flashback!!! April 28, 2021

On that date, I had a little experiment on fb. 

 

"Time for a new profile pic, wouldn't you say? So, kindly peruse the following and let me know of your preference! Thanks!
ps. This is what happens when your doctor leaves you unattended for more than 5 minutes. LOL!

The post garnered 37 likes, loves, laughs and two that abstained to vote.

 

Sue Kosokowsky: "They're all good photos."

Linda L. Walker: "Beautiful inside and outside!"

Photo 1 

 

Barbara Namkoong Gooby: "#1"

 

Photo 2

 

Genie Brazzeal Lawson: "The second one"

Sandra Karlin: "I like this one. To me it exudes confidence and says "yeah, I got this!" "

JinHi Soucy Rand: "Aww, I love all of them! I think I’m between the second and the 5th. Those are sides of you in particular, but they all make me smile."

Photo 3

William Peterson: "The third one"

Yvonne Pizzo Roach: "This is my Second choice."

Jeff Secrest: "I like the third one down best but each would be a great pic for your profile!"

John Mattingly: "The one in the lower left corner."

Karen Sherman: "This is my favorite!"

Bonnie Clark: "#3 for sure!"

 

Jackie Frant: "Are you in the dentist chair? LOL"

 

 

Photo 4

 

Yvonne Pizzo Roach: "This is my favorite."

Susan Kempf: "I'd pick this one"

Marcia Ford: "This one for me. Beautiful!"

Caroline Switzer Verner: "I like #4"

Kathy Landers Schaal: "This one!"

Photo 5

 

Danielle McFadden: "This one"

Lorretta Ruggiero: "This one."

Andy Peña: "I like the one where you’re puckering up"

Penny Walker Bos: (fingers framing this one)

Jeff Powless: "Love this picture"

Photo 6

Christina Smith: "the last one for sure! LOL"

Tony E Smith: "Definitely this one.....its perfect!"

Lorrie Bernhardt: "Awesome! I would choose this one."

Matthew Smith: "Aubree said that to use this one"

 

 

 

 

 

And the results were: Photo 3 and Photo 5 had the most votes, which is pretty amazing!

The most amazing thing, though, was I had TWENTY-SIX who responded with comments to my little photo contest.

Wow. 

That was during the second month of the second year of pandemic.

Clearly, folks needed something lighthearted!

 

I wrote:

"Okay!!! I do so appreciate all the input... and for bringing some smiles to faces! For my Alabama niece, I'm going with that as the first change! I'll be rotating in the others in a week or two!"

carpe diem

Yes, that's me,
wearing my "Unchained" kickstarter-reward
T-shirt,
at Butterducks Winery earlier this month.
Lookin' pretty svelte,
right?
Ah, the funhouse magic of mirrored surfaces,
either squashing you down and expanding your middle, or lengthening your stance and slimming you up!


I cannot seem to get this image out of my mind.


You see, it jibes quite well with the image of me I carry around in my head all the time. Yes, indeed, that's me at 18 years old, ready to take on the world and sail the seven seas!
But that hasn't been my physical self for better than... well, let's say half my life, shall we? Possibly a bit longer.
Sure, sure, I had lost weight before I went on my Italian avventura in May of 2012, but then I gained it back. Almost all of it, too.
Not the first time I've done that.
So, last Thursday, I heard a commercial: free registration at Weight Watchers until May something-or-other.
That might be a good idea. I know I should have an annual exam coming up in the near future and I know my quantity of pounds will probably dominate the conversation. Maybe I should plan a pre-emptive strike, surprise the doctor.
Maybe I should.
Oh, that sounds like a plan destined to never happen.
Maybe? Should?
Fine.
So I checked out the meeting times. Hey, what do you know? There's one at 6:00 pm - I could go to that. Then again, the one on Mondays at 11:00 AM will fit in better with my schedule. That's at a decent time, too. I'll go ahead and register for that one. If I register online, that'll make sure I go to it.
Hell's belles, why not register for the one at 6:00 pm and go to it. I could still be home in plenty of time for "The Big Bang Theory"...
And that is exactly what I did.
And last night, before my "steak dinner", I weighed in at my meeting.
Seven pounds gone already.
What a different Spring Break I've had this year, traveling to a virtual space in me, instead of a physical place for me. Neither destination is new to me, but this space has proven the less costly destination as well as having the probability of being better for my head.
Keep that image to the forefront, girl.

horoscope crystal balls

At the beginning of this year, one of the local entertainment weekly newspapers had the following horoscope for me.

Here are some of the experiences I hope to help you harvest in the coming year: growing pains that are interesting and invigorating rather than stressful; future shock that feels like a fun joyride rather than a bumpy rumble; two totally new and original ways to get excited; a good reason to have faith in a dream that has previously been improbable; a fresh supply of Innocent Crazy-Wise Love Truth; and access to all the borogoves, mome raths, and slithy toves you could ever want.

Honestly, it was that bit about the borogoves that hooked my interest enough that I clipped out the horoscope and taped it to my kitchen cabinet, under my calendar. Periodically I would review the short paragraph, to reaffirm what I recalled of its forecast and to wonder when any of it would come to pass.
Today, the last day of this year, I thought an analysis was needed to see if the author had some divine link to the future - or was just stringing some random thoughts together for entertainment.
In other words: which is more on point, the horoscope, the Dove promises, or the fortune cookie?
Then again... isn't there something else I should be doing right now?
Probably.
Bye!

pineapple upside-down ...cornbread?

Yep, that's what I said: pineapple upside-down cornbread.
A while back, I had combined a can of crushed pineaple with a box of bran muffin mix - adding no other ingredients - and baked them to make quite a nice breakfast for several days.
Successful experiment.
Thursday, I had pulled a can of crushed pineapple out of the pantry and a box of "Jiffy" corn muffin mix. Hey, everyone always says that "Jiffy's" cornbread is like cake, so maybe I could combine the two and have something good. Right?
Evidently, I needed to think about it overnight.
Yesterday, I looked again at the two ingredients on my kitchen counter.
And the thought popped into my mind, with an image tagging along: crushed pineapple on the bottom of the loaf pan, prepared muffin mix on top.
And so it came to pass.
I drained the pineapple, mostly. Then the loaf pan was lightly oiled and the muffin mix combined with 1/2 cup of water and allowed to stand for a moment (as if I was making corn muffins). The mix was gently spooned on top of the pineapple, smoothing the top for appearance. Then, into the oven it was popped for 22 minutes.
Golden-brown crust? Yep!
Turned loose from the edges of the pan? Yep!
Okay, let's invert it onto a plate and see what we get...
Success! Woohoo!
I served it alongside the stove-pot casserole for the night: diced Spam (low-fat, low-sodium version, thank you), some fresh onion, a small apple, the leftover pineapple, and brown rice.
Very nice combination!!!
I just may have that for breakfast tomorrow.