Ann

Wow...I must be really early this morning, as I have the honor of opening up the windows and letting "Friday's Air" start flowing in. I'm always very early or very late, so today is one of the early days. I'm in one of those TGIF moods today...in a big sort of way. I think I told you yesterday that this week has seemed really long and I am so thankful to have a couple days off to recoup and find a little "ME" time. "ME" time is something that seems to be almost nonexistent lately. I love being District President for the Auxiliary and I love helping veterans and their families on a daily basis. But, it's such a shame that you always have to have personality struggles, petty jealousy and gossip become involved. Regardless, I'm trying to keep focused on what my mission for this year is. OK...enough of that. So, what is everyone doing this weekend? I'm sure the weather is beginning to get nice where some of you live. It's still very warm here...make that down right hot....but it is getting cooler in the early mornings. I'm looking forward to the time changing so I can get up early and take a nice long walk before coming to work. I think I have better days when I get up and do a lot of moving around before coming to work. I live VERY close to my office (5 minute drive) so often I roll out of bed, throw on my face and my clothes and come to work. I'm thinking this isn't a good thing. Tomorrow afternoon, I'm attending a POW-MIA service in Ft. Pierce, which is about an hour south of me. It's a very moving service and it always makes me cry for these men and women. I still have the first MIA-POW bracelet that I have worn for many years, since Vietnam. I don't wear it as much anymore, as it's become very fragile. But...I still pray that this brave man will come home....after all these years! Ann

Good morning everyone. I am so glad that today is Thursday and that means that Friday is right around the corner. This week has really seemed to drag on. That usually happens the week after a four day work week. KW Judy....wave as you go by the Palm Bay exit this morning. I work right off of the second Palm Bay exit...Malabar Road. Hope you have a nice visit with your family in PSL. I will be driving to Ft. Pierce on Saturday for a POW-MIA ceremony. The weather is beginning to get just a wee bit cooler for us here in Florida. Don't misunderstand....we're still roasting in the afternoon but the mornings are becoming bearable. I looked at the calendar yesterday and realized that it's only a couple of months until October. We usually have a few nice days in October but November is the best. October....wow ! I can't believe that this year has gone by so fast. I can remember hearing my mother say..."the older you get, the faster time flies." I had no idea what she was talking about until I started getting older. It seems like the past couple of years has just been a blur. Now, it's already time to buy Halloween treats and start Christmas shopping. My new grandbaby is due on October 14th but it looks as if that date may be moved up a week, due to a high blood pressure issue with my DIL. As long as the baby's healthy and ready to come into this world, Nana is more than ready for another baby to rock and cuddle. I had a long talk on Sunday with Ella, who's almost 5 now, and explained that she will always be my first grandbaby. She and Jude are excited about becoming brother and sister to a new baby but I think I can detect some insecurity sneaking in. I hope everyone has a great Thursday!!! Ann

Two Minnesotans, Ole & Sven were adrift on a life boat. While rummaging through the boat's provisions, Ole stumbled across an old lamp. He rubbed the lamp vigorously and a genie came forth. The genie, however stated that he can only grant one wish instead of the standard three. Ole then immediately blurted out...."Turn the entire ocean into Miller Beer!" The genie clapped his hands with a deafening crash and immediately turned the sea into Miller Beer and the genie vanished. Only the gentle lapping of beer on the hull broke the stillness as the two men considered their circumstances. Sven looked disgustingly at Ole, who's wish was granted, and after along tension-filled moment, Sven said....... "Nice going, Ole.....now were going to have to pee in the boat."

