For the past month, I’ve had a goal in mind. As things kept going bad around us, I would say to myself “In just __ days, I’ll be going to Maui.” Things have finally settled down here. We’ve had lovely visits with two of my nieces, and my cold seems to be improving a bit each day, so the mantra hasn’t had to repeated quite so frequently.
Tuesday morning at 0:dark:30 six of us will put our sleepy bodies into a limo for the trip to the airport, and by 7:00 we will be taking off for Hawaii. It will be my first visit. We’re going to attend a family wedding.
Ten of us will take the same plane. We’ll meet another eight of them, who will fly out two days early. My Aunt, my Dad’s sister, must be turning in her grave to think of so many of us all on the same plane. I never worried about things like that. I figured it was superstition, and the statistics support the idea that flight is the safest form of travel. Still…someone had to fill in for Auntie, so I was the one who voiced the thought.
Other than attending the wedding, I have a few things on my agenda. I want to sit in the shade of a palm tree, reading a book, and having someone bring me refills for my iced tea. I want to walk along the water’s edge each day. I want to fly over to Oahu to see the Arizona Memorial. Other than that, I don’t have any particular plans. We will only be gone six days and five nights, so I plan to have the most laid back visit I can manage.

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It’s astounding how differently auditors go about their jobs.
We have a business, so we have a worker’s compensation insurance policy. Each year, you guess what your payroll will be. The insurance costs so much per $100. Your payments are determined, and then spread out over the year. At the end of the insurance term, an auditor comes to determine if you have underpaid, or overpaid.
Normally you receive a letter requesting payroll information, and certificates of insurance for sub-contractors. They will also look at quarterly reports to the feds to see if the material you are giving them adds up.
Sooooooo…..the last auditor was just a bit different. I’m used to one of the more experienced auditors, who breezes in, enters the bottom line from the four quarterly reports, makes the necessary deductions, hit’s enter, slams the lid on her laptop and is out the door in ten or fifteen minutes.
This year we got a junior Big Bird look-alike who was new to the job. I had pulled reports off the computer as requested, but he was not satisfied. He made me kill a tree so that he could have the annual report BY EMPLOYEE! What a jerk. At least he didn’t keep me for ages.
Last year….or maybe it was two years ago, we got hit with audits from the union, the state revenue department and insurance I had become the PRO at preparing for audits. The worst was the Revenue auditor. He looked through three years of job folders. It took him all day. I gave him the uncomfortable chair. It was the least I could do to express my opinion about being audited.
I hope next year they send the speedy auditor!

We all have them to one extent or another. I have a list of them which is growing by leaps and bounds. Last year, when DH’s daughter was getting married, and we thought wedding guests would be visiting between the wedding and the reception, I had a three page, double spaced list of Mine, His and OUR chores.
About two-thirds of the chores got done. Now, I’ve started another list.

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Yeah….I bet you thought I was going to talk about the Fourth of July, didn’t you??
Actually, I was sitting here, envying those of you who can imbibe….especially those of you who can imbibe and still type!

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Chicago celebrates the Fourth of July a day early. I’m sure those of you who do not reside in the United States of America know that the Fourth of July is an important holiday for us. We celebrate the founding of our country on that day.
But…something odd has happened. Over the past 35 years or so, it seems that it has become politically correct to celebrate near that date. When the Fourth falls on Saturday, Sunday or Monday, we have a three day weekend, with Monday off. I’m not sure what the government does when it falls on one of the other days. Perhaps government workers get the Fourth off, as well as a three day weekend.
I suspect that Chicago changed its celebration to the Third as a matter of convenience and economics. It allows people to come into the city for the fireworks and picnics, and still participate in their home town’s celebration.
Still, I wish we focused on the Fourth, and what it means. More than anything, I regret that our convenience days mute the reason for the holiday. I worry that in some areas, it’s not cool to be patriotic. Sunday, I’ll be thinking about all those who have lost their lives to keep us safe, and I’ll celebrate the country that gives us amazing freedom.
Join me, won’t you?

