Chocolate Chip Cookies

Just plain old chocolate chip cookies are not my thing. At all. Give me a nice oatmeal raisin or a snickerdoodle or heaven forbid, molasses cookies and I am un-stoppable. But when it comes to regular chocolate chip cookies, I'm over it. I can leave them in the cookie jar or on the plate or wherever, no problem at all.

So now that I've said that, there was once ONE chocolate chip cookies, Toll House I believe, made by my gal pal Teresa, that was to die for. Fortunately for me, she lives in Sonoma County California (fortunately for many many reasons - like I get to visit wine country whenever I want... anyway) she made De-Li-Ci-Ous Toll House cookies. That's my one caveat for this post...

Until now.

I recently have been reading several cooking blogs, ok who am I kidding I read them all the time, but I came across a chocolate chip cookie recipe that actually gave me a craving. Very strange indeed. I decided that with Mister around, chocolate chip cookies wouldn't go to waste, why not whip up a batch and try the new twist(s) I had read about. Worst case scenario, I wouldn't care for them and Mister would have a fresh batch of cookies.

Mister and I don't do dairy. Because Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips have dairy in them, we buy Ghirardelli semi-sweet chips. They taste fabulous and are dairy free.

Anyway, I started with the recipe on the back of the package then added two little items. 1 Tbsp espresso powder (you could just as easily use instant coffee, that was the tip I'd read about, I just didn't have any so punted). The coffee doesn't really add coffee flavor, you just don't put enough in to make the mocha cookies, although, that might be really great too. Anyway, the coffee just adds a depth of flavor, a richness that's there but not quite distinguishable. Also and 1 Tbsp flax seeds which I ground in my coffee grinder. The tip I'd found said to include the flax seeds whole, but, I don't care for the flax seeds when they get stuck to your gums - weird I know, but I've done some experimentation with flax seeds over the last 10 or so years and that is my personal outcome. You could choose whichever method you wanted - or try both if you're that daring.

The result was the MOST amazing chocolate chip cookies EVER. Remember me, I don't eat chocolate chip cookies. I couldn't keep myself from these tasty little treats. YUM. Try it. You (most likely) won't regret it. I don't know how you could.

I know!! The photos stink, but my camera and I aren't on speaking terms.

Just Read: Heart Shaped Box

Author: Joe Hill

How did I pick up this treasure - Heart Shaped Box - not exactly sure. I think I was in Stephen King mode but without wanting to actually pick up Stephen King.

So there I find myself reading this book, it was ok. Not great, but I may just not have been in the mood for this type of thriller. Interesting idea, buying a dead man's suit which is haunted by the dead man's ghost and suffering the consequences of the decidedly morbid act. My favorite parts were the main character's (Judas Coyne) dogs - Angus and Bon. Completely loyal german sheppards. I just happen to like dogs and their owner loyalty.

A little predictable and a nice pretty bow ties up the ending, but, that's what we readers usually want, a tumultuous story with a nice ending where the main characters live happily ever after. Sometimes you have to read a book just for the plain old terror of it knowing full well there will be not much in it that is thought provoking. That was this book for me.

Vaux's Swifts

Are you aware of these cute little birds, the Vaux Swift? You should check out the link, there's tons of info, well, actually all over the internet. It seems that Portland has one of largest roosts in the world of these little birds.

I write about these small dark birds shaped like a cigar with crescent shaped wings migrate right through the Portland area each year. They have chosen to roost during the month of September in the chimney of the Chapman School. Each night during September, just before sunset, the birds congregate and swarm and buzz about. I'm not sure what they are doing, but they seem to be getting the last bits of evening air before they snuggle down for the night inside the chimney stack. The Swifts have done this for years. Last night Mister and I checked it out. We sat on the grassy hill with hundreds of other people who were picnicking and hanging with friends and watched as the birds made their way to bed. It was pretty cool. Mister didn't think we should ever do that again, once was good enough. But, I'm thinking that a trek to the school early in September with a picnic dinner and a bottle of wine would be quite relaxing.

