HAPPY DANCE

The current drought has caused a lot of bizarre things here in Alabama this summer: fruit and vegetables at selling at sinful prices, foliage in the colors of autumn instead of banners in the usual Red, White & Blue herald the 4th of July, grass crunches underfoot making it impossible for kids to sneak up on one another during games of tag or hide & go seek, deadly smog levels in our usually fair Southern metropolises have caused cities to put up signs begging folks to stay home and not drive, a lack of summer color because all the flowers are wilted and sere are making this a drab and dreary season instead of the usual floral showstopper that the South is known for.

But it has also brought one sight that I would have never dreamed of; something so fantastic that it brought an instant smile to my face and caused me to wish that I owned a video camera. People, this was an occasion! An event that I have never heard spoken of before, one that I would have never believed if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.......


I saw a squirrel doing a happy dance underneath a lawn sprinkler.

Not just a quick and accidental dash through the shining drops. Nay, that frisky little squirrel spent several hours prancing and dancing, twirling and spinning amid the shower of wetness. I don’t know of any way to describe it other than pure animalistic joy in the hedonistic feel of wet fun on a hot day.

Dang, I love country living!

MARATHON MEME

*WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?…. I'm not sure; Mom told me that as soon as Dad found out that she was in "the family way" he announced that the impending tot (me) would be either Ricky or Vicki. Don't know if he just liked the name or if I was named after someone important in his life. When asked, the only answer I got from Dad was a smile

*WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?…. Last week while watching a movie that I can't even remember the name of

*DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?…. I have nice handwriting but lately it has suffered from lack of practice, too much typing and not enough letter writing - dang email

*WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?… I don't have a real favorite but smoked turkey is always welcome

*DO YOU HAVE KIDS?…. Just the one son; raising him was enough heartache/headache - thank you very much

*IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?… I'd like to think so, I'm a nice person and I enjoy my own company........

*DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?.. WHO? ME?

*DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?…. Nope, and believe it or not I had them taken out TWICE! Maybe I'm part lizard because one of the dad-gummed suckers grew back

*WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?….. When I was younger, maybe, actually probably because I used to be an adrenaline junkie ; but not now that I'm older. My bones break more easily and it takes longer to heal up in my old age

*WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?… Applejacks but I don't eat them anymore, too much sugar in them

*DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?… Yep

*DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?…. Mentally and emotionally, yeah. But the body is starting to slide downhill - gotta start working on that

*WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?… homemade anything

*WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?…. If they'll make eye contact with me -- but I guess that comes from years of having men talk to my chest. "Hey you, the part up here is where the brain resides!"

*WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?…. My lack of patience and my inability to say "NO" to friends and family

*WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?…. My Mom

*WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?…. a pair of Levi’s blue jeans…. and white/gray New Balance

*WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?…. Taco Salad

*WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?…. The hum of motors from outside the control room here at work

*IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?…. either teal or forest green

*FAVORITE SMELLS?…. Sandalwood, jasmine, fresh cut wood or grass , woodsmoke, the smell of burning leaves, fresh baked bread

*WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?… Karen

*FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?…. I don't do sports

*HAIR COLOR?… Natural - light reddish brown but it's streaked with blond right now

*EYE COLOR?… hazel…. a green, gold & brown mix….

*DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?…. No

*FAVORITE FOOD?… anything Italian or Latin

*SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?…. Depends on my mood

*LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?… Ghost Rider

*WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?… Buttercup Yellow

*SUMMER OR WINTER?… Actually spring or fall, but I guess summer

*HUGS OR KISSES?… kisses….

FAVORITE DESSERT?…. Boston Cream Pie

*WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?… Raptor by Gary Jennings (Author of Aztec, one of my all time favorite books) Excellent reading but might not suite everyone, historical fiction with lots of adult content

*WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?… Microsoft logo

*WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?…. Nothing, worked midnights

*FAVORITE SOUND?…. A child's laughter, rain on a tin roof

*ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?…. The Stones of course

*WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?… Hawaii

*DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?…. Doesn't everyone?

