Guess who's doing a happy dance? I'm SO glad I bought a replacement warranty for my Cannon SD750 camera last year. It's starting to sporadically malfunction and they're sending me a $300 Office Depot gift card. Woo hoo! I know a lot of people don't believe in warranties, but I've had to use a warranty more than once, and to me, if they're not expensive, they're worth it. My camera warranty cost $40. Much less than having to buy a brand new camera, and I can buy any camera I want with the gift card.

I've had a lazy morning. What's up with that? No walking. No swimming. It's not too late though, even after 10:00. I'm getting on my walking clothes right now! There's a lot to be said for getting out of bed and busy. Lazy sets in if I sit.

So I finally joined Facebook, and now I have less time than ever. I've been meaning to watch the shows I taped, but the computer has held my attention and not let me go! I did manage to get the pie crust baked and it's cooling and the cream cheese is softening.

We had a nice ride to the beach. Got a little lost and rode along a road surrounded by cornfields that ended in a 'T' and not a main road. It was scenic. The show was pretty worthless. I've been two other years, but this time it was a total waste. We all agreed. Here's a view from the back of the convention center onto Assawoman Bay.


And the beach. Much different this time of year than in season.



The house we stayed in was really nice and comfortable. We just hung out.




Here's the view from the back of the house. There was usually a blue or a white heron hanging out.


I was able to visit my sister and her friends at their O.C. condo on Saturday night. It was great catching up with them and getting to see my sister again. It was surreal to see all of them looking older. It's different when you see someone regularly...you don't notice. They all told me I looked great. Must be the injectables! Here's a self-portrait. I wonder if this is my better half?


Roadside market in fall mode

I'm going to close for now and finish up my pie. I'm way behind on reading blogs and I'm sorry. Out of sight but definitely not out of mind.

How you know you're addicted to the Internet? You're going away for 35 hours and you're missing it before you go. Geez. I need to get a life.

A thought or 2:

If you're trying to stay away from ice cream, don't buy Turkey Hill Limited Edition Baked Apple Dumpling. You might have two bowls and want three.

If you're going to Ocean City, have at least 3 toasted coconut donuts at the 64th St. Market. That's what I'm doing. I'm bringing my walking clothes too.

Do you watch Desperate Housewifes and Brothers and Sisters? My DVR is set to record them tonight. I'm so excited!

Gotta go...almost time for my ride :)

It's the coffee shop blogger. I went from Borders to Starbucks. After this it will be home alone. Bonnie and I met at Borders. Nice! When she left I waffled back and forth (how did the word 'waffle' get in there?) with swimming or Starbucks. Starbucks won.
My view:

It's been a gray and rainy day. Fine with me. I've been inside all day. My weekend doesn't start till 3:00 on Saturday and I had no plans to do anything outside afterward. Sorry if you did and got rained on.

I'll make the crust for the Banana Creme Pie tonight. I'll make the rest on Monday to bring to the relatives on Tuesday for Rosh Hashanah. They've never had my pie. They're in for a treat, if I do say so myself. I can't wait for a piece! I have a long weekend ahead. I'll be leaving at 7:00 AM tomorrow for a hair show in Ocean City, MD. I'll be driving with my bosses and Pattie, a new, very funny co-worker. We'll be staying at a client's home, a generous client who offered it to us at no charge. We'll spend the day at the convention center, then the night, and leave early afternoon for the drive home on Monday. It's about 2 1/2 hours away. A few co-workers will be there too. It'll be fun. Then I'm off on Tuesday for the holiday. I don't know if I've ever mentioned that I'm Jewish. I'm a bad Jew. It's just the way I was raised. We never went to synagogue. We only joined so my brother could get Bar Mitzvahed. For me, being Jewish is all about the the traditions, and the food. And being with relatives for the holidays. I'm a Jew who celebrates Christmas big time. For those of you who didn't know me during the holiday season, you'll see what I mean. I just love the decorations and the festivity of it all. I leave no surface un-Christmased.

That said, I better head homeward. I need to stop at the store for ingredients. I need to eat. I plan to read blogs tonight, so look for a hi from me.
Rusty garden guy says hi too

It seems like ages since I've written anything. I'm behind on reading too. Right now I'm watching Diane Sawyer interview the candidates and write at the same time. I don't know if that's going to work.

