The View

This was the view from our balcony. The blue tent on the right was ours, and although it looks as if it is housing a vehicle, the jeep was cruising the beach as I took the photo. Click to enlarge - it really improves the view. There are seven of my grandchildren in the pic, but none of the adults in our party made it into this one.

The sea was calm the whole time we were there, except for Wednesday when a storm was approaching. Even then, it wasn't too rough. We were lucky! You can't tell it from this photo, but the beach at that location is very deep (even at high tide) and almost completely flat. The hard-packed sand is easy to walk on, and there is room for dozens of umbrellas or tents between the dunes and the water line. I must sound like a public relations person for the chamber of commerce - but it really is a great spot.

Prior to this trip, I had only been in Myrtle Beach once, when mr. kenju took us on a business trip to Charleston, and we stopped there on the way back home. That was when the children were small; two of them were sick and developed a rash that day, so it stands out in my mind. When the kids were older, they started going to Myrtle Beach with their friends, while we always went to NC beaches as a family. I am happy to have had the opportunity to go to a SC beach at least once in my life and I look forward to going back.

Little Angels on the Beach

I don't know these children. They were being photographed near our condo. I just had to try and get a good pic of them. It was not easy, because there were trash cans, stacks of chairs, umbrellas and people between us, and I was trying to do it surreptitiously. I thought it best not to have their mother ask me why I was photographing her children.

They had been on the beach for about ten minutes when a woman walked by with the two white dogs on leads. I don't think it was planned, but wasn't that a wonderful photo opportunity? Too bad I couldn't get a clear shot of the girls and the dogs together. But, I wanted you to see them anyway.

A Sight for Sore Eyes

Don't forget to click! (the view is much better)
Our last day at the beach, I spotted this group of girls posing for a photographer (the one with the towel); first from the front and then from the back. By the time I got my camera turned on, this was the view. I was amused by the three guys on the right who stopped to ogle the group with such obvious pleasure. But I saw guys doing that all week long - even mr. kenju - if you can believe it. My son and son-in-law tried to hide it, and my brother-in-law was just about as obvious as the three guys in the pic.

What really amused me was seeing how the young girls paraded constantly in front of my grandsons; whether on the beach or at the pool. The girls would seem unconcerned to all but the most the most practiced eye (of which I have two). I know full well that distant gaze and small toss of the hair; the clenching of stomach muscles and deep intake of breath to swell the chest, while walking by a bevy of cute boys. I must have done it a million times when I was young.....LOL!

For some reason, this photo reminded me that I haven't told you about the watermelon we had at the beach. (Anyone see a connection there?) We bought a big, round, seedless watermelon on our first trip to the grocery and since it was too big to go into the refrigerator with all the other food, we put it on the kitchen counter, where it sat for six days. Either we had other desserts or we forgot about it until the next to the last day. After lunch, I cut the melon. It was red-ripe, sweet, juicy and, as I said, seedless.......in other words......it was Heavenly! That was the best watermelon any of us have had in years. Juice dripped down 15 chins that afternoon, and it was the perfect ending.

I Love(d) My Dentist

It's true......I really do love my dentist. We just got a letter saying that he is retiring in early July, and I have dreaded that day for years. My children and I used to tell him that he couldn't retire until after we departed the world. He is almost my age, so I guess we couldn't expect him to practice forever.

We moved to Raleigh in the fall of 1969, and in January, we began a search for a dentist. Mr. kenju found one in his office building, so we tried him out. We immediately felt that we had made a good choice; he was very good at dentistry, he seemed compassionate, and trustworthy. An added plus is that he was easy on the eyes (and remains so). Over the years, our opinion of him has never flagged, and his personality and the way he conducts his business have never changed. (The fees have escalated, darn it!)

Many people have been referred by us to his office throughout the last 38 years, all of whom were really happy to find him. Everyone from my mother-in-law to the small grandchildren of my friends go/have gone to this office with no fear or trepidation. I expect they will be as sad as we are to lose him. I have had a great deal of dental work over the years. Phil is the only dentist who never hurt me (with the possibile exception of novocaine shots - but that was understandable.)

A new dentist is taking over the practice; one I hope will be just like Phil. The new man is retaining all the office staff, from the receptionist to the hygienists, so that is a definite plus.

Phil, we have enjoyed being your patients over the years. We thank you for being the man and the dentist you are, and we wish you and your family many years of peaceful and enjoyable retirement.