*WHERE WERE YOU BORN?… Moulton, Alabama

STOLEN FUNNY

I stole this from Nitwit because it's too good not to share. Who of us wouldn't love to go back to "the good old days"?

RESIGNATION

I am hereby officially tendering
my resignation as an adult.

I have
decided I would like to accept the
responsibilities of an 8 year-old again.

I want to go to McDonald's and think
that it's a four star restaurant.

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud
puddle and make a sidewalk with rocks.
I want to think M&Ms are better than
money because you can eat them.

I want to lie under a big oak tree and
run a lemonade stand with my friends on
a hot summer's day.

I want to return to a time when life was
simple; when all you knew were colors,
multiplication tables, and nursery
rhymes, but that didn't bother you,
because you didn't know what you
didn't know and you didn't care.

All you knew was to be happy because you
were blissfully unaware of all the things that
should make you worried or upset.

I want to think the world is fair.
That everyone is honest and good.

I want to believe that anything is
possible.

I want to be oblivious
to the complexities of life and be
overly excited by the little things again.

I want to live simple again.

I don't want my day to consist of
computer crashes, mountains of paperwork,
depressing news, how to survive more days
in the month than there is money in the
bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness,
and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of
smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth,
justice, peace, dreams, the imagination,
mankind, and making angels in the snow.

So . . . here's my checkbook
and my car-keys, my credit card bills
and my 401K statements.

I am officially
resigning from adulthood.

And if you want to discuss this
further, you'll have to catch me
first, cause........

......"Tag! You're it."

DRY AS A SNAKE SHED..........

I swear, if I didn’t know better I’d think it were the dog-days of autumn instead of almost the 4th of July. My poor drought stricken trees are shedding russet colored leaves all over the yard and striding across the sun-seared lawn produces crackling sounds that would be much more appropriate in a Rice Krispy commercial. It’s so dry that all the critters are out hunting water including the Devil’s totem, that universal symbol of evil, the snake.I mentioned awhile back that I had lost 3 puppies to snakebite, but the other day I almost lost my future niece-in-law to a copperhead! I wasn’t there when it happened, so I don't know what is the honest truth, but it seems that a birthday party was going on when Erica heard a friend’s 3 year old son hollering outside. Looking out the door she was horrified to see the youngun’ running across the porch with arms outstretched, attempting to grab a baby copperhead that was sunning itself on the warm boards. When Erica snatched up the little boy the snake struck and caught her in the ring finger. (I also heard that she was trying to catch the snake but I’m gonna put that down to idle gossip). The copperhead only managed to scratch a small place, there wasn’t any real penetration by a fang, and everyone thought things would be OK.

The snake was dispatched, Erica wrapped a ponytail elastic around her finger and started to drive herself home, but on the way she started to feel “funny” and dropped by the local emergency room. When they removed the elastic her whole had ballooned up and her fingers started to turn black, so the hospital loaded Erica in an ambulance and shot her off to Huntsville hospital. Now days later they say she’ll be alright but might lose a fingernail.

I can’t help but think that if she hadn’t looked outside when she did that the little boy wouldn’t have lived. There’s no way a 3 year old could have gotten inside and explained that a snake had bitten him in time to have gotten to the hospital for a shot of antivenin. Not only that, the medical people would have to have know what type of snake it was before giving him that injection.

Copperheads bite more people in most years than any other U.S. species ....... A difference between copperheads and the other species appears when they are approached. Most rattlesnakes vibrate their tails and most cottonmouths sit with mouth open when a human comes near ....... the copperhead is different ....... most copperheads strick out immediately when they felt threatened.

BTW: Sweet Thang goes back to the Dr. on the 26th and then maybe we can work on the walking thing. He’s so bored that he’s taken up watching golf on TV! Thanks to everyone for asking about him

"8 Facts/Habits About Myself"

I know I've been MIA, again! Sorry about that, but I'm back and catching up with everyone as fast as I can. As most of you know, if you miss a meeting everyone else nominates you for the committee or team or whatever while your back is turned and Lady K has continued the tradition by tagging me with this meme (just kidding Lady K, I'd love to do your meme).

