Who I Am

Martha has started this little meme and asked us to participate, so here goes:

25 Things About Me (in no particular order!)

1.  I am only 5' tall.

2.  I am 40 years young.

3.  I have been married for 19 years to a great guy.

4.  I have two children, to whom I gave birth naturally.

5.  My nickname when I was very young was Franki (my middle name is Frances).

6.  I have five sisters and one brother.

7.  I am from Kentucky.

8.  I live in Southern Indiana

9.  I have a son in the 11th grade this year, and I am starting to get really freaked out about him being on his own in the next couple of years.  (But don't tell him that!)

10. I have a 10-year-old daughter who is starting to grow up and fill out, and I am starting to get really freaked out about her becoming a teenager in the next few years!

11. I am a Christian, and we are trying to raise our kids with Christian values and principals.

12. I was the editor of my high school's newspaper.

13. I worked for a weekly newspaper for three years before I was married.

14. I am currently a stay-at-home Mom, again, and loving it; but I will probably have to return to work within the next few months.

15. I (the family) have six dogs, two cats and two fish.

16. I received an award from Western Kentucky University for a poem I wrote when I was 18.

17. I am allergic to eggs.

18. I drive a Honda Accord.

19. I love to cook and take pride in it; but I don't like to ever feel that I "have" to cook, and am thankful that my husband loves to cook as much as I do!

20. I spend very little money on myself, but sometimes I spoil my kids!

21. I like things organized and am very good at being organized and helping other people be organized; but, unfortunately, I am not always so good at keeping things organized.

22. When I was a young child I was painfully bashful, and had a very hard time speaking up for myself.

23. I love to sing;  my sisters and I harmonize well with one another.

24.  I can play guitar, mandolin, and dulcimer.

25. My favorite pastime is reading!

Wow!  That was harder than it looked! 

Letters from home....

I got a letter from my sister, Barbara, today.  I still love getting real letters (snail mail), and, thankfully, she still loves writing them.  I keep in touch with some of my sisters by email and phone, but Barbara (the artist among us) prefers writing real letters.

Her letters are always witty and funny and full of family news.  Sometimes she includes clips from the local newspaper; usually hilarious with blaring grammatical or usage errors.

I'd like to share a few sentences of her latest letter:  "...I plan to diet more assiduously starting next month, but I wanted to get back to exercising first.  At least I haven't gained back everything I lost last year.  (I like writing you, occasionally, because it gives me the chance to use words like "assiduously", which I don't often get to use.) . . . . We are all well, so far as I can determine, and no one has fallen or been stung lately.  Do we relax, or do we wait for the third shoe to drop?  There are only supposed to be two shoes, but then again, things come in threes.  I'd better go and see if supper is ready, because it's about that time.  Troll {Troll is Barbara's dog} is rejoicing because it is a bone supper.  Troll believes whole-heartedly in bone suppers.   I believe whole-heartedly in fried pork chop suppers, but we all have our little peccadilloes, don't we? . . . Till later.  Love,  Barbara."

Nice baking smells in my house!

Mmmmm.......  My house smells like fruit, and pumpkin and spices!

I made the cobbler first.  I'm not a pie eater, but I do love to bake, and I had to sample a little when it got done.  I have to say that the crust is excellent!  Thomas should be pleased.  Then I made, not one, but two pumpkin cakes.  I figured I'd better make one for us, too.  Haven't sampled it yet, because I haven't made the sour cream icing yet.  The cakes are still cooling.

I didn't take a nap, after all, but I have a feeling I will this evening.  My throat is really starting to bother me again.  I've been drinking orange juice all day and sucking on cough drops.  I'll probably end up having to go to the doctor -- again!

When I was making the dough for the cobbler I decided that I would make something for dinner that I haven't cooked in a long time -- fried chicken!  We rarely have anything fried anymore, but sometimes you just have to have good old Southern fried chicken, don't you?  I think the Crisco made me think of it.  I always use Crisco shortening for pie crusts, and although I use canola or olive oil for most things, I can't stand frying chicken in anything but Crisco.  You just can't get better brown-and-crispy-on-the-outside-juicy-and-tender-on-the-inside fried chicken than when you use Crisco.  You also must do the frying in a cast iron skillet.  At least, that's my humble opinion, and I do a pretty good fried chicken.  (Nothing humble about that, huh?)  Actually real lard makes great fried chicken, too, but that is a definite no-no, even once in a while!

