Later tonight, walking Bailey and Cleo, I spotted one of the local dads out with his two little girls. Dad works hard during the day, I see him sometimes in the mornings, getting ready for the day.
Tonight he's carrying the little one. About 8 months old. Sitting up straight in his arms, looking around. Very interested in the two little dogs on the other side of the street. The older girl is about 2 and a half. She's blonde, hair sticking out all over. Wearing her pink footie jammies. Marching with great determination, baby belly sticking out in front, looking like it's keeping her balanced. She was not going to hold dad's hand. Not even to cross the street. A very determined little blonde creature. Very, very focussed on getting up and down the curbs without ANY assistance. It was hard not to smile out loud.
Actually, Reagan had loads of political experience before he ran for governor. Arnold has none, unless you count listening in on his in-laws' family discussions (and they're Democrats.)
As usual, the people on this thread made me smile--Eastree's painted cat, 51day's cannibal joke and Beth's wonderful descriptions of her neighbors--old and young.
A trip to Tucson tomorrow is also making me smile.
Clint Eastwood was the Mayor of Carmel and owner of the Hogs Breath Saloon.
Thinking of Clint play soft jazz on the piano that makes me smile tonight and of course the Tejas gathering in Austin starting Friday.
I just farted and blamed it on the dog. I can hardly keep a straight face.
Ladies and Gentlemen.......squinney has left the building...
BPB you did not - well that is OK if it made you smile.
Today I am smiling because by this time tomorrow I will be more than halfway to Austin for the Texas gathering.
Bi-Polar, that was what made me smile (and laugh, and think about doing next time I can)
I am smiling because I finally figured out how to post pictures to the gallery here!
I discovered a new little cheese shop!
This is important news. Town's full of supermarkets that do stock ever more kinds of cheeses - they've got their Cambozola, Rochebaron and Gorgonzola apart from the obvious Bries and Camemberts, and rocks of Parmesan and Grana Padana are now everywhere, too. But still, thats about it as far as I'm concerned, and its still supermarket-fare, too. There used to also be a few "around-the-corner" cheese or cheese-and-bread shops, but they've closed down these past few years, and didnt sell more than various Dutch cheeses and y'r Brie and Camembert anyway (tho cheaper than in the supermarket).
There was this one cute little shop practically underneath the Domtower, it had Morbier and all - but that closed down a few months ago, too. All the mum-n-pop stores are closing down, rapidly, like some disease is gripping them one by one. So that left me with a choice of only two: one or two fancy new take-aways-for-the-rich, that seem to be taking their place and sell Italian cheeses for ridiculous prices; and the cheese store in the shopping centre, where they got lots of cheeses (Comte!), but the people selling them are just temps, who dont know nothing about them.
And now, the most surprising discovery! In Lombok, on the poor side of town, amidst all the Moroccan grocery stores, I spotted what seemed like a small "around-the-corner" Dutch cheese shop, so I went in to buy some standard Dutch cheese. Well, it was - tiny an' all - but in one fridge on the side the man had all kinds of fresh, foreign cheeses as well. He had at least half a dozen cheeses I'd never even heard of! And the man himself, a guffawing middle-aged man of seemingly boundless cheer, jumped out from behind his counter at a word to tell me all about how this one was made, what that one was wrapped in - overflowing with enthusiasm for his product he was already telling the next customer how he was going to go to another cheese fair this weekend, et cetera. Odd little thing, considering he's stuck at the dilapitated end of a street full of Turkish families and meat-and-potatoes Dutch workers.
I bought a little piece of Morbier, cause its one of my favourites and a small piece of Brebiou (soft sheeps cheese) cause I felt like it; I bought some farm-cheddar wrapped in burlap and I bought a piece of Vacherin-Mont d'Or, which I'd never heard of before. Its wrapped in treebark and like Morbier a raw-milk cheese from the French Jura, apparently - its extremely soft, almost melts from in between the crust. Man told me to take it out of the fridge and keep it in between tinfoil for a while before eating, so it'll almost be like cream cheese; you can only get it in autumn, apparently, I'm really curious!
