Virtual Aquarium -- No Fuss, No Mess, No Trouble!

We discovered the greatest computer fix-it guy ever through a friend and co-worker. Jon Roth, FiremanPC, makes house calls in addition to working out of an office. He is SO easy to talk to (hard to find in a geek sometimes), friendly in a down-to earth sweet and genuine way, answers my emails quickly. A true godsend.

When we upgraded the PC recently Jon loaded something we didn't order. A screen saver that is THE COOLEST thing on the planet: a virtual aquarium! My dad had a tank of tropical fish in our house when I was growing up. I remember the water changing/tank cleaning, the fish feeding, leakage, dead fish dredging.....etc etc.... and as an adult I've never been interested in having my own.

BUT what a fantastic surprise this app has been. I love looking at this everyday. The colors, the movement, the sound. Such the perfect alternative for us!! Here are the features:

1. A clear crystal slice nestled in the coral and rocks on the right side. Its face changes showing 4 phases- logo; day/date/time; clock face with current time including second hand; current month's calendar with date circled/digital clock.

2. Rock formation with lush, colorful coral clusters and mosses sprinkled about.

3. Bubbles rise in a constant plume at the back. You can turn up the volume to hear their sound just like a regular pump. (I love this -- makes it all the more 'real'!! I've gotten so used to it that I actually miss that subtle gurgling when it's not running.)

4. A starfish lives in and around the rocks and the aquarium floor. You can see the tentacles move and follow its progress as it travels around the tank.

5. The tropical fish are very colorful and swim at their leisure through the scene. All kinds and sizes. AND the mostest, coolest part is that you control the groups you want to see. You can set it so the same fish live in your tank =or= they can change!! After we use our computer and this screen saver reappears, we have it set so another whole group of fish appear. Keeps it interesting for sure! Their easy-paced gliding, their gracefully flowing fins provide a wonderful stress relieving ambiance.

6. The lighting effects change from sun-up/day to sundown/night. Interesting to watch how this changes the perspective from the viewer's vantage point 'outside' the tank.

We all know that simple things are the best things -- this relaxing, carefree animation is simple and an opportunity to treat yourself in an uncomplicated way. Enjoy!

Dr Ann Ansel, Regular Skin/Mole Checks and One Small Request

My dermatologist, Dr. Ann Ansel, removed 3 moles from my right leg in March, one just above my knee, two on the back of my calf. (I'm a veteran of these procedures -- I stopped counting after number 30. Yep. 30.) The first came off my breastbone area. Went black =snap!!= like that when I was in college. Most were easily shaved off, a few surgically removed and sutured.

Peeling off the BandAid the following morning, I assumed I would see the same old-same old. Wait a minute. I took a double take. Then shock set in: There was a DIVOT, a 1/4 deep hole, in the top of my leg. A true Kodak moment - I froze. In a flash I leaned over to rip the other two bandages off -- two more divots revealed. What the #@*?!

Thoughts started ricocheting off the brain walls -- WHAT??! Why did this happen??! Why didn't Ann tell me I'd see freakin' holes in my leg?!!? Do I have melanoma?? How long will the lab tests take?? What IF I have cancer?? She talked about taking 4 more off!! More divots!! This is going to take weeks to heal!?!

I look like I got shot point-blank with a nail gun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Writing about it now six weeks later: 1) I can report the holes have shrunk to indentations capped with scabs. (I have surprised myself by not picking at them. And I HATE scabs. Nasty, itchy patches. I pick at them. Always have. Somehow convinced myself this time that three ugly scars just weren't worth it.) And 2) The office called with the lab report results : two of the three were funky - oh, man - but Ann removed all three in their entirety so absolutely no problems. Gulp. Thank you, Lord.

Here's my mini lecture delivered straight from the heart: Take the time to observe your moles, discolorations, etc. PLEASE PLEASE never hesitate to pick up the phone and get an appointment if you have any sort/kind/inkling/feeling/question about your skin. Melanomas and basal cells are serious developments that can lead to death. Blunt truth. Don't be stupid or casual or dismissive. End of lecture. Go and check your skin. Yes, that means now!