I am slowly, but surely, making my way to everyone's journal entries.  I'm trying to comment in at least one entry in each journal, so if I haven't commented in yours yet, I'll get there!  I'll probably be back later, so 'til then....

Rainy Monday.........

Good Morning!  I should say Good "Rainy" Morning; at least in Kentuckiana!

Yesterday was very humid; I think the high was 88 degrees, but the heat index was close to 100 degrees.  Then yesterday evening the thunder and lightening rolled in.  It rained off and on for a while; I woke at 2 a.m. to hear the most glorious rolling thunder -- heaven to sleep to!  But then right after I took Eler Beth to school it started pouring down!  I passed a group of four middle-school kids huddled under one big umbrella at a bus stop, and they were still getting soaked.  I was tempted to stop and say, "Jump in, and I'll wait here until your bus comes."  But, you know, you just can't do that anymore, unless you know the kids.  I didn't know them or their parents.  I know that sounds horrible, but you just can't be too careful these days.  So I passed on by, hoping their bus wouldn't be too long getting there.

I think it's going to rain most of the day, so a nice nap just might be in order.  But first I have a little baking to do this morning.  Thomas requested another blackberry cobbler, and I promised a pumpkin cake to a girl I know, so I figured today would be a good day to bake it, since I'd have the oven on anyway.  I'll be back off and on, catching up on some journals and commenting.

Have a nice Monday!

                                                           

Checking in.........

Phew!  Has it been a bad week!

Eler Beth seems to be all better; of course she still has a few days to go on her antibiotic.  I was feeling much better yesterday, just weak; and boy was I in a bad mood!  I'm much better today, though.

I am so behind on reading journals.  I did manage to keep sort of caught up through the week.  I didn't feel like writing in my own, but I managed to leave a few comments here and there.  Perhaps I can get totally caught up now.

Well, remember the goldfish, "John"?  He now has a friend named "Jake".  Eler Beth got the goldfish free, and I really didn't think he'd live very long, but he is thriving in his little bowl.  I had told her if he survived I'd probably let her set the 10 gallon tank back up and get a few more fish.  We were in Meijer Friday, and she found a light green koi ("The only one that color, Mom!"), that she was sure John would welcome.  So this afternoon I am going to be setting up the fish tank again.

Not much else going on.  I may be back later with this and that.

Crawling up out of my hole...

Well, I had planned on getting back here before the end of the day on Monday, to make my Past Year in J-Land entry, but it didn't work out that way.

I have been so sick!  Eler Beth came home from school last Wednesday feeling bad, and by the next day she had a fever, sore throat and headache.  It became an ear infection and caused a trip to the doctor and four missed days of school.  I could have sent her yesterday, but I figured one more day to rest while taking her medicine wouldn't hurt anyone.  She's doing much better. 

I started getting her symptoms over the weekend.  Sunday I logged into the chat, but my head was buzzing so much, I really couldn't do it justice.  I enjoyed the conversations going on, though.  Monday I just really couldn't bear to do much of anything.  My brain wouldn't work well enough to write anything readable.  I had a fever and started sneezing my head off, and my throat was so sore that nothing would help, until Thomas mixed me up some Wild Turkey, honey, lemon and peppermint.  I do not drink, but this tasted so good and felt so good to my throat that I had to be careful not to take too much!

Needless to say I slept very well Monday night, and I slept most of the day yesterday.  I did get to the doctor to get some "real" medicine, and I went right back to bed when I got home and slept through the night.

So although I still feel a little yucky, I'm up early, and I think today I can maybe get something written...in between naps, maybe.

Updated Anniversary Graphic........

     Here (and in my sidebar) is the correct anniversary graphic.  Thanks Donna!  Also visit Donna's journal for her anniversary entry.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY J-LAND!

