Monday, August 16, 2010

Happy Birthday to Us!

A year ago we started an experiment. We all met at Trailmix, our good friend Craig's place. I think most of us found him because we heard this honest, neat guy on cable news, who shared some of our philosophy and we wanted to look him up and thank him. When we did that, we fell into an entire group of neat people, who, many, also shared some of our philosophy and concerns for our country. Worrying about our country does take it toll though. It can wear ya down. We needed a "grab two beers and pull the chute" place. We created one and one year later we are still together. Amazing! I feel like I've known you all for a lifetime. In fact, I have known one of you for almost that long and the rest of you, maybe, in a previous life.

Thanks for sharing this experiment with me. It's been wonderful getting to know you all. You all are as important to me, maybe more, than any friends I've ever had before. And having you, at a distance, might have allowed me to share more of myself with you than I ever have with any other friends.

I love you all and Happy Birthday to us!

70 comments:

Carol said...

I didn't add any bling to the post today. I didn't feel like I needed to. We have plenty of bling here already.

I'm listening to our friend Craig now on Imus. He's on vacation right now and I took the day off also. Like Craig, it's never really a vacation.

Carol said...

Craig's trimming limbs, preparing for hurricanes, on his vacation. Don't take down all the trees Craig. Global warming, Craig. You need the shade. I need to share that prayer, to ward off hurricanes, with him.

Carol said...

After learning that clouds communicate, I did some talking to them yesterday. I got them to come real close but no rain. Like just about everyone else, they didn't listen to me either. I was just flapping my gums.

Carol said...

Jan and I have been discussing that movie I watched yesterday. I was bouncing up and down, doing chores, so my attention wasn't totally focused.

Jan, now that I've slept on it, I've had time to remember some thoughts that went thru my head while watching the movie. One: was he ever really cheating before she set him up or did it start after she set him up? Another question is, was he really cheating with Chloe or was Chloe just pretending that he was just to titillate the wife? Remember Chloe went after her early by dropping that silver hair thing in the bathroom. Chloe may have had her eye on the wife from the start. Many prostitutes are lesbians.

And last, the wife, even though she was worried about her husband, seemed to be the one with the sexual problems but Chloe helped her overcome them. I wasn't expecting all the sex in that movie but you know, that is probably what they meant when they called it a "sexual thriller". Yep, I bet it was.

If you plan of renting the movie "Chloe", I don't think this will give away anything. It might just get Solar to go rent it.

Carol said...

Well, I'm headed out to go weedeat the back yard. As soon as that sun comes up over those trees, it's all over but the crying. It's down to 82 this AM.

Carol said...

I wore my Hillary, madam president, T-shirt to weedeat in. Having her leading the way, helped me get thru that tough assignment.

jan said...

Good morning Carol, a great post. Happy Anniversary to all. I don't know for sure when I joined you, but I am so glad Carol invited me. I was not a follower of Craig's list.

Carol said...

Oh Jan, don't call him Craig's List. Maybe, Craig's blog. He's anything but a Craig's list. He's Trailmix.

Coreen said...

Carol, your cloud communicating worked here...it rained during the early morning hours & more to come later...

Happy birthday everyone & many thanks Carol
for bringing your idea to life....and it is fitting that the birth date is the anniversary
of Elvis' death, now 33 years ago & yet I still
remember where I heard that news....

And yes, I was & am an Elvis fan...I may have told you this I was fortunate enough to have seen him twice...once when I was very young
in Miami...when my mom took me to see him & she
was the one screaming....then before he died
I saw him again in New Haven...by then he
was pretty fat, wearing the white suit...but
still he was the King...all my friends were/are
Elvis fans...so far none of us have made it to
Graceland...

Anonymous said...

My comment just disappeared. I'm going to rewrite it, but will feel pretty silly if they both appear at the same time.

Happy Birthday everyone!
Carol, we love you too - thank you for creating this getaway for us. I, too, love everyone here.

Tony, so nice to see that you stopped by. Your dinner sounds delicious - hope you enjoyed it. I think the Kroger's here has almond milk too - not sure all of them do though.

Jan, I think you got here very early on, about the time we all tried out Facebook. We don't really go there anymore, but am glad we tried it, because you're here now.

Anonymous said...

"I did some talking to them yesterday. I got them to come real close but no rain. Like just about everyone else, they didn't listen to me either."

