Do Gentlemen Prefer Blondes?

Despite all the blonde jokes, for many years I wanted to be a blonde. My two younger sisters are blondes. I was always the dark horse.

It seemed to me that all the beautiful women were blonde. The boys liked blondes. I wanted to be blonde.

Several years ago, well maybe more like 17 years ago, I finally went blonde.

For about 4 months. I hated it.

I discovered that blondes do get more attention. Now if you know me, you know that I don't really enjoy the attention being on me. Bridal showers, wedding and baby showers were hard for me being the center of attention. I like to sit back and observe but will speak my mind when I feel the need.

When being blonde brought me more attention,(more guys looked) it wasn't all that great. My skin tone isn't right for light hair. A fair skinned, freckled, green eyed blonde looked odd to me. I knew I wouldn't stay blonde for long. The event that made up my mind to go back to dark was a guy at work. Said man came up to me and said, "I bet you're not a true blonde and I'd love to find out." I looked at him for a minute, not sure where he was going, he worked with me, he knew I wasn't a true blonde. I must have looked quizzical because then he said, "all of your hair isn't blonde." I was speechless. Why would he say that? This was in the days before sexual harrassement policies were established and I worked for a utility company that was 80% male.

I didn't know how to respond, I just walked away. That weekend I went back to dark , auburn hair. It's me.

Another man at the same company came up behind me while I was sitting at my desk and preceeded to rub his hard self up against my back. I stiffened right up and said, "Do not ever do that to me again." I was my natural color at this time. These were not men that I was friends with, just work aquantances. The most unbelieveable thing was that my father worked for the same company and they both knew him. Not only that but Sean worked there, still does and they knew him as well. What were they thinking? I've never told my father about these incidents. Why upset him? He would've been furious that they spoke like that to his little girl. Not only that but Sean worked there and still does. I didn't tell him for many years. It wasn't worth upsetting him either. I didn't need him to defend me. It just amazed me that they thought that was okay.

Blonde Hair Facts:

Only 2% of the worlds blondes are naturally blonde.

Finland has the most natural blondes.

Blondes have the thinnest hair strands.

Blondes have the most strands of hair.

Blondes go gray faster.

My sisters have more gray hair than me. I have my revenge.

Famous Blondes:

Grace Kelly

Marilyn Monroe

Claudia Schiffer

Sharon Stone

Goldie Hawn

Pamela Anderson

Princess Diana

Signs, Signs, Everywhere A Sign

I wasn't raised in a religious home. My parents taught me everything I needed to know about living a good life and how to treat people. I'm not saying that I don't believe in a surpreme being, it's just that I didn't get a formal education in the whole story. I'm one that sometimes has a hard time accepting things on blind faith. Because someone tells me what to believe, does that make it true? Is there really heaven and hell? Has anyone come back and said, "oh yeah, it's the best place ever or, it's extreamly hot there"? I know that there are people that have "come back" from the dead and said they've seen it and their dearly departed relatives. Science has an explaination for that but I don't buy it. I'd like to think that there is a heaven and I'm going to it, even if I'm not a chuch person. People I know will be waiting for me when I get there. I hope my dogs are there too.


I can't debate religion at all. I know very little about it. I'm out of luck when I watch Jeopardy and one of the catagories is "The Bible".

What I do believe is that there are little signs in your life that if your mind is open enough, you will see them. For me, everything happens for a reason, there is fate involved. I don't really subscribe to coincidences. The best way I can think to describe it is in the movie "Signs". You may think, "oh, here she goes, gets her thoughts from a movie", not so, I've always thought that way. Now in that movie there were a lot of signs and they all came together in the end. It's not that easy in real life. I tell my kids that when I'm gone, I'm going to come back and give them a sign. I don't know what it will be but I will do it because I think it's been done. The person on Earth just doesn't know what to look for or isn't open to it.

