It astounds me what you will find in the newspaper these days. On the front page of the October 5, 2003, Chicago Tribune “Q” section, the editor saw fit to post an article on a new product called The Flatulence Deodorizer, or the Flat-D.
The Flat-D is shaped like a flat light bulb, and contains a layer of activated charcoal. It’s worn inside your underwear. It’s a washable device which sells for $12.95.
I know there’s a use for this product. I was thinking about getting some as stocking stuffers, or handing them out at Thanksgiving. The writer actually tested it so that he could give his personal opinion, and he found it to function well if you make sure there is a comfortable seal. (We’re well past the TMI! limit…)
What astounded me about this was that it wasn’t buried in the back of the section, but it was on the FRONT PAGE! Either flatulence has become epidemic in proportion, or editorial standards have slipped.

I’ve been getting ready for my niece’s wedding this weekend. I was overjoyed when she asked me to be one of the readers for her wedding. I’m really looking forward to celebrating this milestone in her life.
But, like a lot of women, it’s stressful for me to choose what I’m going to wear. I have four siblings who have superb taste in clothing. They always look exceptional. I am the one who is overweight, and I tend to lead a very casual lifestyle, so when it comes to a family celebration, I get a little crazy……well….a LOT crazy, about what to wear.

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The news this morning was about studies which have been done in Finland, Sweden and the United States. It seems that women who opt for breast implants are three times more likely to commit suicide than women who have not had the surgery.
It’s likely that women who choose to alter their shape surgically will be unhappy with how they look even after the surgery. They may be unable to see themselves in a positive light no matter how good they look.
It’s a sad commentary on our society that we are unable to accept our bodies, and that we STILL prize a look that requires an anorexic life style.

It’s way past my bed time, but I wanted a chance to blog before I call it a day. We have a guest tonight, so I spent part of my evening cleaning. I laid a fire and lit it before she arrived, along with some vanilla scented candles.
DH and I covered the plants at the front of the house with light plastic tarps. We are supposed to have temperatures drop to about 23, so we’re expecting our first hard frost. I don’t know if the plastic will be adequate protection, but the heat radiating off the bricks may sustain the plants for another night.
The dog and cat have been fed, and most of the dishes have been washed. The clothes have been folded, and the house is closed up for the night.
I like this time of day. I wish that I could find a compromise between having the quiet of the house to myself late at night, and having to get up early to get a start on my day. I particularly like that my phone stops ringing around 10:00. When you were a kid, did your parents teach you that you weren’t to make phone calls after 9:00 unless it was an emergency? I tried to teach that to my stepchildren, and they thought I was crazy.
Tomorrow we have the last of the preparations for the wedding on Saturday. I have the last of my clothing shopping to do, and Mother and I have appointments for manicures.
The fire is starting to die down, and I’m just about out of tea. Time to toddle off. Good night all.

In 1991, the Great Wall of China became the second largest man-made structure in the world. The largest was the Fresh Kills Landfill, serving New York City. It is now the highest point on the east coast.
Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every HOUR! (Now you know how Fresh Kills outstripped the Great Wall.)
For every glass bottle recycled, we save enough energy to light a 100 watt light bulb for four hours. (That makes us just about even in our household.)
One pound of recycled steel saves enough energy to light a 60 watt bulb for 24 hours.
Recycling and reusing the material in “tin” cans reduces energy use by 74%, air pollution by 85%, solid waste by 95%, and water pollution by 76%.

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Night Night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.
I can remember hearing that when I was a child. It never occured to me that bed bugs were real. Then I read about Medieval times and I discovered that bed bugs and lice and all sorts of miserable insects were commonplace. That might have been the start of my interest in herbs. A number of different herbs, including lavender were strewn among the rushes or straw that covered the floor of a castle’s common room.
Bed bugs were eliminated in the United States, but they have reappeared.

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The subject I want to put before you is a difficult one to present without sounding whiney, and that’s not my intent. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you have probably figured out that I have married a man who has four children, but we have not had any children together. I met my step-children when they were between the ages of 12 and 19, and I had very little impact on their lives other than to teach them not to make social calls to us after 9:00 at night, and not to snicker when croutons are served with a salad.
That’s not what I want to write about, though.

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Have you been divorced? Do you have a child who is divorced? Were your parents divorced? Do you have a relative who has been divorced??
Okay…..do you have family photographs with the ex-spouse? The question of the day is, do you leave them in the picture or have them air-brushed out? Or perhaps you feel more strongly and have CUT them out of the picture!
Somewhere I have photographs of my first wedding. I suppose I even have some pictures with my former husband and some of my family members. They are not in an album, so I’ve just tucked them away. It never occured to me to have him air brushed out of those pictures. After all, he’s part of my history. I don’t dwell on him, but I don’t deny his existance, either.

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I haven’t talked a lot about my grandson, but I’m not shy about saying that I’m a Gramma. My reason for limiting what I tell about him comes down to safety. I don’t want my babbling to create an unsafe situation. I will proudly tell you that he is a handsome young man, with good manners, and empathy for those around him.
It seems that now I’ll have TWO grandchildren to brag on. My step-daughter and her husband joined us for dinner this evening, and shared the news. She’ll be having her baby in late May or early June. Honest, I haven’t nagged about this, but it will be fun to have a baby in the family. *G*
I’ve got to go plan a baby quilt!

Everyone has been talking about numbers lately. It seems contageous.
Out of curiosity, I went to Site Meter to see how many visitors I’ve had, and in four more visits I will hit 3000. Of course, this includes my own visits. When I get to shift from AOL to a dsl line, I will take myself out of the picture, but until then, my ever changing ISP number makes it a pain to edit my visits out.
I’m not sure of my exact start date with Site Meter, but I think we cranked it up about this time in June, so I figure it has been just about three months.
Bogie, I’m sure by now you have rolled over the 5,000 mark. Congrats, hon!