   Don't you just love this graphic?  Donna did the graphic, and Julie  submitted the winning entry in her contest.  I like the sentiment.

I'll be back later to do my "Year in J-Land" entry.  Just wanted to say Happy Anniversary.  Hope everyone enjoyed the celebrations and got home from the "party" safely!

Tags: J-Land Anniversary

Falls, stings and stars!

I got a letter from my sister, Barbara, on Saturday, and she told me that my mother had tripped over a footstool and hit her nose on the floor.  My mother is fine; actually only has a little skinned place on her nose, and I talked to her by phone that evening.

But Barbara said that my sister, Lois, was taking a shower at the time. When she heard a thump and then heard my mother say, "Oh, shoot!", she ran out of the bathroom stark naked.  Then the next day Lois was stung by a wasp -- on the nose!  Ooh, exciting times at the Dowell house!

When I was reading my sister's letter, though, it reminded me of another fall my mother took many years ago.  She wasn't hurt by that one, either, thankfully, and no one was naked, but it was memorable just the same.  None of us were on the spot to witness it, but were in the kitchen.  My mother was coming up the steps to the kitchen door and somehow stumbled and fell backwards onto her back.  The three of us in the kitchen heard her fall and rushed out the door.  She was lying flat on her back, just staring up into the sky.  We were just sure she'd hurt herself badly, but as we gathered around her, asking her if she had hurt anything, she said, quietly, and still looking up into the sky, "I see one star!"

The three of us looked at each other, in fear, sure that her senses had been addled.  Then she saw the looks on our faces, giggled, and said, "No, really.  I see one star."  And she pointed up.  All three of us dutifully looked up, and, sure enough, there in the bright blue late afternoon sky was one little star.  Then we collapsed, laughing, and I'm not even sure we were able to help Mom get up!  We each of us had pictured a cartoon character with a circlet of stars over his head after having fallen; and of course Mom would only see one star!

I just reminded myself of another story that kind of ties in.  Many years ago my sister, Barbara, had gone for a walk in the woods when she got too near a tree with a nest of wood bees.  They chased her some 50 yards or so, stinging as they went.  She said she was peeling off her clothes as she ran.  When she got home Mom counted and she  had over 20 stings. I can remember that she got very sick, but was much better the next day. 

So that story tied in with the wasp sting and the streaking!

What strange things we do remember and choose to write about in our journals!

More AOL Anniversary Links

 

3rd Anniversary - AOL Journals  Vivian's journal exclusively about the anniversary celebrations.

 

It's Raining Photos...  Steve is putting together a massive photo album.

 

She Said WHAT?   Andi is rolling out the red carpet for the celebration.

Laid-back Weekend

            I did get my nap on Friday.  Then the weekend was so busy and went by so quickly that I never did get a chance to write in my journal, and I have a lot of alerts to catch up on.

The first week (partial week) of school is behind us now, and I hope this week will go by smoothly.  I took Eler Beth to school this morning, but she is riding the bus home, so we'll see if it's any better today.  They are supposed to have some more buses on the road starting today.

Saturday we went to visit some friends in another county, and on the way home took a detour through Jackson County to check out some of the farm markets.  We ended up buying some really, really good cantaloupe and watermelons (Jackson County is known for its melons in this part of Indiana), some delicious sweet corn (the best I've tasted all year), and some other goodies.

At one market Eler Beth's eye was caught by jars of honey with the comb in it.  She's always wanted to try honeycomb, but I won't buy it at the store.  It's so expensive, and I've always told her to wait until we find some locally made somewhere, because if I'm going to spend $5.00 for a pint of honey, it had better taste great; so she kept me to my promise.  I have to say that that is the best honey I've tasted in a long time.  The lady who waited on us told us it was made by a local beekeeper who works their fields for them.  You could actually taste the clover in the honey.  Eler Beth loves the honeycomb, too.  (So do I!)

