Little Cottage of My Dreams

The Highlands of Scotland

You Just Think "This Too Shall Pass"

Interesting Stuff

Here's an excellent, enlightening interview with conservative pundit Michelle Malkin. She truly is a patriot. Read it if you dare.

The American Enterprise Online
Michelle Malkin
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Cory Playing Golf

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Discovery

I'd have posted my photos of the lift-off of Discovery from Tuesday morning, but I was in southwest Orlando at the time and didn't get a decent view. My pictures revealed nothing but a partly cloudy day, the shuttle nowhere to be found. I get a better view from my own front porch in Saint Cloud. I've saved this photo from the Orlando Sentinel to commit the day to my memory.

Saving Grace

I wasn't looking, but found this oddly-touching British film about a widow who goes into the drug business with her gardener when she discovers the dead husband has left her penniless with debts out the wazoo. She's a whiz in the greenhouse, the gardener is useless as a gardener and a drug-dealer. But it all ends nicely with an unexpected marriage and a bestselling novel. As always, the Cornwall countryside enchants. Check it out.

Praise Be, It's Friday Night!

Is it just me or was this the longest work-week ever? Probably just me. I'm wondering if it's the oppressive summer heat that makes it the Dog Days of Summer? The weekend looms before me. Full of portent.

Not Turkeys, But Ducks

After work I got the opportunity to hang-out with my favorite buddies at DRC. Funny thing is, they LOVE Weight Watcher bagels. Me, not so much. They are quite hideous. But, the little ducks were pleased. They are so tame and so accustomed to the workers sharing their lunches. It's a wonder they can even waddle.

Yes, Another Turkey Post

Speaking of turkey or turkeys; pursuing by day, eating them for dinner by night. Yum. Smoked turkey from Sonny's Bar-B-Q. It doesn't get much better than that. Here's the REALLY far away picture of the girls. They wouldn't let me near them. I'll stalk them again tomorrow for a better photo.

Hey Turkey!

A not-so-close-up picture of Lucy's favorite Tom Turkey. Shame I couldn't get any closer. He has eight hens that don't travel with him. (I got a picture of them today on the back of the Tupperware property. To be posted later, if it turned-out. The hens wouldn't even let me get as close as I got to this Tom.) After Cory called him a "gobbler" I looked it up on Google, turns out, the other name for a Tom is gobbler. Who knew?

More Lovely Lucy

Waiting for her Daddy, outside Tupperware. She's hoping to see the wild tukeys, the cranes with their babies, we even spotted a dear the other day. It's very peaceful here, watching wildlife roaming across the campus. Lucy, you drive home, I'm going to take a nap.

Whew!

So much for being disciplined and sitting down with my thoughts every night or so. I've been working, thinking, fretting a bit. Cranky. That's the best word for it. Rubbing me the wrong way. Dieting makes me cranky. I know, it's not a diet, it's a way of life. Ha! Bagels and Dr Pepper (NOT Diet Dr Pepper) is my way of life. Carbs and sugar. And who am I to complain? I'm still doing certain carbs and certain sugars. Whole grain cereals, fruits, WW Ice Cream Fudge Bars, and a different Smart Ones or Lean Cuisine meal every day at lunch. What's your beef, Karen? Perhaps a lack of beef. But I've never been a big beef-eating person. I'm doing lots of chicken, turkey, salmon. See? I am cranky.

Fretting a bit about my mother who had knee-replacement surgery today in Tulsa, OK. The procedure went well. I wish I could be there with her. They are going to keep her in the hospital for three days if all goes well. But she's in a lot of pain and isn't quite in the mood to visit yet. She says she supposed to walk tomorrow. I'm optimistic that she'll finally get some relief. Then after some recovery time, they are going to replace the other knee. I told her she'll be up running marathons before Christmas. She groaned. I think she'll settle for quite a bit less than marathon running. Maybe being able to sleep through the night without pain. That would be a move in the right direction. Maybe she'll feel like eating again. She's painfully thin. Say a prayer for my little crippled-up Mommie.

Just In Case

If you're looking into RSS News Readers, here's a dandy site with tons of useful links.
RSS Feed Reader/News Aggregators Directory

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Sign Me Up

Miss Paula is getting her own magazine. Paula Deen is my hero. A successful Southern lady of a certain age--and she COOKS! I watch her TV show, I read her cookbooks, but I have to tell you, I've stopped making the dishes. Just for now. Although I can eat ANY old food I choose with Weight Watcher's Point System, I haven't tackled a true Southern dish yet. I have a feeling I can't count points that high and I KNOW I'd overindulge. I'm planning on treating myself to visit to the "Lady and Sons" restaurant in a trip up North next month.
Cooking With Paula Deen
Lady and Sons

Will Tuesday Be the Day?

