Geez, I didn't mean it to be a sickening tribute...

He may not be what he used to be, but,... back when he was still writing these, Dr. Phil was a frickin' genius.
(He still is, he's just developed a sad case of 'celebrity greed syndrome')

I have almost all of his books. His writing and advise is still the best and easiest to comprehend. It just makes sense. Period.

I can pick up one of my 'Dr. Phil books', and find the answer to just about any question I ever have about my life or decisions I need help making. I may not always like what it says, but I've found that, about 95% of the time, if I actually do it,... it works.

Good ol' Dr. Phil has seen me through some very difficult times. It seems he was a good coach, and often helped me put up a good defense when I needed it most.

And now, he's even got me playing 'offense'!Dating can be a long learning experience, and at almost 50, I don't have 5 or 10 years to waste making all the 'typical' mistakes, even if I do learn for them.

Dr. Phil is now helping me with some good 'offensive' plays. He's teaching me how to read the "other team" and to make the right calls, do the right things, and avoid problems before they happen.

If I ever meet the man, I'm gonna give him a BIG, sloppy, wet kiss for always being right there, setting on my dresser, anytime day or night, and always willing to tell me, bluntly, to pull my head out, and fix it if it isn't working.

My favorite Dr. Phil-isms:
"How's that working for ya?"
"You either get it, or you don't"
"We teach people how to treat us."
"People do what works."
And of course, The one at the bottom of all my emails...
"There is no reality, only perception."

perfect beauty...

I watched an ambitious little spider spinning her web this morning.

My computer desk looks out our sliding glass doors toward the trees just beyond our balcony. A tiny bright flash in the trees caught my eye. It was the sun hitting this pretty little spider.
(For the record, if this spider had been, say, on my arm or something.... she would be described very differently...)

I noticed that the 'gye' wires, the main web strands, were strung between two trees, so it was probably at least 12 or 15 feet across. But she was concentrating on the detailed center portion which appeared to be only about a foot across.

This little dear very carefully attached the outer perimeter threads, and then began the delicate work of going back and forth to the center to attach the 'rays' of thread to the outer ring. As the sun continued to turn her work to bright strands of liquid silver, she moved with the precision of an expert, one who clearly knows and understands her craft. One at a time, each ray was carefully placed at even intervals. Then she began the dizzying, round and round work of adding all the 'ladder rungs' that truely make a spiders web spectacular.

I watched until the sun moved enoughed that it no longer fell across her work, at which time, the little spider and her web both dissappeared from my view. But I'm sure she's finished by now, and is patiently waiting for breakfast, perhaps a nice juicy moth, to make its appearance in her web.

My other amazing daughter....

My daughter Andrea, struggles sometimes, with life in general, ( ok - reality). But she is incredibly bright, and creative, which is guess is why she struggles. She is involved in an unusual theater group where she spends most of her time and energy. But her Ichidan Acting Group is gaining her some skills. She has become one hell of a costume designer.

Like learning to speak Japanese, Andrea taught herself to sew. I came home from work one day, and she had my machine out and was sewing small pieces to make part of a costume. I've since helped her with some of the more tricky things like zippers and piping. But for the most part, she taught herself. She now makes full and complete detailed costumes. (She got her own sewing machine for her 19th birthday.) She sometimes uses a pattern to get the general shape of an item, but a lot of times, she just takes measurements, and runs with it. It's amazing how she can look at a drawing, and just turn it into a wearable and very detailed item of clothing. She even includes the jewelry, glasses, etc! Rings and pendants are very 'symbolic' in anime.

But first, some real quick background on Ichidan,... Ichidan is a group that does live performances of anime comic stories. Anime is japanese animation, (what we call cartoons - similar to our Superman or Spiderman comics). She makes costumes for several members of the theater group as well as for herself.

Here are just a few examples of her costumes:

This was one of her very first costumes which she made for one of her friends a few years ago. But the photo is her wearing it. Notice the boots! They were tricky. She leaves no details out! Not bad for a beginning seamstress. This character is named Sora.

