Oh Anita I am so sorry that you are having this problem. You have had so much to deal with this last year. We will put you on our prayer list. The baby has gotten so big and handsome! He must be Grandmas pride and joy. To everyone else HELLO! LOL Yes I am still alive and kicking. We are still fighting for our dear Miss Julie. It will be 1 yr on Sept the 12th that we have been a family and not one of us are willing to give that up! She is getting so very big. As well as more beautiful everyday! We go to court again on the 18th of this month. There are so many DRs appts its hard to keep it all going. School starts back on the 26th of Aug so I am hoping to get back to my much needed gardens. They seemed to have missed me as well. LOL I am very excited about being able to swap this month I have sooo missed it. Could some let me know how we are to pick our 2? The best thing about this Summer other than our dear Miss Julie is that I have lost 107 pds!! Can you believe it cause I sure cant!!! This has actually been since Feb. LOL So getting a little girl and joining the Y has been my salvation. Sorry I dont mean to brag but am going to anyway! I went to the DR yest and they didnt reconize me. He thought he had the wrong folder! It was fantastic!!! Its so hard for me to see, that its amazing when someone that dosent see me that often has that kind of reaction. I have a friend that is a member here and on another garden site that would like to join us she is a wonderful trader, gardener and friend. Pins2006 her name is Carmen Perrotta. I am sure some of you know her she is a very special person. A most generous trader. I would also like to Thank each and everyone of you for all the kindness and support you have shown Julie and I this past year and many more to come! Cathy If I could ever figure out how to post photos here I would share some new ones of Miss Julie.

Oh, Sheri, I can't imagine 'Fly-Fornication' being called anything but 'Fly'? And the Puritans are often said to have no sense of humor! Loved the link and will save it in my favorites. Thanks. I have a friend who in the 1970s named her sons Ashley and Shannon. (Ashley from Ashley Wilkes in GWTW and Shannon from I don't know where.) She had no idea at the time that those names were trending to the feminine. The boys were teased for having 'girly' names and both, as soon as they could, adopted the more masculine diminutives: Ash and Shay. I have known a male Jocelyn, a Beverley, an Evelyn, and a couple of Marions who found their names co-opted for females only. It left the poor guys embarrassed. They call themselves Jos, Biv, Lyn, Mike and Bud. Girls, on the other hand, who are given what once were considered masculine names have an easier time. Half the time I can't tell by their names what the gender of the bearer is. I was perplexed when Madison began to be used for girls. To me the /son/ part indicated a male but apparently that's no longer a good indicator. I found out that Madison for girls became popular after a mermaid played by Daryl Hannah in the film 'Splash' gave herself the name from a street sign that said Madison Avenue or some such. Come to think of it, I always thought of the name Daryl as being masculine. Are most Daryls these days female? I haven't met a male Allison in a long time. The name Caitlyn is very popular in the US, usually pronounced and sometimes spelt Kate Lynn. I was corrected by an Irish acquaintance when I mistakenly pronounced her daughter Caitlyn's name the American way. She informed me that it is Kat-leen (or as Americans would spell it, Kathleen, and say it using the /th/ thorn sound). I sometimes find it amusing when people have a name from a certain ethnicity that they obviously aren't. There's absolutely nothing wrong with mixing ethnic names, but I'm often confused by it and wonder how on earth, say, Carlos Llewellyn Swiderski got his name?

Our next port of call is Lahaina on the island of Maui. Arrival was at 8:00 and we were due to sail away at 6:00. Lahaina does not have a pier for cruise ships, the ships tenders are used to shuttle passengers back and forth. There were many people on our ship who used walkers and those folks managed to get ashore without too much of a problem. However, those in battery operated scooters just would not be able to make it. Rather than just turn loose all those who want to go ashore, there are tickets given out shortly after dropping anchor. The numbers on those tickets will determine when you go ashore. They also are working with passengers who have paid the ship for an official excursion (tour) and those get priority. Once again we rented a car. I headed for the small town of Makawao using as many side roads as possible. We went to Maui Hands, where we, once again, spent money. We ventured into a couple of other stores that offered art from local folks. Then, again, using side roads, we headed to the famed Hana Highway. We did not go to Hana, but aimed back toward the small town of Paia, where we went to the Maui Crafts Guild store. More local art. Lunch was at Thai Spice there in town. However, if you ever get to Paia, you must consider the Paia Fish Market restaurant! Communal dining with fresh, fresh fish! We took our time driving back to Lahaina to return the car. Free shuttle back to the ship was convenient. If you are ever on Maui, consider going to their aquarium, the Maui Ocean Center. A great place with two restaurants. Also on Maui is the shield volcano, Haleakala, a long drive away, but wonderful views and some good hiking to the top. That is a US National Park and some folks like to get there for sunrise (reservations recommended for that). There are some great stores in Lahaina, so if shopping is your thing, spend your money there. Back on the ship, Adagio performed in the Explorers Lounge (always called Adagio with different violist/pianist). The Ocean Quarter had the evening off, but Johnny held forth in the piano bar. The Lion King was shown a couple of times in the theater. In the Mainstage, Hyperion Knight (billed as a virtuoso pianist) had shows at 7:30 and 9:30. Since there was no live music in the Ocean Bar, at 8:30 and fun time was with Majority Rules Game, what a blast that one is. There were promotions throughout the ship for Rudi’s Sel de Mer dinner. Very French, with a menu of mostly fresh fish, inspired by Master Chef Rudi Sodamin. This is in the Pinnacle Grill and there is a $49 charge for this special event. Reservations required.

I know Sue! Oh well. At least I left the wrong man behind with it. No point in living in a great house when you are depressed and do not like the person with whom you are living. Suddenly nothing looks very pretty. BTW, Those colors are distorted... at least in the living room.