Today is Positive Day!

John is the kind of guy you love to hate.

He is always in a good mood and always

has something positive to say.. When

someone would ask him how he was doing,

he would reply, 'If I were any better, I would

be twins!' He was a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, John

was there telling the employee how to look on

the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so

one day I went up and asked him, 'I don't get it!'

'You can't be a positive person all of the time.

How do you do it?'

He replied, 'Each morning I wake up and say to

myself, you have two choices today.

You can choose to be in a good mood or...

you can choose to be in a bad mood.

I choose to be in a good mood.'

Each time something bad happens, I can

choose to be a victim or....I can choose

to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining,

I can choose to accept their complaining or....

I can point out the positive side of life. I choose

the positive side of life. 'Yeah, right, it's not that

easy,' I protested.

'Yes, it is,' he said. 'Life is all about choices.

When you cut away all the junk, every

situation is a choice. You choose how you

react to situations. You choose how people

affect your mood. You choose to be in a good

mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your

choice how you live your life.'

I reflected on what he said. Soon thereafter,

I left the Tower Industry to start my own business.

We lost touch, but I often thought about him

when I made a choice about life instead of

reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that

he was involved in a serious accident, falling

some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of

intensive care, he was released from the

hospital with rods placed in his

back. I saw him about six months after the

accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied,

'If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna

see my scars?'

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him

what had gone through his mind as the accident

took place.

'The first thing that went through my mind was

the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,'

he replied. 'Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered

that I had two choices: I could choose to live or..

I could choose to die. I chose to live.'

'Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?'

I asked. He continued, '...the paramedics were great.

They kept telling me I was going to be fine.

But when they wheeled me into the ER

and I saw the expressions on the faces of the

doctors and nurses, I got really scared.

In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I

needed to take action.' 'What did you do?' I asked.

'Well, there was a big burly nurse

shouting questions at me,' said John. 'She asked if I

was allergic to anything 'Yes, I replied..' The doctors

and nurses stopped working

as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath

and yelled, 'Gravity'' Over their laughter, I told them,

'I am choosing to live. Operate on me

as if I am alive, not dead.'

He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also

because of his amazing attitude...

I learned from him that every day we have the

choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for

tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own.'

Matthew 6:34.

When Insults Had Class

These glorious insults are from an era before the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words. (Oldies but goodies!)

The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor:

She said, "If you were my husband I'd give you poison."

He said, "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."

A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease."
"That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."

"He had delusions of adequacy." - Walter Kerr

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." - Winston Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." Clarence Darrow

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it." - Moses Hadas

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.." - Oscar Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend.... if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill
"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one." - Winston Churchill, in response.

"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." - Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator." - John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial." - Irvin S. Cobb

"He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others." - Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." - Paul Keating

"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily." - Charles, Count Talleyrand

"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him..." - Forrest Tucker

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" - Mark Twain

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." - Mae West

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.." - Oscar Wilde

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

"He has Van Gogh's ear for music." - Billy Wilder

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." - Groucho Marx

Ooooh, it smells soooooo good!

Back in the very early days of my first blog, I wrote about smells and how they can influence us. Not many people saw that post, so I decided to run it again. Enjoy!

Camp Stories + a Quote

We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.
Eric Hoffer, philosopher and author (1902-1983)
Note: This quote has nothing at all to do with the story below!

***

Five of my grandchildren were at camp for the last two weeks, in the mountains of western Virginia. It is a beautiful place and from all reports, they seemed to love it there as much as their parents and aunt did. I got a letter from one of my two first-time camper granddaughters, who reported:

"Hello! It's my third day at camp and I am totally loving it! We made a few new friends and have met a lot of great people. We have played soccer and volleyball and the square dance is tomorrow night. The big campfire night is tonight - also soooo much fun! I miss you two, but I'll see you soon!"

It wasn't all a bed of roses, however, as she reported to her parents that there was a "mean" girl in her cabin. Her sister, the kid who sleeps til noon in summer, also reported that she loved camp - where they made them get up much earlier than that. She told her parents that she loved camp so much she "even tried spinach". This from a kid who eats no vegetables except corn.

I recall a very mean girl in my cabin the first year I went to camp. I was only six (probably too young for most kids, and it certainly was for me). I remember very little else about my camp years, although I attended from age six to thirteen, but I do remember very well the mean girl. Her name is burned into my memory (Jeanette B.) and I can only think of two other' girl's names, so you know how much of an impact Jeanette had on me. I wrote about this before - so go here to read all about it, then come back and tell me one of your camp experiences.

Oddly enough, I received an email today from a guy who went to Carbide Camps, inviting me to their reunion this coming weekend. I find it odd that there are reunions of those campers, but it seems that some of them had such great experiences that they want to relive them nearly every summer. I had some good times at camp after that first year, but nothing that would make me want to go to a reunion. I might run into Jeanette!

Wedding Flowers, Part 2

But first - I had to show you this "Shadow Shot"!! I don't participate in that meme, but I see it regularly on Bobbie's blog. I was fascinated by the strong shadow produced on that table top!! Since Bobbie has been showing shadows, I have noticed them more and more. Thanks, Bobbie! (all photos from Mel Day's weddings this past weekend.)

One of the tall centerpieces for a wedding at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, NC. Rhonda (another of Mel's designers) made these. The eucalyptus was donated by the bride's family for use in the wedding. I love the smell of it, but poor Rhonda is allergic to it.

The same wedding had some shorter centerpieces as well. That's a growing trend: some tall and some short. It makes the room more interesting, I think, and it usually cuts the cost.

I had to show you this flower. In the lobby of the country club, there is a round table with cut flowers. This week, they had purple allium - the BIG ones! They are 5-6" in diameter. It's a bit blurry, but I had to show you anyway. We don't get to use these often, and I love them.

The main ballroom at Prestonwood Country Club; a beautiful venue.

The altar arrangement I made; in place at the church. They had very specific size requirements there: 30" wide and no more than 18" tall.

A centerpiece at Bay 7, in Durham, NC. A vase of corkscrew willow with purple vanda orchid sprays attached. Some of the other tables had 3 vases (all different heights), each with submerged orchids or purple calla lilies.

Another reception centerpiece; this one at The Marriott at Crabtree Valley, Raleigh, NC. They also had some shorter arrangements, seen below this one.

I hope you enjoyed the wedding photos. Since I post them so often, please don't feel as though you have to comment on them ( but we love it when you do!)

Crazy Stuff!

Stolen from Lille Diane - you have to see this!!


Photos from the weekend weddings will be here tomorrow.

Wedding Flowers

I made this arrangement on Friday for one of the three weddings that Mel * has this weekend. I hope to be able to get good photos of them in place, too. It's in a tray, which I had set atop an overturned mache liner while I was arranging it. The colors are even more intense in person. It looks like a big bowl of sherbet and ice cream and makes me want to get a spoon!! *Mel Day, Dogwood Tree Floral Designs

This is one of Mel's bridemaid's bouquets; also good enough to eat!



Here is a table full of arrangements in trays. The ones on the top row are not finished yet, but Rhonda was hard at work on them.

Mel made this arrangement for The Governor's Mansion, as well as the one below. I love the color scheme here, too!

Aren't the colors beautiful? They are even more striking in person.

The rest of the photos show the flowers in buckets, before we started designing with them. I am always afraid I won't get time to photograph the finished products, and I wanted you to see the luscious flowers we had to work with! These roses are called "cherry brandy" and they are outstanding in color and form.

Talisman snapdragons.



More cherry brandy roses. You can tell I like them!



Wonderful orange lilies and golden roses.



Pink lilies, hydrangeas, lisianthus and sahara roses.



Latin Lady roses.



Cockscomb.

A large pink dahlia, which almost looked like a water lily. It was so perfect!!

Buttery yellow garden roses. Now, imagine working all day in a room full of these beautiful flowers and inhaling their sweet aromas. Is it any wonder that I love my job?

Obviously not a flower. I had to sneak in another photo of "my" deer. He and his group were on the move this morning and I found them walking about 50 feet behind the deck. He posed there for at least 4 minutes without moving a muscle. I hope you will be able to enlarge the photo by clicking on it.

She Sells Seashells...**

No, she doesn't sell them, but she displays them - in a conservatory or terrarium or glass box - whatever you want to call it. For several years, I kept my shells and rocks in a decorative wooden 'window box' that sat on the floor under the window in my living room. The shells got too dusty and cobwebby there, so I cast about the house looking for a way to hold them that wouldn't allow them to get so dirty so quickly.

I spotted this container in my office. Many, many times it has held money envelopes given to brides and grooms at their reception, and it was perfect for that. It used to have a ring at the top of the lid which made it easy to remove the top. I put silk rose petals in the base of it and added one envelope addressed to the bride and groom, so that people would know that was where they should put their envelopes. After the ring broke off, I retired it from active use, and it had just been sitting around with nothing to do...... but no more..... as it is the perfect container for my shells.

You'll notice one rock labeled "Costa Rica". I have a habit of taking a rock or shell from places I visit. There are several of them in this collection, but only one you can see here. Do you have a rock or shell collection? How do you display them?

///\\\

** Regarding the shingles vaccine (Zostavax), I had no reaction to it whatsoever. I was told it might itch, swell, get red and things like that, but there was nothing to report. You can't take it if you are allergic to eggs or if you have a compromised immune system. Your doctor will know if you can tolerate it. Most of the cost was covered by our insurance (I just paid the co-pay). Having had shingles, I can say with no hesitation that getting the shot is far, far better than suffering a shingles attack. Speak to your doctor about it!

Odds and Ends

Click to enlarge - I hope.

This gal had the audacity to swim in my pool last night, and I found her this morning with her babies hanging on her back. As strong as my tendency is to smash them, I gently lifted her out of the water (with a net) and placed her in the woods behind the deck.

My deer - and I do think of them as "mine" now - having a bit of a liedown (as the English would say) in the back yard. The four of them have been in that exact spot for five days in a row, so I guess that is their home. I feel privileged! Click to enlarge.

*******

I believe I found the missing link between animal and civilized man. It is us.

Konrad Lorenz, ethologist, Nobel laureate (1903-1989)

*******

If you are reading this, it means I didn't get home from work in time to write much of a new post. I will be working for the next 2 days, so visiting will be sparse.

I got the shingles vaccine today. I tried to get mr. kenju to come with me and get his too. Do you know what he said? "How big is the needle?" (with fear and trepidation in his voice.)

What a scaredy-cat he is! (and the needle was teensy, or the pharmacist was good at doing it. )

Please Don't Sneer at My Camera!! *

Out on the deck again this morning, I turned to look up in the woods and there were the same four deer I saw a few days ago. The daddy is so regal looking when he looks toward me; ears up and telescoping, legs ready to bolt if need be. The other three were lying down in a small copse to the left, but the daddy was standing guard and very watchful, even though he was grazing. Someday I hope to get a closer, clearer photo of them. (Click to embiggen). BTW: Mr. kenju says I am beginning to bore him with the deer. I hope you aren't bored, too.

Before I saw the deer, I went to empty the pool skimmer basket. I never know what I'll find in there, and this morning a frog was hanging on to the top of the floating thermometer for dear life. He fairly breathed a sigh of relief when I took him off and set him on the concrete. I was going to ask you to caption it for me - but I decided not to - unless you'd like (leave comments, please). He must have been really tired because he didn't move a muscle for at least ten minutes.

Angie asked me on Facebook what was the scariest thing I've found in the skimmer. I told her I'd found a dead rat, and several snakes. One of those snakes was small in diameter, but at least 3 feet long and very much alive. I had no idea what kind of snake he was and I wasn't about to stick my hand in there. So I found a small tree branch and stuck it in the basket so he could climb out, which he did with great speed. I took that to mean he wasn't fond of water - at least not when he was forced to stay in it for what might have been hours. He sped off the deck and into the woods - and I was grateful for that.

