It's Monday...

Fire that thing up..........

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michelle maule

...it's the only way to Friday!!!...

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Life is Fragile

I'm shocked at the losses of late: a best friend to a friend of mine, a mutual friend and business associate, hollywood celebs, my cousin's husband, rock/pop star, gravely ill grandparent...too much...too too much

Rose Welty

Hug your loved ones today. Tell them you love them. Enjoy the day, whatever it may bring. Tomorrow is guaranteed to no one.

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Killing the Gossip and Designer Shoes

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I woke up late - as usual - taping the 'ol snooze button.

Fast shower.

Faster makeup.

Race Lia to doggie daycare.

Make Zoe's vet appointment on time (we're there) because she doesn't brush her teeth like she should.

Walking back to car, left shoe falls off left foot heel.

Whatever.

Get to office parking lot. Hang parking tag; grab keys. Get out of car.

Walk to passenger side and open door. Grab purse and brief case (actually, a Joe's produce bag).

Look at feet.

WTF?

OK - WAIT!

These are Franco Sarto shoes - so we all know some shoe designers are more funky than others.

They were purchased 2 summers ago and have been on closet shelf until today.

The reason the left shoe fell loose is that IT is an 8.5 size and the right is an 8!

But even if it WASN'T Parisian's HALF-OFF SALE, don't they check to make sure the shoes match? If the right foot fit, why try on the left - besides, it's in the shoe box upside down like a mummy wrapped with pretty tissue.

So: For now...let's pretend I'm NOT wearing mis-matched shoes today and just call me AVANT GARDE!

Oy.

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True Friends

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They have the guts to tell you the truth where others will avoid you -

They're gentle but they get the point across very well -

They give you time to defend yourself when you know you deserve this ass-kicking -

And you love them more afterwards than you did a moment earlier; it strengthens your bond and brings you closer as 'friend-family'...

You wouldn't give them up for the world and you must remember to say:

Thank You...dearest friends...

i love you

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Cactus Flowers in Michigan

Actually - Cactus* flowers on the window sill at Rozanne's desk at Interstate Title.....cool!!!

*sorry - more than one = CACTI!
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Yippee Skippee

...it's Monday once again...

via ffffound

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Norm ~

Happy Father's Day

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going a little green maybe

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i think i'd like a clothesline....

someday

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Fab and Funny

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Hitsy Parnell Pirtle relaxes at home

with Bonnie Louise

The Artist Side of Vivienne Strauss

don't you just love giggling over hoity toity stuff?

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...bliss...

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Follow your bliss.

If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living.

When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss,and they open the doors to you.

I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will openwhere you didn't know they were going to be.

If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else.

Joseph Campbell

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...more Love Letters...

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and another great photographer ~ Alicia Bock - and she's a Michigander!!!

http://bloom-grow-love.blogspot.com/

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...this is why...

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we have to save vintage typewriters...

...you cannot get this coolness from a Dell keyboard.

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Lar's Fish Bench

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He would have been 68. He would have sat on this beloved bench and fed a bunch of fat goldfish (yes, he gave them each names) until they exploded and his skinny butt cheeks started hurting and going numb....Happy Birthday, Honey.

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Happy Friday ~

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...and what are your plans for the weekend?..........

I'm doing laundry - lots.

Picking up dog poop.

Meeting Aunti Lulu for lunch.

Grocery shopping

Vacuum

Dust

More laundry.

I thought the hammocks were a cute idea. Now I don't.

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Manon Doyle, Artist

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...Sigh....I want all of her art...

window to my soul

http://manondoyle.blogspot.com/

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Home vs. Out

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I surrender. I cannot buy fruit, cut fruit, plate fruit and make it nearly as enjoyable at home as I can basque in the beauty and art of a fruit plate out - meaning in a restaurant or served on a pretty little platter at someone else's home.

Fruit plate for lunch today, I think. Out.

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Visiting

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It's always nice to go 'home' for a few days....

...then the help gets on your nerves and you wonder how you ever grew up sane.

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l e t t e r s

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I need this.


I'll start using it immediately.

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tgif

what are you doing this weekend?

