Sometimes I want to go to the Travel Forums that rave about my home town AND TELL THE TRUTH.

This place isn't Paradise. It has some great things going for it, but to plan a vacation in the Sunny South for the first week in March is dumb. Some years, they may be lucky, but usually no. There is one woman that has been planning her trip for a least six months. About the only thing that she didn't plan on is bad, cold, rainy weather for this weekend. And she came up from Florida!

I'm no travel expert by any means, but I do know more about my home town than someone that visited here a couple of times. It just irks me when information about it is waaayyy off. I hate to correct the postings, but I hate to ignore them too.

And the people that want to know "is it safe?" What do they mean by "safe?" Will they be raped at high noon in front of hundreds? Murdered in their beds at a fancy hotel? Mugged at one of the museums? And then they leave their cars unlocked, parked in a dark alleyway, with fancy cameras on the front seat.

Are the schools good?
Can I find a job?
what's the weather going to be on January 19, 2010.
Will it be ok to swim in the ocean in December?
Where's the best place for breakfast?
What's the best place to stay.
What should I wear?
I'm not interested in history, what else is there to do?
My child is 2 years old. I want him to remember his trip. Where is a good place to take him?

7 inches of snow and still falling. Yesterday I watched one of my al l time favorite films...Practical Magic. The reason I like it so much is the setting. The inside of the house is a stage set but nevertheless....sigh. This woud be my perfect house if I could do it all over again and I guess many viewers felt the same way because there is a web site dealing with just the house. The outside of the house was built on San Juan island. Wonderful quirky witches live inside and it's a weird,enchanting story about family. But oh....I want the house,the conservatory,the kitchen,the wild gardens and the wind chimes and bell jars all over the place.

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I watched that movie yesterday.
Stayed in my PJs all day.

Neil as usual wanted to know what the schedule was.
I pointed to my body sprawled out in my favorite chair
stuffed into my warm fuzzy pjs and said this is it.

The wind set the stage yesterday. Huffing and Puffing
around waiting to send the snow that was predicted here packing,
but it failed to materialize.
It snowed in Atlanta but not here. Go figure.

I drank hot chocolate and tea and watched movies all day.
Deep down I secretly wished I could be a child again with no responsibilities.

I watched The Three Faces of Eve
and wondered how Joann was doing now that Paul is gone.

Today, it's time to be an adult again and face whatever
comes. Let it be gentle today, lord, let it be gentle.

Katrina goes for a blood check today and we'll all go out
and see the troops off. This is their second deployment
from our town and we wish them safety and Godspeed.
One of our boys that came back badly burned, has a part in a
soap opera. He's a good kid, is taking to acting pretty well
and is making a life of the pieces that are left.

Courage is a wonderful thing to have in today's world.
In fact, courage is a necessity of life.

Suzy, for all we've complained about service (or the lack thereof) in retail establishments, today's customers are the ultimate horror story. A friend recently took a part-time job at Target to help out with the family finances "in these troubled times" and she has been regaling me with customer tales of terror ever since. Clothes left laying about in fitting rooms and carts scattered around parking lots are just minor offenses.There is, of course, the theft (and did you know the #1 category of things stolen at Target is baby formula?), and the potenial thieves who when thinking they're going to be caught just shove the merchandise somewhere behind things on the shelves. There are the parents who tell their little darlings to "go play in the toy department" while mommy shops. There are the people who insist on opening boxes & taking out the hair dryer, lamp or whatever & you know once that's done no one will ever get the stuff back into the box the right way. And finally there are just the plain gross things: the tobacco chewers who spit on the store shelves, the half-drunk drinks left on shelves, the spilled pop corn and the packages of candy that are left ripped open because someone was feeling peckish & wanted a snack. No wonder store employees are a little surly!

And Agnes those travel sites! DH loves to go to them & tweak people. Like telling the person who wants advice on how best to travel to China with a 6-month old baby - Take the kid to grandma's & give everyone on the plane a break!

Marda, that house is a gingerbread delight, but I've had too many dealings with old houses to have real estate lust over it. Unless I was able to employ a full time staff of painters & cleaners, I know what its maintenance would entail. When it comes to homes, I'm chanting Thoreau's mantra - "Simplify! Simplify!"

I'm getting ready to drive all me tax stuff to the accountant. It feels great to have this stuff off my desk and into someone else's hands.

