Unexpected, Unplanned Adventure

I can't post today.  I'm busy hanging out with these two.  I'll tell you more about it on Monday.


It's been awesome.

She Deserves a Crown

My friend Cami celebrated the big 5-0 a few weeks ago.   I'm happy to have friends (and a husband) crossing over to the dark side of that big number.  


She is the Queen of Cool: full of life, compassionate, a good listener, athletic -- beautiful on the inside and out.    Cami deserves a crown.


  So I made her one.

We celebrated Cami's big day at a Carribean restaurant with two other dear friends -- Tracy and Marilyn.   There was a time when we were all single and living in Pacific Beach that our party got started around 10:30 p.m. and ended in the wee hours of the morning.  I don't know how we did that and went to work the next day.   I never felt tired on that schedule.  Somewhere along the way, we changed. We arrived at the restaurant at 6:30 to avoid the crowds.  Just as we anticipated, the restaurant was mostly empty except for a few seniors enjoying the Early Bird Special.  We missed out on that by a hair -- which was a little disappointing.  Who doesn't like getting a great meal for under $10.00!


We spent the evening catching up and laughing about old times -- in particular the time that Cami and I made paper towel vodoo dolls to represent our old boyfriends, attached them to bamboo fishing poles,  and cast them into the salty waters of the Pacific Ocean  (which, if you have old boyfriend issues, is very healing.)  I love getting together with these amigos -- they keep me centered.  (Is it ok to refer to women as amigos??  Oh well, you get the gist.)


Our festivus was cut short when the restaurant turned into a night club.  We didn't even notice until a band started blasting Latin music and we looked up to find ourselves in the middle of a dance floor.  There was a time that I would have been out there showing off my Salsa moves until the crack of dawn.  But tonight, it annoyed our merry band, who just wanted to sit and talk in peace.  We tried to carry on our conversation, but  I couldn't hear a word anyone was saying.  For a minute I thought I had a serious hearing problem.  But then, I felt a wave of relief because Cami, Tracy and Marilyn couldn't hear either.  We finally gave up and and went home -- at 10:00 p.m. 


I'm glad it wasn't the only amigo who was annoyed and hard of hearing.  And yet, I am concerned.  I think I am morphing into an old fogy.

I Did it for You, Girl Scout Mom

Late this afternoon, I ran to the grocery store.  As I walked up to the entrance, I saw a woman standing behind a table full of stuff.  At first, I thought it was one of those "sign this initiative" people  who try to get all kinds of crazy things on the ballot.  But, it wasn't.  It was a mom -- selling Girl Scout cookies.  There wasn't a Girl Scout in site.  Just the mom, which is typical isn't it?  Kids who sell things are fired up for about 20 minutes, and then it's all up to the parents to do the dirty work.  I'm guessing the Girl Scouts got cold and went inside to buy some candy, which is funny when you think about it -- they have boxes of cookies at their disposal.


There was a time that I walked right past the scouts -- boys and girls.  But this afternoon, something made me stop.  It was guilt mixed with a little compassion.  I've been on that other side of the "for sale" table too many times to count, and when someone takes the time to stop and make a purchase, it makes your day. 


Girl Scout Mom looked at me and and stammered Are . . . are . . . you going to buy some cookies?  Why, I didn't even ask you if you wanted any!  That is soooo nice of you!!


I said I'll take five boxes please. Girl Scout Mom jumped up and began filling my order. As she did, she exclaimed Thank you so much for doing this. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.  In my head I thought: "I do know how much you appreciate it.  But outwardly, I just smiled and handed her my money.


The Mom placed my boxes on the table and said
Thanks for supporting the Girl Scouts.   
You are so welcome I replied.  
What she didn't know is that I wasn't supporting the Girl Scouts
as much as I was supporting her.

I bought cookies I didn't need because I know what it's like to stand there for hours on end in the freezing cold, or sweltering heat, trying to raise money. I know what it's like to to have a huge financial goal that must be achieved to pay for uniforms, field trips, and activities.  I know what it's like to deliver boxes and boxes of cookies, and gift wrap, and Christmas wreaths.   And, I know what it's like to be a parent in charge of a group of youth -- who hate saying Do you want to buy some . . ? over and over again to adults who avert their eyes and walk away as fast as they can.


