Saturday

It got very cool overnight—down in the 40’s. It’s refreshing outside now and I turned off the air conditioning.

Today’s chores include the ever-present laundry and straightening up the kitchen.

I have to go to the grocery for:

1. Dawn dishwashing liquid. (I’ve tried them all and Dawn wins hands-down. It even cleans plastic food storage containers like Glad or Rubbermaid.)
2. Olive oil
3. Laundry detergent
4. Large trash bags
5. Milk
6. eggs
7. bread and English muffins

This evening is Girls Night Out. We started it a few months ago with only four of us, and tonight we’re expecting around 15. We’re going to this local Mexican place for margaritas and dinner. It should be fun!

Gino Vannelli and Valerie

Old Gino














Young Gino



I saw an informercial ad for a CD collection of "Soft Rock." It featured the two Air Supply guys who I didn't like back when they were popular. Anyway, this collection included some Rod Stewart, Elton John, Chicago, Leo Sayer, Christopher Cross, Fleetwood Mac, and various One Hit Wonders. Probably had hundreds of songs on 13 CDs and cost just four (five) easy payments of $29.99 each.

It also featured a song by Gino Vannelli--who I haven't thought of in years. I lived in Clearwater Florida in the early 80's and my best friend was named Valerie. I think I've mentioned her in this blog before. She was the one who encouraged my first smoking of clove cigarettes. She was very funky and extremely cool and dated Arab men, and dressed in long flowy things and smelled of patchouli. Valerie adored Gino Vannelli and had posters of him in her Bohemian apartment.

I alsways used to tease her and say "If you married Gino Vannelli, you'd be Valerie Vannelli." It sounds lyrical.

Judging from the "old" Gino picture--he doesn't look half bad even today.

Bird Update

The Saved Bird
graced my yard last evening.
Still no Howdy-do.
But she did sing.
What a thing
to hear a bird sing.
If I had a parrot
I could hear it talk.
If I had a hawk.
I could hear it squawk.

Wednesday

Nothing much exciting to report. I think I'll stop on my way home from work today and buy Powerball tickets at the Village Pantry.

wireless mouses and 28 fucking lotto tickets

BP had the bright idea to hook up one of his computers to our flat screen TV in the living room. He also bought a wireless mouse and keyboard (We had to take the mouse back because the range was like, two feet.) Now he can sit in “his” chair—he calls it “his” chair even though I had that chair before we were married---and surf. I asked him to increase the text size because I couldn’t read that little assed text size from 6 feet away.

He’s in his glory. Now if I’d only let him smoke upstairs here, he’d never leave “his” chair.

I’ve tried it out a few times, but I prefer being on the computer here at my desk.

------------------------------
Here’s another thing:

On Sunday I stopped at a little store----It was a Village Pantry, but you probably have Seven 11, or a Milk Barn, or something like that. I went in to get a quart of milk. I was in line behind a raggedy older woman who was buying lottery scratch off tickets.

ROW: I’ll take three of number 2, one of number 7 and four of number 6. No wait. Four of number 2.

Clerk: Four Number 2, one number 7 and four number 6. Nine dollars.

ROW: Nine dollars?

Clerk: uh huh.

ROW: Here’s a ten. Don’t give me a dollar back . . . I’ll just take another of number 7. No. Number 6!

Clerk: Okay

(Me being exasperated)

ROW: Okay. Now I want 28 Hoosier Lottos, each on its’ own ticket.

Clerk: 28 Lottos each on an individual ticket?

Me: Oh, Good Grief!

I put down the milk and left.

I mean, Jesus Christ. There were two people behind me and this old raggedy woman wants 28 lottery tickets, each on its’ own ticket??? That’s fucking rude!

Emma: Bird Rescuer!

I wasn't even going to go out and work in the garden today because it's so freaking humid. Plus it rained about two inches yesterday. But I wanted to cut down some coneflowers and move some gay feathers and Shasta daisies. As I was finishing up I noticed some nearby rustling. I looked down at the Black Eyed Susans that had gone to seed and saw a female yellow goldfinch. Its' wing had gotten caught in the thorny seed and couldn't get away. After talking to it for a minute and asking if it needed my help (she did,) I went to get my camera and gardening gloves. I gently held it and disengaged its wing from the seed and branch, and it flew across the street and in my neighbor's tree with nary a "Thank You" or a "Howdy do."