Good morning, friends. it seems this week has really gone by fast and I am in disbelief that tomorrow is Friday already. I guess that happens when you're away from work for a week and then have a four day week to catch up with everything. Judy, I think you would be getting just as much rain if your were in your KW home. We have been getting multiple daily downpours for the past week. It seems that they always begin at the precise time for my lunch break. Yesterday afternoon, there were three separate hard rains, coming about two hours apart. I try to never complain about the rain coming down but I sure do wish we could share some of this water with our Texas friends that are so very dry right now. I have another good friend that was diagnosed with lung cancer this week. By the time of diagnosis, the cancer had already spread to the liver. He's an older gentleman and he's battling other health issues, so the possible cancer treatments haven't even been discussed. He was hospitalized for one infection, then while in the hospital to treat that he contracted a nasty staph infection. He has to have 84 IV treatments of strong antibiotics (3 a day) so, he's been admitted to a long term care facility for a month. Have I mentioned that I absolutely hate lung cancer??? I'm attending the funeral of a former co-worker today that lost her battle to lung cancer last week. So very sad how many friends we have lost to this damned disease!!! So, I'm going to get some work caught up, as I have to leave the office early today. Hope everyone has a great day and finds time to do something they really love in life!!!

Good morning everyone. Since it's 12:41 and I'm still awake, I thought I'd fling open the window and let Monday morning's "air" start really early. I hope everyone enjoys having an extra day off from work today. I'm going to take advantage of the day off and catch up on a lot of paperwork that I have to get done. As some of you know, I was in Minneapolis for seen days, attending the American Legion Auxiliary National Convention. This was my first national convention and I was more than ready to get home. We had meetings every day and different banquets and dinners every evening. It seemed like the entire time was spent getting on the bus and getting off the bus. I was very impressed with Minneapolis. It was one of the cleanest cities I have ever been in. Our hotel was within walking distance of the Metrodome. We did see the Vikings and Cowboys play on the Saturday night and we made time for a visit to the Mall of America. I would love to go back for a visit sometime. It was so nice to enjoy the nice evening temperatures. Cool weather is something we don't get any of here in Florida at this time of the year. I returned home to bad news. A dear friend has just been diagnosed with lung cancer. I have been keeping a smile in front of her and being optimistic but it's sometimes hard to smile, especially when my personal memories come into play.

Glad to hear everyone fared well during the earthquake today. What a strange thing to hear on the news. It seems we've been glued to the radio/televisions for the past couple of days, waiting for Irene to make up her mind. It's been raining cats and dogs here this afternoon, but I don't think today's rain has any real connection to Irene. It's a wee bit too early for any of this to be from "feeder bands." I am supposed to fly out of Orlando on Friday morning for my week in Minneapolis for National Auxiliary Convention and I'm very worried that flights will be grounded. Southwest has already told us that we can catch a later flight, at no extra charge, if the flight is cancelled due to the weather conditions. I guess at this time of year, this is just a part of Florida life. KW Judy...the info I just looked at shows Irene moving right over KW. Maybe that's an older update...not sure. Anyway, saying prayers we're all safe from the ill effects of hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. Now...drivers...I live in Florida...no need to say anymore. I feel it's a real challenge every time I get on the roads here. Defensive driving is what it's all about here. Believe me...it's not all about the retirees, as some would have you think. Yes, they can be a part of the problem but no more so than the teens and tweens that use the streets for drag racing...while texting on their cell phones. I just try to stay in my lane and watch what's happening all around. So...hope everyone has a nice evening. I'm really looking forward to Friday this week, weather allowing!!!

Good afternoon, friends. Nothing much to talk about today but I wanted to drop in. It's hot, as usual, here and we're keeping an eye out to see what this storm may have in store for us. It's almost comical how panicky people here get after living through Frances and Jeanne in 2004. I was in the supermarket this morning and people were grabbing water and canned goods like mad. I just try to keep enough in the pantry at this time of year and avoid the mad rush. I am going to fill my car up this afternoon, just in case that we lose power. Oh...also very glad that tomorrow is finally Friday. This has been a terribly long week for me and I am really looking for some R&R this weekend. Hope everyone has a nice evening!!! Ann