Maybe it's just delayed reaction, Carol - don't assume they're not listening. 'Time' is a strange thing (very subjective). I've noticed that animals often have about a 20 second delayed reaction (of course, that varies greatly from animal to animal) and children (Emma is my control subject :) has a fairly long delayed reaction too. Of course, it always depends on what you're asking for or offering. Now if I say the word 'marshmallow' - well then, not matter what Emma is doing, she's as quick as lightening making her way over to me.

Ha! We should probably learn something from that marshmallow example.

Carol said...

Chloe, I'm afraid of that delayed reaction you are talking about. That little tropical system went back out to the Gulf and might just reorganize and when/if it does it is suppose to creep over this way and come back in.

Hey, you Clouds, I wasn't asking for a flood, just a little cooling shower. Nuttin to write home about.

Carol said...

Chloe, I suspect that you keep lots of those marshmellows around. I wonder if they would work on Maggie. She doesn't listen to me either. When I call her, she looks the other way.

Carol said...

And yep Ivy, Chloe's got a memory like an elephant!

Carol said...

Speaking of the birds, which we haven't lately even though one of our themes here is, for the birds. I've had several hummers very busy outside and I've had to really keep on my toes to keep their nectar fresh. Also I've noticed more Carolina Chickadees around than I usually see in the summer. I think it is because I've kept the small seed out there this year. Usually I switch to more of a Cardinal mix.

I haven't seen my rat in days. Maybe the owls did their job. I also have my squirrel/rat baffle fixed on my birdfeeder.

Anonymous said...

"Hey, you Clouds, I wasn't asking for a flood, just a little cooling shower."

Ha Carol! You know what they say: 'be careful what you ask for'. Sure am glad you went back to those clouds and clarified what you were asking for! It always helps to be very specific. :)

I have a special little Emma jar filled with an assortment of colors of the mini marshmallows. She only gets 4 or 5 at a time - never more than once a day, and not everyday. There are many other treats she likes too, like fruits and crackers and french fries - all kinds of things (and of course, cookies). Luckily she love vegetables of all kinds (her mother was the same way) and other healthy foods too - avocado being one of her favorites. Like us, she loves Mexican food too.

You know, dogs usually like saltines too. Have you ever offered Maggie one?

I saw the first ruby throated hummer (that I've noticed) this morning. Plump and very cute. The other hummers I've seen this summer look unusually small to me - teensy weensy.

... Ok, out and about.

Solar said...

"And yep Ivy, Chloe's got a memory like an elephant! "

You can say that again.!
You can say that again.!

Happy Swamp Birthday to all the pinks.

jan said...

Glad to see people talking about birds again. We had our little hummer come right up to where we were sitting this morning, take a look at us and then fly off. We only have one who visits us now.

jan said...

We had a lovely rain last night- the first one in a couple of weeks. It was a soft long-lasting rain, not one of those torrents. It was raining when I went to sleep last night.

Our Univ pool opened again this morning. It had been closed a week. I walked over and swam. It felt sooooo good. It is cloudy here this morning so the walk was nice too.

jan said...

Chloe, sounds like Emma has a great diet. She is a beauty - and her diet will keep her that way.

jan said...

I just finished a book I enjoyed by Anne Tyler, Digging to America about 2 families (one American and one Iranian) who adopt young children from Korea and China. Tyler writes about everyday stuff. She is a wonderful writer and her writing is such that I feel like I know the characters in the book. I got it from our local library. She wrote The Accidental Tourist.

jan said...

Digging to American, is the name of the book.

jan said...

Correction- Trailmix. I never go to either place but just put the two together without thinking - mea culpa!

Ivy Green said...

Happy Birthday to Us! Thank you, Carol, for establishing and maintaining the blog for every one's enjoyment and edification.

MGS just called in from the Phoenix airport...she's halfway home (either direction). lol

I just broke off a porcelain crown in the back. It's right next to a wisdom tooth...I wonder if that could have anything to do with it? I'm too old to get my wisdom teeth removed now. I shoulda listened when I was MGS's age. This is gonna hurt...

jan said...

Ivy, I should have told you to have MSG wave as she flew over Albuquerque. What an exciting time for her. I am sorry about your tooth. I had one of those happen a few months ago and had to have the crown replaced. I have 2 wisdom teeth that I use. I did not have mine removed as I lost some teeth in the back as a young child and eventually the wisdom teeth replaced them. My teeth actually look pretty straight in the back to just eye-ball them, but my teeth Xrays look pretty weird. The great thing is they work just fine. I am happy to have teeth to chew.

