FAB FIND!!! The $6.99 J Crew Favorite Tank

Discovered these at the J Crew store in the Tangers Outlet mall (formerly Prime Outlets) near Washington CH, OH. They are a gift from the gods. A boon for all of us who are either dealing with the M-word or need to wear professional clothes which includes lined suit jackets, of which I wore one today. Just thinking about that rayon material makes me cringe. And sweat. As I sit in the AC. Keeping cool. Tonight. In the basement. In very lightweight loungy clothes. So I won't sweat. (Oops! That's perspire. Gotta remember: Ladies perspire.)

Ok, ok. Getting back to J Crew. When you walk in the door, look to your right. The wall between you and the check-out counter is covered with little painted square cubbies. Which are filled with little folded scraps of clothes. Which come in many colors. Solid and Striped. Which are as manna from heaven. *Be sure to try on. Sizes are a little wonky in that you may need a size larger than your usual.

The Favorite Tank is 6.99. When held up, these look like old-fashioned ribbed cotton mens sleeveless tee shirts. Like the kind my dad wore in the summer under the crisp white button-down shirts he wore to work. Long enough to cover most of your rear end, too. Eliminating day-long hassle. You bend over -Tuck tail back in - You reach up for a file or can of soup or a shoe box -Tuck tail back in. Nope. None of that.

Perfect as a light buffer under those heavy, lined suit jackets. Perfect to sleep in. Perfect over your sports bra at the gym (yup, I'm referring to the same one that had me trapped in my 8/4 post). Perfect for working in the yard. Perfect for just about anything.

I've made two trips down to fetch some. Going back soon for more. Best you hurry before I buy them all. Really. Maybe you better rush. Or better yet why don't you leave now and be there when the store opens tomorrow. I'm just sayin'....

Card from a Friend

A very special friend (sending a shout out to you, JK, in Las Vegas) mailed this Hallmark card to celebrate my birthday a couple of years ago. I had tucked it into my file drawer and I stumbled on it today when cleaning out said drawer. It resonates with me still. May the words make an impression on your day as well.

**Message below is exactly as it appears in the card, printed mere spaces from the inner crease on the right panel.

breathe deep

talk slow

walk soft

let go

give big

take less

don't count

just guess

act fair

think long

laugh loud

plan bold

dream far ...

feel loved.

you are.

Damned if They Do and Damned if They Don't

Hurricanes are fickle forces of nature. Much like tornadoes. The first is hard to second-guess. The second to predict. Their ferocious energies instill awe and fear. Their paths depend upon existing weather conditions reducing forecasting to a guessing game, no matter how educated those guesses might be.

The only hurricane experience I can claim was in 1993. We had rented a condo in Emerald Isle on Bogues Banks, SC, for a week. On the third day a mandatory evacuation was called due to Hurricane Felix making its presence felt in the Atlantic. My husband and I fell swiftly, and deeply, into depression at this unwelcomed news and our then newly-turned five year old became the voice of reason. We did NOT want to leave and he calmly stated we WERE leaving. So off we went (literally), one car in a long line of motor vehicles, and headed inland to spend the night hoping we could return very soon. But, as luck or hurricanes would have it, Felix decided to hover....and hover....and hover off the coast, never making land fall BUT definitely ruining our much needed vacation.

Pubic officials have to make a judgement call. If they don't, tragedies could happen which may well have been avoided. And when they do, criticism erupts. The situation boils down to one word - choices. The weather experts do their best. The government officials do theirs. Then the citizens make their own decisions. To stay. To leave. To procrastinate. To walk out on a pier when the waves are over 20 feet tall. To board up windows before driving away, watching their home disappear in the rear view mirrors hoping its still standing when they return.

Irene made her mark on the season of 2011. Personally I believe that respecting these forces of nature is the only intelligent course. Acting responsibly saves lives and protects property. I'd much rather be relieved with a 'non event' as some have called this than attend a funeral.

Thought for the Day: We're All a Bunch of Crabs

This extremely deep, introspective, sophisticated ...... Ok, let me start over.

Actually the inspiration for this concept literally popped into my brain as I was listening to a friend describe her recent move to a new house. After immediately sharing my thought with her we both started laughing because it's TRUE!

Roll with me here for a second: Most of us have dressed in siblings' hand-me-down clothes or fun thrift store bargains which someone else wore; we move into a house someone else moved out of; we buy a used car someone else drove; we acquire an RV someone else used; etc etc etc (this is where you add your ideas...)