He had other stuff, too ... A cheese called Tommes au Marc de Savoie, a raw-milk cheese wrapped in grape pulp from the last wine-pressing (and smells the part), had never heard of that either, and they had some cheese from the Pyrenees, and a soft, smoked fresh cheese and a sourish Italian cheese I'd never heard of (Aramaggio?) and a goat cheese called Merlin and and and ... <grins>. But just the four pieces above cost me over 10 bucks already - bit much to eat on crackers behind the computer, I'll have to think up an occasion for them! ;-)
nimh and his cheese enthusiasm just made me smile. it's always nice to meet someone else with that sort of keen-ness!
i'm verging on smiling. only a few more hours til they send us home early for the thanksgiving long weekend, and i head home to get ready to head out to pick up Setanta, and then head west toward Michigan, Wisconsin and the Madison get-together.
mmmmmm, cheese. think i'll go get me one of them wisconsin havarti (nothing like the normal stuff) sammiches for lunch. mmmm....
My 21 yr. old daughter is all excited about some guy that she 'clicks' with. This is a first. I hope it all stays good for the most part.
We got the medicine that we have been needing for the dog today!!!
Hubby got me liscence tags for my motorsickle!!!
So now I can ride to the coast, just puttin' along. Taking in all the beautiful colors and smells and wind and freedom of just me and my motorsickle.
I used to do this every single year for like 4 years in a row and then I had back surgery the last time and it really screwed my up. But I have been working my muscles so I can handle a nice afternoon of riding!!! Too COOL!! YIPPEEEEEEE!!!!
And ....Hubby went and got new liscence plates for the jeep 1970 jeep that he just got me!!!! So now I can get the heck out of here whenever!!!
She's not much to look at but she looks like a 'she' and I plan on bonding with her sooooon!!
Not a bad day.... nope not at all!!!!
And I am truly blessed !!!! And very gratefull for what I have !!!!
Ahhhhaawww (heavy sigh) hahaha
Jest wanna ride on my mo...OH...OH...ter-ci...
...cle
Found a perfectly wonderful chair set out for anyone to take on the curb. Sozlet's been having a hard time fitting into her highchair, regular chairs are too low, this one's PERFECT. And nice. Oak and everything. Big smile. (Had a mate with a broken rung, can probably fix that too.)
Drooling over Nimh's cheese post. We have a little shop called, appropriately, formaggio nearby. Actually, I think it's a chain of 2 stores. I love it. Not only is there all sorts of cheese (I'll look for anything as exotic as a tree wrapped cheese....), but good pasta, sweets, produce and cut flowers. And it's next door to a little fish shop.
My best smile happened early. I woke up late - doh! forgot to set the alarm. Then I remembered that the alarm (it's a recordable tape loop) was retaped the day before. My neice is saying "I love you gigi, pththththt". I was sad that I'd have to wait another day to hear it upon waking, but laughed out loud at how dang cute it is.
Adele - how cool! I wanna motorsickle. I've aaaalways wanted one. Unfortunately, they aren't too practical here in new england. I shoulda bought that hardley davidson when I was out in santa fe.
Listening to the new songs we've recorded made me smile today.
Also I'm listening to Avril Lavigne on the PC here and realising that she has a very, very slight speech impediment. A lisp I think.
Personally I find this amazingly attractive.
Reminds me of Toyah's slight impediment too. She has a fabulous voice. Turns my knees to jelly.
I'm definitely smiling now. This is a good morning.
A new karaoke gig fell into my lap....and one where the owners are tired of karaoke being a miniature Grand Ole Oprey and want karaoke that rocks....boy did they call the right guy...this'll be fun....they even raised their regular price to get me........good times.....
Ah, Bi. That made me smile. Guess that makes you a graduate from the school of hard rocks.
Bear just made me smile as well. Way to go :-D