Girl Scout Mom was dedicated to the cause, just like all the other moms and dads who support teams, leagues, and troops of children.  It's not always easy, and it's not always fun. But we do it, don't we? We do it because we love our kids.  

Bake sales, fairs, raffles, car washes, Christmas tree lots, selling cookies, gift wrap, pizzas -- it never seems to end.  But one of these days, it will.  When that happens, it is our duty to remember our "days behind the table" and support the next generation of parents and children by purchasing whatever it is they are peddling -- even if we don't need it. 


And speaking of Girl Scout cookies, I took my boxes home and hid them in the closet.   I have to hoard them -- do you??  When it comes to Thin Mints, my kids are human vacuums, and so is Matt.  They can consume 5 boxes in one night, and they do, if I forget to hide the cookies.    I need to make these last a while.  After all, we won't get them again until next year.  That's a looooong time to wait for the girls in green, wouldn't you agree??


P.S.  My post about "Snow Pants" made the front page of BlogHer today.  Check it out!

Nemesis

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know I've been having problems with my oven.  Fires to be exact.  Fires that I can't put out unless I use a fire extinguisher.   I finally had to quit using it -- it was just too dangerous.


After the holiday madness, I finally got around to making an appointment for an oven repairman to come out and take a look, which he did.  He stared at the oven a minute and said There is grease in the corner of the oven, that's your problem.


I said You are kidding me, right? There's no way a little corner with grease could catch an entire oven on fire three times -- which, by the way, I couldn't put out unless I used a fire extinguisher.


He rolled his eyes, looked at Matt and said Grease.  That's your problem. Give your oven a good scrub.


I thought his recommendation was ridiculous -- we have a self cleaning oven . . . that was clean . . . except for a little corner of grease.


But, scrub I did -- or I should say Matt did. Then we fired the oven up again to make some cupcakes. Guess what happened . . . . it caught on fire.


I called the Repairman again and said Well it wasn't the grease, I told you something was wrong.  He came back out and looked at the oven -- opened the door and looked inside. He said It must be the stuff on the bottom of the rack, but I'm not sure.


I said That "stuff" you are referring to is melted metal.  That's how hot the oven got when it was on fire.


He rolled his eyes and said I'll turn the oven on and let's see what happens.   


He turned the dials to the left. It cranked right up, and heated to the perfect temperature. Then he stared at the oven for 45 minutes while he explained in slow motion his reasons for not pulling the oven out and taking a look at the wiring, which I don't need to tell you, annoyed the heck out of me.


When 45 minutes had passed, the Repairman said There's nothing wrong with your oven.  Then he filled out a form delicately explaining to the central office that I was nuts.


Just as he was packing up to leave, I said You didn't turn the oven off.  
That's when I had him.  The Repairman turned the dials to the "off" position, but nothing happened -- inside the oven, the flames were rising along with the heat. 


I secretly smiled an evil smile and inside my head I thought Take that, you oven repairman who doesn't know what he's taking about!!"  Then I pulled out the fire extinguisher and doused the flames.

Well, that was all it took --  the Repairman got to work for real. With my assistance, he pulled the oven away from the wall, unplugged it and discovered the problem -- a jammed gas valve. Boy, you should have seen the back peddling. It took another 45 minutes for him to explain why he didn't pull the oven away from the wall in the first place. I just sat there pretending to listen with a glazed look on my face.


When the Repairman finished, he tipped is hat, pet the dog, and went on his merry way. I was exhausted from all that listening -- but happy to have my oven back.


The next day, I turned on a top burner to make some pasta. There was a flash of blue light and a sound that went "POOF" and then the oven died. AGAIN!!!!!  I swear, my oven has 9 lives!!


I called the Repairman for the third time and spoke with the dispatcher. I begged Pleeeeeze send someone else out this time. Someone who doesn't talk so much, and who will pull the oven away from the wall and give it a once over.  Someone who won't argue with me when I ask him to check the wiring.


 She laughed and said That isn't possible, he's all we've got in your area.  He's a little chatty, huh. 