Not much going on here. I'm having a quiet night at home. Em is at a friend's. Her team won their 4th game in a row last night. It was a chilly, rainy, windy night for a game, but exciting. I e-mailed the local paper today to see if they'd put a blurb about the team in the paper. The girls deserve it. The next three games are against excellent teams, so the streak might be over. I've gotten lost going to the last two games, despite using my GPS. I have no natural sense of direction.

I'm sure I'll be more in the mood to write tomorrow night, so for now, I'm signing off.

I'm not in the mood for much of a post. Tired and stuff. You know? Here's the good part: my sister from GA was at my house when I got home last night. It was such a treat to have her here. She always stays with my parents when she visits, but since my mother just spent two weeks with her, I got her for the night and day. We took a walk this morning. She got to see where I go, instead of relying on my description. It was cold! We got ready and went out for the day. We shopped, I did her hair in my salon, we shopped more, had lunch, and shopped again. We had good luck at Marshall's and LLBean. We got to my parents at 6:00, and my sister Lisa was there. We had a quick reunion before I had to leave to come home. It was a full day. I wish Ilene lived in MD near me. Our time together is never long enough.

I'm going to make an early night of it. Me and a magazine in bed. Sounds just right to me.

Me again. I'm on a blogging roll here. Guess where I am? Sitting outside Panera's on a gorgeous fall day. I had the same Panini that I enjoyed on Saturday night. So, how was my day? Busy and great. I woke up and started cleaning. I didn't plan it, I just did it. I'm talking Soft Scrubbing the counters and cabinets, doing the bathrooms, vacuuming, dusting, etc. And doing my least favorite job: my hardwood floors. I'm so happy it's done. Next up was a drive to the aquatic center. I swam my usual amount, and rushed to get ready for my appointment. I should have plugged the address of the counselor into my GPS beforehand so I'd know how much time to allow for the drive, but I didn't. So I rushed, and got there with 15 minutes to spare. I loved the psychologist! We bonded. She's smart, young, down-to-earth, and she gave good advice. I have homework. And...my co-pay is only $16. I could do a dance about that. I was expecting something like $85. Woohoo. I made an appointment for next Monday but realize I'll have to change it because I'll be out of town at a hair show. So, I left there and went to a near-by beauty supply store that I never go to, but that carries my DevaCurl hairproducts. I bought the NoPoo and OneCondition for color-treated hair. Despite my swim cap, the chlorine is drying out my hair and messing with the color. I shopped, then thought, what next? And I thought of sitting at an outside table with my laptop and an early dinner. Life is good. For the moment, anyway.

Happy beach picture

Random stuff of the day...
Coffee in the morning with Kit. It was nice getting back into our routine. We had our drinks and talk, then did a little grocery shopping before heading our separate ways. Next up: I drove Emily to a friend's house so they could go to Country in the Park at a wonderful outdoor venue, Merriweather Post Pavilion. I think they were having 5 bands, with Sugarland coming on last. It was a gorgeous day outside. I thought I might spend the day cleaning up my garden. Instead I painted the hallway leading in from my garage. It still had builder's paint-15 years old. Besides the closets and ceilings, it's the only part of the house that I haven't painted myself, or had painted. I bought a pint of Duron paint to see how I'd like the color, Olive Branch. I tried to find it on Duron's website, but it can't be found. Not by name or code number. I wanted to show you. Anyway, I thought it would be easy. The painting was, but not the taping. The little corridor has 3 doors and an entryway, and I'm a taping fool. I only did one coat, but I'm not sure I'm loving it. I'm drawn to green, and I loved this color at a friend's house, but I think it might be too bold. It is much, much better than the old chalky white it replaced. I painted a white posterboard with the paint, and I'll cut it into some panels and hang them around the kitchen, which gets lots of light. I might like it better there, and I might like the hallway if it matched the kitchen. We'll see. I'm going to ask my friend/painter Dave if he'll paint all my doors this fall. They need it and I just don't want to do them myself. I make it into too much of a production.