When I was a young girl, around 16, I was home alone one afternoon and down in the basement for something. All of a sudden I heard my name called, loudly, clear as a bell. It was a female voice, I didn't recognize it. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Several years later a friend's grandfather had died in their house. The day of the funeral I volunteered to stay at the house, get the table and food ready for after. I was in the kitchen when I noticed the 2 dogs looking into the other room. They were looking up and had their heads cocked like dogs do when they are looking and listening to you. They stood like that for a full minute. I thought maybe someone had left the church early, came to the house and I didn't hear or see them come in. I looked out into the room and there was no one there. Those dogs were looking and listening to someone.
Do you ever get a strong feeling that someone is watching you and no one is around? Well maybe someone is.

Space. The Final Frontier?

Some may think that space is the final frontier.

I think that the final frontier is really beneath the ocean. We know many things about outer space. We've been to the moon, landed a rover on Mars, sent probes to Jupiter, launched satellites, have people living on a space station,

taken Pluto's status as a planet away and more I'm sure I don't know about. In 1994 while visiting Florida, while I didn't see the space shuttle launch, I did see it up in the sky after launch. You could see the shuttle with the flames coming out of the rockets and the big, wide contrail it left. To this day I have never seen a more impressive sight in person.

I'm fascinated by sea life. Any chance I get I watch documentaries about life under water. The deeper they go, the more I like it. You'd be amazed at what's down there. There are some very scary creatures living in the ocean. Take for example the angler fish and the viper fish. Nothing I'd want to see up close and personal.

There are beautiful creatures in the sea also and while I love to see these sea animals on TV, there is no way I'm going under water to see them. I have this somewhat irrational fear of being underwater, even in a pool. I'll wade in the waves at the beach but not go out much further than my knees. The last time I was out in the waves was about 15 years ago in Cape Cod. I got beaten up by a big one and when I came to the surface my bathing suit top was off. There I was staring my father's friend in the face. He got an eye full but never said anything about it. Thank you Gordon.

When I read about the colossal squid caught off the shores of New Zealand estimated to weigh 900 lbs and 39 feet long it just reaffirmed my fear of being underwater. Since they live in deep water, one needn't be afraid of meeting one. They can descend to 6,500 ft.

I don't know if a colassal squid is the same as a giant squid. I do know that the giant squid is the favorite meal of the sperm whale. My elderly friend, Mrs. R. who died several years ago, asked me what I would like from her. I asked for her sperm whale tooth. Her great uncle was a whaler out of Nova Scotia about 150 years ago. They would go out hunting whales and be at sea for sometimes 2 years. He kept this sperm whale tooth and gave it to her. Now it's one of my prized possessions.

American Idol

I admit it. I love American Idol. I've never phoned in to vote but if they had online voting, I'd do that. I voted online for Emmitt Smith on Dancing With the Stars every chance I got. Do I watch too much television?



Here is my prediction for the winner of American Idol:

Lakisha Jones, 27

LaKisha is one of those singers that seem to become a different person when they sing. She's as a soft spoken, humble, church singing, family loving, hard working single mother that understands that her daughter is her top priority. She has an amazing voice and really belts it out Aretha Franklin style.Simon gives her high accolades but I'm afraid that will hurt her or jinx her in the long run. Maybe I'll be voting this season.

Bald is Beautiful, If You're A Guy

Let me go on record that I happen to think that bald guys are handsome. I don't know why. The most handsome bald man is Emmitt Smith, Andre Aggasi, Michael Jordan, Bruce Willis,Yul Brenner, Patrick Stewart, Sean Connery, Samual L. Jackson (sometimes bald), The Rock, Billy Zane, and my Number One Son just to mention a few. I'm sure there are many more baldies, this is who I can think of off the top of my head. (no pun intended)

There are even some ladies that can pull off the bald look. Sigourney Weaver in Alien 3, Natalie Portman in a Star Wars movie and Demi Moore in G. I. Jane.