(Psst!!! Dear God, I am so blessed all is well...but...there's just one little-bitty-tiny-thing --- Possible to do something about that scab thing?? Could we just somehow skip right over that step in the healing process? How about erasing them from the planet for ever and ever and ever? Really appreciate it if you would take take of this. Love, Julie)

Snarky and Darbs

Don't you just love those two words? I'm sure they appear listed in some dictionary somewhere on the planet, legitimizing their existence. I was introduced to these by two different, two wonderfully, two well-spoken very sophisticated ladies (all true!) in my life. And how fortunate for me I must add.

Oh! And trust me. You will find they are not only really quite useful in and of themselves but will most definitely add a touch of colorful 'spice', shall I say, to your descriptions and personal opinions. (Guaranteed to garner you 'extra' attention ~ much like the addition of yummy icing on a fresh slice of cake ~ when the absolute value of your truth and knowledge is clearly acknowledged your rapt audience.)

Definitions, as I learned them, are as follows:
Snarky: 1. to be snippy. 2. in a bad mood. 3. have no patience to deal with anyone
(people exhibiting this behavior have even been seen to narrow their eyes and/or curl their lip)

Darb: 1. some item you feel has no redeeming value. 2. some item you find particularly ugly. (when claiming this the speaker may well portray that definite 'ew' look on their face)

Say each out loud. Go ahead. No one is around. First, snarky Snnnaarky. Really draw out the 'n'. Next, darb. Daaarb. Emphasize the 'a' sound. Force it up out of your throat and down your tongue.

Now I want you to add both to your vocabulary and ... AND... I challenge each and every one of you to incorporate them into your conversations at once every single day.

Pssst! Just between us. They do so make such lasting impressions, don't you think?

I'm Melting....Melting......

Now I know how Margaret Hamilton felt as her wicked self began to get smaller and smaller. How did I miss my copy of the What To Expect When As You Grow Older Calendar??*#! Who publishes it and how did they forget me?? I am SOOOOO un-prepared.

Call me crazy but I thought this shrinking stuff was NOT going to happen now. Maybe in my 70's. I could gracefully accept that. But not in my 50's!! At my last physical and last female appointments I made both nurses re-measure my height because I was sure they had misread the mark. I'm still reeling. And complaining. And in shock.

I have always been the tallest female in my family. At 5'6" since my freshman year in high school I enjoyed being taller than a lot of women. Now? 5' 43/4"... FIVE FOUR AND THREE QUARTER ....AARGH! I cannot believe it.

This really, really sucks. Excuse the vernacular but that really describes how I feel. God, I am not happy. I count my blessings every single day. I am so thankful for my family, my health, my home, my job. No tsunamis. No tornadoes. No droughts or famine. No plagues. No nuclear contaminations. We can pay our bills. There's food on our table.

Still I am annoyed with another body change I personally feel should happen YEARS down the pike. Oh, well. No one ever listens to me and, so, I remain your ever faithful and loving Incredible Shrinking Woman.

Cinderella (or Goldilocks?) at the Ritz

Seeing my daffodils unfurl reminds me of my twenty years in the floral biz. Don't miss the long days of the holiday calendar that stretched from November to May. Don't miss the pine tar that coated my fingers and nails from all the evergreen product --- and the trying to pay the cashier for my groceries during a quick stop on the way home when my money or credit card stuck to the stubborn residue on my hands. Do miss the glorious fragrance of the freesia, gardenias, plumeria, hyacinth, lilac, stock, ginestra. Do miss our yearly January and July buying trips to the Atlanta and Dallas markets. Do miss Dallas's own Bob's Steak and Chop House, Atlanta's Morton's, the Ritz's Strawberry Daiquiris.