Thank you all so much for your kind words and understanding. A few days have passed now and I have found some comfort believing that Dennis and Buddy are together now. Buddy was a special "gift" that God gave to us and for that I will always be grateful. He helped Dennis so much through those last weeks, almost as if he had been sent on a special mission. Although I miss my "Buddy Boy" very much, I realized he was old and had lived a good, long life. The hard thing to accept was the fact that losing Buddy was just one more thing that distanced my life with Dennis. Not sure if that makes a lot of sense or not, It seems every time that something leaves my house that belonged to Dennis, I feel so empty for a few days. It can be something as important as Buddy or something as non-important as one of Dennis' tools. Recently, I had a friend that wanted to buy a saw that Dennis had. It was just a saw....something you could buy anytime, anywhere. But...it was a saw that had a ton of memories. I remember the exchange of words we had when he bought that saw, as it was very expensive. Dennis needed the saw....I thought he didn't. We all know how those conversations go. So, after almost 10 years, I sold the saw. I felt as if I was selling a piece of my heart....but it was just a saw. So...every little thing that we shared in our life together is a part of "us" and it kills me to see it go. The loss of things....and beloved pets...put more and more distance and time between me and the man I adored!!!

It's so funny how things can make the hurt come back so strongly and suddenly after so many years. Last night, I lost my good friend, a Siamese cat named Buddy. I'll never forget a cold November night in 2002, when Buddy came scratching at my door. It was cold, pouring the rain and just a terrible night. I had just had a lift chair delivered that day for Dennis, as he was getting too weak to raise himself from his favorite. Dennis and I were sitting in the living room. He was napping, as was normal after taking his pain meds. I was sitting on the sofa, starring at him and wondering how this could really be happening to our little family. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, I heard this loud, pathetic cry and a scratching at our front door. I opened the door a tiny bit and in walked the most beautiful Snowshoe Siamese that I have even seen. He shook himself off a bit and immediately began to make himself at home. I warmed up a fluffy towel in the dryer and began to dry him off. Since we already had two kittens, Jake and Spencer, I had plenty of cat food on hand. Buddy was now dry, full and at home. The next day, I made posters, called the Humane Society and local veterinarian offices, trying to fine the owner of this beautiful boy. At this point, I wasn't thrilled at the prospect of another mouth to feed, since I had been wondering how I was going to manage to take care us with the mounting medical bills. Two days passed and no one called to claim my Buddy. Dennis looked at me with those big, brown eyes and said..."Let's just keep him. He's a good cat and what difference will one more cat make." So, Buddy had a forever home with us. When I took him to the vet for a check-up, I was told that he was probably 6-8 years old. Days passed, Dennis became worse and Buddy became his new friend. Buddy was constantly sitting in Dennis' lap or laying with him in bed. When the Hospice nurse would come, we would have to move Buddy out of the bed and close the door, just so the linens could be changed. On the morning that Dennis died, Buddy sat at the threshold of the bedroom door and cried for hours. So, now my Buddy is gone. Funny, his last days were spend the same as Dennis' last days....getting weaker and weaker, as his slipped the bonds of life into a better place. I know that Dennis and our Buddy are together today, waiting on the rest of our little family to join them.