Tall and Tan and Young and Lovely

And we'll get to that in a minute - but first - join me in wishing the wonderful Naomi of Here in the Hills a Happy Birthday! (see my blogroll). Now on to the titled post:

While we were celebrating another birthday and enjoying chocolate cake at the beach, I snapped this pic of one of the girls, not noticing until I uploaded the photos that her shirt said "Perfect Smile". Voila!

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This one is short, young and lovely, and you really should watch her!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En0A8KGMgq8

(Who knows where the title came from?)

Go Fly a Kite

Do click to enlarge! Flying kites is a revered past time at the beach, and we'll never let it be said that we didn't cover all the bases. My younger daughter bought three kites at the dollar store, and they flew better than any other kites we've ever had! At least one of them did. When the first kid got tired of holding the kite string, she tied it onto the arm of a beach chair. That kite flew high from that chair for over two hours, serving as a beacon to the children that this was our tent. As the boys wandered back from the surfing area, they picked up the kite and flew it even higher. After dinner, one boy (the shark-catcher-pin-up) proudly had all three kites up at one time. You can say what you want to about current technology and scientific advances; flying a kite is a great event for a child and in my book, it beats all the video games ever produced.

(Anna, this one's for you. A looking upward, if ever I saw it, plus a straight line!)

We interrupt our beach travelogue to bring you a late-breaking movie review!

We watched "Man of the Year" with Robin Williams last night and it was better than either of us expected. Robin plays Tom Dobbs, a comedian who gets the idea to run for U.S. President from his fans. Laura Linney plays an employee of a software company that has been hired to provide voting machines for the election. Suffice it to say that there is a computer glitch which makes for interesting voting and results in country-wide mayhem. The script is shot through with many true statements about our current government and the practice of politics. This one is worth renting, even though my daughter said it was panned by critics.

Where to Begin?

How about here? This was the condo we stayed in at North Myrtle Beach. I usually prefer free-standing houses, but this condo was the nicest place! There are 20 units with ocean-front views and six bedrooms (2 down and 4 up), five bathrooms, a very large living room (as condos go) and a well-equipped kitchen with modern appliances and a huge refrigerator and stand-up freezer. Upstairs there is a common room with a pool table, and both levels have wide balconies facing the ocean. Every room has a TV with cable and there was a computer with high-speed internet. The pool was big and the hot tub sat about 10, although I once counted 13 kids in it. We also had laundry facilities in the condo, and parking for up to 3-4 cars per unit under the building, with an elevator, as well as two sets of stairs.

Naomi mentioned in her comment on the last post that nobody killed anyone on the trip. I laughed at that! With seven adults and eight children, someone was always in at least a little bit of trouble, but we managed to get along well enough to stave off any major grievances (just barely).

I was asked to bring games, so I toted Trivial Pursuit (2 versions), Scrabble, a jigsaw puzzle and a deck of cards. We played Trivial Pursuit once and I played Scrabble with five of my grandkids one morning after breakfast. Most nights, we were too tired to do much of anything except vegetate on the couches and watch movies we had rented. The long days in the sun (even under the tent the sun finds it's way to your skin), wind and surf tired everyone out, especially the children. They spent whole days running back and forth from the beach to the pool, or from the swimming areas to the surfing areas about 2 blocks away. We were constantly applying sun block to little faces, arms and backs - and it didn't do much good against the 90*+ days of unrelenting sunshine. I'm not complaining, mind you, but in all the hubbub, I forgot to apply my own sun block, so I am sporting a burn in a few places, mostly from wind.

On Wednesday it rained from noon on till the evening; the four granddaughters got treated to manicures with special designs (which promptly began to peel off). One of the boys was turning thirteen (not the one I mentioned yesterday) and he was treated to a mini-party with chocolate cake purchased at a local grocery (not bad). He got to go out for lunch and shopping with just his mom and dad; a real treat when you have six siblings.

I could go on and on, but I had better stop here before you get bored......ha.....maybe you already are! I do have a little more to tell about the trip - and some photos coming soon!

A Whale of a Tale

Well, maybe just a shark tale!

The highlight of the First Annual Kenju Family North Myrtle Beach Trip, at least for this grandson, was catching a baby shark. He had fished on a pier all day with his aunt and caught nothing, so he went out that night about 9pm on the beach, and soon reeled in the shark. We all decided we would not be wading in the water after dark! The baby was set free soon after the pics were taken, and I hope he remembers our kindness if he ever comes within 50 yards of us again.