See if you can find some swifts in your area and check them out.

Unsend

The bad thing is once you press "send", there is no "unsend" button. Even if you are sure, because you are a ponderer and a muller, it still might be nice to, once in awhile, be able to unsend. Maybe.

The last couple weeks have been a trial. I'm just unable to put into words how things are going right this very minute. Don't ask, I won't be able to put it into words for quite some time. If ever.

The beauty is, if I am ever able, you'll know, it'll be here.

Ok, let's look at the positive, its Friday and the weather is beautiful outside.

Ciao bellas!

Privacy

• There are some things that are none or your business.
• There are some things that you don't need to know about, it doesn't matter how curious you are about them.
• It doesn't matter how much you are obsessed and even stressed about some things, you don't have to know everything about everything and everyone.
• There are some things better left in the past.

These are difficult things to come to term with live with when you are a middle child, like I am.

Just Watched: Arctic Tale

Arctic Tale

I'm a National Geographic girl. I grew up watching Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. I'm a child of the '70's. So, I love this kind of stuff. It is getting more and more difficult to watch though. In my child hood, we could watch Marlin Perkins and his cohort Jim Fowler wrastle (I know how I spelled it, sound it out, its funnier, anyway...) a crocodile or a boa constrictor to the ground and it was just a nature show with one far away exotic animal or another and the antics we humans went through to preserve them.

Today, nature movies have a tendency to be about one creature or another on the brink of extinction or at the very least rapidly losing habitat mostly due to human growth and expansion and/or global warming.

Its a bit depressing. I still can't help myself from "oohing and aaaahing and saying to Mister - look hun, cute little bears!" when the mother polar bear and her two cubs climb out of the birthing den for the first time and watching the cubs play and tackle each other.

Blah blah blah, just another nature film. I'm sure I'll watch more of them and they become increasingly sad, at least to me. A good thing for kids though, I would think.

I'm off to get the first of my morning 2 cups of java. Mmmmm, coffee!

Enjoy!

Small Changes

If you've been following along in my saga, you know I'm in transition, I'm moving from one place (wherever that is!!?!!) to another (and where exactly is that???!!!). In that light, yesterday was the first day of Fall, Autumn, my favorite time of the year. I love transitioning from too warm to be able to sleep at night to - ooh, where's that extra blanket - and Harley (and Mister) snuggling up next to me for warmth. As an aside, I just happen to be a 400 watt heater (is that big?? I was going for a really big heater reference here...) all day, all night, all the time. Its lovely (insert facetious smirk here). I love watching the trees morph from lush green to golden yellows and radiant oranges and reds. The trees lose their leaves and suddenly you can see things you couldn't before. A wall of greenery becomes a thin veil of branches allowing a peak into places hidden for months.

That's what I need, a new way of seeing my current situation. A new view into what's going on around me.

In that light and in recognition of the new season (not really, just a fabulous coincidence) I got rid of the blonde.

It doesn't really look like that big of a change, but it is if you saw it in person. The highlights which started out as an accent on my natural color, eventually took over without my realizing it. People would refer to "the blonde" and I wouldn't know who they were talking about - it was me.

That's, I guess, sort of been the story of my life lately. Ordinary routine has settled in without my realzing it and taken over. Its a work in process, but I'm going to change things up. I'm going to make things better, for me, which in turn has to equal out to better for those around me.

I possess happy today. I'm going to wallow in it and embrace it and 'be' in it while I'm here. I know someday (or hour) soon, it may slip away, if only momentarily. There's no reason not to be the grasshopper and the ant - a new hybrid. I'm going to strike a balance.

Wish me luck.

Just Read: Eat, Pray, Love

Author: Elizabeth Gilbert

I'd heard about this book a lot since it first came out and just didn't pay that much attention. My sister-in-law was reading it this last winter and said it was a fantastic read. So, it was sort of pulled to the front of my brain. I finally decided to jump on the band wagon and read it too.

