Posted 10:59 AM by Bonnie

Since this is New Years Eve I decided to borrow some memes from my sister, Victoria, and have some fun.

Fridays Feast:

Appetizer: How do you usually celebrate on New Years Eve?

For quite a few years now we have celebrated by staying at home and watching the countdown on tv. Having egg nog and going to bed after the ball drops. That is if I can stay up until midnight. There have been a few years I missed it entirely.

Soup: Name one thing unexpected that happened to you in 2006.

The event that rocked my world the most was the death of my friend, Rick. While not totally unexpected, as he had been ill for awhile, when it did happen I wasn't prepared.

Salad: Where was your favorite place you visited in 2006?

Haven't done much travelling this year, but would have to say Charleston, SC. There is so much civil war history there.

Main Course: What resolution is your top priority for 2007?

LOL!! I learned long ago to not make resolutions because I am not the type of person to keep one. I would love to get more organized here so I can keep the house less cluttered but my top priority is for us to be happy.

Dessert: Using just three words, describe 2006

Sad Happy Unusual

Posted 1:57 PM by Bonnie

DBC Friday night: Generally I enjoy my Friday nights out at Drew's Blues Cafe and the blues jam. But last night it was all very strange. So, as my mother always taught me, if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all. I will say I didn't like the new set up of half the players turning their backs to the patrons. That is what we would call a closed session. You see only the backs of some and they are blocking off other musicians. It's a message saying we are here to play for ourselves and if you want to listen go ahead, but you aren't invited to the party. Generally the music gets the patrons involved and it's fun. Last night was not fun. (The only way to get a picture of most of the group was to stand in the kitchen door).

Also, I will answer here one last time as to why I don't get up and perform with the band, since music is my background and I have performed in the past. Because I've been there, done that, and the magic will never be the same. Now I just want to sit and listen and enjoy watching others perform. I enjoy doing the open mic poetry nights, but for now that's as far as I want to go. I do enjoy seeing my friends up there having fun and experiencing what I had for so many years. Yes, it was good when I did it, but I'm ready to move on.

So my final thought, after all this is what ZephyrBird thinks - when there are a lot of musicians like last night do what was done previously. Spread them around the walls of the restaurant! Everyone gets to see and HEAR! Yes, you do miss a lot when the backs are turned. I never heard a bass line at all and others all we got was reverb that wasn't very pleasant. Part of the music experience, when you go to see a group or band perform, is hearing them but the other part is seeing them. From where the patrons, who came to enjoy the music sat, we didn't get it. Just my humble opinion.

Posted 2:22 PM by Bonnie

Who's Dream is it anyway? When I got up this morning Keith told me about a strange dream he had last night. He dreamt there was a little white mouse running around beside and under the bed. At one point the mouse threw up so he reached down deciding to rescue the mouse and help it.

Well, when he got to that part of the dream he was rudely awakened by our cat, Marmalade, who was literally batting him on the face with his paw! Keith woke up to the cat in his face as if the cat was telling him, "hey! that's my dream and my mouse! How dare you try to rescue it!" Hmmmmmm....was the cat having the same dream or did he somehow know what Keith was dreaming? Unless the cat starts talking I guess we'll never know....doo doo doo doo doo doo doo...

Posted 7:51 PM by Bonnie

Happy Holidays! Got back awhile ago from having a wonderful time sharing Christmas with our friends, Linda and Tom Rowe. We each made part of the dinner which was great. I made ham, sweet potato casserole, and deviled eggs. I did make a green bean casserole which for some strange reason got left behind in the refrigerator! I always forget something! Linda made duck and a sinfully smooth creamy pumpkin pie which we had with coffee and eggnog creamer later in the evening.


As you can see by the pictures no one enjoyed the food. Yeah, right! I was so proud of myself because I had gained some weight back and finally - today - I had lost enough I could finally get back into my favorite pair of black jeans. By the end of the meal I was wondering what I had been thinking to wear them instead of a pair of elastic waisted slacks! Oh and if you think you can't see me in the pictures you just aren't looking close enough. Come on! Look closer! Do you see me now? Yep, that's me behind the camera! Gotcha!!!


I was impressed to find someone who could cook a duck and do it right. The first and last time I made a duck it was so greasy I had to toss it. But this came out perfect!