Now take the leap and picture this: It's like watching the crabs on Bowman's Beach. One crab dashes across the sand to a bigger hole previously dug by a fellow crustacean but no longer wanted. Another crab leaves its current shell 'home' and scrambles into an empty larger shell, taking possession by squatter's rights. The now newly abandoned smaller hole and shell get claimed quickly by two brand new tenants willing to take advantage of these unexpected opportunities. Right?

So let's review! Basically these creatures are all dashing around trying to: 1. make their lives better; 2. find more room, and, 3. get good deals.

Sound familiar?

5 Reasons NOT to Lean Over a Bathroom Sink

1. Watching in horror as a half pair of diamond stud earrings tumbles downward to join the rushing water disappearing into that deep, dark hole of a drain.

2. Having to bravely and gracefully endure your husband's creative and EXTREMELY colorful adjectives and nouns while he dismantles the U-pipe under the above mentioned sink to retrieve the aforementioned half pair of diamond stud earrings.

3. Standing at the kitchen counter writing a $233.70 check to the plumber for snaking the huge hair clog from the pipe which adjoins two bathroom sinks. SO not pretty.

4. Listening to the screeches of a woman in an airport restroom as she slaps at the side of the sink trying to stop the temporary crown which as fallen out of her mouth from going down the dr...oops, too late....

And, drumroll, last but not least: 5. Hearing a little awed voice talking to itself saying, "Cool! Just like Grandpa's." Peering around the door frame in time to hear the sound of metal scraping down the incline of the bowl. "Whatcha' doin'?" "Look! Pennies slide down just like my sled on Grandpa's hill." Great. Yeah, just great.

The *&@#!*?* Sports Bra

So last night was one of my wide-awake-why-lie-down-not-going-to-sleep nights. Husband went to bed and I stayed up to work on the computer. Perfect time to use my energy to get work I brought home from the store and some personal stuff accomplished.

About 1 o'clock am I put on my pj's. Strike that. About 1 o'clock am I TRIED to put on my pj's. Had my work-out clothes still on and I crossed my arms in front of my chest in order to grab the bottom of my sports bra to pull it up over my head. (This is my favorite one -- bright sunny yellow. Nike. Size Large -- I'm not that big BUT nevertheless it's what I bought thinking it would by more comfortable. And by the way, that label is a lie anyway.)

Brain said: LIFT. I tugged. 'Nuttin, honey. Not one tiny little budge. Tried again. The elastic band at the bottom flipped up. That was it.

So I'm standing there still with my arms crossed and I started to giggle. If this moment was videotaped I could just see it posted on YouTube under the "Woman Held Captive by Sports Bra" category. Guess if you can't laugh at yourself, you don't have the right to laugh at anyone else.

We can handle the mundane, the unexpected, the urgent, the obligations, the kids, the husband, the schedules without a blink of an eye. Yet here I was held hostage by spandex.

Won't you tell on yourself, below in 'Comments', a situation you found yourself in when your sense of humor came to your rescue? We can all smile together.

(And, yes, I got it off....after I quit laughing and could concentrate. FOCUS, girl! FOCUS!)

Guardian Angels

I pictured for years, when my husband traveled for business, an angel with a flaming sword sitting on our roof every night. Protecting. Keeping away evil. Battling any bad guys. I could sleep at night with a heavenly partner in my corner. Especially after our child was born.

When my son entered high school the intensity of the social culture kicked up a notch. Not so much the popularity pressure but other influences like alcohol. Drugs. Smoking. Sex. As a parent vigilance took on an intense new meaning. I asked for the Holy Spirit to protect my son. To re-enforce good decisions, right choices. Two names and faces appeared in my mind' eye: 'Frank' with glasses, short dishwater blond hair, thin, kind of geeky. 'Joe' -- darker/longer hair, brown eyes, very cool dude. (Guess our kid needed extra attention!)

During the college years I found myself praying even harder, relying on them all the more. All this sound weird? To you, maybe. To me? Absolute relief. Four years flew by. No calls from jail or the hospital.

We could look at this from a practical viewpoint. Strictly as an employment issue. Think of all the good souls now living in God's house. Their loyalty, faith, focus to duty are unquestionable making them excellent prospects for the millions of positions available. It's the perfect situation. Their talents partnered with the desperate need here on earth. Talk about a win-win.

So -- we're down to brass tacks. Do GA's exist? I haven't seen any. Nor talked to one. No correspondence has ever been exchanged. No fingerprints, footprints, etc etc. (... or wing-prints in this case) have been found in or around my house. No physical evidence. But that's what makes it feel so good. My faith alone unequivocally tells me they are here.

And that's all the proof I need.