This character is named Hatsuharu. She made this one two years ago. This coat was AWESOME, I should have had her to make me one! It's made from white pleather, (faux leather), with a white fur collar and buckle closures on the front. Again, amazing attention to detail. Hatuharu's motorcycle chaps were made of black pleather. The photo is her at one of their anime conventions in Salt Lake City.

This character is named Ishida. This is one of her most recent costumes. Again, amazing detail, from the bow he uses, right down to the white boots. I couldn't find a good cartoon of Ishida, but it gives you the idea.




















I don't know how many costumes Andrea has made, probably about 15 or 20. Not bad for a teenager that taught herself to sew.

I gotta have this!

Do I need this or what????
He is soooo cute!
Click on this link to see what he does.
http://www.geekalerts.com/usb-owl/

OMG, it comes in Pink too!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz7R_QIzI3M&eurl=http://www.geekalerts.com/usb-owl/

A sign from Gob, or Jeebus???

The Kenniwick guy canceled, said he had to fix the ac in his house. I was glad, since I'd lost interest. I think I'm done meeting new guys for a while anyway. I've felt such a connection with 'the attorney' that I think I'm gonna just see how it goes with him.

So,...I was glad I didn't have to go meet that guy, but I also didn't want to sit home alone on a beautiful sunny day either, so I packed up a book and blanket and went to a beach to read and get some sunshine. I hate going places by myself, but it was such a beautiful day that I went for it anyway. Unfornutately, a creepy guy at the beach decided to stalk me, and make obscene gestures and advances. He wouldnt have done it if I'd been there with someone else, but because I was alone, and female, I was a frickin' target for a creep. It pissed me off that I had to pack up and beat cheeks out of there because of that jerk. It was my day off and I wanted to enjoy the sun and a good book. But no. I HATE doing stuff alone. It's such a pain in the ass being a female sometimes! Men can do stuff alone and not worry about anything. Women have to worry about everything. Anyway, I ended up coming home and taking a nap. ... yeehaw....

Poor homely child....

These were for a clothing company called Flake E.

Me???

It's become common knowledge at work that I am on Match.com, and that I am actively dating and meeting a lot of new men. Most of the women at Al's are married, and therefore intrigued by what I'm doing. I get asked frequently about my "men" and, (it's so funny), they seem to gather in a group around me when I start telling a story about my 'latest find' or 'most recent weirdo'.

Yesterday, as I was talking to a few of them, one of them said, "Yeah, I have to live my life vicariously through you." What a hoot! The thought that ANYONE would want to live vicariously through ME, is so laughable to me. I have always had the most dull and boring life.

I guess I am kind of living the "female dream" right now. (2 or 3 dates a week, meeting a new man once a week or so....) I guess I need to remember that when those little "dark times" hit.

More of my writing....

This is the link to the houseplant section of the website for Al's Garden Center. I have written most of the articles and thought you just might like to see how Al's has actually used them. You've probably read most of them, I think I've put them on my blog, but they look different on the website. However, there is one new one, ... if you click on Bromeliads you can read my newest article.

http://www.als-gardencenter.com/plants/houseplants

Thanks! Lala

Maybe they're not my color....

Do these feathers make my butt look big???

This is Hoooty,...

This is Hoooty on drugs....

Cool, huh????

Happy Independence Day!

I am so greatful to be a modern
American Woman!

Happy Independence Day!

God Bless the USA!

...because we can...

Gracie LOVES the squirrels!

Gracie gets so excited when the squirrels come to visit. She absolutely LOVES them. I've started putting her perch right at the door every morning so that she can visit with them. But the really cute thing is, she meows and purrs and calls them Kit and Sparkle. She thinks they're kitties!

So instead of buying her a parakeet for a pet, I probably should have gotten her a kitten.


But since I've developed a strong distaste for cats, I doubt that will happen. And if I ever do have a cat again, it sure as the hell won't be male!

The squirrel doesn't show up very good in these photos, (you can double clik the photos tho), but she's very cute, and doesn't seem to mind having a parrot chattering away with her as she dines.