Today should be our last (I hope)seriously cold day & we should have temperatures in the seventies by the end of the week. I'm ready for spring & itching to work outside. Winters don't last long down here, but after almost 12 years in the south, they're long enough for me.

It's rained. It'll be in the 70s this week. Is it time for sprouts to appear? :) The sweet peas are dancing and morning glories press their faces to mine all day long in my mind. Color, sweet color.

I never know my age. Ever. When my birthday rolls around (same as Pam and Don!) I have to stop and do the math. And sometimes I get it wrong. 30 never phased me. 40 didn't phase me. When will I begin to notice it again? Or will I? There won't be the usual work and immediate family blowout celebrations this year. And I am so worn out, smaller sounds good. I'm very happy to have seen my brother and sister (the biological ones, no adopteds this time), mommy, and daddy (with everyone it can be 24 and all at one table in a restaurant, you never see half of the people) this past weekend. I am even considering making my own meal (me, the one who cannot NOT (I know double negative, it's for emphasis) go out to eat) wants to make her own meal. (((shrugs?))) I just know I am feeling better than I have in years. Weights are lifting in more ways than one. I am considering asparagus with a drizzle of hollandaise, scallops seared with a sauce made up of garlic, red peppers, stock, lemon juice, and olive oil. It's tasty! Served alongside? pasta. angel hair most likely. Who to invite? No one. Maybe mommy. Just me, the kid, and my mom.

I passed my five year mark at work yesterday. Thought about Mr. H that I worked with for 17 years before I came to work here, a few million times (all day long). I really miss the sweetie pie. Some people touch your mind and heart simultaneously.

Maggie Moo's underside is just so funny looking. She looks like she stepped into a spilling of paint which got her belly, her paws, and her cute chin. It's snow white. Looking down seeing her with her head back and paws topside has become my favorite site late at night. She's so open and free. Wish she was like that 100% of the time. She'll get there. Murph gets fixed in another 26 days. Then maybe he'll quit bitting and running a bit. Just a bit. He's gonna be spectacular. He stood on my shoulder at the petstore this past weekned awaiting his shots. Everyone smiled at how secure he is. Nice kid.

Well, it's snowing but looks like it's slowing down. This is the first year in our retirement home and DH is relieved not to have to shovel snow. :^)

Andie, that story about baby formula being stolen at Target reminded me that the baby formula in the supermarket is under lock and key. DH said it's because druggies use it to mix their concoctions. I was not aware of that.

Anybody who works in retail has horror stories. I visit the Etiquette Hell site and read about people who think the rules don't apply to them. Some of the stories are hard to believe.

Locally, I recall a few years back when the flu vaccine was in short supply, a woman insisted on getting the shots when she was not in the target group to get them. She almost got into a fight with the providers! And so it goes...

Thank God I rarely shop in stores..maybe a good reason to buy things over the internet, no one has touched them after they were made until you get them..no ones stinky unwashed body parts in them..ok enough of that.
Honestly I do HIGHLY recommend Michigan as a place to visit, people just need to be aware that it is always a weather change, day to day here, not like Hawaii where it is the same day after day. You don't come here to swim I can say that for sure.

We were -7 degrees F when I got up this morning and there is ice on top of the snow that is blinding, I fell on the ice on Saturday but my titanium hip is doing fine.

Speaking of age, I guess when I really noticed this month was when I realized my husband's birthday next week is the big 60...that is a big one..i guess..i'm not quite up to him yet.

He was trying to get me to order an expensive exercise video for him, yeah, like he ever uses the ones we have and the huge expensive gym we have in our house???? not.

On Jan 1 I bought new appliances and the store wouldn't install them, so all but the dishwahser got installed in Jan, but the dishwasher has been sitting in the dining room waiting..waiting patiently.

Last night my son helped me to install the dishwasher and I loaded it up with a smallish test load last night and it whispered..the other one shook the foundation, this one whispered..it is a Bosch..i'm so glad i bought it.

So you think we might get to 40 by midweek like the forcasters say?