One woman's journey to find herself. She's taken a year to do this. She's spent 4 months in Italy, 4 months in an Ashram in India and 4 months in Bali. She wrestles with her inner thoughts and puts leashes on her personal demons. She seems to truly find herself. To me, it seems like the ultimate form of ME ME ME. Which, by the way, I wholly endorse. She has no children, is running from significant others who aren't healthy for her and somehow has enough money to sustain herself while she does this year of personal discovery. I think that if I had those personal liberties, I would do something similar. One big breath of fresh air and a mental, psychological and spiritual reboot. How can you argue with wanting a fresh start, a clear head, a brand spankin' new clean slate. It sounds great in so many ways, at least to me. Fortunately I had a fab Mister and some debts to keep me grounded or I'd most likely be outta here.

I'm probably the only person who took 6 months to read this book, but my advice to you is Read It. Oh, read it, read it, read it. It didn't take me forever to read it because it was uninteresting or bad writing. I had just gotten myself out of a reading phase. You know? Do you do that, read in phases? Anyway, its lovely and inspirational and maybe its just my current frame of mind, but it gave me hope about life and finding my path wherever that may lead. It made me want to eat cheese and live in an ashram and swim in tropical waters.

I'd love to know if you've already read it, what your thoughts were on it. And.. if you pick it up if you end up liking it.

Me and my Mister

September 20 will be our 5 year anniversary. Five years ago I met this amazing man who puts up with my insanity and kookiness and I adore him so very much.

This photo is of the side of a metal file holder which sits on my desk. I have these four magnets (which I made a moo.com) that I look at every day when I need a sanity / reality break. Us, the first winter we met and Mister at the beach a year after we met. He eats my cooking, he listens to me ramble on about stuff he doesn't care about, he loved my Mr. One, he takes care of me in ways I never knew I'd like (like vacuuming my Jeep, and mowing the lawn). He never leaves an empty roll of t.p., he makes me laugh so hard I snort, he lets me be my real best and worst me, he does things with me because I want to even though it wouldn't be something he'd think of on his own. I could go on and on but I won't bore you too much further. Our one year wedding anniversary is also coming up next month. *sigh*

Looking for Snippets of Joy

• Wine. Wine will be an integral part of my weekend.
• I actually have my toenails painted. I'm not saying its a great job, but painted nonetheless and from a distance, they look fine.
• Its Friday. WhooHoo!!
• Husband.
• Harley.
• A slow real estate market. Yes, I'm happy for that right now so I can learn it without being too pressured.
• Cool weather. I love it. I can put on something long sleeved and cozy.
• You. Yes, you. I am joyous about You.
• ...more as it comes to me during the day...
• Popcorn. I really do like popcorn.

the long haul ~ edition XXII

freedom - a basic need - well, that about says it all. i need freedom, the freedom to come and go as i please, the freedom to care with all my heart because its something i care about, the freedom to create and adore and just stop and be if that's what i need.

my needs aren't being met.

then again, my needs aren't just the freedoms noted above. my needs are shelter, food, water, cat food. those needs are being met. the cost is my sanity and happiness.

this has been brewing inside me for awhile now. i keep finding things to overshadow my need for freedom, things to take my inner focus from my inner churning to something exterior. things like getting married and my realtors license and vacations. i've found they are fleeting and only a bandaid that eventually falls off revealing the gaping would underneath which i haven't tended to. i keep hoping it will just go away with the next 'thing' i find to occupy my mind. i keep thinking its a matter of one thing or another, but its really about a basic need for freedom.

its more complicated than i am able to articulate here in writing. a writer i've never been. a rambler, yes, a writer, not so much.

i've been blog-stalking so many blogs of artists over the last year. they are so free and creative and open and its been my undoing and i hope it will, in the end, be my saving grace. to see that others out there are following their dreams wherever that leads and along the way happiness is a by-product.

my soul and heart are already out there, soaring, my body will sit in a chair at a desk in front of a computer next to a phone always moments away from fulfilling someone else's dreams and aspirations and needs. mine remain in my head and heart, for now.

one day to be released.

i hope.

possibly soon.

no way to know, just waiting for the universe to send me answers.