This 13-year-old has a 'summer romance' story as well. Early in the week he and his brother played ping pong with another family who had a daughter about ten. On our last day there, the grandmother approached our tent on the beach and said....."We want to compliment you on your boys _____&_____. They are so cute and polite (we wondered if she had the right family...LOL), and our granddaughter has a huge crush on the oldest. She has been taking photos of him on the beach from the balcony and I want to know if I could take a photo of him so I can have it blown up and give it to her for her birthday."

We laughed and said we'd have to trick him, otherwise, he'd never stand for the photo. So as he came back up the beach, I used her camera, and I had him pose first by himself, and then with his two brothers. The grandmom was very pleased and went back to her condo. So our grandson will be a "pin-up" on some girl's bedroom wall this summer. I agree with the girl - he IS quite the looker - but his mom would have my head if I showed a good pic of him on the blog, so the face behind the shark will have to suffice.

Quotes of Note + Beach Kittens

Since we are destined to live out our lives in the prison of our minds, our one duty is to furnish it well.

Peter Ustinov, actor, writer and director(1921-2004)

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We made a supply run to the grocery today, and some children were trying to give away four kittens out in front of the store. I have always been a sucker for a kitten, and these were so cute I nearly adopted them all. One was white and gray, one was white with black spots and one was a dead-ringer for a leopard, with gorgeous tawny spots. The 4th one was in a crate and I didn't see it.

At the last minute I regained my senses and remembered the 2 sweet cats at home awaiting my return. They wouldn't take kindly to new additions - and neither would my wallet - considering the cost of vet visits. But guess what I have been thinking about all afternoon?

Another Blast from the Past

My mom found this badge in a wooden foot-locker from WW2, that was in the basement of a house she and my dad bought back in the 70's. It now resides on the cork-boards above my computer desk. I didn't know Mr. Reynolds, but sometimes I used to eat lunch in the coffee shop of the old Daniel Boone Hotel in Charleston. Maybe that's why I kept it. Read about the old hotel here:

http://www.charlestonwv.com/visiting_chas/landmarks.asp

The beach vacation continues. Tonight we had a seafood buffet at a restaurant equipped to feed hundreds (thanks Heaven for that). Our pretty, blonde Russian waitress had her hands full carrying plates and side-stepping children on their way back and forth to the buffet. One of my grandkids apparently needs a lesson in good eating habits. She came back from her first trip to the buffet line with macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and French fries. I told her she had 3 items from the same food group and she shrugged and smiled. This was the same one who argued with me at lunch time that her mother lets her have coke with caffeine whenever she wants it. In this case, I'd like to be a buttinsky, but I won't.

Pandemonium?

Want to know how you create pandemonium? Put two grandparents, three children, one spouse thereof, eight grandchildren and a brother-in-law in a condo at the beach! It guarantees pandemonium for most of the day and half of the evening.

Add next-wall-neighbors who think the only way to play music is on the loudest setting, and play it until after midnight, and people upstairs who pace loudly up and down the hallway until 2-3AM, and there you have it!!

Luckily, there is also lots of space, a pool table, TV's galore, a goodly number of bathrooms, 2 balconies, a spacious kitchen and lots of good food, to say nothing of a very wide white-sand beach, sunshine, soothing waves and beautiful skies! Oh, yes, and a pool, hot-tub, outdoor shower and parking!

Photos will follow next week.

A Fancy Doodle

Ball point ink on file card.

I was cleaning out a dresser drawer recently and found this doodle on a file card that my older daughter drew when she was in class, more than ten years ago. I guess there are two ways to look at it. One, she was not paying enough attention to her class if she was drawing this, and two, she was not a bad artist back then. At any rate, she doesn't remember doing it.....LOL

Edit: No, she is not an artist now; there are seven kids to tend, two dogs, two cats and a business!

The Alpha Gardenia + a Quote

I'd love it if you could catch a whiff of the aroma! Too bad we don't have "smell-a-vision" here in Blogland. There are now at least 25 of them open on the bush and 9 on my kitchen counter in a vase. Heaven!

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It's like, at the end, there's this surprise quiz: Am I proud of me? I gave my life to become the person I am right now. Was it worth what I paid?

Richard Bach, writer (1936- )

EXCUSE ME FOR SHOUTING!

I don't want to hear about illegal aliens anymore!

