Empty Nest, the prequel

It sure is quiet around here. The two babies are at school, and so far, only Rush Limbaugh or the soothing voices of the classical public radio station are filling a too-quiet space with sound. It's kind of nice to be able to listen to a piece played that you've never heard before. As the piece ends, you wait to hear the announcer tell you what it was.

At this exact moment, someone falls and hurts themselves, or you're summoned loudly to the family room to hear the "Love Ducks" song performed on "Arthur" for the third time in a week. "Maybe it was 'Mozark,' Mommy," the oldest says, trying to be helpful. Of course, everything played on the radio is 'Mozark' to her!

The eyes have it....

Les yeux sont le miroir de l'ame.

"The eyes are the mirror of the soul." This I believe to be true. I've noticed a troubling trend these days, and that is the lack of eye contact in our society. I'm handed change at the local megastore, with a curt "thanks" addressed directly above my head, left to wonder what is so intriguing above me that the person cannot look me in the eyes.

Is the person painfully shy? I can live with this. However, I'm left wondering what they have to hide. Are they afraid I will be able to see them as a real person, with real emotions? Have we perpetrated a society of persons who are afraid to look directly at anything but a computer screen or cell phone display? Let's hope a reversal of this trend will occur, and soon.

QB or not QB, that is the question

Aah. Fantasy Football. Two words that liven up any autumn weekend. Leaves fall outside, records fall inside. You hope your players do not become synonymous with words like "season-ending injury", or if you're a Vikings fan, "BOAT TRIP". Names like Shaun, Peyton, and LaDanian are dropped like they're your next door neighbors, and Monday morning finds you telling your computer to hurry up as the week's standings are updated.

Best of luck to everyone, except to those teams I will be matched up against. I am the only female in a public league, a loner in the Testosterone Zone. Look out boys, as the Mall Rats come charging on through!

Sergio Garcia, where art thou?

Okay, Sergio. It's hard to golf with your hands around your throat. Work on the putting!! The putting is all. You are an awesome golfer, and I'll even forgive your various wardrobe malfunctions (yellow and red, ouch!) but if you could win one, just one major this year, I will be so happy for you. I'm the last person who wants to start calling you the "Spaniard with a Lanyard." Little choke!

Mayfair Lady

About 15 years ago, my life changed forever when I met the houseplan of my dreams. I was nearly finished reading my issue of Victoria magazine when...I saw it. A Queen Anne Victorian. It was called "Mayfair" and it was perfect.

Never mind the man of my dreams had not yet materialized, as this is a four- bedroom and bathroom house. I was struck by its size, beauty, and design. Before I died, I vowed, I would watch this house be built for me. John Keats penned "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." Visualizing this house, even on paper, is one of those things for me.

Modesty loves company

I've noticed some blogs out there where the authors and/or contributors seem to revel in telling all sorts of information about themselves, especially regarding their bedroom activities. Do they not realize that they are putting their whole selves on e-display for all the world to read? Do they know how easy it is for their significant others, potential employers, and everyone else to read about their past and current exploits?

What if it's down to you and one other person for a job, and the interviewer decides to dig a little deeper for information? Your posts, from the mundane to the perverse, can be easily found and you may be turned down based on one comment made at 2:45 a.m. three months ago that you don't even remember posting. Just something to think about.

When life hands you lemons...

don't you just want to drop them on the floor and squash the living heck right out of them? I am tired of adjustable rate mortgages, having too much month left at the end of the money and a car with bad brakes. I believe that God never gives us more than we can handle but my arms are starting to hurt a bit. I pray relief will soon be in sight.

Movies you have to see!

Looking for a good film to watch?

Try these:

***Sound of Music
***To Kill A Mockingbird
***Fiddler on the Roof
***Amadeus
***A Little Princess
***Anne of Green Gables
***Little Women
***Penny Serenade
***An American in Paris
***Remains of the Day
***Finding Neverland
***Emma
***Singin' in the Rain
***Steel Magnolias
***Phantom of the Opera
***Places in the Heart
***Miss Rose White
***The Age of Innocence
***Shadowlands

Books that will inspire you...I promise!

Books I've read that I think you would like, too...

The Bible

To Kill A Mockingbird -- Harper Lee

Little Women -- Louisa May Alcott

Some Wildflower For My Heart -- Jamie Langston Turner

A Girl of the Limberlost -- Gene Stratton Porter

A Little Princess, The Secret Garden -- Frances Hodgson Burnett

Redeeming Love -- Francine Rivers

Pretense -- Lori Wick

Anne of Green Gables -- L.M. Montgomery

More to come....