Ramblings on a difficult day

I turned 40 this year. It was *so* not a big deal. I have so many friends turning 40 that its just been a big festive birthday party summer. I’ve even tried to be encouraging to friends who seemed to lament the big 4 – 0. What’s the big deal anyway? I mean, its not like we can stop it from happening. Its not like we aged an entire year in one day, we really just aged one day like every other day so far. Its just a marker. Time and dates are but a man made parameter. Animals don’t even know it exists. I think it funny and interesting that humans needed to hem in time, to chop it up into all sorts of manageable lengths minutes, hours, months, years. Its all organized for us humans. I’d love to be able to feel time like animals feel it. Harley doesn’t understand the concept of time. He feels hungry (or not) and finds the food bowl. He’s tired so he takes a little nap – no matter the time of day or night. He gets up in the morning or late afternoon as his body tells him its necessary. Some nights he’s out late, some nights he’s on the back of the sofa snoozing away. He doesn’t have a hair appointment or a job or a bank account or bills or an alarm clock. I realize that sort of life for a human would most likely end in homelessness and dreadlocks and possibly body odor too. Hence its not what I’ve chosen, thus far. I am in transition. I am in dire need of a reboot, a sabbatical. I need to be taken care of financially for a while so I can readjust and re-enter the world of productive humans. My mind is foggy, my energy non-existent, I have no focus, I have no desire and I am fast deciding I don’t much care. Would I feel this way if I didn’t know I was 40? If the concept of years and counting them didn’t exist, would I be in the midst of this pre-midlife crisis? Short of winning the lottery, I’ll be here. Blank stare, wrinkled clothing, eye-liner amiss.

Not caring much either.

Just Watched: Chocolat

I know, its an older movie, but Mister, it seems, hadn't seen it. Besides, its worth seeing again. What a great message this movie has - love each other. That's the message I took away this time. And!! Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp - *love* them.

Check it out, again. Make sure you have some chocolate on hand though. I had a serious craving after that flick.

Vacation: Quick Synopsis Deux

The Oregon Dunes. We hiked, it was hot and windy, the dogs ran and ran, it was great fun. Foreground brother's wife, brother's sister (aka me), brother.

The famous Face Rock in Bandon. Seals at the beach, sunning themselves as Mister and I strolled languidly enjoying each other and the beautiful day.

The rippling sand at dusk in Gold Beach...

Beach grass... A seagull. His name could have been Sam or Ivan, not sure which. Mister and I, relaxing. Its a rarity, believe it or not. Ahh, glorious photos of the sun setting. Another rarity around this blog!!! You see, because even though the look VERY similar, most of my pics are sun*rise*.

And last but not least, a little squirrel at Crater Lake, gnawing away at a seed or nut or something breakfasty.

Those are the fill in photos from our recent travels. I had like 14 of the sun setting, but, figured you'd had enough of that.....for now.

Oy, I do love to cook

These Bubble & Squeak cakes are on my possible food list for this weekend.

Or, maybe Island Chicken and Rice. I've been having a craving for it lately.

Hopefully not both!

Depending on if we actually reach that 90 degree mark this weekend, I will also most likely pull some blackberries from the deep freeze and try another (different) cobbler recipe. Mister's mom has a recipe from her mother that I am interested in checking out. I'm also interested in changing up the original recipe using brown sugar and more oatmeal, but then it really just becomes more of a crisp, doesn't it? We'll see.

I also have a few bananas that are riper than they should be. I could have banana bread (with chocolate chips for Mister) on my horizon too.

I hope to have a bit of this (see pics below) in my weekend too. Pure relaxation.

He knows he's been spotted and photographed. Time to turn on the *real* cuteness.

That's all I've got. Maybe I'll try for some photos this weekend.