Is this post mundane, or what?
I needed to spend time on the porch with my laptop. It was just too nice out and I'd been inside all day. I put up my Fall flag. I thought I'd take a picture of it. Then I noticed my shadow and so, here's me and my flag:


I watched and watched for the hummingbirds, but it was for naught. I think the cool weather has sent them on their way. All I saw were mosquitoes. That was sad.

I have an appointment tomorrow with a new counselor. Trust me, I need it.

My face doesn't hurt anymore, but it's bruised and peeling a little around the injection sites. That's cruddy! And that's it for me tonight. Till the next time...

A little Saturday night post. First, here's the link to Fresh Fruit, a wonderful blog written by the daughter of my co-worker Joyce, who just lost her beloved husband. She posted a wonderful tribute to Paul, and the pictures of Paul and Joyce reflect the love they shared. Becca is a new-ish transplant to WA, and lives not far from some of you. Stop by and say hello.

Work was great. I went to Borders afterward, and stayed for about an hour. I came home and visited with Emily and her friends, and tried to think of what I wanted to do. *Warning: pool talk ahead* I checked the schedule of the aquatic center, but it's only open till 4 on weekends. I called the gym and the pool was open, so, I went. It was fabulous! I swam and swam and swam. I swam 50 laps, then just decided to go for the full hour, so I swam more. I'll eventually stop talking about swimming, but I'm just amazed that I'm doing this. I'm not an exerciser, or at least, I never was one before. I only started swimming because I found a pair of goggles in my pool bag this summer. I thought, hmmm, I should try swimming a few laps. I truly believe that I wouldn't be swimming today if those goggles weren't there. And, Happyone and Elizabeth motivated me to walk. I'm still doing that, and still not loving it, but I haven't stopped. Yesterday I saw a fox run across the street. I never would have seen that if I wasn't out on my walk. Happyone saw a fox on her walk too!

I went to Panera's after the pool. Had a wonderful panini sandwich. That might be redundant? I hung out, which you know I love to do. Simple pleasures.

Oh...the book I just finished? The Story of Edgar Sawtelle? It's Oprah's new bookclub selection. I'm really happy about that. I can delve deep with other readers on her website. I just read a great essay from the author, and she'll have interviews and a great message board. I loved that I read The Road right before she chose that book, for the same reasons.

I'm meeting Kit in the morning. We've gotten out of our Sunday habit of meeting for coffee, and although we saw each other just last weekend, we have a lot of catching up to do.

Over and out!

Three posts in two days. I'm on a roll here. It's Friday night and I'm home from work. I think I'll get into bed early with my Wired magazine. I'm at least a month behind. I'm tired, and don't want to do my usual thing which is getting glued to the couch till it's bedtime.

Today was a sad day. A favorite co-worker, whose station is right next to mine, lost her husband last night to a heart attack. They were so in love. Second marriages for both and later in life, but true soulmates. They met on a date set up by her mother, and were married within 6 months. They had 6 1/2 years of joy together. Not enough.

My face is feeling much better today. I still have some swelling and bruising that will probably get worse before it gets better. The make-up covers it pretty well. So...no pictures yet. It's interesting to look at myself. My lips seem different, as does my smile. It will probably take a few weeks to see the true effect. Thinking back, I sure was brave. Did I mention this was done at no charge? Thank you Linda!

Emily is at her school's football game against their big rivals Old Mill. Same school they played last night in field hockey. I hope we're winning. Em's dad is there, but he sits far from Em and her friends. He's a good dad.

That's it from me...just a little update. Tomorrow morning will come really quickly, then it's Borders time!

Oh, what a day. Can I say that again? Oh, what a day. My massage was dreamy. Perfecto. Next up: haircolor. I'm now darker and redder, and I think I like it. I didn't like what I had before, so I went with my hairdresser's recommendation. It's still demi-permanent. Yes, I'm a hairdresser who's afraid to take the permanent plunge. Once you do it, it's forever, and so far I just have strands of gray here and there. I got my mom's good genes. Next up...the cosmetic injections. I was nervous. I took Tylenol. I had the numbing cream on for 30 minutes. I can't say it didn't hurt. It did. You know what they say about suffering for beauty. Linda, the PA doing the procedure, was thrilled with my results. So was the rep who watched and gave advice from time to time, and Linda's husband, who's a physician. They were amazed with the difference. My 'crack' is completely gone. A 'crack' on my chin is gone. The folds from my nose to mouth are gone. I'm slightly bruised, and swollen, and I have a headache. I should be using an ice pack right now, and I will in a minute. I just took more Tylenol. And I'm ready for bed. I'll give you an update in a few days. I'm really excited.

