Today is the 4th of July.  I read the other day that George Washington bought a broom on this day in 1776.  I guess that means he was ready to "sweep" away the bad choices people before him had made.

It's not her birthday....

Our daughter is currently an exchange student in Germany. Two days ago her host family threw a "welcome" party for her, although she has been there over one month. The next day she awoke to a card from her grandmother, and a package from her mom. She called to ask, "Are you sure it's not my birthday?"

We are very proud of her; she is a senior in high school and will graduate with her class, albeit from afar. She is where she needs to be. She is challenged every minute of every day, and for a bit of a "breather" she joined a club that only speaks English.

More later....

It's all in the cards....

I just love to play cards. During the cold, dark winter, my son and I found refuge in a good game of gin or canasta to go along with our afternoon tea and after-school-snack. Now that it's the bright, warm, lazy, hazy days of summer, we still play cards with our afternoon tea.

This goes back years and years ago, when I played cards as a child, then as a teenager ~ days at the pool, playing Pinochle with my girlfriends. Ahh, the hours one can spend in such bliss. I found an interesting shop once on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh that sold all sorts of playing cards. We bought one set with Shakespeare characters, one set with explorer's ships, and one set that resembled the first deck of cards ever printed.

I am looking forward to going on vacation in August, when I go for my morning 10-mile bicycle ride, late afternoon at the beach, and lots of cards....

They think it's progress...

to have U-Scan machines at the grocery store. But this is what I think... it is just one more way to acquire stress, which we do not need in our lives, thank-you-very-much. Every time I am with my daughter she insists on using the thing, and it always, I mean always sends us a message, "Please wait for customer service." It doesn't like that I bring my own bag, it thinks I am stealing 10 ounces of something. It can't read my bonus buy card, which has grown weary with wear, and cannot be scanned, it has to be entered manually. And... I don't get any sort of discount because I am working more, and one store employee is working less ~ the one I would have gone to if I had not brought my daughter along. This is why I NEVER, and I will repeat this, NEVER go to the U-Scan machine, because what it really is is a U-Might-Get-Stress-From-Using-This machine.

Later....

They're here....

the first tomatoes from our garden. I also plucked two more eggplants, and lots more basil.

I must say, I had fun with the Thoreau hyperlinks, I just wanted to keep right on going...

Well, until later...

I will not be a "spoiler"...

that's what they are called, the people who share the details of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I finished it today, what a journey. Now I have to wait until my daughter finishes it to discuss it with her. And, our son has decided to begin at the beginning and read them all over again before he finishes up with year seven.

Off to look at the garden, yummm...

The mystery begins...

OK, so I started reading the 7th and final book about the life of someone we all know, Harry Potter. I cannot imagine him ever being called "Harold" however, Harry just seems to suit him. And talk about web page design, you must see J.K. Rowling's... it is riddled with candy for the eyes and ears.

Apparently I have another white eggplant to pluck, and the tomatoes are coming in just fine...oh, and I bought some lovely local corn on the cob today...

Later...

Yesterday...

we had a look~see at Johns Hopkins University. Our daughter is going to be a senior in high school next year, and we need to look at colleges and universities now because she was awarded a full scholarship to study in Germany for her senior year. Consequently we need to fast forward things a bit, and visit her favorites before she leaves.

I was very impressed with JHU. It just seems to be a perfect match for her. But, be that as it may, she will be the one to decide, and then it is up to the admissions counselors.

I am soooo enjoying my summer, in spite of the fact that I cannot get the jpg picture of antique paper to become my Thoreau background...

Later...

Really awesome....

digital audio collection including Gertrude Stein herself... I found this while looking up a poem last night, "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" by local poet Wallace Stevens.

Enjoy!

Until later...

How many....

tutorials, cups of coffee, family members, friends, cups of tea, classmates, and chocolate does it take to imbed the proper html code for a colored background into your web page???

The person who can guess the answer to this question... will be awarded the privilege of helping to weed that garden, and eat some of those quickly ripening tomatoes!

Hooray, yoga tonight...

Home again, home again....

from my FT weekend. Talk about America on the move; everyone was on the PA Turnpike today, and they were not all friendly, nor were they on their best behavior. But, I arrived home safe and sound, and will rest up to work on my web page.

Later...

I know a guy...

who knows a gal who knows a guy, who writes about all things Apple. You can read all about it here.