Chatty?  Chatty is putting it mildly. I responded.  I hung up the phone filled with dread.


A week later, my nemesis came back for another visit.
This time, he pulled the oven away from the wall and discovered the problem right way.  As he worked, he chatted away, explaining why he didn't catch the problem the first two times he came to visit.


The oven now works -- it's worked for over two weeks.  Cross your fingers. If I have to see that man one more time, I think I might just have a breakdown and yell at him: Hand me those tools!!! I think I can do a better job at this, and I don't know a thing about ovens!!!! And by the way . . . your crack is showing!

***

I think I know why I've had so many visits from the Repairman -- God knows I need I to learn a thing or two about patience.

Chain Reaction

One of the things that ceases to amaze me about the cyber world are the friendships that I have made simply because I put myself out there and and opened an Etsy shop.    The minute I did, great things started to happen.  It went something like this:


I needed a banner for my shop and my niece Lindsay suggested I contact Lyndsay J., an amazing graphic designer. I did, and we became great friends. We share a passion for many things.   I just love to talk to her about art and creating. Last year, we had the opportunity to meet in person and it was so much fun.  I'm glad Lyndsay moved to L.A. -- now I can visit her when time permits. 


At the same time I met Lyndsay, I also needed to find a way to drum up business for my shop, and get my name out there. Lyndsay suggested that I contact Emily C., the creator of Giveaway Today -- a site that hosted giveaways in exchange for advertising.  So I did. Emily and I became great friends too.  I admire her creativity and knack for business.  She is such an entrepreneur.  We write back and forth about all sorts of things -- she even kept in touch while she traveled with her family to live in England for six months.  And, she brought me home a beautiful scarf, and some antique buttons.  How nice is that!!


After I met Emily, I began sending her jewelry in exchange for work. Her sister Lisa saw the jewelry and came to my Etsy shop to place an order. We too became friends -- we share a passion for cooking.  In fact, she just started a blog about her dinner group.   It's so impressive -- it has motivated me to get out there and entertain more.


The chain didn't stop there . . . it goes on and on.  Some day I will write more about it.  I have met some wonderful people like Angie, Megan, Danielle, Jenni, Kristi, Bethany, Molly, Linda, Stephanie, Courtney, and host of others (who, if I have forgotten to personally mention, I am truly sorry).  I enjoy my online friendship with each of them as much as I would if I could spend time with them in person.  It's a joy knowing these women and I treasure what they bring into my life.


Last week I had the pleasure of meeting two of my online friends for lunch -- Emily and her sister Lisa.  I decided that while I was in Utah celebrating Matt's birthday, I would write and ask if they wanted to get together.  They both said "yes", which made me happy because you just never know if someone is going to think you are a kook, or a stalker when you put yourself out there like that.


At the suggestion of Emily we gathered at a place called Blue Lemon, a swank little bistro in Highland, Utah.   I walked in the door and started looking at the menu, which was on the wall.  A darling woman with long blond chair came up to me and said "Are you Crystal B? -- I'm Lisa!"   Shortly after that, in walked Emily and the fun began.  We had just placed our order for lunch when Emily  noticed a few of her friends sitting at a table!  She said "Hey, there's Tiffany and Jennifer, they love your jewelry!!!"  And the funny thing is, Jennifer was wearing one of my necklaces, and had just placed an order from my shop which I had mailed to her before I left.

Jennifer and Tiffany came over and said "hello."   It was so much fun meeting them too.   They've been added to the friendship chain.


Emily, Lisa and I spent the afternoon talking about all sorts of things -- England, food, recipes, genealogy . . . . and pretty soon it was 3:00 and we had to get back to our lives, which was disappointing because I still had lots of stuff I wanted to talk to them about.


I left thinking that I would love to be their neighbor -- you better believe that I would be knocking on their doors often.  And . . . leaving cupcakes on  their front porch for  Valentines Day.


Cyber friends, I love you.  Thanks for your words of wisdom, for humor when I need it, and for kindness.  Even if though you live far away, you make my world a better place.

Post Script:  Thank you for the cookbook and cookware Lisa!  I can't wait to use it.  


P.S.S.  I used some of the buttons Emily sent me to make the necklaces we are wearing.  I will be listing something similar in my Etsy shop next week.  Check it out!