Wonderful goodness to all!

A technique

Do you love sugar cookies like I do? I love that they are vanilla flavored. What I mean is they aren't chocolate or cinnamon or licorice or anything else, they're just plain. Then!! you put on the deliciously sweet frosting and, well, they are just about the best cookie ever. In my opinion that is.

Do you hate rolling out sugar cookie dough as much as I do? The flour all over the counter and the floor and your arms and the sticky dough that doesn't always cooperate and splits and sticks even though there's tons of flour on the counter. I presume you know of what I speak.

Recently, I was in a big fat hurry to make it to a bbq and I needed something special to take with us i.e. foodwise that is. Ok, so, no one said "bring something special" but that's just me. For some unknown reason, I decided I should take sugar cookies. Mind you I have about an hour or so to make the cookies, cool the cookies, frost the cookies, pack up the cookies in such a way that they don't all stick together and oh, yes, get myself ready to go too. Anyway... In my need for speed, I had a mad idea that my small ice cream scoop, the one I use for forming other drop cookies, would make an excellent and quick (no flouring the kitchen) sugar cookie maker deally bobber thingy.

It worked amazingly well. I dipped the scoop in flour, scooped out some dough from the bowl and dropped it on the cookie sheet. Normally I would use parchment paper, I must have been in a hurry or something, 'cause the pics look like I didn't. Oh, anyway, after I dropped them on the cookie sheet, I dipped the bottom of a glass tumbler into flour then just pressed the dough into a nice disk. Bake away and when they come out of the oven are frosted and presented to bbqers for the tasting, no one believes you made them yourself #1 because they taste so dang good and #2 they are all perfectly uniform.

Do you dislike cleaning up the kitchen after baking as much as I do?

9/11

It still takes me aback. I still get goose bumps and tear up. On any given day, if the subject comes up, its the story of something tragic and sad. But every anniversary to date, without fail, it still chokes me up.

Listening to the families of the victims tell their story of how they have lived these last seven years, brings all the fear and shock and horror and disbelief back as if it happened a week ago.

I always think of that day and the days that followed and the strange dreamlike quality that set into each of my movements. How it seemed a lot of people were walking around in the same fog I was mired in. Seven years.

I'll be taking a small, personal, quiet moment of silence today to reflect and to honor.

Quick Note on new (as of today that is) Blog Header

Is that not the most seamless orange glow! The entire sky was that slowly transitioning color palette. I wish you could have been there and seen it for yourself. So, captured here for a while.

I know, I know, no one cares quite as much as I do. That's ok, I'm sharing the (my) joy anyway.

Ciao!

Vacation: Quick Synopsis

Some photos. I realize as I upload and write that a good portion of the pics are on Mister's camera, which I don't have access to at the moment. Those pics, later, maybe, hopefully, probably.

Harley gave us the sad face all morning while we packed for our trip. How pathetic does he look!! Then after a couple hours of running under foot and jumping in and out of cars and bags, he took off and hid. Poor little dude. He survived. So, our week of vacation was a driving trip. It seems less expensive than getting on an airplane and going for something more tropical, plus, we have wonderful things to see and do right here in this beautiful place we live.

The basics, a couple days w/my brother, a couple days on the south coast, a day at Crater Lake, a few days camping with family then home. All-in-all *nice*.

We started out on the coast, stayed with my brother and his new wife for a couple nights. Always great to hang with them. We hiked in the dunes, ate great food and I slept a lot, still getting over my horrendous could at that point, and well for days on end during our vacation too. On our way out of town, we stopped at the lovely Bandon, walked around, dreamed about the fudge, walked on the beach, ate grapes and cantaloup and potato chips. Yummy - road trip food.

We stopped at a couple places on the road to Gold Beach, which was our destination for the night. Cape Blanco - We wanted to check out the light house, but we were there on one of the only days each week they are closed. This is a close as we got to it. Its the tiny building just to the left of the sign on the horizon. Trust me, its there.