After dinner we opened gifts. For those who don't know the story behind this gift I will give and abbreviated version. I met Tom when I worked at Carolina Tech in the cafteria and every day he would get M&M's until one day he said his wife wanted him to lose weight so no more M&M's, so this has become a joke between us.

The funniest thing is every year I get Keith a new snow globe, but for some reason I forgot this year. Things were just going to fast or something. So, imagine my surprise when we opened our gift bags from Linda and Tom and among other goodies, (including a bag of coal for me telling me I'd been naughty...heh heh heh! of course I had!), was a snow globe for each of us! So, the tradition has not been broken!

After gifts we got out my karaoke machine and had a blast! Keith, who can sing, but doesn't know any of the old songs had to endure...I mean got to listen to us as we sang our favorites. It's a good thing we can all do an acceptable job at singing or the neighbors might have started complaining. At one point we did hear the sirens, but they weren't for us! LOL!


So Happy Holidays and hope everyone has as much fun as we did today!

Posted 9:45 PM by Bonnie

Friday Night at the Drew's Blues Cafe! Okay, to say it was a riot is an understatement. I just wish I hadn't gotten so tired! You know when you hit that wall and crash? So, I had to get home before I hit burnout. Lot's of reasons why I was so tired. Got up around 6 a.m. after going to bed after midnight. Did laundry, house cleaning, among other sundry things today. But, I'm So Glad! I went. As with poetry night, due to the holidays, a lot of the band members were out of town, but Allan is enough entertainment himself. We did end up with more as the night wore on...

including Mr. M&M's and his bass!

And Mrs. M&M's and yes, that is me with my tambourine - Hey Mrs. Tambourine Woman play a song for me....







Even Marcus got up and performed and even sang for us tonight! I love these casual nights when everyone does their thing and has fun and just goes with the flow.









And my buddy Mr. Drew's Blues Cafe Himself! He's the shorter one in the picture. What a charmer that kid is!






So I leave you with a picture of the Drew's Blues Cafe family... including mom on tambourine - okay she was holding it for the picture! Thanks guys! You are the greatest! Sumter wasn't much fun until we found you!

Posted 9:46 PM by Bonnie

Open Mic Night: With it being so close to Christmas I wasn't expecting a large turnout for open mic. The surprise was we did have a fair amount of poets, even if the audience was thinner tonight than normal. We had some new faces both as poets and in those who came to listen. I was pleased the Dr.'s Ali were able to make it, finally! Maybe they'll come back again when we have a better turnout, but I have to admit I was pleased with the poets who took time from their busy holiday season to join in tonight. Also, for some reason I forgot to take pics of some so will have to go through the archives and hope I have pictures to use. I hate it when I do that!

Our featured poet tonight, Sunida York, did a fabulous job! She is the author of He's Not Your Boyfriend If... She's Not Your Girlfriend If... A book guaranteed to give you some giggles and grins. Thanks Sunida!



(archive photo) Susan Robinson, our poet waitress, joined us tonight long enough to do a couple poems. Unfortunately, she was also working so we only got her up once. Her poetry is so sensitive and sometimes heartbreaking. She did one tonight called I Wish I Didn't Know You that I am sure everyone could relate to at one time or another in their life.


Tom Rowe took us on what I termed and Alice In Wonderland Journey with his poetry tonight. Sadly I don't remember the title, but what I like about his poetry is he takes you on a whirlwind trip and you never know where it will go next. I do enjoy the adventure!




Everyone else was wonderful! And my latest newest friend, Hyacynth Kinley, Collette Jones and myself are going to get a writers group together. We hope we will involve others in the poetry community as well as other authors, and encourage more creativity in the Sumter area. Below are the poets who performed tonight and I want to extend a big thank you to all of you! The night was wonderful! The poetry rocked! and it was hard to end the night and go back into the real world. Thanks for taking the time to share your poems, your feelings, your thoughts, and sometimes your desires! You are all the greatest!


Lakeyshuh ............Marie Grady........Shannon and..... Benita Duncan who's picture I somehow missed taking! I am so sorry Benita!! I was sure I had one but alas there wasn't one on the disk!

I wish everyone a joyous and happy holiday season! Hope to see all of you again in January!

Posted 6:07 PM by Bonnie

Don't Hit Santa!

