Catching Up With Old Friends

This month has been all about the people in my former lives. I talked to Susan, my friend in Florida earlier in the month. It was her birthday. Then me and Mikey took a day trip to DC and I had lunch with Carol. Last week, I had dinner with Pat, a former co-worker and x-next door neighbor. We suffered together through 2 different employers and misbehaving teenaged children. In the picture also is Denise, currently out on disability, but we've also worked in 2 different jobs together. Two of the women in this picture are former supervisors of mine, and one is a current coworker. Small world. An interesting fact about this picture--3 of the 5 women here are breast cancer survivors. They are each an inspiration in their own way. Yesterday, I talked Mikey into accompanying me to a fund-raiser at the Goathouse Refuge. It's a cat sanctuary run by this artist at her cottage studio in the county. She's a potter and uses most of the proceeds from her art sales to fund this cat adoption place. She must have had a 100 cats, maybe more. She had several buildings and fenced in areas so the cats roam free. Volunteers come in to help feed, give medicine, clean up. It's quite an operation she's got there. I took a picture of this guy who was sharing a table with us.

The link to the website: http://www.goathouserefuge.org/

Oh, and speaking of old friends...I was initially invited to this event by someone I worked with a few years back. I adopted one of her cats when she brought her baby home from the hospital and had to get rid of her cats. Her daughter was born at 24 weeks gestation. It's a pure miracle she survived. She's now an active 11 year old. It was fun catching up with Kiva and hanging out with the cats. Oh did I mention there was ALL kinds of food there. Tons of dessert. Yep, just what I need. More sugar. At least I didn't bring home any cats.

The Calm AFTER the Storm

I'm in danger of becoming one of those crazy old ladies who constantly annoy people with pictures of their pets. I can't help it. My doggies are just so darn ADORable. So precious. So sweet. So tasty cakey on the outside with a delicious creamy filling on the inside. Oh wait a minute. That's not the dogs, that's a twinkie. Sorry. I get them confused all the time. Which reminds me...my local grocery store has started selling Tastee Cakes. I was introduced to their sugary goodness one Christmas during my childhood. My parents had some friends that lived in Pennsylvania which is where they make Tastee Cakes. Every Christmas they would send us a box of cakes and I was hooked. They were very hard to find because very few places outside of PA carried them. Unfortunately, since I am now at least the equivalent of a small killer whale, and each Tastee Cake has a full weeks worth of trans fats and hydrogenated oils, just picking up the box makes my cholesterol go up 50 points. Bummer. I was having a discussion with another of my old friends...we met the first day of junior high during gym class...comparing the pros and cons of aging. There are a few (very few) pros to getting older--like being able to eat dessert first--but they are definitely outweighed by the cons. Like this moustache. You know, Tom Selleck's facial hair is FABulous, but on me, somehow it looks less sexy.

Confessions of a failed homemaker

A friend wanted to come visit me at my home today. Normally I don't respond to those sorts of threats but this is someone I genuinely respect. I figured I better go on and move the trash piles away from the door so she could get in. I was also forced to deal with the overpowering dog odor. I personally don't mind walking around the house with a surgical mask on, but it doesn't seem polite to ask a guest to wear one. Well, long story short...if that is even possible at this point...there was a change in plans and she wasn't able to come over after all. Wow. Dodged that bullet! I know I can't put it off forever. Eventually, I am going to have to deal with this mess. Otherwise the EPA is going to come in and declare my house a health hazard. Maybe I am entitled to some of that military superfund clean up money. I am certain this place now officially qualifies as a toxic waste dump. So, last weekend me and Mikey were in Washington DC. Very exciting town. I got to see an old friend...and by "old" I mean that we have known each other for 47 years. Holy cow. No wonder I feel like Methuselah's wife. She, of course, looks EXACTLY like she did in the 3rd grade. A little taller, maybe. She and her husband are absolutely adorable. Completely mentally healthy. I find that very refreshing. OK, so the point of this post was to announce that I went out and bought PINKING SHEERS today. I feel so domestic! Just like that clever old jail bird Martha Stewart. I've got some new projects planned. I'll let you know if they work out. I don't want to spill the bean right now, just in case the whole project goes down the crapper. I'll post a picture soonly.

today I feel...

...kinda bloated. Must be getting too much sodium in my diet. Probably ought to lay off of the cheetos for awhile. I've been a bit distressed about this weight gain. I just kept packing on the pounds even though I've been on this 2000 calorie diet for over a year. I couldn't figure it out...until I realized it was supposed to be 2000 calories per DAY, not per MEAL. Well, no wonder! The sad truth is there is absolutely no way to lose weight unless you eat less and move more...the 2 things I hate the most. The older I get, the harder it is to motivate myself to exercize and one of the few real joys I have in life is food. Food is my always faithful friend. So comforting. So delicious! But, playtime is over. I am rapidly running out of clothes that fit, so it's either get serious about the diet (how I hate that word) or go buy bigger clothes. Hey, I think there's a sale at Target this weekend! I'll be in the plus size aisle.

Azaleas

More pictures from the Azalea Garden at WRAL TV Studio. The azaleas in my yard are also in full bloom. I remembered to fertilize them last month, so they look better than ever this year. They're such beautiful flowers, unfortunately, they don't last long. They're gorgeous for about a week or so, then they get straggly.

Palm Sunday

I dragged Mikey out of bed early in the morning to go to the Azalea Garden behind the WRAL TV studio in Raleigh. Of course, once I got him sufficiently caffeinated, he enjoyed it. The last time I came, I was a little late in the season and the azaleas were just past peak. This year I timed it just right. There were literally hundreds of azalea bushes and a few other native flowering plants all blooming their little heads off. It was glorious. After I connected with my inner earth mother and communed with nature for a while, we went home and watched monster movies or something like that. My favorite show, "The Walking Dead" is finished for the season. I'll have to wait months to get my next zombie fix. Next week is Easter. My primary class will be singing in Sacrament meeting. They're adorable.