Here are the rules: Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Trying not to repeat anything that I've previously posted is hard but I'm giving it a shot, so here goes:

1. I have a hard time with moderation; such as my ongoing struggle with nicotine addiction. I’ll go days without smoking, no problem, and then suddenly the cravings will hit and I’ll suck down an entire pack in just a few hours. The same goes for good food. I love to cook and to sample both my (or anyone else’s) edible delights, as anyone can tell from looking at my “curvaceous” body. Hey, I’ve still got my hour-glass figure; I’ve just got more sand now! Guess you can say that I’m an “All or Nothing Gal”.
2. I’m addicted to reading (at least I’ve got 1 healthy addiction!) In a pinch I’ll read anything; sales papers, the guys at work’s hunting & farming magazines, tech manuals on equipment that I don’t have a chance in hell of understanding. I was actually reading before I started school (thanks Mom!) and now-a-days I read around 250 words-per-minute and at least 4 novels a week. All this makes me a walking-talking fountain of useless trivia; I know a lot about a little but not a great deal about any one thing.
3. I never went to college. As a consequence of not having a higher education but enjoying a voracious appetite for reading, I know the definition of a plethora of words but have no idea of how they’re pronounced. It’s like knowing a foreign language but not being able to speak it.
4. I love to travel alone. The first time I ever flew in an airplane or left the continental USA I went to Hawaii for 8 days, ALONE. Had a great time; rented a ‘vert and roamed the island at all hours of the day and night. Traveling with a partner is fine but nothing beats the freedom of doing what you want and changing plans at the last minute without a fuss. Yes, I know about all the dangers, but believe it or not most people and service personnel will go out of their way to assist a single woman whereas they’ll ignore a couple.
5. I firmly believe that being in a relationship is a luxury, not a necessity. How in the world can someone expect others to enjoy their company or love them if they can’t love themselves or enjoy a little alone time? Face it folks, if you can’t be happy all by your lonesome, then you’ll never be happy with someone else.
6. I’m a low maintaince type of gal. Although I make a decent wage, I seldom wear make-up & I usually dress very casually; my home is old, small & rundown, I don’t drive a new or expensive car and my favorite jewelry is costume stuff that I pick up here and there. But if I decide I want something I usually get it. My tastes are simple and I’ve rather go on a trip or read a good book that spend a fortune on looking good or trying to impress others.
7. Speaking of looks; I still haven’t gotten used to seeing this older, thick-waisted crone who inhabits every mirror that I look into. I’ll be feeling really good, sexy, feisty; having one of those “I feel like I can take on the world” days and suddenly I see my reflection in the nearest shiny surface. When the hell did those gray hairs creep in? My love handles have run amuck and met in the front, forming what I would call a pouch if I were only a kangaroo! My boobs have started to migrate South and I keep trying to convince myself that those dark spots are freckles. When did I get so old? I don’t feel like an old woman, I still feel as if I’m in my 30s but the mirror won’t agree with me, darn it.
8. I’ve discovered in my old age that sometimes the fact that others have a lot of confidence in your abilities can be a bad thing. The better you do, the more they expect. This includes work, family and friends. Sometimes it’s better to mess up just a teeny tiny bit; that way some of the pressure to be perfect will let up and people will start to have a more realistic idea of your abilities. What I mean is; do your best, but don't beat yourself up if your best isn't good enough. Superman/Wonder Woman are cartoons, people. Real life doesn't always come out perfect, the good guy doesn't always win, and sometimes people just have to take what they can get. (Just be sure to mess up on something that’s not vital to your job or someone else’s health.)

I'm not gonna tag anyone else but y'all are welcome to play if you want. Just say so in the comments and we'll all come by and see if you reveal any deep dark secrets!