Today I am grateful:

for being alive
for being sober
for my house
for my children
that my children do not hate me
for being a host mom
for the best dog in the world
for the having an ex-husband I can deal with
for a crisp fall day
for coffee
for the sound of cicadas and katydids on a summer night
that i have a sponsor
that i earned an A+ in my online course
that I have a great home
for gerber daisies
for homegrown tomatoes
for brighter days (feelings always pass)
for being married - although times can sometimes get hard
for being a bit different and strange
that I can say I am sorry
for being open minded
for my sense of smell
for my intelligence
for my curious nature
for my ability to laugh and smile
for books
fro great friends
for God
for health

This is for my friend Iris Took of Great Smials !

Biggest Group of Geeks!

I saw this picture on CNN.com and it made me smile, could there be a bigger group of geeks! The picture is a of a group of scientists who are applauding because the largest particle accelerator (atom smasher)was turned on at 7:32 GMT! WOOHOO, Smash those Atoms!!

Julia Child was a Spy!!

Can you believe it!! Julia Child was a spy for an international spy ring managed by the Office of Strategic Services, an early version of the CIA created in World War II by President Franklin Roosevelt. I loved seeing her and Jacques Pepin working together, the banter and disagreements about the exact correct way to make a hamburger. I love how she said she didn't worry about undercooked ground beef or too much butter or wine. She would ramble on in her quirky accent, I will always remember save the liver!
Now, first, remove the giblets - and you really should save the giblets. They make a fine stock for soup. Or you can save the liver and fry it up with some onions for a little snack; or if you have a number of livers, you can make a lovely liver pate, or a delicious liverwurst which you can spread on a cracker - a Ritz cracker, a Saltine ... or rye bread, or pumpernickel bread ... or if you're celebrating the Jewish holidays, you can make a chopped liver and shape it into the bust of a friend ... if someone's getting married or bar-mitzvahed. Or, if you have a little cat or a dog, they love liver. Save the liver! Don't throw it away! I hope I've made my point. Don't throw the liver away. Now, where was I? [looks around the kitchen] Oh, yes. Anyway, it's time to bone the chicken...

By the way, tomorrow would have been her birthday, Happy Birthday Secret Agent Julia wherever you are!

God please do not make me like everyone else!

For those of you who do not know me I should let you know I am very spontaneous and a bit of a rebel and free spirit. Some days I have a hard time staying grounded I daydream about what I wish I could do if I had more cash or no cash and no responsibilities. If I had my choice I would be traveling the world eating bizarre foods like Andrew Zimmern ( I ate an earthworm a couple of years ago to prove I could eat gross things) or living in a commune in Sedona leading a sweat lodge. When I start to feel common and suburban I panic, for me there is nothing worse. As I get older I can feel myself slipping into a melancholy because I realize that there is so much I have not done in my life and less time to do it. I see my body change and I feel aches and pains and I realize age is creeping up on me. To bad I have allergies, I could aspire to be an eccentric cat lady!

All I can say is this is so sweet

We are become a bunch of Wimps!

While at the Zoo I noticed hand sanitizer everywhere. Parents were chasing around their little ones yelling wash your hands, wash your hands. The zoo even has a portable sink outside the Children's Zoo in case you are contaminated by alpaca spit and can not make it 50 feet to the restrooms. WHAT!! I am surprised they do not have portable hand sanitizer wipes next to the statues of the tortoises and elephant that kids climbed on to wipe them down. When I was a child they did not have all of this at the zoo. We fed the elephants, picked our noses, touched goats than ate our lunch. I never heard of any of my friends dying from "creeping crud or jungle fever." We also did not have viruses resilient to antibiotics or the epidemic proportion of people with OCD. Now I have to admit I am a bit of a hypocrite because I am a slight germaphobe, do not even get me started about magazine in doctor's office or eating out of communal chip bowsl or bags! YUCK!!
In case you do not know how to wash your hand I have provided instructions:
* First wet your hands (make sure to use warm water) and apply liquid or clean bar soap—it does not have to be antibacterial soap.
* Next rub your hands vigorously together and scrub all surfaces (under finger nails, wrists, palms, back of hands, fingers)
* Continue for at least 10–15 seconds (time equals about two rounds of singing "Happy Birthday" in your head. It is the soap combined with the scrubbing action that helps dislodge and remove germs.
* Rinse well and dry your hands. If possible, dry with a clean disposable paper towels.
* To prevent chapping and cracking, you can apply some lotion after drying hands (optional)

Hand washing information above comes from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and the American Society for Microbiology

By the way, in case you are one of those over protective parents you can protect your children from irresponsible hand washers and buy a sign to attach to your baby carrier before you resort to enclosing your child in a bubble.