I exchange emails nearly every day with a group of long-standing friends, most of whom were my high-school or college classmates. Some of them (most) are retired, and like a lot of retired people (men in particular), they are always looking for something to get riled up about. Why is that?

The latest harangues seem to feature illegal aliens in some way; how they are robbing the US of money, etc.

Whether I agree or disagree with their issues is not my point here. I say: Get a life, people. Worry about something else, or if you must concentrate all your efforts on people who come over the border, don't tell me about it! I am sick of reading the hate and bigotry and lack of compassion that is rampant in these emails. The people I get them from didn't write them - they just forward them to everyone they know, without checking to see if they are true or not.

The reason I am ranting about them here is that I can't tell these guys how I feel - because I don't want to hurt their feelings. Telling you about it makes me feel a little better. Hope you don't mind.

Do your friends send you things you'd rather not receive? How do you handle it? I just delete and say nothing - except here - of course.

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I saw the DVD "Because I Said So", with Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore, Lauren Graham, Piper Perabo, and Stephen Collins, as Diane's love interest. Mr. kenju said, "Not only is this a chick-flick, it is a chick-flick with a meddling mother!", as he exited the room to go upstairs to his TV.

He was right. It is that, and what's more - it was also easy to figure out the plot. Maybe it is because I am older now (and have seen a LOT of movies over the years) but nearly every movie I have seen lately has been predictable. I usually like Diane Keaton very much, and she was okay in the film, but I thought she carried the flustered, scattered, meddling and controlling mom too far, and it got to be cloying.

There was one person who made the film worthwhile for me - and that was Gabriel Macht, who plays Mandy's love interest. He is cute and his character is adorable. His smile is great. I am glad I saw the movie because it introduced me to him, but I'm glad I didn't pay to see it in a theater.

Even More Australia Photos

I think all of these were taken in or around Surfer's Paradise, which my daughter says looks like Las Vegas with an ocean. The second one is the view of the hotel pool from her balcony. I love the colors in the ocean. I could gaze at it for hours!

Eclipse

"Clipsie" is very hard to photograph, due to her very black saturated color fur. Here, her eyes were heavy-lidded, but they are big and beautifully golden. I had to wash out the carpet in this pic in order to highlight her. This is a spot she doesn't often get to lie because her sister is usually here beside me at the computer.

I was out in the back yard cutting gardenias for a vase when I heard a bird chirping in a way that sounded menacing. I looked around to see Storm stalking a blue-bird (possibly a mockingbird) that was down on the ground in the ivy vines, with what looked like a damaged wing. His/her mate was squawking away from a nearby tree. The poor bird was trying to hop to safety, but not getting very far in the process. I took the cat back into the house, and around the corner came Eclipse, to see what all the commotion was about. By that time, the bird had hopped off the deck into the woods, so I presume she will be safe. It's a good thing my cats don't get out much; they have little practice at catching birds (but one of them did bring me a mouse last week)!

More from Australia

I think my daughter is as fascinated by rocks as I am. I believe all these pics were taken in or near Sydney, like the first ones I posted.

Banyan trees. I love to see the aerial roots, reaching down to the ground. I saw some of these trees in Hawaii; the largest one was surprising in that you could walk between the roots.

Bondi Beach - where surfers gather.



A charming cottage, and one where we would not expect to see a palm towering
over it!


More rocks!




The layers in this stratified rock are fun to study (for me, at least). They tell a story about the age and history of the rocks. I wish I knew how to decipher it.

The Best Laid Plans.....

We moved to this house in 1982, and the pool was here, but the lack of decking around it was pitiful. The man who last lived in this house put in the pool, the pump house and a fence during the summer that he had no job. His company was bought out by a new firm and they canned all the former employees (as so often happens), and he needed something to do. I almost wish he hadn't bothered, because he botched it up quite a bit and we had to build a new deck and retaining wall to make it acceptable. Before that, every time it rained, there was nothing but mud in the concrete area surrounding the pool.

He built a short, wooden fence that loosely followed the contours of the pool, about 18" out. Their plan was to plant flowers and ground cover, but it was always very hot near that concrete and the plants they chose couldn't stand up to the heat. They moved to California, and pretty soon it looked like a vacant lot in the slums (red clay dirt and weeds), This house was empty and on the market for almost 2 years.

I drew this plan, and except for minor changes, it is what we had built the second summer we lived here. One of the larger changes was the exclusion of a jacuzzi, much to my dismay. The reason for that is a loooooonnnng story, involving my MIL.....a tale for another day!