Anonymous said...

http://ct-carolssouthernspice.blogspot.com/2010/08/happy.html?showComment=1281973533386#c7253447873145013831

LOL Solar!
You've got a pretty good memory yourself. :)

Anonymous said...

http://ct-carolssouthernspice.blogspot.com/2010/08/happy.html?showComment=1281976088509#c1782926070852469527

Thanks Jan. I agree with you, diet is so important. I've had to work all my life on that - a lot of trial and error. I'm still working on the all important 'moderation' in all parts of my life. I've gotten a lot better, but still need to keep working at it.

Emma makes it easy for me. She loves the right foods, and it comes naturally. She'll keep me on track.

Anonymous said...

"She wrote The Accidental Tourist. "

.... and I loved that movie. I remember sitting in the theater when it first came out, and laughing so much. It was so original, and I've always love William Hurt. If I remember correctly, Geena Davis was new on the scene, and I was blown away by her acting too.

I haven't seen it since, because I rarely watch a movie more than once (there are a few exceptions). Anne Tyler must be an excellent writer. You said you feel like you know her characters, and that is my favorite type of writing, both in books and movies. I very much enjoy character studies. And Accidental Tourist was full of such clever humor. Not all authors are good at that.

Carol said...

Oh, I'm so excited for MGS. She's embarking on a new wonderful adventure. She will be close to that beautiful Oregon coast with all the lighthouses and that great big bookstore. Lucky girl! Oh, and my favorite volcano mountain, Mt. St Helens.

Carol said...

I went to take a friend of mine out for her birthday today. We went to my favorite Mexican restaurante. Muy bueno!

Maggie also got her nails done. Just a nail cutting. No polish. She won't let me cut them. She enjoyed the road trip, up until she got there.

We did catch that shower. It was 97, then it started to rain and I watched the temp fall, down, down, to 84, then to 79. It's creeping back up now.

Anonymous said...

Carol, Throat cancer isn't all that common, is it? I seem to hear about more people getting brain cancer than throat cancer. I was thinking about it, and I hate to have any kind of tumor/cancer in the mouth area - plus it's so close to the brain. 8 weeks of chemo sounds like an awful lot, especially right next to your head (eyes, etc).

Michael Douglas is another favorite actor of mine. I was sorry to read this. Michael Douglas has tumor, expects full recovery

He's been so happy lately. They are supposedly raising their kids in Bermuda, and things are going well. Hope this will go smoothly, and he'll get the complete recovery he's predicting. I guess throat cancer might be an easy one to catch. I don't remember where Ebert's started, but man, it overtook his whole mouth and jaw. Scary stuff.

Anonymous said...

... actually, sorry to bring this up. Sounds like you had a good day, and a delicious Mexican food lunch.

Hope your friend is having a good, happy birthday today. It's nice that you could spend it with her.

Carol said...

Chloe, I don't know the statistics on throat cancer. I hope it doesn't keep him out of the movies. I love Michael Douglas.

Carol said...

Chloe, looks like you might have caught some rain today. Lots of red stuff over that way. Our weatherman said we were going to either get up to 3-5 inches or little to nothing over the next couple of days. I guess he can't go far wrong with that forecast.

I had a little talk with the clouds today and asked them to keep it somewhere inbetween.

Carol said...

Ivy, did you see Pup play the accordian on AGT? Dang, I missed it.

Carol said...

Coreen, Tomato woman said your Jets are going to be even better this year. They have a preseason game tonight.

Carol said...

Ivy, did you start your women's night out tonight or does that start later? And did MGS get settled in?

Carol said...

It's a true miracle to hear that mature beautiful voice come out of that little girl. I'm talking about Jackie Evancho. Watching her almost makes one feel disoriented.

Carol said...

I heard a blurb on the news that they found a lot of that oil spill that mysteriously went missing...a thick mat of it is laying on the Gulf floor off the Florida panhandle. That's what that prof. from the UW told us would happen to that despersed oil. He was on C2C a while back and I mentioned it here.

You probably won't hear much about that on the news. While we really got mad at BP, there was another co-conspirator in there. I won't mention who, but, hint, hint, it was the ones who allowed this drilling to take place in the first place and monitored the entire mess and allowed that poisonous despersant to be sprayed so as to help hide that mess. They are actually more responsible.