Emily's game against their rivals was edge-of-your-seat exciting. It was the best game I've seen. Remember...her JV team never scored. I'm used to watching games played near the opponents goal. Our girls were relentless. They won, 1-0 in double overtime, with a penalty shot. They deserved the win, and it was their second one this week. Go Mustangs! They took the bus back to school, and went to the boy's varsity soccer game. I just got the pick-up call, so, I'm off. And I'm hitting the bed the minute I get back.

Hola!

I'm sitting in a beautiful upholstered chair next to a floor-to-ceiling window with a tapestry rug underneath, amber lights overhead, and walls a deep umber. At a nearby Starbucks. There's no place like home, and there's no place like a beautiful place to blog while sipping a caramel latte.

Here's my plans for the day: Blog at Starbucks. Stop by Wal-mart for Tylenol, jelly beans and peanut butter, then on to my salon. I have an 11:15 massage appointment. Pure luxury with an awesome co-worker. I'll have my hair colored afterward. Perks of the business. Then I have a 2:00 appointment for my cosmetic filler procedure. I'm a little nervous about it, but not so nervous that I won't get it done. I just hope I don't bruise, but it won't really matter if I do. I can use make-up, and I won't mind telling my clients about it. I can handle anything temporary. I'll have some free time after leaving the salon, and then I'll be heading to Emily's game.

Talking about Emily's game, she's loving field hockey. I think I mentioned she scored one of two goals for the team on Monday. The one I missed the first half of. They won Tuesday's game 2-1 in double overtime against a 2nd ranked team. Today they play their big rivals. The girls are wearing their opponent's colors to school today: red, white and blue. I ran out yesterday and bought red soccer socks and red and blue ribbon. I guess the colors are to psyche themselves up? Last night we went to Michael's to buy black t-shirts and fabric paint that Emily and two of her teammates will use to make shirts for tomorrow's football game. I'm so glad Emily's doing sports. That she's athletic. That she's part of a team. I hope she chooses a winter sport since fall sports only go through October.

I went to the pool after work yesterday. I hope I don't sound like a broken record about swimming. It's just that I'm so happy about it. It's 11.7 miles from work and 16 minutes. And that was with my leaving work at 5:15. It was a very different place at night. Swim teams, lessons, non-seniors. I had to share a lap lane, first with one person, then with two. I'm used to having a lane to myself, and didn't really know how to share. I asked the person in my lane, and we agreed we'd each stay to one side of the lane. Then another swimmer got in. He said we swim in an 'oval'. OK. Except the pace of the three of us wasn't working out well, and the third guy was a water bully. The second guy got out and it worked again. So, I swam my mile. Then I went into the walking lane and walked 5 laps, taking long strides. It was harder than I imagined, but great. I timed my shower/dressing time, but it included drying my shirt that got wet when I put my swim cap on top of it by mistake. I want to go to the pool on work mornings, so I'm calculating how much time I need to account for. I need to find new goggles. I'll do that when I leave here. The goggles I have now are new, but they leave me with 'raccoon eyes', and I don't think I can adjust them anymore. Another note: a nice guy talked to me at the pool. He seemed interested...maybe he's single and I'll run into him again?

Am I all talked out? Hmmm. I see that some people are using the 'follow me' feature on blogger. I use Reader, and follow everyone that way. I signed up to follow one person, but it seems redundant. I'll wait to see how the trend evolves.

I think that's it for now. Happy Thursday!