Posted 2:48 PM by Bonnie

Happy Days are here again!! Whew! I made it! I passed my drivers test and am now legally driving again. In spite of what Keith said in his remarks I was not turning cartwheels - that would not a be site anyone would want to witness. I was however singing the Halleluiah Chorus! I did learn from this - we all need to review our driving once in awhile and reread the manual. We tend to start slacking with some of the things we should be doing. I am going to rewrite the drivers manual to include parking lot driving rules and parking garage driving rules. Also, all cars must at all times have a cat hood ornament or be fined one bag of Purnina crunchies to be paid to our cats upon demand.

UPDATE! Well, I went in and took the test today. Aced the written, but dang it all, I kept forgetting to look over my shoulder and check my blind spot when pulling out of spaces. And I couldn't back up in a straight line. But, I did parallel park with no problem! So, now I have to go back tomorrow and retake the driven part. She said I won't have any problem because now I'll remember to check the blind spots. At least Keith will have the day off tomorrow so he can drive me down and wait...just in case... but if all goes accoring to plan I'll be back in business tomorrow!

I've been getting back into walking, so decided to walk back home and leave my car there since I no longer have a license! I could have taken a cab, but walking is what keeps me going and keeps my arthritis from taking over. I left there around 10 a.m. and got home around 11 a.m. Not bad considering it's 2.75 miles! I just looked it up on mapquest. I have always loved walking thought. My sister, Victoria, will remember when back in Erie, PA I would walk from 21st and Ash to 12th and Sassafras to work the 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. shift at McDonald's - have lunch there - then walk from 12th and Sass to 8th and Parade to work the 3:30 p.m. to midnight shift at Keystone Towel Supply (an industrial laundry) and THEN! walk home back to 21st and Ash. It was actually safe back in those days to walk around and not worry about the violence we have to face these days. I can't tell you how many miles that was but it was a lot! I was a very fast walker in those days...but hey, for a fat old lady 2.7 miles in just under and hour ain't all that bad!

I'll let you know tomorrow how the driving part went...check your blind spot!


I can't believe I did this!!! Yes, this is one of those what was I thinking...or in this case I was not thinking blogs! Over the weekend Keith got his renewal for his drivers license and as I was looking it over I wondered why I hadn't also received one, since our birthdays are one day apart. So, I took out my license to see when it expires only to find IT HAD EXPIRED! February of 2006. Now, had I made this discovery a month ago all would be well, but here in SC they give you 9 months past expiration date...mine is 10 months...so yes, dear friends, I must retake the written and driving test over!! Aaarrggghhh!!! I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed. And everyone please do the same. If you see me out buying a bicycle in the next couple weeks you'll know what happened!

Posted 7:14 PM by Bonnie

What a difference nine months can make!

Posted 2:01 PM by Bonnie

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! I was really angry at the cats the other day, when I found they had emptied an entire box of styrofoam peanuts all over the computer room floor! That's where I was packing my Christmas gifts to mail off. Then I realized they were just trying to be nice to me. I keep talking of how much I miss the snow this time of year, so of course, they decided to make it snow for me! Those nice white styrofoam peanuts would surely be close enough to snow that I would appreciate their act of love and reward them. Instead of I yelled at them! I feel so guilty. Thanks for the thought guys, but now that I've clean it all up....DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!

Posted 11:33 AM by Bonnie

Last night I had the strangest dream! I don't know if it was the extra pain medication or what last night, but I had the weirdest dreams! My arthritis had kicked into high gear and everything hurt from my fingers to my toes! So, I got up and took more meds!! The one dream I remember involved Keith and Bruce Willis! No, not what you're thinking! Sheesh! Get your mind out of the gutter!

I dreamt Keith and I were moving and we were at a condo. We were sitting in the parking lot, on the moving truck, discussing it. Keith got bored and he asked this guy if there were any bars in town. The guy turned out to be Bruce Willis and he told him, sure, and took him away. They left me sitting on the truck with an empty condo! Now I see them in a cabin somewhere drinking and talking and Bruce Willis gets a phone call. He tells Keith they have to get out of there fast and they run out and B.W. blows up the cabin! They jump into these single person speed boats and last I see they're speeding across this lake. I woke up.

When Keith got up I told him he wasn't allowed to hang around with Bruce Willis anymore. After I told him about the dream he asked...were we chasing hot babes or what? I told him there were no hot babes in the dream and he said, "well, that wasn't what I call a dream."

