Drop Dead Diva

 

    Brooke Elliott stars as Jane.

I don’t watch many TV series any more, mainly because they tend to promote low morals (and IQ’s) and tend to have lazy scripts that just depend on raunchy words or situations for their very predictable storylines.

So, I have to tell you about a new series I am watching called Drop Dead Diva.  It is on the Lifetime channel at 9 p.m. on Sunday night.  And it is different.

The very original premise of this show is that Deb, a young, blonde, somewhat shallow model dies at the same time as Jane, a 30-something, plus-size attorney.  When Deb gets to Heaven’s gate and talks to Fred the admitting angel, she reaches over and hits the return button on his computer in hopes it will send her back to Earth.  It does in fact do that, but into the body of the attorney, Jane. 

So, the story line is a sweet one about her dealing with her new, bigger body and her new higher intellect, and, as Jane, ending up working in the same law firm as Deb’s attorney boyfriend.  Sometimes seeing her look at him and long for what might have been is sad, but just when I wondered if that story line was going to keep the show from “moving on”, a love interest has started developing between her and another attorney!  (This  is one more role that I think is cast perfectly.  He’s just been introduced, but I find their attraction for each other very natural and believeable.)  Hurray for Jane!

I think this is just a very well written, perfectly cast and well acted series.  And I recommend it because it sometimes makes me smile, and many times makes me think, and then sometimes is poignant and brings tears to my eyes.  The characters are ones I actually care about, especially Jane. 

Brooke Elliott and the writers do a wonderful job of making Jane a smart, attractive, interesting person, and also a clever, caring and successful attorney.

I remember my fiction writing professor told us that the true test of an excellent book is if it makes you want to turn the page to see what happens next. 

Well, if you apply that rule to TV series’, this is an excellent show.  Because at the end of each episode, I am not only glad I watched but I look forward to seeing what happens in Jane’s life next. 

A well-spent hour.

Hard to work into casual conversation

 

When was the last time you said, “Well, that’s chatoyant!”  I’m guessing, not recently, if ever.

Hubby asked me this morning, out of the blue, how to spell chatoyancy.

I, being my always articulate self, said, “Huh?”

He said the word had just crossed his mind (he’s got to stop working so many crossword puzzles!) and he couldn’t picture how to spell it.

I told him I didn’t remember ever hearing that word.  But he reminded me that years ago when he had given me an opal ring, I wore it to work and Art, a very well-spoken co-worker, told me the stone had beautiful chatoyancy.  I remember now that I came home and told Hubby the word that Art had used to describe my opal.  It made the stone sound soooo, special.

But I had long since forgotten the word, until Hubby brought it up this morning.  So, we started trying to look it up in the dictionary – shitoyency, shytoyency, chytoyency, chitoyency, chetoyency, chytoiency, you get the idea.  I’ve always said that using a dictionary has one major flaw — you have to have some idea of how to spell the word, in order to find it!  And, I have to say, I am never impressed with Spell Check.  I tried putting some variations into a text document and then used the Spell Check, and with each try it either suggested a really far out alternative word, or just said it had no suggestions.

But perseverance does pay off, and we finally found it.

chatoyant\sha-’toi-ent\ n: [variation of the French word, chatoyer to shine like a cat's eye]: having a changeable luster or color with an undulating narrow band of white light (a chatoyant  gem)

So, if you have a friend with an opal, look for a chance to use this word to impress her with your vocabulary! 

And, if you happen to find a way to use it in another context, be sure to let me know.  I’ll try to impress “Mr. Obscure Word” Hubby with it.

Happy Saturday!

A dependable back-up is priceless!

 

Just ask Jim Sorgi! Do you recognize his name?  Probably not, unless you’re a Colts fan.  He is the long-time back-up quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.  And he is a very good quarterback when he gets a chance to play.  Unfortunately, he is the back-up to Peyton Manning who hardly ever needs a back-up.