We had planned on doing yard work when we got home Saturday evening, but neither Thomas nor I could bring ourselves to make the effort once we were home.  Yesterday was a nice day full of a little housework, a little yardwork, a little movie-watching, and a lot of relaxation.  (So I still have most of the yard work to do!)

I think I'm really going to enjoy this full week with the kids in school.  I hope the homework stays at a minimum and the homework hassles are few.                   

                                                  

 

Yawning!

 

(Admit it; my subject line made you yawn, didn't it?)     Well, again, so far so good, as far as school is going.  The only problem is that the buses are so crowded.  I am picking up Eler Beth today because she said she absolutely will not ride that bus again ever!  I told her I'd get her today, but that I wouldn't do it every day.  Hopefully they'll get things smoothed out.

It really is a bad situation.  I guess they've combined some routes or re-worked them or something, but all of the buses seem to be overcrowded.  I assume that the school board eliminated some buses to try to cut down on fuel costs.  If the problem continues next week I will have to make a call to see if anything is going to be done about it.  It cannot be safe (or even legal) to have so many kids on a bus that one or more of them have to stand.  On Eler Beth's bus yesterday, there were three kids in every seat, and some of those kids are bigger than I am, so there were legs in the aisle out of necessity.  She said that the bus driver was yelling at them about keeping their legs out of the aisle, but some people had no choice.  Well, we'll see how next week goes.

                                                   

  I am on my third cup of coffee.  I had the hardest time getting up this morning.  I haven't been sleeping well for the past several nights.  Maybe it's the full moon, again.  I always did have a hard time sleeping when the moon was full.

Well, that reminds me of some stories, but I really think I'm going to have to take a little nap, so I'll try to come back and write them later.  See everyone later!

                                                                                       

Octopus Update

Yesterday, someone came forward and admitted putting the dead opctopus into the Ohio River: Film student put the octopus in the Ohio River.  I saw the interview with the guy on the news last night.  He and his friends had bought it through a local exotic food dealer and had put it into the Ohio to film it.  (Why?  I don't know.)   They had planned to eat it (!!) after they were finished filming it, but it "smelled fishy", and when they looked up how to cook it, they found out that if it smelled fishy they shouldn't eat it, especially, he said, after having been in the sun all day. 

Duh.

The guy might face a charge of littering for putting a dead animal in the river.

I knew something smelled fishy about this story!

First Day Success

Yesterday went very well for both the kids.  I was on pins and needles when it was time for them to get here.  Andrew got home first, and it has been years since I've seen him this excited about a first day of school.  He is so pleased with that IT class at Prosser Tech.  He's full of plans for taking my computer in to install more RAM and building his own system by the end of the year!  I hope this enthusiasm continues throughout the year and extends to his other classes as well.

Eler Beth, likewise, came home excited.  Three of her best friends are in her classroom, and she was very impressed with her new school building.  She had one sheet of homework that was pretty easy and quick to complete, so for now, at least, no homework hassles.  Everyone was in bed almost on time as well.

Now, just so you don't think I'm perfect, lol, I have to say that fixing two breakfasts yesterday was not the norm!  I had told both kids that I'd fix whatever they wanted since it was the first day of school.   Usually they have a choice of staples that they can prepare themselves like cereal, fruit, or convenience things that can be made in the toaster or microwave.  Sometimes Eler Beth may want eggs, and I'll fix them for her if she does.  But she usually doesn't eat meat in the mornings, and Andrew rarely eats anything in the morning.   It's very hard to get him to actually eat breakfast that early, and when he does he usually settles for cereal.  But sometimes he wants sausage or bacon.  So this morning I fixed sausage links for whoever wanted them, and then they chose whatever they wanted to go with it.  For this morning Andrew just had sausage, and Eler Beth had cereal and some toast and jelly.  She sometimes eats breakfast at school as well as at home, for which I am glad.  I really think that sometimes it's just too early, or too soon after getting up to eat for some kids, and by the time she gets to school she sometimes has more of an appetite. 

Well, enough of that.  Anyway, school is off to a great start so far, and I'm looking forward to being here for as long as I can afford to be before I have to go back to work.  I enjoyed being  home to hear their excited chatter last night, and fix a nice meal that everyone enjoyed.  I didn't have to come in, exhausted, from work and the commute from work.  I hope that can last for a while.