Oh well.... he still can't hang around with Bruce Willis anymore!

Posted 3:47 PM by Bonnie

Smarty cats! We couldn't figure out why the phone battery was dying so quickly. Or why sometimes the phone was on when no one called. Or why people would say they called but the phone was messed up. Or why the answering machine would be on the floor when we got home from somewhere....

Until the other day when the secret was revealed! I was back in my room when the phone rang. When I got out to the living room BJ was trying to answer the phone! He had knocked it on the floor and was trying to get the right button! Then the answering machine came on and as the person spoke he ran over there and tried to find the person in the box, and in the process, knocked it to the floor.

Okay, now if we get a phone bill with a call to CAThay then I'll know who placed it!

Posted 10:41 PM by Bonnie

Drew's Blues Cafe Blues Jam! I keep talking about this Friday night Blues Jam, so tonight I took my camera along and got some pics. Thought I'd share a few here with you all. Anyone in Sumter who hasn't come by really should come and enjoy the sounds and the fun! Tonight Allan did a song called "I'm So Glad" and had the audience sing along..he would point to one section and that group had to sing. Well, he decided to pick on Keith tonight and at one point said, "okay, now just the Ph.D.'s". LOL!!! Anyway, here are a few pics. I sure wish I could post the music on here too! These guys are a trip and a half! Allan reminds me so much of my friend, Rick, (the one passed away last March) that it's just too uncanny. He plays guitar like him, he sings like him, he even smiles like him! Dang! Okay, a few pics for your viewing pleasure.
********

He also did a song called Hip Shake or something like that. Now last week he told the audience they had to get up and dance. Last week and this week only one person, from our table was brave enough to get up and do it.... Here's Tom!!!!!



Even DaMayor got in on the fun tonight! This is the guy who let's me host open mic poetry nights once a month, so gotta give him some space here!



A fun night! As always...great food! great music! great time!

Posted 1:53 PM by Bonnie

All the leaves are gone.... As I look out my window now the tree across the street is bare of leaves. The ground is now covered with a blanket of colors that will soon be raked up into bags and hauled away to a landfill, preserved forever in plastic bags. This is a tradition of fall I have never understood and I know my neighbors think I am totally bonkers for not following the same line. I have this theory that nature knows what it is doing and we interfere too much in the natural process. The leaves cover the ground in the winter to protect the grass and flowers (that will bloom again in spring) from the cold of winter and up north from the snow that covers the ground. I leave my leaves to blanket the earth. In the spring those that haven't composted do get raked, but again I don't follow the tradition of putting them in plastic bags to be hauled away. They still have another service to provide. Those that remain are raked around the trees to mulch and add nutrients to the earth around the trees, bushes, etc, that grow in the yard. I trust that nature will nurture the earth with the composting leaves and add much needed nutrients back into the soil. IMHO.

Posted 12:43 PM by Bonnie

Wal-Mart's $4 generic drug plan: Before you go thinking this is such a great deal do what I did. Sit down and compare the prices for the generic drugs you already get to the $4 Wal-mart charge.

Of the seven drugs my husband takes regularly three are generic. This is the comparison:

Drug............Wal-mart..........Walgreen's.....Savings
Pindolol 5mg....30 for $4.........60 for $8.99-----.99
Warfarin 5mg....30 for $4.........60 for 10.00----2.00
Furosemide 80mg.30 for $4.........60 for $5.99----2.11 loss
----------
Total savings:--------------------------------------.88

Now Walgreens is about 4 blocks away (I can walk on a good day) and WalMart is a couple miles at least. Taking into consideration just the gas that would be used to save that 88 cents for us it would not be cost effective. So, unless you have absolutely no insurance at all do some comparison shopping and take into consideration the gas, the time, and the aggravation involved. You know the old saying that if it sounds too good to be true - it probably is? Keep that in mind.

Posted 10:28 PM by Bonnie

Open Mic Night! Every month I think it can't get any better than this and the next month I am proven wrong.

Our guest poet, Michele Reese, PhD was wonderful. She shared poems from her book, Following Phia, and also did some newer poems. I have her book and as I told her each poem is better than the previous one. We really enjoyed her and appreciated her sharing her time and her poems with us.

