. I told him how long we were kept waiting, and he told us the meal was on him. I didn't expect that, but he insisted. That was nice. We shopped. Emily got clothes from her favorite stores. Kit wanted me to negotiate for her and get a good deal on a new cell phone from Verizon. We had a really good salesman, and Kit was happy. They had a package for e-mail for $5 a month. I was a little jealous so we went to the Cingular (woops, I mean the new AT&T) store, dropped my text messaging package and got my own $5 e-mail package. New toy! Last stop of the night: The Nautilus Diner for a banana split. A good ending.

Tomorrow morning the family will meet at good old Bob Evans for a Father's Day breakfast. There will be at least 11 of us. I got my father his usual gift: a Walmart gift card. He goes there every Tuesday and buys a new DVD. Don't ask me why he doesn't just rent them; I couldn't tell you.

And, that's my ramble for the night.

How's this for a trip down memory lane? Emily's first days of 6th, 7th and 8th grade. My, how she's grown. I have pictures of her, in this pose, starting with preschool. Graduation was very emotional for her tonight. She's a freshman now. I hate to think how fast it will go from here.

I've got a bit of time before we leave to go to Emily's promotion ceremony. Middle school is over; it's been a ride. I picked up a small gift for Emily today-'To Kill A Mockingbird.' It's on her summer reading list for high school honors Language Arts. Thoughtful of me, huh? A real gift rests upon her report card, which will come in the mail. All the hassles of homework and projects are over for a few blissful months. I'm one of those parents who've always loved summer vacations.

I'm sitting outside, it's a cool and overcast day. My newest pleasure in sitting on my porch is watching the ruby-throated hummingbirds at my feeder. The male is at the feeder right now. I see him a lot more often than the female. I'm not sure what makes this particular bird so appealing, but I could sit out here forever waiting and watching.

This morning found me running around doing errands with my mother. It must be Thursday. First stop was to Starbucks for a strong, fancy drink and Chick-fil-A for a breakfast burrito. Yum. We went to my Mom's doctor, Walmart, and out to lunch. I went into the library, card shop and shoe store while she waited in the car, reading my book. We got a lot done. I came home and mowed the lawn and puttered in the garden. By the way, there appears to be absolutely no new activity from Mr. Mole. I'm not going to assume the battle is over yet. Too soon to tell. If it is over, I have to find some brave soul to unearth the area I pounded to look for 'remains.' I won't do it.

Well, my break is over for now. Time to 'play hairdresser' and do Emily's hair.

I wrote a pretty long paragraph here, but when I read it back it sounded like "blah, blah, blah." Those are the ones that are best deleted.

Not too much to write about. It was a very busy day at work, but a really good one. Some days just flow and today was one of them. I'm home now, pretty bushed, ready to read some blogs, read my book, and go to sleep. Why am I writing about nothing? I don't know, so I'm outta here.

Emily has really been against my war with the moles. She was horrified when I told her I planned to get rid of them. I say 'them' but I'm hoping it's just one gone wild. With my garden. She gave me a talking-to. Told me they live in the earth and it's their home and I don't have a right to just kill them. (Hey Em, I'm paraphrasing here) I just nodded and quietly went ahead with my plan. So far there's been new activity all over the garden-it must be why they say they're so hard to eradicate. Well, this afternoon I was just kind of studying the mulch on my garden...following the raised mole tunnels, when I saw the ground start to pulse. It was the mole, underground, in action. I ran to my garage, got the rubber mallet, and, well, I pulsed it back. The ground became still, and remains so. When Emily called, I told her I thought I killed the mole. She told me she was hanging up. After dinner, she was ready to hear the story. I told her, and she was not happy. I said, but it's so tiny and causes so much damage. Tiny, she said? She stretched out her arms to show me how big she thought a mole was. When I told her they're about the size of a mouse, blind and with a long snout, she said, OH! Yeah, kill it! So, I think I've been forgiven. I just looked up some information about moles on Google. Guess what? It seems when one leaves, another one takes over their territory. Just great!

