Best Tech Support Ever

While the children were growing up there was always a Tupperware pitcher of Kool-Aid in the house. Some favorites were grape, fruit punch, cherry and lemonade. Recently I got the notion to buy some Kool-Aid, possibly to use in an art project. Instead, I remembered something my friend Mary used to do, adding squeezed lemon slices to the lemonade Kool Aid. It's very nice and refreshing if you like that kind of stuff.

Of course, some of today's parents, the hyper aware type that they are, have some sort of notion that sugar is an enemy food which I find ridiculous. Everything in moderation folks. From what I've heard, fruit juice is also on the hit list. I'm happy to report that neither seems to have done our children any harm. I came across Apparently it's high time in yesterday's Times. Duh! Apparently it's high time indeed. Just yesterday morning while mowing the lawn I was thinking along those same lines. Have you ever read anything about exercise in this blog? There's a reason for that--I don't like it. On the other hand, I'm not afraid of productive work. In fact, I love to mow the lawn. Some people get a rush from lifting weights, I get the same feeling from seeing results of a different kind. Namely, a freshly mown lawn. Speaking of which, it's coming along great. Won't be long before bare dirt will be just a memory. Here's a look at the caladiums I planted on Saturday.

Can I just tell you it's been delightful to pull into the driveway and see all the color? I was hoping that the flowers we planted around the tree might be spreading a little bit more by now:

Yesterday when Baxter and I were returning home from his morning walk, I finally got a good shot of the baby cardinal:

Isn't she cute? By now, I feel pretty confidant it's a she.

While reading Always Julia I was amazed how she kept making the same recipe over and over, trying new techniques as she went. Unexpectedly, I did the same thing last week. Because I've been making the french bread about once a week, I keep the bread flour in the freezer to keep it fresh. For the birthday dinner last week I used it before it had a chance to get to room temperature. The cold flour made such a difference in the kneading process! Actually, after realizing what I'd done I was worried it might impede the rising step. Not to worry. Here's how nicely it worked.

It might have had something to do with the lovely French dish cloth I used to cover it with--a gift from Matt. When slicing the bread for dinner, I did notice a difference in the texture. So that's what Julia was doing--combining the best of many ideas.

Speaking of Matt, this is where the tech support title comes in. The phone rang while I was in the back yard watering, a little after 3 on Tuesday afternoon. Out of area, the talking caller id proclaimed. Usually I ignore those calls, but I had a sneaking suspicion it was my very own personal tech guy calling. My intuition was right. "So, what's going on Mom?" After explaining my problems, he got to work, taking control of my computer from London. I'm here to tell you this was an infinitely more pleasant experience than my time with Nick. As well, I'm also just saying the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Just like his father, Matt will not give up on a problem, staying up until one in the morning to get it right. Turns out one of my many external hard drives was incorrectly formatted causing everything else to go crazy. We're in business now!

Are you wondering how all my sick friends are doing?

• Roger is still in the hospital, feeling much better, however, they are having trouble getting the blood thinner dose correct. 
• Corrine is in ICU at Florida Hospital. Yesterday afternoon during my visit, her wonderful nurse Michelle asked if there were any questions. My response? What's going on?" Turns out her collapsing is related to low blood pressure, a result of pneumonia in her left lung. She's alert and in not too much distress, however, at times she would drift off. We shall see what happens next.
• Debbie, my bridge buddy, is still waiting for the breast cancer surgery. We talked again yesterday afternoon and her spirits are still upbeat. She did tell me her breast MRI was slightly daunting, however, she did her yoga breathing and got through it.

I hope this list grows shorter any day now!

Finally, if you live in the Orlando area, unless you were living under a rock for the last two years, you know at least something about the Casey Anthony murder case. For my part, I've mostly ignored it, never quite understanding how it got to be so prominent in the first place. These folks, stationed across from the courthouse, are feeding the appetite of the curious.

I took this yesterday afternoon while driving home from the hospital. Earlier I was catching Regina up to speed on Corrine's condition and told her I was coming up on the courthouse zoo. She said she was sick to death of the whole thing. I second that!