The countdown clocks are ticking...Liftoff is set for 10:39 a.m. EDT Tuesday from Kennedy Space Center, with forecasters predicting a 60 percent chance of favorable weather.

NASA's Return To Space

Oh, It's Over

Although I can honestly say I haven't enjoyed the episodes sans Hector as much as I enjoyed the episodes with Hector, I still hate to see the old girl go. I guess she really was wearing her "pink pashmina." Cameras Stop Rolling at Glenbogle

The Princess

My Lucy

Lu Lu

Lu Li

Borrowing Scotland

More scenic vistas of the of Scotland. TrekEarth

Another Record

Because we've been focusing (and rightly so) onthe recent terror attacks in London, we've had a chance to forget about the tropics for a while. Which is not to say I appreciate the respite caused by lunatic bombers intent on destroying freedom and freedom's peace of mind---but as a Floridian, gosh, we want to think about ANYTHING but the weather. Then there's the Western heat-wave and people suffering from record high temperatures. I know in this age of information it seems as if "it's always something." We know about the slightest blip on the screen thanks to 24/7 news networks struggling to find something to talk about to fill the hours. (Rambling more than usual, I know.)

I'm in the little truck, driving to work and what spurred me to write this morning, was the teaser from the local news radio station. "Another record. Six named storms in July!" Franklin. Let me give Brother Franklin some advice, keep moving to the northeast and DO NOT make any U-ey's. We are just NOT in the mood.

Hate It!!!

As an update to the Marmite post, I just have to say, "HATE IT." Yes, Alex you were right, as usual. As expected and being forewarned, I made my little trek over to the British Supermarket, which amazingly turned-out to be just down the street from my place of employment. A small, totally-packed-with-goodies, all things British store I couldn't resist. I told the clerk I was looking to purchase Marmite and a package of Hob Nobs. (Was I imagining it? or did the clerk roll her eyes as she pointed to the tiny, dark jar?)

Let me just first explain that my interest in Marmite was first tweaked by the character Hector in "Monarch of the Glen"(my current BBC import favorite) portrayed Richard Briers (the cutest old geezer you ever saw). In one episode Hector is peeved because his breakfast does not include Marmite soldiers with his sausages. He said he'd eaten Marmite soldiers every day of his life since he was a small tyke. Like any good Scorpio I pounced on the Internet to find out what Marmite soldiers were. Turns out, Hector's soldiers are strips of buttered toast with a thin coating of Marmite spread. That's how I got the bug in my bonnet to try this British oddity. I say oddity because the product is apparently a yeast extract, 100% vegetarian and has a consistency that reminds me of roofing tar.

You know how I'm not crazy about Diet Dr Pepper (but I'm trying)--well, next to Marmite, Diet Dr Pepper is the nectar of the Gods. I'm also quite sure that feeding this concoction to children is most certainly a form of child abuse. I'm rethinking my opinion of certain British habits. Remind me to tell you about my fascination with Hob Nobs (which the British call a biscuit, but is really a cookie) another time.

The Fateful Weigh-In

Saints be praised! I won't bore you with week after week of weigh-ins but I would be remiss if I didn't share my spectacular success of my first week. 7.2 pounds GONE. Remember that, Karen, when the loss is in ounces or God-forbid a gain. Remember how good it felt to be down 7.2 pounds. The road is long, but the journey has begun and the resolve is strong. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yada, yada, yada.)

Regrets

I have so many recurring thoughts of the recent death of Terri Schiavo. Like many Floridians and so many Americans, it seems Terri's tragic circumstances touched me like no other "news" event has touched me. But what I keep coming back to over and over in my thoughts, even now weeks after she's gone, is that her death was SO unnecessary. Parents, siblings and family were PERFECTLY WILLING to take care of Terri in her disability. I guess I'd feel differently if I felt in my heart that being allowed to die of thirst was TERRI'S wish. I just couldn't bring myself to think that. I couldn't see in her sad, hollow eyes that she'd rather be dead and I can't think at the young age she was stricken, she would have had the forethought to think through a plan in the event of this happening to her. I'm not Catholic, but on this point, the Catholic church is correct to be unyielding. The other religions of the world would do well to value human life as the Catholic church does. Err on the side of LIFE. America is on a slippery-slope where human life is judged by the living. Our entrance and exit from this world should be determined ONLY by the One that made us.