But, Jim Sorgi is always ready and very good when he’s called upon … just like my Kodak Easy Share camera.

You may remember that I dropped my new, favorite Panasonic Lumix a couple months ago, and it has been sent to the factory for repairs.  When Hubby gave it to me for Christmas, it immediately became my favorite camera because it was small enough that I could carry it in my purse.  So it became my “starter” and Kodak was put on the shelf as my back-up.

So, with my Lumix on “injured reserve”, my back-up Kodak  is off the bench (shelf) and filling  in admirably, just like Jim Sorgi does for the Colts.

Yesterday morning before sunrise, I turned on the backyard lights so that I could take some trash out, and noticed how one light was shining on these bushes and rockers.  So, I came in and got my ol’ trusty Kodak and took some pictures. 

 

When I get my little Lumix ”purse camera” back, Mr. Kodak will go back to the shelf in a closet.  But he will do so with the satisfaction of knowing that he filled in admirably when he was called upon!

A dependable back-up is priceless.

Stop Eating … We’re Going to Talk Septic!

 

Our farmhouse that we lived in for 20 years had been built in the 1870’s by Hubby’s great-grandfather, Valentine.

Of course, the septic system wasn’t that old when we moved there, but it was old!  So, it was inevitable that we would have problems with it from time to time. 

The first time we had a problem (and I won’t go into detail … don’t bother to thank me), we looked in the phone book for a company that dealt with such things.  And we found one whose name inspired confidence in us … Golden Rule Septic Company. 

We called and asked them to come out ASAP (because when your septic system isn’t working, it is realllly important to get it working again fast!), and that was the beginning of a long, happy relationship between us and the father and son who were Golden Rule.

The first time they came out, we were a little surprised that they were black.  I don’t know why, but it just seemed to us, since septic systems are predominantly in rural areas, and most of the rural people in this area are white, that the people who would be experts at dealing with that rural system would be white too.  But, let me tell you, I don’t know where Dad and Son lived, but they did know “septic”!  Every time they came to our rescue, they found the problem, fixed it, were pleasant but professional while they were there, and always charged us a fair price.

Twice we had to call them on holidays.  That shouldn’t surprise any of us, because, after all, isn’t that the way things usually work?  If something is going to break, it will be on a weekend or holiday!

I especially remember the time the system stopped working on Christmas Day, just hours before Hubby’s large extended family would converge on our house for Christmas dinner!

I called Golden Rule hoping, but doubting, that even they would be willing to come out on Christmas Day.  Well, I shouldn’t have doubted.  They came to our house immediately, worked quickly and efficiently to find the problem and fix it (which always required digging out in the yard where the septic tank was — not an easy job even in warm weather, but cold, hard work in December!) and then were even reluctant to take the tip we wanted to give them because we so appreciated them coming out on Christmas day.

When we moved to this house six years ago, one of the great things we really appreciated, and still do, is city water and sewers.  But, there is one downside … we no longer have a reason to deal with Dad and Son at Golden Rule Septic Company.

The Golden Rule:  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Luke 6:31

The great father and son team who named their company “Golden Rule” didn’t just say it, they lived it!

Answered Prayer

 

Almost exactly two years after it was first put on the market, Gunny and Dillys’ house in the city they used to live in 16 hours away has sold!  The closing was Friday.  Thank you, God.

They can now move on with their lives.  As Dilly told me several months ago, “We can’t totally live here until we sell that house.  We still have ‘one foot’ there!” 

So, now, Dilly, Gunny, their two teenagers and their two Great Dane dogs, who have all lived “like a can of sardines” in a very small apartment for what seems like a verrrry long time, can finally decide where they want to live permanently in their new city.

As with most challenging events in the lives of those we love, it was hard to see them go through the long wait for that house to sell.  But they have actually been pretty happy in their cramped apartment, and have said that they are coming away from this experience with a very different outlook on what is required for happiness!

It’s wonderful that they are taking away from this experience some great memories and life-lessons learned, but that doesn’t stop any of us from being very, very relieved that the house has finally sold.