Sometimes I think I write too often. Then not often enough. Sometimes the posts are quick ones and other times I ramble. I was thinking I'd write in the morning when I had more time, but then thought, it's been too long since I've written. I guess I'm saying, this is just a filler. I'm tired, and sore, and I plan to blog from Panera's or Starbucks in the morning. So, if you're reading this tonight, check back tomorrow. Short but sweet, huh?

My day, with pictures
So, I call the gym today and ask if the pool is open. Nope. I ask if they think it will open today. They say, hopefully sometime this week. Not good enough. I put on my suit, pack my bag and head out to Fairland Aquatic Center. I can either buy a $6 pass for the day or a $22 pass for 30 days. I choose the month. I learn a few things in the locker room: everyone has gray hair. They have rolling bags. You can't use your own locks and I don't have the 50 cents to lock the locker, but I'm told I can bring my bag into the pool area. I speak to the head swim manager on the floor. Ask about lane etiquette since I'm new. I put on my swim cap (for the first time) and my goggles. And I begin. I thought I'd swim half my usual amount since I'm out of shape, but it just feels too good and I do the mile. The water is perfect. There's flags overhead on either end so I know when I'm approaching the end of the lane. There's a zillion seniors in the place. There's a therapy pool, and a deep water aerobics pool. And a pool with many laps. And a huge hot tub. There's walls of windows. My pictures won't do it justice.






I spoke to the swim manager when I was done with my laps. She told me she had watched my form and that I was a gifted breast stroker. I was so happy and a little proud! She told me she leads a masters team and that I might be interested in joining. Maybe one day. I asked about the cleanliness of the hot tub, and was assured the water is cycled through every 15 minutes and its very, very clean. I took a dip but it was too hot for me. Everyone in it was very nice. Did I mention I was the youngest person there? And I'm not young. I showered, dressed, did my make-up and hair and left feeling just wonderful!

Next stop was to Happyone's house. I had called her in the morning to see if she'd like to go out to lunch at Ram's Head Tavern, in the historic mill by her house. It was perfect timing because she was available and ready for an outing. I had the fish tacos, the same dish I had when we went to the restaurant with Bonnie. They were superb. It's been a while since Karen and I have spent time together, and we agreed that we're grateful to be friends. Did I mention it was a perfect weather day too? We ate outdoors.

Here's a scene from her neighbor's yard. Lots of mens stuff. A clothes line is prohibited in my neighborhood, and I thought it was interesting, and revealing. Lots of underwear.


Blue Sky



I came home, opened windows, and was straightening up when my ex texted me, asking if I was coming to Emily's game, which had already started. I was thinking it was a home game that started at 5:00. Nope...away at 3:30. I got there right after half-time and the score was us 2 and them 0. And, Emily scored one of the goals. And I missed it. We lost 5-2. It was a great afternoon to be sitting in the shade watching a game. I was glad to be there.

Here's what I made for dinner: individual Boboli's. Mine was caramelized onions, fresh tomato, basil and feta with mozzarella and cheddar. Em's was the same cheese and Trader Joe's pineapple. Mine was exceptionally good. I commented I could eat one every day.



I went out after dinner to watch the hummingbirds. Can you see this one on the branch? It's one of his/her favorite spots. One of two.


The sky was just beautiful as the sun was setting:



And that was my day.

We had a great time. We expected no less. We spent the night on the porch. Kit brought a feast from the Amish market for dinner. We had one of my snacks first with wine: Trader Joe's popped barbecue potato chips. Try them! Then ribs, mushrooms, potatoes, salad and rolls with more wine. Then cheesecake and chocolate cake for dessert. We took a walk to check out the full moon. It was a clear, beautiful night. Bonnie took the top bunk bed and I the bottom and I slept for 8 full hours. That was amazing. Bonnie made her apple pancake casserole for breakfast. It burned a little in places because the oven was a little crazy, but it was wonderful nonetheless. We went for a long golf cart ride after eating. I love driving that thing! We wanted Bonnie to get a real feel for the community, so we went in and out of all the nooks and crannies. She fell in love with the place. I just took random pictures. This is the first time I've used 'Slide'.