A married Irishman went into the confessional and said to his priest, 'I almost had an affair with another woman.' The priest said, 'What do you mean, almost?' The Irishman said, 'Well, we got undressed and rubbed together, but then I stopped.' The priest said, 'Rubbing together is the same as putting it in. You're not to see that woman again. For your penance, say five Hail Mary's and put $50 in the poor box.' The Irishman left the confessional, said his prayers, and then walked over to the poor box. He paused for a moment and then started to leave. The priest, who was watching, quickly ran over to him saying, 'I saw that. You didn't put any money in the poor box!' The Irishman replied, 'Yeah, but I rubbed the $50 on the box, and according to you, that's the same as putting it in!' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There once was a religious young woman who went to Confession. Upon entering the confessional, she said, 'Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.' The priest said, 'Confess your sins and be forgiven.' The young woman said, 'Last night my boyfriend made passionate love to me seven times.' The priest thought long and hard and then said, 'Squeeze seven lemons into a glass and then drink the juice.' The young woman asked, 'Will this cleanse me of my sins?' The priest said, 'No, but it will wipe that smile off of your face.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Looks of Disappointment A man was just waking up from anesthesia after surgery, and his wife was sitting by his side. His eyes fluttered open and he said, 'You're beautiful.' Then he fell asleep again. His wife had never heard him say that before, so she stayed by his side. A few minutes later his eyes fluttered open and he said, 'You're cute..' The wife was disappointed because instead of 'beautiful,' it was now 'cute.' She asked, 'What happened to beautiful?' The man replied, 'The drugs are wearing off.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Donation Father O'Malley answers the phone. 'Hello, is this Father O'Malley?' 'It is!' 'This is the IRS. Can you help us?' 'I can!' 'Do you know a Ted Houlihan?' 'I do!' 'Is he a member of your congregation?' 'He is!' 'Did he donate $10,000 to the church?' 'He will.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Confession An elderly man walks into a confessional. The following conversation ensues: Man: 'I am 92 years old, have a wonderful wife of 70 years, many children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Yesterday, I picked up two college girls, hitch-hiking. We went to a motel, where I had sex with each of them three times.' Priest: 'Are you sorry for your sins?' Man: 'What sins?' Priest: 'What kind of a Catholic are you?' Man: 'I'm Jewish..' Priest: 'Why are you telling me all this?' Man: 'I'm 92 years old ..... I'm telling everybody!' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Senility An elderly man went to his doctor and said, 'Doc, I think I'm getting senile.. Several times lately, I have forgotten to zip up.' 'That's not senility,' replied the doctor. 'Senility is when you forget to zip down.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pest Control A woman was having a passionate affair with an Irish inspector from a pest-control company.. One afternoon they were carrying on in the bedroom together when her husband arrived home unexpectedly. 'Quick,' said the woman to the lover, 'into the closet!' and she pushed him in the closet, stark naked. The husband, however, became suspicious and after a search of the bedroom discovered the man in the closet.. 'Who are you?' he asked him.. 'I'm an inspector from Bugs-B-Gone,' said the exterminator. 'What are you doing in there?' the husband asked.. 'I'm investigating a complaint about an infestation of moths,' the man replied. 'And where are your clothes?' asked the husband. The man looked down at himself and said, 'Those little buggers!'.. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Marriage Humor Wife: 'What are you doing?' Husband: Nothing. Wife: 'Nothing...? You've been reading our marriage certificate for an hour.' Husband: 'I was looking for the expiration date.' -------------------------------------------------------- Wife : 'Do you want dinner?' Husband: 'Sure! What are my choices?' Wife: 'Yes or no.' -------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------- A wife asked her husband: 'What do you like most in me, my pretty face or my sexy body?' He looked at her from head to toe and replied: 'I like your sense of humor!' -------------------------------------------------------- Husbands are husbands A man was sitting reading his papers when his wife hit him round the head with a frying pan. 'What was that for?' the man asked. The wife replied 'That was for the piece of paper with the name Jenny on it that I found in your pants pocket'.. The man then said 'When I was at the races last week Jenny was the name of the horse I bet on' the wife apologized and went on with the housework.. Three days later the man is watching TV when his wife bashes him on the head with an even bigger frying pan, knocking him unconscious. Upon re-gaining consciousness the man asked why she had hit again. Wife replied.. 'Your horse phoned'

A husband and wife are shopping in their local Wal-Mart. The husband picks up a case of Budweiser and puts it in their cart. 'What do you think you're doing?' asks the wife. 'They're on sale, only $10 for 24 cans' he replies. 'Put them back, we can't afford them' demands the wife. And so they carry on shopping. A few aisles further on along the woman picks up a $20 jar of face cream and puts it in the basket.. "What do you think you're doing?' asks the husband. 'It's my face cream. It makes me look beautiful,' replies the wife. Her husband retorts: 'So does 24 cans of Budweiser and it's half the price.' HUSBAND DOWN! HUSBAND DOWN! AISLE 7