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via ffffound

fresh strawberry bars

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via Design Crush

Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup strawberry jam
4 cups small whole strawberries, halved or quartered

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Directions:

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1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil beyond the edges. Set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl beat butter and peanut butter on medium to high for 30 seconds. Beat in sugars, baking powder, and salt until combined. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining flour.
3. Spread dough in prepared pan. Bake 25 minutes or until top is lightly browned and toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
4. Cool completely on rack. Remove from pan by lifting foil. Spread jam and top with berries. Cut into bars. Serve at once or refrigerate up to 6 hours. Makes 24 bars
Make Ahead: Wrap the peanut butter base in foil; store at room temperature up to 24 hours. Before serving, top with jam and berries. Or freeze the peanut butter base in a freezer container up to 3 months.

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...or...

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stop bitchin' and go slice a watermelon.

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Waterproof ~

If: you get up on any given Wednesday and you get to the office all fresh and ready to go..and then you get 4 different questions from callers that are so lame that you can't help but hang up the phone and then laugh your ass off..and you laugh so hard you cry...

and your (previously) fresh eye-makeup and mascara ends up on your cheeks:

Write to Mabelline Corp. and remind them not everything they make is fucking waterproof!

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World Peace

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Obama calls for a 'new beginning' with Muslims

via msnbc.com

Speaking in Cairo, the president says the United States and Muslims can unite to confront violent extremism across the globe and advance the timeless search for peace in the

Middle East.

Well. many other presidents gave it a try.
I can't walk and chew gum.
This man is going to take on changes in our own country and across the world.
wow.

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Mr. Mustard and Doris

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turned out a nice day

watching starlings

the world is our oyster

check out this unique artist and her "story"

http://www.samtoft.com/

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Ali's Eyes

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If you'd like...I'm sharing:

To get this:

Go here:

http://www.erinvaledesign.com/DIY/FreakinToDoList_3up.pdf

or here:

http://www.erinvaledesign.com/DIY/BlogTopicsList_3up.pdf

found at Design Crush

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Typography

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I loooooove this stuff:

Ewwww! My initials spell caa. like caa-caa. ewww.

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Can A Maple Tree Grow In a Gutter?

Or...how many maple seed spinners can you fit in your gutter screens?

Yellow Pages. Handy Person. With ladder for first and second story home. Need Insurance.

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Do Over...

I have no idea where this is going. The 'old' blog ended because a traveling bouquet was just plain dumb. Now...maybe I don't have anything of great importance to say or stories to tell or experiences to share....but I recently got a photo of a field of flowers from a friend (that's alot of f-words) living in France and I thought, 'hmmm...we have pretty snapshots right here in mitten Michigan....hell, I have a few in my own backyard' ...so...
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This blog may end up being about my backyard. Small - but significant to me. Or maybe it will evolve into something dynamic. Or, probably something somewhere in between.

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We'll see.

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Warning: I'm sure I'll use profanity. I like to swear. We'll certainly laugh. I LOVE to laugh. Or...at least I will laugh and if you do too, that's because you appreciate a funny person. If you don't laugh, you need not visit here again.

And some things may cause us to say 'awww'...or even cry.... maybe this blog will take on the human element. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...who am I kidding!

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this one clearly freeze bitten...poor thing.

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this rhodie however, thrived. beauty.

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pots of petunias....purple...whites...

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BIG pot of purple petunies...reminds me of Grandmaw.

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Some people go home after work to chores: dinner, cleanup, walk the dog(s), pay bills, shovel horse shit: I sit on a squishey rocker listening to a waterfall.

Life does not suck in my backyard.

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Why did I get orange and red? I'm a purple/pink/white/pale yellow girl.

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Ask Zoe: "did you see the squirrel up there?" and she'll look. I think she's gifted.

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W A L K E R S

And then...there's the walker thing. My mother HATED it, even tho she alone was as wobbly as a wind-up toy and needed the security. Her pride made her hand paint the dam thing - that made it cooler, you see.

I, on the other hand, will have NO PROBLEM using such equipment if needed. Snap! This is a cool wheelie-thingey:

cruise & sit a spell - like it.

cruise to party store. sit a spell. pick up a six-pack and some smokes. groovy.

cruise to the grocer. sit a spell. pick up bread, wine and cheese. some grapes. cruise to edward hines. party down.

AND one can beef up their wheelie and modify it. they sell PARTS - LIKE a hip replacement.

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or...there's the Tenessee Walker No.1

...or No. 2...

...I like No. 3...you?

OR: There's Mr. Mustard and his WALKIES - Doris included.

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hopefully this page is cleared of those irritating Christmas Trees. Well...they're irritating in JUNE!

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AND...if they still appear on this page - ignore them.

NEVER GO BACKWARDS IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FER'YA.

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