It's Friday...

And I am SWAMPED!!

I feel like I am drowning in work... so many deadlines... so little time!

My only saving grace is that the weekend is almost here...

just a few more hours.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Ouch!

Today's the day... JOY!

Just Breathe...

Michigan is FINALLY trying to pass legislation on making all workplaces smoke-free, including bars and restaurants. I can't begin to tell you how much I want this to go through... I am tired of inhaling smoke while I sit in the "non-smoking section" of a restaurant. And I would like to go hear my favorite band play at a club without rushing home to peel off my smoke-filled clothes and then have to suffer from congestion for two days afterward.

Don't get me wrong... I think people have a right to treat their own bodies the way they want to... but when their habits affect my well-being, that's when I have a problem!

And besides... if Ireland the "Pub Capitol of the UNIVERSE" can go smoke-free... why can't we?!?!

More Fun...

Swampwitch asked us to post pictures of book shelves or stacks of books. Since space in my little abode is quite limited... I have to shove books and knick-knacks in every nook and cranny! Here is a sampling of what is on my entertainment center and it's surroundings...

The close-up below shows my high school yearbooks... a great book on Hollywood's lost artwork and a couple of photo albums of my trip to Spain and Italy in 2002.



This close-up shows a few of the older books that I got from my grandparents when they were downsizing from a house to an apartment. There are also random books of poetry and biographies.

Speaking of biographies... as most of you know I am a huge Katharine Hepburn fan. So needless to say, I have many (er, ALL) of the biographies written about KH as well as several on Spencer Tracy. These, in particular, are anchored by a crazy plate I made in pottery class.

So there you have it... a sampling of what I try to cram into the little space I have. Happy Monday!

TGIF....

Right now I am feeling exactly like "Bill the Cat" looks!!

Is it just me... or has it seemed like this week has taken

forever to get to this point?!?!

It's FRIDAY, people... and yes, I'm thankful!

Have a great weekend!

Red Hat Society...

I always thought this club was for women over fifty...

but hey, if the Pope asks to join your club...

you kinda have to break the rules for him, don't you!

I'm sorry, but this is just the way my mind works.

I'm going to hell for this post... aren't I ?!?!?

New Addition...

Here's the newest member of the family!

DUNCAN

My sister and her boyfriend acquired two horses last summer. Both Missy and Nikki were pregnant when they were purchased. Missy had Duncan late last month... and Nikki is due at any moment!

Fun times on the farm!!

What Day Is It???

Todays Fun Monday is being hosted by mjd at Return of the White Robin. Her Challenge: show us something that hangs on your wall that is fun, interesting, endearing, sentimental, or otherwise enticing. Select the picture of Uncle Horace, Grandma Galt's needlepoint, or little Susie's first fingerpainting to show the blogging community.

This is my favorite little treasure I picked up at a funky shop when I lived in Nashville.


I call her Anastasia. My Mom calls her "wino lady"... perhaps it's because of where I have her placed... thanks, Mom!

The Man...

I'm going up north this weekend to visit my dad on Father's Day. Here's a picture of him when I was just a twinkle in his eye...

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! Have a great weekend!

Wednesday Dreaming...

Dermot Mulroney has filed for divorce from his wife, actress Catherine Keener, according to papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Mulroney cites "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the divorce.

The reason "irreconcilable differences" is in quotes is because what Dermot really means is that he can't live without ME any longer!!!!
I think he's on a plane to Lansing right now...

Ah... dare to dream!

A Must See...

I was talking about "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" with some co-workers the other day. It's one of those movies that, at a young age, affected me and my thoughts on how we humans treat one another. It impressed upon me the unending strength of the human spirit.


Here's the summary...
This 1973 television movie about 110 years of American history as seen through the eyes of a black woman from Louisiana is a terrific achievement, a window onto racism from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement. Tyson gives a career performance as the title character, whose personal life is inextricably woven into the fabric of the African American struggle for equality. A mixture of the sentimental and the unflinching, this is the kind of educational experience that fully engages a viewer. --Tom Keogh

If you haven't seen it... go out and rent the DVD. Remember that it was made in 1973, so please excuse the lack of high-tech special effects and make-up. But if you open your heart and mind... the story will move you.