I'm curious how much we will hear about that on the news. They keep harping on the community center crap, ad nauseum. When something like that gets over done on the news, I always wonder what might be going on that they don't want us to focus on.

Carol said...

Ivy, you got to go to the Dentist today? Yuk. I hope your cracked crown turns out to be easy to fix.

Anonymous said...

Carol, you're right.
I went hunting for information on them finding that missing oil, and can't find it. I'm sure it'll show up some time today (I hope).

This article is way too long, , but the first page says plenty (I missed it, but it's been around for a while, so others may have already read it)

The Spill, The Scandal and the President
The inside story of how Obama failed to crack down on the corruption of the Bush years – and let the world's most dangerous oil company get away with murder

"The tale of the Deepwater Horizon disaster is, at its core, the tale of two blowout preventers: one mechanical, one regulatory. The regulatory blowout preventer failed long before BP ever started to drill – precisely because Salazar kept in place the crooked environmental guidelines the Bush administration implemented to favor the oil industry.

Both the government and BP have reasons to downplay the extent of the spill. For BP, the motive is financial: Under the Clean Water Act, the company could owe fines of as much as $4,300 for every barrel spilled, in addition to royalties for the oil it is squandering. For the Obama administration, the disaster threatens to derail the president's plan to expand offshore drilling. "It's crystal clear what the federal response to the tragedy ought to be," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who chairs the Senate subcommittee on environmental health. "Bring a dangerous offshore drilling pursuit to an end."

The administration, however, has made clear that it has no intention of reversing its plan to expand offshore drilling. Four weeks into the BP disaster, when Salazar was questioned in a Senate hearing about the future of the president's plan, he was happy to stand up for the industry's desire to drill at any cost. "Isn't it true," asked Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Republican from Tennessee, "that as terrible as the tragedy is, that unless we want $14, $16, $18, $20-a-gallon gasoline, that it's not realistic to think that we would actually stop drilling for oil in the Gulf?" Unbowed by the catastrophe that was still unfolding on his watch, Salazar heartily agreed, testifying that the president had directed him to "move forward" on offshore drilling.

President Obama pushed to expand offshore drilling, in part, to win votes for climate legislation, which remains blocked in the Senate. The political calculus is understandable – the risk of an oil spill weighed against the far greater threat posed by global warming – but in the end, he may have succeeded only in compounding one environmental catastrophe with another. Even if the climate bill is eventually approved, the disaster in the Gulf will serve as a lasting and ugly reminder of the price we paid for our addiction to oil. "It was a bargain with the devil," says Steiner, the marine scientist who helped lead the response to the Valdez disaster. "And now the devil is gloating." http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/111965?RS_show_page=0

Coreen said...

About that missing oil...will likely be quite
some time before the extent of damage is really
known...but we all really knew that all along,
contrary to the spin...
Much oil remains

Coreen said...

As far as the Jets...sure on paper they look
pretty good...but how that holds up in the real world, well remains to be seen...last night didn't support the hype...the
giants beat them 31-16....& the missing link
remains darelle revis, (welcome to revis island since he has the ability to cover receivers anywhere in his territory)their 'star' cornerback
is still holding out because he wants more $$$...so far neither side has budged...soo....

Carol said...

Thanks Chloe for finding
and linking that article.

Carol said...

And you too Coreen.

Ivy Green said...

Our modern dentistry is another of the many benefits we take entirely for granted.

Carol said...

Guys, your articles made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

I sense that there is some serious issue with that bottom kill and that is why they keep putting it off. I think they are fearful of what kind of further disaster they might create. I trust none of them, none of them except some of the University research groups.... maybe. Oh, and my George Noory on C2C.

What can we do?? Nada. They own our government!

Carol said...

Coreen, the Jets were ahead when I left them last night. Sorry.

I saw that Manning got a bumpy on his heady last night. This morning I heard them interview some of the other team members and they weren't impressed. They indicated that those quarterbacks are pussies. Some of their comments were funny. Yeah, blood does like to gush from those scalp/forehead injuries. It's a very vascular place. Someone who doesn't know better would think they are bleeding to death. I do wonder how his helmet came off though. That's not good.

jan said...

"Our modern dentistry is another of the many benefits we take entirely for granted."

Ivy, I agree. Sounds like your appt went well.

Carol said...

