Some Gave All...

Happy Memorial Day.  Words cannot express the gratitude I feel for those who unselfishly gave their lives for our freedom.  As a mother and wife, I cannot imagine the sacrifice of not only supporting your loved one in his/her career, but the stress of possibly losing them.  As a grieving Mom, I know only too well that pain and will never forget those families who have paid that horrible price for our freedom.  So as another year goes by, let's keep in mind the bravery of the Veterans and their families who gave all so we could live free.
P.S. Thank you Tami for this wonderful picture.

Fevers and Candies...

I've been to concerts, drag shows, and even strip clubs in my day, but I wasn't sure what to expect when we went to the Fillmore to see Dita Von Teese and her burlesque show.

I have seen the movie 'Burlesque'-the one that all women (and a few men) love.  It was a romantic love story with great music and flair.  But what would Dita do for a whole show?

What didn't Dita do?  (Say that 3 times fast!)  She, and her posse of performers, camped it up with fans, feathers, scarves and other props.  There was even a bathtub with running water on the stage. It was funny, sexy, witty and oh so campy.  The girls teased and amused us all.  I loved the costumes and music and the dude that emceed the whole show.  He was a show all by himself as he introduced the numbers and added snappy commentary.

I learned that burlesque is soooo much more than stripping, although pasties and G-strings were the end game outfits.  There were twirling tassels by the Best Twirler in the World!  It really was closer to a drag show with the same humor and flourish.  And predictably, Dita closed the show in her giant martini glass.  I loved every moment of the show and I would recommend anyone to go and be teased and entertained!

P.S.  As a side show, the people watching was supreme.  Girls and boys dressed up in all their 'Dita' looks.  Tight dresses, fishnets, and red, red lips were out and about seein' and bein' seen.  The streets of Detroit never disappoint!  And the Fillmore-what a totally old gorgeous venue.
Got a chance?  Go Go Go!

Back to You...

Happy Mother's Day!  To all  the Mom's for all the love and consistency you bring to the world.  You all are the foundations of the family and the ones we can count on for unconditional love and acceptance.  Where would we be with out our Mom's?

Happy Mother's Day to the Mom's, here and passed that have shaped us and been our role models.  You are our rocks.

And to all of you that asked, called, texted and posted Mother's Day wishes and support to me on this bittersweet day.  I love you all. XO

P.S. Happy Birthday to my husband, Randy.  Another lap around the sun! XO

Keep it Lit...

I love a clever turn of word but lately people have some 'splainin' to do.  Seems there is slang that I was totally ignorant of.  Dane used to chastise me and say that once I finally caught on, it was all passe' and I sounded like an idiot.  

Let me share my recent relevations and maybe enlighten you, too.  Gal pal Kristin and I were at happy hour at our favorite watering hole-a perfect place to watch the boats roll in while the cocktails roll out and have a hipster conversation about such things.

  As a person who attempts (well, sort of..) to stay relatively hip, I am amazed at all the 'new' verbage floating around.   For instance, did you know that being 'snatched' has nothing to do with me grabbing the last piece of garlic bread in the basket?   No, rather it means that my make-up, eyebrows and clothing choices are 'on point.'  I guess if I cared a little more, that could be an issue.  I'm more likely to do the garlic bread thing.

And how about the word 'extra?'  It's just soooo extra.  The drunk chickie that we watched stumbling  off the yacht in high heels and a revealing dress was certainly very 'extra.'  The guys watching her were treated to a little 'extra' view as she navigated her crawl off the boat.  

How about the 'prom posal?'   This is fancy slang for a guy asking a girl to be his date for the event.  However, this request doesn't happen in the hall by the lockers.  A prom posal must be done at a very special place, possibly on one knee, with maybe flowers and and expensive dinner involved.  The event must be photographed, videoed and posted on all social media.  The Sears Tower is a perfect location-or at least the RenCen.  Any jumbotron invite, at a major sporting event-say the Superbowl- is also appropriate for popping the prom question.

And what about a 'push present?'  As I understand it,  when you birth your baby, a present is due you because you 'pushed.'  Apparently the little bambino is not gift enough but any jewelry store or furrier, or car dealership will happily hook up the Dad as he rewards Mommy for the job well done.   I do not know if sweating or panting is yet to be rewarded.  BONUS!!

How's that for a little update?  Have an extra snatched week.  I'm going to dip out and take my extra butt to hit the hay.  Groovy, Baby!  xo

Penny Lane...

Musings from a highway rest stop(s) 2018.  I have a strange fascination with rest stops.  The one stop kind that the real truckers hit up.  While Randy pumps gas, I tear in there to look around.  Here's just some of the things that keep me guessing and coming back.

