Ramblings

There wasn't a FreeVerse at Cara's today, so I'll save the entry I had prepared and use it next week. Instead, I'll just ramble a bit.

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When I drove into town for a haircut today I encountered one of my pet peeves on the road. It's a peeve that irritates me so much that I devoted an entire entry to it here. This time it was a pre-teen boy riding a four-wheeler down the middle of the road drinking a soda. He must have been near the bottom of the can since he was tilting his head way back and weaving all over the road in the process! He finally realized I was behind him and eased a little to the left while motioning me with his right hand to pass. I wanted to glare as I went by, but he left me so little room to pass that I had to focus on the road instead. Grrr!!

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Suzy was exploring the living room her first day in the house and made an interesting discovery in the tiny space between the 55 gallon fishtank and the wall. I had wondered what happened to those two giant danios that disappeared!

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Today was one of those fun occasions when an "imaginary friend" became real. (that's how Marion's husband use to refer to her internet pals) Anyway.... Debby and I have e-mailed some and not long ago she suggested we talk on the phone sometime. I tried calling her on her birthday, but nobody was home so I just had to leave my birthday greeting on the answering machine. She let me know when her days off work were and I was able to catch her at home this afternoon. It was a fun visit! I have a feeling we could talk for hours given the time and opportunity. She seemed quite entertained by my southern accent. What she doesn't know is that I was making a conscious effort to not sound too southern so she'd be able to understand me!!

Friendship and Fun (and food, of course)

First of all, thanks to Petty Witter , for awarding me the Panda Super Comments Award*. She has a fun blog filled with humor, trivia and books reviews. Always a pleasure to visit! (* These bloggers leave awesome comments - they make you laugh, think, and offer encouragement and support. In other words, they're freaking awesome) Though this award has no "rules" for passing on, I thought I'd share it with Marion. I can count on her (and Petty Witter) to visit me here most every day! Thanks, Marion.... I appreciate you!

It's fun to make new friends in blogosphere. Sometimes those friendships become more personal such as when Marion, Quid, Pam and I got together for a weekend in Louisiana. I managed to dig up the post from my old blog here telling about that meeting. Then, occasionally an old friend from real life will also become a blogging friend. I'm referring to Bob, who is one of my oldest friends (old in the sense we probably first met as toddlers in the church nursery).

Thanks to one of my friends for organizing get togethers when she comes "home" for visits, there is a group of us from high school (and earlier) that try to connect at least once a year. Last night was one of those times. I especially enjoyed the evening because when they gathered last year I was at my WI BOW event and missed it. We had one missing member this year, too..... she had to be in Orlando, FL for a work related event. Maybe next time we'll all make it. It was a great evening packed with lots of talking, laughing and, of course, eating. Everyone contributed and one of the recipes I took was this one that I clipped from the May issue of Simple & Delicious.

Spinach Cheese Dip
(contributed by Christine Cragan of Salem, MA)

1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 jar (16 oz) salsa
1 pkg. (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
Tortilla chips

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, salsa, spinach and 1 cup cheese blend. Spread into an ungreased 9-in. pie plate. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Serve with tortilla chips.

In conclusion, here's a photo of Bob and me along with a group shot.

Dragonfly's Poetry and Prolixity

Hosted by Cara at Ooh...Books!


I was in my 40s before I truly appreciated poetry. I always liked what my sister wrote, but that was because I could relate personally to her subject matter. It was through an online writing site she encouraged me to join that I discovered other poets whose writing I enjoyed. A few of these have become my friends and I would like to acknowledge one in particular.

Marion is passionate about poetry. Not only does she love poetry, she wants everyone else to love it, too! Her blog is a wonderful mixture of photographs, quotes and poems, poems, poems. She posts informative entries featuring her favorite poets and occasionally treats us to her own work, which is outstanding in its own right.

In honor of Cara's weekly FreeVerse (click on the FreeVerse button above to visit her site), check out Marion's blog for a delightful poetry experience.

Dragonfly's Poetry and Prolixity

The Arkansas State Capitol Building

I’ve always loved the Arkansas State Capitol building in Little Rock. Completed in 1915, it’s a smaller version of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. I think my favorite feature is the 24 karat gold leaf covered cupola on the top of the dome…. something the U.S. Capitol doesn’t have.

I made a quick trip to Little Rock this week to stay with a dear friend of 40+ years. Her kids are still young (8 & 10) and her husband takes them on a “daddy trip” each summer. This year they took the train to Chicago for a Cubs game and other fun activities. I usually try spend the night with her one of the nights they’re gone. We enjoy having the chance to eat out and catch up face to face on everything going on in each other’s life.

I took the above photo on Thursday afternoon after having lunch at the Buffalo Grill. It was my first trip there since I gave up being a vegetarian. They make a killer BLT with guacamole!! Mmmm… it was every bit as good as I remembered!

Catching the Big One

"Catching the Big One" appeared on the August 3, 1929 cover of The Saturday Evening Post. This puzzle was a pleasure to work.... hard enough to be challenging, yet not so difficult that it took away the fun and relaxation. I think what made it most enjoyable was that every time I sat down to work on it I thought about the friend that gave it to me. Thanks, Quid!

Friendship

"Make new friends but keep the old-

one is silver and the other gold"

Last February I had an entry on my 360 blog about having dinner with four of my friends from teenage years. At the end of the evening we made our usual statement about "needing to do it again soon". Thanks to one of them for organizing it (and you know which one you are!), we once again had the opportunity to get together last night. This time we opted to make it a "pot-luck" at one of our homes so we could be loud and rowdy for as long as we wanted! We pored over old scrapbooks from the 70s, compared the ups and downs of parenting, passed around photos of our kids, their spouses, our spouses, our pets, our grandkids (well...grandkid. I'm the only one with one of those).... we even discussed politics!! (and were quite civil about it considering the disparity of some of our opinions)


In recent years it's been easy for me to be a "stick-in-the-mud" when it comes to getting out and doing things. Not anymore!! Now's the time to live!

Carpe diem!