We hung out in Gold Beach that night and the next morning, we took a jet boat tour up the Rogue River. Wow! We live in such a great place, I can't imagine living anywhere else. The boat driver was fun and most of the passengers were in good moods, just wanting to have fun. The weather was amazing and the cool splashes from the river very welcome.

I highly recommend the jet boat adventure if you find yourself in that neck of the woods. River paddlers. Bears.

This bear was, fortunately for us and unfortunately for him, just a bit too people friendly. He hung out on the bank then climbed on the rock just feet from the rafts, looking for a handout. He'll most likely have to be relocated as his friendliness will get him into trouble with backpackers and campers. Its too bad.

Bald eagle, our nations bird. Sorry, its blurry, we were on a boat in the river when the pic was taken.

Before we left on our trip, we tried to book a room at the Crater Lake Lodge. The lodge was completely booked. So each day of our trip, we would call and ask if they had any cancellations, not really thinking we'd score, but we did. We got a teensy tiny room in the amazing lodge, spent way too much money for the amount of time we stayed there, but, the shower was hot and the sky and all the stars were practically within reach. Really a place to see at least once in a life time. We hope to make it back next year, maybe??

The deepest lake in the U.S and 7th in the world?? I am pretty sure it is.

We ended our trip, camping with family. We hiked into this falls, LeMolo Falls. Gorgeous.

That's the quickie version. It felt about that quick in person too. Maybe I'll get motivated and pull pics off Mister's camera and fill in the other days for you.

Got to go. We'll chat soon. XO Me

Wishy washy much and the banana outfit

Well, this isn't supposed to be a political blog. There are some things that I think I should comment on though.

I know its most likely old news to the most up-to-date and politically savvy of you out there, but this recently came onto my radar. $300,000+ and they feel comfortable pointing fingers at others calling "them" elite? Seriously? She looks amazing. I really do wish I had that kind of dou$h to spend just on clothing. Imagine the other fun stuff I'd have too! I'm not all about judging people for how much money they have or how they spend it. Its theirs, they should do what they want with it. I don't want some ambiguous person telling me how to spend my meager dollars. But, how we spend our dollars, whether its a few or a lot of them, tells a story of how we see ourselves in relation to those around us and the world in general. Take a good long honest look and tell me if the outfit and a "we aren't elite like the other side" attitude go together or if they are polar opposites. I know this is a political issue and that arena has a tendency toward backstabbing and outright lieing at times - hoping not to get caught at it - I just hope that Americans of all types and socio-economic levels and genders and races (and well, you name it, everyone) will be able to see the subtleties in what both parties are conveying, not just their words but their personal actions as well.

I really believe that McCain is an admirable and stand up human being. I, however, don't believe he and his party represent the bulk of Americans. (There, I said it.) They represent a faction, the wealthy and the right-minded (not to be confused with 'correct-minded' but 'right' on the political compass. I'm sad, but not shocked, that they chose a VP candidate not for her political prowess or intellgence or commitment to this country, but because she represents the ability of the GOP to prey on the women voters out there who are yet undecided because Palin is a woman and nothing more.

** breathe ** I really don't like airing my personal beliefs or feelings on most topics. I can talk all day about cooking or photography or Harley, but beliefs and tenets are personal - I think so anyway. Sometimes, we have to open our mouths and spit out what we think and feel and hopefully others can have open enough minds to listen, not judge, and take or leave what they want. That is what I try to do (so it must be the right thing for everyone to do...ahem) This is why I don't talk about politics or religion, for the most part. I have a tendency toward wishy-washy because I really believe we should each make our own choices and the thing I have the most difficulty with is when one person rants and judges other persons for having their own beliefs. I definitely believe what I believe, but I don't wish to make others think my way. I have enough trouble making my own decisions much less making them for others.

Blah, blah, blah. The "banana outfit" as it has been dubbed, just got my ire up. I'm sure tomorrow will be another blasé post without much opinion on politics or anything else of substance.