It's All About FOOD FOOD FOOD

Just surfing the Internet, minding my own business, reading about newest DVD releases, a site that lists the front-page of many of the world's newspapers. Then it happens. I see it. Feed Lindsay

And here I was thinking I was the only person on the planet hoping to take Lindsay and Nicole to Pollo Tropical for chicken and black beans and rice. Or, by golly, a SAMMICH. Oh go on, give the gals a buttload of sammiches!

Reduced To?

For the first time in a long, long time I scraped the icing off the piece of Disneyland Anniversary cake off before I ate it! Baby steps...baby steps. Just to clarify, not that we celebrate Disneyland Anniversaries with frequency, but this is the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland. All the parks and resorts worldwide are doing an 18 month celebration. (Sheesh! 18 months of Birthday! That reminds me of someone. Grinning broadly.) By co-inky-dinky, Yours Truly is also celebrating the BIG 5-0 this year. I can tell you now, I will NOT be celebrating for 18 months or 6 months or 1 month or even a week. Frankly, I'd just as soon forget the WHOLE thing, as the day approaches. Fifty looms large when you face it head-on. Now, returning to my original thought--really feeling good about the cake-scraping. Focus, Karen, focus.

Even When There Are No Tropical Storms

I couldn't help but snap this digi on my way home from work last week. I love the cloud-tops in Florida. The clouds are so close to the earth. In Oklahoma during the spring, thunderhead clouds rise tens of thousands of feet into the air. But in Florida, when the thunderstorms go up, it seems as if you can almost touch the bottoms of the storms. The clouds are quite lovely, really, unless you happen to have the misfortune of being a too close-up observer.

Oh Say Can You See?

Oh say can you see the loch from Florida?

My Son's First Child!

I love to tease my son. He loves to tease and generally aggravate me. Imagine a grown man "pantsing" his own mother on the doorstep. It's not a wierd thing. Trust me, he just likes to get my goat. This is an example of the photos I send him from time to time. I think he's going to stop opening the e-mails I send him.

Oy Vey, It's Weight Watchers Again

So a person CAN'T exist indefinitely on Dr. Pepper, you say? I'd rather drink a Dr. Pepper than eat just about anything. Except maybe pie. Gotta love that pie. Meringue pies (http://pie.allrecipes.com/directory/521.asp), not fruit pies. Now I'm counting points and trying to be asleep rather than awake because I won't be thinking of the Dr. Pepper and bagels I'm missing. Actually, after years of comparing diet sodas to motor oil, I've been swilling Diet Dr. Pepper and it's growing on me.

Have You Tried Google Earth?

This is NOT an ad. I don't work for Google nor do I own stock in Google (but golly, don't I wish both were true?) However, that being said, you GOTTA try Google Earth. I'm losing sleep playing with this program. My love of travel makes me swoon at the places I can go with Google Earth. The Grand Canyon. The Pentagon. My old house in Oklahoma. All places of intense interest. It's more than a satellite view of a specific address or venue, it's 3D and interactive, it's colorful and informative. I can't get enough. http://earth.google.com/

Love It or Hate It?

Love it or hate it? I wish I knew. We have a few British markets in Orlando. I need to make a stop for experimentation. Marmite soldiers.

My Thoughts Are Far Away

This is where I've been in my thoughts all day today. I'm obsessed with all things of Scotland, Great Britain, Ireland--just can't get enough of the UK or those Brits. My obsessions are fleeting, but England, Great Britain is my hobby. I've never been there, physically. I may never visit. I sit at my computer in Florida, sit in front of my DVD player and imagine a life in Glenbogle.

Why I Meant To Tell You...

You know how it is. Thoughts, random, occur to you in the oddest places: bumper-to-bumper traffic, shaving your legs in the shower, trying to sleep but your mind races. Those are the thoughts/ideas I meant to tell you. Meant to tell me. Meant to remember, but too soon forgotten. I have the memory of a flea. I've been told that with discipline (HA! What in the world does the word discipline mean?) I can sit quietly with my thoughts, organize and record my self-absorbed epiphanies. This does sound like a forum for the self-important, doesn't it? We'll see.