The red line to the rear and right of the decking was meant to be a brick retaining wall, with built-in planters. When we got the cost estimate for that, we nearly fainted. That brick wall would have cost more than the 1500 sq. feet of decking we added. We had to be content with 6x6" posts forming the retaining wall, and considering how ivy has grown all over it in the last 24 years, we were probably smart to use wood instead of brick.

As pump houses go, this one remains a sore spot with me. He built it as small as possible (so as to save money on materials, I guess), and inside the space is so tight that you can hardly wedge yourself in there if the pump needs repairs or simple maintenance. We should have concentrated our efforts on enlarging that, but foresight then was not as good as hindsight is now, and there is less motivation and/or money, to do it right. Sometimes I see small potting sheds or tool sheds in magazines, and they are so charming and creatively tricked out they make me drool. There was great potential for that in this pump house, but the vision was not there at the time.

When I found this drawing recently, it brought back all the excitement we felt back then. There is nothing like being young, buying a new home and deciding how you will make it your own. Sometimes the excitement even overshadows the frustrations....LOL!

We had to have a few boards replaced last week, and there are many more that need it. Truth be told, we need a whole new deck. And the cycle continues...

Scroll down for a hand update......

Hand Update

This pic was taken about an hour ago. I laid my hand on top of the washer, since it was white and would provide good contrast to my bruises. You can see the lumpy swelling and the bruising on the knuckles and upper fingers. I went to the doctor today and she ordered an x-ray, even though she thinks it isn't broken. We are leaving town soon for a beach trip, and she didn't want me to go away and chance any complications without knowing what happened, if anything.

The doc called it a contusion, and told me to keep icing it and then wrap it in an ace bandage. Do you know how hard it is to type with an ace bandage wrapped around your hand?

Tribute

Don Herbert gave me and countless thousands of children hours and hours of pleasure. His programs were educational, but we didn't realize we were learning because he presented everything in such interesting ways. He made science magic! Several years ago, I discovered that his old TV programs were being shown again. I devoured them, just as I had when I was young. The Wizard is dead. Love live The Wizard!

E-E-E-E-E-Y-OUCH!! (update in the comments)

Don't do what I did! Our neighborhood women had a pot-luck dinner tonight. I picked up my next-door neighbor and headed to the party site with my roaster/crock-pot full of pork tenderloin with cherry/cranberry sauce (It was a big hit!) As we entered the house, going through the den into her kitchen, I hit my knuckle on the door jamb. It hurt a little, but I really thought I had just grazed it. Within five minutes, a lump the size of a small egg had formed on the back of my hand, and it hurt like the dickens! I didn't want to make a big deal over it, so I went out into the backyard where other people were gathering. I grabbed some ice out of the bucket where drinks were cooling and poured myself a glass of wine, then held the ice on my left hand until it melted. I did that three times more, but as you can see, it did little good.

It is not as noticeable in the photo, but the swelling over the bruise is raised up about 1/4th+ inch above the rest of the hand. When I got home, I held an ice pack on it for 20 minutes, but I think it was too late to do much good. Maybe it will be better in the morning. Ya' think?

Go See These!

If you like great photos, and want to see butterflies up close and personal (as they say), go here! Loren is an excellent observer of nature and his photos are wonderful.


http://www.lorenwebster.net/In_a_Dark_Time/2007/06/11/flitting-around/#comment-8657

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Ronni Bennett, of The Elder Storytelling Place, was kind enough to choose one of MY former posts for today's entry:

http://www.ronnibennett.typepad.com/elderstorytelling/

I'd be pleased if you'd go, read it and comment!

Photos of Australia ~ Part 1

When my daughter sent these photos to me, there was only a little explanation of where they were taken, and I didn't write it down (as usual). I do think all of these are from Sydney, but Peter can set me straight if I am wrong. Feel free to jump in a tell us what were are seeing, Peter. I know, of course, that the top pic is the Opera House, and the bridge is in the harbor where the Opera House sits. I will show you the rest of the pics periodically. It was raining nearly the whole time she was there, so only a few of them show a sunny day. I wish our grass looked like that in the bottom pic! Do enlarge them.

We interrupt all regularly scheduled posts to say:

WHAT THE %$#@*&%@# WAS THAT????

That was the worst ending hour of any TV show I have ever seen. Talk about leaving us hanging! It was more like "Life with Father" than it was the story of a mob leader. Are they leaving the way open for a sequel or a movie or what? I feel ripped off! How about you?

