TAKING SOME DOWN TIME...

Sorry for the lack of blogging recently.  As many of you know, I have been having some issues with Mom.  But, things are looking up.  She is moving next week to Cedar Springs Retirement Living next week.  I have been very busy trying to get the move lined up, her packed, etc.

Mom is very excited about this new chapter in her life, which makes it much easier for me.  Hopefully things will settle down in the coming weeks.

Love

USELESS INFO TWENDNESDAY

~  The human brain uses 20% of the typical adult body's oxygen and caloric intake.

~  Mauve was the color of the first synthetic dye.  It was accidentally produced in 1856 by British chemistry student William Perkin while he was trying to synthesize quinine as a cure for malaria.

~  If you are at 0' latitude and 0' longitude you are at the spot where the equator intersects with the prime meridian-in the Atlantic (in the Gulf of Guinea), off the coast of Africa about 380 miles south of Ghana.

~  At the outset of World War II, the Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. had a subterranean bunker with desks, beds, and a fully stocked kitchen set up for the president.  The bombproof emergency shelter was kept in readiness 24/7 in the event of an air attack on the nation's capital.

TEMPORARY PARTNER...

...In the smoking lounge.  Since Rachel is away for the Summer, I have a temporary sidekick!

Her name is Sally May Jefferson Jackson Johnson Washington.  You can call her "Miss Washington."

Come home soon Rayray!  Your Gma is driving me crazy.

SOUTHERN FRIED THURSDAY

If you know anything about me, you know that I love to read.  I am always reading a book.  I love all different authors and subjects, fiction and non-fiction.  Being from the South, I have read a lot of Southern authors' works.  I love the Wikipedia definition of Southern literature:

"Southern literature is defined as American literature about the Southern United States or by writers from this region.  Characteristics of Southern literature include a focus on a common Southern history, the significance of family, a sense of community and one's role within it, a sense of justice, the region's dominant religion (Christianity) and the burdens/rewards religion often brings, issues of racial tension, land the the promise it brings, a sense of social class and place...."

Some Southern authors I have enjoyed include:  Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Harper Lee, Margaret Mitchell (of course), Alice Walker (The Color Purple), Kathryn Tucker Windam, John Berendt (Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil), Pat Conroy, Fannie Flagg, John Grisham, Tom Wolfe, and Anne Rice, to name a few.

I also found this excerpt about Southern Writers on a website called "Guide to Southern Writers." (real original name huh?)

"One of the richest cultural traditions of the South is its history of literature and storytelling.  Common theses used by Southern writers are a sense of place, strong family relationships and a rich tapestry of language and character."

So, it's Summer, pick up a book, preferably by a Southern writer, and let yourself escape...

"In the South, perhaps more than any other region, we go back to our home in dreams and memories, hoping it remains what it was on a lazy, still summer's day twenty years ago."  - Willie Morris.

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

~  One million dollars in one hundred dollar bills weighs about 22 pounds, according to the U.S. Treasury.

~  Armenia's coat of arms features a picture of Noah's Ark resting atop Mount Ararat.  Mount Ararat has long been considered the sacred symbol of Armenia and the spiritual home of its people.

~  There are four sports where players dribble the a ball - basketball, soccer, water polo and bandy.  Bandy is a winter sport played on ice with a ball and a stick.

~  In 1945, Betty Crocker, a fictitious character created in 1921 to answer consumer baking questions, came in second when Eleanor Roosevelt was voted the most famous woman in the U.S. in a Fortune magazine survey.

~  Koala's front paws are very unusual.  There are two thumbs on each front paw along with three fingers.

WEEKEND CHECK LIST

1.  Good Deed - Relay for life - check
2.  Being Inconvienced - Driving to Auburn to secure my brother's house - check
3.  Fearing for My Life - Driving home in a terrible thunderstorm - check
4.  Performing Work - Working 5 Hours At Home on My Incurred Cost Proposal On Sunday- check
5.  Being Entertained - Watched My Sunday Night Shows, Enjoyed Spending All Day Saturday with My Baby Jimmy - check
6.  Leaving Work - And Going To Happy Hour on Monday - priceless!

MISS ME?

Well, this has been quite a week.  Let's list some things that have happened since I last blogged...

1.  Wienergate (Anthony Wiener admitting he sent lewd text messages of various body parts)

2.  Huge limb fell in my yard

3.  Mavericks leading the Heat in NBA Championship

4.  I have watched this weeks episode of "Game of Thrones" 3 more times

5.  Glen Beck announced he is starting his own network

6.  I predicted Hillary Clinton will run for President in 2012

7.  My Mom fell (she is ok just horrible bruising)

8.  Someone tried to steal the air conditioning unit at my brother's house in Auburn (hence Jimmy and I will be making a trip to the Loveliest Village on the Plains in the morning.

9.  My daughter got on to me for not blogging about her birthday! 

Happy, Happy, Happy 21st Birthday Rayray.  I miss you so much!  And Josh a little too! LOL

Christmas morning 2010.