Last Saturday I heard Linda Rowe sing this hauntingly beautiful song called The Old Man and it's about the streets of London. It's a very personal song and story for her and her family so I asked her to come and tell the story and share the song for us. She graciously agreed and everyone enjoyed the performance.

Tonight was a special night for her husband, Tom, as it was his birthday. I read a special birthday poem I ahd written for him. He shared three of his poems with us tonight. His poems are very deep and thought provoking. Haunting in their openess and honesty.

Shawna Bauer joined us tonight as part of her English class at USC Columbia. She lives in Sumter and part of her class assignment was each had to go to an open mic poetry night and read at least one of their poems. She shared three with us and we certainly enjoyed having her with us! So if Shawna's teacher is reading this, yes, she was there and yes she did perform.

And Develon Douglas was back! Just after Keith asked if Develon would be coming this month he walked in the door! Yea!! This guy is phenomenal! Also, his CD is out so check out his web page for more information on that. His lyrics make you sit back and listen and take notice. His style and delivery are impeccable. I can't say enough about him. Just check him out!

And my buddy Colette Jones! She keeps us in stitches! We love her! Everyone talks about her and asks about her and wants to hear more of her! Her poem Grab Bag is requested every month and I'm sure she's tired of performing it for us. But it is hysterical! This is the one I spoke of before that she was challenged to write. While standing in line at the lunch counter at Shaw AFB she was challenged to write a poem about candy. Whew! Who ever knew candy could be that sexy!! Someday I will have to get a copy of that and with her permission post it here for you all to enjoy!

Marie Grady, aka Lyric, has become one of the regulars we look for each month. Her poetry is always heartfelt and compelling. She takes you with her through each line and makes you feel the words. I always look forward to hearing from her and hope she continues to grace Open Mic Night.

Joyce Williams was back again with her fun poems. She was having more trouble than usual with her eyes tonight. She was able to perform one from memory but then had Cynthia Harris, PhD perform the last one. This was a hysterical one about a friend, who years ago, gave her so much flour she didn't know what to do with it. She put some in a cedar chest to keep it from the mice and when she baked with it...well, yep, everything tasted of cedar!

And Dr. Cynthia Harris to the rescue!

Yarbough (Yarbie) Miller was a first timer tonight. Yarbie is a student at Morris College. We are getting more and more students and I am so thrilled to see them there. We certainly enjoyed her poems and hope she will become a permanent member of our Open Mic Family!

And Kiki was back! You will all remember her as our featured poet last month.

And this time she brought her boyfriend, Theo, (I hope I spelled that right) who also shared one of his poems. Hopefully these two will continue to attend and share their poetry.

And here are some group shots of the cafe crowd.

Posted 2:57 PM by Bonnie

OPEN LETTER TO THE CATS IN OUR HOME

1. The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
2. The stairway is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.
3. I cannot buy anything bigger than a king-sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep.
It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.
4. For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - feline attendance is not mandatory.
5. The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other cat's butt. I cannot stress that enough!
6. Regardless of what Keith has told you I WILL NOT... I repeat...WILL NOT go down the drain while showering, so you do not need to line up outside the shower waiting for me.
7. Also, in regard to the shower you do not need to dry me off with your tongues. You would die of exhaustion before the task would be completed and I have found a large towel is much more efficient, but thanks for trying.

8. To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:
RULES FOR NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT MY PETS;
A. They live here. You don't
B. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture (That's why they call it "fur"niture)
C. I like my pets a lot better than most people.
D. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly. Cats are sometimes better than kids...they eat less, don't ask for money all the time, are easier to train, usually come when called, never drive your car, don't hang out with drug-using friends, don't smoke or drink, don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions, don't wear your clothes, and don't need a gazillion dollars for college---and if they get pregnant, you can sell the children.....

Posted 10:39 PM by Bonnie

Good food! Good Friends! Good Times! It's been a rough few weeks and even though my husband didn't feel up to going to our local cafe, Drew's Blues, for the jam session I wanted to go. Friends were meeting me there and it would be a night out to unwind.

Well, the jam session didn't happen. As it is with musicians at times, they are fickle, and bowed out one by one. When some of my friends arrived we discovered one could play guitar and sing. Since they only lived 10 minutes away her husband graciously left to get the guitar and her music. What a wonderful surprise. You know how sometimes people say they can play and sing and you have to politely smile through the pain once they start? Well, Linda could really play! and really sing! So well, I requested she do one that has some family history, at the next open mic. And she has agreed, so we are in for a real treat.

