PSA No. 3 - National Stay at Home Because You Are Well Day

Today is National Stay at Home Because You Are Well Day. Don't ask how I know I just do. This is a concept we can all embrace. Taking a day off, feeling well and doing as you please. This may not get you many points with the employer, but may prove to be a great thing for your own personal sanity. I myself will not be joining in this "holiday" this year, but I will be keeping it in mind for next year. Whatever you choose to do enjoy your day.

Rant No. 7 - Margarita mayhem

Well as previously stated I am still on my quest to find a great margarita here in AZ. So when I saw a new Mexican restaurant opened near us, advertised as Gourmet Mexican Cuisine, I thought okay here I go. So Sunday night Pat and I head over there, because I am sure this is going to be the place where I finalize my quest. It is a nice enough looking place, we are seated in a booth in the kind of empty bar area (should have been a clue right there) and served chips and salsa. The waitress comes over and asks if we would like something to drink like maybe a lemonade. WHAT??? A lemonade? I have never had that question asked of me in a mexican restaurant. So I say actually I will have a margarita, on the rocks, no salt. Well she is very sorry but they don't exactly have a liquor license right now. They had a temporary one for a couple days, but the permanent one has not been granted yet so no liquor. I was almost speechless, but did manage to blurt out that the margarita was kind of the main reason I was there. Did I sound like a lush or what? She was really sorry and totally understood if we decided to go, in fact mentioned a new brewery that opened down the road a piece. We did go, and I didn't even manage to grab any chips and salsa, because after all you need a decent salsa to go with that margarita.

Rant No. 6 - Kiosks at the Mall

In general I don't have a problem with the kiosks at the malls that take up all the walking space and you have to maneuver around which becomes increasingly hard during the holiday season. My problem with them is that the salespeople feel the need or are forced by their employer to feel the need to talk to you as you walk by. If they just wanted friendly conversation that would be one thing, but they don't. They want to tell me how much better my skin would look if I bought one of every thing on the cart, or how my nails need to be buffed and moisturized and some things I don't even know about, or there is the nail art that no one can live without, or the things that look like hot pads that you put in the microwave and wear around your neck to relieve your stress. It gets to be too much, to be accosted every few feet by someone hawking their wares makes me want to rant. They have prime location in the mall, you can't get through without seeing them, so quit bothering everyone, if I want what they have I will stop and look, until then all they get from me is a very disgusted shake of my head. end of rant

PSA No. 2 - Best Margarita Ever

It is my duty to share with everyone the fact that I have finally had what I believe to be the best margarita ever. I have spent the last year and a half searching for a great, not just so-so, but GREAT margarita here in Arizona. I thought that living in the Southwest automatically meant good Mexican food and great margaritas. How naive I am. It was on my recent trip home that I found this excellent margarita and the food was to die for also. My sister and I had some time to kill before picking up my niece, we were driving around Yorktown and happened upon Adobe. We went in for a drink and some appetizers and it was there that I finally found what I had been looking for. I really can't describe how wonderful this drink was, you will have to experience it for yourself. They also have two locations in Chicago, unfortunately for me there are none in the Phoenix area, so my quest continues out here.

Things I Find Strange - No. 2

When you live where Palm Trees are the norm, they all start to look the same. This one however is quite different. It is not a Palm Tree at all. It is some sort of disguise for I don't actually know what. Maybe one of those cell phone towers, or speakers for the sirens that warn of tornadoes which would be a really odd thing to have here. Whatever it is I find it very Strange.

PSA No. 1

Today is National Clean out your Refrigerator Day. Don't ask me how I know, I just heard it somewhere and whether it is true or not I don't think I care. I am a huge proponent of clean refrigerators, This is how mine looks in between grocery shopping trips. Please note all the essentials seem to be covered: milk, OJ, water, condiments, yogurt, margarita mix and beer. So take this opportunity before Thanksgiving fills your refrigerator with leftovers and clean it out!!!

Rant No. 5 - Baggers

Okay, I already know they are not the best paid people on the planet, however what ever happened to taking pride in the job you do no matter what it is? Last night at the grocery store I had 3 half gallon containers, orange juice, milk and chocolate milk. The young man was bagging my groceries and asked if I wanted the milk in a bag. I said yes, please. So he placed all three in one cheap little plastic bag. HELLO. Those bags can barely carry more than one item without ripping and now I have three, half gallon jugs in it. Then another favorite is when they just shove things in the bag instead of halfway trying to make them fit nicely. The boxes rip a hole in the bag and they just keep on shoving, you are lucky to get the bags to the car and in the house without picking up every item individually. I think maybe a little more time should be taken on training the baggers how to bag.

Happy Birthday, Mom

Mom and her sister Mary

Surprise and Happy Birthday! My mother turned 75 this year and my sister and I had a surprise party for her at Shaw's Crab House. My mother is not an easy person to pull a surprise off on. I think it was her 50th birthday when some friends were planning a surprise party and she got wind of it and refused to show up. She does not like surprises. This one was relatively easy for me because my sister handled all the arrangements. All I had to do was send out invitations and show up. I believe my mother was truly surprised about the party and even more surprised to see me there. We were so happy that so many of her friends were able to attend. Some of these women she has known over 50 years, others are newer friends but just as dear to her. Everyone had a great time visiting with each other, the food was wonderful and the drinks were flowing. Here's to many more birthdays to come filled with friends and family. Happy Birthday, Mom.

Things I Find Strange - No. 1

Last Fall the woman across the street had her tree trimmed to look like this. I use the word trimmed loosely here, personally I thought she was either totally into Halloween and making it look scary and about to hang bats and ghosts from it or having it removed. I found the entire process very Strange. Just proves what I know, because now a year later that tree is full of foliage towering above her house.

Rant No. 4 - Preferred Customer Cards

Don't quite get the purpose of this, other than some Big Brother somewhere keeping track of what you are buying. I don't like to have a bunch of extra cards to carry around in my wallet or on my key chain. Why not just give the preferred savings to every customer, everyone gets the same price, now there's a novel idea. When you go in a grocery store and don't have their card they scan one for you anyway, why bother, get rid of the cards. Albertsons is the first grocery store in this area to do just that, and I applaud them. Now I wish the others would just follow suit.

Happy Birthday, Margaret!

Happy Birthday, we are all wishing you a grand and glorious day. This picture is a year old already, it was taken on a grand and glorious day last October in Sedona. We had the perfect day for a trip up north. The weather was cool enough to enjoy walking around the town and taking in all the beautiful views. Have a great day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY.