Good morning. Ditto on what Dee said - "congratulations to all you losers!" Besh, I am so sorry for your loss - very sad. suzanne, hope you are having another beautiful day and Sweet Pea is continuing to recover. milkdud, we've got the same weather that you're having. Rain tomorrow, but a little cooler and beautiful on Friday. We had a wonderful Easter. Went to Ole Miss for the baseball weekend, saw lots of old friends. Drank my first wine since Lent, and would you believe I had a headache the next morning? Enjoyed visiting and shopping with my old friends. If any of you ever have a chance to visit Oxford (MS), it is such a beautiful, quaint town. We would love to retire there one of these days. Missed Weight Watchers meeting on Monday, since we were so late getting home, but according to my scales, I'm at 62 pounds still, so that's good. Today exercise will consist of cleaning this house and searching for some new sunglasses that have just "disappeared." Hope everyone is having a good day.

QOD 1 - Receptionist/Secretary/Advertising Agent/Graphic Design/Therapist/Gardener/Office Manager/Trainer/Data Input and yes sometimes I do windows!!! at a local real estate office. QOD 2 - Taxes have been done for a while, but going in the mail today - can't see giving the government money sooner than we have to. I am taking a ride to Syracuse on Sunday to visit my mother and sister for a couple of days. It will just be us girls and we are going to watch some chick flix and have a lot of laughs. I am bringing the movies Chocolat, Spanglish, My Life As a House and Under the Tuscan Sun. I am not taking the highway and going through a lot of small towns that I have never been to, so it will be a 4+ hour adventure for me. I put a deposit on a kayak yesterday and am so excited. I am using my French Lick money to buy it. I will pay for it when I go to try it out, but I have sat in one on the ground and really liked the feel of it. Suzanne - I was in Manchester Center yesterday. We had a nice lunch and did a little shopping. Of course, I thought of you. Beautiful day for a ride. If I don't get a chance to check in until next week - have a great weekend.