HITABA, a Photo and a quote

This photo of the Sydney Opera House is one of many from my younger daughter's trip to Australia last month. I will be showing them to you soon.

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The local blogger's group - Highly Irresistible Triangle Area Blogger's Association - or HITABA for short - met Friday for a quick lunch at Moe's and pedicures afterward. Only three were able to come, a fourth was stuck at work. It was FUN! If you have never had a pedicure, you really ought to treat yourself to at least one. I predict if you do it once, you will do it again! I was going to get green polish on my toenails, but that salon didn't have the color I wanted. Bummer. I hope the next time I go, I'll be brave enough to consider green. It will be a good way to gross out my daughters......lol. ("Maaaah-mmmm, you're nearly 70! Act your age!")

We are hoping to rope in a few more local people before the next lunch - so if you are a Triangle Area Blogger and you want to be included in the plans - let me know - and I'll pass on the info to Tiff, our glorious leader.

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The only person you should ever compete with is yourself. You can't hope for a fairer match.

Todd Ruthman

Edit! I hope no one calls me tonight during the last ever episode of the Sopranos! I can't wait to see what happens - and I don't want it to end.

Blast from the Past ~ Letter Openers

All three of these belonged to my mother, and as usual, I didn't want to get rid of any. I suppose that is good; when I am gone, there will be one for each of my children.

The top one is the most interesting; the well-crafted head of an eagle has weight and heft. It is not easy to see here (although you should enlarge it), the blade is etched with this:

AIR-OLA RADIO CO.,Inc.

Huntington, WV

The middle one is Sterling Silver, and it has what I thought were hallmarks, but upon examination through a magnifying glass, I see that is says:

s.kirk & son

The last one has nice molded carvings, but it is just metal, not silver. It also has a nice heft to it, which I think is desirable in this implement. You can detect a slight up-turn in the point of this one. I have been known to pry out staples and thumb-tacks with it.

Do you have any favorite gadgets gleaned from the nooks and crannies of your parent's home?

By Any Other Name

I was reading blog posts recently, and came upon this one of Rosemary's about names:

http://rosemarys-attic.blogspot.com/2007/06/rosemary-by-any-other-name-would.html

It made me remember the names that were considered for me - and how glad I am that they didn't pass muster. See, I could have been named by two different people - my birth mother and my adoptive mother. None of their choices was acceptable to me, and I have had to warm up to the idea of being called Judy all my life. But Judy is better than the other possible choices. My mom considered naming me after my two grandmothers, and I would have been "Cora Rose."

The Rose is fine, but the Cora was not and I am forever grateful that she decided against that.

My birth mother, whom I met at the ripe old age of 57 (my age, not hers), confided that she would have named me after her favorite singer - Loretta Lynn. Again, the Lynn was acceptable, but Loretta is one of worst possible choices for me (others being Gertrude, Hortense, Priscilla and the like, all of which were possibles in 1940 when I was born).

Had I been of an age to say what I might like for a name, I would have chosen Elizabeth, which was my adoptive mother's middle name and always a favorite. Kathryn (spelled like that) is another favorite.

So, tell me. What do you think of the name you were given and would you have preferred another?

Mr. kenju was watching Letters from Iwo Jima on DVD. I set it up for him and then went upstairs to the computer, since I have no interest in war films.

I was just starting to get into a new blog post, and I heard "This thing is driving me crazy - can you come down here and fix it?"

So, I went downstairs, and his problem is that since the film is in Japanese (at least the first part is), there are subtitles marching across the screen. Trouble was, there were double subtitles. I keep the captions on the TV all the time, because I don't always catch everything said. Otherwise, the TV volume would have to be so loud that the neighbors could hear it. But that's not the funny part.

I turned off the captions for him, so that there would only be one set, and then he said....

"Turn it up."

I started laughing..... because why would the volume need to be louder if he doesn't understand a word of Japanese anyway? Can you read it better if the volume is louder?

Men! Sometimes they don't make a lick of sense (as my grandmother might have said).

Edit: He liked the movie; but he didn't tell me much about it since he was on his way to bed.

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I saw "Dance With Me", starring Chayanne, Vanessa Williams, Kris Kristofferson, and Joan Plowright, surprisingly enough. If you like to watch people dance, you might enjoy this one, even though the plot is a little predictable. I can say one thing - Chayanne is extremely easy on the eyes - and Vanessa ain't half-bad either......LOL! I was surprised to see how well she could dance.

