Volunteers Wanted

I am currently looking for volunteers to help weed my front yard. You see, we have the dreaded mahonia taking over ever square inch. They seem to like to start the growth cycle under other plants so they can hind from the weed picker (me). Their leaves hurt when you grab them so you have to take care when pulling out.

I spent my entire weekend pulling weeds in the front yard and can honestly say there is a noticeable difference. The sad part is that there is so much more to pull. I would like to restore the front yard to it's glory and that means getting rid of the invasive plants that want to take over. I have pulled more poison ivy and creeping what-ever-it's-called and there is lots more to do. The grass in the lower left corner was covered with mahonia and now it's exposed to once again spread as intended. Once this job is done we will have a forest that is the envy of our neighbors! So if you have no plans and you would like to spend your day enjoying nature, then stop by and pull some weeds!

Passover

I am happy to report that once again Woody and I were able to share the blessings of Passover with Deborah. After having skipped a year for a variety of reasons, she put together a splendid feast for friends and family. Deborah emptied her living room of furniture and in its place she set a table for 51 people!



As part of the celebration, most of us got a turn to read from the Haggadah which tells the story of Passover. We sang songs (which included my personal favorite "dig, dig, dig"). We ate the celery, bitter herb, and matzah, came face to face with the 10 plagues (in a theatrical sense) and then proceed to eat a very fine meal. I always look forward to the gefilte fish, matzahball soup and brisket. And how could I forget that tasty Man-o-Manischewitz wine!

We enjoyed the company and fine conversation throughout the evening. It's always a pleasure to see those familiar faces that we only see at Deborah's Passover feast,

finally, the meal was capped off by coffee, tea and the most delicious desserts. Of course Woody was right there sure to get the best piece! The evening ended with great joy and the hope of being invited back next year!

Sushi Night

Once again it is time to indulge in sushi. Since Woody decided that we would try this delicacy he just can't stop. To make matters worse (or better depending on how much you like sushi), we have now found a good restaurant that serves $1 sushi between 5 and 6 o'clock every evening. Personally, I can only eat so much sushi! I have managed to get Woody to cut down on the number of nights that he wants to go over there. I have attached a lovely picture of one of the best sushi evenings Woody and I have had. This meal was crafted (the chef is a true artist) at NaKato on Cheshire Bridge Rd in Atlanta. The food is unbelievable! Enjoy

Nothing to say

I guess I have nothing to say, so I won't say anything.

Tinnitus: I wish my ears would stop ringing!

Dear gentle reader, It is time for me to share a personal plight. You see I have tinnitus or chronic ringing in my ears. Some days are better then others, but one thing I can always count on is that there will be a medium pitched hum in my ears.

I have tried to search my memory to see just how long I have suffered from this problem, and the truth is I don't remember when I didn't have ringing in my ears. I do take comfort in the fact that I share my dilemma with many famous faces. Ludwig van Beethoven, Lars Ulrich and the Priceline negotiator included.

If I was to guess I think my tinnitus is related to the many years I took cafergot for my migraine headaches but I can't prove it. Here are some links for those of you intereseted in learning more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus

http://www.ata.org/

Back to Work

Back to work can mean so many things. What fun, today I returned to work after a most enjoyable spring break. As is usually the case after a week off from work, the computers weren't running. Now with most of my job tied in one way or another to the Internet and web based programs, I was left with little to do. Back to work also meant returning to the gym. It was my intention to work out last week but I never managed to get my fat ass off the couch. so off I went, back to LA fitness.

To make up for this return to fitness, I indulged in fried calamari and fried sweet potato purchased at the Buford Hwy Farmers Market. A fine establishment with a wide assortment of Korean foods, all of which I truly enjoy. I like the food so much that I'm thinking I might have Korean somewhere in my family tree.



Who knows, maybe a mighty viking made it all the way through Asia. Finally, getting back into a routine is never easy as getting out of a routine. I wonder why?

Smoke Rise Queens Victorious Again

Now, I'm always being accused of gloating, but sometimes a girl should be able to toot her own horn. Today was a tough day to play tennis. The wind was gusting and the sun came and went to make it a chilly April day. My partner Claudia and I managed to win in three sets. 5-7, 6-0, 6-1. I was convinced that we were going to lose after we lost the opening few games, but fortunately we held tight and broke back to even up the score in the first set. We lost that set when I got broken but it was quickly apparent that our opponents had played there best in the first set and had no more to give.