 

Three-Year Anniversary For AOL Journals

I can't imagine that there is anyone in J-Land who doesn't know that AOL Journal's Three Year Anniversary is coming up this month, but just in case there is, go to one of these links to see what's going on in J-Land and how anyone can participate in the celebration:

Viv:  (who got it started)http://journals.aol.com/viviansullinwank/NwanyiomasJournal/

 

Steve : http://journalsaol.co.uk/stevietwain/ThelifeofSte/

he is making a video for everyone to particpate in!!

 

Shelly: (memorial quilt)http://journals.aol.com/xxroxymamaxx/XXRoxyMamaXX/

 

Donna: (celebration graphics)http://journals.aol.com/nightmaremom/Thisandthatandhockey/

 

Sugar:  (pet memorial)http://journals.aol.com/sugarsweet056/MYBELOVEDFURRBABIES/

But how did it get there?

Fisherman Lands Octopus from Ohio River!

I want more information!  Guess I'll have to take a drive down to the Falls and ask one of the Park employees.   How do they manage to get this far North?

First Day of School!

Aaaahhhhh!

Hear that?

It's quiet!  Several hours and the house to myself!  What, oh what, shall I do?!

   

Andrew was rather excited this morning, more so than he was on the first day of school last year.  I think it's his IT class at Prosser Tech that he's really looking forward to.  He was up and ready and out of here almost before I knew it.  I don't think he managed to eat any breakfast, either, although I'd made his favorite bacon, biscuits and hash browns.

Eler Beth, on the other hand, was a little slow to get up, but then she started getting excited.  After she'd changed her mind and totally changed the outfit she'd planned on wearing, couldn't find the right earrings, complained that her blueberries just didn't taste right, and ate maybe half of a pancake, she was ready to go.  I drove her this morning, because she asked me to, and because I wanted to go inside the new building, anyway. 

It is really a much nicer building, and much bigger.  This area is growing so much and so quickly, that it was way past time they built a new school.  I got to see  her inside her classroom.  They all look so grown up!  It seems just yesterday that she was my little kindergartener, and now she's a big fifth grader; top dogs this year!  We both know her teacher, and she is very laid back and sweet.  I think she'll be a good teacher for Eler Beth.  I also noticed that three of Eler Beth's best friends are in the same class with her.  I think this is going to be a great year for her!    

                                              

Is It A Full Moon?

I decided to check my emails before going to bed, and I heard a vehicle stop out front.  So I peeked out the front door; it was a van in front of the house across the street.  Nothing suspicious, really, but all of a sudden my dogs started barking.  So since I was at the front door I stepped out that door, walked to the driveway and started toward the back of the house.  I called to the dogs to "hush!", and then stopped in my tracks, because up on the telephone line at the back of our yard I could clearly see, silhouetted against the night sky, a 'possum! 

I was sure it was a 'possum;  sharp face, long tail.  So I ran back around, into the front door and through the house to the back door.  I stepped outside with a flashlight, shone it up on the high wire, and, sure enough, there was a 'possum, staring back at me.  I've seen squirrels traveling along the telephone lines, but never a 'possum.  This one just sat, staring, so I quieted the dogs and went to see if the kids were still awake.  They were, so I had to tell them; I mean, it isn't every day you get to see a 'possum doing a high wire act. 

After everyone was settled back into bed I sat back down at the computer only to have the dogs set up a ruckus again.  I stepped out the back door once again, looked up to see if the 'possum was still there, and, much to my surprise, there were now two 'possums.  Facing each other.  Snarling at one another.   I closed my eyes a moment, then blinked a few times and then looked again.  Yep.  Two 'possums, facing off.  I started laughing and they both turned and looked at me (rather indignantly, I'd say). 