One that does not look good bald is Britney Spears. Between driving with her baby on her lap, partying all over town with professional sleaze, Paris Hilton, showing her nether regions with not wearing any underwear and now shaving her head, she is well on her way to a very public meltdown. I have no idea as to why she would shave her head but is anyone really that surprised? Looks like Kevin may get those boys after all. She needs to go and hide under a rock for a few months and stop demanding that all pay attention to her. I hate to see her go off the deep end like this but she's bringing it on herself. I never thought that I'd write about Brit but she's forcing me do it.

It looks like I'm not the only living creature waiting for spring. Sean and I stopped at one of our favorite summertime spots last week and oh, was it freezing. When it gets super cold like this I worry and wonder about all of the animals. How do they stay warm? Take these seagulls floating about on an iceberg, how can their little webbed feet not be frozen? I'm sure if they had a taste of where their cousins live down south, they'd head there next winter.






Seagulls can be a pain in the neck with the noise and the aggressivness they show if food is around. They're a beautiful bird though with the soft grey, white and black feathers.I hate when a bunch fly over my head. I can only think, "please don't poop on me". I've had it happen, right on my shoulder. Yuk.







What's worse is pelican poop (PP). One got my father down in Florida. I'm used to little birds up north like cardinals, robins, gold finches, song birds but pelican droppings are huge. If you get hit with PP, you know it. Of course it was pretty funny and I tried not to laugh. (I wasn't successful) I'm sure I wouldn't have seen the humor in it if I was the victim. Good thing my dad is bald and he could just wash it off.






Cody after our Valentine's Day snowstorm. He looks so cute but when he comes inside he leaves little snowballs everywhere which in turn melt, which then I step in and get wet socks.













While it is winter here in the northern United States, it's not winter in other parts of the world. Perhaps I need to move to the southern hemisphere. A friend sent me some lovely pictures from their garden that are blooming now. It cheered me up, seeing this glimpse of summer and reminded me that our time will come in a few months. I especially loved this dahlia. It reminds me of fireworks, another thing I enjoy in the summer.



I'm sure I've bored you to death with my complaining about the weather so I'm done with it. I won't do it anymore. At least I'll try not to.

Hey, it's me!

Yes, that's me out in our backyard. We had a snowday today as the schools were closed. I don't know who gets more excited, the students or teachers. Next week we will be off for February break and oh how I wish I was going to Florida to visit the parents. Stay warm where ever you may be.

Anna Nicole Smith

Anna Nicole Smith's death at age 39 is tragic in many ways. Her infant baby, Danielynn, no longer has a mother and Anna will never see her grow up. I feel for that child because as she grows up she will never escape her mother's image or the way that her mother lived and died. I happened to see an interview with Anna Nicole's mother, Vergie Arthur, on 20/20. The show went with her to the Bahama's to see if Grandma could get Dannielynn and bring her home. (I'm guessing they paid for the trip thinking they could get some good TV out of it.) Thank God she didn't. In this interview she proclaimed that she loved Anna while in the next breath, trashed her.

Ms. Arthur proceeded to tell us that when Anna Nicole made it big she never gave back to her family. They never received a dime from her. Not even when a relative developed leukemia.

This woman never shed a tear throughout the interview. That leads me to believe that there are some family dynamics going on that we're not awhare of. I can't imagine a mother talking about her less than 24 hour deceased child like that. She went on to say that while Anna worked the stripper pole she raised her first child, Danny.



While I never quite understood why someone would choose the lifestyle Anna Nicole did, I do understand that as a young wife and mother "you got to do what you've got to do" to earn money to support your family. She lived in a small town without many job opportunities. I can't judge her.

I do realize that Anna Nicole thrived on the attention she got and she used her body and looks to get that wanted attention. That's not the way I would want attention. That's just the way I am.

Growing up I had a great shape. At the time I thought I was fat. I wasn't, it was just that other girls my age didn't have the curves I did. Now I would love to have the body I had in seventh grade. But back then it brought me unwanted attention. Imagine a boy telling you, "those things jiggle when you walk." Or a high school health teacher telling you that you should go to Las Vegas because you could get a job as a showgirl. What kind of showgirl he meant I don't know. Since I'm only 5' 3" I'm much too short to be a showgirl.