All together we took 4 points for the day and that keeps us in first place in our division with a total of 19 points. I smell bag tag which would nice since I haven't had a tag in a long time. I think the thing that has helped me the most was my trip to Florida at the end of February to Rosemary Beach. The tips and coaching we had was top notch and I think about what I learned every time I get on the court. I wish I had taken some pictures today but since I didn't I'll share the picture from Rosemary Beach.

Caution Man at Work

There is nothing I enjoy more then watching Woody work. The smell of freshly mowed grass and the rippling muscles pushing the lawnmower sets my heart a twitter. Yes, just another of life's simple pleasures.

An Evening Playing Mah Jongg

There is nothing I love more then getting together with my girlfriends to play Mah Jongg. This week we changed our format a little by meeting at 4:00, playing for a few hours, then having dinner. We then returned to the MJ tables for additional play and fun. All the "original" gals were there which is enough for two tables. I wore my lovely MJ bracelet that I received from Deborah and it brought me luck right away as I won the first two games at my table. Naturally after that the girls were ready for me to move to the next table. We played so many games that just about everyone won. A special "hi five" goes out to Susan who won twice as well!

Deborah was a terrific host. She turned on the grill and made the most delicious hamburgers. What a fabulous evening we all had! I which I had a current picture but I didn't have my camera with me last night so here is an oldie but a goody. My best hand ever.

An Evening with Woody

Once again Woody and I enjoyed a pleasant dinner at Papadeaux's. We ordered oysters and crawfish bisque as an appetizer. For dinner Woody chose the seafood platter and I ordered the Pasta Mardi Gras. So far so good. When the dinner arrived Woody suggested that we share his seafood platter and we take home the pasta as it was served in a Jethro Bowl and we would never be able to eat all the food at the table. This was my first mistake of the evening.











You see dear friends, Woody is an only child and only children don't share well. No sooner did I extend my fork towards a fried oyster then the evil Woody came out. He counted the shrimp I took and watched my fork to see just how large a portion made it on the tongs. Then, Woody announced that I had one shrimp too many so he reached over and took one from the pasta Mardi Gras. It didn't matter that he got to eat the garlic toast or that I'm his beloved wife. Oh no. The moral of this story kiddies; sharing isn't always in a wife's best interest!

Bonsai Baby

The hobby for today is Bonsai. Having been blessed with a yard full of little Japanese Maple tree starters I have decided to try and turn a few into Bonsai trees. Woody was home today so he drove with me over to the Chinese importer of ceramic pots and we purchased the prerequisite bonsai pot(s). As blue is my favorite color, that is the color we chose. I tried to check out a book on Bonsai out from the library but there was nothing on "how to" Bonsai on the shelf. With that said, I jumped right and pulled those little trees out of the ground and transplanted them into pots. I wonder what the odds are that they live?

Tax Misery

Well I finished our taxes and made the e-file. Now I'm waiting for the IRS to take their money out of my account. If that wasn't bad enough, we now have to pay quarterly. I'm hoping next year things will even out and we'll have paid in enough to our 403B's to keep from owing money. Breaking even would be best, but a refund would be just as good.

Today's plan, unknown. I like to start the day listening to Neal Boortz, which I'm doing right now. I think I'll spend the day in the yard cleaning up pollen.

Tax Time

Today my job is to finish our taxes. The reason I have procrastinated our this task is because we owe money. I finally have saved up what is due and with bitter fingers I will hit send on my e-file.

The only thing that has worked out in my favor is the $1200. government check coming from W. and congress. that really helps and makes my plight less painful.

Being the spender that I am, I now have to curb my inclination to shop. I have so many wants that it's almost as difficult as when I quit smoking.

Day two of Spring Break

Day one was a bust. I played tennis, over ate, and hung out with Woody. He went back to work today and should be putting in 12 to 14 hours with his start up at the plant.

Pollen in the air and I can't get moving. What a better way to avoid my responsibilities then to blog on the computer. Chester has a really bad allergy and he can't stop sneezing. His eye's are runny and I can tell he's feeling like shit.

The yard is in full bloom which is always nice. I love the colors of spring and how they are reflected in our yard.

Woody started opening the pool. I imagine it will take a week or so before we can use it. That all depends upon the sum. Woody is going to set up the sun heater so we should be warming up the water very soon.