What is the obsession with peanuts in the south?  I saw boiled peanuts, peanuts in a can (huh?), peanuts in bags-salted and unsalted, and even peanuts in crock pots!  No thanks, I'll stick to Planters-until someone tells me why you would ever boil a peanut.  You can purchase 50 different flavors of pecans-if that's your bag.  I know this because I sampled about 25 of the flavors and purchased 100.00 worth!  Plus a giant bag of oranges  What can I say-they were/are fresh and the dude told me his whole life history.  I am a sucker for a good story as well as a good pecan. You can hardly beat a good story ABOUT a pecan. And can we just talk about the cinnamon rolls that are as big as a Frisbee?  3000 calories in cellophane wrap with no expiration date!  Yep, and covered with-you guessed it-pecans!  There are special bathrooms that you can take a number for and when they announce it, it's your turn to shower if you are feeling sorta funky.  There is a small theater if you have time to catch a movie.  I saw an alarming number of fireworks.  Those thing scare me and I prefer to be viewing them with a real pyro tech.   And I am puzzled as to why anyone would want to use the 'Penny Press.'  Apparently you can pay a buck  to get a penny with a local historical event on it for a souvenir.  Huh?  Not once have I ever seen anyone pressing a penny.  Seems like a waste of space when there could be room for more peanuts.  I saw a chapel where I guess you can go to pray for safe travels or the avoidance of indigestion from all those peanuts.  Alligator heads and rebel flags, rock t-shirts and seashells, saltwater taffy and mirrored beer signs.  Those places have it all.

Why, you ask, do we frequent a rest stop as opposed to say, a regular gas station?   Well, pulling a boat behind a big truck necessitates a large parking lot.  So we wheel in, get gas, hit the rest room, grab a coffee and hit the road.

That's all she wrote till next year.

I may even press a penny.    XOXOX from this weary road warrior

So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish...(yes, that's a song!)

Hello Dolls!  A very tired Jspot comin' at you tonight.  We are packin' up and getting ready to hit the road.  There's so much to get handled before we pull out.  The usual packing (2 months worth!) plus taking care of things that we have procrastinated for 8 weeks.  Tomorrow will find us at Home Depot buying light bulbs, cleaning supplies, and other miscellaneous items.  Randy spent the day washing the boat as well as scuba, snorkeling and fishing gear.  We have purged and reorganized the store room and our closets.   Most of the refridge food is eaten up and the rest will be tossed.  After 20 trips to the truck, we will be ready to load her up, toss in Hazel kitty and bust our move north-via North Carolina.  

It's been a blast.  We have had roughly 2 weeks total where we didn't have guests and now it seems too quiet around here.  I don't think we missed a trick including the Marathon Seafood Festival, Tastefest and Art Fair, Micheal Trixx Magic, and even a flight to Key West for St. Paddy's day.  We have hit Sand Bar Sunday a number of times as well as many 'sunset celebrations.'  I have read at least 10 books enjoying the new furniture out on our lower deck.  I have ate more lobster reubens than I will admit too and almost as much key lime pie.  (I actually prefer Key Lime Cheesecake!)  We have enjoyed many live bands and solo artists beachside.  We bar hopped by boat-more than a few times!  I have taken to sleeping in-something I rarely do at home.  But all good things must come to an end-just when I was (finally!) getting used to the putzy pace of things.  

The beauty of it is this-I'm happy to get here and equally as happy to get back home.  You know me-I'm a 'home slice.'  Make that a Key Lime Cheesecake-a big slice!

Have a lovely week my Darlin's!  xo

Cry Pretty...

After a long day on the high seas spotting sea flap flaps (stingrays), floating potato's (manatees), beach chickens (seagulls),  murder logs (crocs), and slippery tube dudes (sea snakes),  two salty chicks sporting their best messy-hair-don't care (not even a little!), made their way in for a shower and happy hour!  The day was perfect.  Until.

Rarely do we even turn on our tube while on vaycay, but a quick scan revealed that we had launched missiles in Syria.  You all know that this old mermaid is the most apolitical person ever but the images shown were shocking.  How anyone can comprehend the gassing of innocents?  I hate war and still maintain that a sit down conversation with options and consequences would be better served than hideous violence.  But that's just me and I know I do not fully understand or even know all the facts.  I pray for all of those suffering under such tyranny.

One thing I do know for sure, and feel very strongly about sharing is this.  My therapist has taught me the danger of viewing theses scenes over and over-as the news channels insist on doing.  She says that our brains are not set up to process these horrific images and can do lasting mental damage.  After 9-11, post traumatic stress disorders and depression rose, in part due to the inundating images. It's a new syndrome-thanks to news channels and social media.

So while I want to learn and be informed, I will not expose myself to the endless rerun of images that is shown with the information.  Please consider this danger.

We all need all of our strength to survive these times.  Have a great week filled with discovery, wonder and compassion.   Peace, Dolls.   XO