P.S.S.S.    Bloggers -- if you ever visit Southern California, you better come visit me!  I'm serious.

A Gathering of Friends

Were you wondering where I was last week??  I was busy!  I planned a surprise for my husband.  I whisked him away to the mountains of Utah in celebration of his 50th birthday.  

He didn't know what I had cooked up my sleeve, but he soon found out . . . a ski weekend with his best friends from college.   It was a memorable 4 days to be sure.  Friends took off work to spend time playing.  Some even flew in for the occasion.  It was so much fun.  

We reconnected with comrades we haven't seen in a long, long time.  There was snow, LOTS of laughter, and an amazing dinner at the Tree Room at Sundance -- which is where these boys first became friends over 30 years ago.  Several of them worked here as waiters.

Oh the stories they tell about the shenanigans that went on behind the scenes.  My favorite is the time someone formed a scoop of solidified meat fat to resemble a delicious scoop of orange sherbet.  It was placed in a beautiful dish and left to sit in hopes that some starving waiter would take a bite.  And they did.  Matt tells me he could not get rid of the taste of grease for some time.  He still has a fear of orange sherbet.

The Tree Room holds special memories for all of us.  Most of this group got engaged, or had wedding celebrations here, -- with the exception of Matt and me who eloped -- which is a story for another time.

The thing I love most about the Tree Room besides the laid back atmosphere and the big tree trunk growing right up through the restaurant, is the Pepper Steak -- Fillet Mignon crusted with black pepper and a chutney glaze.  It is pure heaven -- my all time favorite dinner to be sure.  If I were on death row (which will never happen if I can help it), this is what I would eat for my last meal.   In fact, Matt was mad at me this weekend because I refused to share -- something I never do when we dine out.

We spent the evening being served dish after delicious dish, and when we could eat no more, we set our forks down and went to the library for a photo shoot.

Guy made us laugh ourselves sick -- which is not a good thing after you have eaten a 5 course meal.

Thank you friends -- for making Matt's birthday one he will always remember.  Let's not let another 30 years go by before we do it again.  If we wait that long, I may be too old to ski -- and chew a Pepper Steak. 

Still Focused

This is how serious I am about purging . . .

I ordered a dumpster for two, count em', two weeks. 

My word of the year is workin' its magic. :)

Je T'Aime

I've read pages of comments today on Facebook about Valentine's Day.  Why do so many people hate it???  I guess it has something to do with the absence of romance -- being alone, or being dumped, or not having a boyfriend. Before I got married, I was single a long, long time and those years included all of the above.  And yes, it was not fun sitting in the office watching people walk by with dozens of roses, and gigantic stuffed teddy bears (which by the way I despise).  One year I even burst out crying right at my desk.  The guy who sat across from me didn't know what to do -- he ended up buying me lunch at Rubios, which was so nice of him.  I was 32 at the time and I had just broken up with my boyfriend of 3 years.  There was definitely an absence of romance, and absence of him.  It was ultra lonely and I felt sorry for myself.

I learned a great lesson then -- Valentine's Day is not just about romance, and if you have high expectations in that regard, you are setting yourself up for a big letdown.  Valentines Day is about expressing love.

Once I stopped focusing on what I didn't have -- a boyfriend, romance, a giant teddy bear with a big bow and a card . . .  and looked at what I did have -- wonderful friends, roommates, co-workers, parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews, Valentine's Day changed.  I began looking outward instead of inward.  I spent the day thanking people, and let them know what I loved about them.  It helped.  I felt happy, and I didn't feel alone.

So to those of you who are feeling bad because you don't have a significant other to buy you some chocolates -- stop feeling sorry for yourself, and get out there and have fun.  Do something for the people you love, and that includes the person who hands you a diet soda at the drive-thru every day.

I love Valentine's Day.  Love, love, love it.  (Did I say "love" enough times to make my point??)  I even give a valentine to the mail carrier, who sometimes delivers my mail to my neighbor across the street.

I love making red velvet cupcakes and delivering them to friends.  I love ringing the doorbell . . . and running (which, by the way, I do alone because my kids no longer think it's cool).