At Church on Sunday....

the youth minister gave the sermon, during which he read a letter that a high school senior wrote as part of his application to NYU. I wish I could quote the letter verbatim, but it was too long. The one part I do remember, which gave all of us quite a good laugh is:

" Years ago I discovered the meaning of life.........and forgot to write it down."

The funniest part to me was that the person who said this was only 18 at the time. Such is the problem with all sorts of ideas. We go about our daily activities; running errands, working, driving here and there....while all sorts of wonderful ideas (or weird ones, or fantasies) run through our minds, and we don't make a note of them. In some instances, I'm sure that's a very good thing! But remember, you might just be discovering the secret to life and don't realize it - so write down your ideas. At the very least, you'll have blog fodder. And who knows - maybe someday you'll solve all the world's problems.

I'm happy that I wrote down that quote!

And Now It's Official.....

I have turned into my mother-in-law. Several weeks ago, I passed by a rack of snap-front "dusters" (otherwise known as housecoats) in K-Mart, while I was waiting for a prescription to be filled. They were marked down to $9.99 from the original cost of $14.99, so I thought ......"What the heck?! They are inexpensive, not too bad-looking or cheaply made and they have an ease of operation."LOL! Furthermore, they are a seer-sucker fabric, don't need to be ironed and they have pockets! What's not to like? I bought two of them and have been wearing them in the mornings instead of a bathrobe.

Mr. kenju laughed at me, because his mom wore them all the time - in fact - she even wore them to her grocery in Queens, NY!! He said something to the effect of...."I never thought I'd see you in one of those! I answered that I never thought I'd be caught dead in one either, but I have seen the error of my ways. They are cool, neat-looking and you don't have to hold in your stomach! If someone comes to the front door, I don't have to run to grab something more decent (or less ratty) than my robe.

Do you have a favorite piece of clothing to wear around the house? Are you embarrassed to be seen in it? Would you be seen (at home) in one of these?

Can You Tell I'm Crying?

EDIT: NEVERMIND! (just pretend I'm

Roseanne Rosannadanna)

My blogroll disappeared! Badaboom kindly gave me instructions on how to cure a problem I was having, and when I got into the template to change it, I couldn't find the html for the blogroll anywhere. When I checked to see what had happened, the blogroll, along with the three photo albums I had were gone. I'll never get the hang of this.......:~/

I Got Taaaaaaagggggged

Tiff, at:

http://noaccentyet.blogspot.com

has tagged me to do the "eight things you don't know about me" meme that is making the rounds. when I first saw that meme, it was six things - but I guess streaking through the web makes you magnetic and you add or multiply or something.

I cannot imagine that there are eight things I have not already talked about on my blog, and if I haven't talked about something either I can't - or won't.....LOL

1. Like Tiff, I spend inordinate amounts of time on the internet, specifically on blog reading. If you guys were not so interesting, funny and educational, I might have time to get something done around my house! Today, you took at least six hours, but I did get to the grocery and bank and PO and card shop, and I made chili for dinner. Do you eat chili when it is 85 degrees outside?

2. I used to work in the medical field, just like Tiff, and I can tolerate large amounts of blood and gore and bodily anomalies too. I used to read cancer monographs in my spare time; they are replete with all the gory photos you could ever want. I think if men who chew tobacco or dip snuff could see the photos I have seen, they would stop those disgusting habits immediately. Ick! The aftermath of mouth or throat cancer is not a pretty sight!

3. I was sixteen before I ever saw the ocean. (I consider any child who has not seen/swam in the ocean deprived). My parents didn't swim, and they didn't see it as a priority.

4. After (sort of) running away from home (at age 18), I was approached by a "modeling agent" on the street in NYC. He gave me his card and told me to call the agency for an appointment. I never did, and it has always made me wonder if he was legitimate - or if he was one of the "white slavers" my mom always talked about.

5. In college, I played so much bridge that had they offered a degree in it, I might have graduated with honors - or at least with a good class attendance record. I have not played bridge since the early 70's. I fear it is not like riding a bicycle.

6. Dental surgery is my middle name. I had a full gingevectomy (double click on the word and you will get the definition), plus at least 6 other surgeries. None of them cured my problem; hence, dental surgeons are not in my address book anymore. I'm done. Don't even mention the possibility - because I WILL run away (and take my checkbook with me!)

