…but not quite.
Cosmo almost got me to buy their magazine. There was an astounding blurb on the cover that was almost successful. But I resisted.
I was rounding the corner into the checkout lane at the grocery store, and noticed the magazines in the racks on the end cap. While I waited to get to the conveyor, I noticed a blurb on the cover.
“His Butt!”
Yup…..I almost bought the magazine. The article purported to tell you about your relationship based on your guy’s butt. If you read the fine print, it suggested you GRASP…..or maybe it was “fondle” said butt….and then they would tell you based on his reaction what kind of relationship you have.
Who needs a magazine to tell them THAT??

No…..not the era of “I Like Ike,” or any of dozens of other possibilities, but rather…..the temperature today. I don’t know just how warm it got, but when I was out running errands it felt absolutely BALMY!
It was supposed to get to 54 degrees F. today. I suspect it might have gotten even warmer. It was a sparkling, sunny, warm day that drew people out in droves. The girls collecting carts in the grocery parking lot left their coats inside and walked with a bounce in their steps. Car windows were rolled down, and people were out walking.
Isn’t 55 an odd temperature? In the fall, when our season is closing down, and we’re headed for winter, 55 feels chilly and our bones ache. We wear coats and look for gloves and mufflers, and shift over to heavier clothing. We complain about dripping noses when we have to go out to rake up the leaves.
But in February, when it hits 55, we’re out there stripping off our coats, and lifting our faces to the sun. Snow was melting, and patches of grass appeared here and there today.
This is Mother Nature’s annual joke around this time of year. She sends us a couple of days of warm weather to remind us what we’re missing. People watch the groundhogs, in the hope that winter will end soon, but you know…..it never does.
We have six weeks of chilly weather left before we see warmer temperatures on a regular basis. But, OH! how lovely it is to be reminded that it’s coming.

I am building up a head of steam over the health insurance system in the U.S. I suspect that there will be several entries on this subject in the near future, and it’s likely to be an ongoing subject.

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Tonight is the annual Souper Supper for my quilting bee. The bee meets the first Friday of each month, and in February we have the tradition of having a meal together. I’m making soups and roasted garlic with toasted French bread slices and baked Feta cheese. The rest of the ladies are bringing bread, salad, crudit

Mother returned from Key West on Wednesday evening. She told us that her plane would be arriving at 7:00, so I assumed that we would see her about 9:00 at night. My SUV was showing the “Service Engine Soon” light, so I had taken it in to be checked, and we went to pick it up Wednesday evening. Of course, we were gone when the travelers returned. 🙁

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Last week I received a package from my youngest sister. It contained a movie, an article that she wanted me to read, and some recipes. That package was the jumping off point for several thoughts I want to blog about.
Today’s thoughts are on the subject of how I communicate with my siblings.

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I received a call yesterday. My youngest niece was on the line, and she wanted me to guess her good news. I guessed badly, and she finally had to tell me that she had won a GOLD at solo contest! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Some of you have asked me about my mother’s trip. She left last Wednesday. I had to be away from the house when the limo came, so we said our goodbyes earlier.
My stepson was in Bangkok at the time of the tsunami, and didn’t leave an itinerary. We didn’t know if he and his wife were safe. There was a great deal of discussion on the subject of leaving an itinerary with a family member when you travel. Despite that, Elegant Mother blithely went off without leaving an itinerary. Since she was traveling with my brother and his wife, I assume that I could track them through his company. It wasn’t until she was gone, that it occurred to me it would have been nice if they’d left the information.
She is having such a great time that she has not called. I’m sure we will hear all about the trip when she returns Tuesday night. I’d say she lucked out. Their plane left just ahead of a small snow storm, and they will be coming back to relatively nice weather for February in Chicago. While it won’t be as warm as Key West, it should be warm enough to melt off more snow.
I guess I’ll just have to pass on the stories later in the week.
Oh…she’s already announced that she WILL NOT be going to exercise on Wednesday morning. Anyone want to take any bets about Friday??

I want to thank my personal IT support (read: stepsons) for getting our network up and running! It is so nice to have access to printers from both computers. Sharing files will make it so much easier to do back ups and keep track of my herb information.
I’m really excited that everything is good to go. The next time I’m at the computer, no matter which room I’m in, all our data will be at my fingertips.
Thanks, guys!

Well, if you count today, two. Mother has been away, in Key West, since last Wednesday. It took me several days to adjust to the quiet, and to the idea that I could keep to my own schedule.. Friends have asked what Dear Husband and I did while Mother was away, expecting great things. Actually, other than eating out, life continued along the same basic lines.
We ate out one night with one of my stepsons and his girlfriend. The kids went on to a movie, but we headed home. Dear Husband had to work the next day, and he gets up at 4:30 in the morning on work days.
We also had lunch out one day, and brunch on Sunday morning. I enjoyed not having to shop, to prepare food, or to have to clean up in the kitchen. I used my extra time to cut pieces for a new quilt and to listen to a book on tape.
Tonight will be a bit disrupted. My stepdaughter has just purchased a used dryer for a condo that she and her husband are selling. DH has a truck big enough to carry it, so they’ve asked him for some help. I’m going to prepare a pot of chili early today so that he can eat, and then go out. I plan to do a little more work on the quilt pieces.
So, tomorrow will be my last day of sorta-solitude (“sorta” because the cat and my stepson have been here, quiet though they be). I have office work to do, and Christmas stuff to reorganize in the basement. My niece and her boys are coming to dinner. It’s all pretty normal activity for us. No, Diane, DH and I have NOT run naked through out the house. Even if there was a fire I’d stop to put on clothes! *G*
I have to go….the office calls. If you were looking for excitement, this wasn’t the right stop.