Cicely Tyson received a well-deserved Emmy for her incredible performance of Miss Pittman.

Happy Birthday...

To my favorite Austrian.

This is the man who changed my life, my way of thinking,

and how I want to be treated by a man... I miss him.

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FUN MONDAY... thought I'd participate. Here's a photo of a part of my very small kitchen! How small do you ask? Well I'm standing at the back door... and that's the doorway to the dining room on the left!

The Layered Look...

I am so confused about what clothing to wear from day to day... do I wear a sweater or capris and a tanktop? On Tuesday, the high was 59 degrees... and yet today, it's going to be 90 degrees! I'm beginning to believe that the layered look will never go out of style in the Great Lakes State!

Hey, Mother Nature... could we have some consistency here?!?!?

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Here's a sidenote... I have started up a photoblog, so check it out!

http://cloudinmycoffee.blogspot.com/

Toad Day...

This remarkable-looking toad is one of 24 exotic new species found on a remote plateau in South America.


How cool is this little guy! I love the vibrant purple!!


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Speaking of toads... I'll leave you with a little fairytale that my cousin sent me...

Once upon a time there was a little yellow toad crying in the forest.
The Good Witch came along and asked the little yellow toad,
"Why are you crying, my friend?"

The little yellow toad said,
"All my friends are green and I'm yellow.
I want to be green like all my friends... sniff, sniff."

The Good Witch replied, "No problem!"
And she tapped the little yellow toad with her magic wand
and the little yellow toad turned green...
all except his private parts, which remained yellow.

"Oh no!!" exclaimed the little toad,
"I can't go through life all green except for my private parts!
You have to make me green all over!"

The Good Witch said, "Sorry, I don't do private parts.
You will have to go see the Wizard!"
So, off the little toad went to see the Wizard.

The Good Witch continued on into the forest where she came
upon a little brown squirrel crying very hard.

"Why are you crying, little brown squirrel?" the Good Witch asked.
"Because," said the little brown squirrel,
"all my friends are red and I want to be red, too...sniff, sniff."

"No problem!" said the Good Witch.
And she tapped the little brown squirrel and turned him red...
all except his private parts, which remained brown.

"Oh, no!!" exclaimed the little squirrel,
"I can't go through life all red except my private parts!
You have to make me red all over!"

But the Good Witch said,
"Sorry, I don't do private parts.
You will have to go see the Wizard!"

But the little squirrel started crying harder and said,
"But I'm new around here! I don't know the Wizard!
How will I find him??"

And the Good Witch said,
"Oh, that's easy! Just follow the yellow dick toad...."

A Sad Day...

Plane Crashes En Route To Organ Transplant

A plane carrying six members of a University of Michigan organ transplant team went down Monday afternoon in Lake Michigan shortly after the pilot signalled an emergency, authorities said. This morning, the Coast Guard said there are no survivors. Overnight, more debris was found, but not the main part of the plane.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro said the Cessna Citation took off from General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee at 4 p.m. and was headed for Willow Run Airport near Detroit, a 42-minute flight.

"Within five minutes of its departure from the airport the pilot declared an emergency and requested a return to Mitchell but at that time the plane was no longer on our radar screens'' Molinaro said.

The plane was leased by the University of Michigan Survival Flight air ambulance program, the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor said in a statement. The university said the team was returning from Milwaukee with unspecified organs for transplant to a patient in Michigan.

When system officials found out about the crash, they notified a transplant team in Michigan to stop preparing the transplant candidate. The patient was in critical condition, the university said. -AP

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My thoughts and prayers go out to all the families devistated by this tragic event. I can't say much more...

So You Think You Can Dance...

Let's all say it together now...

JAZZ HANDS!!

Have a great weekend, everyone!