Well, I finally weeded the garden. Lots of tomatoes on the way, and I plucked my first small white eggplant, and more basil than I really need right now.

Stay cool....

How chic....

to be where we are.... in school for library information science...

Working on the web page, still need to weed the garden....

Stay cool....

A frustrating day...

for many reasons, one of which is this web page. Enough is enough. We really should be in a computer lab for these lessons. I can just hear my yoga teacher asking me, "What do you do when you are faced with a difficult situation?" Today, the answer is.... chocolate...

Tomorrow I weed the garden....

Later...

New paradigm....

Yesterday afternoon we picked up our daughter at the Philadelphia airport. She was returning from a four week exchange program in Germany. Having been in the travel industry for many years, I knew to check flight arrival information on the computer, prior to setting out for the airport. What I now know about technology, however left me unprepared. It is now possible to have the flight arrival information sent to your hand held or cell phone, with updates as frequent as they occur. I do not have that system in place. I had to rely on the old fashioned, call-the-airline-key-in-the-flight-number-and-arrival-date to get the latest. Beyond that, it still would not tell me when they had cleared customs, whose luggage had not arrived, and whether or not there is tea available at the arrivals lounge. So much for information technology.... but I did get some great German dark chocolate with a marzipan filling out of the deal....

The garden needs to be weeded, any volunteers???

Later....

Independence....

Happy Independence Day.... I don't know... today I wondered "what's the big deal?" We celebrate something we accomplished 237 years ago, and since that time, we have given our independence away. We have buildings and corporations owned by the Japanese, the Germans, and China; we get our food from Chile, Mexico, Brazil, and China; our cars are manufactured... where? What are we celebrating? What actually is independence?

Well, back to the iPhone.... here is a bit of a chuckle

And the garden.... we are certainly getting enough rain, so not to worry, we shall have our tomatoes soon...

Later....

Saving time????

OK, here's the scenario.
1. I take a hand written new prescription to Target Pharmacy on Saturday, after hours.
2. I put it into the drop box envelope, then into the drop box.
3. I get a telephone call Sunday morning that my prescription card expired June 30, today is July 1
4. The pharmacist called the prescription company, they said, "Yes, the card expired yesterday."
5. Monday morning, I called the benefits department of the school district for which I work.
6. She advised me to call Capital Blue Cross, member benefits, as my card is indeed live, and my account is current.
7. I call Capital Blue Cross, they verify that I am current.
8. I call the prescription company, they verify that I am current.
9. I call back Target Pharmacy, she enters the number once again.
10. The number goes through.
11. After a side conversation with her fellow workers, the pharmacist tells me that it happened to three people yesterday, that their account was coming back expired.
12. The prescription company had trouble with their computers.....
13. I call back my benefits department to relay this information, meanwhile they had gotten a call from another employee saying the same thing.
14. Thank goodness it wasn't an emergency.
15. Eight telephone conversations, because a COMPUTER was having a bad day....

Breathe......

June, Moon, Spoon....

The full moon has always been a favorite subject of poets, writers and romantics. Read all about it...here.

Until next time...

Live and in person...

I went to a bridal shower today, and one of the bride's sisters had her new iPhone! Her husband stood in line for 7 hours yesterday and bought one for himself and one for her. I offered to phone-sit for her while she goes on vacation this week, but she was not really interested. In fact, I don't think she's put it down the entire time she's had it. I don't know what I would stand in line for 7 hours for.....

Until later...

Both Sides Now

Well, as Joni Mitchell says, "I really don't know clouds, at all." My ZoomCloud appears once again. The only time it actually appears in the specially formatted design and colors I chose is for the first millisecond, then it reverts to the template, which means that part of it is hidden. I did choose a text wrap width, but alas, ... I really don't know clouds...

Rows and floes of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I've looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
Its cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way

But now it's just another show
You leave em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away

I've looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It's loves' illusions I recall
I really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say I love you right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I've changed
Well something's lost, but something's gained
In living every day

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all
I've looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

Well, today is the day of the iPhone. Big day for stockholders.... I say, let them work out the kinks and the price will come down, then maybe, just maybe, I'll consider thinking about buying one.

Meanwhile, my classmate sent me a word document in the new Office Windows, and I am having a challenge downloading the compatibility file...

Until later...