I am trying to force myself out of this winter slump. It is sooo cold, I just don't want to do anything. I asked a friend to "force" me to go out. I knew I needed to get out of these walls, but thinking about single digit temps, I'd say "forget it". So, my girlfriend held me accountable and made me go.
NG and I went to a "Battle of the Bands", swing bands to be exact. The reigning champs came from Pittsburgh and the challengers were from the metro Detroit. Both bands were very good and the Masonic Temple Crystal Ballroom is a spectacular location to host a dance/concert like this one. It was a nice mix of young and old folks, no smoking, & cash bar. NG doesn't dance, doesn't even tap his foot to the music, so, when he out of the blue mentioned looking into lessons, I was floored. :)
I didn't expect him to dance that night, I never suggested or asked because I know he doesn't dance. I looked at the night as more of a concert with a show. I was making peace with the fact that dancing just wasn't gonna happen. Now, I am giddy at the prospect of learning something new together. I can Salsa and Cha-Cha, now I want to learn Swing and the Hustle. WOO HOO

It's a month since I quit driving and it is working out very well. Occasionally I have the thought "I'd like to go and...right now", but it passes. Once a week Joann and I go grocery shopping at Geiger's, if I need something between times, she picks it up for me.
She even read my mind and came back with what was on my list plus the 80% dark chocolate I desired and forgot to mention, doesn't get better than that!
It is still raining and chilly, wind is blowing, we need this rain, so I put up with it. Anticipate going out and doing cleaning up, trimming and weeding, the time will come.
I pull some grassy weeds every so often and bring them to the chickens, they do a happy dance for me.
There is enough firewood for another two weeks or so, then the gas furnace will have to do, but it should be milder and I hope I will spend days outside then.
Crocus are up in unexpected places, they do appear to migrate just as the muscari do, surprises every year.

There are lot of March bdays..so I have to get cards and think of a few special (very small) gifts.

It's cold..we had snow last night, and the roads were a mess this morning, and will be tomorrow, as the leftover snow will freeze. I showed up on time and as scheduled for my as-needed job..the owner grinned at me every time he went by! Called me "old faithful" and I guess I appreciate that. Just not the "old" part.

DH puttered around while I was gone..didn't do a thing I asked him to, but I guess some things are more important to me than to him, and vice versa.

I want to get my seeds started for this year's garden..too early? Need some starting mix and peat pellets and little pots to do so. Also have to find a home for the "essential" things currently residing on the light shelf. Not my essentials, by the way.

DH is facing colon surgery sometime in the future..the sooner, the better, according to his doctor. He is understandably reluctant (the condition is not life-threatening, just miserable) and he is understandably putting it off. I'm letting it be his decision, and supporting him as much as I can.

I dread the day I have to give up driving! It means I'll have to leave this home I love and live somewhere in a TOWN, and probably in an APARTMENT! Without a YARD to play in. That day will not come for some time, I hope, so I'll enjoy each day I have here. My greatest hope is to be carried out of this old shack feet first, with all worries over.

Daffodils are up about six inches..they look so cute peeking through the snow. Even some supermarket mini-daffies I bought last year are up in profusion. Joy!

Work tomorrow at another place..it will be easy, and enjoyable, as opposed to today which was exhausting..8 straight hours of data entry as fast as I could go..exhausting, but satisfying. I can still do it, just not five days a week.

The birds at the feeders have been fun to watch. Titmice, wrens, of course..chickadees..the occasional nuthatch, juncos, downy woodpeckers (we have two males and one female), a pair of red-bellied woodpeckers, of course cardinals and doves and the occasional rufous-sided towhee, and the robins are all over the place! Can Spring be far behind?

Nice days here for the most part.
Been weeding beds, filling feeders, emptying old nests from the bluebird boxes...much to the chagrin of some of the birds all ready to nest.
New calves are coming every day.
Christian has had quite the 'science lessons' the past week or so. LOL!
Quiet right now other than a lone bellow in the distance...probably a new calf entering the world.
Christian is preparing for timed-event roping practice this evening.
He had to go early to show off his new boots.
His job is to open the chute on signal from the cowboys. He takes his job very seriously!

View from my front door.
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Got in earlier this evening from working the adult soccer league in Huntsville. Cleaned up and had a light supper of scrimp scampi over a bed of cajun rice. Turned on the tv and surfed until I got to the PBS station. They are fund raising tonight and have a concert of Chris Botti and Sting.

Jazz is my favourite genre of music. Seems, during the period of asking for pledges, for xxx amount of dollars one could get a ticket to the upcoming April event of an evening concert at the VBCC in Hunstville of Chris Botti with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. I will be there.....

Chris Botti, One

Chris Botti, Two

I seem to remember Marda mentioning him once before.

Time to kick back and listen to the rest of the concert.

Off to Florida for a week for my DD's right foot bunion surgery...can't wait to have some sun and heat...been very gloomy and doomy here...so hoping this will give me a jump start to Spring.