Hey ya'll

FYI -- Sara T. Has the flu. Blech. So I stayed home and painted a wall in the living room red today. And made a coconut cream tart. And some Grandma Helen Potatoes. And took a nap. Good day...despite the hacking and the temperature.

Froggy Update

So....what's going on with the frogs you may ask? Well...it's been kinda a slow year. I still see Cartman quite often, but again, no commitments so I continue to "kiss" other frogs....

Snakecharmer and I are both American Idol watchers, so we have begun a Tuesday night ritual of watching AI. We flip back and forth between houses, host makes dinner and or dessert. Snakecharmer makes excellent nachos! As for me, it's nice to have someone to cook for and share a meal with. This past Tuesday he requested lasagna, and I was happy to oblige. I also introduced him to risotto, which he also enjoyed. I make an excellent risotto with lemon and rosemary. I do believe it's more comforting than mashed potatoes...yes, I know. It's almost sacrilegious.

I haven't heard from the Hand-Me-Down since his friend painted my bedroom. Maybe the age difference was too much, maybe it was the weird way in which we met or maybe he just wasn't ready. It surely couldn't possibly be me could it?

Mr. Football missed our first date because he was in a "car accident." He never even called to confirm the second date, and I have to say, I wasn't all that upset. I'm sure my nephew "The Hammer" will be upset. He was impressed that he plays for the Marion Mayhem. In his mind, we should get married so he could be related to a real-life football player.

I met the Gambler last Saturday night. I got online about 8...he was online too. Instead of "talking" online, we just decided to meet for a late dinner. He was hysterical. I don't think I've ever met someone who talks as much as he does. The Gambler is 28, worked professionally, and is now back at OSU studying Golf Course Management. He also likes to gamble -- particularly blackjack and poker. He has even considered going professional. He was really nervous because it was his first date in quite some time. He'd been dating a girl for about 3 years, and then he got sick. They discovered a large tumor growing beside his heart. When they removed it, they had to remove part of his lung and part of his pericardia sack. He pulled the neck of his t-shirt down to show the beginning of his scar where they cracked his chest. Four days after his operation, his girlfriend dumped him. That was in December. So, who knows where this one is going...I'm not sure if he's going to be worth the gamble (I know, bad, but I couldn't resist).

What a Co-inky-dink!

Many of you will know that on July 8, 1947, witnesses claim that an unidentified flying object (UFO) with five aliens aboard crashed onto a sheep and cattle ranch just outside Roswell, New Mexico . This is a well-known incident that many say has long been covered up by the U.S. Air Force and other federal Agencies and organizations.

However, what you may NOT know is that in the month of March 1948, nine months after that historic day, the following people were born:

Albert A. Gore, Jr.
Hillary Rodham
John F. Kerry
William J. Clinton
Howard Dean
Nancy Pelosi

See what can happen if aliens breed with sheep and or cattle? I certainly hope this bit of information clears up a lot of things for you. It did for me.

Do you smell that?

Well, it's beginning to be late winter. Know what that means? Yep. The skunks are mating. For about a month or so now, there will be a surge in skunky roadkill. It will subside until the babies are ready to be out and about in late spring.

Why would Sara T. know this? Well, let me tell ya. I live in the woods...in a cedar sided house. I attract all kinds of critters: Mary Lou, the big ole' groundhog who lives under the porch and steals apples from the neighbors tree, Casper the albino deer and Foxy the fox, who has no need to be sly and trots down the middle of the road at his leisure, just to name a few.

For the next month or so, I will be awakened in the wee small hours of the morning by the stench of love-sick skunks. They don't spray the house, but they are somewhere near-by....close enough to wake me out of a sound sleep. By mid-morning, their aroma is gone. I'm sure they are resting in preparation for the next night's courtship.

Think this will be a good selling point if I ever put my house on the market?

Happy Presidents Day

It was February of 2000. I was living in England, working on my Master's Degree. I was required by the course to take a latin class. I had always been good at latin, but was having a hard time adjusting to the British style of teaching. Consequently, I wasn't thought of as a stellar latin student. I made high grades on exams, but the oral translations we were asked to do was something I never caught on to.

The professor seemed to delight in singling me out for these oral exercises. At first I thought it was for my own good -- the more I did it, the more I would become comfortable and I would improve my skills. I was so naive.

Presidents Day 2000, I was asked to stand before the class and translate a paragraph. Often, the professor would write the passages, so that they would provide numerous examples of whatever lesson was being taught. That day, I stood up and recognized the professors work. She was using the moral of George Washington and the cherry tree. Because I knew the story well, it was easy for me to translate. I rushed through it...all the way to the end, "Father, I cannot tell a lie. I cut down your cherry tree." I was pleased -- until I read the next line:

Operor vos non votum totus Americans erant is pia?

I fumbled through the translation. Roughly, it says....don't you wish more Americans were like this? Ouch. I sat down red-faced and embarrassed amongst the 30 or so twittering Brits.

I never did win the favor (or should I say favour) of that professor. But that's ok. She couldn't deny my grades and I ended up with more than one good friend in that class. And they know that some Americans still are honest...just like George Washington.