Ivy, I made a comment about your Dentist visit and it disappeared.

I said I am not that impressed with the miracles of Dentistry and it takes an emergency and a herd of wild horses to get me into see one.

Carol said...

On our local news they just asked for opinions about that Mosque being built near ground zero. The response they read said "it's not a Mosque, it's a community center and it's not exactly hallowed ground, it's where they had a Burlington coat factory".

I'll have to say I was impressed that an opinion like that came from my neck of the woods. I was expecting someone to say....let's kill the bastards.

I'll still have to say that I think they do have the right to do it but you'd think that a "religious" organization would respect the feelings of so many who lost people in that horrible event.

Ivy Green said...

Carol,
I posted my pithy observation about modern dentistry B-4 I went to my appointment. I was impatiently counting down the hours before I could go...to begin my relief from tooth ache and sensitivity to hot-or-cold that was increasing by the hour and rendering me unable to enjoy food or drink...I was pondering how awful it must have been in olden days when there was no relief in sight...or the treatment itself was a form of cruel and unusual punishment...or even today for those who have to access to or affordability of dental care. When my mind wanders, it really gets lost in the woods...

Carol said...

Well, how did it go today Ivy?

My inmates are those who either have no access or don't chose to spend their money on it. Almost all have horrible teeth and we have them on the Dentist list. The Dentist only comes twice a month and sees about 26 or so each time. The waiting list is about 2+months no matter what their problem. I dish out lots of penicillin and Motrin.

Ivy Green said...

I have a temporary crown. I guess that makes me Queen for a Day.

Carol said...

Ivy, you can be Queen here anytime you want.

Carol said...

I mean your Highness!

Ivy Green said...

That would be Your Majesty, thank you...

Carol said...

Sorry, I'm from the boonies down here.

Ivy Green said...

That's okay...we are amused...

Carol said...

Did y'all hear about the lady going for a water sample and that gator almost took her arm off? I heard it on the news but can't find it on google.

Carol said...

May have to let Chloe find it. She can find anything.

Carol said...

Spike Lee has his documentary airing next Monday "If God is Willing and the Creek Don't Rise" It's a five year documentary about the aftermath of Katrina. He is including something about the oil spill in it.

Coreen said...

About your local news 'mosque' controversy responses, Carol...

those responding must be listening to the
spin from the likes of olbermann...

the proposed 13 story building was & is intended to contain a 'prayer space' aka mosque to accomodate 1,000 to 2,000 muslims on fridays according to the backers...

the fact that it also planned to include an auditorium/community center & whatever else
like swimming pool, theater, etc., in no way deflects form its intended purpose, that is, a mosque...

as far as its proximity to the WTC, it is 2
blocks and approx. 1/2 mile away...

also, one of the bldgs that is part of the
proposed construction was a former Burlington
Coat Factory, that by some accounts was either
closed prior to the 911 attacks, & if not prior to closed after the attack, when
some of the wreckage from the attack fell into that structure...

originally the proponents called the project the Cordoba House, now changed to 51 Park Place...as a result of negative connotations attributed to the use of the word cordoba....

as I said sunday...those opposed to this
planned facility have not said that the owners
do not have the RIGHT to build it, but rather that they were insensitive, intolerant, tone deaf to the intense feelings that such a bldg would represent to those who lost people there....yet the supporters of those who want to build a mosque continue to call those who object intolerant & unamerican, anti-religious freedom & a bigot because of their opposition...

And so far the $100 million required has still
not been obtained (at least as far as is known
at this time) & I would not be at all surprised
if the funding never materializes...

Anonymous said...

Ivy, Glad to hear that modern dentistry has relieved you of your pain - there's nothing worse. I agree, I don't know how people way back when ever got through it.

"She said she leaned over to get a sample of soil and water when the seven-foot alligator, which was hiding underneath the boardwalk, grabbed her arm." LSU grad student survives vicious gator attack

Carol said...

I don't know how you do it Chloe. I tried to google it. I went to local and NBC national news and searched and nada. You spend a couple of minutes and bam, you got it.

Carol said...

I was starting to think I just dreamed it.

Carol said...

You're so good that you're spooky, Chloe.

Carol said...

Coreen, do you think that all this controversy will increase or decrease their funding??

Carol said...

When little Em gets to school and has to start writing research papers, she's gonna have a great assistant in you Chloe.

Carol said...

New Post. Birthday is over.