Most of the time . . . I get caught before I can get in the car and drive away.

I love making a special Valentine's Day dinner for my family, complete with an annual letter for Claire, Matt and Eden -- even if they don't  do anything for me, which happens now and then.

I love the dinner conversation which usually ends up with everyone laughing their heads off. Tonight Claire was the target of the humor.

Eden said "And by the way Claire, I loved how you took that box of Laffy Taffy valetines that Mom bought you to hand out to your friends at school, and ate the whole package while you watched TV. You didn't even try to sneak!"

Claire said "The candy was going to get eaten regardless of who does the eating. Besides, no one hands out valentines."

Crystal said "So if I call all your friends and ask if they handed out valentines, they are all going to say "no"?"


Claire said "Well..... you can't count any of those people!"


Matt said: "Some day, this is going to make an awesome story to tell at your wedding dinner."

What's not to love about Valentine's Day??

A Valentine to My Girlfriends

I really am such a fortunate soul to have the most wonderful women in my life.  Women who text, and email, and call, and stop by just to say "Are you ok?" or "Do you want to go to lunch?" or "I love you, thanks for being my friend!"  Women who make me laugh, and who listen, and inspire, and share their talents with me.

Sometimes, I even find surprises on my doorstep.  Like this week.


Christine left me this darling framed piece that goes perfectly with my Valentine's Day montage.

And sweet Chanin stopped by to give me my annual Valentine which I hated to open because it was wrapped so beautifully.  But, I knew what was waiting for me inside the box. . . .

Pink cookies -- for which Chanin is known.  It wouldn't be Valentine's Day without them.

Thank you friends -- every single one of you.  You bring so much joy into my  world, it wouldn't be the same journey without YOU to share it.

Knee-How-Ma

I have no idea how you spell it in Chinese, but when you say "Hello" this is what it sounds like in Mandarin:

Knee-How-Ma?

It sounds so friendly when someone who knows what they are doing says it.  It does not sound friendly when I say it.  It sounds crazy.  I do not speak Chinese very well.  Once Matt tried to teach me "Thank you for helping me" so I could thank the computer tech at work.  I said "She She Ni Bong Ju Wa" and the computer tech said "Don't do that . . . it sounded terrible!!"   I gave up trying to say anything to her, except "Hello!" -- in English.

There was a lot of Knee-How-Ma going on last night at our annual Chinese New Year celebration.  I know -- it's a little strange that a bunch of white Americans love to celebrate this holiday, but we do -- Matt lived in Taiwan for 2 years.  He loved it there.  And even though Claire, Eden and I have never set foot upon any Chinese province, we love learning about the Chinese culture, and eating Chinese food.  What's not to celebrate, right?


Last year, I learned that my friend Daphney had lived in China -- Hong Kong to be precise. So, we invited her family to celebrate with us. It was so much fun.

This year, Daphney found even more friends who have either lived in China, or work in China. You know what happened don't you . . . our little party turned into a really big celebration, and it was awesome. It was so large in fact, that we moved the party to the Baughs.


We ate tons of delicious food. The hits this year were Orange Chicken (Obviously.  Who doesn't like orange chicken) . . .

Chinese BBQ chicken wings . . . 

... and some kind of little yogurt drink that tasted like key lime pie.  This little guy liked them so much, he drank shots all night long. We finally had to cut him off.

The coolest part of the party was meeting my neighbor around the corner, Cami -- who is Chinese. She explained the traditions of Chinese New Year to all of the novices -- which was pretty much everyone at the party, except Cami. There is so much symbolism in everything that is done to celebrate the lunar New Year. Even the food that is served has meaning.   I think we pretty much botched all that up, but that's ok, we are novices, remember.

My favorite tradition is handing out red envelopes that contain money.  The amount given is significant -- 8's are good, but I don't know why (I must not have been listening.)   At a true Chinese New Year celebration, each person gives a red envelop to all the younger people in attendance -- which means that next year, I will be handing out money to everyone, and getting nothing in return.  That is a bummer -- one more thing to hate about getting old.  But, I am relived to know that once you are married, the only people who give you a red envelope are your parents. That should save me a few dollars.