Thank you, God, for answered prayer.

Taaa Daaa!

 

Finally! 

A few days ago I posted about my over-full refrigerator and how it ressembled Mama’s always-packed one, but I’m just now getting around to cleaning it.

     Before …

    … After 

Hmmm.  But, now that I see the “after” picture, while it is clean and better organized, it still looks quite a bit like Mama’s did!

There’s just no getting around it … I am Mama’s daughter, especially when it comes to “being prepared” with lots of refrigerator contents.

I’m sure she would smile at this particular trait I’ve inherited, especially the seven jars of pickles in the back of the second shelf.  She always believed in having a variety of pickles on hand, “just in case”.  She’d be right at home with all my “stuff”.

Oh, well.  I’m off to play a round of golf.  I’ve earned it.

Happy Saturday!

Sometimes I AM my Mama . . .

 

. . . and not always in a good way!

Hubby and I were eating breakfast this morning …

    … and I went to the refrigerator to get something.

   When I opened the door, it suddenly struck me that I’d seen this “look” before!  This is what I remember Mama’s refrigerator always looking like — packed!

Because my mind and mouth usually work in tandem (in my mind/out my mouth), I blurted out to Hubby, “This is my mother’s refrigerator!”.

Hubby, knowing exactly what I was referring to, replied, “Yeah, I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

Hmmm.  I loved my Mama, but this is a habit of hers I don’t particularly want to emulate, so whatever else I do today, “clean the fridge” is definitely on the list!

Am I the LAST one to know this?

 

Did everyone else in the world know this?  How did I miss it?

    When did some clever packaging designer come up with this?  See the little tab you can press in on the ends of the aluminium foil package?  Apparently they are meant to hold the roll in the box.  I wouldn’t know because I’ve never used them.  I had no idea they were there!

At the after-reunion reunion committee meeting we had this week, somehow this came up in conversation.  I was shocked that I, the possesser of more rolls of wrap than I can probably use in a lifetime, had never heard of such a thing!  We were meeting here, so I immediately went to the pantry …

   … where I have “a few” rolls of wraps, and grabbed the aluminum foil off the top of the stack to see if it had the tabs that had been mentioned.  Sure enough, it did!

Later, I took the time to look at the other boxes to see if they all have the tabs — they don’t.

    I found it especially interesting that a 100 sq. ft. roll of Saran wrap had the tabs, but a 200 sq. ft. roll didn’t.  Maybe the larger roll is heavy enough that it doesn’t require the assistance of tabs?  Or is it that Cling Plus is easier to manage than Premium?  Questions I can ponder at my leisure, since I’m retired.

Well, now that I know they are there, I’m going to start “engaging” the tabs whenever they do appear on a box.  I’m all for any little convenience that makes life easier.

Be sure to tell me if you didn’t know this either.  I’d really like to think that there are at least two of us who didn’t know this!

May this be the hardest thing you have to think about today.  Happy Saturday!

Act in haste, repent at your leisure …

 

Haste makes waste …

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure …

and

A stitch in time, saves nine (although this one probably isn’t true in my case.  An inexperienced seamstress like me is better off going ahead and putting in the other nine stitches right away, because the “preventative” one usually doesn’t hold!)  But, I digress …

I am sick, sick, sick, both physically and emotionally.

The physical sick almost kept me from attending my 45th class reunion Saturday night.  But I was determined not to miss it, so I went to Redi-Med that morning and had the doctor confirm that I didn’t have Swine Flu (I would not want to be remembered at the 50th reunion as the classmate who endangered the lives of everyone at the 45th!).  So after he diagnosed it as a virus and prescribed a Z-pack, I went to the reunion, but sounded like Suzanne Pleshette or Boris Karloff, take your pick, avoided hugging and just generally breathing on people, and had a wonderful time.

So yes I was physically sick, but I’m getting over that.  And in a week it will be forgotten.

But the other sick will last much longer.