Is there anything as vicious as a summer cold? I suppose, when I have a better perspective, I could come up with a few …….war….famine….pestilence…..drought…….
But right now…..the summer cold tops my list.
We had a lovely weekend. DH sailed and I went to a bridal shower. We both attended a wedding reception. The weather was lovely, and it seemed as though the pall which had hung over us for the month was finally lifting.
Monday, DH went to work, and by the time he came home, his voice was in the basement, with that nasty, croupy sound. I ignored his surliness because he is so rarely rude. I knew it was a sign of just how bad he felt.
Well….now I know how he felt, first hand. Yesterday afternoon, my throat became scratchy. My sinuses started to drain. My voice dropped almost as low as DH’s. I’m sick. I feel rotten and life needs to go on. I just want to stay in bed.

Everyone who has ever traveled and stayed overnight in a hotel or motel knows that they put a basket of sample soaps and shampoos out for the traveler’s convenience. If you’ve forgotten your shampoo, you’re likely to find a sample that will hold you until you can purchase your favorite brand.
Usually, there is a little stand or tray, or sometimes a basket to hold the items, and the more you pay for the room, the greater the number of samples, and the more amenities.

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The following post has been sent to me a dozen or more times in the five years I have been on-line. I think it’s a superb way to assess a life. It may not be totally complete, but it sure gives you a way to measure your growth in a variety of ways.
I don’t know who originally penned these thoughts, but I’d be more than happy to give them credit fo their work. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
….one old love
she can imagine
going back to…
and one who reminds
her how far she has come…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
….enough money within her
control to move out and
rent a place of her own
even if she never wants
to or needs to…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
….something perfect to wear if
the employer or date of her dreams
wants to see her in an hour…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
….a youth she’s content
to leave behind…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
….a past juicy enough that
she’s looking forward to
retelling it in her old age…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
….a set of screwdrivers, a
cordless drill, and a black
lace bra…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
….one friend who always makes
her laugh…. and one who lets
her cry…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
….a good piece of furniture
not previously owned by anyone
else in her family…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
….eight matching plates, wine
glasses with stems, and a recipe
for a meal that will make her
guests feel honored..
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
….a feeling of control over
her destiny…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
….how to fall in love without
losing herself…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
….how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend
without ruining the friendship…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
….when to try harder… and
when to walk away…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
….that she can’t change the
length of her calves, the width
of her hips, or the nature of her
parents…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
….that her childhood may not
have been perfect…but it’s
over…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
….what she would and wouldn’t
do for love or more…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
….how to live alone… even if
she doesn’t like it…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
….whom she can trust,
whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t
take it personally…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
….where to go…
be it to her best friend’s kitchen table…
or a charming inn in the woods…
when her soul needs soothing…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
….what she can and can’t
accomplish in a day…
a month…and a year…

At the shower today, there was the most amazing collection of food, that I needed to post a list of it. Four women worked together to load the table. The theme of the layout was “Hawaiian Wedding,” so there were fish nets, shells, flowered leis, and things to make you think we were having a meal at the beach.
There were slices of cucumber on thin slices of cocktail rye bread, with a bit of fresh dill, and some cream cheese.
Meatballs with the chili sauce and grape jelly sauce.
Hot crab dip.
Fruit on skewers: Pineapple, watermelon, strawberry and grape
Vegetable roll ups.
Chicken salad roll ups with a bit of strawberry, and chive, and a flour tortilla.
Gorgonzola and walnuts with apple slices.
A couple of other dips that I was too full to try, and at least five kinds of crackers.
Broiled shrimp, that were lightly seasoned, and had a creamy dip.
And a plate of crudites: red pepper strips, carrots, grape tomatoes etc.
I know that I’m leaving something out, but I can’t remember what it could be.
There were several kinds of punch, and I really should have had more than half a glass of the alcoholic version.
Women do amazing things with finger food. It was wonderful to chat with my family, and have beautiful food, too!

I had the pleasure of attending a bridal shower for the girl who is marrying my youngest nephew. My sister and her daughters created an incredible spread of finger food for the houseful of women, and we watched as the bride-to-be opened her gifts.
But, the highlight of the day was the collection of babies present. The oldest was about seven months old. He’s built like a little tank, and is at the point where everything goes into his mouth first.
The second baby is about two months old. I got to hold him for at least ten minutes before he was whisked away into the arms of the next admirer. He was thinking about crying as I held him, but I aped the attention that his daddy gave him and he settled right in on my shoulder.
And, we had a little girl who was newborn three weeks ago, a month premature. She looked like a little doll, and everyone lined up to play with her!
I really hope this is all contageous. There’s nothing more satisfying than holding a new baby. *G*