Also, a couple new friends joined us. Eric and his fiance, Christen, had never been to Drew's Blues Cafe and I have been trying to get them there. Finally tonight they were able to make it and as I knew would happen, they fell in love with the place, and are looking forward to going back. We all talked, laughed, giggled, and just had fun! It was hard to leave, but you do have to let them close the restaurant and do their clean up so they can go home. But it feels so much like you are home sometimes you forget the time. That's what I like about DBC. You don't go in and feel like you are just another customer...you feel like this is your extended family and you are sitting down to a family meal. It doesn't matter what is served, although the food is always out of this world, mouth watering, good! The atmosphere is so inviting and comfortable sometimes you forget you are in a restaurant and not your family's dining room.

Like tonight, Drew, the six year old son of the owner, wanted to race me... so we'd say ready, start, go and he would run off as fast as he could. I'd take a step forward and turn around and wipe the sweat off my brow and ask him what took him so long. He would swear up and down I never moved but everyone else told him yes, she did! she was just so fast you didn't see her!

Anyway...it was a fun night! Good food! Good Friends! Good times! What more could we ask for?

Posted 10:31 AM by Bonnie

Untitled: Since this is going to be a hodgepodge update I just left it untitled.

Wager: At the beginning of the year my sister, Victoria, myself and our friend, Bernie agreed we would all update our blogs once a week. Up to this point I was proud to have been the only one who managed to do that, but here is it is November 10 and the last time I posted was 10/31...so in the end none of us managed to fulfill the promise.

Husband updates: The past few weeks have been the weeks from hell...

One week my husband had a doctor appt every day! and on top of it his car was in the garage so not only was I driving him to and from doctor appts, and sitting and waiting with him, but driving him to and from work. Somewhere in there I cleaned house, did laundry, fed cats, cleaned litter boxes, did grocery shopping..etc etc etc.....

Then the docs decided he needed and upper GI and a TEE... both were scheduled to be done back to back so he would only have to go under the VERSED once. When we got to the hospital they only had him scheduled for an upper GI which was the least of the tests he needed. I told them I sat in the office while the woman who sets these appts. up coordinated the proceedings and they told me they didn't have that so would only do the one. I said we may as well go home then as it was set up to do both back to back. They argued with me, I told them to check and finally had to get rude...they finally checked and lo and behold! yep, both doctors were there and both were scheduled for the procedures. Dang, I hate having to get ugly to get things done, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

And tuesday he was scheduled for a root canal. Now we'd already paid $200 for a filling before they decided he needed a root canal. When we got there the dentist (orthodontist) discovered the tooth was cracked and couldn't do a root canal, but the tooth needed pulled. Of course, he is so specialized, root canals only that we had to schedule an appt. with the other dentist to get the tooth pulled. Complicating matters is Keith is on coumadin as he gets pulmonary embolisms... he had to go off the coumadin and they scheduled it for thursday morning. Of course, after it wouldn't stop bleeding and we had to go back and the dentist put an astringent in the root canals to slow the bleeding, which it eventually did.

The bad cats! Just one cat story...the other day I was washing dishes and when I turned around ready to sweep the kitchen floor I found that BJ had not only emptied one of the bowls of crunchy cat food on the floor, he had dumped the water bowl over it! Okay...deep breath... I take some paper towels and cover the water and food to absorb the water while I come clean down here. When I go back up BJ and Tiny Friend (who isn't so tiny anymore) had cleaned up the paper towels for me. Deep breath... I picked up the mess, wiped up the water, swept and mopped the floor and wondered why I bother. Oobal di oobla da....

Now it's Friday...and hopefully...fingers and toes crossed...next week will be a better one! Have a good weekend everyone!!!

Posted 2:27 PM by Bonnie

Bug has been vindicated! Yes, all along Mr. Bug has been denying the paternity of one BJ (Bug, Jr) cat. Stating he had been neutered and could not possibly be the father, but the resemblence was too much so we kept calling BJ his son. Even after getting notice from his lawyer, Mr. Percival T. Fuzzalot, we persisted in our teasing and taunting and trying to get him to 'fess up. Well, this morning when I went out to feed Little Friend and Scarface, Scarface was in a dominating stance and making threatening sounds towards the backyard. I went out and lo and behold! An adult male cat who looked EXACTLY like BJ! Right down to the black lips! I called him to come over and got the nastiest most disgusted look that Scarface could give me. At that point Daddy BJ took off and Scarface huffed into the house for his breakfast. He kept giving me those sideways disgusted looks, but managed to eat his breakfast anyway before heading out for the days adventures.