A blonde lady motorist was about two hours from San Diego when she was flagged down by a man whose truck had broken down. The man walked up to the car and asked, "Are you going to San Diego ?" "Sure," answered the blonde, "do you need a lift?" "Not for me. I'll be spending the next three hours fixing my truck.. My problem is I've got two chimpanzees in the back which have to be taken to the San Diego Zoo. They're a bit stressed already so I don't want to keep them on the road all day. Could you possibly take them to the zoo for me? I'll give you $100 for your trouble." "I'd be happy to," said the blonde. So the two chimpanzees were ushered into the back seat of the blonde's car and carefully strapped into their seat belts, and off they went. Five hours later, the truck driver was driving through the heart of San Diego when suddenly he was horrified! There was the blonde walking down the street and holding hands with the two chimps, much to the amusement of a big crowd. With a screech of brakes he pulled off the road and ran over to the blond. What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded, "I gave you $100 to take these chimpanzees to the zoo." "Yes, I know you did," said the blonde," but we had money left over so now we're going to Sea World."

Happy Friday afternoon, everyone. I can feel all of the excitement in "The Air" and I know it's all about Eric's upcoming trip across the pond. What fun...for all of us!!! I can't wait for videos!!! Hope everyone else is glad to see Friday here. Although it seems a three day weekend always flies by, I'm still thrilled it's Friday and I can't wait for 5:00 to get her so I can fly out this door. I know everyone has been saying prayers and doing rain dances for me and I'm happy to say that it's really been working. We've had rain every day this week!!! It's all dark and the thunder is rumbling right now, so I think there's more rain on the way. Although we do need the rain, I hope we have nice weather on Monday for the 4th of July parade. If anyone gets a chance, please go to this link and vote for my Tanner dog for the Cutest Pet. http://easttennesseebloodhoundrescue.ch ... to-contest Please go to this site and vote for my dog, Tanner, for the Cutest Critter !!! Have a great weekend and a happy 4th of July!!! Ann

A man is dining in a fancy restaurant and there is a gorgeous redhead sitting at the next table. He has been checking her out since he sat down, but lacks the nerve to talk with her. Suddenly she sneezes, and her glass eye comes flying out of its socket toward the man. He reflexively reaches out, grabs it out of the air, and hands it back. 'Oh my, I am so sorry,' the woman says as she pops her eye back in place... 'Let me buy your dinner to make it up to you,' she says. They enjoy a wonderful dinner together, and afterwards they go to the theater followed by drinks. They talk, they laugh, she shares her deepest dreams and he shares his.. She listens. After paying for everything, she asks him if he would like to come to her place for a nightcap and stay for breakfast. They had a wonderful, wonderful time. The next morning, she cooks a gourmet meal with all the trimmings. The guy is amazed. Everything had been SO incredible! 'You know,' he said, 'you are the perfect woman. Are you this nice to every guy you meet?' 'No,' she replies. . ... You just happened to catch my eye.

Good afternoon everyone. It's a great day here, as we have been getting rain on a daily basis. We had a nice shower this morning and it looks as if more rain may be on the way. I hear there is a tropical disturbance churning out there, so this may be a soggy 4th of July weekend. I really won't even mind, as you all how I hate the reaqlly dry season. KW Judy, so very sorry for your loss. It sounds like a very unfortunate tragedy. Hope everyone is having a nice day. Today is going much better for me than yesterday. After missing work on Thursday and Friday, my desk was piled high when I came in yesterday morning. I stayed at the office until 7:00 last night, trying to catch up so that today would be smoother. Convention went well but there was little time left for any fun, as all of our meetings lasted way overtime. On Thursday, I was in meetings from 1:00 until 8:30, all day Friday and Saturday from 8:30 until 8:30....12 long hours. On Sunday morning, we started off the day for a nice memorial service and then I was installed. The installation was so nice and I am so honored to serve as District 12 president for the upcoming year. Ann