In case you are wondering. I was born in the Year of the Pig, which means I love to read, and that when I make friends, I keep them for life. If you know me, that is pretty much true. On the other hand, Pigs are also known for not having much to say unless you ask them . . . which is not me at all.   I have problems keeping quiet.  I do, and it's something I really need to work on.

I'm not sure if I'm glad that my sign is a Pig, but I am glad that I wasn't born during the year of the Tiger -- that is unlucky. I need all the luck I can get -- especially if I have to give away a bunch of red envelopes.


Thanks for hosting Baughs.  It was a fun celebration.

By the way, if you've ever lived in China, or worked in China, you are cordially invited to celebrate with us next year.

If you were to walk into my office and look at my desk you would see chaos -- little pieces of metal and glass that you might be tempted to throw away.  I am too -- sometimes.   But do you know what a clean desk does for my creative soul???  Nothing.   

When I'm sitting there in the middle of the day, and the light hits all that junk a certain way, I see beauty.  I almost don't want to disturb it.  But I will, because I also see possibilities.  Suddenly there is a thought rolling around in my mind, and I can't wait to get my hands on the chaos.

I'm always amazed at what that mess does to spark an idea.  

I love to create.  It makes me happy.

Missing My Mom.

I'm missing my mom today.  Not sure why -- maybe because she died around this time of year, or because I visited Sephora last night for some deodorant -- which you wouldn't understand unless you've read my story about the Makeup Junkie.  I thought I would re-post since I'm too busy to write today.  It makes me smile. 


Today my daughter handed me a wad of bills. "I've been saving up Mom, take me to Sephora" she said as she slapped them on the table. I was impressed. There was a whole lot of cash sitting there in front of me. "Are you sure this is what you want to spend your money on?" I inquired. "Yes" she replied as she pulled me to my feet.

So... we got in the car and we drove to the mall. We walked into Sephora and entered the big wonderful world of cosmetics. Perfumes mingling in the air, rows and rows of nail polish in every color of the rainbow -- Claire's personal heaven. Every time I enter its doors I think to myself: "Mom would have loved this." My mom -- Georgia, was a makeup junkie. Fortunately, that gene did not pass on to me.... but it skipped a generation and is definitely in the DNA of my daughter.

When I was little, my mom had a big bag full of makeup. The thing I coveted were the tiny Avon lipstick samples. I wanted those little white tubes of pinky goodness in the worst way. But it never happened -- that was my mom's treasure bag and she did not share it with anyone, including her sister Pam -- also a makeup junkie. She protected it like a pirate protects his booty, and I guess to her it was. It contained "Her Face."

If you were to ask my kids: "What is the one thing Jo-Jo said that you will always remember?" They will answer in unison: "I've got to go put on my face!" And then they will laugh, because they thought that was just about the funniest thing ever. My mom said it all the time. "Stay here kids and watch TV, I've got to go put on My Face." In about an hour she would return perfectly coiffed. She NEVER left the house without Her Face. 

Is that a term teenagers used in the 50's, or was that my mom's own invention? I'm not sure, but it's something my mom said until the day she died -- which was 4 years ago this month.

My mom loved to shop, and when she invited me to spend an afternoon at the mall, I knew it would involve a lengthy visit to the cosmetic's counter of every major department store. The clerks all knew her by name. I had no interest in that kind of stuff. I'd rather invest in a pair of shoes, which is my personal passion, so I would wander off to the shoe department while my mom hung out at the cosmetic's counter and played with jar after jar of the latest creams, and foundations. At some point she would appear in Ladies Shoes with a small sack in her hands, and I knew that she had found another lipstick that she just had to add to her ever growing treasure trove. I would roll my eyes and then we would go for a Coke, something else she could not live without. (I blame her for my addiction).
.

Now, it's Claire dragging me on these beauty missions. It brings back memories to see her wandering the isles sampling all the eye shadows and spraying all the perfumes. My mom would have loved spending the afternoon with Claire in Sephora. This is when I miss her most.

Several years ago, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She fought long and hard for 2 1/2 years, but in the end, the cancer won. I worry that this is going to happen to me. I worry that it is going to happen to Claire. But today, I found a little comfort in Sephora. I think my mom's spirit paid me a visit while Claire and I were on our cosmetics spree.

