Birthday Celebration Extended

My favorite part of having a birthday is spending time with my oldest and dearest friend. And this year, as always, we had a blast!

We indulged in fabulous food at PF Chang's. She brought me a birthday cake (its story alone is worth a click!), and it was totally yummy. My gifts were thoughtful and perfect, as always. And we finished off the afternoon with an adventure through Cost Plus World Market.

Every minute was memorable. And my sides hurt from the laughter!

Black Cloud Crosses Street

It's somewhat humorous to my friends that a black cloud appears over my head from time to time. I guess that's why I'm thought of as that person, "if it's going to happen to anybody, it's going to happen to you".

But it seems that that misfortune called upon my across the street neighbor last night. His truck was stolen, around 9:30pm, from his driveway... with all the lights on his house.

UPDATE: The truck was found, about a mile away, with only minimal damage. It had run out of gas.

Pipes, Feeders, Pots, Patience and Love

My sweet and pretty and happy and totally loving golden retriever... HAS TOTALLY WREAKED HAVOC this Labor Day weekend.

While I've been indoors, vacuuming up enough dog hair to create toupees for a thousand balding goldens, she has...

1. Broken a hose bibb... the kind that comes up from a pipe in the ground and requires a plumber, at holiday rates, to dig and cap... (not to mention the fright that my next water bill promises)... while flushing a squirrel from a landscape bed.
2. Broken a (special order, hard to find) craftsman style bronze and glass bird feeder... while chasing a squirrel across the yard.
3. Broken a clay pot that my grandmother gave me 25 years ago, when I got my first apartment, along with one of her prized plants (still living... just not in its home of the last 25 years)... chasing a (STUPID!) cat that ventured into our back yard.

I love that girl. I do. But, I swear, she tries my patience... never my love and devotion, but definitely my patience!

Mourning Innocent Children

I join the world in mourning 156 innocent children...

My heart goes out to all who are innocent and have suffered injustice, but particularly to these precious children, and their mourning parents.