Future Star..of ANYTHING

Parker Belle Murphy - Age - 1 year and 11 months.
Future - She Can Do it ALL.

What Makes Me See "Red"

I feel like an animal in a bull fighting ring ~ incensed at seeing the red cape.
Only MY red cape comes from having a medical condition called "Pink Eye" or "conjunctivitis" (men like the latter name and women the former).
It's not that I'm grossly unhappy that I have a condition that most children acquire and easily pass on to other playmates but at the same time, they don't give it a second thought. The eyes may water, itch and sometimes hurt but it's more of an inconvenience than a bed-ridden malady. (well, that and the pride hurdle of not being able to wear eye make-up)

Why I am seeing more than "pink" is that:
1) I'm not allowed to be around my great nephews and niece because of "it" being so contagious
2) It cost me $100.00 to see the eye Doctor (hey! I have a high deductible for health insurance)
3) It cost me $108.00 for the two tiny eye drop vials that contain an anti-biotic and an anti-inflammatory

I have read a lot about pharmaceutical drugs and the actual cost vs. what we in the U.S. pay. We are talking about anywhere from 10x to 100x the cost of manufacturing the product. We are the ONLY industrialized country who has no cost containment caps on what the Drug Industry can charge. In fact, the pharmaceutical companies charge less for most drugs in marketing them in other countries.

Oh, I've heard the tired argument that SOMEONE has to pay for R&D (research & development) when in strict fact, the majority of "R&D" is done by universities, not pharmaceutical companies.

Maybe I'm seeing red because my pocketbook is bleeding over health care in general here in the U.S.

Or maybe it's because I spent $108 for less than a 1/4 ounce of stuff that doesn't even give me the slightest buzz?

Automatically Lucky?

I am soooooo lucky.
Notice that I didn't say whether my luck was good or bad ~
Yesterday I opened a bill from a credit card company and out tumbled 23 advertisements for things that I don't need or want but somehow the "deals" they offer look soooo good! I have always wanted to see the "almost" all-leather wallet that has 19 compartments...and I have been somewhat intrigued by the travel clock that has an alarm that will awaken you with the time being sung in 17 different languages.
But yesterday I hit the mother-load! (what IS a "mother load", anyway?)
A scratch off lottery-like ticket was inviting me to win $10.00.
Let me re-phrase that ~ the wording on the ticket said, "Automatic ten dollar credit".
Wow! An AUTOMATIC lottery ticket with three gold bars to scratch off to "win" my AUTOMATIC ten dollar credit.
Interesting, eh?

As I attempted to read the fine print, I realized that I needed to enlist the aid of a high power magnifying glass that I bought at an ex-CIA secret agent's garage sale. Then and only then, could I read the hitch - if I accepted the ten dollar credit on my credit card account, I would be AUTOMATICALLY enrolled in a $119. membership to Great Fun. What IS Great Fun you might ask? I guess it is winning the ten dollar credit because I couldn't find any evidence of an explanation of Great Fun.

The credit card company was so nice to send this to me, don't you think?
In fact, they are so benevolent, they will gladly charge my credit card NEXT year AUTOMATICALLY $129.00 for the renewal to this most mysterious Great Fun club.

I think I will AUTOMATICALLY discard any advertisement enclosed in my bills from now on. Do they really think that I could be hood-winked into believing that I could get something for nothing? I wasn't dropped off the back of a turnip truck..I know there is no free lunch...or $10.00 Mastercard credit.
That stuff only happens on Deal or No Deal.

But there IS an Easter Bunny?
And buying time share property in Cleveland, Ohio IS a good investment, right?

What's next?

My faith has been shaken (not stirred)
My hopes have been dashed.

Why, you may ask?

The blame falls on a seemingly innocent salt shaker.
I have know salt as a food preservative since Washington crossed some river...since before Mighty Mouse was here to save the day. Obviously if salt is a spice that is used in every canned food item in order for said food to be kept edible for decades to come, wouldn't salt preserve itself for at least centuries?

I recently was in a high class restaurant that had a salt shaker in it's original packaging and my friend noticed that it had an expiration date! "Expires 1/2010"
WHAT?!!?
An expiration date? For salt?
That's like giving a Tiger Woods a birthday present...of golf lessons.

Shocking news is everywhere.

Next pizza will be a non-deliverable food item.