I went back inside to give them some privacy, and met both kids on their way out to see what I was laughing at.  When I shone the light back up on the line, 'possum #1 was clinging to the bottom of the line and 'possum #2 was walking over him.  I kid you not.  'Possum #2 proceeded to walk down the line to the pole and cross to another line, continuing on his way; no doubt muttering under his breath about 'possums who suddenly get acrophobia and hold up the traffic.  'Possum #1, whilethethree of us were holding our breath, managed to finally right  himself, only this time he was turned in the opposite direction from the one he started in.  We waited, and he just sat and stared at us, so we went back in.  A few minutes later the dogs started back up, so I stepped outside one more time, and the poor 'possum had gone a few feet closer to the pole.  He stopped when I shone my light on him, then he decided to ignore me and  went on his way, following in the path of 'possum #2. 

I just checked, and so far, the telephone line is free of nocturnal marsupials or any other kind of varmint.   I also checked, and yes, there is a full moon.

Just A Quick Note

Well, Thomas didn't strangle anyone this morning, and they finished getting his nephew moved.  He actually was in a great mood when he got home.  I'm not surprised, though; he doesn't stay irritated long.

Andrew went to a pool party this afternoon and just got home a few minutes ago.  Eler Beth spent the afternoon at S's house.  I did absolutely nothing today except a couple loads of laundry.  I did have a really nice dinner, though, tenderloin with bell peppers and summer squash.  Someone gave us some fresh blackberries recently, so I made a blackberry cobbler which is one of Thomas' favorites.

It was cooler again, today, but starting tomorrow I think it's going to start getting hot again.  Well, I'm off to bed, now.  Hope everyone's having a great weekend.

Weighty school matters.

My daughter is staggering around the living room!

She hasn't been drinking (unless you count Capri Sun); she is modeling her new backpack, chock full of all those new school supplies, including three big boxes of Puffs. 

She took a long time picking out just the right backpack, and I think she has made a good selection.  All the compartments are very deep, and I think she'll be able to fit all those books into it.  But, good grief, she doesn't even have any books in it right now, and she was struggling and staggering to get it onto her back!

How many pounds do your kids carry to school and back?

Busy Friday

I took advantage of the comparatively cooler temps yesterday and took the kids to the Louisville Zoo.  We had a great time, but I was worn out when we got home!

But first we went to register Andrew at Prosser School of Technology.  He will be taking  IT Network Systems, and he is really getting excited about it.  While checking Prosser's web page I read the history of the school and found out something I hadn't known before:  Charles Allen Prosser, for whom the school is named, was from New Albany, Indiana (where the school is located), and is known as "the Father of Vocational Education in the United States."  Reading his bio was very interesting.   

School fees this year were:  Eler Beth's fifth grade fees, $125.00; Andrew's eleventh grade fees, $102.00; Andrew's Prosser fees, $157.00.  So far that's $384.00 I've spent this week, not counting school supplies and clothes, which we've only just started shopping for.  Wow!!

A couple of news stories

Wow!  A Louisville pizzeria was featured this morning on AOL Money & Finance.  The place is Tony Boombozz Pizzeria, and their pizza is wonderful!!   I didn't know they were doing this well, though.

And speaking of Pizza, on the local news this morning was a story about a lady who delivers pizza for Pizza Hut, who early this morning delivered something else -- her neighbor's baby girl. 

The parents of the baby are both deaf, and could not communicate to the 911 operator that they needed help when the mother unexpectedly went into labor.  So they got their neighbor, who found the mother on the bathroom floor, starting the delivery process!  She stayed on the phone with the 911 dispatcher and, following instructions, helped the woman deliver the little girl right before the ambulance got there.

The baby and mother are both fine.  Alexandria was 7 lbs. 5 oz .and 18-1/2 inches long.

Oh Thank Heavens He's Finally Gone!

Poor Thomas!

He has been helping his nephew's family move, and he and some other friends were supposed to start early this morning to get the job finished today.

My husband does not do "waiting" very well.  He never puts things off.  He likes to start early and get things out of the way when there is something he has to do on the weekend.  Someone was supposed to meet up with Thomas at our house...between 7:30 and 8.  He got here a few minutes past 9.