See you then.

The weekend - encapsulated - pinto beans

Chocolate cake - I made the "chocolate death" as Mister has dubbed it, cake this weekend. I only had 9 cupcake papers, so I made 9 cupcakes and the rest of the batter went into an 8-inch cake pan. Mister loved it, he's a chocolate fiend. I could take or leave it, mostly I left it. Too chocolatey for me. It was, I must admit, very moist and I can see where someone who likes/loves chocolate would like it, I'm just not that into chocolate. Mister's mom thought it was great too - moist and dense and rich and chocolatey. I would have liked it, I think, had I had some vanilla ice cream to go with it.

Pot o' pinto beans - Dinner last night was a pot of pinto beans I'd cooked for a couple hours during the day. Put pinto beans into a pot and cover w/a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil them simmer for a couple hours. Then, its time to season. Its that simple. I seasoned with salt, pepper, a few shakes of Tabasco, onion powder, 4-5 cloves minced garlic, several slices chopped turkey or ham lunch meat, 4-5 slices pickled jalapeno, bay leaves. Simmer for another good long while then eat. At the table, I had fresh chopped tomatoes and cilantro for toppings. Served it with cornbread and honeybutter a green salad and wine. Shredded cheese and/or sour cream would be divine, but we don't do dairy. Better than I thought it was going to be and the beans seem like something that could very easily be made, left plain then used during the week for dinners - spiced according to the meal of the day - nachos, tacos, any old thing really.

That is all I did this weekend.

This week I must gear up and get back into real estate. Studying documents, getting together w/my partner for planning, setting up an open house, meeting with my principal broker for guidance, it goes on and on from there.

Blah, blah, blah. Too much caffeine, too early in the day.

Mister and I drove to work today together. He's working a job downtown for awhile. We are hoping to save tons of dollars on parking and gasoline by commuting together. Won't that be great! Get up together, drive to work together, drive home together, dinner together, that's a lot of together. Lucky for us, we get along well ~ hopefully that lasts :-). So, on our drive in this morning, the skyline {not pictured below} was the softest, sweetest color of tangerine or peach or something of the sort (maybe cantaloupe). It reminded me a bit of the color of Sunny-D if it had a splash of soda water. I know, that makes no sense, but it was beautiful and made me thirsty all at the same time. Mister says to me as I'm ooing and aahing about the sunrise, "you must never see the sunrise." (?!) I'm the morning girl who is all about the sunrise. I just always think its amazing and watchable and I told him that very thing. So, when I got to the office, very early I might add, here is where the sun was on its travels today. I left the second photo in, even though its blurry, because I love that I was too lazy to walk the 5 feet out the deck door to get the photo, I just sat in my chair and shot through the window. The pics usually turn out just fine and no one is the wiser, but for some reason on the second shot, the camera decided to focus on the window. Busted. And, I really like the shot. Anyway, Good Morning. Happy September.

PS - More often than not, I do get up, walk the 5 feet and get the photo. Just sayin'

Today

So far today

• The alarm went off at an elevated volume level - not a great way to start the day
• Its Friday, so quite casual in the clothing - stopped just short of the flip-flops
• Breakfast was the powder at the bottom of the cereal bag - cause that's all I could find
• Yes, I do love Cilantro - why its also called Coriander I couldn't say. Maybe if I actually read the Wiki-link, I'd know. Nah, I'll leave that up to you.
• Talked with gal pal from the Bay area - she's so great, always makes me laugh. Negated all the bad vibes from the blaring alarm.
• I realized I'm part way through 4 different books - one day I hope to finish them.
• Random photo of the day - me in the Caymans, nigh on 5 years ago.

• Well, its early, that's all I've got - more later maybe, as the day progresses.

• 9:40AM: I am making this chocolate cake as cupcakes this weekend. I haven't made it before, but my sister says its to die for. I need a thank you for my parking lot attendant who changed a flat tire. Homemade chocolate cupcakes seem appropriate.