Shaving For a Sunny Day

The sun came out for an all-day appearance yesterday. That big yellow sphere has been MIA lately. So, what would any normal sun-worshipping individual do?
I shaved my legs.
Then I went outside to soak up Mr. Sun's rays for 44 minutes.
This was quite a project (the shaving, I mean, not the sun-soaking).

During the winter I think to myself (because whom else would I think to?), "Self,you have had a tough winter with snow, sleet and freezing rain so you need warmth ~ so keep the home hairs a-growin'."
OK, I didn't think that at all. I was just trying to save time and by-pass the unnecessary grooming so I could spend 3 more minutes watching one of the three daily reality TV shows that I TIVO.
So with a few weeks on slacking off handling the ole Bic razor, I had to first prime the site with a hair removal cream that is used for preparing men related to King Kong for surgery. Then I used a gardening instrument before I finally could see my way to using the shaver.
I know men who want to be well groomed have to shave their cute little mugs daily with some having to manicure around their David Niven mustaches. (actually, I haven't seen that kind of a hair lip since I saw a very bad English play in 1976)
I take pity on them.

What I really don't understand ~ are those guys who don't shave their beard but they shave their odd-shaped dome head.

Ah, well. Another life mystery to be pondered.

No time for that now..the sun is out and we all know what THAT means!

Let Them Entertain You

Entertainment can come in all forms ~
My favorites (in no particular order):
Seeing if I can file three fingernails before the light turns green and the honking horn behind me brings me back from my alpha state; seeing how fast my ceiling fan can keep a sock on it before it wings it into another room; counting how many bushes, trees and mailbox posts Bailey can mark in a 15 minute walk and hoping he breaks the record of 39; or betting on how many friends 7 yr. old Griffin can make at the playground in 30 minutes.
T.V. seems to be the #1 answer for most when posing the question of "What do you do for entertainment?"
But Saturday night I was privileged to enjoy a performance by a Columbus Womens Band with the Irish moniker of "The Ladies of Longford"
The leader of the band, Hilda Doyle, is the Mother of the two vocalists (and Grandmother of a soon-to-be-added member). She can play a guitar and sing like the pros wish they could. Stephanie Doyle and her older sister, Heather Doyle-Frazer are 30-something and have been at their Mom's side singing their special hearts out since they were knee high to a toy guitar. They both have supreme musical ability with various instruments. Both of these phenomenal individuals have voices better than any of the American so-called-Idols...too bad they are just over the age 29 silly cut-off age.
Rounding out the group are Liz Blickenstaff, a brilliant fiddler, and Molly Pauken, who is an extraordinary bass and percussion musician who graces 4 various bands with her talents and has an awesome website (Sirensmusic.com) where you can order some her CD's and check out her schedule.

The excitement about this group is multi-dimensional. Not only can they play seventeen types of genres, but their energy, professional sound and their pure joy in entertaining is absolutely infectious. The crowd was mesmerized by the ballads and enervated by their Irish reels and upbeat instrumentals.

If you ever get a chance to see these ultra-talented ladies, it will be worth your while. Catch 'em before some talent agent books them into $195/seat venues!
www.HildaDoyle.com - Click on Ladies of Longford.
They have released some awesome CDs so check them out too!

They are SAWEET!

My Addiction to Paper Products

I LOVE paper towels. I use them EVERYDAY for at least 23 different chores.
I LOVE toilet paper. I don't need to elaborate on this one.
I LOVE paper napkins...various sizes and colors and themes.
I LOVE sneeze paper...(akA "kleenex" or "tissues"..BUT PLEASE, NO LOTION ON IT)
I LOVE note pads ~ the LITTLE ones THAT my friend, Suzer "borrows" from the Marriott pay phone areas as well as the ones people send me that have a nun drinking wine on it that says, "Sister Margaret Merlot"...
I LOVE sticky notes...great invention and I wish I had thought of it.
I LOVE copy paper, all colors.
I ADORE glossy photo paper so I can make my silly picture collages that most people toss in the junk closet...
I LOVE the newspaper ~ especially the want ads.
I LOVE the smell of paper in some of the new books that I read at the bookstore without purchasing.

But I don't particularly like the paper that reads, IRS TAX FORM...and I am STILL procrastinating!

Ode To a Three Year Old

Birthday # 1 and 2







And a much older fella now....











Happy Birthday, Cooper! You have brought LOTS of light into many lives.