Hmm. I’m not sure whether it’s a lack of originality or great minds thinking alike. I needed to plug in the name of a tour guide operation in my current wip so I named the company based on their philosophy, their operational set-up, and I thought I put a clever, albeit wordy, spin on it. Have I mentioned how great the search for function on the Internet is? It was already in use.

I’d prefer to think it’s a case of great minds thinking alike. I chopped the name in half, searched it again and there was nothing already out there. Now that’s more like it.

Note to Self: Cornbread is a good source of iron and when prepared with a third cup of plain yoghurt in lieu of sour cream, one gets the benefits of the yoghurt. One should not, however, eat half of the pan contents slathered with butter.

…and blogging over at the Soapbox Queens today. C’mon on over!

Just to set the record straight — I’m not just lazy or absent-minded. Well, it could be argued that I’m both, but not in this case. My Halloween decorations are still up, inside and outside, because I like them.

We’re in a big ole drought here in Georgia. We’re pretty much banned from using outside water for anything. I have a couple of window boxes on the upper deck and usually in the fall I’ll throw some pansies and those cabbage looking things in there. But, given our severe water shortage I decided I’d come up with a window box alternative. Actually, it just sort of popped into my head, I wasn’t particularly searching for an alternative. I had a vision of pinwheels in various shapes and heights *planted* in my window boxes.

Today I stopped by the Dollar General and picked up my pinwheels and I dug out some mutli-colored stones that look like giant marbles that I had left over from some project or another. I was all excited and pulling out my dollar store pinwheels (which had actually only cost me .75 each) to show Girl. She tried to be tactful, but bless her heart, she’s a product of genetics at its finest. “Um, don’t you think that’s kind of tacky, Mommy?”

Perhaps to the less than discerning eye. Now, if I could just track down some inexpensive pink flamingos….

I have been inundated by a huge influx of s*am. My s*am control is catching between 450 and 1200 pieces…per day. About a dozen are still coming through which means I get to go in and hand-delete them. Thank goodness this comes through because I really enjoy spending my time doing this. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to go in and clean up behind these s*ammers. I’m so grateful, in fact, I’m hoping each of their computers crash and they all wind up with a handy case of pubic lice.

And now that I’ve bitched and moaned, come on over to the Soapbox Queens where I’ve got a fun personality test. I’m a sucker for these things and it only takes a minute. Honest.

Have I mentioned how much I hate this time change? I hate dark-thirty coming so early. It’s bad enough that the days get shorter naturally, then we have to go muck further with it by *falling back* with the clock. I don’t want to feel as if I’m ready to fall into bed at 8 p.m.

Girl did an away-from-home overnighter without me or her dad this week on a school field trip. It wasn’t her first. She actually had a disastrous Girl Scout camp out overnighter three or four years ago. I think we’ve all tried to block it out of our minds. This week it was actually a 2-nighter. They left Wednesday morning and get back this afternoon. Last evening the phone rings at 9:15 and it was Girl (they told her she could call from the camp office phone to see how her grandmother’s surgery went).

Girl: Hey, Mom. How’s Grandmama?

Me: Good. She’s staying another night in the hospital but she’s fine.

Girl: I’m glad. Mom, I didn’t even cry last night.

Me: That’s great! Me neither. Are you having fun? HOw’s it going?

Girl: Good. I didn’t have any problem going to sleep but I had a dream that it was 7:30 so I got up and got dressed but it was 4:30.

Me: Umm…babe, didn’t you notice it was dark outside and everyone else was asleep? (this is a sort of barracks/dorm set up — they’re all in one big room)

Girl: Well, I looked at someone’s clock and noticed it said 4:30 so I went back to bed.

Me: That’s good. Okay, have a good night and I’ll see you tomorrow.

I call the DH to tell him I’ve heard from Girl and all is well. 11:05 the phone rings as I’m headed up to bed. It’s The Call I was hoping I wouldn’t get.

Girl: Hey, Mommy. Were you in bed yet?

Me: I’m going there now. Why aren’t you in bed? (supposed to be lights out at 11)

Girl: I can’t sleep.

Me: so, you got one of the chaperones up to take you to the office to call?

Girl: No, everyone’s still up.

Me: That would be why you can’t sleep. Lay down and snuggle your squishy pillow and think of all the fun things you’ve done in the last two days.

Girl: Okay. What if I wake up?

Me: Do the same thing. Now go to bed and let everyone get to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.

*sigh* I hope she didn’t keep her chaperone up — especially since that’s her science teacher and the person who gives her her grade.

I will be glad to see her little troll self when I pick her up early today.

Hope everyone has a wonderful fall weekend!