LOL!! I can poof my hips plenty, but it's the un-poofing that has me stumped! LOL!!! Dee--only if there is a red Swingline Stapler involved! (Did you ever see the movie "office Space"? I can relate to Milton, although my stapler is in more of a kitchen-y setting!) Tikanas, I remember you asked about me and that stapler--here ya go--the infamous chicy story--- Several years ago, some smarty-pants posted the following recipe: ROAST STICKY CHICKEN 4 tsp salt 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp thyme tsp garlic powder 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp white pepper ½ C chopped onion 1 large roasting chicy In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. Remove giblets from the chicy; clean the cavity well, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicy, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and rubbed deep down into the skin. Place in a resealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook chicy, put in a crock-pot and do not add any liquid. As the cooking process goes on, it will produce its own juices. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours, and it will be falling off the bone tender. Sounds simple, right? I got a wild hair one Friday to fix it, and then cook it the next day. So, after work, I went to the grocery (no list, mind you, just reliance on my mighty memory! SNORT!) and proceeded to run amuck. I couldnÂt remember just what spice I had, and when I got a good look at the prices, I decided that I had all the ones that were required, and so I just bought a fresh chicy. Got home, got comfortable, Rog was at work, and all was right with the world. UntilÂ..I got to looking for the spices, and realized to my horror that I was missing a great deal of what I needed. Hmmmm get dressed and go back to the store, or improvise? Improvise, it is! No cayenne? I got FrankÂs Hot Sauce. Thyme? DonÂt need no stinkin thyme! I got oregano! Garlic powder?? Please. I got the real thing. White pepper---ahhhhÂ. I do have that. UmmmÂ. No, I donÂt. I do have an empty can in the cabinet, but I donÂt think that counts. So, I improvised, substituted and down-right lied. Got all the spice together, and then started to mess with my fresh chicy, that I paid more for than my stupid car. As I am pulling out the giblet bag, I noticed that it was hard and cold. Not good, as fresh anything should not be partially frozen. As it reposed on the counter, and I was contemplating on whether I should get the bourbon or tequila out (for me), the d@mned chicy tried to make a run for it and slid off the counter. Onto the dirt and grime, decimated frozen peas, and lots of cat hair that make up the daily mess of my kitchen floor. Freakin greatÂnow IÂm gonna hafta shave the d@mned thing before I can use the rub. I pick it up and throw it into the sink, spreading unimaginable gunk everywhere, wash and dry it, nail it to the counter, and start to apply the rub. Lemme tell yaÂthis ainÂt as easy as it sounds. Nothing like massaging a cold, dead chicy, and getting the impression that it actually likes itÂewwwww! And I donÂt know what they mean by "Large Roasting Chicy". What the h3ll is that?? Mine was 6 pounds, and the rub didnÂt seem to cover it like I thought it should. So, into the galleon sized Zip-Lock bag it goes. No, wait. The d@mned chicy is too big and when I try to shove it in the bag, the rub is getting shoved into the grooves of the sealing part, and itÂs not staying on the chicken. H3LL! LetÂs try this again, and dig outta the grooves as much rub as I can, and smear it on the chicy. DidnÂt work this time, either. (Note: Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Case in point.) I cuss and I fuss, and I finally got the chicy in the bag (BARELY!!), and now, the Zip Lock wonÂt lock. Too much rub in the grooves, and nothing, short of dynamite, will clear it out. OK. IÂm tired, IÂve killed the kitchen, I have spice rub and cat hair all over my face and arms (where they stuck in the chicken juice). I donÂt care anymore. I will be in the local mental facility tomorrow anyway, so why do I care about tomorrowÂs dinner? The chicken won. The rub won. The d@mned Zip Lock (that wonÂt) bag won. They had, until I remembered my stapler. My handy dandy, will staple anything, always there for me, stapler. With a maniacal laugh and a smile that would put the Joker to shame, I dug it out of the drawer, and proceeded to staple that d@mned bag **shut**. I was a staplin fool, and I only stopped when I ran out of staples. IÂm sure the neighbors were wondering what was going on as I told the bagged chicy "IÂll get you, my pretty, and your d@mned rub, too!" along with the sounds of out of control stapling. I did eventually get some cheap wine and take a bubblebath, after showering off the remnants of the chicy. Rog saw the poor creature stuffed in the fridge, and wisely chose not to say anything until the next day. The chicy was very good, however, but every time I see a galleon sized Zip lock bag, I get an irresistible urge to staple something. Now, aren't you sorry you asked???? LOLOL!!! Hugs, Maddie

Good morning from waiting SE Texas! It's 82 and mostly cloudy so far. It took forever for me to fall into a good sleep last night, so I slept in late. Woke up to hearing hubby outside the bedroom window running tape on them. Coffee and computer, then breathing treatment, then getting dressed for whatever this day may bring! I received the most comforting prayer from a 'net friend when I got up today. It just relaxed me to my toes when I read it. Isn't it strange that we each possess the ability to alter another person's way of feeling by a few chosen words? Dee, TGIF! What did you think of BB last night? All regular shows were pre-empted here for weather news, of course, but I stayed up to watch the beginning of BBAD and figured out very quickly that somebody left (YEA!) and my faves stayed. THank goodness for modern technology so that I can keep up when need be. It looks like Ike made another little change during the night and he's not weakening as I'd heard before bedtime. We're in as good a shape as we can be, so I'm confident that we'll be safe. Yes, I wish we had plywood on the windows, but we don't - this time! We have plenty of food, water, cooking methods (propane grill and Coleman stove), flashlights, fresh batteries, candles and matches, and I can't think what else right now. It's having so much time to prepare that's a blessing and a curse though. I keep thinking we're ready, then I think of something else to be done. If and when we lose power, know that I'm here in spirit because y'all are very special to me. Post interesting things so that when I do check in, I'll have good things to read! Have a great weekend!