I decided to go from Sherwood to Bally's Fitness to finally, finally do my indoor swim. I had all my stuff with me, and headed into the club. Remember I had my tour of the club on Thursday, so I felt confident. I had my membership card in hand, and right there by the scanner was a note: Sorry for the inconvenience, but the pool is closed today. Is this not meant to be? I talked to the assistant manager behind the desk. Told him how I drove over from Annapolis just to swim. Told him I hadn't been to the club since the 90's. He apologized, and suggested I use some of the equipment while I was there. So, I went to my car, got my 'walking' clothes and shoes, changed, and waited for instruction. He set me up on the treadmill where I walked 2.5 miles. I listened to Toby Keith on my mp3. Then I did a mile on the elliptical machine. I listened to Nickle Creek. And felt like quite an athlete. I don't remember the last time I sweated so much. It felt good! It felt good to be surrounded by other people working out. I don't know if I'll keep up with this. I never have before, so I'm being realistic. Still... I'm really itching to get into a pool. It's been 2 weeks since I've swam, and I'm itching to 'dive' in.

I'm off tomorrow with no other plans. What will the day hold?

I'm off on an adventure. Bon's on her way over. We're spending the night with Kit at Sherwood Forest. Woo hoo. I've got a big bottle of wine chilling. I'm not actually much of a drinker, but there'll be plenty just in case. Kit's supplying dinner and dessert. I'm bringing lame snacks and coffee and wine. Bonnie's bringing wine and making a fabulous breakfast. A mini vacation at one of my favorite places. I can't wait to ride in the golf car. And hang out on the porch. I've got my walking stuff in case we do that in the morning. I've got my bathing suit in case I go to the indoor pool (for the first time) in the afternoon. I'm just ready for a break, and this is it.

New day. Yesterday was a doozey. I got over my malaise. Is that the right word? I shopped. And ran a zillion errands. Panera's, Sam's Club, Fairland Aquatic Center, Bally's Fitness Center, Sam's Club, again, Wal-mart, grocery store, then finally, a pedicure. I couldn't stand that blue color for one more minute. I was out from 8:30 till 6:45. Busy was good. My neighbor Kelly dropped while I was emptying the purchases from my car. I talked about what was going on, then segued right into a tale of the hummingbirds. She just laughed at how I could go from a tale of woe to excitement over my birds. I'll say, I'm lucky like that.

I planned to go to the pool this morning, but couldn't figure out how much time it would take, what the traffic would be like, was there room to hang my work clothes, etc. I decided to go on a day off, but at the same time I'd go on a work day to see how it worked. I walked this morning instead. Listened to the best of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Chronicle, Vol. 1. Growing up, my best friend's older brother listened to that music all the time, so we did too. It was a trip down memory lane.

Time for work. Happy day!

I'm trying to be happy today. So far it isn't happening. I've been teary-eyed all morning. Usually I can shake off what ails me, but no luck yet. Emily refused to let me come to her field hockey game today. What's that? I'm feeling SO sorry for myself, here on 9/11 when my grief is such a speck of nothing compared to the sorrow of our whole nation. I need to get things in perspective.

I'm at Panera's, just finishing up. I just came from the bathroom and counted 12 people on laptops. I find that amazing. I'll be going to the beauty supply store in this shopping center, then Sam's Club in search of a cordless phone system, again. The new one I bought doesn't work. I called Verizon and V-Tech, and no one knows why. I'm driving to an indoor pool center to check it out, then a sports club to see theirs. This is the one that I've had a lifetime membership to since the 80's and haven't used or seen since the 90's. I'll do some grocery shopping on the way home. Maybe stop by a paint store. I saw a color in a friend's house and just loved it. If I paint a swatch on a wall I'll be forced to paint it something, right? Painting would be a good project.

I made the rendezvous at the airport this morning, and it was flawless. As I was traveling along the moving skywalk to the terminal I could see my sister and parents below, waiting in the car. We waved. I got a wheelchair attendant, who followed me to the car and transported my mom to the ticket counter. She took care of every detail. I kissed my mom and got to my car and out of the garage just in time for the free 30 minute parking. My mom will transfer in Charlotte, and I hope that leg is just as easy.

I had time to go to Trader Joe's for flowers, and spend an hour here in Panera's. Time for work now. Good day, my friends.

