I found my daughter!

I have established communication with my daughter!

She's a jockey (yes, you read that right... a jockey) and gets up very early, goes to bed early, & doesn't check her messages. Riding race horses is dangerous. I worry. I've resorted to calling her best friend (who lives in Florida) to call her fiance (who lives in New York) to call a trainer he knows at the same track to tell her to call her mother. This kind of thing has gone on for years.

But that's all over now. Text messaging! I sent her a test message just to see if she would answer. Magic! Five minutes later an answer. You're kidding.

A week later (I've been warned by other text messagers not to overdo it)I sent another message. Another answer....immediately. This is too much!

You're wondering... Why didn't you think of that before? I don't know. I've been paying for text messaging for a long time and never realized the power I had in my hands. I promise not to abuse this power.

A Recession with cream gravy

I went to a seminar on investment strategies this past weekend. My mother told me I should go because I "don't know much about business."

First, I was impressed that this many people have enough money to invest in a program like this! Of course, I've seen happier folks waiting in the emergency room at the county hospital.

What a great breakfast... eggs, biscuits & gravy, fruit, bacon, sweet rolls...yum! Now I'm ready to think about the Market. One more spoon of gravy & now we're ready.

Ah, a chart about the Recession of 2008. At least we're being honest now. And a summary of "Bubbles".. tech, silver, oil. Don't we ever learn?

And what did I learn? Really bad times and crazy good times never last indefinitely. We're probably not at the bottom yet but these times are also not as bad as many previous recessions (yet.. that's my note!)

I also learned that reducing oil consumption would help a lot, and a period of growth usually follows bad times. I learned to pay attention to value and not get carried away with bubbles. AND I learned that everything seems a lot better with hot biscuits and cream gravy with bits of sausage in it!

Do I look pale to you?

I'll never forget the day I got an invitation to join AARP. I was so offended! Why would they send that to me? I'm not old!

Well, today I got an even bigger jolt.... I came home to find a survey in my mailbox... from a funeral home! They want to know things like what kinds of services would be helpful to my family? Do I have a cemetary plot? Do I want to keep my family history on file with them?

I was tired over the weekend but I thought it was the heat. Maybe I look worse than I thought. OK, I understand planning ahead but I just wish someone would ask me if I want to plan a water rafting trip or a trip to Fashion Week or even a beautiful dinner.

I'm ready for my close-up

My friend Nicole lived in New York and worked for a publisher for several years. Her aunt, Alma, works on movies and travels all kinds of places for movie sets. While working on War, she met and started dating Jeremy Conway. Jeremy has places in Manhatten and Fire Island. But here is the important part: Jeremy is the production designer of Sex and the City, the series and the movie. He has also won four Emmy Awards for his work on the Athens, Barcelona, Sydney and Atlanta Olympics.

In an interview for the Daily News, Jeremy said, "Carrie's apartment is not about Carrie," he says. "What she's wearing is where she spends her money, and her apartment is secondary to that. So we started 'flea-ing' and using found pieces she might reupholster."

I know this is a stretch but this is as close to the set of something like Sex and the City as I'll ever get. And if you squint, in the dark, from a distance, I look a little like Sarah Jessica on a bad day!

Wine at Last!

Another big problem with shingles.... you can't drink wine with the medication. But I'm back! I opened two bottles that were recommended at Grapevine Market.

One was a Sauvignon Blanc called Kiwi Cuvee from France.... yes, France, not New Zealand. It was very good and under $10! I went back for more at this price. The other was a chardonnay from Burgundy, France, 2005 Bourgogne, Vincent Girardin. I don't care for oak and I loved this.

But hold on... now I want to find out about the cult following of Two Buck Chuck! Trader Joe's carries these $2 wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, White Zinfandel, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, and limited quantities of Pinot Grigio. These super-value wines began as the result of an oversupply of wine. According to Trader Joe's, "They’ve become the nation’s best-selling wines, not surprising when you consider the combination of low price ($1.99 - $3.49 per bottle, depending on the region)."

Now I can't testify if this stuff is drinkable, but if I can talk my son into putting a bottle in his luggage, I'll let you know. You see, there are lots of Trader Joe's in Phoenix where Scott lives, and he coming to visit in a couple of weeks. (No Trader Joe's in Texas.) Who knows, it won an award at the California State Fair!

More finds from Dale

Need an after five dress? Even if you answer "no", maybe you should find an event to use these gorgeous dresses!

Love this! http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2943286?refsid=209703&refcat=0%7e2376776%7e2378685%7e2380947%7e2380970&SourceID=&SlotID=1&origin=related
PERFECT! And black! Year round

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2965291?refsid=218345&refcat=0%7e2376776%7e2378685%7e2380947%7e2380968&SourceID=&SlotID=1&origin=related
This is hard to find! A cute dress for any age!http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2989240/0~2376776~2374327~2374331~6014133?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6014133&P=2

Would you rather throw your own party? How cute is this! Love the lights and tablecloths! All from Pottery Barn






PS- My shingles are much better. Thank goodness... Victoria (that would be my kitty)is getting bored sitting around listening to me moan!

PAIN

I've had shingles for a week now so there is very little that I find amusing or even interesting.

Shingles is an outbreak of blisters by the same virus that causes chickenpox. It is usually around the waist and can be very painful. Even a light touch can be painful. This information is from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, but I could have told you the same thing from my experience this week. Over 50 percent of people in their 50s who have shingles develop postherpetic neuralgia (This means the pain stays after the shingles are gone.)

From the Mayo Clinic: The pain of shingles can be excruciating, and the cause might not be immediately evident. But once the telltale rash and blisters start on one side of your body, it's more easily identified as shingles.

Any one who has had chickenpox is at risk. There is a vaccine now but you should talk to your doctor about it because it is not for everyone. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/shingles/DS00098

I know I'm talking a lot about the pain but that's all I can think about right now. You can find info about symptoms, treatment, vaccine, etc at the Mayo Clinic Web site above. All I can think about is the pain part.