So, to Mr. Bug... I'm sorry! You were right! We were wrong! Please don't sue us!

Posted 8:27 AM by Bonnie

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens;
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens;
Brown paper packages tied up with strings;
These are a few of my favorite things.

It's raining today...hard! And poor little BJ was busily trying to catch every raindrop that hit the side door today! It was too funny to watch so I had to get these pictures to share.

Posted 1:34 PM by Bonnie

Open Mic Night rocked last night!!! Totally! It was probably the most awesome night we have had since the conception of our open night poetry nights here in Sumter. When we (yes my husband actually went last night) got to Drew's Blues and time was moving on I got worried no one was going to show. But one young man had signed up and I had my guest poet, so the show would go on...next thing I know people are arriving in droves and some are even signing to read.

A funny and fun note is one of the teachers from Morris came to watch and when she and her husband walked in I said, "I know him!" I couldn't remember from where but I knew I knew him. Finally it came out he worked at Carolina Tech and I said...Mr. M&M's! I reminded him (Tom Rowe) I worked at the canteen there for awhile, and I remembered every day he would come in for a bag of M&M's. Then one day he said his wife told him he was getting too fat so he had to cut back on the M&M's and could only have them once a week. The thing is I didn't realize, at the time, that I KNEW his wife from Morris College! It turned out he is a poet, also, and he was inspired while there and wrote two poems, sitting at the table! that he shared during the open mic rotations.

Our guest poet, KiKi (Sheklia) Baccus was awesome! I knew she would be good, but the confidence and pose and general attitude she showed brought a life to her poems that got everyones attention. Her first poem was one about herself to give the audience an idea of who she is as a person. Of her other poems was a very touching tribute to a friend, who's friend killed himself on his birthday. She ended with a poem of why she writes. Everyone enjoyed her and I received a lot of comments on how well she did.

Now, what I wrote yesterday about being blown away so completely I forgot to do somethings. The first poet after KiKi was a young man, I had never seen before, named Develon Douglas. You had to hear him and listen to his words and his presentation to understand why it took me time to recover each time after he got up to perform. We used to say he blew me away! He knocked my socks off! Well, he did it all! So, I apologize, but by the time I recovered from his words I had forgotten to take pictures of most of the poets last night. Thank goodness I have archives!

Michele Reese, PhD had the honor of following this young man, and as my husband said, she had such a sense of self and confidence she didn't let him overshadow her and her performance and poems were strong and meaningful. So much so, he is considering going back next month when she will be the guest poet. (archive photo)



We were all getting worried Colette wouldn't make it last night! She had a rough week with some personal family issues. But, she got there! And the applause when I said Colette's here! was great! She was as entertaining as ever and took us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. She did one called WHOEVER HE MAY BE that took us from rolling on the floor laughing to serious and thoughtful. Colette has an energy that fills the room and we always look forward to hearing what she has to offer each open mic night. (archive photo)

And I was getting worried Sunida York wouldn't show up last night. I have been wanting to ask her to be a guest poet but she disappears before I can get to her, after each open mic. So when she came up last night and asked how one became a guest poet I had to laugh! I told her I had been wanting to talk to her about just that very thing, so we got together BEFORE the open mic this time and she will be guest poet for December. To learn more about Sunida check out her website.

My other poets for last night were:

Marie Grady, who has such a presence about her I feel as if I'm in the presence of royalty when she stands up to read. You know what I mean! You've seen people who carry themselves so well you know there's something different and special about them. Her poems are always inspired and she is such a joy to listen to.

So, I thank everyone who came last night! I feel so lucky to have such a loyal group who never disappoint me with their poems and presentations. I applaud each who got up and read or performed their poetry and hope you will forgive me. I do hope Mr. Douglas comes back, and now that I have heard him hope I will be able to keep a presence of mind and remember my duties as host and get those pictures taken!

Oh, and if you want to read the X-rated math poem I performed last night, that had people cracking up and yelling out "yeah"! go to the link for my poems.