You know me and pictures....

The day so far....

Can it only be 11:30? I woke up at 6:00, watered the garden, and took some steps to get the mole to leave my garden alone. Don't ask what, cause you don't want to know. It's war because I had to throw out 2 plants that no longer had roots. My garden, you mole, not yours! I left at 7:30 to surprise my folks with a visit. Stayed there for a few hours, and have been in Caribou Coffee for the last hour. Reading blogs, what else? I'm feeling a lot guilty that I should be home. Hopefully daughter is putting all her stuff back into her newly painted room. She thinks the color is plain, and it is, but that just means it will be a good backdrop for her pictures, posters, etc...

I thought today might be a pool day, but it's very cloudy and rain is probably on the way. Maybe a good day for a movie? I'm ready for home and to help out Emily. We'll see what the rest of the day brings.

I'm sitting the side of my couch that's next to my neighbor's house. Why? So I can pick up her wireless Internet connection because mine is not working. Again! So not fair!

I was finally able to go to Border's after work today after a few week's absence. I had my yummy caramel latte, extra hot, extra shot. So good. I read OK magazine and caught up on all the celebrity gossip. So bad. I redeemed myself afterwards by reading Consumer Reports. So there. I came home and got ready to go to my cousin's for a cook-out.

I love spending time with her and her family. They had a birthday party during the day for her 10-year old, and the super-size moon bounce was still there. I went in and jumped to my heart's delight. Yes, it was a blast.

Well, I'll try and be good and write tomorrow. Till then...I bid you adieu.

Just sitting outside after a good dinner...

I made a summery dinner tonight. Grilled boneless chicken thighs marinated in Lawry's Sesame Ginger marinade. Potato wedges covered in EVOO (as Rachael Ray would say) and garlic and grilled till crispy. And, of course, fresh corn on the cob. It was great, but I made sure to leave room for ice cream. I'm drinking a glass of my first ever home-made ice tea. I've never made tea before. I went to a friend's this week and the tea she served was wonderful, and I followed her recipe: 2 family size bags of Lipton decaf tea, 8 bags of Good Earth Green decaf, Splenda and lemon. The hardest part was finding a container to make it in. Looks like I'll be buying a gallon jug.

I spent most of the day with my mom. We started out at Annapolis Mall. I bought myself a pair of earrings. She bought socks. Woohoo, are we shoppers or what? Then we went to Old Country Buffet. We said hi to the regulars. I wonder if they go there every day because we always see them and we only go there sporadically. I always say this, but it's my mother's favorite restaurant and she's always so happy when we go there. We definitely get our money's worth. We ended our day out at Trader Joe's, then I brought her home. My dad is in Atlantic City, and she really doesn't like being alone. My sister was with her last night, and hopefully someone will stop by to visit her tonight.

My friend Dave, who has a painting company, is painting Emily's bedroom and bathroom. I'm so glad that I asked him to paint for me. I'm a perfectionist, and I could do it, but professionals are so fast and know all the tricks to get it right. I've spent a fortune on that blue painting tape; he doesn't use any. He spent the day at the house today and will be back tomorrow. When he's done we'll finally get to use all the new bedding that Emily got for Christmas. Unfortunately, I'll need to make curtains, but that might be a fall project.

Later...

Random thoughts of the day

Today was the day our fish died. He lived a long, long life. I wish I knew how long. I'm going to say at least 6 years. He was pretty remarkable in that he was close to death many times (more than a cat) and always found a way to revive. We lost the power last night, and when it came back on, the motor on his filter wouldn't work. I planned to buy a new tank today when I was running errands, but forgot, and when I got home, he was gone. I put him in a box, and we buried him out back by a tree. I didn't like taking care of him, but he will be missed. I used the water from his tank to water the tomato bushes and hanging baskets.