I never wore revealing clothes, but now that I think of it, the clothes back in the 70's aren't like they are today. I did my best to cover up and downplay my "assets". In high school I never really knew if a boy liked me for me or because of my well endowed breasts. I didn't go on many dates for that reason and gave off a "don't bother" vibe. I had boyfriends but they were just that, friends. Into my adult life it is amazing how men can be mesmerized by a pair of big boobs. Some can't keep their eyes off of them. (insert eye roll here). I worked for a gas and electric company for 18 years, the majority of my co-workers were men. One in particular stared at them all the time. One day I finally said, "You know John, these things don't talk, look at my face when I'm speaking to you." I just got fed up. (Look at my feet all you want, I don't mind)Maybe my next post will be about my experiences with sexual harrassment.

Don't get me wrong, I can take a joke about them, I even joke about them myself, but some guys are so blatently obvious when they look. Today I am much more comfortable with them. Sometimes I think about getting them reduced but decide not to. After all they are part of who I am plus they balance out the rest of my shape. If you've got to have a curvy ass, better have the curves up front to match or else your ass just looks big.


Back to Anna Nicole Smith. Personally I find her pretty when she wore less makeup and didn't have the poofy hair. I had to search for a while to find a photo of her not all glammed up. Less is more I always say. Except when it comes to breasts. ;)

Romeo & Juliet

Have you heard the story of the ancient lovers that were found Feb 7? If not read on. In Mantua, Italy construction was on-going for a new factory when these two skeletons were unearthed. They date back to 5,000-6,000 years ago in the Neolithic period. Archaeologist Elena Menotti said the prehistoric pair are probably young people as they have all of their teeth. Menotti is also quoted as saying, "As far as we know, it's unique. Double burials from the Neolithic are unheard of and these are even hugging." Also found were some flint tools and a knife.

I find this facinating. To think that this couple had a life together, somehow died together then are found together thousands of years later. This is somewhat romantic to me, to spend eternity in the arms of your lover. Even in death you can see they cared about each other. I hope that whatever they do with them, the couple is somehow kept together as they have been for all of this time.

It makes me wonder what future archaeologists will dig up 6,000 years from now. I know it won't be me. I plan on being cremated when my time comes. I cannot stand the idea of being put in the ground. NO WAY. Scatter my ashes into the St. Lawrence River or off the shore of North Truro on Cape Cod. I sometimes tell my sons that I will stipulate that my ashes be split in half so they can each keep some of me on their mantle. They just roll their eyes at me :)

Snow Day

One of the perks of working in education is that when the weather God is in a mood to mess with us, we get a snow day off from school. We have not had a snow day in 3 years. That streak ended today. Hooorrraaayyy!

It wasn't because of snow but but because of the cold. Canada, our friendly neighbor to the north, has been sending us their frigid air. I suppose one does get tired of keeping it all to themselves. The upper mid west and the northeastern part of the country are in a deep freeze.

It was so cold yesterday that the diesel fuel in the school buses froze up. Aparently the US government has mandated that there must be some sort of additive added to the fuel. Don't ask me what it's supposed to do, I have no clue. I can tell you that it does do this. When the temperature goes below 0 degrees it gets gooey and clogs the fuel filter. Ergo, the buses sieze up after running for a bit. Many of them were stranded on the side of the road yesterday while the poor kids at the bus stop were freezing. Then you have the children that walk to school. Much to cold. Rather than letting the students turn into kidcicles again today, they cancelled school. The best part was that they did so the evening before so we knew by 7 pm that we weren't going in the morning. Now we could stay up later and sleep in the next day. Who could ask for more?So all of you teachers and students that are nice and warm in your climate; ha ha, living up north does have some advantage once in a while. I bet you never get a day off because it's too hot to go to school.



This is the back of our house. It looks like a frozen waterfall.








Cody loves to eat ice cubes and when we knock down the icecicles he's in heaven. He brings them into the house and chows down. They must have some flavor to them, probably somewhat salty.