I'm at Caribou Coffee drinking a fruit smoothie. I was in a bad mood and thought this might lighten my load. It did. As I was driving to my parent's house this morning, I realized that instead of concentrating on my audio book, I was talking to myself. In my head. I was bothered by an exchange with my daughter, and was having an 'exchange' with my parents instead. I turned off the book to just think. When I got to the house I talked to my parents about my mom's aide, and about the subject of 'giving' to us kids. Two things that I thought needed to be addressed. I felt much better after giving my advice. I didn't ask them to take it, just to think about it. Sometimes I find that when I'm bothered about one thing, I take it out on another. At least I know that about myself. My dad and I went out in search of new cordless phones. I had already looked at Wal-mart, and we went to BJ's, then Best Buy. We bought matching units, V-Tech DECT 6.0 Cordless Phones. They included a base station with cordless phone and answering machine and two additional cordless handsets. I don't know if they're working right. It seems that even without a good charge they should at least have a dial tone. I plugged corded phones in, and they worked, so the line's not bad. Maybe after the 16 hours of charging they'll work? It was very frustrating setting it all up. I'll plug mine in when I get home. We have two phones at home and only one works. Not that the phone rings much. I finally finished with all that then packed my mother for her flight to Augusta tomorrow. My father and sister will bring my mom to the curb at BWI airport. I'll be parked in the garage and waiting at the curb. They'll go on to Atlantic City, and I'll get my mother's luggage checked in, and get her situated with a wheelchair escort who will take her from there. Then it's off to work. She'll spend two weeks with my sister, being pampered every day.

Did you all hear that Happyone is back, and with a new blog? That made me happy!

So, I finished my very long book last night. It was quite a journey. I enjoyed the ride, but wished it had taken a different direction home. I see that a county library is having a book club meeting on the book in October and I plan to attend. I'm interested in hearing other people talk about it, and to have some questions answered. The book? The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.

Emily is at a field hockey dinner, so there's no rush for me to get home, except to do laundry and pick up. I might just get something from Chipotle for dinner on the way out of here. Emily has an appointment with a sports medicine doctor on Thursday, BTW. She seems fine when she's not running. I, on the other hand, have a pain in my hamstring. And I miss the pool :(. Maybe that's why I'm feeling a little down too. If the pool was open I'd be rushing home to jump in. Instead, I'll just...I dunno.

I had the nicest time on my porch yesterday. I really had time to study the hummingbirds. I love that they have a favorite branch to hang on. It's a vertical branch with no leaves, and the one bird just hangs on it like an acrobat. And he's very noisy. I love that they go from feeder to feeder. Three feeders in a small area works just fine. It's really a blessing to get so much pleasure out of such a simple thing. Just thinking about it made me happy again. It reminds me of something from the book about being happy with ordinary. That's me.

I hate being in one of my favorite places and having my 'peace' interrupted by loud talking. I was at Starbucks after work with my book, sitting on a leather lounge chair, enjoying my me time, when two women sat at the next table and proceed to have a loud conversation. I need white noise when I read. I just dropped Emily off at a friend's, and told her I'd hang out at Panera's for two hours while she visited. I'm sitting here with my sandwich, and there's a Girl Scout meeting going on about 20 feet from me. One woman and 3 girls. I can hear every word the Leader is saying. And I'm annoyed. Mind you, I was a Girl Scout leader for 9 years, so I shouldn't be annoyed. It's just the loud voice. I feel the same way about people with loud voices on their cells. End of complaining. I'm changing chairs.

Ah, much better. I should have done that sooner.

So, crazy weather day. Lots of rain and wind. The rain was over by 4:00. I skipped Borders because I was afraid it was going to get really bad. It was kind of nice hanging out at Starbucks with my book. Till the loud people came. I walked when I got home. It was kind of wonderful because it was real windy. Emily wanted to go to a friend's house that's near this Panera's, so I thought I'd just hang out so I don't need to come out again to get her.

Well, I thought I'd end this by saying I was going to read for an hour then pick Emily up. Not the case. She's going to stay later and I'll come back to pick her up. Wah!