Rabbits, squirrels, moles, voles, mice, beetles, flies, bees, ants, spiders and roaches - you name a rodent or bug and I've probably found at least one in the skimmer before, along with acorns, leaves, and those ever-popular hickory nuts I wrote about not long ago.

* I went to the camera shop today so I could get a photo of my granddaughter printed. It was one I took at the beach last week and it's good enough to be kept. I mentioned to the clerk that last week, when I was uploading (or is it downloading?) photos from the camera to the computer, some pix popped up from last summer, and I had deleted them from the card (I KNOW I did!) He took my camera from me, and with a sneer, he made some remark about the brand name of it and insinuated that one couldn't expect too much from a camera like that. I told him that the camera was a gift and had been very good, especially since I know absolutely nothing about cameras or photography! Had not two of my neighbors been in the store, I might have let him know just how much I didn't appreciate his little snide remark. He told me that my camera didn't have an option to reformat the memory or the card, so I was out of luck, and it may happen again - but it was no big deal if it did.

By going back home and reading the booklet that came with the camera, I proved him wrong!! I did find a page of instruction on how to reformat the memory. So there, Mr. fancy camera shop! You just lost a customer, should I ever need a new camera. Seeing as how you're in bankruptcy proceedings now, I wouldn't be too disdainful of any camera (or customer) if I were you.

Yes, I Stole It *

* from I Can Has Cheezburger.com. Isn't it funny?! Don't you look like that after novocaine?

It reminded me of when I went to the dentist last month. She had to drill out and replace an old filling in a tooth that had become not only sensitive, but painful when chewing - but only on an intermittent basis. It hurt about once every 3-4 days. Since the filling was replaced, it has hurt every single time I eat. I sure wish I could go back in time to when she said I needed the filling replaced. I'd have hightailed it out of there!

In Monday's post I mentioned the good General Tso's chicken I had at the Asian buffet restaurant on Sunday night. Come Monday morning, I wasn't nearly so enamored of it, considering what it did to my digestive tract. I guess we won't be going back there anytime soon! Or until I forget that last meal .....lol

This morning, after sleeping in until 9am (should I be ashamed?), I went out on the deck to clean out the pool skimmer, and found another frog. You'll see him tomorrow. Also saw four more deer in the woods, but the photo - fuzzy at best - only shows one of them. I took six pix, but only one was barely good enough to show. My camera is good, but it can only do so much. More about that, tomorrow!

Quotes + Thunderstorms

Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?'
Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?'
Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?'
But, conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?'
And there comes a time when one must take a
position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor
popular but one must take it because one's
conscience tells one that it is right.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

*******

A child's education should begin at least one hundred years before he is born.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., poet, novelist, essayist, and physician (1809-1894)

*******

We've had lots of storms and rolling thunder nearly all afternoon, so I had to turn off the computer. It took me almost 45 minutes to get it going again and I am so frustrated! After running C-cleaner, it is somewhat faster, but I don't know how long that will last. According to the weatherman, we are in for more storms tonight, so I'm cutting this short just in case I have to turn off the computer again. Catch you tomorrow.

It's Just One Thing After Another, Isn't It?

Having had to do and deliver wedding flowers last weekend, followed by a 3 day trip to the beach, and then keeping my granddaughter for 3 more days - I neglected to check and see which bills were coming due soon, until Saturday. Imagine my despair, when I discovered that the car insurance was due earlier in the week. I wrote a check immediately, and drove to the P.O., which had already closed for the weekend. I can ill afford to have a late payment on my record, so I'm mentally slapping myself upside the head. Going out of town always upsets my schedule for paying bills, etc. Too bad I don't have a personal manager to do that for me. In my next life..... maybe.

*******

My sleep cycles are all messed up. Lately, I don't go to sleep until 1 or 2:00 am, then I sleep until 9:00 am if I let myself. Today I set the alarm for 7:30, hoping to slowly inch back to an earlier bed time. I work with Mel for three days later this week, and I have to have more sleep for that! I'm looking forward to getting back to work on a regular basis; I need it physically, mentally and financially!