7. I love convertible cars. In high school and college, if you owned one, I would date you. It didn't much matter what you looked like; if you had a topless car - I was in it at least once! But I have never owned one, and the reasons (not practical, too dangerous) seem so stupid and timid to me now. Darn it, I want a convertible!! At age 66, do you think I'll ever get one?

8. I'm really dragging the bottom of the barrel now; thinking of seven things has fried my brain (and maybe the beer had something to do with that....LOL). What to say for number eight? You already know I'm a pack rat and a wedding florist. I've recently allowed myself to become gray-haired. I need to lose 15 pounds. My yard is a vast, garden-less wasteland. I have 3 children and nine grandchildren and I am addicted to blogging.

Whew. That was strenuous. Will that do?

More About Fingernails

(These are not my nails!!)

When I posted that photo of the woman with 3' long nails, I mentioned some of the things I thought she couldn't do. Someone pointed out another problem in the comments, namely, how does she wipe??? EW, I never considered that. But that woman is scary looking on several levels - so that is just the tip of the iceberg with her. If you didn't see that photo, scroll back to the previous post on June 4th.

Another problem for me is being able to hit the keys on my telephones, both cell and land lines without hitting more than one at a time. This morning, I had to use a pencil eraser to retrieve a voice mail message.

On Friday, I am getting nails re-done with a group of local bloggers. You may remember reading here that Tiff named it HIRABA - Highly Irrational Raleigh Area Bloggers Association. I think she changed the "irrational" to something more apropos, but I can't remember what, right now. She decided that we needed to cement our bonds of friendship (I can just see her rolling her eyes as she reads this) over pedicures and manicures, and I think that is the best idea! Maybe next time we can get "couples" massages? LOL - just kidding.

If you are a blogger in the Triangle Area - and would like to join us for this or future events - let me know. We have fun!

The Downside of Gel Fingernails

Thank Heaven mine don't look like these!! Please tell me how this woman takes a shower and actually washes anything? I'll bet she has to go to a hair salon for every shampoo, and how would she ever zip a zipper or button a button?

Mine are more like this photo, minus the diamonds, of course. I had them done about 3 weeks ago. My nails have never been strong, despite daily vitamins. Since my hands are in water frequently, my nails break easily. If I try to wear polish, my nails split horizontally. I have always wanted pretty nails and the only way I'll ever accomplish that is to have them applied at a salon. If I had known then what I know now, I might have been a little longer in making the decision to get them, because.....

Have you ever tried to type with long nails? I have previously told you about my bouts with adult-onset dyslexia, which causes words to be typed backwards or letters transposed. I spend all my time correcting typing errors and the dyslexic words anyway - and now I have added to the mix all the letters I type accidentally because my nails are so long. When I had them done, I told the woman not to make them much longer than the tips of my fingers, but they were a little longer than that and now that they have grown out for 3 weeks, they are too long for me to be able to type anything with no mistakes. It takes much longer to type a post now, so I might not be posting as often in the future.....LOL

You can read about different types of artificial nails here:

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-artificial-fingernails.htm

Why it is Good to Be an Actress...

named Sarah Jessica Parker. You get to be married to a nice guy and have great kids and then you get to kiss Matthew McConnaughey, plus go sailing and play paint ball! I watched this DVD last night - alone - because mr. kenju "doesn't DO chick flicks"....LOL. Fine by me.....I get to control the remote AND eat all the popcorn.

This is an amusing romantic comedy, which also features Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw as Tripp's parents, who want him to move out of their home, at long last. I enjoyed it, so maybe you will too. It is PG-13, for the allusions to sex and one use of the F-word. Read about the movie here:

http://imdb.com/title/tt0427229/

Wedding Flowers ~ June 2, 2007

It seems odd to be posting wedding flower photos while the reception is in full swing, but such are the marvels of the digital age! This week, I had a wedding of my own - meaning this one is my client - not that of my part-time boss. The one above is a detail of flowers in one of the altar arrangements. I think I'll use that for my computer wallpaper!

Above is one of the altar arrangements. I had those gold stands made about 18 years ago, and they have been used in at least a hundred weddings.

The flower girl's head wreath (I call them halos).

The bride's bouquet.

Her tossing bouquet; beside the unusual cake. I think I told you recently that chocolate brown and blue is a very popular color scheme lately.

As I write this, I am listening to my new CD by the Puppini Sisters, called "Betcha Bottom Dollar". Anyone over 55+ is guaranteed to like it! Currently playing is "In the Mood"; sort of apropos for a wedding night, dontcha think?