But what's to follow is story of how lucky one girl can be when traveling with two guys while waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. PICTURE THIS: Your plane is late and you arrive at your hotel, the Ritz Carlton, which is comp'd each trip by a vendor you patronize, around 11:20pm. There are two rooms available -- a suite and a two-bed room. The guys opt for the later. The girl gets the former. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!! YOU TWO DON"T WANT THE SUITE?? Well, then, outta my way boys, 'coz THIS girl is heading straight towards a dream-come-true!!!!

After the guys had come and gone with the aforementioned daiquiris to go over our game plan for our first day on the gift mart floor, I still so ecstatic with my surroundings that I decided to just enjoy. I lounged on all the chairs and the couch, watched TV in both the sitting room and my bedroom, I admired both bathrooms collecting twice the number of luxurious personal product goodies, read the magazines which included Veranda and Town and Country (which had been provided for my comfort, of course). Basically Cinderella had arrived at the ball and she was taking full advantage of her once-in-a-lifetime, all-expenses-paid night of fantasy.

About 4am the drowsy princess, now sweetly tucked under the cozy goose down comforter, fell into a blissful state of beautiful dreams. When she awoke she had to move her things to another room but that was all right with her. For she left a glass slipper tucked w-a-a-a-y under the bed to be collected at some time in the future.........

Menopausal Echoes: The Bad Habit of Interrupting

You know how your body immediately reacts when you hear a VERY LOUD, SHARP sound? Believing it is in your best interest to protect yourself, you instinctively hunch your shoulders, compress your body to make yourself smaller and lower your head. Time is of the essence and there's not a second to waste.

One of the aftershocks of Menopause I have experienced is the development of a VB&A: a Very Bad and Annoying habit. I find myself unable to stop blurting out a question or a change of subject or an idea right in the middle of someone else's dialog. It's like I had Tourette's or something. It is pathetic at best. Rude. Ridiculous. Offensive as all get out. Not to mention embarrassing!

And I can't seem to stop myself. My only excuse, poor though it may be, is that these days my memory is like swiss cheese and I have the attention span of a gnat. I'm so afraid I'll lose my train of thought which I am so desperately holding onto (figuratively) with both hands ... and feet, truth be told ... that I just kind-of break into whatever is being said and spill my two cents quickly before that tenacious hold slips and whatever 'it' was flies off into the dark depths of oblivion.

Some days the brain fares better than others. Or I have a piece of paper and a pen I can scribble a quick notation. Or I'm not easily distracted and can stay sharp and on task. Now what was that joke about the inte =MOO!= rrupting cow ........

Still a Favorite: Helen Winnemore Craft

Tucked in a red brick home with an inviting walled patio at 150 E Kossuth in German Village, is a marvelous gift (for someone special ... or for yourself!) shop awaiting your arrival. Curbside parking is available on this quiet, tree-lined street directly out front. And after being greeted with a warm "hello" and an offering of freshly brewed tea or coffee, you will begin a browsing exploration at your own pace of this wonderful spot. Expect to find unique, artistic, and delightful items.

My history with this Columbus treasure goes back many years to my childhood. My mother introduced me to Helen and her eclectic collection of hand crafts when she was located in a marvelous old Victorian near Broad and Parsons. The refreshing anticipation of what I might find every time I crossed the threshold was not lost in Helen's move to her new German Village home. My first stop...more like a bee-line...was, is, and always will be, the multi-drawed wall cabinet which never fails to reveal enticing hand-wrought jewelry that calls to my heart. (My love of jewels began as a child and is so much a part of me still!) Sarah Kellenberger is now the proprietress of HWC, carrying on Helen's legacy while adding her own loving touch, special style and fun personality to molding the collection the shop holds today.

The promise of the unexpected, the assurance of high quality, and the surprise of the unusual. May the mixture of those elements lovingly offered on a tree-lined street in German Village draw you and yours to experience the Columbus tradition that is Helen Winnemore Craft.