I think my blood pressure has gone up just from listening to the hiss of Thomas' blood pressure rising!   I hope no one does anything else today to seriously irritate him, because when he left here he was NOT in a very good mood!  My poor hubby.  Maybe I should bake him something extra nice today?

Random thoughts

It's amazing how quickly things can become cluttered.  I spent about an hour today re-organizing and straightening my kitchen cabinets; didn't I just do that recently?

I also spent about an hour transferring contacts from my old cell phone into my new one.  My thumbs hurt!

And other than that, it's been a pretty boring day, and I can't think of anything to write about here.

Oh, Jae, I did do something just for me today.  I made a pan of homemade macaroni and cheese, and then ate a lot of it all by myself.  Guess I was needing some comfort food.  Now that kind of reminds me of a story. 

There was this man that used to work with Thomas, who, as soon as he got to the job, started trying to get something racial started there.  He was a black man who really had a problem with Thomas being married to a white woman and being able to get along with most people at work, no matter what their race.  Thomas hung around whoever he felt comfortable with, and that included whites, blacks, Mexicans,  Bosnians and Vietnamese.  Thomas just gets along with everyone, unless they don't want to be got along with, and this guy didnt' like it.  He even remonstrated with Thomas once, telling him that he shouldn't be talking to "those guys". 

Well, this guy was determined that he was going to start something.  One day during break when he and Thomas were the only black guys in the room, he started going on and on about "soul food", really loud, to Thomas.  I don't know why he picked that particular subject to try to show a connection between him and Thomas and to shut out the other guys, but that is what he was trying to do.  Thomas knew this, of course, so, being the kind of guy he is, and having this wonderful talent for adroitly putting people in their place, he asked the guy, "So tell me, just what do you consider by 'soul food'?"  The guy listed fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens, corn bread, macaroni and cheese, and so on.  Thomas looked at the guy for a minute, then said, thoughtfully, "Huh!  I guess my mother-in-law has been cooking 'soul food' all her life, and didn't even know it!"  The guy shut up. 

More Julian Beever

This web site has even more on Julian Beever.  Some of these are really unbelievable: Julian Beever's pavement drawings

Check This Out

These are amazing!  Check out Virtual Street Reality , sidewalk art by Julian Beever.   He has a way of doing chalk drawings that give them a 3D effect if you look at them from the right angle.  Truly amazing!

Challenge for August

     I didn't have to think too long about what I was going to challenge myself to do this month, but I had planned on keeping it private.  Instead, I'm going take the plunge and make a confession:

I've been ::gulp:: writing a book.

What qualifications do I have to write a book?  Probably none.  I have, however, done some writing, had a little formal training and education in writing, and actually even been paid for my writing.  Of course that writing was of a journalistic nature, not fiction, but I have some stories rolling around in my head, and, darn it, I want to put them on paper; even if no one ever reads them but me!

So I've been working on this story for a while now.  I'm not going to tell what genre it is or anything else about it, for now.  I had meant to really concentrate on it during July, since I'm not working, but all of July seems to have been needed to simply get used to being at home every day.  But I'm determined to at least get something done on it during August.

To get myself back into the groove I've decided that I will write at least one page a day, even if it's crap.  At least that way I'll be in the habit and will have done something on it, and, hopefully, I'll write several pages a day.

So that's my personal challenge for this month.

                        More Later!

The 5-Lined Skink

Someone requested a picture of the blue-tailed skink.  There is a really good one at this web site.

Is it cool, yet?

I went outside early this morning to let the dogs out and to play with them for a while.  It's the only time of the day that I can handle the heat, and I've been neglecting them because of it.  They enjoyed it; of course we were all wet from the dew by the time I went back inside.  So it was a shower and a change of clothes for me.  I made sure they had fresh, cold water, which I'm sure I'll freshen later on in the day.  Apparently today is going to be even hotter than yesterday. 

There are three more counties in Kentucky starting school tomorrow.  All of them are ones in our area that miss a lot of snow days because of the kinds of roads the buses have to travel.  That's the only reason I can think of for them to be starting school so early.

Well, nothing much to say right now, so I'll be back later.