*******

Tomorrow morning I go to the lab for fasting blood work - part of my every three-month cycle - prior to seeing the doctor. Since I am in fairly good health, I don't know why I have to go four times per year. If I had some dire illness or a condition that needed watching I could understand having to go so often. Part of the dread I feel before this visit is that I know she will scold me for gaining weight and not exercising. And she should. Exercise has been on the back burner here since early February, when I hurt my back. Sciatic hip and leg pain is not at all conducive to exercising, but I will admit to putting it off longer than I should. I keep telling myself to start walking, and to set a plan for going to the health club more often (and doing more than sitting in the hot tub). But somehow I get lured away, either to stay at home and clean (blog) and organize (Facebook) and cook (piddle around), or to run errands (sit in the car and read). Do you use those excuses too?

Edit: We went to the health club today and I did 10 minutes on the treadmill at a good clip. It's not enough, but it's a start! We ran into some Chinese friends and that made me want Chinese food - so we went to the Asian Buffet, where I overate (as usual, but the General Tso's chicken was SO good!!)

*******

Putting off the taxes until late in the year is a pain in the neck. We always do it, and I'm once again stuck in the process, which I am managing to put off as easily as I am blowing off exercise. I'd prefer to do the taxes in January, when everything is fresh in my mind and the receipts would be easier to collate. But we don't, so I do a little of it in January and leave the rest until mr. kenju gets his act in gear - then we sit down to compare notes and combine information before filling in the forms that we take to the CPA. I thought that whole process might get easier once we were both retired, and even though I still work a little, the tax preparation for that is not difficult. But I see it as a brick wall, about 6' deep and 30' high and I just can't seem to get through it or climb over. As the weeks wear on, however, I'm going to have to find a ladder or maybe a trampoline - something - to help me over that wall!

Scene/seen in My Yard

I just discovered I can label photos with Picasa. Who knew??

While eating breakfast this morning, I saw movement in the woods again. I took the camera out to see what it was, and there were four deer (two adults and two fawns) back there. I took 2-3 photos, but the only one in which any of the deer show up is this one. He is just under the word deer, and you can only see part of his body. They sure know how to blend in with the background!! Click to enlarge (I hope). Whether you can see the deer or not, it is such a beautiful, green, serene view that I thought you should see it.

It is a gorgeous day here today; 83*, sunny, with a light breeze and low humidity. We are blessed. Come on over and jump in!

Here I am Momma; right by your side, as usual. Can I do anything for you? Lick your feet? Nudge your legs? Wouldn't you like to brush me?

A few weeks ago, I potted some plants, and I promised to show you when they got bigger. Here is the purple verbena, which has a way to go yet, but is growing by leaps and bounds. Click the link to see when they were first planted.

Here are my zinnias, which had only 2 blooms when I bought the plant. It likes it here, too!

Just in Case You Haven't Seen These......