As I wandered around killing time, I found something I really needed -- deodorant. It caught my eye because it smelled like grapefruit, which is a smell I just can't resist. When I looked at the label it said "Healthy -- all natural -- no chemicals, no aluminum." In my head I heard my mom's voice saying: "Buy this... one for you and one for Claire, because using deodorant with chemicals can cause breast cancer." So I did. I bought two sticks - one for me, and one for Claire. It was the price of a pair of shoes, but you know, I think it was worth it. The Makeup Junkie gave me good advise. I will sleep a little easier knowing that I'm not putting any harmful chemicals under my arms, which is where my mom found her lump.

I think you might like this too -- that is if you worry about this kind of thing. So, here's a picture just in case you think you might light a stick. It's safe, and it smells good.

May the force of the Makeup Junkie be with you too! And remember ..... get a mammogram every year. Don't forget, because the Make-Up Junkie did, and it cost her - her life.

Post Script: For those of you who are wondering what I thought about Lavanila.... it works just great in moderate weather. I made it through the entire day without smelling like B.O. I do think, however, that on a really hot day if you are outside, you might have to combine Lavanila with a Salt Crystal, which you can find here. Using both should probably do the job just fine, and both are chemical free.

Claire's photograph courtesy of the incredible Blue Lily.

I am a Super Hero.

I discovered something about myself last night that I didn't know.  I have super powers.  I do!  It was just like in the movies when a ordinary man discovers he can fly, and that bullets bounce right off his chest when he gets shot by a bad guy.  The ordinary man usually makes this discovery in an extremely dangerous situation, which is what happened to me. Last night. When I was with the Student Driver.


It was an ordinary Thursday night in Temecula. The stars were out in mass, crickets were chirping, the streets lights were aglow.  I was busy at my computer when Eden called home and said "Pick me up at the ranch, I'm done with my lesson."  Suddenly the the Student Driver appeared with car keys in hand, which meant I was in for a ride.


We hopped in the car and traveled along at a snail's pace out to the wine country with it's narrow roads, and sprawling ranches.  Cars were passing us left and right.  Some waved a middle-finger greeting as I smiled back and shrugged my shoulders.


All was going well . . . until the Student made a right hand turn onto a busy 2 lane road. That's when my superpowers kicked in.   In my head I willed an impenetrable force field around the car, and simultaneously screamed:


You're driving on the wrong side of the road!!!!!!!!!  
Get to the right lane!!!!!  
Get to the right lane!!!!!! 


My mind physically willed the car over to the right as the Student yelled back:


Be quiet!!!! You are making me sooooo nervous!!!!


My fingers grew knife sharp claws that scratched holes in the leather arm rests.  I yelled back:


I am nervous!!!!!  
I just saw my life pass before my eyes!!


That is when I began to sweat -- bullets.    I averted death.  Just like a super hero.


I thought all was well, but danger reared it's ugly head again -- just like the bad guy in the movies, who you think is dead, but is only mostly dead.


The Student made another turn onto the main thoroughfare.  I put up the force field and screamed:


Hey, you are hugging the right side of the road!!!!! 
You are going to sideswipe all the parked cars!!!!


I heard the tires traveling on dirt and gravel as the Student screamed back:


Stop bugging me!! 
 I swear Mom, you are the worst. 
 Dad never acts like this when he drives with me!!


Luckily, like any good Super Hero, I had a side-kick sitting in the back seat who came to my rescue.  He said:


You are traveling too close to the curb --- can't you hear all those rocks flying!!!!!  
It will be a miracle if we make it home alive. 


By some miracle, we did make it home, but not before we started traveling down the center of  the lane divider and nearly took out a car traveling to our left.  It turned out to be someone we knew -- I hope he didn't think it was me at the wheel.  That would be embarrassing.  But, I've got it covered.  If that guy says anything about it at church next week, I will put up my invisibility cloak -- because I am a super hero.


Post Script:   FYI, the Student is not a reader of the Bog.  If you happen to see her, it would be a good thing not to mention this incident.  I do not want my cover blown.  And all joking aside, some day very soon, she will be a great driver.