Good morning, everyone. It's a typical June morning here in sunny central Florida....hot and getting hotter by the hour. Funny that this is the first day of summer. It feels like it's been summer here for months already. A guy just poked his head in my office to notify us that he will be painting the outside of the building today. Leave it to our landlady to pick the hottest day of the year to have work done. My allergies are going nuts already this morning and I'm sure not looking forward to smelling paint all day. KW Judy...I am so envious of your recipe organization. I like the idea of the stick page albums. I think I'll have to pick a few of those up and get started. I may already have one of those type books, I know they're not good for photos but they would be perfect for recipes. I ahve tons of cookbooks and there are a lot of them that may only have one or two recipes that I use a lot. I think I'll photocopy the recipes I like, stick them in the album, and toss the book. Annette...Glad to hear that you made it through yesterday. I'm saying a little prayer that everything will work out for your nephew. Also praying that he's not smoking. Paulette...I came very close to suffering from heat exhaustion one time in my life and I vowed to never let that happen again. Like you said, it's a very scary experience. I hope you enjoy the pool!!! Hope everyone has a great day. Althought it's only Tuesday, I'm already going to start the Friday countdown clock...lol. Oh...I have Thursday and Friday off so I only have to count until tomorrow. Ann

Bud...you are amazing!!! I can't even begin to imagine riding a bicycle for 83 miles!!!

Good morning, friends. I hope everyone today is going to be the start of a good week for everyone. I normally hate Mondays with a passion but I'm looking forward to getting this week up and running. I'll be only working three days at the office, then off to Orlando for Convention for 4 days. There won't be a lot of down time for relaxing but I don't mind meetings when I'm doing something I love. Unfortunately, my regular job doesn't fit into that "love" category. We got some rain on both Friday and Saturday. There wasn't a lot on either day but when you're as dry as we are, every little bit helps. Annette...I hope things go well with your nephew. Please know that we're all sending good thoughts your way. He is a very lucky young man to have you for an aunt!!! KW Judy...Your Stan was up in my neck of the woods. Hope he had a nice dinner with your son. You can never go wrong when eating at Cracker Barrel. If you're looking for a good, filling meal Cracker Barrel is definitely the place to go. Your blueberry topping made me think of cheese blintzes with blueberry topping and shipped cream. See what bad thoughts you're putting into my head??? Did you ever find the recipe you were searching for? Sorting recipes is something I could definitely spend a day doing. I'm a cookbook junkie and I never know what book to find a favorite recipe in when I'm ready to cook. Judy in MI...I have to know what the pig got named??? I love pork but it's true about the smell of pork getting to you. When our Legion Riders cooked pulled pork for a week at the Veterans Reunion, I was so sick of smelling pork. The smell seems to just saturate one's nostrils. I hope you get your energy levels all straightened out soon. I hope everyone has a great Monday!!! Ann

Good afternoon, everyone. I have only and hour and a half and then I'm throwing open the door and flying out of this office for the weekend. No...not counting on flying with wings today. It's been a really rough Friday and I have my broomstick ready and waiting. We're going to drive about an hour south to Port St. Lucie (where KW Judy's daughter lives for dinner. American Legion Post 318 in PSL has a great Friday night "Neptune's Feast" dinner that is absolutely unbelievable!!! They have fish, fried shrimp, shrimp scampi, clam chowder, salad with a wonderful homemade dressing, bread and dessert for the low price of $7.00. And the real bonus is that the food is wonderfully prepared and it's an all-you-can-eat meal. Tonight is the last one of these dinners until the snowbirds come back to Florida, so I didn't want to miss it. We're taking some friends along with us and meeting friends when we get there, so it should be a really nice evening. Wish all of you could just pop here and join me!!! Lil...I am so glad to hear that a solution was worked out to your car problem. Like someone said, it's probably a good thing that you got that letter since that helped you get the ball rolling. I know you'll sleep much better tonight, knowing that problem is solved. Annette...you're wonderful for taking so much time and patience to help your nephew. It sounds like things are getting on track. Bud and Eric...All this technical talk about plugs and outlets is way to much for me...lol! You would think at this stage in life I would at least know something about electrical outlets. KW Judy...glad you're taking a day for yourself. That's a great thing to do every chance we can. Funny, I think it's every bit as good for the mind as it is for the body. Just knowing there is nothing pressing to deal with can do wonders. I hope everyone has a great weekend!!! Ann