   This is the Panasonic Lumix Hubby bought me for Christmas so that I could carry it in my purse.  I have loved this camera and have enjoyed having it with me at all times (in one of its two Vera Bradley tech bags that fit it perfectly).  Many, many times I have gotten it out and taken a picture of something that was fleeting, when there certainly wouldn’t have been time to go home to get a camera!

    But now … see how the shutter looks funny?  And can you see the damage to the upper right edge of the lens in this picture?

All of those sayings that I began this post with … are true!  I hurried and was careless and the result is that I damaged my camera beyond reasonable repair.  And that is the “sick” that the antibiotics won’t cure and that will be with me for a while.

Here’s my “teachable moment” as the president would say. 

Thursday I took Mimi to the zoo.

     As we were leaving, because I have learned to look for “linking” photos that I can use to create a story line in a post, I got out my camera and took one last shot (not even a great one, as it turns out!) of Mimi getting into the car as we were leaving the zoo.  And then, because I was in a rush and a little distracted getting her into her car seat and buckled up, I did something I have rarely done — I just put the ”naked” camera on the front seat instead of returning it immediately to its little protective bag and then into my purse.

When we drove into the garage at home, I gathered up my purse, the mail I had retrieved from the mail box across the street on the way past and my camera, and Mimi and I started to walk into the house.  But then she said something to me that I didn’t hear and I turned around to ask her what she said.  When I turned, the things in my hands shifted and the camera fell out of my hands and landed on the concrete garage floor.  I picked it up quickly and was relieved that it didn’t appear to be hurt (a classic case of denial) — I hadn’t seen how it landed, so I was hoping a corner had taken the brunt of the fall.

I hurried into the house, put all the things I was carrying down, and turned the camera on to make sure it was all right.  When I turned it on, the lens would try to open over and over, but would never fully expand.  Hubby came into the room and I told him my awful news.  He looked at it closely and show me where the edge of the lens had apparently hit the concrete and bent.

I immediately called Sunny Schick, the oldest and best known photo shop in town.  The owner, in a very nice way, told me several things I really didn’t want to hear.  First of all, being dropped is, by far, the number one cause of camera damage (sure, rub it in).  And, number two, the lens is, by far, the most expensive part of the camera — so, it is most of the value of the camera.  Meaning, when you damage the lens, you would probably spend almost as much to repair it as what it would cost to buy a new camera.  He said that I could bring it in, if I wanted to, and for $16 they would send it to the factory and get an estimate of how much it would cost to repair it.  I will probably do that, but he didn’t give me much hope.

So, I am heartsick about the loss of my beloved camera.  And the worst is — I have no one to blame but myself.  I was careless with something I loved and I paid the price.

Truly, “Act in haste, repent at your leisure.”  And a lesson learned, I hope.  But wouldn’t you think by this time in my life, I would have already learned all these lessons?!

Rats.  I just thought of another old saying.  I hope it’s not true!  “You can’t teach an old dog, new tricks.”

You know, now that I think about it, that just may be one of the sayings that isn’t true.  Because if it were true, I wouldn’t have learned to write a blog two years ago and then how to put pictures on that blog.  I remember those were both hard for me to learn, but I did it!  So, I think this old “dog” may still have a couple of “new tricks” up her sleeve! 

I hope so.  I hope I can remember this experience, and think next time before being careless with something I love.

And, maybe reading my sad little story will help you remember this lesson too.  I would like that.

A Silk Purse from a Sow’s Ear

This little house sets on a corner that we passed frequently when our kids were in high school because it was between our house and the school.  But, at that time, over 20 years ago, it was vacant, run-down and looked like it was going to fall down.

Then someone bought it … and it was transformed.  Yes, they fixed up the house, but that isn’t what I notice.  When I go by there now, as I did yesterday, I never fail to notice all the flowers everywhere.

What a gift this homeowner gives to everyone who drives past this formerly neglected house, that is now a thing of beauty because of all the flowers!