DIFFERENT WAYS OF LOOKING AT THINGS (Or the uncertainty of the English language) Two guys were discussing popular family trends on sex, marriage, and family values. Stu said, 'I didn't sleep with my wife before we got married, did you?' Leroy replied, 'I'm not sure, what was her maiden name?' --------------------------------------------------------- A little boy went up to his father and asked: 'Dad where did my intelligence come from?'> The father replied. 'Well, son, you must have got it from your mother, cause I still have mine.' --------------------------------------------------------- 'Mr. Clark, I have reviewed this case very carefully,' the divorce Court Judge said, 'And I've decided to give your wife $775 a week,' 'That's very fair, your honor,' the husband said. 'And every now and then I'll try to send her a few bucks myself.' --------------------------------------------------------- A doctor examining a woman who had been rushed to the Emergency Room, took the husband aside, and said, 'I don't like the looks of your wife at all.' 'Me neither doc,' said the husband. 'But she's a great cook and really good with the kids.' ----------------------------------------------------------- An old man goes to the Wizard to ask him if he can remove a curse he has been living with for the last 40 years. The Wizard says, 'Maybe, but you will have to tell me the exact words that were used to put the curse on you.' The old man says without hesitation, 'I now pronounce you man and wife.' ---------------------------------------------------------- Two Reasons Why It's So Hard To Solve A Redneck Murder: 1. The DNA all matches.. 2. There are no dental records. ---------------------------------------------------------- A blond calls Delta Airlines and asks, 'Can you tell me how long it'll take to fly from San Francisco to New York City?' The agent replies, 'Just a minute.' 'Thank you,' the blond says, and hangs up.. ---------------------------------------------------------- Two Mexican detectives were investigating the murder of Juan Gonzalez.. 'How was he killed?' asked one detective. 'With a golf gun,' the other detective replied.. 'A golf gun! What is a golf gun?' 'I don't know.. But it sure made a hole in Juan.' ----------------------------------------------------------- Moe: 'My wife got me to believe in religion.' Joe: 'Really?' Moe: 'Yeah. Until I married her I didn't believe in Hell.' ---------------------------------------------------------- A man is recovering from surgery when the Surgical Nurse appears and asks him how he is feeling. 'I'm O. K. But I didn't like the four letter-words the doctor used in surgery,' he answered. 'What did he say,' asked the nurse. Oops!' ------------------------------------------------------------ While shopping for vacation clothes, my husband and I passed a display of bathing suits. It had been at least ten years and twenty pounds since I had even considered buying a bathing suit, so sought my husband's advice. 'What do you think?' I asked. 'Should I get a bikini or an all-in-one?'> 'Better get a bikini,' he replied. 'You'd never get it all in one.' He's still in intensive care. ................................................................. The graveside service just barely finished, when there was massive clap of thunder, followed by a tremendous bolt of lightning, accompanied by even more thunder rumbling in the distance. The little old man looked at the pastor and calmly said, 'Well, she's there.'

PONDERISMS

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

Life is sexually transmitted.

Healthy is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

All of us could take a lesson from the weather, as it pays no attention to criticism.

In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal..

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if they are going to look up there anyway?

If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

My granddaughter has been with us since last Saturday and it has cut back the amount of time I can spend on the computer; hence the email posts. Today we went to see "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur". It is a really cute movie with lots of action, just like the first two Ice Age movies. Sequels often disappoint, but this one was pretty good.

This is my youngest granddaughter - she will be ten in five months - and the best behaved of the four girls, and definitely better behaved than the five boys (although they are all good kids). It has been a joy to have her here, and I just hope she hasn't been too bored with the old folks. She's been so agreeable that it's almost scary! I'm used to kids who balk at taking showers and brushing their teeth - not ones who do it before you ask - and girls who want to be taken shopping and have everything they see bought for them. Not this one; even at the outlets in Myrtle Beach, she said she didn't need anything. Can you believe it? She also watched "So You Think You Can Dance" with me and liked it!
Anyway, when she goes home I can get more time to read your posts and comment. See you soon.

1. Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?

2. Why is the third hand on the watch called the second hand?

3. If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know?

4. If Webster wrote the first dictionary, where did he find the words?

5. Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack?

6. Why do "slow down" and "slow up" mean the same thing?

7. Why do "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean
the same thing?

8. Why do "tug" boats push their barges?

9. Why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game"
when we are already there?

10. Why are they called " stands" when they are made for sitting?

11. Why is it called "after dark" when it really is "after light"?

12. Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected?

13. Why are a "wise man" and a "wise guy" opposites?

14. Why do "overlook" and "oversee" mean opposite things?

15. Why is "phonics" not spelled the way it sounds?

16. If work is so terrific, why do they have to pay you to do it?

17. If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

18. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

19. If you are cross-eyed and have dyslexia, can you read all right?

20. Why is bra singular and panties plural?

21. Why do you press harder on the buttons of a remote control when you know the batteries are dead?

22. Why do we put suits in garment bags and garments in a suitcase?

23. How come abbreviated is such a long word?

24. Why do we wash bath towels? Aren't we clean when we use them?

25. Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

26. Why do they call it a TV 'set' when you only have one?

27.Christmas - What other time of the year do you sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of your socks?

28.Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?

29. Why is toilet paper tiny squares and tissues big squares ?

Excuse the golden oldies. I'm still brain-fried from the quick trip, so no new thoughts today (and probably not tomorrow either....lol)