Bruce....if I get enough rain to share, I'll be more than happy to send some in your direction. I know what you mean about those dark, cloudy skies that don't produce any rain. we've been having them for a couple of weeks. It's a really eerie looking sky and you would swear that the rain was going to come pouring down at any minute. Annette...I like your idea of a home cooked meal...lol ! We have a really great Goodwill near my office that has a great book section. I've been spending my lunch hour there and I've been getting in so much trouble buying all these great cookbooks. The recipes look great and I have every intention of rushing home and cooking up some of the great dishes....but it never seems to happen. I just bought two more today...lol! Thank goodness the price is only 59 cents each. So...who wants to join me on the Friday countdown? I(n 24 hours and 2 minutes, I'll be out of here for a well deserved weekend!!! Ann

Good morning everyone. I can't believe it's not noon yet and I actually have time to post. I am so looking forward to my favorite day of the week...Friday. It seems like each week gets tougher and tougher for me to get through. There are so many things in life that I would love to be doing and I'm tied down with work. I guess I might as well adjust because I have many, many years to go!!! Bud, the rain was wonderful. We got about an inch of rain and I know my poor grass was loving every minute of it. Forecasters say that our heat is finally reaching the point that we'll be back in the pattern of late afternoon showers. KW Judy...Dennis' father loved orchids and he actually had to have a greenhouse built to house them all. That became full, the porch became full and they were all beautiful. You know, in all those years, he gave me lots of various plants but he never gave me an orchid. He loved them so much that I think he knew that my green thumb isn't green at all and he knew that I would kill the poor little plant. Bruce...sorry your trip got cut short. I hope your associates wife is feeling better. Alan...I live in central Florida, about an hour east of Orlando. There are a lot of people in this area that have beautiful orchids, unfortunately I'm not one of them. It sounds like your aunt has a green thumb. Hope everyone has a wonderful day. I'll spend the remainder of my day at my computer, working on payroll and reconciling bank statements. Not my idea of a fun day but I can get ready to celebrate the end of the week tomorrow. At least my computer speakers are working and I can keep up with the Casey Anthony trial today. Thank goodness we have a local station that's streaming the entire trial without interruption. Sad to say but I am completely addicted to this case and haven't missed a minute. What I miss during the day,. I go home and watch the DVR. I should have been an attorney.... Ann

Guess what???? It's raining...really pouring the rain!!! I am so happy and if it wasn't also lightning here, I think I'd go out and dance in the rain!!!

But...while trying to find Nemo, they located FLIPPER who was beached on GILLIGAN's ISLAND.

Someone posts a story using TV shows and we all add to it. Wanna play??? .....The summers are so Hot in Cleveland that Mike and Molly rented a Castle.

Good afternoon everyone. I'm going to start off talking about the weather and get that over with. It's hotter than hell here now and we've been weeks without rain. The grass at most places is brown...not green. It's cloudy and overcast now, so if any of you feel like doing a good rain dance for us, please have at it!!! Judy MI...so very sorry to hear about your loss. It's so sad when the kind and gentle people in our lives pass on. My thoughts are with you. KW Judy...it sounds like you're really back in the swing of things...up early and enjoying the good things in life. The one thing I hate about working is missing the opportunity to have lunch with friends. I get an hour off but that's just not enough time when the girls get together. Bruce...I'm not a big fan of eating fish but the part of your comment that mentioned cold water brought a nice smile to my face. It's been so hot that a tub of ice water would sound wonderful!!! Bud...I've eaten tomatoes whole with salt in hand but I have to say I like the taste of the mayo and the fresh bread better. You'll have to try a tomato sandwich and let me know what you think. Annette...I would love to have studied law but, my son is an attorney so that's close enough. Hope everyone has a nice evening. Ann