My automatic garage door has been broken for a while. My neighbor Kelly got it to open and close when it started acting up in April. She's had to work on it a few times, but finally admitted defeat last week. It's been a pain manually opening and closing it and having to leave by the front door. Emily can't find her key and we've had to share one. I called a garage door company today and they fixed it for $165. Ouch. I'll admit it's a thrill to see that door go up and down, automatically.

It rained the entire day yesterday. Glorious rain. I was very thankful. We lost our power for a while, but that was OK. I have a battery powered (6 D's) florescent lantern that can light up a room. It was a great investment. The western sky in front of me is a kind of charcoal blue and the thunder is rumbling. I love the color of the light before a storm. I'd take a picture, but Emily has my camera tonight. I'll probably be losing my Internet connection soon.

Emily is at a big concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion. There are 4 or 5 bands with Fall Out Boy being the headliner. It's general admission, but she, her dad and her friend have wristbands for pavilion seating. I hope they stay 'inside' if this storm comes to fruition.

I'm back. I just put together this album from the party my brother and his family hosted last night for my niece's high school graduation. It was a great night. Lots of family and friends. Great music and food. My brother's house is great and his lawn is to be envied. He and my sister-in-law live about 25 minutes from me. They have a son and two daughters.

Heather's Graduation Party

I've been so impressed by Proxima's Picassa albums that I decided to try it out. I've put the rest of the wedding pictures here. It was so easy to do with Picassa.

Aaron and Rachel

It's Sunday morning and I'm not where I was supposed to be. Kit and I made plans to meet at Panera really early. Like 7:00 AM. Yes, on a Sunday. She had to be somewhere at 11:00 so we decided to get an early start. I was so tired, but got up, showered, did the whole make-up thing (I totally believe in make-up), dressed and waited for her call. She asked me if I could come to her house instead. I was disappointed (I wasn't going to say anything) - I really wanted to go to Panera, but we still had a good time. I showed her all the pictures from the wedding and my nieces party. I helped her wrap the gifts for her party. We walked around the rooms of her house because she wanted my opinion on some decorating ideas she has. I left and decided I didn't want to go to Panera. It's out of the way, and a little late. I went to the local grocery store, then decided to call Caribou Coffee in the same shopping center to see if they have free wireless. Bingo! So here I sit with my cinnamon scone and caramel latte. The place is packed, and it's OK, but not my favorite place. Still, I can't complain. A steady rain is falling (hallelujah), Emily is at a friend's house, and I'm out with 'people.' I like that.

I'm going to see if I can put together a Picasa photo album. Be back later.

So, last weekend was great! We all got through the shuttles, scooters, wheelchairs, plane rides, rental car, etc...
















We got to the rehearsal dinner late on Saturday, but it turned out fine. It was good to relax after our hours of traveling. It was nice to finally meet everyone at the dinner. Afterwards, we went to the hotel and unpacked. The bride and groom's relatives all stayed at the same hotel, and we all had a great time being together. It was the kind of hotel that included breakfast, and we just took over the place. In the evenings groups of relatives were playing cards, swimming in the pool and eating famous Chicago pizza.





We really bonded with the bride's relatives, and it was a reunion of sorts for our side of the family. I wish everyone could have been there. The morning of the wedding, I played the part of hairdresser/make-up artist. Everyone in the family has curly hair, so it was easy, and the make-up part was fun. There was plenty of time, and I had the best time doing it. No stress at all. The hotel room was grand central, and it definitely made a memory. The wedding was just perfect, every part of it. I'm so glad we were able to go. I wonder which niece or nephew will be next. The two nephews that have married so far met their spouses on mission trips. Seems like someone needs to take a trip!

This week has flown by. The season, really. It doesn't seem that long ago that I'd be standing out here looking at the snow and bare trees, then the first vestiges of spring, and now...everything's lush and green with flowers in full bloom. I love this time of year.

Time to get ready for work. Till the next time....