Just time for a quick note before work. From the sounds of the weather report, I won't be going to Borders. The heavy rain and wind should start at noon, and they're saying we should stay in. We'll see. My nose has been stuck in my book, so I might just settle in here.

What's up for your weekend?

A quick little of this, little of that..
I went to my mom's this morning and cut her hair. Short. Shorter than she'd like, but she couldn't complain. We're growing the color out, and in her case, this is the way to go. It was already on the short side and layered. Coloring her hair is just a hassle. Because her arm just hangs, it's really uncomfortable for her to lean over the kitchen sink to rinse the color out. Her arm gets wedged between the cabinet and her body. It's too hard to wash the color out in the shower using one hand. It's too far for my father to drive her to my salon. So, we're going to try this. If we can't accept her new look, which will take at least another short haircut, we'll start the color over again.

We went out to lunch with my nephew and his fiance. It was a lot of fun. My nephew is a real jokester, and like me, he knows my mother like a book. He had us all laughing.

I went to Bed Bath and Beyond and returned my Green Bags for vegetables and fruits, my Brown Bags for bread, and my 'magic lids'. It was a no hassle return. The other day Em went to get a banana from the bag. They were bright yellow with green still on the stems, but complete mush inside. The loaf of bread in the bag has worked really well but the bagels molded. The seal on the magic lids, or whatever they're called. loses suction, so, no seal. I kept the bag that the bread is in, and the banana bag that I had drying. I'll try the fruit bag on something else, but not on bananas.

I took a quick break at Panera's, but stayed for a short time. I guess I wasn't in the mood to linger. From there I used my faithful GPS to get me to the Super Wal-mart. That was a pretty quick trip too. I didn't need much.

I got a call from Emily telling me she was with her dad, on the way to get X-rays of her legs. Last week she was in extreme pain while running and then resting. The doctor thought it was a lack of hydration and potassium. She took the long weekend off, and was fine. She practiced yesterday but didn't complain to me. Today she was in a lot of pain. Her doctor doesn't think it's a stress fracture, and I've been told by clients that an X-ray wouldn't pick it up anyway. I feel really bad for Emily because she really wants to play field hockey and found out yesterday that she made Varsity. We'll see what happens.

I'll be heading to Back to School Night soon. I like to get a visual of the teachers.

It's hot as heck in MD. It must be in the 90's. I think if it's going to be that hot that the pool should be open. There should be a law!

I'm worried about my friends living in the hurricane's path. Please be careful!

My Wii Fit gave me a fit this morning. It knew 66 days had passed since I'd last turned it on. It just didn't know why. It thinks I gained 1.5 pounds. I'd like to think that's muscle. Ha Ha. It's never been accurate on the weight. My BMI is still good. So, I did some yoga, some aerobics and some strength training. 40 minutes worth. I think I'll do more of it in the winter. As I was doing the 20 minutes of stepping, I wondered why I wasn't just outside walking. Still, it's something different, and I'm working on different parts of my body.

I just started reading a huge book: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. Anyone ever hear of it? It came highly recommended. I liked it right from the start. I guess I know what I'll be doing in my free time. What free time?

It's Wednesday, my early day and I need to get myself to work. Have a great day!

It was a regular weekend for me. No extra time off for the holiday. That's retail for you, and what I'm used to. I spent the morning being lazy. It started off nice and cool, but the sun was so brilliant that the house soon heated up and I closed the doors and windows. I went out to the deck while I was on the phone and discovered how wonderful it was in the shade, and I did something I haven't done for a while. I put up the hammock, got my audio book CD's and listened to my book for hours. Yes, hours. It was delightful!


I decided to go to the pool afterwords. How could I not on the last day of the season? It was bittersweet. I stayed true to my vow not to swim. I'm still sore. If I wasn't going to swim I didn't want to get my hair wet, so I just stayed on the lounge chair and finished my book. I loved the book: Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. I didn't stay too long at the pool. Came home and cooked a summer meal of grilled Flat Iron Steak, garlic grilled potato wedges, and fresh green beans. Emily and I went out after dinner; a run for her and a walk for me. It was a nice thing to do together. It was a nice peaceful day between the two of us.

I'm tired and ready for an early night. Hope ya'll had a great weekend!